Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative effects of deltamethrin and Neem kernel solution treatments on Diamondback moth and Cotesia plutellae (Hym., Braconidae) parasitoid populations in the Cotonou peri‐urban area in Benin

A comparison between deltamethrin and Neem kernel solution treatments on Plutella xylostella (L.) populations was made in the Cotonou peri‐urban area. Diamondback moth populations were 10 times larger in deltamethrin plots, than in Neem plots after treatment. The number of marketable cabbages from Neem‐treated plots was 1.5 times greater than the number from deltamethrin‐treated plots. There was no apparent effect of either treatments on Cotesia plutellae (Kurdjumov) populations, the only parasitoid of the pest that was present in the area.
Opening of the Neo-Tethys Ocean and the Pangea B to Pangea A transformation during the Permian

We studied the stratigraphy, composition, and paleomagnetic properties of lateritic weathering profiles of Permian age from northern Iran and western Karakoram, Pakistan. A limited set of samples deemed representative yielded stable low-inclination paleomagnetic components carried essentially by hematite of chemical origin isolated in massive, fine-grained, and homogeneous ferricrete facies. These laterites originated at equatorial paleolatitudes characterized by intense weathering processes under warm and humid climatic conditions. Paleomagnetic estimates of paleolatitude from Iran, Karakoram, and north Tibet from this study and the literature, albeit sparse, provide testable constraints on the motion of the Cimmerian terranes as the result of the opening of the Neo-Tethys Ocean along the eastern margin of Gondwana during the Permian. We confirm and help refine previous suggestions that the Cimmerian terranes migrated from southern Gondwanan paleolatitudes in the Early Permian to subequatorial paleolatitudes by the Middle Permian – Early Triassic. As a novel conclusion, we find that timing, rates, and geometry of Cimmerian tectonics are broadly compatible with the transformation of Pangea from an Irvingian B to a Wegenerian A-type configuration with Neo-Tethyan opening taking place contemporaneously essentially in the Permian.
The Determinants of Employment and Earnings in Indonesia

This paper uses household survey (Sakernas) data from the 1996 and 2004 to estimate the determinants of earnings in Indonesia. The Indonesian labour market is segmented, with a majority of workers engaged in informal-sector occupations, and earnings data are available only for formal-sector workers (salaried employees). This posed problems for the estimation of earnings equations, because selection into different labour market statuses is likely to be non-random. In order to describe selection into different labour market statuses we use the most general version of the method proposed by Dubin and McFadden (1984), which Bourguignon, Fournier and Gurgand (2007) proved to be preferable to other available multinomial selection methods. We also deal with reverse causality between education attainment and earnings by estimating the selection equations using an instrumental variable technique. Our findings cast doubt on the use of a binomial selection rule and suggest that workers with higher levels of educational attainment are most likely to find a job in the formal sector, and that the informal sector is perceived by those workers who cannot obtain a job in the formal sector as an alternative to inactivity. This Working Paper relates to the 2008 OECD Economic Assessment of Indonesia (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/indonesia).
Structure-Adaptive Accelerated Coordinate Descent

In this work we explore the fundamental structure-adaptiveness of accelerated randomized coordinate descent algorithms on regularized empirical risk minimization tasks, where the solution has intrinsic low-dimensional structure such as sparsity and low-rank, enforced by non-smooth regularization. We propose and analyze a two-stage accelerated coordinate descent algorithm ("two-stage APCG") utilizing the restricted strong-convexity framework. We provide the convergence analysis showing that the proposed method have a local accelerated linear convergence rate with respect to the low-dimensional structure of the solution. We also propose an adaptive variant of the two-stage APCG which does not need to foreknow the restricted strong convexity parameter beforehand, but estimates it on the fly. In our numerical experiments we test the proposed method on a number of machine learning datasets and demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Differences in Options Investors' Expectations and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns

We provide strong evidence that differences in expectations (DiE) among options investors, measured from the dispersion of equity options trading volume across moneyness levels, contain valuable information about future stock returns. Stocks with high DiE consistently underperform on average those with low DiE by more than 1% per month, with the negative DiE-return relationship strongest when short-sale constraints are high and among stocks that exhibit relatively high arbitrage risk. Moreover, we document that the DiE effect is highly persistent, pronounced in high sentiment periods, and is robustly distinct from a large array of previously documented cross-sectional return predictors.
Strain differentiation of foot and mouth disease virus type Asia 1 isolates of Indian origin.

Summary: Antigenic variation among aphthovirus type Asia 1 isolates recovered from India was investigated by a two-dimensional microneutralisation test. Two vaccine strains and three field strains were employed for reference. Considerable antigenic variation was observed among the strains. While vaccine strain Asia 1 IND 8/79 exhibited a narrow spectrum, most strains could be related to Asia 1 63/72. A broad spectrum was observed for the strain Asia 1 WBN 117/85, which has since been recommended for incorporation in the quadrivalent vaccine.
Punctuated equilibrium and the evolution of the product

There has been overwhelming discussion about the death of the product management system. Focusses on how the product management system is changing, and how firms can best anticipate and manage this change. Claims organizational change is inevitable and that marketing organizations must anticipate and prepare for it. Concludes that product management is not dead – merely evolving and at a rapid pace, and that punctuated equilibrium provides a useful model for product management for the next “equilibrium” period.
Experimental and numerical investigation of the vortex formation process behind a heated cylinder

This paper describes the three-dimensional (3D) vortex formation process behind a heated cylinder at low Reynolds numbers. Both experimental and numerical techniques are used, including an electrochemical tin-precipitation visualization method, a two-dimensional (2D) high resolution particle velocimetry technique, and a 3D spectral element method. The wake flow is simultaneously investigated in two perpendicular planes using a “dual-plane” configuration. It appears that for Reynolds number around 100 and Richardson number larger than 1.0 thermal plumes occur in the far wake. Correspondingly distinct counterrotating vortices, with a spanwise wavelength of two cylinder diameters, are shown in the near wake. Furthermore, a difference in the flow motion for “in-plume” and “out-of-plume” positions is observed. The vortex shedding process for the “out-of-plume” positions is quite similar to the one for an unheated cylinder, which is a 2D flow. At in-plume positions, it is observed that the flow moves upward fro.
Fluid Resuscitation in Burned Patients

This article focuses on the type of fluid available and respective indications in the course of burned patient’s resuscitation according to the clinical situation. In burned patients, fluid resuscitation aims at preventing complications due to severe hypovolaemia and at achieving a satisfying level of mean arterial pressure to ensure adequate tissue perfusion. Fluid resuscitation should ideally have no interactions with clot formation, have a composition close to that of the extracellular space and be isotonic to avoid cerebral volume variations. It should have a high-volume expansion property to avoid excessive fluid volume replacement that could contribute to the development of coagulopathy and complications such as abdominal compartment syndrome. However, no fluid gathers all these properties at one time and fluid choice in burnresuscitation remains a subject of debate.
Modelling fluid induced seismicity on a nearby active fault

SUMMARY We present a numerical investigation of the effect that static stress perturbations due to fluid injection have on a nearby active fault where the fluid does not come in physical contact with the fault. Our modelling employs a lattice Boltzmann pore diffusion model coupled with a quasi-dynamic earthquake rupture model. As diffusivities and frictional parameters can be defined independently at individual nodes/cells this allows us to replicate complex 3-D geological media in our simulations. We demonstrate the effect an injection can have on an active nearby fault. Compared with our control catalogue (identical to the original simulation but without the injection), the injection not only altered the timing of the next earthquake sequence, it also changed its size, producing a Mw 6.7 event, the largest observed earthquake on the fault. This large event pushes the fault into a subcritical state from which it took roughly 200yr of continuous tectonic loading for the fault to return to a critical state.
Roles of autoantibody-mediated platelet destruction in thrombocytopenic patients with HBV-related liver diseases

The pathophysiology of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) was complex and several underlying mechanisms might act in concert. Roles of autoantibody-mediated platelet destruction in HBVrelated CLD remained controversial. In this study, platelet-bound and plasma glycoprotein (GP)-specific autoantibodies in HBV-infected patients at different stages were determined by flow cytometric immunobead array and modified monoclonal antibody-specific immobilization of platelet antigen (MAIPA) technique. In thrombocytopenic group, platelet-bound GP-specific autoantibodies were detectable in 9 of the 12 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, 5 of 9 Child A cirrhotic patients, and 6 of 18 Child B/C cirrhotic patients, whereas plasma GP-specific autoantibodies were positive in 7 of the 12 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, 4 of 9 Child A cirrhotic patients, and 4 of 18 Child B/C cirrhotic patients. The positive frequencies of platelet-bound and plasma GP-specific autoantibodies were considerably higher in thrombocytopenic patients than that in CHB or Child A cirrhotic patients without thrombocytopenia. However, there was no correlation between platelet counts and levels of platelet-bound or plasma GP-specific autoantibodies. In vitro phagocytic assays revealed that levels of autoantibody-mediated platelet phagocytosis by macrophages in thrombocytopenic CHB patients were significantly higher than that in thrombocytopenic Child A and Child B/C cirrhotic patients, and phagocytic capacity of macrophages in thrombocytopenic Child A cirrhotic patients was also higher than that in Child B/C cirrhotic patients. These finding suggested that platelet GP-specific autoantibodies were indeed present in thrombocytopenic patients with HBV-related CLD, while autoantibody-mediated platelet phagocytosis was associated with the severity of liver cirrhosis.
A Study on the Prescription Pattern and Use of Potentially Inappropriate Drugs in the Geriatric Clinic of A Tertiary Care Hospital in Northeast India

In keeping with the recent advances in medical science, there has been a steady shift in the demographic status in India due to rise in the elderly population of the country. However there is still a huge lag in the geriatric care in our country. Northeast India lacks thebasic infrastructure for geriatric care. The geriatric population are often treated as old adults and prescribed drugs irrationally. Hence this study aims at studying such inappropriate prescriptions meted out to this special population and increase awareness regarding the same.
Surface gravities for non-Killing horizons

There are many logically and computationally distinct characterizations of the surface gravity of a horizon, just as there are many logically rather distinct notions of horizon. Fortunately, in standard general relativity, for stationary horizons, these characterizations are degenerate. However, in modified gravity, or in analogue spacetimes, horizons may be non-Killing or even non-null, and hence these degeneracies can be lifted. We present a brief overview of the key issues, specifically focusing on horizons in analogue spacetimes and universal horizons in modified gravity.
MICROSTRIP CAPACITANCE FOR A CIRCULAR DISK THROUGH MATCHED ASYMPTOTIC EXPANSIONS.

The solution of the potential around two parallel circular disks separated by a dielectric slab is obtained by using the method of matched asymptotic expansions, asymptotic formula for the capacitance has been derived in the limit of small separation $2\delta $. The formula obtained includes terms of order $\delta $ as well. The mixed boundary value problem is solved by dividing the space around the parallel plates into three regions; the exterior region, the edge region, and the interior region. The solution of the edge region incorporating diegectric effects is obtained by using the Wiener–Hopf technique. The exterior solution of the circular disk problem is obtained by using Hankel transforms. The Hankel transform representation of the exterior solution facilitates the easy derivation of its edge expansion from the Lipschitz–Hankel integrals. The solutions are comiared with Shaw’s result for the free-space case [Phys. Fluids, 13 (1970), pp. 1935–1947] and her errors are corrected. Improvement of her ap.
The Role of SST Structure in Convectively Coupled Kelvin-Rossby Waves and Its Implications for MJO Formation

AbstractThe dynamics of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) are investigated using an aqua-planet general circulation model (GCM) and a simple one-and-a-half-layer model with a first-baroclinic mode and a planetary boundary layer. The aqua-planet GCM with zonally symmetric SST conditions simulates tropical intraseasonal disturbances with a dominant time scale of about 20 days, which is much faster than that of the observed MJO, although the GCM with realistic surface boundary conditions is shown to reproduce the observed MJO reasonably well. The SST with a broader meridional structure slows down the propagation speed. Several experiments done with various zonally symmetric surface boundary conditions showed that the meridional structure of the SST in fact is a control factor for the propagation characteristics of the MJO. With a simple theoretical model for the MJO, it is shown that the instability of the moist coupled Kelvin–Rossby waves depends on the SST structure, which determines the lower-level mois.
SEMI-ANALYTIC MODELS FOR THE CANDELS SURVEY: COMPARISON OF PREDICTIONS FOR INTRINSIC GALAXY PROPERTIES

We compare the predictions of three independently developed semi-analytic galaxy formation models (SAMs) that are being used to aid in the interpretation of results from the CANDELS survey. These models are each applied to the same set of halo merger trees extracted from the “Bolshoi” high-resolution cosmological N-body simulation and are carefully tuned to match the local galaxy stellar mass function using the powerful method of Bayesian Inference coupled with Markov Chain Monte Carlo or by hand. The comparisons reveal that in spite of the significantly different parameterizations for star formation and feedback processes, the three models yield qualitatively similar predictions for the assembly histories of galaxy stellar mass and star formation over cosmic time. Comparing SAM predictions with existing estimates of the stellar mass function from z = 0–8, we show that the SAMs generally require strong outflows to suppress star formation in low-mass halos to match the present-day stellar mass function, as is the present common wisdom. However, all of the models considered produce predictions for the star formation rates (SFRs) and metallicities of low-mass galaxies that are inconsistent with existing data. The predictions for metallicity–stellar mass relations and their evolution clearly diverge between the models. We suggest that large differences in the metallicity relations and small differences in the stellar mass assembly histories of model galaxies stem from different assumptions for the outflow mass-loading factor produced by feedback. Importantly, while more accurate observational measurements for stellar mass, SFR and metallicity of galaxies at 1 < z < 5 will discriminate between models, the discrepancies between the constrained models and existing data of these observables have already revealed challenging problems in understanding star formation and its feedback in galaxy formation. The three sets of models are being used to construct catalogs of mock galaxies on light cones that have the same geometry as the CANDELS survey, which should be particularly useful for quantifying the biases and uncertainties on measurements and inferences from the real observations.
The R Package MitISEM: Efficient and Robust Simulation Procedures for Bayesian Inference

This paper presents the R-package MitISEM (mixture of t by importance sampling weighted expectation maximization) which provides an automatic and flexible two-stage method to approximate a non-elliptical target density kernel -- typically a posterior density kernel -- using an adaptive mixture of Student-t densities as approximating density. In the first stage a mixture of Student-t densities is fitted to the target using an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm where each step of the optimization procedure is weighted using importance sampling. In the second stage this mixture density is a candidate density for efficient and robust application of importance sampling or the Metropolis-Hastings (MH) method to estimate properties of the target distribution. The package enables Bayesian inference and prediction on model parameters and probabilities, in particular, for models where densities have multi-modal or other non-elliptical shapes like curved ridges. These shapes occur in research topics in several scientific fields. For instance, analysis of DNA data in bio-informatics, obtaining loans in the banking sector by heterogeneous groups in financial economics and analysis of education's effect on earned income in labor economics. The package MitISEM provides also an extended algorithm, 'sequential MitISEM', which substantially decreases computation time when the target density has to be approximated for increasing data samples.
‘It has really amazed me what my body can now do’: boundary work and the construction of a body-positive dance community

Abstract Boundaries around normative embodiments in physical cultures can be exclusionary if one’s embodied identity does not ‘fit’. Normative boundaries are particularly marked in codified forms of dance such as ballet. Moves towards body positivity aim to challenge these normative boundaries by redefining what dancers’ bodies can look like and how they should move. This paper stems from an appreciative inquiry undertaken with one such project, a gender-neutral, LGBTQ-friendly adult ballet school in the UK; a subcultural context that marks itself as distinct from broader cultures of dance. Interviews with learners are analysed through a Bourdieuian lens to explore the construction and maintenance of a body-positive subculture. Findings suggest that boundaries of ability were crossed, with celebration of all bodies’ capabilities, and boundaries of normative gender expression were transformed through a commitment to gender-neutrality and LGBTQ-friendly behaviours. However, boundaries around technical and aesthetic norms, while shifted or challenged, ultimately remained in place.
Pesticide Use and Health Outcomes: Evidence from Agricultural Water Pollution in China

By linking provincial pesticide usage reports from several Chinese statistical yearbooks (1998-2011) with the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (1998-2011), this study provides new evidence that pesticides adversely affect health outcomes via drinking water exposure. We follow a difference-in-difference-in-differences framework to compare health outcomes between people who drink surface water and ground water in regions with different intensities of rice pesticide use before and after 2004, when China shifted from taxing agriculture to subsidizing agricultural programs. The results indicate that a 10% increase in rice pesticide use unfavorably alters a key medical disability index (Activities of Daily Living or ADL) by 1% for rural residents 65 and older. This is equivalent to 2.13 and 0.64 million dollars in medical and family care costs, respectively. Further, we provide suggestive evidence of an intergenerational transfer of caring burden by showing pesticide use reduces out-migration of the offspring in affected households. The results are robust to a variety of robustness checks and falsification tests.
Depth and degree of melting of komatiites

High pressure melting experiments have permitted new constraints to be placed on the depth and degree of partial melting of komatiites. Komatiites from Gorgona Island were formed by relatively low degrees of pseudoinvariant melting (< 30%) involving L + Ol + Opx + Cpx + Gt on the solidus at 40 kbar, about 130 km depth. Munro-type komatiites were separated from a harzburgite residue (L + Ol + Opx) at pressures that are poorly constrained, but were probably around 50 kbar, about 165 km depth; the degree of partial melting was <40%. Komatiites from the Barberton Mountain Land were formed by high degrees (∼50%) of pseudoinvariant melting (L + Ol + Gt + Cpx) of fertile mantle peridotite in the 80- to 100-kbar range, about 260- to 330- km depth. Secular variations in the geochemistry of komatiites could have formed in response to a reduction in the temperature and pressure of melting with time. The 3.5 Ga Barberton komatiites and the 2.7 Ga Munro-type komatiites could have formed in plumes that were hotter than the present-day mantle by 500° and 300°, respectively. When excess temperatures are this size, melting is deeper and volcanism changes from basaltic to komatiitic. The komatiites from Gorgona Island, which are Mesozoic in age, may be representative of komatiites that are predicted to occur in oceanic plateaus of Cretaceous age throughout the Pacific [Storey et al., 1991].
Sustainable Urban Development to 2050: Complex Transitions in the Built Environment of Cities

The majority of the world’s population now live in cities. This poses great challenges, but also great opportunities in terms of tackling climate change, resource depletion and environmental degradation. Policy agendas have increasingly focused on how to develop and maintain ‘integrated sustainable urban development’, and a number of theoretical conceptualisations of urban transition have been formulated to help our thinking and understanding in both developed and developing countries. Drawing on examples around the world the paper aims to examine the key ‘critical success factors’ that need to be in place for cities to traverse a pathway to a more sustainable future in urban development terms by 2050. The paper explores how important the issues of ‘scale’ is in the context of complexity and fragmentation in the city’s built environment, identifies the lessons that can be learned for future sustainable urban development, and the further research which is needed to address future urban transitions to 2050.