Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absolute Hubble Space Telescope Proper Motion (HSTPROMO) of Distant Milky Way Globular Clusters: Galactocentric Space Velocities and the Milky Way Mass

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) absolute proper motion (PM) measurements for 20 globular clusters (GCs) in the Milky Way (MW) halo at Galactocentric distances R GC ≈ 10 – 100 kpc, with a median per-coordinate PM uncertainty of 0.06 mas yr − 1 . Young and old halo GCs do not show systematic differences in their 3D Galactocentric velocities, derived from combining existing line-of-sight velocities. We confirm the association of Arp 2, Pal 12, Terzan 7, and Terzan 8 with Sgr. These clusters and NGC 6101 have tangential velocity v tan > 290 km s−1, whereas all other clusters have v tan < 200 km s−1. NGC 2419, the most distant GC in our sample, is also likely associated with the Sgr stream, whereas NGC 4147, NGC 5024, and NGC 5053 definitely are not. We use the distribution of orbital parameters derived using the 3D velocities to separate halo GCs that either formed within the MW or were accreted. We also assess the specific formation history of, e.g., Pyxis and Terzan 8. We constrain the MW mass via an estimator that considers the full 6D phase-space information for 16 of the GCs from R GC = 10 to 40 kpc. The velocity dispersion anisotropy parameter β = 0.609 − 0.229 + 0.130 . The enclosed mass M ( < 39.5 kpc ) = 0.61 − 0.12 + 0.18 × 10 12 M ⊙ , and the virial mass M vir = 2.05 − 0.79 + 0.97 × 10 12 M ⊙ . These are consistent with, but on the high side among, recent mass estimates in the literature.
2 All Learning Rates At Once : Description

Hyperparameter tuning is a bothersome step in the training of deep learning models. One of the most sensitive hyperparameters is the learning rate of the gradient descent. We present the All Learning Rates At Once (Alrao) optimization method for neural networks: each unit or feature in the network gets its own learning rate sampled from a random distribution spanning several orders of magnitude. This comes at practically no computational cost. Perhaps surprisingly, stochastic gradient descent (SGD) with Alrao performs close to SGD with an optimally tuned learning rate, for various architectures and problems. Alrao could save time when testing deep learning models: a range of models could be quickly assessed with Alrao, and the most promising models could then be trained more extensively. This text comes with a PyTorch implementation of the method, which can be plugged on an existing PyTorch model: https://github.com/leonardblier/alrao.
Mathematical and intelligent modeling of electropneumatic servo actuator systems

The pneumatic actuator represents the main force control operator in many industrial applications, where its static and dynamic characteristics play an important role in the overall behavior of the control system. Therefore, obtaining of accurate approach for modeling the pneumatic actuator is of prime interest to control system designers. In this paper a different methodologies for deriving and simulating the model of the pneumatic servo actuators controlled with proportional valves are presented. The model includes cylinder dynamics, payload motion, friction and valve characteristics.
Service-Learning Research: Definitional Challenges and Complexities.

This article highlights some of the challenges a researcher has to confront when conducting a study on the impacts of service-learning. A review of the literature has revealed that the term ‘service-learning’ has been variously defined and is often misunderstood. This confusion is exacerbated by the inconsistencies in the way service-learning is interpreted and implemented. The aim of discussing the difficulties associated with the research is premised upon the belief that to gain deeper insights and understanding of a field as perplexing and multifaceted as service-learning, one is required not only to acknowledge its complexities but also be willing to deal with them. The article concludes by reiterating what many researchers of this field had suggested, that is, the importance of adopting a holistic approach and the necessity to address various mediating factors, if one is to capture a more accurate and complete picture of how servicelearning impacts students. (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2014, 15(4), 347-358)
Macroeconomic Variables impact on Stock Prices in a BRIC Stock Markets: An Empirical Analysis

The study investigates the nature of the causal relationships between stock prices and the key macro economic variables in BRIC countries. The empirical evidence shows that long-run and short-run relationship exists between macro economic variables and stock prices, but this relationship was not consistent for all of the BRIC countries. The policy implication of the above is that the BRIC stock markets are not responsive to changes in a majority of macroeconomic factors in spite of the sizable proportion of stock market capitalization as a share of the country’s GDP.
Unraveling the Aging Skein

Age-related differences in sensory functioning, processing speed, and working memory have been identified as three significant predictors of the age-related performance decline observed in complex cognitive tasks. Yet, the assessment of their relative predictive capacity and interrelations is still an open issue in decision making and cognitive aging research. Indeed, no previous investigation has examined the relationships of all these three predictors with decision making. In an individual-differences study, we therefore disentangled the relative contribution of sensory functioning, processing speed, and working memory to the prediction of the age-related decline in cognitively-demanding judgment and decision-making tasks. Structural equation modeling showed that the age-related decline in working memory plays an important predictive role, even when controlling for sensory functioning, processing speed, and education. Implications for research on decision making and cognitive aging are discussed.
Food Culture Distance: An Antecedent to Export Marketing Strategy Adaptation - An Empirical Examination of Swedish and Finnish Food Processing Companies

This study explores dissimilarity in food culture (food culture distance) as an antecedent to the adaptation of export marketing strategy for food products, and examines the impact of marketing program adaptation on export performance. Building on previous research, this paper introduces a model for operationalizing the construct food culture distance. Data were gathered via a mail survey of Swedish and Finnish food exporters. The results indicate a significant correlation between food culture distance and the extent of product adaptation. However, product adaptation does not affect export performance, implying that other factors, along with marketing strategy, may influence export performance.
EFFECT OF MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE ON THE CEREBELLAR CORTEX OF MALE ALBINO RAT AND PROTECTIVE ROLE OF VITAMIN C

Background: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is one of the most widely used food-additives in commercial foods that had effect on various tissues including cerebellum. It acts via creating an oxidative stress. The central nervous system is a target organ for MSG especially cerebellar cortex. The health benefits of vitamin C were derived from its role in the key reactions within immune function, metabolism, and other enzymatic reactions. Aim: To evaluate the effect of MSG on rat’s cerebellar cortex with the possible protective role of Vitamin C. Methods: Twenty one adult male albino rats have been used in this work. The animals were randomly divided into three groups with seven animals in each group. Group 1 (Control): Animals were kept without addition of any chemicals. Group 2 (MSG-treated): Animals were subjected to administration of MSG ‎4g/kg body weight dissolved in 1 ml normal saline. Group 3 (MSG and Vitamin C treated): Animals were subjected to administration of both MSG ‎4g/kg body weight dissolved in 1 ml normal saline and 500 mg/kg vitamin C, orally. By the end of the experiment which was 10 days. Animals were anaesthetized and sacrificed. Cerebellar hemispheres were obtained and specimens were processed for both light and electron microscopic examination. Results: MSG caused histopathological and morphometric changes in rat’s cerebellar cortex. Vitamin C protected the cerebellar cortex specimens against such changes. Conclusion: MSG could result in hazards to the structure of cerebellar cortex. Fortunately co-administration of vitamin C is suggested to reduce such hazards.
A brief economic assessment on the valuation of national and natural parks: the case of Romania.

In the last decades, an increased interest has been expressed by researchers from worldwide towards studies about economic valuation of protected areas given that environmental public goods are not always traded on a market. Economists have struggled with this subject for decades and have developed several methods to estimate the economic values of these goods, known as non-market valuation methods. This paper reviews and presents a brief analysis of the most popular techniques as applied to natural areas, which are compared after grouping the research steps in five common steps for a consistent comparative analysis. Moreover, renowned studies conducted worldwide are revealed for each of the methods. A special interest has been noticed towards the estimation of welfare measures, such as Willingness To Pay (WTP) and consumer surplus, and towards differentiating user groups, as well as introducing several factors that may influence the decision to visit the natural areas. The case of Romanian national and natural parks is discussed in detail with the purpose to emphasize the need to continue the research in the field. The unique character of each of the studied parks, marked by geographic and cultural aspects, was confirmed through statistic analyses and thus welfare measures were determined for each park separately. The performed analyses proved that the methods have applicability in Romania as well.
An entrepreneurial decision process model describing opportunity recognition

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to expand upon existing theories of entrepreneurial cognitions. It constructs an information‐processing framework of entrepreneurship (I‐Pe) that holistically maps out the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition process. This framework demonstrates how various entrepreneurial needs and attitudes, as well as entrepreneurial motivators, impact on the diagnosis and assessment of informational cues. It describes how opportunity‐related information is processed by entrepreneurs in order to reach a decision of acceptance or rejection of potential business opportunities.Design/methodology/approach – The paper commences with a case study of New Zealand's winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Bill Day and his company Seaworks, a marine contracting firm. The case content is based on personal interviews by the authors as well as secondary data. The case describes how Seaworks achieved its current level of success. A number of Bill Day's uniquely entrepreneurial behaviou.
Identifying superior drought-tolerant olive genotypes and their biochemical and some physiological responses to various irrigation levels

Abstract Drought is currently one of the most severe abiotic factors limiting agricultural production. The high rates of population growth and global warming are expected to further exacerbate the threat of drought, especially in areas with a semi-arid climate as in the Middle East region. Selecting genotypes for improved drought tolerance has long been of interest for those involved in horticulture. The present research investigated the reaction of seven 10-year-old olive genotypes to drought stress in Dallaho Olive Research Station, Iran. To determine the reaction of genotypes to drought stress, physiological and biochemical characteristics, fruit and oil yield, and water use efficiency were measured. The results showed that different genotypes react differently to drought stress while drought decreased vegetative and reproductive traits such as shoot length and diameter, relative water content of the leaves, Ca and K percentage, and fruit yield. Finally, Dd1 and Bn6 showed the highest oil and fruit yield per hectare and the highest water use efficiency. In addition, Bn3 had a favorable status in most of the measured parameters. So, they can be suggested as the genotypes that are tolerant of drought stress. The results also showed that olive yield and irrigation management can be improved by applying proper irrigation levels and using tolerant genotypes.
Leakage from inclined porous reservoirs

We investigate the effect of localized leakage on the storage of buoyant fluids in inclined porous reservoirs, with application to the geological storage of CO2. We find that once the current has propagated some distance beyond the point of leakage, its profile becomes steady in time, save for the nose, which advances at a constant speed. Crucially, this steady state implies that the efficiency of storage (defined as the instantaneous proportion of the injected fluid that does not leak) tends to a finite value. This contrasts with previous studies of localized leakage in horizontal reservoirs, which found that the efficiency of storage tends to zero at late times. We analyse the steady-state efficiency and the time scales of evolution for a leakage point located either upslope or downslope of the injection point using analytical and numerical methods. These findings are verified by model laboratory experiments. Finally, we consider the implications of our results for the geological storage of CO2 under sloping cap rocks compromised by a fracture or fissure.
Effect of feed restriction on some chemical and sensory properties of chicken meat

Feed restriction application in the early stage of growth in broiler is common to prevent some health problems. However, feed restriction may affect the quality of meat. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feed restriction on sensory properties of chicken meat. Total 60 Ross 308 broiler chickens were divided into three groups. The chickens in the first group were fed ad libitum (control group; AD), whereas the chickens in the second and the third group were exposed to two different feed restriction applications. The chickens in the second group (FR) were fed with 20% less food of ad libitum food intake, while the chickens in the third group (NF) were not fed between 9 am-3 pm. Feed restriction in both groups was applied when the chickens were between 7-21 days old. The chickens were slaughtered at week six of the trial and the carcasses were stored at -25 °C until chemical and sensory analyses. Descriptive sensory analysis was conducted to determine characteristic descriptive terms for breast and thigh body parts. In addition to sensory characteristics, some chemical properties including titratable acidity, dry matter and fat contents of the meat samples were determined. The data of chemical properties were analyzed by repeated measurement variance analysis, while the data of sensory evaluation were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS). The finding of this study demonstrated that juicy, chicken flavor and umami were leading sensory characteristics of chicken meat. Some undesirable flavor attributes including cardboard, feed, oxidized and organy were also determined at very low intensities. Juiciness and chicken flavor scores of breast meat in AD and NF groups did not show any significant differences. No significant differences were detected between feed regimes in the flavor intensities of thigh meat. Feed restriction did not affect acidity or dry matter, whereas feed restriction affected fat contents of breast and thigh.
The National Qualifications Framework in South Africa: A democratic project trapped in a neo-liberal paradigm?

Much criticism and debate about the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) has been about issues relating to implementation. Instead, the article argues that the problems with the NQF are fundamental to the way in which it has been conceptualised. The NQF was designed on the one hand to contribute to the drive for international competitiveness, and on the other hand to democratise and transform an elitist, discriminatory, and divided education system. The article argues that the drive towards democracy and the neo-liberal economic agenda have been incompatible, and that the pressures of the latter have been dominant. However, the location of the NQF within a democratic project in South Africa has meant that it has been seen as an egalitarian and transformative project, and has insulated its basic assumptions from criticism. Its approaches, policies, and mechanisms, which were designed to replace apartheid education, have come to be perceived indistinguishably from their mission, even when they are in fact not achieving it. |spagf|ro|epagf|
Estimates of the 10-m Neutral Sea Surface Drag Coefficient from Aircraft Eddy-Covariance Measurements

AbstractThe 10-m neutral drag coefficient (CDN10) over the sea is calculated using a large observational dataset consisting of 5800 estimates of the mean flow and the fluxes from aircraft eddy-covariance measurements. The dataset includes observations from 11 different experiments with four different research aircraft. One of the goals is to investigate how sensitive CDN10 is to the analysis method. As such, CDN10 derived from six unique processing schemes that involve different methods for averaging the surface stress and the wind speed are compared. Especially in weak winds, the resulting CDN10 values depend on the choice of processing.Four distinct regimes of CDN10 are identified: weak winds where calculating CDN10 is not well posed, moderate winds (4 to 10 m s−1) where CDN10 is a constant, strong winds (10 to 20 m s−1) where CDN10 increases linearly with increasing wind speed, and very strong winds (20 to 24 m s−1) where CDN10 steadily decreases with increasing wind speed. However, as this last regime.
Effects of Geographical Location on Chemical Properties of Zarazi Virgin Olive Oil Produced in the South of Tunisia

The effects of geographical location on the chemical composition of olive oil of Zarazi cultivar growing in four different regions in the south of Tunisia (Sfax, Tataouin, Matmata and Medenin) were evaluated. Quality indices, oxidative stability, tocopherol content, fatty acid, sterol and phenolic compositions, were analyzed for each oil sample. Significant differences were detected depending on the growing area (p< 0.05). In general, the main secoridoids, were present in higher levels in the oil obtained from olives of Sfax region. Statistical analyses showed that acidic and sterolic compositions of olive oil were significantly modified according to the growing regions. The Principal Component Analysis of the different analyzed compounds indicated that the factor “geographical location” significantly affected olive oil quality, and highlighted the high quality of oil samples of Sfax, in terms of their high oxidative stability and their richness in bioactive compounds.
Dynamics of stormflow generation—A hillslope‐scale field study in east‐central Pennsylvania, USA

A 40 m × 20 m mowed, grass hillslope adjacent to a headwater stream within a 26‐ha watershed in east‐central Pennsylvania, USA, was instrumented to identify and map the extent and dynamics of surface saturation (areas with the water table at the surface) and surface runoff source areas. Rainfall, stream flow and surface runoff from the hillslope were recorded at 5‐min intervals from 11 August to 22 November 1998, and 13 April to 12 November 1999. The dynamics of the water table (0 to 45 cm depth from the soil surface) and the occurrence of surface runoff source areas across the hillslope were recorded using specially designed subsurface saturation and surface runoff sensors, respectively. Detailed data analyses for two rainfall events that occurred in August (57·7 mm in 150 min) and September (83·6 mm in 1265 min) 1999, illustrated the spatial and temporal dynamics of surface saturation and surface runoff source areas. Temporal data analyses showed the necessity to measure the hillslope dynamics at time intervals comparable to that of rainfall measurements. Both infiltration excess surface runoff (runoff caused when rainfall intensity exceeds soil infiltration capacity) and saturation excess surface runoff (runoff caused when soil moisture storage capacity is exceeded) source areas were recorded during these rainfall events. The August rainfall event was primarily an infiltration excess surface runoff event, whereas the September rainfall event produced both infiltration excess and saturation excess surface runoff. Occurrence and disappearance of infiltration excess surface runoff source areas during the rainfall events appeared scattered across the hillslope. Analysis of surface saturation and surface runoff data showed that not all surface saturation areas produced surface runoff that reached the stream. Emergence of subsurface flow to the surface during the post‐rainfall periods appeared to be a major flow process dominating the hillslope after the August rainfall event. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MESOPHYLL CELLS OF TRANSGENIC TOBACCO PLANTS WITH HUMAN INTERFERON ALPHA 2B GENE INFECTED BY TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS

Tobacco plants resistant to the antibiotic kanamycin were obtained using the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. The transgenic nature of these plants was confirmed by PCR analysis using primers specific to genes ifn-α2b and nptII. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the human ifn-α2b gene was transcribed in the plants obtained after transformation. Extracts from transgenic plants possessed interferon-like antiviral activity in EPT cells infected by vesicular stomatitis virus (3.274-6312 IU/g of fresh weight, or 1.553 * 10-3 3.009 * 10-3 IU/mg of total soluble protein). Transgenic plants were infected by tobacco mosaic virus. Electron microscopic analysis of cells of transgenic and control tobacco plants showed no significant differences in their ultrastructure.
Sharp Bounds on Causal Effects Under Sample Selection

type="main" xml:id="obes12056-abs-0001"> In many empirical problems, the evaluation of treatment effects is complicated by sample selection so that the outcome is only observed for a non-random subpopulation. In the absence of instruments and/or tight parametric assumptions, treatment effects are not point identified, but can be bounded under mild restrictions. Previous work on partial identification has primarily focused on the ‘always observed’ (irrespective of the treatment). This article complements those studies by considering further populations, namely the ‘compliers’ (observed only if treated) and the observed population. We derive sharp bounds under various assumptions and provide an empirical application to a school voucher experiment.
On the Policy Implications of Endogenous Technological Progress

One of the most well-known empirical regularities in the R&D-productivity literature is the existence of substantial under-investment in R&D. This strongly suggests that government should actively promote research activities. However, the so-called "quality-ladders" models of endogenous technological progress are inconsistent with this observation. In an extreme case, Grossman and Helpman (1991) suggest that R&D should always be taxed irrespective of the size of quality improvement. This paper attempts to reconcile these empirical and theoretical findings by showing that the normative results of Grossman and Helpman are not robust.