Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Contact Process on Random Graphs
and Galton Watson Trees

The key to our investigation is an improved (and in a sense sharp) understanding of the survival time of the contact process on star graphs. Using these results, we show that for the contact process on Galton-Watson trees, when the offspring distribution (i) is subexponential the critical value for local survival $\lambda_2=0$ and (ii) when it is geometric($p$) we have $\lambda_2 \le C_p$, where the $C_p$ are much smaller than previous estimates. We also study the critical value $\lambda_c(n)$ for "prolonged persistence" on graphs with $n$ vertices generated by the configuration model. In the case of power law and stretched exponential distributions where it is known $\lambda_c(n) \to 0$ we give estimates on the rate of convergence. Physicists tell us that $\lambda_c(n) \sim 1/\Lambda(n)$ where $\Lambda(n)$ is the maximum eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix. Our results show that this is not correct.
Effect of electrical stimulation with high voltage pulsed galvanic current and Russian currents on lactic acid accumulation: a preliminary study

Address correspondence to: Yard. Doc. Dr. Zuhal Gultekin Baskent University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Baglica Kampusu, Eskisehir Yolu 20. km, Ankara, Turkey E-mail: zuhalg@baskent.edu. tr Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of electrical stimulation with two different currents on lactic acid accumulation. Material and methods: Twenty healthy male volunteers participated in this study, and were equally divided into high voltage pulsed galvanic current (HVPGC) and Russian currents groups. In both groups, electrical stimulation was applied to the quadriceps muscle of the dominant leg. A regime of ten stimulus repetitions for 5 sec followed by 5 sec of rest to HVPGC group, and a regime of ten stimulus repetitions for 10 sec followed by 50 sec of rest to Russian currents group were applied. Subjects’ blood lactic acid levels were determined before, in the middle and immediately after the electrical stimulation and at the 3 and 5 min of recovery period. Results: 2 x 5 ANOVA with repeated measures indicated significant time effects in the blood lactic acid levels (F=4.901; p<0.05) and no significant group x time interaction. Conclusion: These results suggest that two different electrical stimulation currents were not different in lactic acid accumulation.
A Prediction Model for Ductile Fracture of Steel Bridge Piers

A cyclic ductile damage model is presented to simulate the ductile fracture failure of steel bridge piers due to large amplitude cyclic straining in structural steels, which is often the governing limit state in thick-walled steel structures subjected to earthquakes. This model is based on the modified two-surface-plastic model for cyclic loading, damage accumulative index and evolution law, a choice of element deletion whereby elements can be removed from the calculations once the material stiffness is fully degraded. It can simulate the ductile crack propagation until structural failure induced by the ductile fracture. The effects of extremely low-cycle fatigue (ELCF) and local buckling can be taken into account in this model.
Prediction of spatially distributed seismic demands in specific structures: Structural response to loss estimation

A companion paper has investigated the effects of intensity measure (IM) selection in the prediction of spatially distributed response in a multi‐degree‐of‐freedom structure. This paper extends from structural response prediction to performance assessment metrics such as probability of structural collapse; probability of exceeding a specified level of demand or direct repair cost; and the distribution of direct repair loss for a given level of ground motion. In addition, a method is proposed to account for the effect of varying seismological properties of ground motions on seismic demand that does not require different ground motion records to be used for each intensity level. Results illustrate that the conventional IM, spectral displacement at the first mode, Sde(T1), produces higher risk estimates than alternative velocity‐based IM's, namely spectrum intensity, SI, and peak ground velocity, PGV, because of its high uncertainty in ground motion prediction and poor efficiency in predicting peak acceleration demands. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pork consumption in Brazil: Challenges and opportunities for the Brazilian pork production chain

In spite of being the world’s most consumed meat, pork ranks only third in Brazil, with a consumption level much lower than that of poultry and beef. Although consumption of fresh pork meat has been increasing in recent years, 67.9% of the Brazilian pork consumption is based on processed pork products. Despite the chain’s many technological improvements in recent years, producers and industry are not yet focused on innovation nor on informing and captivating the new millennium’s consumer. Brazil is a country of continental dimensions and recent changes in the economic status of the population have created a favourable environment for the development of new pork products. This study investigates consumers’ eating habits, preferences and satisfaction using data collected from a survey among 482 consumers as part of the Q-PorkChains project in Brazil. Results indicate that consumers prefer fresh (not frozen) products and the supermarket is their preferred distribution channel. Pork products are consumed mostly at home, with family, on any day of the week. Consumers are generally satisfied with the products available in the market, although health aspects, convenience and price could be improved. Overall, the interviewed pork consumers in Brazil signal opportunities for the pork chain in terms of innovation and new product development.
Ownership Concentration and Firm Performance in Transition Economies: Evidence from Montenegro

Abstract The relationship between ownership concentration and firm performance has been the focal point of corporate governance literature and the subject of rather rich empirical literature. However, the current literature lacks uniformity and consensus regarding the nature and direction of this relationship. This research aims to contribute to this literature by investigating the relationship in a small and open transition economy of Montenegro. We use primary data1 from the period 2004-2008 to analyse, for the first time, the impact of ownership concentration on firm performance in Montenegro. The results support the hypothesis that high ownership concentration enables effective monitoring by investors to protect their interests; i.e. in the specific circumstances of transition, ownership structure may be (temporarily) used as a viable substitute for the still underdeveloped corporate governance framework.
Production, purification and characterization of celullase-free xylanase from Aspergillus terreus UL 4209

Aspergillus terreus, UL 4209 strain, isolated from the soil in South Africa was used to produce an extracellular cellulase-free xylanase in shake flask cultures containing oat spelt and/or birchwood xylans. Maximum xylanase activity (35 U/ml) was observed after 96 h at 35oC and pH 6 in 1% oat spelt xylan. The xylanase was purified to homogeneity by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200. This enzyme was found to be a single subunit protein of 22 kDa showing optimal activity at 35oC and pH 6. The enzyme retained 95% activity at 35 - 40oC after 4 h incubation at pH 6 and at 50oC the half-life was 5.8 h. The apparent Km and Vmax values were 3.57 mg/ml and 55.5 mol/min per mg protein, respectively. MALDITOF and LC mass spectroscopy gave 8 peptide ions whose sequence alignments showed that the xylanase produced by this strain has homology with those of other Aspergillus strains such as A. terreus and A. versicolor. These observations showed that our strain produced a low molecular weight, acidophilic, and thermostable xylanase that may be considered for processes operated at moderate temperatures and pH such as preparation of baked cereal food, clarification of fruit juices and saccharification of agro-residues.
A low-Mach Roe-type solver for the Euler equations allowing for gravity source terms

In order to perform simulations of low Mach number flow in presence of gravity the technique from [23] is found insufficient as it is unable to cope with the presence of a hydrostatic equilibrium. Instead, a new modification of the diffusion matrix in the context of Roe-type schemes is suggested. We show that without gravity it is able to resolve the incompressible limit, and does not violate the conditions of hydrostatic equilibrium when gravity is present. These properties are verified by performing a formal asymptotic analysis of the scheme. Furthermore, we study its von Neumann stability when subject to explicit time integration and demonstrate its abilities on numerical examples.
Investment Liberalization and Cross-Border Acquisitions: The Effect of Partial Foreign Ownership

This paper investigates the optimal strategy for a multinational to conduct FDI. We find that the incentives to use acquisition rather than greenfield investment change significantly if the multinational is allowed to have already an ownership interest in the target local firm before the market is fully liberalized. Interestingly, when investment costs are sufficiently high, the multinational prefers not entering the market at all with partial ownership in place, whereas a cross-border takeover would be the optimal entry mode otherwise. For intermediate levels of entry costs, holding a stake in the local producer reverses positively the profitability of a full acquisition compared to greenfield investment.
Assessment of the intestinal immune response in Giardia duodenalis experimentally infected rats using quantitative real-time PCR

Background: Giardia duodenalis is a well-known intestinal parasite. The host immune response needs much effort to be clarified.Objective: Evaluation of the transcriptional level of a panel of cytokines in intestinal tissue and assessing the correlation between these levels and cyst count.Material and Methods: An experimental G. duodenalis infection was conducted in a rat model composed of twenty-five laboratory-bred, parasite-free male albino rats, divided into 10 for control group and 15 for infected group. Samples from intestinal tissues were collected to investigate interferon gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) using quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR.Results: The gene expression levels of IFN-γ showed up-regulation on day 7 post-infection (p.i) and reached the peak on day 14 p.i which coincided with the peak of the cyst output. The peak of the expression level of TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10 was on day 7 p.i. The correlation between cyst count and relative gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines showed a strong positive correlation. IL-10 relative gene expression level was moderately correlated, while IL-4 relative gene expression level was weakly correlated.Conclusion: Results indicate that this infection triggers a mixed type of immune response with predominant participation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines. The balance between the pro-inflammatory and the anti-inflammatory cytokines is important in defining infection outcome.
The Political Economy of Corporate Tax Avoidance

We exploit exogenous variation in turnovers of China’s municipal political leaders to study how political incentives affect firms’ strategic tax avoidance behavior. We document robust cycles in corporate tax compliance corresponding with the timing of political turnovers. Specifically, we find that firms avoid less tax in the early period of local politicians’ terms, but more in the remaining terms. The magnitude of the political cycles varies across municipal city, politician, and firm characteristics. Entirely different from channels such as the political uncertainty, the political connection, and the potential collusions between local politicians and firm in their jurisdictions, our further analyses suggest local politicians’ timing tax enforcement efforts to achieve their preferred policy outcomes is an important channel through which political process affects tax avoidance outcomes.
Cerebrovascular Amyloidosis and Dementia

Cerebrovascular amyloidosis occurs increasingly in older age. The amyloid β (Aβ) protein type of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is the most common form of this microangiopathy, evident in virtually all cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). CAA may range from focal deposits to widespread infiltration of amyloid in walls of perforating and meningeal arteries, capillaries and diffuse perivascular plaques. Prior to their degeneration vascular smooth muscle cells may be sensitised and stimulated by the aggregated amyloid peptide itself and cytokines. Two patterns of CAA namely arteriolar and capillary types have recently been recognized. CAA also occurs in other dementing conditions including Down’s syndrome and dementia with Lewy bodies. It is the principal feature of the hereditary amyloid angiopathies such as hereditary cerberal haemorrhage with amyloidosis of the Dutch type and familial British dementia. Varying degrees of CAA have been recorded in early onset familial AD. Mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene that lie in codons within the Aβ domain may result in a phenotype characterised by severe CAA, cerebral infarction and white matter disease. The apolipoprotein E e4 allele is a strong factor in the development of Aβ CAA, which may progress to lobar or intracerebral hemorrhages. At least two different transgenic mice models over-expressing human APP implicate neuronal origin of the Aβ within vascular deposits. CAA may largely develop due to lack of clearance by reduced proteolytic degradation and progressive blockage of the interstitial drainage pathways via the brain vascular routes superimposed by age-related arteriosclerotic changes. Current observations from both sporadic and familial cases suggest CAA to be an independent factor for cognitive impairment and dementia.
Relationship between air and media temperature in frequently irrigated containerized nursery plants

M. Gheysari, A. Garcia y Garcia and G. Hoogenboom Water Engineering Department, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111, Isfahan, Iran; Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia 30223, USA; Current address: Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, The University of Wyoming, Powell, Wyoming 82435, US; and Current address: Washington State University, Prosser, Washington 99350-8694, US. *Email: gheysari@cc.iut. ac.ir
The Effects of ESA Elements on Speaking Ability of Intermediate EFL Learners: A Task- based Approach

In the history of language teaching, speaking has been the main point of interest for many researchers due to the fact that it is the first and foremost important skill by which learners are judged and needs instruction. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the development and implementation of teaching-learning techniques through the utilization of three engage, study and activate (ESA) elements involved in teaching of tasks in improving intermediate EFL learners’ speaking skills. In the current study, two intact groups of 15 participants were involved: the control group receiving regular instruction and experimental group receiving instruction through utilization of three ESA elements involved in teaching of tasks. Subjects were chosen from Chabahar Maritime University majoring in translation studies. The subjects were given a TOEFL proficiency test before the study to ensure that both are at the intermediate level of study at the outset. Then, both groups were given an FCE pretest of speaking to ensure both groups equivalence and homogeneity. After that, the control group was taught using audio-lingual method of teaching and the experimental group was taught by the utilization of ESA elements involved in teaching of speaking tasks. Finally, a posttest of speaking was administered to both groups to assess their speaking ability at the end of the study. The data analysis using independent samples t-test revealed that the subjects in the experimental group outperformed on mastering their speaking skills post-test compared with the control group.
Survival of Firms over the Product Life Cycle

While entry and exit of firms have for long been recognized as two of the major determinants of market structure, empirical work on the subject has lagged behind for lack of adequate data. Of late, access to new data bases and the increasing use of Census of Manufactures data have enabled researchers to investigate the entry and exit of firms as well as their performance subsequent to entry. Dunne, Roberts and Samuelson use Census data for U.S. manufacturing industries [11; 12], while Baldwin and Gorecki do the same for Canadian manufacturing industries [7]. Some studies have used Small Business Administration data to track survival of firms over a ten year period [4; 5; 23; 25]. Survival of firms has also been studied as a side issue to growth of firms [16; 13]. While more is known now than ever before on survival of firms subsequent to their entry, most of the studies are cross sectional in nature and also consider entire industries rather than product markets where the actual entry and exit of firms occur. This study focuses on firm survival in product markets over the span of life of the product and considers the impact of firm attributes and the effect of evolution of markets on firm survival.
Structure of dislocations and stacking faults in the complex intermetallic ξ′-(Al–Pd–Mn) phase

We present the results of an electron microscopy study of defects in plastically deformed single crystals of the intermetallic ξ′-(Al–Pd–Mn) phase. Pure edge dislocations with two different Burgers vector directions and four different Burgers vector magnitudes were found. All Burgers vector magnitudes observed can be described in terms of irrational fractions of the unit-cell parameters, and we have observed Burgers vector directions that can be indexed using irrational indices. The stacking faults observed have displacement vectors whose magnitudes and directions are incompatible with the unit cell of the ξ′ phase. A comparison of the Burgers vectors observed in this study with those reported for the corresponding icosahedral quasicrystal shows that they are equivalent with respect to their directions and lengths. This leads to the conclusion that local order rather than long-range periodic (or quasiperiodic) order governs the structure of defects in these materials.
Academic Entitlement Scale: Development and Preliminary Validation

Validity evidence was gathered for a new measure of academic entitlement. Two factors emerged during the creation of the scale—academic narcissism and academic outcome. Academic narcissism appears to reflect an expectation of high academic success unrelated to the effort or ability of the students. As expected, this factor was negatively correlated with students’ self-reported GPA (grade point average). Males had higher academic narcissism scores than women. Academic outcome appears to reflect students’ mindset that credit should be given for any effort, including attending class. As expected, this factor was not correlated with GPA and did not show sex differences. Implications and practical use of the scale are discussed.
Influence of grazing management on intake and composition of cattle diets.

A study was conducted to evaluate the influences of seasonlong and short duration grazing management on the botanical composition, chemical composition, and organic matter intake of cattle diets in the Northern Great Plains. Four sampling periods; spring, early summer, late summer, and early fall, were conducted during the grazing seasons of 1990 and 1991. Six ruminally cannulated crossbred steers were used to collect diets while 10 ruminally cannulated crossbred heifers were used to establish intake values. In each sampling period, diet collections were obtained from the steers, allowed to graze for 60 to 90 min in each of the treatments after total rumen evacuation. Intake was estimated using an indigestible marker and twice-daily fecal collections from 5 heifers under each of the 2 treatments. The primary constituent of cattle diets in both seasonlong and short duration treatments was graminoid which was consumed in slightly greater quantity under short duration management. Nutritional content of the diet was improved under short duration management. This is most notable with regard to nitrogen and digestibility, which were higher (P < 0.05) in the short duration treatment in 5 of the sampling periods. Organic matter intake trended higher for cattle under short duration management with 3 of the analyzed sampling periods showing differences (P < 0.10). These results suggest that livestock grazing under a properly implemented rotational grazing system may be presented with an opportunity to consume more of higher quality forage.
A Source for All Seasons?: The Need for Cognitive Closure and Preference for Generalized Epistemic Authorities

Title of Document: A SOURCE FOR ALL SEASONS? : THE NEED FOR COGNITIVE CLOSURE AND PREFERENCE FOR GENERALIZED EPISTEMIC AUTHORITIES Anna C. Sheveland, Ph.D., 2012 Directed By: Distinguished University Professor Arie W. Kruglanski, Department of Psychology This research investigated the relationship between the need for cognitive closure (NFC) and preference for generalized (over specialized) epistemic authorities. Seven studies tested the hypotheses that: individuals dispositionally higher (vs. lower) in NFC (1) evaluate generalized epistemic authorities more positively relative to specialized epistemic authorities, (2) report relying on generalized epistemic authorities more heavily relative to specialized epistemic authorities, and have epistemic authority sets that (3) are smaller and (4) consist of more generalized epistemic authorities; and individuals in whom NFC is situationally heightened (vs. lowered) (5) evaluate generalized epistemic authorities more positively relative to specialized epistemic authorities, (6) report a greater readiness to rely on more generalized (vs. specialized) epistemic authorities, and (7) report liking and relying more heavily on epistemic authorities framed as multifinal (vs. unifinal) means. Whereas the first six hypotheses outlined above concern the nature of the relationship between NFC and epistemic authority preferences, the seventh concerns the proposed mechanism, means multifinality, through which this link is established. The findings were mixed. Participants dispositionally higher in NFC did have epistemic authority sets consisting of more generalized epistemic authorities (Pilot Study A) and exhibited greater implicit liking of generalized epistemic authorities relative to specialized epistemic authorities (Study 1); however, the latter result was not obtained with explicit, self-report measures of liking (Studies 1, 2a,b, and 4). Moreover, unexpected results were obtained regarding NFC’s relation to reliance on generalized (vs. specialized) epistemic authorities, with individuals higher in NFC, both dispositionally and situationally, exhibiting greater reliance on specialized (vs. generalized) epistemic authorities (Studies 1, 3, and 4). Experimental evidence from Study 4 suggests the means multifinality mechanism proposed to link NFC and epistemic authority generalization preferences is, in fact, in play, at least with respect to epistemic authority reliance; however, it appears to operate in a fashion opposite that predicted by the original theory. Finally, as predicted, NFC was inversely related to epistemic authority set size (Study 3 and Pilot Study B). A revised theory is presented to account for these findings, implications of the present research are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested. A SOURCE FOR ALL SEASONS? : THE NEED FOR COGNITIVE CLOSURE AND PREFERENCE FOR GENERALIZED EPISTEMIC AUTHORITIES