Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An evolutionary theory for interpreting urban scaling laws Une théorie évolutive pour expliquer les lois d'échelle dans les systèmes de villes

We try here to illustrate the relevance of an evolutionary theory of urban systems for explaining their hierarchical properties. The largest cities became larger because they were successful in adopting many successive innovations. Larger cities capture innovations in a continuous way (through adaptation, imitation, anticipation), and they concentrate a larger part of anything « new » at any time. Their functions demonstrate a higher level of complexity or sophistication of their urban activity and society. The most advanced technologies concentrate in largest cities, the common place activities are ubiquitous, whereas old ones remain in small towns only (or, in economic terms, there are increasing, constant or decreasing returns to urban scale). Such regularities can be expressed in the form of scaling laws that were recognised as revealing specific constraints on the structure and evolution of complex systems in physics and biology. Approaching urban activities by scaling laws provides a linkage between the concepts of urban function, city size, and innovation cycles. Over time, there is a substitution among the activities of the largest cities, where the oldest technologies and professions are replaced by the new ones, while the old ones are relatively concentrating in the smallest towns. Such an evolution is observed within urban systems where cities are fully connected and interdependent. There are processes of cooperation through exchanges of information and learning that enable an incremental diffusion of innovation and a continuous adaptation of urban activities and society in all parts of the system. Meanwhile, there are also processes of competition between cities that enhance their capacity to innovate and to levy the benefits of innovation. A distributed process of urban growth including a slight but continuing advantage for the largest cities is the result of that competitive process, while the successive adaptation of the urban functions follows the economic and social innovation cycles.
The Properties of Colliding Surface Discharge in Air

One of the interesting applications of surface discharge is the generation of microplasma formations in the gas of atmospheric pressure [1]. The optimal values of field intensity may be achieved by excitation of surface discharges between single-charged high-voltage electrodes on the dielectric layer [2]. This leads to a reduction of the plasma channels length and change the electric field distribution in the inter-electrode gap. In this paper we study properties of the colliding surface discharges on fiber-glass plastic for different inter-electrode gap length (L=0.5-20 mm) and the thickness of dielectric substrate (d=0.8, 1.5 mm). The discharge was excited in a quasi-continuous mode with dU/dt ~ 10 9 Volts per second in the atmospheric air. For each discharge, it was carried out photo-registration of plasma emission, oscillographic measuring voltage and current, as well as spectral diagnostics in the UV, visible and IR ranges. The dependence of the discharge ignition voltage, active power alteration and the spectral emission intensity redistribution from gap length L and dielectric layer thickness d were determined. It was experimentally identified the vibrational temperatures of molecular bands 1 + and 1 - of nitrogen in a С 3 Пu state and their alteration depending on the parameters of the electrode system. It is shown, that the length gap reduction leads to the energy arise of vibration-excited molecules from the 2070 to 3360 K. The observed effect can be used for the control of the flow around bodies in the molecular gas fluxes.
Price Volatility, Trading Activity and Market Depth: Evidence from Taiwan and Singapore Taiwan Stock Index Futures Markets

This study empirically investigates the relations among price volatility, trading activity and market depth for some selected futures contracts traded on the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) and Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading Division (SGX-DT). Two different methodologies, the OLS-based and GARCH-based models, are used to test the robustness of the result and to obtain a sensitivity check. The major findings of this investigation are as follows. First, the estimates of the conditional mean function of the two futures markets are consistent with weak-form efficiency. Second, the evidence suggests that volatility is higher during periods of high futures trading volume for the TAIFEX and SGX-DT futures markets, supporting the mixture of distribution hypothesis by Clark (1973). Lastly, inconsistent with market depth theories, this study demonstrates that existing market depth does not mitigate volatility in the SGX-DT and TAIFEX futures markets. This result is noteworthy because it provides evidence that the relation between price volatility and market depth may vary with the market maturity.
Neonatal Sepsis by Bacteria: A Big Problem for Children

Neonatal sepsis is an important but underestimated problem around the world. It is defined as disease affecting newborns ≤ 1 month of age with clinical symptoms and positive blood cultures. Infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality during the neonatal period, despite the great improvements in intensive neonatal care and the use of extended spectrum antimicrobial agents. The incidence of this disease in developed countries is 1/1,000 in normal term neonates and 4/1,000 in preterm neonates. These values increase in low-weight preterm neonates [1]. In developing countries, this incidence increases to 2.2-8.6/1,000 live births [2]. Neonatal sepsis can be subdivided into early-onset neonatal sepsis and late-onset neonatal sepsis.
ault friction and slip stability not affected by Co 2 storage : Evidence from hort-term laboratory experiments on North Sea reservoir sandstones nd caprocks on Samuelson

We conducted velocity stepping direct-shear experiments on 5 separate simulated fault gouges made using 3 caprock samples, 1 reservoir rock, and 1 mixture of reservoir and caprock. Our aim was to understand the frictional strength and velocity dependent slip behavior of faults within and lateral to a potential pilot CO2 sequestration reservoir situated in the Netherlands sector of the North Sea. To analyze fault mechanical properties prior to CO2 injection, and to gain an understanding of the potential short-term influence of CO2 after injection, experiments were conducted under a variety of pore fluid conditions; dry, dry-pressurized with supercritical CO2, brine-saturated, and brine-saturated plus pressurized with supercritical CO2. Experiments were conducted at in situ effective stress (35 MPa) and temperature (115 ◦C) for the potential pilot project. Results indicate that the coefficient of friction ( ) for the studied caprock material is highly dependent on mineralogy, with increasing as a result of increasing quartz content and concomitant decrease in clay content. Quartz-rich reservoir rock exhibited the highest value for , and a 50/50 (wt.%) mixture of caprock and reservoir rock showed values lying directly between those of the two end-member compositions (0.47 and 0.61). Saturation of clay-rich gouges with a brine solution led to weakening compared to dry gouges, whereas quartz rich gouges showed no clear weakening upon brine saturation. The addition of supercritical CO2 to dry and to brine saturated gouges had no clear influence on frictional strength. The friction rate parameter (a − b) as defined by the rateand state-dependent friction laws was measured in low shear velocity steps (0.2–1–10–1–0.2 m/s) for all materials and pore fluid conditions, and indicates that all tested materials exhibit predominantly velocity strengthening behavior, and that neither the addition of brine nor supercritical CO2 has any clear, strong influence on friction velocity dependence, indicating that reservoir faults should behave aseismically both before and after the addition of CO2.
Evaluation of the anterior loop of the mental nerve incidence and extension in different age groups in Sulaimania city using digital panoramic imaging system

The anterior loop of mental nerve is commonly described as that part of the neurovascular bundle that transverses anterior and inferior to the mental foramen only to loop back to exit the mental foramen. The aim of the study is to evaluate the incidence and extension of anterior loop of mental nerve by using digital panoramic imaging system to avoid nerve damage during different surgical procedures in dentistry. Materials and Method: Panoramic image was taken for all 400 patients and stored in the computer. Then Horizontal and Vertical for the anterior loop extension when exist was measured and recorded in a special case sheet prepared for each subject. Results: Results indicated that out of 400 patients there were only 25 patients (6.25%) having anterior of the inferior alveolar nerve, 14 cases (56%) of them were males and 11 cases (44%) were females. The extension of the anterior loop of mental nerve was with wide range, for horizontal extension it was 1.3-6.36mm with significant difference between right and left sides, and with vertical extension was between 1.44 -5.98mm with no significant difference between the right and left sides. Conclusion: No significant difference among subjects according to sex and the pattern of visualization of the anterior loop was shown. The anterior loop was visible in 6.25% of the dental panoramic radiographs with 3.5% for males and 2.75% for females.
Intertidal invertebrate harvesting: a meta-analysis of impacts and recovery in an important waterbird prey resource

Harvesting of marine invertebrates in intertidal areas often comes into conflict with conservation objectives for waterbird populations of the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes. We present a meta-analysis of the relationships between benthic invertebrate communities and various sources of intertidal harvesting disturbance to investigate impacts and recovery in bird prey resources. The effect size (Hedges’ d) of harvesting on benthic species abundance, diversity and biomass was calculated for 38 studies in various locations globally, derived from 16 publications captured through a systematic review process that met the meta-analysis inclusion criteria. A negative response to harvesting disturbance was found for all taxa, including both target and non-target species, that represent important types of waterbird prey. Impacts appear most severe from hand-gathering, which significantly reduces the abundance of target polychaete species, a key prey group for many bird species. Across all gear types, non-target species demonstrate a larger reduction in abundance compared to target species. Recovery trends vary, with differences observed between taxonomic groups and gear/habitat combinations. Abundance of bivalve molluscs, a potentially highly profitable bird prey item, is suppressed for >60 d by mechanical dredging in intertidal mud, while annelid and crustacean abundances demonstrate near recovery over the same period. Data suggest that recovery following harvesting in sandier habitats may in some cases take as long as or longer than in muddy sediments. We recommend management measures to minimise disturbance to benthic prey resources and support conservation objectives for waterbird populations to meet international legal requirements.
Equine Leptospirosis Seroprevealence in the Central and Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky from 1993 - 2015

4 INTRODUCTION.6 LITERATURE REVIEW.7 Characteristics of Leptospira spp.8 Disease Characteristics.9 Diagnostic Testing for Leptospirosis.11 Occupational Risk of Leptospirosis.13 METHODS.14 Dataset.14 Statistical Analysis.16 Geospatial Analysis.18 RESULTS.19 DISCUSSION.20 Limitations.25 Conclusion.25 REFERENCES.27
Thermomechanical evaluation of sisal-PLA composites

This paper focuses on structure-property relationships for bio-composites where both the matrix and the reinforcement are bio-sourced and biodegradable [3, 4]. Mechanical and dynamic mechanical behaviour of polylactic acid reinforced with unidirectional sisal fibre bundles are examined for composites with different fibre volume fractions, Vf. Composites were manufactured by compression moulding of unidirectionally aligned fibres and polymer sheets [5, 6]. Fibre volume fraction was determined by precision weighing of the components and density measurements. The influence of fibre volume fraction on dynamic mechanical properties was evaluated using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA).
A simulation-based examination of residual diversity estimates as a method of correcting for sampling bias

The influence of sampling biases on estimates of species richness through geological time is a great concern, and multiple methods have been developed to correct for them. One method is the residual diversity estimate, a modelling approach which removes the signal of a chosen sampling proxy. Despite having been widely applied to palaeodiversity studies, the residual diversity estimate has yet to be tested in a simulation environment. One difficulty with such a test is that the simulation must model sampling in such a way that a sampling proxy may be extracted from the model in order to calculate the residual diversity. Here, a novel approach is used to examine the efficacy of this method. Taxa and an associated phylogeny were simulated using a birth-death model, and a parameter was added representing dispersal of the taxa between areas in simulated space. The simulated space in each time bin was divided into formations and localities, which were removed at random to represent incomplete sampling, also providing sampling proxies used to calculate the residual diversity estimate. The residual diversity estimate is found to perform best when the broader proxy representing entire regions, e.g., formations, is used in its calculation, rather than more restricted localities. A recent update to the residual diversity estimate, incorporating polynomial relationships between diversity and proxies, performs poorly, sometimes showing a worse correlation with the true diversity than the raw data. The residual diversity estimate is consistently outperformed by the phylogenetic diversity estimate, even when errors are introduced to the phylogeny. Neil Brocklehurst. Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutionsund Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany, neil.brocklehurst@mfn-berlin.de
A quantitative assessment of shoot flammability for 60 tree and shrub species supports rankings based on expert opinion

Fire is an important ecological disturbance in vegetated ecosystems across the globe, and also has considerable impacts on human infrastructure. Vegetation flammability is a key bottom-up control on fire regimes and on the nature of individual fires. Although New Zealand (NZ) historically had low fire frequencies, anthropogenic fires have considerably impacted indigenous vegetation as humans used fire extensively to clear forests. Few studies of vegetation flammability have been undertaken in NZ and only one has compared the flammability of indigenous plants; this was a qualitative assessment derived from expert opinion. We addressed this knowledge gap by measuring the flammability of terminal shoots from a range of trees and shrubs found in NZ. We quantified shoot flammability of 60 indigenous and exotic species, and compared our experimentally derived ranking with expert opinion. The most flammable species was the invasive exotic shrub Gorse (Ulex europaeus), followed by Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), K% umarahou (Pomaderris kumeraho), Rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) and Silver Beech (Lophozonia menziesii). Our experimentally derived ranking was strongly correlated with expert opinion, lending support to both methods. Our results are useful to ecologists seeking to understand how fires have and will influence NZ's ecosystems, and for fire managers identifying high-risk landscapes, and low flammability species for 'green firebreaks'.
Field body temperature and thermal preference of the big-headed turtle Platysternon megacephalum

The big-headed turtle Platysternon megacephalum is a stream-dwelling species whose ecology is poorly known. We carried out field and laboratory investigations to determine field body temperatures and thermal preference of this species. In the field, the body temperatures of the turtles conformed to the water temperature, with little diel variation in either summer or au- tumn. Over the diel cycle, the mean body temperatures ranged from 20.8°C to 22.2°C in summer and from 19.3°C to 21.2°C in autumn; the highest body temperatures ranged from 22.1°C to 25.0°C in summer and from 20.6°C to 23.8°C in autumn. In the laboratory, the preferred body temperature (Tp) was 25.3°C. Food intake was maximized at 24.0°C, whereas locomotor perfor- mance peaked at 30.0°C. Consequently, Tp was closer to the thermal optimum for food intake than for locomotion. Therefore, this freshwater turtle has relative low field body temperatures corresponding to its thermal environment. In addition, the turtle prefers low temperatures and has a low optimal temperature for food intake (Current Zoology 59 (5): 626-632, 2013).
Cross-layer based security solutions for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) were often used to collect sensitive data and the entire network was particularly vulnerable to various threats at different layers of the protocol stack. With this in mind, there was need to improve security solutions that were inevitable and advantageous to the successful deployment of the wireless sensor networks. The vast research conducted to provide security solutions against various attacks in the WSNs so far was based on the layered approach. In this study, we emphasized that the layered approaches have noticeable shortcomings such as the redundancy and/or inflexibility of the security solutions, which made the layers security solutions often inefficient and inadequate. It was, however, beneficial to construct the security approach for the WSNs based on cross-layer interaction between all components in different layers of the protocol stack. Consequently, these new approaches surely gave a new direction towards the issue of security for wireless sensor networks. The outline of the existing cross layer security schemes in literature was presented, while some new novel security solutions were proposed. More so, the synopsis of the proposed cross-layer based comprehensive security framework (CLBCSF) as the framework model for hierarchical clustering wireless sensor networks was also presented. Nonetheless, the open problems in this area were debated too.
Low disturbances favor steady state: case of cyanobacterial monodominance in a Brazilian coastal lagoon

Abstract Steady state occurs mainly under less pronounced abiotic variation, leading to low diversity and nonsuccessional change, opposite from the nonequilibrium concept. Permanent circulation of a waterbody creates a low disturbance status but does not represent a disturbance because it does not change the diversity and dominance of species. Phytoplankton composition was analyzed in a shallow Brazilian coastal lagoon, Peri (Santa Catarina State, Brazil), in the cold-dry and hot-rainy periods during 2009–2010. Uninterrupted steady state conditions occurred along with the mono-dominance of the cyanobacteria Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, which dominated under a nonstratification regime and low availability of dissolved nutrients. Primary production measured as resource-use efficiency indicated a capacity for this species to convert phosphorus into biomass as well as its ability to effective exploit resources. Differences in temperature and nitrogen availability seemed to be the driving parameters for interseasonal changes in the phytoplankton community in Peri Lagoon. Models of competition that predict greater diversity, which lead to greater levels of primary productivity and more complete utilization of limiting resources, were not confirmed in this study. The presence of the dinoflagellate Peridinium umbonatum and C. raciborskii together is suggested to represent shallow, mixed, turbid, and nutrient-deficient ecosystems. Although competitive exclusion would be the primary mechanism that selects for species equilibrium, higher adaptability by a few species under selective conditions seems to be the most important factor in the occurrence of steady states.
Otolith structural and chemical analyses: the key to resolving age and growth of the Antarctic silverfish, Pleuragramma antarcticum

The various life history stages of the Weddell Sea population of Pleuragramma antarcticum were sampled to investigate life-history patterns of this ecologically important polar fish. Otoliths were examined for size, morphology and microstructure. Age determination of Antarctic fishes has proved to be difficult because of small ambient temperature fluctuations. External and internal examination of otoliths by scanning electron microscopy revealed internal increments (assumed to be daily) and hatching marks. Back calculation of hatching dates from otolith increments, suggested a hatching season from September-November, with recruitment to the adult population at three to five years of age. Growth data conformed well to the von Bertalanffy equation. Fish grew slowly, with the largest fish attaining ages of more than 30 years. A multivariate mathematical model relating age to otolith morphometrics and fish size proved reliable, making it possible to age large sample sizes of fish. Limited elemental microprobe data obtained from two otoliths demonstrated patterns which may be useful in indicating the environmental life history of individual fish. These collective data suggest that the ecological importance of populations of Pleuragramma antarcticum is most likely due to a long life span and high lifetime reproduction rate.
Surfactants with Natural Hydrophobic Tails HLB-CMC Relationship of Polyoxyethylenated Cholesterol

The critical micelle concentration (CMC) values were obtained from the discontinuities in surface tension (e)-concentration (c) relationship, through the least-squares regression analysis. The determined CMC values of eleven polyoxyethylenated cholesterol nonionic surfactants, were plotted against the respective Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance (HLB) values of these compounds. The developed HLB-CMC relationship for the investigated compounds could be represented satisfactorily by the linearized equation in CMC = a-b (HLB). Values of the two constants (a) and (b) representing the intercept and slope for the investigated compounds, were determined at 28, 38, 48 and 58 C. o The study revealed that both a and b values decrease with increasing the number of oxyethylene units (n) condensed per cholesterol molecule. The most stricking feature of the obtained equation is that the CMC is seen to decrease with increasing HLB. This observation is contrary to what is generally expected for both ionic and nonionic surfactants.