Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neighborhood Ethnic Composition and Resident Perceptions of Safety in European Countries

Employing data from the 2002 European Social Survey for 21 national representative samples, we provide the first cross-national analysis of the relations between ethnic composition of neighborhood and perception of neighborhood safety in the European context. The data reveal considerable variation both across countries and across individuals in perceived safety. Bi-level regression analysis shows that perceived safety tends to be lower in countries characterized by a high imprisonment rate and among Europeans who are physically and socially vulnerable (e.g., among women and elderly people, and among populations of low income and low education). Net of individual-level and country-level attributes, the analysis shows that perceived safety is lowest in neighborhoods mostly populated by non-European ethnic minorities and highest in neighborhoods mostly populated by Europeans. The effect of ethnic composition of neighborhood on perceived safety holds even after controlling for previous personal exposure to crime and views toward minorities' impact on crime. We discuss the results in comparison to findings in the United States and in the light of theory in order to delineate the ways that views and perceptions about places are formed and shaped.
Coalescence theory for a general class of structured populations with fast migration

In this paper we study a general class of population genetic models where the total population is divided into a number of subpopulations or types. Migration between subpopulations is fast. Extending the results of Nordborg and Krone (2002) and Sagitov and Jagers (2005), we prove, as the total population size N tends to ∞, weak convergence of the joint ancestry of a given sample of haploid individuals in the Skorokhod topology towards Kingman's coalescent with a constant change of time scale c. Our framework includes age-structured models, geographically structured models, and combinations thereof. We also allow each individual to have offspring in several subpopulations, with general dependency structures between the number of offspring of various types. As a byproduct, explicit expressions for the coalescent effective population size N/c are obtained.
Strengthening of Steel Columns under Load: Torsional-Flexural Buckling

The paper presents experimental and numerical research into the strengthening of steel columns under load using welded plates. So far, the experimental research in this field has been limited mostly to flexural buckling of columns and the preload had low effect on the column load resistance. This paper focuses on the local buckling and torsional-flexural buckling of columns. Three sets of three columns each were tested. Two sets corresponding to the base section (D) and strengthened section (E) were tested without preloading and were used for comparison. Columns from set (F) were first preloaded to the load corresponding to the half of the load resistance of the base section (D). Then the columns were strengthened and after they cooled, they were loaded to failure. The columns strengthened under load (F) had similar average resistance as the columns welded without preloading (E), meaning the preload affects even members susceptible to local buckling and torsional-flexural buckling only slightly. This is the same behaviour as of the tested columns from previous research into flexural buckling. The study includes results gained from finite element models of the problem created in ANSYS software. The results obtained from the experiments and numerical simulations were compared.
International Journal of Food Engineering Performance Evaluation of a Centrifugal Peeling System for Pistachio Nuts

In this paper, performance evaluation of the centrifugal peeling system for pistachio nuts was studied as a function of moisture content (in five levels: 4.10, 10.50, 28.50 and 36.10 % d.b) and peripheral speed of separate rotating circular base – plate (in four levels: 35, 40, 45 and 50 m/s) in a factorial design based on completely randomized block. The overall performance was expressed in terms of peeling efficiency and breakage percent. Peeling efficiency and breakage increased with (i) increase in peripheral speed (ii) decrease in the pistachio moisture content. The results of an optimization technique revealed that the best peeling performance could be obtained if the machine is operated at peripheral speed of 50 m/s and moisture content of 4.10 % d.b. Under these conditions, the values of peeling efficiency and breakage percent were 96.5 and 8.7 %, respectively.
The onset of convection in a rotating multicomponent fluid layer

The onset of convective instability is analysed in a rotating ulticomponent fluid layer in which density depends on n stratifying agents (one of them is heat) having different diffusivities. Two problems have been analysed mathematically. In the first problem, a sufficient condition is derived for the validity of the principle of the exchange of stabilities. Further, when the complement of this condition holds good, oscillatory motions of neutral or growing amplitude can exist, and thus it is important to derive upper bounds for the complex growth rate of such motions when at least one of the bounding surfaces is rigid so that exact solutions of the problem in closed form are not obtainable. Thus, as the second problem, bounds for the complex growth rates are also obtained. Above results are uniformly valid for quite general nature of the bounding surfaces.
The effect of successful renal artery correction on intra-renal Doppler flow parameters in hypertensive patients with renal artery stenosis

Wstep Celem prezentowanego, prospektywnego badania byla ocena wplywu skutecznego zabiegu poszerzenia światla tetnicy nerkowej (za pomocą angioplastyki lub chirurgicznego) na parametry przeplywu wewnątrznerkowego oceniane w badaniu dopplerowskim tetnic nerkowych u chorych z nadciśnieniem tetniczym, zwezeniem tetnicy nerkowej i prawidlową funkcją nerek. Material i metody Do badania wlączono 30 chorych z nadciśnieniem tetniczym (średnia wieku 53,3 ± 2,0 lat; zakres 33–75 lat; 18 M, 12 K) i z angiograficznie potwierdzonym miazdzycowym zwezeniem tetnicy nerkowej. Badanie dopplerowskie tetnic nerkowych wykonywano przed (0) i tydzien (I), 6 miesiecy (II) i rok (III) po skutecznej korekcji zwezenia tetnicy nerkowej. Na podstawie analizy widma przeplywu wyliczano: maksymalną predkośc skurczową (Vmax), przyspieszenie narastania fali skurczowej (Acc), czas przyspieszenia (AcT), indeks pulsacji (PI) i indeks oporowy (RI). Calodobowe monitorowanie ciśnienia tetniczego wykonywano przed korekcją zwezenia tetnicy nerkowej i rok po (III) niej. Pacjentow podzielono na dwie grupy w zalezności od efektu zabiegu ocenianego po roku: grupe 1 (wyleczoną) - chorzy, u ktorych nie stosowano leczenia hipotensyjnego, ze średnim ciśnieniem tetniczym z ciągu doby wynoszącym ponizej 135/85 mm Hg oraz grupe 2 (niewyleczoną) - chorzy otrzymujący nadal leczenie hipotensyjne. Wyniki W calej grupie lącznie, grupie 1 i grupie 2 obserwowano obnizenie Vmax w badaniach I, II i III w porownaniu z 0. Przyspieszenie bylo obnizone przed korekcją zwezenia tetnicy nerkowej, nastepnie obserwowano istotny wzrost Acc w badaniach I, II i III w porownaniu z 0 w calej grupie lącznie, grupie 1 i grupie 2. Czas przyspieszenia byl wydluzony przed korekcją zwezenia tetnicy nerkowej, istotne obnizenie AcT w porownaniu z wartościami wyjściowymi obserwowano w badaniach I, II i III w grupie 2 i calej grupie. W grupie 1 nie obserwowano roznic miedzy wartością RI w badaniach I, II i III w porownaniu z wartościami wyjściowymi (odpowiednio: 0,54 ± 0,02, 0,56 ± 0,03, 0,55 ± 0,04 vs. 0,52 ± 0,04; p = NS). W grupie 2 średnia wartośc RI wzrosla nieistotnie w badaniach I, II i III w porownaniu z 0 (odpowiednio: 0,64 ± 0,02, 0,94 ± 0,05, 0,63 ± 0,02 vs. 0,61 ± 0,02 p = NS). Średnie wartości RI byly istotnie wyzsze w grupie 2 w porownaniu z grupą 1 w badaniach 0 i I. Obserwowano istotnie statystycznie nizsze wartości PI w grupie 1 w porownaniu z grupą 2 w badaniach 0 i I. Wnioski Uzyskane wyniki wskazują na brak wplywu skutecznej korekcji zwezenia tetnicy nerkowej u chorych z nadciśnieniem tetniczym i prawidlową funkcją nerek na indeks oporowości i pulsacji. Ocena przyspieszenia i czasu przyspieszenia ma znaczenie w obserwacji chorych po korekcji zwezenia tetnicy nerkowej pozwalając na ocene skuteczności leczenia.
The comparative cytogenetics of African small mammals in perspective : status, trends and bibliography

The choice of topic caused me some concern had this been compar¬ ative cytogenetics in mammals, or even simply African Mammals (both large and small), I would hâve felt more at ease. But African Small Mammals is focused indeed and, to emphasize certain trends in the field I will, of necessity, draw on data from species that may defy the size restriction (20 kg C. Denys, pers. comm.), and are most certainly not endemie. The transgression will, however, be slight.
Synthesis of nitrogen-containing dispiroheterocycles (1) using nitrilimines

A novel series of 1,2,4,5,10,11,13,14-octaazadispiro[5.2. 5.2]hexadeca-2,12-dienes 4a-k were synthesized by the reaction of 1,4-cyclohexanedione methylhydrazone 3 with appropriate nitrilimines 2 . The microanalysis and the spectral data of the synthesized compounds are in full agreement with their molecular structure
Extrapair paternity in the Adélie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae

ANDREA PILASTRO, FRANCESCO PEZZO, SILVIA OLMASTRONI, CLAUDIA CALLEGARIN, SIMONETTA CORSOLINI & SILVANO FOCARDI 1 Dipartimento di Biologia, Universita' di Padova, via U. Bassi 58/B, I-35131 Padova, Italy 2 Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Universita degli Studi di Siena, Via delle Cerchia, 3, I-53100 Siena, Italy 3 Current address: Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
A cosmological view of extreme mass-ratio inspirals in nuclear star clusters

There is increasing evidence that many galaxies host both a nuclear star cluster (NC) and a super-massive black hole (SMBH). Their coexistence is particularly prevalent in spheroids with stellar mass 10 8 –10 10 M� . We study the possibility that a stellar-mass black hole (BH) hosted by a NC inspirals and merges with the central SMBH. Due to the high stellar density in NCs, extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) of BHs onto SMBHs in NCs may be important sources of gravitational waves (GWs). We consider sensitivity curves for three different space-based GW laser interferometric mission concepts: the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), the New Gravitational wave Observatory (NGO) and the DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO). We predict that, under the most optimistic assumptions, LISA and DECIGO will detect up to thousands of EMRIs in NCs per year, while NGO will observe up to tens of EMRIs per year. We explore how a number of factors may affect the predicted rates. In particular, if we assume that the mass of the SMBH scales with the square of the host spheroid mass in galaxies with NCs, rather than a linear scaling, then the event rates are more than a factor of 10 lower for both LISA and NGO, while they are almost unaffected in the case of DECIGO.
Characterising the Genetic Diversity of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Isolated from Rice and Wheat in Iran

Dariush S. , Ebadi A.A. , Khoshkdaman M. , Rabiei B. , Elahinia A. (2012): Characterising the genetic diversity of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae isolated from rice and wheat in Iran. Plant Protect. Sci., 48: 162–169. Sheath rot of rice and leaf blight of wheat caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae are the important bacte rial pathogens of rice and wheat in Iran. The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was used to investigate the genetic diversity of 60 strains of P. s. pv. syringae obtained from rice and wheat in different growth stages. Cluster analysis by UPGMA method showed that strains were grouped into two clusters. The AMOVA analysis indicated that about 18% of the total genetic variation existed between two populations of rice and wheat, which showed the lack of host specialization in P. s . pv. syringae strains among rice and wheat. We confirmed that high genetic heterogeneity existed in the P. s . pv. syringae strains which are detectable by RAPD analysis, and that molecular and statistical analysis of RAPD fragments can be used both to distinguish between strains and to determine relatedness between them.
Reuse of Iraqi Agricultural Drainage Water Using Nanofiltration

Abstract: Irrigated areas between Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq suffer from salinity buildup in the root zone of corps. Agricultural drain water (ADW) from these areas is collected in a single main drain canal, in an annual flow rate of about 6 billion cubic meter. In the present work, a pilot-scale nanofiltration membranes unit was used to evaluate the feasibility of desalinating ADW from the main drain canal for further reuse. Bench scale experiments were conducted to determine the optimum anti-scale dosage values in the unit. These values were verified in a plate type laboratory scale NF membrane to visually monitor the onset of crystal appearance behavior. A method for calcium sulfate precipitation control is presented and an empirical correlation of anti-scale dosage as a function of concentration factor (CF) was obtained. A pilot-scale unit was used to investigate the performance of NF membrane. High rejection values for both cations and anions indicate that the use of NF membrane in desalinating ADW from the Iraqi main drain canal is promising. The treated drainage water is considered good for irrigation when classified according to Wilcox classification.
Innovation and profitability in a population of Italian listed companies in a time of crisis

This work analyzes the relationship between innovation and performance in a population of Italian listed companies, with special reference to the time period before and during the economic-financial crisis. The analysis examines the relationship between the number of patents registered and the trend of performance indicators, such as turnover and return on invested capital (ROI), with 1 and 2-year delay. Although the results do not identify a precise trend for the entire sample, regular behaviors emerge: with the approaching crisis, a high reduction in the average number of patents and a worse performance are recorded. Nevertheless, with reference to these trends, no relationship between the two variables was identified.
Using a Single-Subject Experimental Design to Implement a Nonlinear Phonology Approach to Target Selection

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether nonlinear phonology could be applied to assessment and treatment in a public school setting. It was hypothesized that the nonlinear phonology approach to target selection would result in more rapid improvement in specific treatment targets, more generalization to other structures or segments, and greater improvement in overall speech intelligibility than had occurred with previous treatment. Method: Nonlinear phonology postulates a hierarchical organization of the sound system such that a word is composed of progressively smaller units, each with its own representational tier/level (i.e., words, syllables, segments, features). Targets chosen using this approach are typically derived from varying levels of the hierarchy (e.g., syllable structures and segments) to promote systemwide change. A nonlinear phonology approach to target selection was implemented with 1 child, age 6, who exhibited a
In vitro cultivation and root initiation of the endangered plant Pulsatilla patens

Pulsatilla patens (L.) Mill. is endangered due to habitat loss and degradation by various factors including heavy overgrowth of vegetation and a dense moss layer. In the present study, a suitable rooting medium for the difficult-to-root species P. patens was developed on the basis of multistage rooting experiments. The best rooting was obtained in darkness for five days on a half-diluted Murashige-Skoog medium supplemented with 5 mg L –1 α-naphthaleneacetic acid and riboflavin followed by auxin photooxidation. It was concluded that, for in vitro formation of good quality roots on P. patens explants, it is important to provide exogenous auxins during root induction and to reduce auxin content during the expression stage. In vitro rooted plantlets of P. patens successfully acclimatized ex vitro in a peat substrate mixed with sand, and they developed well-branched roots and healthy leaf rosettes. After transplantation to semi-natural conditions, plants started to flower after a year.
Quantum-statistical approach to electromagnetic wave propagation and dissipation inside dielectric media and nanophotonic and plasmonic waveguides

Quantum-statistical effects occur during the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves inside the dielectric media or metamaterials, which include a large class of nanophotonic and plasmonic waveguides with dissipation and noise. Exploiting the formal analogy between the Schrodinger equation and the Maxwell equations for dielectric linear media, we rigorously derive the effective Hamiltonian operator which describes such propagation. This operator turns out to be essentially non-Hermitian in general, and pseudo-Hermitian in some special cases. Using the density operator approach for general non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, we derive a master equation that describes the statistical ensembles of EM wave modes. The method also describes the quantum dissipative and decoherence processes which happen during the wave's propagation, and, among other things, it reveals the conditions that are necessary to control the energy and information loss inside the above-mentioned materials.
The Use of a Gamma-irradiated Mutants of F. solani f.sp. phaseoli with Reduced Pathogenicity for the Biological Control of Fusarium Root Rot of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Field Conditions

Fusarium solani was isolated from diseased roots of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) grown in fields which were severely infected with Fusarium root rot of bean in Markazi Province of Iran. Specific PCR primer pairs were used for the identification and verification of F. solani (Mart.) f.sp. phaseoli (Burkholder) W.C. Snyder and N.H. Hans. Spore suspensions of F. solani f.sp. phaseoli were subjected to gamma irradiation at 130 Gy using Cobalt-60, and 700 mutants were generated. All 700 mutagenized colonies were tested in the greenhouse for reduced pathogenicity. One mutant (M23) showed the best expected reduction of Fusarium root rot and was chosen to be tested as a biocontrol agent in field experiments. Different concentrations of avirulent mutant (avr-M23) were used against Fusarium root rot in the infested field and their effects on the yield of bean plants were evaluated. The biocontrol effect of avr-M23 on Fusarium root rot was significantly improved with increasing its concentration from 10 3 to 10 9 conidia ml -1 . Best yields (no. of pods per plant and 100-seed weight) were obtained at concentrations of 10 6 and 10 9 conidia ml -1 . This study confirms that avr-M23 can be used as a biocontrol agent to protect bean plants from Fusarium root rot under field conditions.
Financial Deepening and Income Distribution Inequality in the Euro Area

The paper introduces a new specification of the Kuznets curve, where turning point per capita income is conditioned to the level of financial development. Within the proposed framework, it then provides new evidence on real income convergence for the euro area (EA) since the mid-1980s, with a special focus on the subprime and sovereign debt financial crises. We find strong empirical evidence in favor of an EA-wide steady-state financial Kuznets curve and of ongoing convergence across EA members toward a common per capita income turning point level. By means of a counterfactual analysis, we then detect a worsening in income inequality for all the EA countries during the financial crises, and not only for the peripheral countries, which were most strongly hit. From a policy perspective, our findings highlight the role of financial stability in fostering not only economic growth, but also to achieve a more even distribution of income.
The Evolution of Aggregate Stock Ownership

Since World War II, direct stock ownership by households has largely been replaced by indirect stock ownership by financial institutions. We argue that tax policy is the driving force. Using long time-series from eight countries, we show that the fraction of household ownership decreases with measures of the tax benefits of holding stocks inside a pension plan. This finding is important for policy considerations on effective taxation and for financial economics research on the long-term effects of taxation on corporate finance and asset prices.
The Challenge of Malignancies in HIV-1, Beyond Immune Activation andBack to Decreased Immune Surveillance

The HIV-1 epidemic continues around the world, but also in the United States where we continue to see approximately 50,000 new diagnosis of HIV-1 infection each year. It is estimated that there are currently more than 1.2 million individuals in the United States living with HIV-1 infection, with 12.8% unaware of their infection. Effective therapy for HIV-1 is allowing infected individuals to have greater life expectancies. We now have an older aging population infected with HIV-1, reaching ages where diseases such as malignancy are increased in incidence. Even compared to age matched peers there is clearly an excess of malignancies affecting the HIV-1-infected population. Malignancies are now the most common cause of death for patients in the United States living with HIV-1 infection. B-cell malignancies are the most common malignancy accounting for death in HIV-1 infected patients in the United States. It is not clear that all that we have come to understand regarding B-cell lymphomas applies to the lymphomas developing in the HIV-1-infected population. It is particularly important to understand the factors leading to and molecular disturbances involved in these lymphomas developing in the HIV-1-infected population as they appear to be increasing in frequency and characterized by aggressive courses with short median survival times. Although much attention has focused on the chronic immune activation hypothesis of cancer in HIV-1 infection, this article explores the possible contribution of decreased immune surveillance and exposure to highly active antiretroviral medications to the development of B-cell lymphomas in HIV-1-infected patients.