Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SEISMIC DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF MASONRY INFILLED R/C FRAMES

The study evaluates the effect of applying the Eurocode 8 provisions to multistorey reinforced concrete frames with different arrangements of masonry infill walls (uniformly infilled or with an open ground storey). The behaviour of the infilled frames to a number of input motions is studied using a newly developed element for the masonry infills, and it is found to be generally equally satisfactory to that of the corresponding bare frame, even when infills are discontinued at the ground storey. A simple design procedure for infilled frames is tentatively proposed, based on a dual stiffness assumption for the infills, one for calculating design forces and a smaller one for calculating the action effects for the various members.
Correcting for Measurement Error of Tracking Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Meta-analysis

Hypertension and obesity are the acknowledged risk factors of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular diseases. To prevent hypertension or obesity, it is beneficial to identify “prehypertensives” earlier in life and to control the body mass in long term. Therefore, tracking of blood pressure (BP) and body mass index (BMI) appears to be paramount. However, the measurement errors are often not taken into account when the effects of tracking are estimated and conclusions are drawn. In our study, the classical additive measurement error model is used to analyze the measurement error in measuring blood pressure, height and weight. Moreover, reliability is a useful measure to quantify the amount of error in measurement and to correct the attenuation effect of correlation coefficients. The purpose of this study is to correct measurement errors in tracking the two cardiovascular risk factors blood pressure and BMI in meta-analysis. Due to the absence of the necessary reliability information in each primary study, the issue of corrections for measurement error in meta-analysis becomes more complicated. To reach the purpose, the reliability is estimated by gathering of data from other studies: the reliability coefficient of BP measurement is estimated by assessing two components, between-visit and within-visit variation; and the reliability of BMI is derived from its components, height and weight. The reliability of BMI is much higher than that of BP. Comparing the tracking effects before and after correction of measurement errors, the corrected tracking correlations of blood pressure from childhood to manhood rise substantially, whereas, there are no obvious improvements for tracking effect of BMI.
EQUAL THERMAL OPPORTUNITY DOES NOT RESULT IN EQUAL GESTATION LENGTH IN A COOL-CLIMATE SKINK AND GECKO

—Successful development of embryos is important to captive breeding programs and studies of offspring phenotype. Here we compare the effects of three thermal regimes on gestation length and success in two viviparous lizards: McCann’s Skink (Oligosoma maccanni), which is diurnal, and the Common Gecko (Hoplodactylus maculatus), primarily nocturnal. We hypothesized that large inter-specific differences in gestation length in the field would be reduced or eliminated under identical thermal regimes in the laboratory. Females were collected in early pregnancy and housed under regimes offering basking opportunity for 7, 5 or 3.5 d/wk (8 h/d). Gestation success was high in skinks under the two warmest regimes (78–83% of females produced viable offspring), but significantly lower under the coolest regime (53% success). Developmental success was high for geckos under all regimes (≥ 80% of females produced fully developed embryos), but parturition was not always spontaneous. Gestation length in geckos that delivered spontaneously was about 50% longer than in skinks, implying the involvement of non-thermal factors, including larger mass of the conceptus and offspring. Common Geckos are remarkable in recruiting the next season’s clutch into vitellogenesis while still pregnant, and, in the field, in delaying parturition of fully developed embryos for months over winter; however, in the laboratory, prolonged gestation was sometimes associated with offspring death in utero. Thus, a phenomenon that appears adaptive in the wild can have costs under laboratory conditions. Although more research is needed to understand cues for parturition and consequences for offspring phenotypes, the results for these two model species should assist captive management for their respective genera.
The effects of channel characteristics on turbo code performance

Turbo codes provide greater coding gain than commonly used convolutional codes. The maximum a-posteriori turbo decoder, unlike the Viterbi decoder often used for convolutional codes, explicitly uses E/sub b//N/sub 0/ as a parameter in the decoding process. We have investigated the effects of errors in estimating the E/sub b//N/sub 0/ on turbo code bit error rate (BER) performance in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels and binary symmetric channels (BSCs). Both small (220 bit) and large (65535 bit) buffers have been tested. For a BSC without any E/sub b//N/sub 0/ estimation error, the small buffer turbo code yields a BER of 10/sup -3/ at an E/sub b//N/sub 0/ of 3.9 dB and the large buffer turbo code yields a BER of 10/sup -5/ at an E/sub b//N/sub 0/ of 3 dB. The small interleaver turbo code operating over a two link satellite demod/remod channel produces a net BER of 10/sup -3/ with an uplink E/sub b//N/sub 0/ of 5 dB and a downlink E/sub b//N/sub 0/ of 6.6 dB. When E/sub b//N/sub 0/ estimation errors are included in the AWGN or BSCs, the results indicate that errors of up to several dB can be tolerated before the onset of significant degradation in turbo code performance.
NEW PHYSICS OF AN ETERNAL INFINITE MULTIVERSE INSTEAD OF TODAY ' S SINGULAR BIGBANG COSMOLOGY

The objective of this paper is to propose a new understanding of relativity theory (RT) keeping all its measurable results in a one and only non-expanding multiverse (many evolutionary cosmoses in the `stationary universe'). In general today's ΛCDM Cosmological Concordance Model (CCM) su ers from various problems which after a paradigm shift might be resolved at one blow. Above all, the baryon asymmetry unexplainable in its historical context is a natural fact without need for justi cation. As can be seen just from Melia & Shevchuk's repeatedly discussed 2012 `Rh = ct' approach, the Friedman(n)-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) line element seems misunderstood until today. The underlying concepts of special relativistic proper length and proper time do apply only locally. These concepts are inappropriate to describe the entire universe on su ciently large scales. Therefore `new physics' has to discard the present reception of the FLRW form in relativistic cosmology, though special relativity (SR) remains valid in all in nitesimal tangent spaces to spacetime. Yet in the multiverse local bangs might cause `primordial' nucleosynthesis again and again. Based on Einstein's original equations, with no need for `dark energy', the stationary universe model (SUM) explains the Supernovae-Ia (SNe-Ia) data on universal scales z > 0.1 straightforwardly. Taking into account two reported 9%-contrasting Hubble `constants', here understood to stand for Hlocal and Huniversal ('Hubble trouble'), it even provides agreement over the full redshift range. All kinds of dark matter macroscopically lensing inhomogeneous dark matter of rst kind (iDM) or homogeneous nonlensing dark matter of second kind (hDM) appear rid of the initially assumed lack of non-gravitational interaction. There is a Planck 2015 model prediction mismatch suggesting a mathematical solution for a perfect black-body background composed of redshifted microwave radiation emitted from hDM, this solution involves a falsi able Sunyaev-Zel'dovich alternative. It is no longer possible to take the sheer existence of the CMB as a certain proof for one singular big-bang origin of the entire universe.
Implementing a Genre Pedagogy to the Teaching of Writing in a University Context in Thailand

English writing instruction is very difficult, but the task is even greater in EFL contexts. When considering alternative teaching approaches, it is important to note teachers’ perceptions and concepts regarding their teaching practices. This paper reports on a study into how writing teachers perceive their current approaches and the consequences of implementing a genrebased approach in one writing classroom. Teacher perception data were generated through a questionnaire and interviews. Action research was employed to improve the teaching approach in the classroom. Data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings reveal that the teachers used a combination of approaches in their teaching and that many aspects of their teaching include the notion of genre. The classroom research led to clear improvements in student writing and to positive attitudes by participants. This paper suggests implications for the teaching of writing in similar EFL contexts. Providing writing instruction in L2 contexts is considered difficult, but as Richards and Renandya (2002) have noted, it can be quite challenging in L1 settings too. However, the level of difficulty increases markedly when conducted in EFL contexts where learners are rarely exposed to English or to the demands of writing English. The problem exists globally. Lin (2003) mentions the difficulty in Singapore where many students still cannot use English effectively for academic or real-life purposes even after completing English courses in secondary school. Similarly, Kim (2006) points out the difficulties which Korean university students face when writing compositions. Difficulties in teaching and learning writing in Thailand have also been reported by researchers such as Foley (2005). Apart from the well-known “product and process” approach of assisting English learners in developing their writing skills, a recent methodology, known as a genre-based approach, has been proposed as being applicable to the Thai EFL context (Kongpetch, 2006; Walter-Echols, 2009). A genre-based approach has been developed from Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) which proposes a model of language comprising the context of situation and the context of culture. This has been developed by Martin (1984) and further refined by others such as Rothery (Callaghan & Rothery, 1988) and Christie (1999). This study investigated the feasibility of applying research findings by using a genre-based approach in the context of a Thai university undergraduate English major course. In Phase 1 of this study, writing teachers’ perceptions of teaching methodologies in their practices were surveyed to identify perspectives that might have relevance to the introduction of a genre-
Core and conal component analysis of pulsar B1237+25 - II. Investigation of the segregated modes

Radio pulsar B1237+25 is the prime exemplar of a five-component profile indicating a core/double cone emission-beam structure. Here we conduct a pulse-sequence analysis of its three behaviours based on our earlier partial profile study in Paper I. Focusing on the core region, we find first that its two ‘orthogonal’ polarization modes are far from orthogonal and second that aberration/retardation (A/R) of the secondary orthogonal polarization mode is responsible. As expected this A/R effect is seen both in the retarded core power and the delayed polarization-angle signature. The A/R effect thus seems to reflect a cascade or amplifying process along the magnetic axis extending to a height of some 230 km - indeed, very similar to what was found earlier for pulsar B0329+54. The pulsar's three ‘states’ reflect different conditions of core activity: in the quiet-normal mode, core emission is barely perceptible, and the two cones exhibit phase-locked modulation in the manner of a carousel beam system. In the flare-normal mode, this modulation persists for short intervals, while the core is more active, exhibiting intensity-dependent A/R associated mainly with a single, apparently X, propagation mode. Finally, in the abnormal mode, the intensity-dependent A/R-associated core emission is continuous - the primary X trailing and secondary O leading - and appears to distort and retard the conal O-mode emission and quench its modulation.
Stable LASSO for High-Dimensional Feature Selection through Proximal Optimization

The l1-norm regularization is commonly used when estimating (generalized) linear models while enforcing sparsity. The automatic feature selection embedded in such an estimation is however known to be highly unstable since, among correlated features, an l1 penalty tends to favor the selection of a single feature, essentially picked at random. This paper introduces a modified optimization objective to stabilize LASSO or similar approaches. The solution to this modified problem is constrained by a norm ball rescaled according to the variances of the predictor variables. We further describe how such problems can be efficiently solved through proximal optimization. Classification experiments conducted on several microarray datasets show the benefits of the proposed approach, both in terms of stability and predictive performances, as compared to the original LASSO, Elastic Net, Trace LASSO and a simple variance based filtering.
Investigation of different fading forecast schemes for flat fading radio channels

After a brief introduction explaining the motivation for predicting the mobile radio channel both a deterministic channel model and an autoregressive signal model as well as corresponding parameter estimation schemes are introduced, which can be used for a fading forecast of flat fading radio channels. A preliminary performance test using Jakes' model is carried out for having a fundamental idea of the performance and the properties of these two models and the different estimation schemes. For more representative results, the most appropriate methods are investigated using data of a huge amount of different radio channels generated by simulations using the statistical model of Dersch. In order to verify the simulation results, the algorithms are further applied to measurement data of a time-variant indoor radio channel. With realistic simulation data or measurements, respectively, the autoregressive model performs best. Depending on the chosen parameter estimation scheme a prediction range of more than one wavelength ahead is feasible. Furthermore, the simulations reveal the common applicability of the proposed prediction schemes in different applications of wireless communications.
ESTABLISHING SHARIAH COMPLIANT HOTELS IN MALAYSIA: IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES, EXPLORING CHALLENGES

Halal hub is a concerted effort among the Islamic countries such as halal food, halal manufacturers, halal pharmaceuticals, halal cosmetics, halal packaging, halal logistics as well as halal services from all over the world. In fact, it has been a goal of the Malaysia as an Islamic country and being seriously on establishing a Halal hub for the product as well as services in finance and tourism. Due to an interesting development of Shariah Compliant hotel, it is very pertinent to illustrate several features and the characteristics of hospitality services which comes within the Islamic context which are universally accepted and tailored with the tourist packages especially to accommodate the needs of the upcoming boom of Muslim travelers and vacationers from the Middle East West Asia and other Islamic countries. Using the example of Malaysia as a case study, this paper will also illustrate the opportunities which arise in delivering of such concept of the so-called an Islamic hotel brands. Apart from that, the obstacles and challenges that might be faced by the hospitality industries in developing Shariah Compliant hotel in Malaysia are then identified and discussed. The study will be conducted using qualitative research in which data is collected through library research and session of interviews with the relevant authorities. It is hopeful that the finding of this paper can provide information to the authoritative body and to industry players as well. The results of this paper will also indicate the importance for the hoteliers to have knowledge and fully prepared with the opportunities and challenges that they might be facing prior developing Shariah Compliant Hotel in Malaysia.
Socio-economic determinants of TFPs in Ogun and Osun States, igeria

There is a dearth of research effort on the individual and household characteristics that affect the consumption of on-Timber Forest Products ( TFPs) in parts of Southwest igeria. Yet, understanding the factors driving demand for TFPs is crucial for managing supplies sustainably. Therefore, this study examined the socio-economic determinants of consumer demand for TFPs in Ogun and Osun States, Southwest igeria. A survey involving 320 respondents randomly selected from eight communities in each of Ijebu East Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State and Ife South Local Government Area (LGA) of Osun State was carried out using questionnaires. Data were collected on five top priority species including: bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis), African walnut (Plukenetia conophora), chewingstick (Massularia acuminata), fever-bark (Annickia chlorantha syn. Enantia chlorantha) and bush pepper (Piper guineense). Both descriptive and inferential statistics involving frequency tables, percentages, Likert scale, chi-square and multiple linear regression were used in analyzing the data at P = 0.05. Respondents’ sex, age, marital status, educational attainment and primary occupation had significant impacts on the level of consumption of P. conophora and A. chlorantha, while that of M. acuminata was significantly impacted by both marital status and household size. Primary occupation and age of respondents also significantly impacted the level of consumption of P. guineense, whereas only household size had a significant impact on the level of consumption of I. gabonensis. Products’ price, taste and substitute had no significant effect on TFPs consumption. Although, each of the TFPs has different socio-economic demand and niche among the consumers, the most determining factors of consumption were product availability and season of the year. The results of this study are valuable for predicting TFPs consumption pattern and for policy orientation that targets sustainable use of the products.
Temporal analysis of extended marked graphs for real-time applications

Many of the formalisms available for describing real-time systems and assessing their performance are based on some flavor of Petri nets. Most of these formalisms are expressive but not analyzable, or vice-versa. To overcome these limitations, the authors increase the expressiveness of a current formal method, by extending it with controlled forms of transition expansions. An example is discussed. <<ETX>>
Analysis of availability improvement in LMSS by means of satellite diversity based on three-state propagation channel model

Aiming at future multimedia land mobile-satellite services (LMSS) consisting of a large number of nongeostationary Earth-orbit satellites, we present an LMSS propagation channel model for assessing the effect of a satellite diversity scheme so that high service availability and high signal quality are assured. We classify general fading environments for LMSS into three states. By taking the occurrence probability of each state into account, a new fading channel model is developed. The validity of the model is identified by comparing its predicted values in terms of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) with measured data available so far. Then, based on this model, we calculate the satellite diversity effect assuming that the area is illuminated simultaneously by at least two satellites moving in low Earth orbits (LEO) over urban and suburban environments. In addition, state transition characteristics based on a Markov model are presented.
REIT Stock Price Volatility during the Financial Crisis

This paper sheds light on several puzzling empirical observations. We examine the volatility implications of equity REIT stock returns over the sample period from January 1985 through October 2012. We find a negative “leverage effect” in the preand post-Greenspan era, but not during the Greenspan era (circa 1994 to 2006). We argue that the positive elasticity of variance with respect to the value of equity during the Greenspan era can be explained by low and declining interest rates, which triggered a wealth transfer from REIT equity holders to REIT debt holders. We also argue that the low and declining interest rates during the Greenspan era allowed REITs to take on far more risk than most people realized. We then document that average REIT stock return volatility increased significantly in the 2007-2010 period in the midst of a historic decline in REIT stock prices. The results have significant implications for the good deal of interest and debate in the media over the status of REITs and whether equity REITs have become excessively risky relative to the returns they generate.
Phonetic Accuracy on a Delayed Picture-Naming Task in Children with a Phonological Disorder

Prof. Dongsun Yim, PhD, Department. of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University, 11-1, Daehyun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-750, Korea e-mail: sunyim@ewha.ac. kr tel. : +82 2 3277 2120 Background and Objectives: The purposes of this experiment were: (a) to determine whether children with phonological disorder (PD) differ from children with typical language development (TD) in the time-course of lexical access and (b) to explore the factors associated with picturenaming accuracy by children with PD. Methods: Thirty-eight children consistingof 19 with PD and 19 with TD participated in this study. The children completed experimental tasks including a delayed naming task in which children were presented with pictures that they were instructed to name after a 0 ms, 500 ms, or 1,000 ms delay interval. Responses atthe 0 ms delay intervalwere presumed to reflect the combined influence of lexical access and post-access processes. Responses at the longer-delay intervals were presumed to primarily reflect post-access processes. Results: Children with PD produced a higher proportion of phonological errors at all three delay intervals. However, there was not a significant difference in the shorter delay intervals in children with PD. Based on the results of stepwise regression analyses, it was determined that the vocabulary size did not predict any additional variance in naming accuracy. Only the production accuracy of phonemes comprising the nonwords predicted error rates. Discussion & Conclusion:The findings of this study suggest that children with PD have the same lexical access as children with TD. In other words, the group differences in error rates appeared to be entirely attributable to children’s difficulty producing the phonemes in the pictures’ names. The results discuss the potential underlying reasons for PD including weak phonological representations. (Korean Journal of Communication Disorders 2012;17:187-200)
On the economic significance of stock return predictability : Evidence from macroeconomic state variables

We explore the question of whether macroeconomic states are able to predict cross-sectional stock returns from the perspective of asset allocation. We find that conditioning on macroeconomic state variables leads to optimal portfolios with a certainty equivalent return that is 58 basis points per month higher than unconditional optimal portfolios out-of-sample. The conditional portfolio performance during economic recession periods is comparable to that in expansion periods. Unlike unconditional investors, conditional investors underweight value and winner stocks during economic recession periods. Our results reveal that macroeconomic state variables interacted with stock characteristics is able to predict not only cross-sectional stock returns but also the time series variations in the returns.