Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health Disparities as We Age: A Life Course Comparison of Canadian Early Boomers with Pre-Boomers

Despite a large and growing research literature documenting health disparities by socioeconomic status (SES) and income inequalities, research on how these relationships play out moving from mid to later life is meager. Even less is known about how the early Baby Boom cohort compares with the Pre-Boomer cohort as they age in a period of accelerating inequalities, where the wealthy are becoming wealthier and the incomes of those in the middle and at the bottom are stagnating. In this paper, we follow individuals in two cohorts, those born 1947-1951 and those born 1932-36 over the period covering eight cycles of the National Population Health Survey in Canada from 1994/95 to 2008/09 with longitudinal data. The Early Boomer cohort is age 43- 47 in the first period, and 59-64 in 2008/09; the Pre-Boomer cohort is 58-62 in period 1 and 74-79 by 2008/09. We focus on the differences between the two cohorts in terms of self-reported health in a period characterized by dramatic welfare state restructuring, socio-demographic and family shifts, and global economic change. We ask whether health disparities are widening by SES, whether growing income inequalities matter to health in moving from mid to later life, and what implications there might be for Canada’s aging population in future. Our findings reveal that socio-economic factors matter as determinants of health for both cohorts but more so for the Early Boomers than for the Pre-Boomers. Growing income inequalities may have serious and direct negative implications for cohorts transitioning in future from mid to later life.
Evaluating geothermal and hydrogeologic controls on regional groundwater temperature distribution

A one‐dimensional (1‐D) analytic solution is developed for heat transport through an aquifer system where the vertical temperature profile in the aquifer is nearly uniform. The general anisotropic form of the viscous heat generation term is developed for use in groundwater flow simulations. The 1‐D solution is extended to more complex geometries by solving the equation for piece‐wise linear or uniform properties and boundary conditions. A moderately complex example, the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP), is analyzed to demonstrate the use of the analytic solution for identifying important physical processes. For example, it is shown that viscous heating is variably important and that heat conduction to the land surface is a primary control on the distribution of aquifer and spring temperatures. Use of published values for all aquifer and thermal properties results in a reasonable match between simulated and measured groundwater temperatures over most of the 300 km length of the ESRP, except for geothermal heat flow into the base of the aquifer within 20 km of the Yellowstone hotspot. Previous basal heat flow measurements (∼110 mW/m2) made beneath the ESRP aquifer were collected at distances of >50 km from the Yellowstone Plateau, but a higher basal heat flow of 150 mW/m2 is required to match groundwater temperatures near the Plateau. The ESRP example demonstrates how the new tool can be used during preliminary analysis of a groundwater system, allowing efficient identification of the important physical processes that must be represented during more‐complex 2‐D and 3‐D simulations of combined groundwater and heat flow.
The nitrogen legacy: emerging evidence of nitrogen accumulation in anthropogenic landscapes

Watershed and global-scale nitrogen (N) budgets indicate that the majority of the N surplus in anthropogenic landscapes does not reach the coastal oceans. While there is general consensus that this ‘missing’ N either exits the landscape via denitrification or is retained within watersheds as nitrate or organic N, the relative magnitudes of these pools and fluxes are subject to considerable uncertainty. Our study, for the first time, provides direct, large-scale evidence of N accumulation in the root zones of agricultural soils that may account for much of the ‘missing N’ identified in mass balance studies. We analyzed long-term soil data (1957–2010) from 2069 sites throughout the Mississippi River Basin (MRB) to reveal N accumulation in cropland of 25–70 kg ha−1 yr−1, a total of 3.8 ± 1.8 Mt yr−1 at the watershed scale. We then developed a simple modeling framework to capture N depletion and accumulation dynamics under intensive agriculture. Using the model, we show that the observed accumulation of soil organic N (SON) in the MRB over a 30 year period (142 Tg N) would lead to a biogeochemical lag time of 35 years for 99% of legacy SON, even with complete cessation of fertilizer application. By demonstrating that agricultural soils can act as a net N sink, the present work makes a critical contribution towards the closing of watershed N budgets.
The effect of transfer pricing regulations on intra-industry trade

We analyse the effect of transfer pricing regulations on trade ows. We base our estimation on a panel gravity model, where the transfer pricing regulations are modeled as trade costs. To abstract from any aggregate demand shocks, we focus on intermediate goods in the car industry. Our results suggest a significant volume effect on the exported quantity as a result of the introduction of transfer pricing laws in the exporting country. Exports to lower tax rate countries are reduced, whilst exports to higher tax rate countries are increased. In line with theory, transfer pricing regulations only play a role if a tax rate difference exists between the trading partners.
Policies and strategies in the Metropolitan Region of Milan. How to enhance the city’s competitiveness

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582. A Photovoltaic panel coupled with a phase changing material heat storage system in hot climates

Nowadays, there is a great impulse in the field of photovoltaic cell systems (PV) to develop new devices with better energy conversion performances and higher cost effectiveness. This paper is focused on the design and development of a modified PV system, consisting of a normal PV panel coupled with a Phase Change Material (PCM). PCMs are "latent" energy storage materials, using chemical bonds to store and release heat. The system is based on the idea that decreasing the operating temperature of the panel causes an increase in its energy conversion efficiency. A theoretical analysis of the system was accomplished by using COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS, a partial differential equations (PDEs) solver. By using this software, the thermal behaviour of the PV-PCM system was simulated, thus allowing a better identification of the suitable thermo-physical parameters for the optimization of the panel efficiency. The numerical simulations accomplished showed that a PCM with a melting temperature between 28°C and 32°C in a typical summer day in Sicily induces a significant variation in the energy conversion efficiency. The experimental set-up realized to validate these results is also described in the paper, but the experimental tests have still not been run. Furthermore, the exploitation of this simple technology could permit to reduce CO2 emissions because the increasing of the energy conversion efficiency means more energy production and consequently less emission of greenhouse gases to produce energy by fossil fuel or normal PV panel.
Identificación de Enterobacterias Causantes de Pudriciones Blandas en Cucurbita pepo L. en Veracruz, México

Two species of Pectobacterium which cause soft rot in Cucurbita pepo were identified, and their variability in response to biochemical tests was determined. The isolates corresponded to P. chrysanthemi and P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum; however, there was no precise correlation between the isolations studied and the identifiers commonly used for species determination of this genus. The factorial analysis of correspondence showed that variability in results for the biochemical tests performed, classified the isolates into four groups: two related to P. chrysanthemi and two related to P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. Variables that contributed the most to formation of groups were production of acid from lactose, sensitivity to erythromycin (15 µg/disk), the use of keto-methyl glucoside, and production of reducing substances from sacarose.
Objective Bayesian Inference for Repairable System Subject to Competing Risks

Competing risks models for a repairable system subject to several failure modes are discussed. Under minimal repair, it is assumed that each failure mode has a power law intensity. An orthogonal reparametrization is used to obtain an objective Bayesian prior which is invariant under relabelling of the failure modes. The resulting posterior is a product of gamma distributions and has appealing properties: one-to-one invariance, consistent marginalization and consistent sampling properties. Moreover, the resulting Bayes estimators have closed-form expressions and are naturally unbiased for all the parameters of the model. The methodology is applied in the analysis of (i) a previously unpublished dataset about recurrent failure history of a sugarcane harvester and (ii) records of automotive warranty claims introduced in [1]. A simulation study was carried out to study the efficiency of the methods proposed.
The Influence of Role Models on Immigrant Self-Employment: A Spatial Analysis for Switzerland

Theoretical and empirical research suggests a connection between the presence of role models and the emergence of entrepreneurs. Existing entrepreneurs may act as role models for self-employment candidates by providing successful examples. By explicitly considering the self-employment rates of the natives, which may influence locally the decisions of immigrants towards entrepreneurship, we develop a simple model that explains immigrant self-employment rates for a sample of 2,490 Swiss municipalities. In addition, we accommodate for the presence of spatial spillovers in the distribution of rates, and test a spatial autoregressive model which takes into account the average self-employment rates of immigrants living in nearby municipalities. Our evidence shows a significant (positive) effect of such spatial network effects, which are characterized by a quick distance decay, suggesting spatial spillovers at the household and social network level. Additionally, we show that local conditions and immigrant pool characteristics differ, with respect to self-employment choices, when examining separately urban and rural contexts.
Marketing Strategies and Performance of Indigenous Construction Firms in Nigeria

Despite increased competition, construction firms are generally known to be lagging behind in the adoption of marketing strategies. The performance of indigenous construction firms (ICFs) in Nigeria has been severally criticised without commensurate research efforts to address the problem. This study focused on the influence of marketing strategies on the performance levels of ICFs in South-South Nigeria. The study questionnaire were purposively issued to CEOs and managers of ICFs (n=87) in the research area. Maintaining a pool of professionals to boost company image ( =3.79) ranks highest among the identified marketing strategies. Kruskal-Wallis H test of difference in the opinions of the different firm groups showed that a significant difference exists in the frequency of use of the marketing strategies by the different firm groups. A significant difference (p=0.013) exists in the frequency of use of the marketing strategies by average performers (mean rank = 57.84) and high performers (mean rank=78.03). The groups of marketing strategies that influence ICFs’ level of performance are: third party-based, client-based, firmbased, and publicitybased marketing strategies. Average performer ICFs should improve on their frequency of use of marketing strategies, and the use of project performance-based marketing strategies by ICFs should be increased.
Spurious Long-range Entanglement and Replica Correlation Length

Topological entanglement entropy has been regarded as a smoking-gun signature of topological order in two dimensions, capturing the total quantum dimension of the topological particle content. An extrapolation method on cylinders has been used frequently to measure the topological entanglement entropy. Here, we show that a class of short-range entangled 2D states, when put on an infinite cylinder of circumference $L$, exhibits the entanglement R\'enyi entropy of any integer index $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\ge}2$ that obeys ${S}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}=aL\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$, where $a,\ensuremath{\gamma}g0$. Under the extrapolation method, the subleading term $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ would be identified as the topological entanglement entropy, which is spurious. A nonzero $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is always present if the 2D state reduces to a certain symmetry-protected topological 1D state, upon disentangling spins that are far from the entanglement cut. The internal symmetry that stabilizes $\ensuremath{\gamma}g0$ is not necessarily a symmetry of the 2D state, but should be present after the disentangling reduction. If the symmetry is absent, $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays exponentially in $L$ with a characteristic length, termed as a replica correlation length, which can be arbitrarily large compared to the two-point correlation length of the 2D state. We propose a simple numerical procedure to measure the replica correlation length through replica correlation functions. We also calculate the replica correlation functions for representative wave functions of Abelian discrete gauge theories and the double semion theory in 2D, to show that they decay abruptly to zero. This supports a conjecture that the replica correlation length being small implies that the subleading term from the extrapolation method determines the total quantum dimension.
Fuzzy-Logic-Based Control, Filtering, and Fault Detection for Networked Systems: A Survey

This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants 61329301, 61374039, 61473163, and 61374127, the Hujiang Foundation of China under Grants C14002 andD15009, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the UK, the Royal Society of the UK, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany.
Characteristics and Gelling Property of Gelatin from Scale of Spotted Golden Goatfish (Parupeneus heptacanthus)

Gelatins from the scales of spotted golden goatfish were extracted under different conditions and characterized. The gelatin yield, when extracted at 45, 60 and 75C (for 6 or 12 h), was 2.3–2.6%, 8.6–9.3% and 9.9–10.1% on dry weight basis, respectively. All the gelatins had β- and α-chains as the dominant components, and had high imino acid contents (182–192 residues/1,000 residues). Gel strength of the gelatin decreased and the gelatin solution became more turbid with increasing temperature and time of extraction. The gelling and melting temperatures of gelatin were 18.7–20.1 and 26.4–28.0C, respectively, and these decreased with extraction temperature and time. The results suggest that the scales of spotted golden goatfish have potential to serve as the collagenous raw material for gelatin extraction. Practical Applications Spotted golden goatfish (Parupeneus heptacanthus) is used in the manufacturing of frozen fish fillets in Thailand, and the scales with low market value are generated as byproducts. Large amounts of scales could potentially serve as raw material for gelatin production. However, the proper extraction conditions need to be determined experimentally, considering both yield and properties of the resulting gelatin.
Linkages amongst Government Spending, Stock Market Development and Output in Nigeria Agriculture

This study explored the nexus amongst government agricultural spending and its inherent volatility level, total capital employed and turnover of the agricultural sector of the stock market and agricultural output in Nigeria. Time series data from 1978-2008 were employed. Data were analyzed using square of mean-adjusted relative change volatility estimation method, co-integration and error correction model and two-stage-least squares regression technique. There is the existence of a long-run relationship amongst government agricultural spending, total capital employed and turnover of the agricultural sector of the stock market and agricultural output. Government agricultural spending is influenced by its lag (0.42) and agricultural output (-1.94). Total capital employed in the agricultural sector of the stock market is influenced by government agricultural spending (0.15). Total turnover of the agricultural sector of the stock market is influenced by the total capital employed in the sector and the volatility level in government agricultural spending (-0.03). Agricultural output is influenced by government agricultural spending (0.09) and total turnover of the agricultural sector of the stock market (0.23). Government agricultural spending stimulates the development of the agricultural sector of the stock market, while its volatility is an impediment. The agricultural sector of the stock market is an effective window policy makers can exploit to increase agricultural output.
Resource Use Efficiency of Tea Production in Vietnam: Using Translog SFA Model

As one of the most important economic activities to small households of Vietnam, tea production is hindered by low productivity, rising of production costs, and bad agriculture practices. To sustain tea production, the near-term strategy is to improve the efficiency of resource utilization. To our knowledge, this article is the first study to evaluate the tea production’s resource use efficiency and to identify the factors affecting it in Vietnam. The data was collected from 243 randomly selected tea farmers in the Northern mountainous region of Vietnam. The study first applied a translog stochastic production frontier model and technical efficiency (TE) technique to estimate resources use efficiency, and then used a Tobit model to identify the factors affecting these efficiencies among tea farms. Based on the mean sum of output elasticity with respect to inputs (0.323), we found that increasing the utilization of resources in the study site was inappropriate. The study also revealed that the average input-oriented TE of tea farms was lower than that of output-oriented TE, 82.21% versus 92.29%, suggesting that the farmers had more ability to reduce resource use than to increase current output level. The results showed that the tea farmers could use resources more efficiently by reducing 17.79% of the current application level without compromising the output. The study also indicates that concerted efforts from government to increase farmers’ accessing extension service, widening soil and water conservation practice, and spreading farmers’ awareness on water scarcity is the key to improve farmers’ resource use efficiency.
Effect of an Adapted "Cover Write" Method to Word-Naming and Spelling to Students with Developmental Disabilities in Turkey

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of the "cover write" method of teaching word-naming and spelling to two Turkish students with developmental disabilities. A multiple-probe design across three, 5-word sets was employed to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. The "cover write" method was modified to accommodate the learning needs of the students. Results of the study revealed that after instruction students named the words and spelled them correctly. Furthermore, maintenance and setting generality of word acquisition were assessed one week after instruction ended in an art class where it was found that the students named and spelled the words independently.
Pathways and Management of Phosphorus in Urban Areas

Due to the finite nature of mineral phosphorus reserves, effective management of anthropogenic phosphorus flows is currently under investigation by the international research community. This article emphasizes the importance of urban phosphorus flows, which are often marginalized due to the greater magnitude of agricultural phosphorus flows. A study on phosphorus flows in Gothenburg, Sweden, points out the potential role of solid waste in nutrient management, as the amounts of phosphorus in solid waste and in wastewater were found to be equal. Importation of food commodities accounts for 50% of the total inflow of phosphorus, and food waste is a major contributor of phosphorus to solid waste. The results suggest that solid waste incineration residues represent a large underestimated sink of phosphorus. Focusing on wastewater as the sole source of recovered phosphorus is not sufficient. The Swedish national goal on phosphorus recycling, which is limited to sewage sludge, targets only a part of the total phosphorus flow that can potentially be recovered. In contrast to previous studies, agricultural flows in Gothenburg were marginal compared to flows related to the urban waste management infrastructure. We emphasize the need for debate on preferable routes for disposal of waste with a high phosphorus content. Both recovery potential and usefulness of the recovered product for agricultural purposes have to be considered. Impacts of five waste management strategies on phosphorus flows were evaluated: incineration of all the waste, comprehensive food waste separation, installation of kitchen grinders, urine diversion, and separation of blackwater and food waste.
Measurement of intellectual functioning of Nigerian youth: the predictive validity of JAMB/UME in relation to students’ performance in University

Various institutions of learning and examination bodies take part in the measurement of intellectual functioning of youths for purposes of certification and admission into higher levels. In this study, 2009 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)/ University Matriculation Examination (UME) scores of 222 candidates admitted to the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, (UAM), were examined in relation to their performance in the University’s Post UME Aptitude test before admission as well as their performance in a 100 level educational psychology course. The 222 students were sampled from 850 students admitted into the College of Agricultural and Science Education of the university in 2009/2010 session. The UME scores in percentage of maximum score obtainable were compared with the candidates’ scores in the university Post UME screening / aptitude test that year and their scores in a first year educational psychology course using Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient and one – way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result of the study shows a significant relationship between the candidates’ scores in the three examinations at 0.05 level of probability. A one – way analysis of variance of the means of scores indicates significant difference in the mean scores, the highest being 100 level, followed by UME and lastly Post UME mean score. It can be said from the results that UME has predictive validity for performance in university.