Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Better lower bounds: improved non-parametric moment-based species estimation for large experiments

Estimation of the number of species or unobserved classes from a sample of the underlying population is an ubiquitous problem in statistics. In classical settings, the size of the sample is usually small. New technologies have allowed for the sampling of extremely large and heterogeneous populations at scales not previously attainable or even considered. New algorithms are required that both take advantage of the scale of the data to account for heterogeneity but are also sufficiently fast to run in a reasonable amount of time. We present a non-parametric moment based estimator that is both computationally efficient and is sufficiently flexible to account for heterogeneity in the underlying population. This estimator is based on an extension of Chao's moment based lower bound (Chao, 1984), originally developed by Harris (1959) but unattainable due to the lack of efficient algorithms to solve the system of nonlinear equation required for estimation. We apply results from the classical moment problem to show that solutions can be obtained efficiently, allowing for estimators that are simultaneously conservative and use more information.
Using textual analysis in bankruptcy prediction: Evidence from Indian firms under IBC

Identifying and managing credit risk is vital for all lending institutions. Historically, credit risk is assessed using financial data from published financial statements. However, research indicates that the ability to detect financial hardship may be improved by textual analysis of firms’ disclosed records. This study aims to establish an association between themes and words from Management Discussion and Analysis (MDA) reports of firms and corporate failures. The study took a sample of 57 Indian listed firms declared bankrupt under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) along with a matched sample of 55 solvent firms (matched by industry and size) for the period of FY2011–2019. The first part of analysis identifies negative words from the published reports and compares them with the negative words of the Loughran-McDonald dictionary. Then a thematic analysis is done to identify the key themes from the MDA reports and the significant themes are validated with their corresponding financial ratios in the third step using a panel logistic regression. Word analysis results show that IBC firms have significantly greater negative tone (2.21 percent) as against 1.30 percent of solvent firms. Thematic analysis results show that manageability, activity and performance are significant themes for predicting financial distress. Financial variables such as ownership pattern, promoters’ shares pledged, return on capital employed, asset utilization are some of the ratios in sync with the key themes. The study recommends that lenders and other stakeholders should look beyond financial statements which may be ‘window dressed’ by firms to qualitative disclosures in annual reports which may forewarn against impending financial distress. Acknowledgments The infrastructural support provided by FORE School of Management, New Delhi in completing this paper is gratefully acknowledged.
Influence of a Great Plains urban environment on a simulated supercell

AbstractThe effect of urban areas on weakly forced precipitation systems has been studied extensively. However, interactions between urban areas and strongly forced convection, such as supercells, remain relatively unexamined. The present study uses simulations of a supercell to quantify the impacts of a large plains urban area on the evolution and strength of a supercell. An initial ensemble of simulations (CTRLE) of a supercell over homogeneous land use is performed using the WRF-ARW Model. Additionally, 108 simulations are conducted in which the land-use pattern of Dallas–Ft. Worth, Texas, is placed inside the model domain, with the city center shifted to be in or near the path of the supercell. Simulations with urban areas are compared to CTRLE, with the aid of hierarchical clustering analysis to form statistically similar groups of simulations. Clustering analyses identify groups of ensemble members with closely located urban areas that have similar patterns of 0–1-km updraft helicity and near-surfac.
Some Controllability Aspects for Iterative Learning Control

Some controllability aspects for iterative learning control (ILC) are discussed. Via a batch (lifted) description of the problem a state space model of the system to be controlled is formulated in the iteration domain. This model provides insight and enables analysis of the conditions for and relationships between controllability, output controllability and target path controllability. In addition, the property miminum lead target path controllability is introduced. This property, which is connected to the number of time delays, plays an important role in the design of ILC algorithms. The properties are illustrated by a numerical example.
Meadow trophic status regulates the nitrogen filter function of tropical seagrasses in seasonally eutrophic coastal waters

The nutrient filter function is an important ecosystem service of seagrass meadows that mitigates the consequences of coastal eutrophication. In northeast Hainan in China, large seagrass areas were lost due to chronic eutrophication induced by untreated pond aquaculture effluents. However, in adjacent areas, seagrasses could survive due to seasonal exposure (i.e., not chronic) to eutrophication only. In a way, the conditions in these areas represent a transitional environment which allows investigating the effect of eutrophication on seagrass performance and their nitrogen uptake capacity. We tested how a 4‐week in situ nutrient enrichment affected inorganic nitrogen uptake rates of a multispecies seagrass meadow in eutrophic and non‐eutrophic seasons, in light and in darkness. All species maintained nitrogen uptake in the dark and preferred ammonium over nitrate. In the eutrophic season, the seagrass leaf biomass and growth were lower resulting in a lower nitrogen filter capacity. Among the species present, Cymodocea rotundata and Cymodocea serrulata covered 48% and 45%, respectively, of their daily nitrogen demand for leaf growth through leaf uptake from the water column, while it was only 30% for Thalassia hemprichii, the last remaining species in meadows degraded by eutrophication, as deduced from previous studies. It indicates that a multispecies seagrass meadow has a higher nitrogen filter capacity than a monospecific T. hemprichii meadow. By reducing seagrass diversity and, hence, the nitrogen filter function, eutrophication triggers a self‐reinforcing process. Once the nitrogen filtering capacity of a seagrass meadow is exhausted, further eutrophication and seagrass loss are expected.
L-band radiometry freeze/ thaw validation using air temperature and ground measurements

ABSTRACT Assessment of remote sensing derived freeze/thaw products from L-band radiometry requires ground validation. There is growing interest in utilizing soil moisture networks to meet this validation requirement, although it remains unclear whether the current configuration of these networks is appropriate. To address this issue, a small-scale L-band radiometry study was conducted from November 2014 to April 2015 to capture F/T events. Soil moisture probes measuring soil temperature and real dielectric permittivity were installed within a surface-based L-band radiometer footprint vertically at the surface and horizontally at 2.5, 5 and 10 cm depths. A binary freeze/thaw product was derived using radiometer brightness temperatures and compared to the binary F/T classification using soil temperature, real dielectric permittivity and air temperature measurements. The results of the study found that shallow probe depths (vertical and 2.5 cm) resulted in an improvement in the radiometer F/T product accuracy over the standard 5 cm instrument depth currently utilized at soil moisture networks. Air temperature based approaches for validation result in lower accuracy for F/T events with no snow or wet snow, but performed similarly to soil measurements of temperature and permittivity during dry snow F/T events.
Comparative Study of Terminal Cortical Potentials Using Iridium and Ag/AgCl Electrodes

Brain ischemia induces slow voltage shifts in the cerebral cortex, including waves of spreading depolarization (SD) and negative ultraslow potentials (NUPs), which are considered as brain injury markers. However, different electrode materials and locations yield variable SD and NUP features. Here, we compared terminal cortical events during isoflurane or sevoflurane euthanasia using intracortical linear iridium electrode arrays and Ag/AgCl-based electrodes in the rat somatosensory cortex. Inhalation of anesthetics caused respiratory arrest, associated with hyperpolarization and followed by SD and NUP on both Ir and Ag electrodes. Ag-NUPs were bell shaped and waned within half an hour after death. Ir-NUPs were biphasic, with the early fast phase corresponding to Ag-NUP, and the late absent on Ag electrodes, phase of a progressive depolarizing voltage shift reaching −100 mV by two hours after death. In addition, late Ir-NUPs were more ample in the deep layers than at the cortical surface. Thus, intracortical Ag and Ir electrodes reliably assess early manifestations of terminal brain injury including hyperpolarization, SD and the early phase of NUP, while the late, giant amplitude phase of NUP, which is present only on Ir electrodes, is probably related to the sensitivity of Ir electrodes to a yet unidentified factor related to brain death.
Radial Variations of Outward and Inward Alfvénic Fluctuations Based on Ulysses Observations

Ulysses magnetic and plasma data are used to study hourly scale Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar polar wind. The calculated energy ratio (cal) of inward to outward Alfvén waves is obtained from the observed Walén slope through an analytical expression, and the observed (obs) is based on a direct decomposition of original Alfvénic fluctuations into outward- and inward-propagating Alfvén waves. The radial variation of (cal) shows a monotonically increasing trend with heliocentric distance r, implying the increasing local generation or contribution of inward Alfvén waves. The contribution is also shown by the radial increase in the occurrence of dominant inward fluctuations. We further pointed out a higher occurrence ( of a day in average) of dominant outward Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind than previously estimated. Since (cal) is more accurate than (obs) in the measurement of the energy ratio for dominant outward fluctuations, the values of (cal) in our results are likely more realistic in the solar wind than those previously estimated as well as (obs) in our results. The duration ratio RT of dominant inward to all Alfvénic fluctuations increases monotonically with r, and is about two or more times that from Voyager 2 observations at . These results reveal new qualitative and quantitative features of Alfvénic fluctuations therein compared with previous studies and put constraints on modeling the variation of solar wind fluctuations.
Fundamentals of spatial vision in the barn owl (Tyto alba pratincola) : ocular aberrations, grating acuity, contrast sensitivity, and vernier acuity

Optical quality in barn owl eyes is presented in terms of measuring the ocular wavefront aberrations with a standard Tscherning-type wavefront aberrometer under natural viewing conditions. While accommodative state was uncontrolled, all eyes were focused within 0.4 D with respect to the plane of the aberrometer. Total RMS wavefront error was between 0.06 and 0.15 μm (mean: 0.10 μm, STD: 0.03 μm, defocus canceled) for a 6 mm pupil. The results suggest that image quality in barn owl eyes is excellent.
H-Likelihood Approach to Factor Analysis for Ordinal Data

Marginal likelihood-based methods are commonly used in factor analysis for ordinal data. To obtain the maximum marginal likelihood estimator, the full information maximum likelihood (FIML) estimator uses the (adaptive) Gauss–Hermite quadrature or stochastic approximation. However, the computational burden increases rapidly as the number of factors increases, which renders FIML impractical for large factor models. Another limitation of the marginal likelihood-based approach is that it does not allow inference on the factors. In this study, we propose a hierarchical likelihood approach using the Laplace approximation that remains computationally efficient in large models. We also proposed confidence intervals for factors, which maintains the level of confidence as the sample size increases. The simulation study shows that the proposed approach generally works well.
Purchase decision patterns of non-bank sharia housing in Bandar Lampung City during Covid-19: Price exploration and digital marketing

IntroductionThe housing sector, including sharia housing, has been affected by Covid-19. Many studies have analyzed the impact of Covid-19 on the sharia housing industry, but research focusing on non-bank financing is still limited. ObjectivesThis study aims to analyze how consumer purchasing decisions for housing during Covid-19 are influenced by price and digital marketing. MethodThis study can be categorized as quantitative study by collecting data from 500 consumers selected through purposive sampling in the Bandar Lampung City. The obtained data was then analyzed using SmartPLS software. ResultsThe result shows that price and digital marketing have significant impact on consumers’ purchase decision of non-bank Sharia housing during Covid-19. ImplicationsSharia housing developers should effectively utilize digital marketing content and pricing strategy to attract potential consumers in Bandar Lampung City.Originality/NoveltyThis study highlights unique pricing and digital marketing strategies by Sharia housing developers during Covid-19. This study is also unique for its approach to non-bank Sharia housing as mode of financing.
Experiencing Climate Change Virtually: The Effects of Virtual Reality on Climate Change Related Cognitions, Emotions, and Behavior

ABSTRACT We conducted a pre-registered, between-subjects experiment to investigate whether experiencing climate change consequences virtually can influence cognitions, emotions, and pro-environmental intentions and behaviors. Participants (N = 277) experienced a wildfire through different media that varied in their degree of technological immersiveness (virtual reality vs. regular video vs. magazine articles only). Participants in the virtual reality condition reported higher spatial presence, stronger emotional responses, stronger bodily responses, and reported that the experience felt more life-like. Increased spatial presence was associated with increased risk perceptions and negative emotions. Risk perceptions and negative emotions were subsequently associated with reduced intentions to consume dairy and meat, but not associated with actual plant-based food choices (vegan vs. non-vegan chocolate bar). Actual donations to ENGOs were only influenced by risk perceptions, not emotions. The role of psychological distance was explored, which led to different conclusions for quantitative (no effect of virtual reality) and qualitative measures (virtual reality can reduce psychological distance).
How formal initiatives to improve teaching can lead to more significant informal conversations and increased sharing practice

University teachers grow professionally from conversations about learning and teaching with colleagues. Significant informal conversations can be facilitated through formal activities initiated from the institutional side. This case-study shows how a formal institutional initiative to enhance educational quality has facilitated more significant informal conversations. Such conversations power constructive feedback to the organisation, improve the formal quality development work at the institutional level, and increase the use of collegial experiences across the institution. We identify the formal initiative “Collegial sharing sessions” as particularly efficient for fuelling significant informal conversations within and across departments.
On (q, r, w)-Stirling Numbers of the Second Kind

In this paper, we introduce a new generalization of the r-Stirling numbers of the second kind based on the q-numbers via an exponential generating function. We investigate their some properties and derive several relations among q-Bernoulli numbers and polynomials, and newly defined (q, r, w)Stirling numbers of the second kind. We also obtain q-Bernstein polynomials as a linear combination of (q, r, w)-Stirling numbers of the second kind and q-Bernoulli polynomials in w.
Effect of psychoactive substance use on academic activities and performance among undergraduates of University of Lagos

Background: The objective of this study was to assess the effect of psychoactive substance use on academic performance among university students of Lagos undergraduates. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study to assess psychoactive substance use and its relation to academic performance among undergraduate students of the University of Lagos. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the participants. Data was collected using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire adapted from WHO model core questionnaire self-administered format. Data was collected and analyzed using the free-liscence software package Epi-Info, version 7.2. 2.16. Chi square and Fisher's exact were used to test for any significant association between psychoactive substances use and academic performance of the respondents. Level of significance (p) was set at 0.05. Result. Prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 28.6%. Male and female respondents were270 (69.77%) and 117(30.23%) respectively, with age range between 14 and 30 and mean age of 20.51 (SD)(±2.91) year. Alcohol was the most abused substance with 68.99%, this was followed by cigarette with 20.67% ever use prevalence. The mean age of first use of psychoactive substance was 16.31±3.89. Using the Grade Point Average system from the previous semester, majority of the respondents (87.08%) had GPA >2.50. Both frequency of studying and mean CGPA was statistically better among non-life time users and non-current users of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis in the male group. However there was no statical significance among female group. Using fischer exact test to assess the effect of age of first substance use and mean CGPA. The age of first substance use was statistically significant for tobacco p = 0.007. Conclusion. Psychoactive substance use among students was common and negatively associated with students’ academic performance especially among male gender.
On estimating regression-based causal effects using sufficient dimension reduction

SUMMARY In many causal inference problems the parameter of interest is the regression causal effect, defined as the conditional mean difference in the potential outcomes given covariates. In this paper we discuss how sufficient dimension reduction can be used to aid causal inference, and we propose a new estimator of the regression causal effect inspired by minimum average variance estimation. The estimator requires a weaker common support condition than propensity score-based approaches, and can be used to estimate the average causal effect, for which it is shown to be asymptotically super-efficient. Its finite-sample properties are illustrated by simulation.
Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among primary school children in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Gastrointestinal parasitic infections are the most common and persistent infections caused by helminths and protozoa mainly in developing countries like Nepal. The present study was conducted from September 2019 to June 2020 to find out the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among primary school children in Bhaktapur District, Nepal. A total of 190 stool samples were collected and examined microscopically by the sedimentation technique and the floatation technique. The overall prevalence was found to be 16.84%. The prevalence was significantly higher (p<0.05) among students in public schools (29.23%) than in private schools (10.40%). Similarly, higher prevalence was found among boys (19.27%) in the sex-wise study, Muslim (33.33%) students than others and among vegetarian (30%) students. The source of drinking water and parents’ education and occupation were also found to be factors affecting the rate of prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs). The study revealed eight different types of GIPs (Ascaris lumbricoides, Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica, Enterobius vermicularis, Giardia lamblia, Ancylostoma duodenale, Schistosoma mansoni, and Taenia solium). Among them, Giardia lamblia (55.55%) was the most dominant species. Efforts should be focused on improving the efficacy of administering anthelminthic drugs.
Risk factors for chronic kidney disease among adults in a tertiary hospital community in north-central, Nigeria.

Background: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the increase globally with an attendant heavy disease burden and high morbidity and mortality from end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Data on the prevalence of risk factors for chronic kidney disease from sub-Saharan Africa are scanty, more so in the northern part of Nigeria. There are several risk factors for CKD which include, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and some nephrotoxic agents. Preventive strategy through early detection and treatment has been advocated for CKD especially in our own setting where majority of patients present late and cannot afford the cost of renal replacement therapy which again is not readily available. Method: This study was conducted among the staff of Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH), Jos, as part of a screening exercise during the World Kidney Day (WKD) program of 2021, to determine the prevalence of modifiable risk factors for CKD. Adult subjects of 18 years and above, who consented to the study were mobilized after a sensitization talk. The parameters assessed were demographics, body mass index, blood pressures, proteinuria, fasting plasma glucose and plasma creatinine. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated using CKD-EPI Creatinine Equation 2021. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of < 0.05. Results: 150 adult volunteers participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 43.3±11.32 years (18-71 years), with 61.3% being females and 38.7% were males. The frequency of the risk factors of CKD observed were obesity in 45 (30.0%) of the participants and diabetes mellitus found in 44 (29.3%) of the participants, Proteinuria and glycosuria were found in 49 (32.7%) and 9 (6.0%) of the participants respectively while a whopping 37 (24.7%) of the participants had haematuria. The number of participants found with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of <60ml/min/1.73m2 were 55 (36.7%). There was an independent association between older age (p = 0.010), being widowed/divorced (p = 0.041), and having diabetes (p = 0.006) with an eGFR <60ml/min/1.73m2. Conclusion The prevalence of CKD risk factors in this study population was high. Therefore, there is the need for adequate and continuous sensitization and routine screening in our various clinics for early detection and early management by lifestyle and risk factor modification to halt or reduce the growing burden of CKD with its attendant morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.