Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atlantic Shorelines Natural History and Ecology

Mark D. Bertness Princeton University Press ISBN: 0691125546 £29.95 431pp Reviewed by Jean Wilson Microbial Life (Second Edition) James T Staley, Robert P. Gunsalus, Stephen Lory & Jerome J. Perry Sinauer Associates ISBN: 9780878936854 £43.99 1066pp Reviewed by John Heritage Writing and Presenting Scientific Papers Birgitta Malmfors, Phil Garnsworthy and Michael Grossman, Nottingham University Press (2nd ed.) ISBN: 9781897676127 £22.50 153pp Reviewed by Brian Ford Fundamentals of conservation biology 3rd Edn. Malcolm Hunter Jr, & James P. Gibbs Blackwell ISBN: 9781405135450 £34.99 497pp Reviewed by Patricia Sang Biology, Biologists and Bioethics: Concerns for Scientists, Politicians and Consumers Stefano Dumontet and Horst Grimme (Eds) Foxwell & Davies Italia ISBN: 8884480086 £14.00 170pp Reviewed by Michael Reiss Criminal Psychology (Beginners guide) R. Bull et al Oneworld Publications ISBN: 1851684778 £9.99 192pp Reviewed by Ian Carter Gene Cloning and Manipulation (2nd edition) Christopher Howe Cambridge University Press ISBN: 9780521521055 Price: £25.99 276pp Reviewed by Olivier Sparagano Molecular Cell Biology, Sixth Edition Harvey Lodish et al. W. H. Freeman and Co ISBN: 9781429203142 £48.99 1296pp Reviewed by Dr Chris Clegg Forensic Entomology: An Introduction Wiley Dorothy E Gennard ISBN: 9780470014790 £27.50 244pp Reviewed by Stephen Hoskins Getting Science: The teacher's guide to exciting and painless primary school science Brian Clegg Taylor and Francis ISBN: 9780415421997 £15.99 160pp Reviewed by Phil Bunyan
Representation of Emiliania huxleyi in phytoplankton simulation models. A first approach

Abstract Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) Hay et Mohler is represented as a state variable in a general phytoplankton model that also includes one diatom group and one phytoplankton group encompassing the ‘other flagellates’ than E. huxleyi. Furthermore, three nutrient variables (nitrogen-, phosphorus-, and silicon-nutrients) are included. The main features of the model are that E. huxleyi has been given a higher growth affinity for orthophosphate than the two other groups, and that diatoms, besides being dependent on silicon, have been given a higher maximal growth rate than the two flagellate groups. The output from the simulation model is compared with observations made in mesocosm experiments loaded with different amounts of nitrate and orthophosphate. The simulated E. huxleyi is not able to grow as well as the real E. huxleyi, and this applies especially to the experiments low in orthophosphate. It is difficult to account for the high observed numbers of E. huxleyi in terms of the available inorganic otho.
Distance in Bank Lending: The Role of Social Networks

This paper provides empirical evidence that banks leverage social connections as an information channel. Using county-to-county friendship-link data from Facebook, we find that strong social ties increase loan volumes, especially if screening incentives are large. This effect is distinct from physical and cultural distances. Physical distance becomes significantly less relevant when accounting for social connections. Moreover, sufficiently strong social ties prevent cultural differences from constituting a lending barrier. The effect of social connectedness is more supply-side driven for small banks but demand-side driven for large banks. To bolster identification, we exploit highway connections, historical travel costs, and the quasi-random staggered introduction of Facebook as instruments. Our results reveal the important role of social connectedness as an information channel, speak to the nature of borrowing constraints, and point toward implications for bank-lending strategies and anti-trust policies.
Physical and colorimetric properties of Pinus elliottii var. elliottii thermally treated wood.

Thermal treatment is a method to modify wood material and to improve its quality considering some parameters. It has low environmental impact and lately has been widely studied, mainly in Europe and North America. The present study aimed to evaluate physical and colorimetric properties of Pinus elliottii var. elliottii thermally treated wood. We randomly selected five trees from a homogeneous plantation aged 20 years and the samples for physical and colorimetric tests were prepared. An oven with forced air circulation was used in the thermal treatments at 130°C, 170°C and 210°C for 3 hours, beyond the control samples. Colorimetric analyses were performed according to the CIEL*a*b* system. Temperature of 210°C presented the highest changes in the volumetric variation, weight loss and equilibrium moisture content. Color also varied, in which lightness (L*) was the most representative parameter to characterize the behavior of thermally treated wood. Pine color wood was from pallid/white to dark brown, which denotes the thermal treatment as an eco-friendly and viable alternative for aesthetic and non-structural uses.
Accounting Teacher Preparation: A Critical Accounting Perspective

The aim of this article is to reflect on and analyse the preparation of accounting teachers from the perspective of critical accounting as the theoretical framework. There are many challenges in the Further Education and Training (FET) school accounting classrooms where teachers struggle with knowledge content, pedagogical content knowledge, and knowledge of teaching accounting, as well as classroom practices. In this article we argue that many of these challenges could be resolved if we adopt principles and ideas from critical accounting as bases for preparing aspiring teachers. Critical accounting is also the theoretical framework within which we couch the study since it encourages the optimal learning of accounting. Such improved quality, as argued here, is marked by effective teaching and learning strategies which are learner-centred, promote self-regulated learning, and are compatible with the prescripts of the democratic constitution of the country such as equity, social justice, peace, freedom and hope. The article concludes by arguing that critical accounting is not separate from accounting practice in general. Instead, it is seen as the means of reflecting or interacting with accounting information in order to challenge the hegemonic and counter-transformatory understandings that are conventionally generated to disempower and further marginalize subaltern communities. Critical accounting is used as both the lens and the mode of teacher preparation. As a mode of teaching it seems to hold the promise of teaching accounting which is more than just ‘training for work’ and ‘skill development’. It is an approach geared towards actualizing aspirations for the individual, in terms of social and economic well-being, in ways that empower and transform. This article therefore considers the challenges of teaching and learning accounting and suggests ways in which these could be resolved through a teacher preparation approach which is grounded in critical accounting strategies. * School of Social Sciences and Language Education, University of the Free State. Email: qhosolamr@qwa.ufs. ac.za JHEA/RESA Vol. 13, Nos 1&2, 2015 214
APPLICABILITY OF EMPIRICAL CRITERIA FOR LIQUEFACTION SUSCEPTIBILITY EVALUATION OF FRASER RIVER DELTA SILT

The applicability of empirically based criteria for liquefaction assessment of fine-grained soils is examined using data from constant volume cyclic direct simple shear (DSS) tests on Fraser River Delta silt. The findings indicate that the accuracy of the measured index parameters such as liquid limit, plastic limit, and moisture content is a pivotal consideration in the use of empirical criteria. The criteria that use plasticity parameters and water content appear to better capture the liquefaction susceptibility of Fraser River silt. Insufficient accounting of the parameters that critically govern the liquefaction susceptibility seems to be a key reason for the observed inconsistencies in the general applicability of empirical criteria. Since laboratory element testing allows capturing the effect of most of the governing parameters, it emerges as the prudent approach for estimating liquefaction susceptibility of fine-grained soils. RÉSUMÉ L'applicabilité des critères empiriquement basés pour l'évaluation de liquéfaction des sols fins est examinée en utilisant des données d’essais cycliques de volume constant de cisaillement direct simple sur du silt du delta du fleuve Fraser. Les résultats indiquent que l'exactitude des paramètres d’indice mesurés tels que la limite de liquidité, la limite de plasticité, et le contenu d'humidité est une considération importante dans l'utilisation des critères empiriques. Les critères qui emploient les paramètres de plasticité et la teneur en eau semblent améliorer la capture de la susceptibilité de liquéfaction du silt du fleuve Fraser. La comptabilité insuffisante des paramètres qui régissent critiquement la susceptibilité de liquéfaction semble être une raison principale des contradictions observées dans l'applicabilité générale des critères empiriques. Puisque l'essai de laboratoire laisse capturer l'effet de la plupart des paramètres régissants, il émerge comme une approche prudente pour estimer la susceptibilité de liquéfaction des sols fins.
STABILITY OF SOLUTIONS OF DIFFERENTIAL-OPERATOR AND OPERATOR-DIFFERENCE EQUATIONS WITH RESPECT TO PERTURBATION OF OPERATORS

Abstract. It is obtained estimates of stability with respect to perturbation of operator for solution of the firstand second-order differential-operator equations. For twoand threelevel operator-difference schemes with weights similar estimates holds. Using the obtained results we construct the estimates of coefficient stability for one-dimensional parabolic and hyperbolic equations as well as for the difference schemes approximating the corresponding differential problems.
Testing the relationship between Vocational Secondary Schooling and Economic Performance

Theoretically, vocational education is acknowledged to be important for growth, absorptive capacity, innovation and technological diffusion. Yet empirically, little is known about the contribution of vocational education to macroeconomic performance. This paper makes use of a newly constructed dataset of vocational secondary schooling for 129 countries from 1950-2010. By replicating and building upon four classical cross-country analyses, this paper systematically and comprehensively tests whether secondary vocational education contributes to economic performance and how it interacts with other variables known to be important for economic growth and technological change. We find that vocational secondary schooling is consistently related to economic performance. The relationship between vocational secondary schooling and economic growth changes with proximity to the frontier and countries have to be relatively closer to the frontier to see positive growth effects from additional vocation secondary schooling.
Studies into the role of two mycobacterial proteins in stress response and survival inside macrophages

i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iv LIST OF TABLES . x LIST OF FIGURES . xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xv :Introduction . 1 1.1 General Introduction . 2 1.2 The Global Burden of Tuberculosis . 4 1.3 General characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis . 7 1.4 Phases of Tuberculosis . 9 1.4. 1 Active primary TB . 10 1.4. 2 Latent TB . 11 1.4. 3 Post Primary TB . 12 1.5 Model organisms of M. tuberculosis . 12 1.5. 1 Mycobacterium smegmatis . 13 1.5. 2 Mycobacterium marinum . 14 1.5. 3 Mycobacterium bovis BCG . 15 1.6 Immune response against M. tuberculosis infection . 16 1.6. 1 The Role of macrophages in the host immune response to M. tuberculosis . 19 1.6. 2 The Granuloma . 21 1.7 Survival strategies of Mycobacteria inside the host . 22 1.7. 1 Blocking of phagosome maturation . 22 1.7. 2 Factors involved in mycobacterial persistence in macrophages: . 24 1.7. 2.1 Alteration of metabolism and nutritional requirements . 24
A Relationship Between ITCZ Organization and Subtropical Humidity

Motivated by the results of idealized studies on the self‐aggregation of convection, we investigate a potential relationship between the degree of organization of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and humidity based on reanalysis data. We focus on the Atlantic ITCZ and use the number of long convergence lines occurring per month to define the degree of organization. The latter shows a weak enhancement during June to August (JJA) and a large interannual variability. On an interannual time scale and particularly during JJA, a relationship exists between organization and humidity: Years with more organized ITCZs are associated with a moister ITCZ region and drier subtropics. Even though we cannot demonstrate any causality and cannot rule out the presence of another agent, we show that these moisture anomalies are not incompatible with an effect of organization. We also note that the annual cycle in sea surface temperature (SST) gradient may contribute to the intra‐annual variability in organization.
FLOOD DETECTION IN TIME SERIES OF OPTICAL AND SAR IMAGES

Abstract. These last decades, Earth Observation brought a number of new perspectives from geosciences to human activity monitoring. As more data became available, Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques led to very successful results for understanding remote sensing data. Moreover, various acquisition techniques such as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can also be used for problems that could not be tackled only through optical images. This is the case for weather-related disasters such as floods or hurricanes, which are generally associated with large clouds cover. Yet, machine learning on SAR data is still considered challenging due to the lack of available labeled data. To help the community go forward, we introduce a new dataset composed of co-registered optical and SAR images time series for the detection of flood events and new neural network approaches to leverage these two modalities.
On the Optimization of Embedding Spaces via Information Granulation for Pattern Recognition

Embedding spaces are one of the mainstream approaches when dealing with structured data. Granular Computing, in the last decade, emerged as a powerful paradigm for the automatic synthesis of embedding spaces that, at the same time, yield an interpretable model on the top of meaningful entities known as "information granules". Usually, in these contexts, one aims at finding the smallest set of information granules in order to boost the model interpretability while keeping satisfactory performances. In this paper, we add a third objective, namely the structural complexity of the resulting model and we exploit three biology-related case studies related to metabolic networks and protein networks in order to investigate the link between classification performances, embedding space dimensionality and structural complexity of the resulting model.
Review of neuroimaging and psychophysiological measures of the Uncanny Valley Effect

In the article, we are discussing the Uncanny Valley Effect (henceforth UVE or UV effect) in the light of its objective measures. In other words, we have carried out a critical literature review of the UV experiments employing psychophysiological and neuroimaging methods. We have analysed 19 papers from the Google Scholar and EBSCO databases, using the 'uncanny valley', ‘psychophysiology’ and ‘neuroimaging’ keywords and selected all papers which were experimental and investigated UVE, and employed one or more of the neuroimaging or psychophysiological tools. In the paper we first describe the UV hypotheses that are mentioned in the literature, with an emphasis on review and meta-analytic articles. Then we critically evaluate the selected papers and present them in a context of their hypotheses, used methodology, and outcomes. In the end, we show the shortcomings of the research carried out so far, and present our suggestions of pushing the domain forward.
Landrace Maize Varieties Used as Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soil with 2,4-D + Picloram

The use of herbicides such as 2,4-D + picloram in livestock areas can contaminate and hinder the use of the production system for subsequent crops of other crops. The objective of the research was to evaluate the ability of landrace maize varieties to reduce contamination of soil treated with 2,4-D + picloram, simulating existing conditions in the Amazon Biome. The experiment consisted of 6 phytoremediation treatments (4 landrace maize varieties, 1 hybrid maize cultivar and 1 control without cultivation), 2 herbicide conditions (with and without) and 3 evaluation periods (28, 56 and 84 days). The soil was contaminated and the maize was subsequently cultivated under the herbicide conditions mentioned above. After each evaluation period, soil samples were collected, which were used to mount bioassays by growing cucumber (plants sensitive to the herbicide). Emergence, aerial dry mass and root dry mass were evaluated. All variables were affected by the herbicide residue. However, the reduction in herbicide persistence in each evaluation period was notable, resulting in the normal reestablishment of bioindicator seedlings, especially in the last evaluation at 84 days. The samples obtained in the soil cultivated with the varieties CR purple and CR white showed the best conditions for the development of cucumber, demonstrating the potential to be studied in phytoremediation programs.
Efficient Evolution for Neural Architecture Search

The intensive consumption of resources by evolutionary algorithms makes it very time-consuming to search for network architectures. In this paper, We proposed a efficient evolution method for neural architecture search. Our method adopts the weight sharing strategy, in which a supernet is built to subsume all architectures, to speed up architecture evaluation. A universal choice strategy is designed to deal with the inaccurate evaluation caused by the methods that speeding up evaluation. Instead of searching for the best architecture, we search for the set of excellent architectures and derive the final architecture fromderive the target architecture according to commonalities of these architectures. The proposed method achieved better results(2.40% test error rate on CIFAR-10 with 3.66M parameters) compared to other the-state-of-art method using less than 0.4 GPU days.
Education and Inequalities in a Post-Liberalized India: An Empirical Study

Economies opening to each other on the account of globalization has brought about a rapid spurt of growth and economic development. The other side to this has, however, brought unintended consequences, one of which is structural inequality (Sen, 2014). Education is one of the primary vehicles in the path of development of an individual, her skills and her earnings. Such individuals collectively promote the growth and development of the nation. On the other hand, education has also been attributed to being one of the channels by which income inequality is perpetuated in society (Stiglitz, 1973) wherein educational inequality (at both supply and demand sides) plays a major role in its generation (Becker & Chiswick, 1966; Mincer, 1974; Ahluwalia, 1976). In this paper, we set out with two agendas in the context of India. One, we investigate if the efficiencyequity relation in terms of educational outcomes-educational inequality holds true or not. We also examine the relationship between education improvement and economic inequality. Here, education improvement is characterized by improvement in educational outcomes, in turn, measured by the mean number of years of schooling, and a decrease in educational inequality. We conduct this analysis in an appropriate panel set-up comprising of 32 states/union territories in India and covering a major portion of the postliberalization period of 1993-94 to 2011-12.
Barra de cereais com adição de farinha de casca de chuchu: caracterização físico-química e sensorial entre crianças

O estudo objetivou verificar a aceitabilidade sensorial de barras de cereais tradicional e barras de cereais adicionadas de farinha de casca de chuchu, bem como determinar e comparar as composições físico-químicas entre as formulações. Foram elaboradas e analisadas cinco formulações de barras de cereais, sendo: F1: padrão (0%) e as demais adicionadas de farinha de casca de chuchu nas proporções de 6,75% (F2); 13,5% (F3); 20,25% (F4) e; 27% (F5). Participaram da análise sensorial 60 provadores, com idade entre 7 a 10 anos. Não houve diferença significativa (p>0,05) nos atributos aparência, aroma, textura e cor entre as formulações. Para os atributos sabor, aceitação global e intenção de compra, notas maiores foram observadas na amostra padrão quando comparada à F5, sem diferença entre as notas dadas às demais amostras. Não houve diferença estatística (p>0,05) para os teores de umidade, proteínas, lipídios e calorias entre as formulações F1 e F4. Entretanto, maiores teores de cinzas e fibra alimentar e menor teor de carboidratos foram observados em F4 comparada a F1. A comparação entre os produtos permitiu comprovar que um nível de adição de até 20,25% de farinha de casca de chuchu em barras de cereais teve uma boa aceitação sensorial junto ao painel infantil, semelhante ao produto padrão e com boas expectativas de comercialização.
Organizational complexity and bank loan spreads∗

This study examines whether and how organizational complexity arising from the legal fragmentation of the firm into multiple entities affects the interest spread charged on bank loans and the design of loan contracts. The legal fragmentation of the firm is bound to be a consideration lenders make in determining the pricing of debt and design of contract terms because, for instance, lenders can only enter into legally enforceable agreements with specific legal entities. I document that organizational complexity is associated with higher loan spreads and the use of debt covenants and other loan terms. The relation between complexity and loan spreads is more pronounced for loan characteristics that reflects higher risk, but is attenuated by contracting mechanisms. Yet, contracts in the sample do not always include terms that mitigate contracting risks from organizational complexity. Subsequent tests are suggestive of potential channels related to credit quality and control rights.
Restricted Interpersonal Comparability and Measurement of Income Inequality

The standard approach in the applied literature on income distribution is to estimate income inequality under the assumption of full interpersonal comparability of income. In order to be meaningful, this approach requires identical prices and qualities of goods as well as uniform norms and consumption habits across regions. To account for relevant non-income heterogeneity between individuals, we propose to partition the municipalities into subgroups determined by geographic locations and prices of basic goods. Based on income data for each of the subgroups a set of subgroup-specific Lorenz curves and corresponding measures of inequality can be estimated. Moreover, when incomes cannot be justified to be comparable across subgroups a weighted average of the subgroup-specific inequality measures can bee used as an alternative to the conventional overall measure of inequality. Applying Norwegian household register data for the period 19932001, it is demonstrated that the level of and trend in overall inequality as well as the inequality contributions of various income factors are insensitive to whether subgroup-specific Lorenz curves or a country-specific Lorenz curve form the basis of the inequality analysis.