Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards a behavioral indicator for the evaluation of energy conservation at work

The purpose of this paper is to present a new behavioral indicator, which is still at an experimental stage, and the results of two experiments making use of it. This indicator could be used to complement traditional impact evaluations of energy efficiency programs. In the framework of its Environmental Management System, the State of Geneva planned to save 2 GWh in 2013 due to five projects of energy efficiency optimization, a part of which focused on the promotion of energy-efficient behavior at work. This was done in collaboration with a demand-side management program, eco21, implemented by the local utility. To evaluate its efficiency, a behavioral indicator, the Environmental Awareness Indicator, based on psychological studies, was designed and tested to complement quantitative results in kWh obtained by the instrumentation of several buildings. First, changes in the energy consumption before and after two energy conservation promotional weeks (called « Energy Weeks ») were measured. Consumption was also measured six months after one of the promotional weeks. Our investigations show that a well-organized Energy Week for a fairly large organization (around 400 employees) has a potential of 20% energy savings immediately after the event, decreasing to a value between 3% and 12% after six months. Second, we made use of the above mentioned indicator to analyse the qualitative behavioral evolution of the two populations studied. The indicator shows that after the Energy Week there is a general shift towards behavioral change, at all stages of the change model, with an increase (13% and 19%) of employees moving towards action. The usefulness of such an indicator is therefore twofold: it permits behavioral monitoring and enables to adapt the implementation of change actions to the behavioral stage of the target.
Improved Simultaneous Estimation of Location and System Reliability via Shrinkage Ideas

In decision theory, when several parameters need to be estimated simultaneously, many standard estimators can be improved, in terms of a combined loss function. The problem of finding such estimators has been well studied in the literature, but mostly under parametric settings, which is inappropriate for heavy-tailed distributions. In the first part of this dissertation, a robust simultaneous estimator of location is proposed using the shrinkage idea. A nonparametric Bayesian estimator is also discussed as an alternative. The proposed estimators do not assume a specific parametric distribution and they do not require the existence of finite moments. The performance of proposed estimators are examined in simulation studies and financial data applications. In the second part, we extend the idea of simultaneous estimation in the context of estimating system reliability when component data are observed. We propose an improved estimator of system reliability by using shrinkage estimators for each of the component reliabilities and then utilize the structure function to combine these estimators to obtain the system reliability estimator. The approach is general since the shrinkage is not on the estimated parameters of component reliability functions, but is instead on the estimated component hazard functions, and is therefore extendable to the nonparametric setting. The details in nonparametric setting are discussed in a later chapter. Simulation results are presented to examine the performances of the proposed estimator.
MIXED MODE PERFORMANCE OF GAAS UTB-MOSFET WITH EXTRA INSULATOR REGION AND UNDOPED BURIED OXIDE REGION

Investigation of mixed mode performances for GaAs UTB-MOSFET at nanoscale regime keeping in view of “Beyond CMOS” is the current trend of semiconductor industry. Here it is proposed to modify conventional models by considering an extra Insulator Region (IR) and Undoped Buried oxide Region (UBR) to study the performance related to digital and analog/RF applications. Here a GaAs is considered as the channel material. The IR-UTB-SOI-n-MOSFET has shown promising results with respect to SS, DIBL, f T and switching speed.
In-Vitro Anti-Arthritic Activity of Methanolic Extract of Bacopa Monniera

Bacopa monniera also referred to as Bacopa monnieri, Herpestis monniera , water hyssop, and “Brahmi,” has been used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine for centuries. Phytochemical analysis of B. monniera plant extracts revealed the presence of various biochemical compounds such as alkaloids, bacosides, flavonoids, glycosides, triterpenoids and saponins etc. Our present work aims at investigating the in-vitro anti-arthritic effect of B. monniera at various concentrations. The inhibition of protein denaturation and membrane stabilisation were taken as a measure of the in-vitro anti-arthritic activity. The maximum percentage inhibition of protein denaturation and membrane stabilisation for B. monnieri extracts were found to be 90.34±0.83% and 93.67±1.34% respectively at a dose of 2000 µg/ml. When compared to standard Diclofenac sodium was found out to be 96.52±1.25% and 98.76±1.67% respectively at a dose of 2000 µg/ml. Therefore, our studies support the isolation and the use of active constituents from B. monnieri in treating arthritis.
Ecology of the snake Atractus paraguayensis (Dipsadidae) in southern Brazil

Knowledge of snake ecology is important to support conservation strategies. Atractus paraguayensis Werner, 1924 is a dipsadidae with semi fossorial habits distributed throughout southern Brazil. We analyzed the morphology, seasonality and reproductive biology of this species in a subtropical area in southern Brazil by combining material from scientific collections and field data. We found that females have a larger body size than males and that the reproductive cycle of females is seasonal, with vitellogenesis occurring in the warmer months of the year. Males exhibited no differences in testicle volume throughout the year; however, mating likely occurs in the spring when males are more active. Recruitment of newborns occurs in late summer. The number of individuals collected during the hottest months (September through February) was significantly higher than the number of individuals collected during the colder months. Our results, which reveal sexual dimorphism in the species and seasonal breeding restricted to warm months, contribute important information about this species’ biology.
The Determinant of Nonprofit External and Internal Effectiveness: The Role of Knowledge Sharing, Collaborative Culture, and Beneficiary Participation

Determining the factors that contribute to nonprofit effectiveness is a problematic and puzzling task. In that respect, utilizing the intellectual capital (IC) concept, this paper proposes an analysis of knowledge sharing, collaborative culture, and beneficiary participation as determinants of nonprofit effectiveness. Drawn from quantitative research strategy, a cross-sectional survey and a structured questionnaire have been employed. The final valid data consist of 271 participants from Malaysian nonprofits located in the Klang Valley area, Malaysia. The main analysis used structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings revealed that knowledge sharing and beneficiary participation significantly predict both external and internal effectiveness. However, collaborative culture fails to act as a predictor of either nonprofit external or internal effectiveness.
A Superconvergence result for mixed finite element approximations of the eigenvalue problem

In this paper, we present a superconvergence result for the mixed finite element approxima- tions of general second order elliptic eigenvalue problems. It is known that a superconvergence result has been given by Duran et al. (Math. Models Methods Appl. Sci. 9 (1999) 1165-1178) and Gardini (ESAIM: M2AN 43 (2009) 853-865) for the lowest order Raviart-Thomas approximation of Laplace eigenvalue problems. In this work, we introduce a new way to derive the superconvergence of general second or- der elliptic eigenvalue problems by general mixed finite element methods which have the commuting diagram property. Some numerical experiments are given to confirm the theoretical analysis.
Does Ethnic Diversity Have a Negative Effect on Attitudes towards the Community? A Longitudinal Analysis of the Causal Claims within the Ethnic Diversity and Social Cohesion Debate

Studies demonstrate a negative association between community ethnic diversity and indicators of social cohesion (especially attitudes towards neighbours and the community), suggesting diversity causes a decline in social cohesion. However, to date, the evidence for this claim is based solely on cross-sectional research. This article performs the first longitudinal test of the impact of diversity, applying fixed-effects modelling methods to three waves of panel data from the British Household Panel Survey, spanning a period of 18 years. Using an indicator of affective attachment, the findings suggest that changes in community diversity do lead to changes in attitudes towards the community. However, this effect differs by whether the change in diversity stems from a community increasing in diversity around individuals who do not move (stayers) or individuals moving into more or less diverse communities (movers). Increasing diversity undermines attitudes among stayers. Individuals who move from a diverse to a homogeneous community report improved attitudes. However, there is no effect among individuals who move from a homogeneous to a diverse community. This article provides strong evidence that the effect of community diversity is likely causal, but that prior preferences for/against out-group neighbours may condition diversity’s impact. It also demonstrates that multiple causal processes are in operation at the individual-level, occurring among both stayers and movers, which collectively contribute to the emergence of average cross-sectional differences in attitudes between communities. Unique insights into the causal impact of community disadvantage also emerge.
The effects of inhaled bergamot and geranium essential oils on rat behaviour

The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavioural effects of inhaled bergamot, geranium and a combination of these oils in three novelty evoked tests of anxiety. Sixty adult Hooded Rats (Rattus norvegicus), with 10 rats randomly assigned to one of the 6 test groups; three essential oil treated groups, and three control groups. The essential oil groups consisted of bergamot, geranium and a combined group, i.e. the combination of bergamot and geranium oil. The control groups consisted of the odour and vehicle control, with the anxiolytic drug diazepam as a positive control. The behaviour of rats was assessed on the elevate-plus maze, open-field and social interaction test. Diazepam increased open arm entries and the time spent in the open arms, decreased time spent in closed arms and increased the number of head-dips and unprotected stretch-attends in the EPM. In the open-field diazepam increased immobility time, decreased ambulation, increased grooming activity and reduced the amount of time spent exploring the arena. Similarly, diazepam decreased the frequency of separations, sniffs, follows, crawls, passive and active interactions with test partners in the social interaction test. Bergamot, geranium and the combination of the two oils increased total arm entries in the elevated-plus maze. Bergamot increased locomotion and exploratory behaviour in open-field and decreased contact latency and increased passive and active interaction between the rat pairs in the social interaction test. Geranium decrease immobility and increase the time spent rearing in the open-field and also increased active interaction, i.e. partner sniffing and decreased the amount of time the rat pairs spent apart in the social interaction test. The combination of bergamot and geranium oil increased locomotion and the time spent in Zone2, and also increased exploratory behaviour, i.e. the frequency and duration of rears in the open-field. In the social interaction test, contact latency was shortened and active and passive interactions between rat pairs were increased by the combination of essential oils. The present study established that bergamot, geranium, and the combination of the two oils had a stimulating effect in the elevated-plus maze and an anxiolytic effect in the open-field and social interaction tests when inhaled. Furthermore the study also demonstrated that the combining of the oils had a potentiating effect on the anxiolytic properties of the single oils.
Redes sociales y jóvenes. Uso de Face­book en la juventud colombiana y española

Las redes sociales se han convertido en ambitos de interaccion social entre los jovenes, que crean un perfil para relacionarse con los demas. La exposicion publica en el caso de los adolescentes puede generar problemas sobre aspectos sociales, emotivos y afectivos. Esta investigacion analiza como se usa Facebook por parte de los jovenes y que experiencia obtienen de ello. Aunque dicen conocer los riesgos, admiten que aceptan a desconocidos como amigos y ofrecen datos reales sobre su vida. Ante esta situacion, se hace mas evidente la necesidad de la alfabetizacion mediatica y digital de estos jovenes que, aunque no deberian estar en Facebook hasta los 13 anos, cuentan con un perfil de manera mayoritaria. Para ello se ha utilizado una metodologia basada en el analisis de contenido y las entrevistas en profundidad. Se trata de un estudio comparativo entre Colombia y Espana. En Colombia se han realizado 100 analisis de perfiles y 20 entrevistas en profundidad. La muestra ha sido de adolescentes de 12 a 15 anos, de la Institucion Educativa Distrital Tecnico Internacional de Bogota. En Espana se han analizado 100 perfiles y se han realizado 20 entrevistas a chicos de 12 a 15 anos, de Institutos (IES) de Andalucia.
The Origins of Innovation: An Analysis of the Finnish Innovation Database

We combine theory and empirical research on the origins of innovation to investigate the determinants of complexity and degrees of novelty in the emergence new innovations. We link up two important dimensions of technological change in both looking at the degree of novelty of the innovation (incremental/radical) and the complexity of the innovation (simple/complex). Using a novel dataset of major Finnish innovations from 1985-1998, we examine the role of technological opportunities, customers, breadth of collaboration with different communities of practice, the breadth of the sources of inspiration for the innovation, and competitive pressures in shaping the emergence of innovations. We find that taking into account both dimensions is imperative to the understanding of the origins of innovations.
Habitat effect on hawksbill turtle growth rates on feeding grounds at Mona and Monito Islands, Puerto Rico

Carapace length growth data were obtained from 197 hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata which were marked and recaptured from 1992 to 2000 at feeding grounds of Mona and Monito Islands, Puerto Rico. Straight-line carapace length (SCL) upon initial capture ranged from 20.0 to 84.5 cm. SCL growth rates ranged from -0.59 to 9.08 cm yr -1 , were non-monotonic, and aver- aged highest in turtles measuring 34 to 35 cm. Somatic growth rates varied by site within the study area, with turtles from the aggregation at Monito Island growing on average 2.1 times faster than res- idents of Mona Island habitats. Aggregation density and body condition index (body mass SCL -3 ) were also highest at Monito Island. Hawksbills recruiting to Monito Island at 23 cm SCL are expected to reach maturity less than 14.7 yr later. Growth rates in the turtles studied are similar to those reported for other Caribbean localities, but faster than hawksbills of the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Hawksbills appear capable of utilizing habitats of widely varying quality, with prey abun- dance exerting a strong effect on somatic growth rates.
Design by Subdivision

This paper examines the role that a modified Catmull-Clark subdivision process can have in the generation of complex geometrical forms. In a first step, this paper presents modifications to the subdivision process’ weighting schemes. In a second step, this paper outlines strategies for a spatial specification of these weights using both intrinsic attributes of the mesh and external parameters. Finally, the paper presents forms generated with this modified process and method.
The SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey: The EGS deep field – II. Morphological transformation and multiwavelength properties of faint submillimetre galaxies

We present a multiwavelength analysis of galaxies selected at 450 and 850 μm from the deepest SCUBA-2 observations in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS) field, which have an average depth of σ450 = 1.9 and σ850 = 0.46 mJy beam− 1 over ∼70 arcmin2. The final sample comprises 95 sources: 56 (59 per cent) are detected at both wavelengths, 31 (33 per cent) are detected only at 850 μm, and 8 (8 per cent) are detected only at 450 μm. We identify counterparts for 75 per cent of the whole sample. The redshift distributions of the 450 and 850 μm samples peak at different redshifts with median values of z¯=1.66±0.18 and z¯=2.30±0.20 , respectively. However, the two populations have similar IR luminosities, SFRs, and stellar masses, with mean values of 1.5 ± 0.2 × 1012 L⊙, 150 ± 20 M⊙ yr−1, and 9.0 ± 0.6 × 1010 M⊙, respectively. This places most of our sources (≳85 per cent) on the high-mass end of the main sequence of star-forming galaxies. Exploring the IR excess versus UV-slope (IRX-β) relation we find that the most luminous galaxies are consistent with the Meurer law, while the less luminous galaxies lie below this relation. Using the results of a two-dimensional modelling of the HSTH160-band imaging, we derive a median Sersic index of n=1.4+0.3−0.1 and a median half-light radius of r1/2 = 4.8 ± 0.4 kpc. Based on a visual-like classification in the same band, we find that the dominant component for most of the galaxies at all redshifts is a disc-like structure, although there is a transition from irregular discs to discs with a spheroidal component at z ∼ 1.4, which morphologically supports the scenario of SMGs as progenitors of massive elliptical galaxies.
Modelling of friction stir welding of 304 stainless steel

A 3-D Eulerian steady-state CFD model has been developed to simulate the Friction Stir Welding (FSW) of 6mm plate 304 stainless steel (304SS). The Polycrystalline BoroNitride- Tungsten Rhenium (PCBN-WRe) hybrid tool was modelled with the workpiece in a fully sticking condition. The viscosity of stainless steel was calculated from the flow stress equation taken from a previous study of hot working carried out in a range of temperatures between 800oC-1200 oC and strain rates 0.001 s-1 to 5 s-1. The model predicted the temperature distribution in the Stirred Zone (SZ) for three welding cases including low, intermediate and high rotational speed/traverse speeds. The model also predicts that localised melting may occur if the tool rotational speed exceeds 400RPM. Finally, the model suggested a larger probe (12mm diameter at the shoulder base and 5.8mm length) with a stationary shoulder would prevent the localised melting and allow an increase in welding speeds without the associated introduction of stagnant zone related weld defects.
Light‐level geolocators reveal migratory connectivity in European populations of pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca

Understanding what drives or prevents long-distance migrants to respond to environmental change requires basic knowledge about the wintering and breeding grounds, and the timing of movements between them. Both strong and weak migratory connectivity have been reported for Palearctic passerines wintering in Africa, but this remains unknown for most species. We investigated whether pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca from different breeding populations also differ in wintering locations in west-Africa. Light-level geolocator data revealed that flycatchers from different breeding populations travelled to different wintering sites, despite similarity in routes during most of the autumn migration. We found support for strong migratory connectivity showing an unexpected pattern: individuals breeding in Fennoscandia (S-Finland and S-Norway) wintered further west compared to individuals breeding at more southern latitudes in the Netherlands and SW-United Kingdom. The same pattern was found in ring recovery data from sub-Saharan Africa of individuals with confirmed breeding origin. Furthermore, population-specific migratory connectivity was associated with geographical variation in breeding and migration phenology: birds from populations which breed and migrate earlier wintered further east than birds from ‘late’ populations. There was no indication that wintering locations were affected by geolocation deployment, as we found high repeatability and consistency in δ13C and δ15N stable isotope ratios of winter grown feathers of individuals with and without a geolocator. We discuss the potential ecological factors causing such an unexpected pattern of migratory connectivity. We hypothesise that population differences in wintering longitudes of pied flycatchers result from geographical variation in breeding phenology and the timing of fuelling for spring migration at the wintering grounds. Future research should aim at describing how temporal dynamics in food availability across the wintering range affects migration, wintering distribution and populations’ capacity to respond to environmental changes.
Exact Support Recovery for Linear Inverse Problems with Sparsity Constraints

There are a couple of methods with sparsity enhancing properties for regularization of inverse problems. This paper deals with the Tikhonov regularization with an l penalty and with the orthogonal matching pursuit. Conditions are derived, which ensure that the regularized solution has the exact support. These conditions are especially applicable in the case of ill-posed problems, where other conditions based on coherence or the restricted isometry property are usually not applicable. Surprisingly, the conditions coincide for both, for the l-penalized Tikhonov regularization and for the orthogonal matching pursuit.
IPROSITE: AN IMPROVED PROSITE DATABASE ACHIEVED BY REPLACING AMBIGUOUS POSITIONS WITH MORE INFORMATIVE REPRESENTATIONS

PROSITE database contains a set of entries corresponding to protein families, which are used to identify the family of a protein from its sequence. Although patterns and profiles are developed to be very selective, each may have false positive or negative hits. Considering false positives as items that reduce the selectiveness of a pattern, then, the more selective pattern we have, a more accuracy in protein family detection we will get. In this paper, we have provided a method for improving the PROSITE patterns by reconstructing them in a manner that they not only still match to true positive hits, but also match to less false positive hits. From 973 PROSITE patterns, 283 have been improved by our method. We have applied the provided method on the PROSITE database and the improved resulting database is available at http://cbp.ut. ac.ir/iPROSITE.
Remote sensing of the Caspian Sea level changes using decadal TOPEX/Poseidon altimetry data.

The Caspian Sea is an economical resource, that supports the population of five countries (Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan), and regulates the region’s climate. It has displayed considerable fluctuations in its water level during the past few years, necessitating its monitoring. Knowledge of such fluctuation is vital for understanding the local hydrological cycle, the region’s climate, supporting flood management plans, and construction activities within the sea and along its shore-lines. The average water level variation of the Caspian Sea, is however, rather complicated and non-periodic as indicated by long-term space-borne and terrestrial records. These variations have been mostly influenced by changes in water inflow rates due to changes in the agricultural policies of neighboring countries. The aim