Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of cosmic-ray neutron sensors for soil moisture monitoring in forests

Abstract. Measuring soil moisture with cosmic-ray neutrons is a promising technique for intermediate spatial scales. To convert neutron counts to average volumetric soil water content a simple calibration function can be used (the N0-calibration of Desilets et al., 2010). The calibration is based on soil water content derived directly from soil samples taken within the footprint of the sensor. We installed a cosmic-ray neutron sensor (CRS) in a mixed forest in the lowlands of north-eastern Germany and calibrated it 10 times throughout one calendar year. Each calibration with the N0-calibration function resulted in a different CRS soil moisture time series, with deviations of up to 0.1 m3 m−3 (24 % of the total range) for individual values of soil water content. Also, many of the calibration efforts resulted in time series that could not be matched with independent in situ measurements of soil water content. We therefore suggest a modified calibration function with a different shape that can vary from one location to another. A two-point calibration was found to effectively define the shape of the modified calibration function if the calibration points were taken during both dry and wet conditions spanning at least half of the total range of soil moisture. The best results were obtained when the soil samples used for calibration were linearly weighted as a function of depth in the soil profile and nonlinearly weighted as a function of distance from the CRS, and when the depth-specific amount of soil organic matter and lattice water content was explicitly considered. The annual cycle of tree foliation was found to be a negligible factor for calibration because the variable hydrogen mass in the leaves was small compared to the hydrogen mass changes by soil moisture variations. As a final point, we provide a calibration guide for a CRS in forested environments.
FINANCIAL INTEGRATION IN THE EURO AREA AND SMES’ ACCESS TO FINANCE: EVIDENCE BASED ON AGGREGATE SURVEY DATA

The paper deals with the issue of access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the euro area and explores whether the linkages among the euro area financial markets do affect the capital structure of the SMEs in the same area. Using a logit model specification, aggregate country-level data and several price and quantity-based measures of financial integration, the results reveal statistically significant positive effects of increased financial markets integration on SMEs’ debt ratio. The impact of sovereign debt crisis in GIPSI countries is also investigated and significant evidence of its impact is documented.
Exploitation of Agave americana L plant for food security in Swaziland

Swaziland is not self sufficient in food production, and this predisposes the country to food insecurity. There is need to exploit plant resources for food security attainment. Agave americana L (AA) is one naturalised plant growing in abundance in Swaziland. This plant has multiple uses and has great potential of employment creation, provision of food security and sustainable development. The areas requiring immediate attention for the success of the AA programme include the following: producing AA plants using local farmers by exploiting improved agronomic methods, incubating, up-scaling and commercialisation of fructan and inulin production, developing locally adaptable methods for AA fibre extraction by women’s groups, developing AA fibre based nonwoven materials for composites and geo-textile manufacture, pulp use as animal feed and textile waste utilisation for paper making. This paper will review the potential of research and applied programmes aimed at evaluating AA industrialization in order to attain food security. The study was carried out through literature review and informal interviews of key stakeholders.
DoDesign: A Tool for Creativity-based Innovation

This paper describes the results of a pilot project set up to develop the concept behind DoDesign. DoDesign is a design tool and platform aimed at stimulating designers towards innovative designs (as contrasted with ‘routine designs’; see Dym, 1994) and thereby stimulating new economic activities in the corporate sector (innovation). DoDesign combines the knowledge of designers and companies with regard to materials and processing techniques. This knowledge is structured and diffused in ways that are innate to both groups. The concept and structure of DoDesign has been developed on the basis of a theoretical study and tested in the contexts of a number of focusgroups and workshops. Finally, the working of DoDesign as a network between designers and companies is explained and illustrated using some design cases.
Denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in an East African Great Lake (Lake Kivu)

We investigated anaerobic nitrogen (N) cycling in the water column of Lake Kivu, a deep meromictic tropical lake in East Africa. Data were collected at one station in the Northern Basin and one in the Southern Basin, during two sampling campaigns (June 2011—dry season, and February 2012—rainy season). Short‐term incubations of sulfide‐free water with 15N‐labeled substrates revealed high potential denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) rates (up to 350 and 36 nmol N produced L−1 h−1, respectively), while anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) was lower (up to 3.3 nmol N produced L−1 h−1). However, anammox rates were 15 nmol N produced L−1 h−1 when 15 NH4+ was added at depths where NH4+ concentrations were very low (< 1 μmol L−1). With the addition of 5 μmol L−1 of 15 NO3− and 10 μmol L−1 of H2S, denitrification and anammox were stimulated in the Northern Basin, while the increase of DNRA rates was less notable. In the Southern Basin, the addition of H2S decreased denitrification rates, probably because of competition with DNRA, which increased, while no effect was observed on anammox. This study puts into evidence the co‐occurrence of denitrification, anammox and DNRA, for the first time in a great tropical lake, and underlines the spatial heterogeneity of these processes. Contrary to numerous reports in literature, we show that anammox can significantly occur in presence of H2S, suggesting that the contribution of anammox in the N cycle may be underestimated.
Selective isolation and antimicrobial activity of rare actinomycetes from mangrove sediment of Karwar

The mangrove ecosystem is a largely unexplored source for actinomycetes. Various pretreatment procedures and selective media were applied to assess the optimal conditions for the isolation of rare actinomycetes from Mangrove sediment. Pretreatment of wet-heating for 15 min at 70oC and phenol treatment of soil suspension were the most effective methods for the isolation of those microorganisms. Hair hydrolysate vitamin agar (HHVA) was the most suitable medium for the recovery of rare actinomycetes. Fifty-three rare actinomycete strains were chosen using selective isolation approaches, then morphological and chemical properties of the isolates were determined. The isolates belonged to one of the following genus, Micromonospora, Microbispora, Actinoplanes, and Actinomadura. Later Micromonospora and Actinomadura were selected for antimicrobial activity. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of ethyl acetate extract against Staphylococcus aureus were 1.20 mg/ml for Micromonospora species and 5mg/ml for Actinomadura species. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) of the ethyl acetate extracts were carried out in duplicate using Chloroform: methanol (4:1) as solvent system and Tetracycline as reference antibiotic. Under UV light they gave greenish yellow spots with Rf value 0.85 for the antimicrobial from Actinomadura species and 0.88 for that from Micromonospora species. In bioautography (using Staphylococcus auras as test organism) inhibition zones were obtained and they were associated with the yellowish green spots of the chromatogram as detected under UV light. This may indicate the same compounds were responsible for the antibacterial activity of those actinomycetes isolates. Â Â
Uncertainty in Individuals' Preferences for Non-commodity Outputs Provided by Rural Development Programs (RDPs): A Contingent Valuation Approach

Rural development programs (RDPs) are currently envisaged as a means to foster the provision of a broad range of non-commodity outputs emanating from multifunctional rural environments. This paper presents a Contingent Valuation survey that analyses individuals’ perceptions of and willingness to pay (WTP) for the implementation of a RDP in Cantabria, Spain. Uncertainty in individuals’ preferences is explicitly acknowledged and introduced into our analytical framework. For that purpose, a comparison is made between the open-ended (OE) and the multiple bounded uncertainty (MBU) elicitation formats. According to our behavioural model estimates, the expectation of a positive welfare change for both rural and urban dwellers constitutes a sound argument in favour of regional rural development policies.
Hazards in advising autonomy: incorporating hazard modelling with system dynamics into the aerospace safety assessment process for UAS

This paper describes the further continuation of an investigation to identify and develop tools for the identification and management of hazards likely to arise with the quality and behavioural aspects in and resulting from automatic advice such as might arise with an automated system advisory function facilitating critical decision-making with an autonomous vehicle. An example of a representative critical advisory function is identified in that supporting a necessary "Sense & Avoid" capability, as embodied within an airborne autonomous system. In consideration then of how might a model driven approach, combining physical and dynamical models, statistical data and belief be combined to aid system evaluation, work has so far been undertaken to investigate the nature of suitable models to provide representations of the control structure and system dynamics. Whilst the system engineering methods are to be generic, the context of "Sense & Avoid" provides a relevant framework within which to pose a "toy-problem" with complex behaviour, against which to judge the methods and models. (6 pages)
The use of nylon bags to characterise the potential degradability of feeds for ruminants.

The nylon bag technique is a simple means of obtaining estimates of potential degradability of supplements and feedstuffs for ruminants. Rate of disappearance of test material from the bags is particularly sensitive to the basal diet of the cannulated animal. Inclusion of values for fractional clearance of undigested feed residues from the rumen into calculation of degradability provide estimates of rate of degradation of the various components of the test material which more closely approximate true degradability of the material in the rumen.
The role of HR practices in developing employee resilience: a case study from the Pakistani telecommunications sector

Abstract There has been increasing interest in understanding the factors that contribute to the development of employee resilience. Despite such interest, there is a dearth of research examining the contributory role played by HR practices in enhancing employee resilience. Looking at the context of Pakistan’s telecommunications sector and deploying a qualitative methodology, this paper examines the impact of HR practices on employee resilience. The findings indicate that four key areas of HR practices – job design, information sharing and flow within an organisation, employee benefits (monetary as well as non-monetary), and employee development opportunities – enable the development of employee resilience. Consequently, the effective implementation of HR practices in these areas has been the key factor for the development of employee resilience.
Bioassay standardization issues in freshwater ecosystem assessment: test cultures and test conditions

The use of bioassays for environment contamination assessment, in particular for aquatic ecosystems, has gained topicality and found extensive applications over the past decades. The methodologies are well established, but the standardization of bioassay conditions needs to be better defined in order to assure applicability as an efficient analytic tool and that results are ecologically relevant. This paper addresses the analysis of the current international situation and the specifics of Russian practice in culturing and use of test organisms for freshwater bioassays. Standardization of bioassays calls for the utilisation of pertinent sources of test cultures and the provision of appropriate cultivation conditions. The paper discusses and reviews recommendations for the selection of test species and their culturing in the context of established ecotoxicological targets and the assessment of sensitivity to various reference toxicants. The significance of the quality of water utilized for test cultures and sample dilution is highlighted. Strict water quality requirements and synthetic media options are analyzed and due consideration is given to temperature and illumination conditions. Toxkit microbiotests are discussed as an alternative to toxicity bioassays alleviating the need for continuous stock test culturing and maintenance.
Hygroscopic behavior of atmospheric aerosols containing nitrate salts and water-soluble organic acids

Abstract. While nitrate salts have critical impacts on environmental effects of atmospheric aerosols, the effects of coexisting species on hygroscopicity of nitrate salts remain uncertain. The hygroscopic behaviors of nitrate salt aerosols (NH4NO3, NaNO3, Ca(NO3)2) and their internal mixtures with water-soluble organic acids were determined using a hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA). The nitrate salt ∕ organic acid mixed aerosols exhibit varying phase behavior and hygroscopic growth depending upon the type of components in the particles. Whereas pure nitrate salt particles show continuous water uptake with increasing relative humidity (RH), the deliquescence transition is still observed for ammonium nitrate particles internally mixed with organic acids such as oxalic acid and succinic acid with a high deliquescence point. The hygroscopicity of submicron aerosols containing sodium nitrate and an organic acid is also characterized by continuous growth, indicating that sodium nitrate tends to exist in a liquid-like state under dry conditions. It is observed that in contrast to the pure components, the water uptake is hindered at low and moderate RH for calcium nitrate particles containing malonic acid or phthalic acid, suggesting the potential effects of mass transfer limitation in highly viscous mixed systems. Our findings improve fundamental understanding of the phase behavior and water uptake of nitrate-salt-containing aerosols in the atmospheric environment.
Topology Optimized Adaptive Truss Structures

The aim of this paper is to present a topology optimization algorithm which uses the adaptive design principles to enable the creation of an integral adaptive system. It is shown on numerical examples that it is possible to optimize the topology of adaptive structures under multiple loading scenarios in such a way that structures will be created were in defined degrees of freedom, the deformations are minimized and the corresponding structural weight is significantly reduced in comparison to conventional truss structures. The resulting structures will be compared to the so called Michell-Structures as well and this shows that using adaptivity it is possible to create structures which are even lighter than those well known lightweight truss structures. Furthermore the capability of the optimization algorithm is proven by using a genetic algorithm to generate topology optimized truss structures as well.
STABILITY-INDICATING RP-HPLC METHOD FOR ESTIMATION OF ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM IN SOLID DOSAGE FORM

In present investigation, a stability indicating RP-HPLC method for estimation of Atorvastatin calcium in solid dosages form is developed and validated. The chromatographic separation was achieved on Phenomenax Luna C18 (50 × 4.6 mm,5 μm) column using a mobile phase consisting of methanol:acetonitrile:water in the ratio of 70:20:10 % v/v, at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min and UV detection at 256 nm. The linearity of the proposed method for Atorvastatin Calcium was 2-10 μg/ml (r2= 0.999) and retention time for Atorvastatin calcium was found to be 1.9223. The method was validated for accuracy, repeatability, reproducibility, robustness and system suitability. LOD and LOQ of Atorvastatin calcium were found to be 1.218 μg/ml and 4.060 μg/ml respectively. The stability studies of Atorvastatin calcium were conducted and the degradation characteristics were found to be much more prominent in alkaline hydrolysis (alkaline stress condition).
Appearing ethnic wage gap : Estonia during political and economic transition ⋆

We analyse the ethnic wage gap in Estonia, a former Soviet republic and current EU member, which hosts a substantial Russian-speaking minority. The analysis covers a lengthy period from the final years of the Soviet Union until the first years of EU membership. We document the rise of a substantial wage gap among males in favour of the Estonian-speaking population. This result is robust with respect to controls for language skills, education, industry and occupation. The main factors causing the unexplained wage gap include different ethnicity-specific returns to education and working in the capital city. The gap for young and established workers is of equal size. We argue that the most plausible explanations are establishment-level segregation, possibly related to sorting and screening discrimination. Unobserved human capital, related to the segregated school system, may also play a certain role. Jel codes: J15, J31, J71, P36
The Montana Group of Northwestern Montana

Recent field work has shown that the formations of the Montana group in and near the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of northwestern Montana are very different from those of the type area of the Judith River and associated formations on Missouri and Musselshell rivers, in the central part of the State, but similar to the formations in southern Alberta as described by Dawson. They seem to deserve special description not only because they present new evidence regarding the relations of the Belly River formation of Canada to the Judith River formation, but also because they indicate the varying geographic conditions that prevailed during Cretaceous time in this region. Furthermore, the stratigraphy as interpreted affords an excellent example of variation in sedimentation from the seaward to the landward side of a zone of deposition. The Montana group, as here described, was first studied by the writer in the summer of 1911, along Cut Bank Creek and Two 1vfedicine River on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, in company with Mr. T. W. Stanton, who has already briefly described some of the features of this region 1 and to whom the writer is much indebted for paleontologic determinations which, especially those for the marine formations encountered, were of great assistance in interpreting the stratigraphy. During the next two seasons these formations were traced northw,J! rd into the type area of the Belly River beds, described by G. M. Dawson 2 in 1885, and eastward into an area of theJudith River formation, as definitely determined by Stanton and Hatcher 3 in 1903. The interpretation of the field relations presented is therefore based primarily on the areal tracing of the formations, although every conclusion was substantiated by paleontologic evidence. ·
Implementation and Validation of OpenFOAM for Thermal Convection of Airflow

The open source code software (OpenFOAM) was applied to simulate the thermal convection of airflow. The fresh inlet airflow past a circular cylindrical heater through the variable cross-section duct by the centrifugal fan had been employed to study the thermal convection phenomenon. The widely used turbulence model was implemented to simulate the thermal convection of airflow. The pressure-velocity coupling was used an effective steady state algorithm, SIMPLE algorithm, for solving a zero pressure gradient problem. The upwind differencing (UD), linear upwind differencing (LUD), QUICK, and TVD scheme were the important schemes which were selected to solve convection-diffusion problems of the airflow past a circular cylindrical heater. The thermal convection experiment was setup using the P3210 heat transfer bench of Cussons technology. The velocities of airflow had been adjusted from 5 to 20 m/s by opening a cap at the exhaust fan duct. The heater temperatures were controlled at 100, 150 and 200 °C. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results were compared with the experimental data. The comparison between CFD models and physical experiments were in good agreement. The average error of the turbulence model by solving with the SIMPLE algorithm, UD scheme for velocity, and QUICK scheme for temperature results was less than 4.25 % when compared with the experimental data.
Pricing LYONs Under Stochastic Interest Rates

In this study, one of the simplifying assumptions of the McConnell and Schwartz (1986) LYON pricing model is relaxed. We present a valuation model that incorporates stochastic interest rates. LYON prices are computed with the modified explicit finite differences method of Hull and White (1990) and with the Least - Squares Monte Carlo technique. For the Waste Management issue, we find that the value of the LYON is very sensitive to the market price of interest rate risk and somehow sensitive to the correlation coefficient between interest rates and stock returns.
Credit Booms and Busts in the Caribbean

Since 1970, private sector credit has grown quite rapidly in the Caribbean. More recently, between 2004 and 2006, total real credit in the Caribbean has risen by a cumulative 55.7 percent, or approximately 19 percent per annum. In some countries, the rate of expansion has even been stronger, which is of concern given the likely negative macroeconomic consequences of credit booms. This paper attempts to identify the factors that have led to credit booms and conversely busts in the Caribbean, employing annual data for 13 Caribbean countries covering the period 1970 to 2006 in the analysis. This study employs a panel count data regression approach. Three key groups of variables are considered: (1) macroeconomic developments; (2) macroeconomic policy, and (3) external shocks. The reported results suggest that macroeconomic developments were the main determinants of credit booms in the Caribbean, with low inflation, high growth in GDP per capita, investment booms as well as less developed financial systems leading to the emergence of credit booms and conversely for busts.
Shinpuhkan2014: A Multi-Camera Pedestrian Dataset for Tracking People across Multiple Cameras

In this paper, we present a public dataset for tracking people across multiple cameras. This dataset consists of more than 22,000 images of 24 people which are captured by 16 cameras installed in a shopping mall “Shinpuh-kan”. All images are manually cropped and resized to 48× 128 pixels, grouped into tracklets and added annotation. The number of tracklets of each person is 86. This dataset contains multiple tracklets in different directions for each person within a camera. To show the difficulty of the dataset, we evaluate it with some state-of-the-art methods.