Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining Gender Differences in Writing Skill with Latent Factor Modeling

Examining Gender Differences in Writing Skill with Latent Factor Modeling Laurel Woods Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Dr. Deborah McCutchen College of Education Male students have historically under-performed in writing tasks compared to their female counterparts. This study examined writing skill differences between the male and female subjects of a sample of 4 and 5 grade students in the Pacific Northwest (n = 309) using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test for a possible gender effect on writing skill. A multiple-group confirmatory analysis (CFA) was used to examine possible structural differences between writing factors across gender groups, and a structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine writing factors predicting an essay task outcome for both gender groups. Despite evidence of a significant main effect of gender on writing within the sample, the multiple-group CFA indicated no significant structural differences between writing factors across the gender groups. The SEM results were not reported for this study because of the extremely high covariance between the writing factors in the model. The results of both the ANOVA and CFA are similar to other studies in the literature, and support a gender similarities hypothesis.
Dynamic Effects of Fiscal Policy in Japan: Evidence from a Structural VAR with Sign Restrictions

In this paper, we employ structural vector autoregression (VAR) with sign restrictions to identify the dynamic effects of fiscal policy shocks in Japan. We find that (i) an increase in government spending has positive effects on consumption and wages in the short run, but these effects are not persistent, and the effects on GDP are almost zero. We also find, surprisingly, that (ii) an increase in government revenue has significant positive effects on GDP, consumption, and investment in the medium and long run although it has negative effects in the short run. Finally, (iii) the balanced-budget spending policy scenario is better than deficit-spending and deficit-financed tax-cut policy scenarios.
Evaluation of a plot-scale methane emission model using eddy covariance observations and footprint modelling

Most plot-scale methane emission models - of which many have been developed in the recent past - are validated using data collected with the closed-chamber technique. This method, however, suffers from a low spatial representativeness and a poor temporal resolution. Also, during a chamber-flux measurement the air within a chamber is separated from the ambient atmosphere, which negates the influence of wind on emissions. Additionally, some methane models are validated by upscaling fluxes based on the area-weighted averages of modelled fluxes, and by comparing those to the eddy covariance (EC) flux. This technique is rather inaccurate, as the area of upscaling might be different from the EC tower footprint, therefore introducing significant mismatch. In this study, we present an approach to validate plot-scale methane models with EC observations using the footprint-weighted average method. Our results show that the fluxes obtained by the footprint-weighted average method are of the same magnitude as the EC flux. More importantly, the temporal dynamics of the EC flux on a daily timescale are also captured (r(2) = 0.7). In contrast, using the area-weighted average method yielded a low (r(2) = 0.14) correlation with the EC measurements. This shows that the footprint-weighted average method is preferable when validating methane emission models with EC fluxes for areas with a heterogeneous and irregular vegetation pattern.
Nonuniform Illumination Correction Algorithm for Underwater Images Using Maximum Likelihood Estimation Method

Scattering and absorption of light is main reason for limited visibility in water. The suspended particles and dissolved chemical compounds in water are also responsible for scattering and absorption of light in water. The limited visibility in water results in degradation of underwater images. The visibility can be increased by using artificial light source in underwater imaging system. But the artificial light illuminates the scene in a nonuniform fashion. It produces bright spot at the center with the dark region at surroundings. In some cases imaging system itself creates dark region in the image by producing shadow on the objects. The problem of nonuniform illumination is neglected by the researchers in most of the image enhancement techniques of underwater images. Also very few methods are discussed showing the results on color images. This paper suggests a method for nonuniform illumination correction for underwater images. The method assumes that natural underwater images are Rayleigh distributed. This paper used maximum likelihood estimation of scale parameter to map distribution of image to Rayleigh distribution. The method is compared with traditional methods for nonuniform illumination correction using no-reference image quality metrics like average luminance, average information entropy, normalized neighborhood function, average contrast, and comprehensive assessment function.
PHOSPHORYLATION OF HUNTINGTIN N17 DOMAIN IS CELL CYCLE REGULATED AND BECOMES DYSREGULATED IN HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS . 5 TABLE OF FIGURES . 8 DECLARATION OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT . 9 ABBREVIATIONS . 10 CHAPTER 1.0: GENERAL INTRODUCTION . 12 1.1.1 HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE . 12 1.1.2 NEUROPATHOLOGY . 13 1.1. 3 GENETICS OF HUNTINGTIN’S DISEASE . 14 1.1. 4 PERIPHERAL PATHOLOGY . 15 1.2 THE HUNTINGTIN PROTEIN . 21 1.2. 1 HUNTINGTIN STRUCTURE AND DOMAINS . 21 1.2. 2 HUNTINGTIN FUNCTION . 24
Crystallochromy of perylene pigments: Interference between Frenkel excitons and charge-transfer states

The optical properties of perylene-based pigments are arising from the interplay between neutral molecular excitations and charge transfer between adjacent molecules. In the crystalline phase, these excitations are coupled via electron and hole transfer, two quantities relating directly to the width of the conduction and valence band in the crystalline phase. Based on the crystal structure determined by x-ray diffraction, density-functional theory (DFT) and Hartree-Fock are used for the calculation of the electronic states of a dimer of stacked molecules. The resulting transfer parameters for electron and hole are used in an exciton model for the coupling between Frenkel excitons and charge-transfer states. The deformation of the positively or negatively charged molecular ions with respect to the neutral ground state is calculated with DFT and the geometry in the optically excited state is deduced from time-dependent DFT and constrained DFT. All of these deformations are interpreted in terms of the elongation of an effective internal vibration which is used subsequently in the exciton model for the crystalline phase. A comparison between the calculated dielectric function and the observed optical spectra allows to deduce the relative energetic position of Frenkel excitons and the charge-transfer state involving stack neighbors, a key parameter for various electronic and optoelectronic device applications. For five out of six perylene pigments studied in the present work, this exciton model results in excellent agreement between calculated and observed optical properties.
Risk Factors Associated with the Presence of Parasitic Diseases in Cultured Tench (Tinca tinca L.) from the Tormes River (NW Spain)

The present study aims to assess the epidemiology of fish parasites in culturedfish populations. This study was carried out during a three year period (20052007) at a tench (Tinca tinca L.) fish farm located in the Northwestern region of Spain. 114 fish as well as 14 physicochemical and microbiological water parameters were analyzed in order to determine the main impact of both the host and the environmental parameters on the presence and the abundance of parasites in their host (host-parasite relation). Four different parasites, namely Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Tripartiella sp. , Myxobolus sp. and Gyrodactylus sp. , were isolated, being the ciliates, with up to 100% of prevalence, the most abundant, with only 5.56% and 2.63% of the fish infected by the myxozoan and the monogenean, respectively. With the exception of the high alkalinity registered at the fish farm (pH > 9.0), the rest of the values fell within the recommended water quality parameters for cyprinids. The statistical and epidemiological analysis revealed that size, somatic condition and sex (intrinsic parameters) in addition to several environmental factors, linked to seasonality and poor water quality, have significant effect on the host-parasite relationship, increasing the likelihood of the parasite presence (p<0.050). We conclude that, in temperate climates, the development, reproduction and transmission of the parasites are triggered under the most stable conditions of the ecosystem (hydrological, physicochemical and biological) i.e. the warmer periods of the year, when the cyprinid populations display a more active and gregarious behavior. The results of the present study will also help understanding both the epidemiology and the parasitology of fresh water cultured-fish, and, what is more important, will help designing management strategies and procedures for preventing parasitic
Uncertainties in Female Employment Careers and the Postponement of Parenthood in Germany

This article investigates whether uncertainties in female employment careers result in a postponement of family formation. Data for this analysis come from the German Socio-Economic Panel, which provides longitudinal information on economic uncertainty and fertility for the period 1984–2006. We employ objective measures of uncertainty (unemployment) as well as subjective measures (whether the respondent is worried about her economic situation, whether she is worried about the security of her job). We find little evidence that uncertainties in female employment careers generally lead to a postponement of parenthood. Hence, the relationship between economic uncertainty and first birth varies by level of education. While more highly educated women postpone parenthood when subject to employment uncertainties, those with low levels of education often respond to these situations by becoming mothers.
EFFECTS OF TORSION ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF NON- STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS MOUNTED ON IRREGULAR REINFORCED CONCRETE MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS

This paper considers the seismic responses of acceleration-sensitive non-structural components (NSCs) attached to irregular multi-storey reinforced concrete (RC) structures using Finite Element (FE) approach. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the behaviour of NSCs mounted on irregular RC buildings due to the effects of structural ductility and torsion which take place during earthquakes. Nonlinear dynamic analyses were used to evaluate the seismic behaviour of primary-secondary systems. The P-structures in this study include five irregular RC buildings which have the same asymmetric plan configuration, while having different number of stories, i.e., 5, 7, 10, 13, and 15-storeys. The P-structures were designed by the authors according to the full seismic provisions of Eurocode 8 (EC8). Distributed inelastic fibre elements are adopted to model the beams and columns of the P- structures. To simulate NSCs in P-structures, vertical cantilever beams fixed at their bases with masses on top are modelled with variety of lengths to adjust their natural frequencies to the natural frequencies of the P-structures. Full dynamic interaction is considered between the NSCs and P-structures during the analyses. A comparison is made between the numerical results and the EC8 formulation, and a general conclusion is drawn that the provisions of EC8 for design of NSCs are un-conservative in some cases.
Completeness and Heterogeneity Tests for the Brazilian Interbank Deposit Market (DI)

Summary This article discusses a new approach to estimating the concentration of deposits in the Brazilian interbank market. New measurements are presented that can be utilized to determine the degree of heterogeneity of that market. At the same time, the concepts of the completeness and interconnection of the market are also discussed. These measurements are highly useful as indicators of systemic risk and financial contagion.
The effect of picroside II on the expressions of AQP4, MMP9 and COX2 in cerebral ischemic injury in rats

The aim is to study the neuroprotective effect and optimize the therapeutic dose and time window of picrosede II by orthogonal test in cerebral ischemic injury in rats. The forebrain ischemia models of rats were established by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) methods. The successful models were randomly grouped according to orthogonal experimental design and treated by injecting picroside II intraperitonenally with different therapeutic dose at different ischemic time. The contents of aquaporins 4 (AQP4), matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP 9) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) in brain tissue were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate the therapeutic effect of picroside II on cerebral ischemic injury. The results indicated that the best therapeutic time window and dose of picroside II in cerebral ischemic injury should be 1) ischemia 1.5 h with 20 mg/kg body weight according to the content of AQP4; 2) ischemia 2.0 h with 20 mg/kg according to the content of MMP9; and 3) ischemia 1.5 h with 20 mg/kg according to the content of COX2 inbrain tissue. It is concluded that the optimized therapeutic dose and time window is injecting picroside II peritonenally with 10 - 20 mg/kg body weight at ischemia 1.5 - 2.0 h in cerebral ischemic injury according to the principle of lowest therapeutic dose with longest time window.
Parallel 2 D Axisymmetric Fluid Modeling of CF 4 Discharge in an Inductively Coupled Plasma Source During SiO 2 Etching

A parallel 2D axisymmetric plasma fluid modeling for an inductively coupled plasma source with tetrafluoromethane precursor is reported. In total, 32 species with 96 gas-phase and 27 surface reactions with site-balance equations are considered. The predicted results of major species densities are in reasonable agreement with reported experiments. The etching products, e.g. SiFx and O2, are found to be appreciable ( 10%) compared to the precursor near the substrate. The predicted density trends, such as CFx þ and CFx (x1⁄41–3), are also consistent with reported experiments. Finally, the predicted etching rate on the SiO2 substrate is presented and discussed in detail.
Fast Image Registration for Spacecraft Autonomous Navigation Using Natural Landmarks

In order to satisfy the real-time requirement of spacecraft autonomous navigation using natural landmarks, a novel algorithm called CSA-SURF (chessboard segmentation algorithm and speeded up robust features) is proposed to improve the speed without loss of repeatability performance of image registration progress. It is a combination of chessboard segmentation algorithm and SURF. Here, SURF is used to extract the features from satellite images because of its scale- and rotation-invariant properties and low computational cost. CSA is based on image segmentation technology, aiming to find representative blocks, which will be allocated to different tasks to speed up the image registration progress. To illustrate the advantages of the proposed algorithm, PCA-SURF, which is the combination of principle component analysis and SURF, is also analyzed in this paper for comparison. Furthermore, random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm is applied to eliminate the false matches for further accuracy improvement. The simulation results show that the proposed strategy obtains good results, especially in scaling and rotation variation. Besides, CSA-SURF decreased 50% of the time in extraction and 90% of the time in matching without losing the repeatability performance by comparing with SURF algorithm. The proposed method has been demonstrated as an alternative way for image registration of spacecraft autonomous navigation using natural landmarks.
The Effect of Intellectual Property Rights and Information and Communication Technology on Human Development Index in Developing Countries During 2005-2010

Recently the effect of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on human development index (HDI) is a new subject which has been considered in economics. Most of the economists believe that not paying enough attention to IPR would prevent the economical growth and development. On the other hand, different nations will have developed human resources when in addition to institutions and certain rules, the people of the society invent new things and the development in ICT can be the reason. The main purpose of this article is to study the effects of IPR and ICT on HDI in developing countries during 2005-2010. In this study we use panel data and the indicators from United Nations Human Development Report (UNDP) and World Bank.
Employment, Mobility, and Active Labor Market Programs

Using a unique micro panel data set we investigate whether active labor market programs improve employment prospects and increase mobility in the longer run. We consider two prototype programs: job creation programs and training programs. We find that both programs reduce the chances of finding a job substantially. Moreover, both programs are associated with a locking-in effect: the probability of finding a job outside the home region decreases after program participation. However, this effect appears to stem exclusively from the decrease in the overall job finding rate.
Personalized Recommendations on Twitter based on Explicit User Relationship Modelling

Information overload is a recent phenomenon caused by a regular use of social media platforms among millions of users. Websites such as Twitter seem to be getting increasingly popular, providing a perfect platform for sharing information which can help in the process of modelling users and recommender system research. This research studies information overload and uses twitter user modelling through making use of explicit relationships amongst various users. This paper presents a novel personal profile mechanism that helps in the provision of more accurate recommendations by filtering overloaded information as it gathered from Twitter data. The presented method takes advantage of user explicit relationships on Twitter based on influence rule in order to gain information which is vital in the building of the personal profile of the user. In order to validate this proposed method's usefulness a simple tweet recommendation service was implemented by using content-based recommender system. This has also been evaluated using an offline evaluation process. Our proposed user profiles are compared against other profiles such as the baseline in order to have the proposed method's effectiveness checked. The experiment is implemented based on an experimental number of users.
Delays in Services and Customer Service Evaluation: A Study of Family Dining Restaurants of Pakistan

Wait management is very important subject in service sectors because people are moving towards services due to globalization and now it has become common phenomena. Dining at restaurants has become a trend in today’s world due to increasing demand of family’s as well as time constraints. In developed countries, there is much focus on service sectors and it is producing half revenues ($1.258 trillion) of countries like USA, UK, and Japan. However, in developing countries, a service sector has not yet generated much revenue because it seems difficult for developing countries to handle it due to different demands and niche of customers. In current study, 400 questionnaires were distributed to respondents and 300 were received back. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 and results revealed that if good environment is provided at waiting area of restaurant lobbies, then waiting customer behavior can be managed and consequently customer satisfaction. Our results also revealed that physical environment has a positive relationship with customer satisfaction and when this relationship is checked through mediating variable (customer behavior during wait), it also shows positive relationship. On the contrary, social environment has a negative relationship with customer satisfaction and when this relationship is checked through mediating variable (customer behavior during wait), it also shows negative relationship.
Characteristics of Air-Sea Fluxes Based on In Situ Observations from a Platform in the Bohai Gulf during Early Mid-August 2011

An eddy covariance system and other atmospheric and oceanic parameters were measured simultaneously from a fixed Platform-A in the Bohai Gulf during early mid-August 2011. One of the main goals of the comprehensive observation was to reveal the basic meteorological and hydrological characteristics of the Bohai Gulf. The results indicated that the diurnal characteristic curve for the air temperature (AT) was steeply unimodal, while the curve of the SST was a bimodal valley type and mainly influenced by tides with its valley value corresponding to the high water level during the observation period. Southeasterly winds dominated and the wind speed was generally lower than 8 m/s, and the atmospheric stability over the Bohai Gulf was generally unstable. The wave strength levels were generally below level 3, with a greater number of swell waves than wind waves. The latter were usually associated with more momentum transport, a larger difference between AT and SST, and less heat transport. During the observational period, the mean momentum, sensible, and latent heat turbulent fluxes were 0.21, 21.6, and 27.8 W/m2, respectively. The ratio of the mean latent and sensible turbulent fluxes was about 1.3 and much lower than that in the South China Sea during the summer.
PARAMETERIC ANALYSIS FOR AUTOMATED EXTRACTION OF ROAD EDGES FROM MOBILE LASER SCANNING DATA

The applicability of Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS) systems continue to prove their worth in route corridor mapping due to the rapid, continuous and cost effective 3D data acquisition capability. LiDAR data provides a number of attributes which can be useful for extracting various road features. Road edge is a fundamental feature and its accurate knowledge increases the reliability and precision of extracting other road features. We developed an automated algorithm for extracting left and right edges from MLS data. The algorithm involved several input parameters which are required to be analysed in order to find their optimal values. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the dimension parameters of input data and raster cell in our algorithm. These parameters were analysed based on temporal, completeness and accuracy performance of our algorithm for their different sets of values. This analysis provided the estimation of an optimal values of parameters which were used to automate the process of extracting road edges from MLS data.