Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linearity and misspecification tests for vector smooth transition regression models

The purpose of the paper is to derive Lagrange multiplier and Lagrange multiplier type specification and misspecification tests for vector smooth transition regression models. We report results from simulation studies in which the size and power properties of the proposed asymptotic tests in small samples are considered. The results on simulating the size show that these tests generally suffer from positive size distortion. We find that both Wilks's ? and Rao's F statistic, the latter in particular, have satisfactory size properties and can generally be recommended for empirical use. The local asymptotic power and finite sample power properties of these tests are studied as well. JEL Classification: C12, C32, C52
Heterogeneous reaction of ClONO 2 with TiO 2 and SiO 2 aerosol particles: implications for stratospheric particle injection for climate engineering

Abstract. Deliberate injection of aerosol particles into the stratosphere is a potential climate engineering scheme. Particles injected into the stratosphere would scatter solar radiation back to space, thereby reducing the temperature at the Earth's surface and hence the impacts of global warming. Minerals such as TiO2 or SiO2 are among the potentially suitable aerosol materials for stratospheric particle injection due to their greater light-scattering ability than stratospheric sulfuric acid particles. However, the heterogeneous reactivity of mineral particles towards trace gases important for stratospheric chemistry largely remains unknown, precluding reliable assessment of their impacts on stratospheric ozone, which is of key environmental significance. In this work we have investigated for the first time the heterogeneous hydrolysis of ClONO2 on TiO2 and SiO2 aerosol particles at room temperature and at different relative humidities (RHs), using an aerosol flow tube. The uptake coefficient, γ(ClONO2), on TiO2 was ∼ 1.2 × 10−3 at 7 % RH and remained unchanged at 33 % RH, and increased for SiO2 from ∼ 2 × 10−4 at 7 % RH to ∼ 5 × 10−4 at 35 % RH, reaching a value of ∼ 6 × 10−4 at 59 % RH. We have also examined the impacts of a hypothetical TiO2 injection on stratospheric chemistry using the UKCA (United Kingdom Chemistry and Aerosol) chemistry–climate model, in which heterogeneous hydrolysis of N2O5 and ClONO2 on TiO2 particles is considered. A TiO2 injection scenario with a solar-radiation scattering effect very similar to the eruption of Mt Pinatubo was constructed. It is found that, compared to the eruption of Mt Pinatubo, TiO2 injection causes less ClOx activation and less ozone destruction in the lowermost stratosphere, while reduced depletion of N2O5 and NOx in the middle stratosphere results in decreased ozone levels. Overall, no significant difference in the vertically integrated ozone abundances is found between TiO2 injection and the eruption of Mt Pinatubo. Future work required to further assess the impacts of TiO2 injection on stratospheric chemistry is also discussed.
The patterns of venture capital investment in the UK bio-healthcare sector: the role of proximity, cumulative learning and specialisation

This paper focuses on the patterns of venture capital (VC) investment in dedicated biotech firms (DBFs) in the therapeutic and diagnostic sectors (bio-healthcare). We use a database of 655 UK bio-healthcare deals to map the geographical flows of VC investment and measure the co-location of investors and DBFs. Then, using 20 face-to-face interviews with venture capitalists (VCs) and DBF firms in Cambridge and Scotland, we study the strategic motives underlying the co-location of investors and investee companies and reflect on the catalytic role VCs play in context of the Scottish and Cambridge bio-clusters. From the viewpoint of VC-related policies, we find that our study is more in line with arguments stressing the attractive power of ‘investor-ready’ opportunities (Mason and Harrison 2003) than supply-side approaches that take for granted VC presence at the core of high-tech clusters. In line with Avnimelech, Rosiello, and Teubal (2008), we propose that VC policy should be consistent with the wider strategic objectives of innovation and technology policy.
Use of spinal cord stimulation in managing neuropathic foot pain

Objective: In cases of complex regional pain syndrome where conservative treatment is unsuccessful in controlling neuropathic foot pain spinal cord stimulation may be considered. To our knowledge there have been no such cases reported in the foot & ankle literature. The aim of the study was to establish useful information that may supplement our understanding of this complex multifactorial problem and help toinform future management of similar cases. Methods: A pilot observational case series study was undertaken to investigate the use of spinal cord stimulation in the management of neuropathic foot pain using five cases with complex regional pain syndrome (type I). Results: Reduced pain following spinal cord stimulation was reported. The interval between diagnosis and commencement of spinal cord stimulation was variable between cases and maybe responsible for differing levels and timing of pain relief experienced. Conclusion: Careful preoperative diagnosis, robust patient selection and close postoperative monitoring are vital for a successful outcome. The small sample size and potential for bias, limit the generalizability to a larger population. A larger study is therefore indicated to expand upon preliminary findings.
Categorial Features as the Source of EPP and Abstract Case Phenomena

Starting from the observation that the standard concepts used for analyses of the syntax of A-positions (EPP, abstract Case) are simply stipulations, this paper proposes that the effects of the EPP and of Case Theory can be derived from an independently motivated component of the grammar, namely the theory of syntactic categories. More precisely, it is argued the EPP and Case phenomena can be analyzed in terms of a model of categorial bonding in which categories interact in order to compensate for deficiencies in their feature matrices.
A suggested Khmuic origin of the hunter-gatherer Mlabri in northern Thailand: evidence from maternal DNA lineages

Khamu, an ethnic group residing in the northern part of Thailand, are suggested to be the descendents of the Southeast Asian prehistoric inhabitants. Their language belongs to the Khmuic branch of Mon-Khmer subfamily within Austro-Asiatic family. This linguistic clustering suggests the shared common ancestor among the Khamu, H’tin, and hunter-gatherer Mlabri. Mitochondrial hypervariable region I of 39 Khamu and 19 Mlabri individuals, living in Nan province, were analyzed and compared with the other ethnic groups in northern Thailand. The investigation on their maternal inherited marker revealed that they were one of the Southeast Asian indigenous populations. Their current genetic structures were shaped by the intense drift effect due to the ancient migrations along Thai/Lao border. The Khamu are genetically closely related to the H’tin-Mal, a putative Mlabri’s ancestral stock. Thus, this study purposed the Khamu and H’tin-Mal as the possible ancestral source of the Mlabri.
Density Functional Study on Relative Energies, Structures, and Bonding of Low-lying Electronic States of Lutetium Dimer

Low-lying electronic states of the lutetium dimer (Lu2) were studied based on density functional theory (DFT) using ten different density functionals together with three different relativistic effective core pseudopotentials (RECPs). Relative state energies, equilibrium bond lengths, vibrational frequencies, and ground-state dissociation energies were evaluated. It was found that the ground state is a triplet state irrespective of the type of functional and RECP used. This result is in contrast with a previous DFT calculation which gave a singlet ground state for Lu2. By comparing with the high-level ab initio and available experimental results, it is evident that the hybrid-GGA functionals combined with the Stuttgart small-core RECP yield the best overall agreement for the properties under study. The effects of HartreeFock exchange in B3LYP functional on the calculated bond length and dissociation energy of the ground state were examined, and rationalized in terms of 5d participation in LuLu covalent bon.
Association between IRF 6 rs 642961 polymorphism and non-syndromic cleft lip with or without a cleft palate : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without a cleft palate (NSCL/P) is one of the most common newborn malformations. sPrevious studies have reported that genetic variations of interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) polymorphisms are associated with NSCL/P. However, the effect sizes of individual studies still vary. Our present study is a meta-analysis to investigate the association of IRF6 rs642961 polymorphism with NSCL/P. A literature search in PubMed was performed to select eligible literatures including observational studies which evaluated association between IRF6 polymorphisms and NSCL/P. We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis on all qualified eight case-control studies that included 1,899 cases and 3,458 controls to investigate the association between NSCL/P and IRF6 rs642961 polymorphism. We found that the A allele had a higher risk of NSCL/P (odds ratio (OR)=1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.37-1.97) in comparison to the G allele of IRF6 rs642961 polymorphism. The rs642961 A allele in the Asian population had an increased risk of NSCL/P (OR=2.12, 95% CI=1.66-2.71). Under various genetic models, the A allele of IRF6 rs642961 polymorphism in Asian population showed a significantly increased risk of NSCL/P under the dominant model (OR=2.19, 95% CI=1.64-2.91), recessive model (OR=4.49, 95% CI=2.26-8.92), homozygous model (OR=5.86, 95% CI=2.90-11.8), and heterozygous model (OR=1.91, 95% CI=1.42-2.57). Our major findings suggest that association of IRF6 rs642961 polymorphism and NSCL/P is predominant in an Asian population rather than non-Asian populations, which might be useful in clinical diagnoses and treatment of patients with NSCL/P.
Roxb. produces antidepressant-like effects in rodents, associated with activation of the CREB-BDNF-ERK signalling pathway and reversal of HPA axis hyperactivity

Ethnopharmacological relevance: There are many plants of genus Piper which have been reported to induce antidepressant-like effects, Piper sarmentosum (PS) is one of them. PS is a Chinese herbal medicine and a traditional edible vegetable. Materials and Methods: In the present study, the antidepressant-like effects of PS extracts and the ethyl acetate fraction of PS extracts (PSY) were assessed using the open field test (OFT), forced swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST) in mice. Furthermore, w e applied a 4 consecutive weeks of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) as a model of depression in rats, followed by a sucrose preference test. Then we examined the possible mechanisms of this action. The activity of the hypothalamic –pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis was evaluated by detecting the serum corticosterone (CORT) concentrations, and the protein expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the phosphorylated form CREB and ERK1/2 were detect ed by qRT-PCR or Western blot. Results: The results showed that PS extracts (100, 200 mg/kg) and PSY (12.5, 25, 50 mg/kg) treatment produced antidepressant-like effects in mice similar to fluoxetine (20 mg/kg), indi cated by the reduced immobility time in the FST and TST, while both had no influence on the locomotor activity in the OFT. PSY treatment significantly increased sucrose preference and r duced serum CORT levels in CUMS rats. Moreover, PSY up-regulated BDNF protein levels, and increased CREB and ERK phosphorylation levels in the hippocampus on CUMS rats. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the antidepressant-like effects of PS extracts and PSY are mediated, at least in part, by modulating HPA axis, BDNF, CREB and ERK phosphorylation and expression in the hippocampus.
Therapeutic Benefits of Commercially Available Gourd Family in Improvement and Sustainability of Human Health

Cucurbit family are a fruit producing plants with 130 genera and 800 species and it is one of the genetically discrete groups of food plants such as pumpkin, cucumber, squash, gourd and melon. Cucurbit family provide an important dietary fibre, β-carotene (pro-vitamin A), potassium and vitamin C. Consuming dietary fibre regularly can prevent diabetes mellitus, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Pumpkin (cucurbita maxima) is widely cooked as desserts in Malay cuisines. 60-80% content of polysaccharides in pumpkin pulp functions as anti-tumour, anti-diabetic, hypolipidemic, and immune-stimulating activities. Winter melon (Benincasa hispida) is a source of water soluble polysaccharides, vitamin C while the taste is pleasant, sub acid and aromatic juicy flesh; a great source of functional food production and can be stored up a year. Rockmelon (Cucumis melo L) has nutritional value namely carbohydrates, ascorbic acid, folic acid and potassium while the seeds are rich in oil and protein, and the compounds of this fruit are functioning to prevent cancer, fighting depression, dandruff, ulcers and stimulate the immune system. The red flesh of watermelon (Citrulus lanatus) has anti-carcinogenic compounds. Cucurbit fruits have blood glucose lowering properties and the active ingredient has been shown to be polysaccharides; able to modulate the immune system, anti-tumour, decrease inflammation and act as hypoglycaemic agent.
VALIDATION OF CALIPSO LIDAR ( CALIOP ) CALIBRATION

The CALIPSO lidar (CALIOP) is a satellite-borne, down-looking system that measures backscattered signals from the atmosphere at 532 nm and 1064 nm and linear depolarization ratios at 532 nm. To retrieve optical properties of clouds and aerosols, the two polarization channels at 532 nm and 1064 nm channel must all be calibrated. This paper describes methods for validating the CALIOP calibrations.
Would taxes decrease tobacco consumption in Egypt ?

Increasing the prices of tobacco is one of the most effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. In this paper we use an Almost Ideal demand System to analyze the impact of the new taxes of cigarettes on Egyptian households’ consumption. Own price elasticities and cross price elasticities are estimated using the Egyptian Household Income, Expenditure and Consumption Survey (2009), to show the effects of the new taxes on cigarettes’ consumption as well as the substitution effects between the different tobacco products consumed by the households.
Optimisation of energy consumption and daylighting using building performance surrogate model

Today, the architects are expected to identify solutions that provide best trade-offs among an excessively large number of possible design alternatives. Within this context, computational intelligence techniques prove to be valuable decision support tools. In parallel to this agenda, the current study aimed to present a novel approach towards identifying non-dominated design solutions that minimize annual building energy consumption and improve indoor daylight conditions. We applied the method to an L plan shaped office design. In this hypothetical building design, parameters of footprint area, number of levels, fenestration, shading, U-Values of building elements and HVAC system selection were set as variables; whereas total floor area and floor height were kept as constants in order to facilitate further practical relevance. A total of 105 simulations were performed for various values of the parameters. The resulting dataset was used to obtain two approximation models, for each of the objective functions. A Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm was subsequently used to obtain the set of non-dominated solutions for the problem. Our results indicated the applicability of the proposed approach for decision-making practices at the conceptual design phase of relevant cases.
Fence-Line Contact Between Wild and Farmed Cervids in Colorado: Potential for Disease Transmission

Abstract Direct and indirect contact between wild and farmed cervids along perimeter fences may play a role in transmission of diseases like chronic wasting disease (CWD), but no studies have quantified such interactions. At 9 high-fenced commercial elk (Cervus elaphus) farms in Colorado, USA, during October 2003 to January 2005, we used animal-activated video to estimate rates of fence-line use by wild cervids, rates of direct contact between farmed and wild cervids, and probability of direct contact when wild cervids were present. We recorded 8-fold-more wild elk per unit time than mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) at fence lines. Depending on site, we recorded 0.66 to 46.90 wild elk per 1,000 hours of camera monitoring. We documented 77 interactions between wild and farmed elk involving naso-oral contact and no contact between wild mule deer and farmed elk. Rate of direct contact ranged from 0.00 to 1.92 direct contacts per 1,000 hours of camera monitoring among sites. Given recorded presence of wild elk, estimated probability of observing direct contact during a 2-minute video recording ranged from 0.00 to 0.11 among sites. Risk of direct contact was about 3.5 times greater for single woven-wire fence compared with offset electric fence attached to a single woven-wire fence. We observed no direct contact through double woven-wire fences. Because little is currently known about infection rates associated with infection mechanisms, we cannot infer a level of CWD infection risk from our results, but some form of double fencing should reduce potential for direct and indirect transmission of disease into or out of elk farms.
An objectively selected case heavy rain event in the Western Mediterranean Basin : A study through diagnosis and numerical simulations

The heavy rain event of 8 to 21 November 2001 in th e western Mediterranean area is objectively selected by means of a Singular Value Decomposition Analysis (SVDA) between 300 hPa large -scale (geopotential and uand v-wind components) fields and regional precipit ation. The flash flood episode corresponds to the highest expansion coefficient va lue of the second SVD mode. The second singular mode presents a heterogeneous g eopotential pattern characterised by a centre of positive anomalies in the eastern North Atlantic in between two negative anomaly centres to southern of the Azores Islands and over Algeria. Synoptically, the episode is characterised by the presence of a long-lived Ω blocking geopotential pattern showing strong simila rity with the obtained statistically mode highlighting the strength of the link synoptic variables-regional precipitation and revealing that the methodology wa s been able to capture such catastrophic flash flood event. The jet streak inte raction during most of the episode was crucial for triggering and driving of the deep convection. A set of mesoscale numerical simulations using MM5 is performed to inv estigate the mechanisms responsible for the convection development through several output diagnosis. A potential vorticity evolution show how dry air mass e are extruded from the stratospheric levels promoting strong cyclonic circ ulation at all levels as is noted in 500 hPa relative humidity maps. A deep vertical col umn of high relative humidity over the Algerian coastline supports the few and ge ographically confined convective cells responsible for the heavy precipit ation over different zones at the study area. The study of mesoscale environment para meters showed an enhanced conditional unstability through a deep troposphere layer with strong vertical wind shear that favoured conditions to allow organizatio n of long-lived convective structures.
An Advanced H-Infinity Filtering Approach for Multiple Object Tracking in Video Sequences

Video target tracking is the way toward identifying the moving object and recognized the path of the tracking object. Single object tracking is the basic and simple way since it has distinctive fruitful systems to distinguish the single object. Yet, multiple object tracking is extremely opposing exertion in light of the fact that diverse objects have the comparative appearance. In this paper, we employ an advanced H∞ filtering for multiple objects tracking in the video sequences. In the beginning, we embrace the FDM (Frame Difference Method) and HOG (Histogram of Gradients) detection techniques to isolate the object region of the video frame. The color spatial feature, texture feature and edge oriented features are separated from the object region. The matching degrees of these features are registered by utilizing the Multi-feature fusion method. On the off chance that the matching degree is more prominent than the user-specified threshold value, the feature of the object is updated and the position of the object is identified. Otherwise again the new searching is reiterated and the matching degree is calculated for that new searching. An advanced H∞ filtering algorithm to establish object motion model, using the present items information to guess object's location, so that we can reduce the investigate capacity and search time of moving an object to achieve fast tracking. The H-infinity filter does not have any knowledge about the system model and the observation model; in any case, it has better execution and exactness.
Knowledge gap : An exploratory measurement of service quality in the motor vehicle maintenance and repair industry

The existence of inappropriate management procedure, processes, market analysis mechanisms, strategies, capacity, capability, and attitude towards marketing, demands that organizations and industries continually assess the expectations of customers and management perceptions of customer expectations so that the right measures are introduced to promote customer patronage and satisfaction. This was revealed when sought to assess knowledge gap in the vehicle maintenance and repair industry in Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana by measuring perceptions of customer expectations and management perceptions of customer expectations. Shahin and Samea (2010) model was empolyed. The study adopted a self-completion questionnaire using the SERVQUAL instrument. The simple random and convenience and purposive sampling techniques were employed. Two hundred completed questionnaires were returned at a response rate of 94.3 percent. It was revealed that customers in the metropolis are generally dissatisfied with the services provided in terms of tangibles, reliability, assurance, costing and communication dimensions. However, they were generally satisfied with responsiveness and empathy from service managers. Assumption considered include marketing embodiment of these seven dimensions. Management perception was 4.36 and customers 4.65. Mean knowledge gap was thus 0.29 indicating a general positive (leading to customer dissatisfaction) knowledge gap. This may be due to lack of the right focus of marketing strategy with regards to the customer as the focal point. The study thus contributes to the already existing studies that seek to assess knowledge gap in the motor vehicle maintenance and repair industry. It also adds empirical findings that could help management of workshops/garages in the industry to adopt corrective and preventive marketing methods that could lead to growth in businesses. The study is limited in that the model adopted has not been proven in terms of universal acceptability.