Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
. Dynamic Regression Models

In time series models, a substantial period of time may pass between the economic decision-making period and the nal impact of a change in a policy variable. One can say that it is the nature of economic relationships that the adjustment of y to changes in x is distributed widely through time. If the appropriate decisionand-response period is su¢ ciently long, lagged explanatory variables should be included explicitly in the model. One way to model the dynamic responses is to include lagged values of x on the right hand side of the regression equation; this is the basis of the distributedlag model, in which a series of lagged explanatory variables accounts for the time adjustment process. The ( nite) distributed-lag model takes the form:
Advanced control of OLTC‐enabled LV networks with PV systems and EVs

The simultaneous uptake of residential photovoltaic (PV) systems and electric vehicles (EVs) can lead to contrasting voltage problems (i.e. voltage rise and drop) in low-voltage (LV) networks throughout the day. While solutions that directly manage these technologies can be effective in mitigating their impacts, they affect or require interactions with customers. A more practical alternative for distribution network operators (DNOs) is, therefore, to manage voltages using only network assets. For this purpose, two advanced methods to control on-load tap changer fitted transformers, owned and operated by DNOs, are proposed: a rule-based control method that only requires monitoring from remote points and a three-phase optimal power flow-based control method that requires full observability and adopts a simple - yet effective - forecasting to cater for future uncertainties. The performance of the proposed methods is thoroughly assessed within a stochastic approach on a real UK LV network considering realistic 1 min resolution demand, PV, and EV profiles. Results show that both methods are effective in managing contrasting voltage problems caused by both PV systems and EVs. While the optimisation method leads to the lowest number of tap changes, the rule-based method, given its limited observability requirement, could be considered a practical interim solution.
The impact of shadows on partitioning of radiometric temperature to canopy and soil temperature based on the contextual two-source energy balance model (TSEB-2T)

Tests of the most recent version of the two-source energy balance model have demonstrated that canopy and soil temperatures can be retrieved from high-resolution thermal imagery captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This work has assumed a linear relationship between vegetation indices (VIs) and radiometric temperature in a square grid (i.e., 3.6 m x 3.6 m) that is coarser than the resolution of the imagery acquired by the UAV. In this method, with visible, near infrared (VNIR), and thermal bands available at the same high-resolution, a linear fit can be obtained over the pixels located in a grid, where the x-axis is a vegetation index (VI) and the y-axis is radiometric temperature. Next, with an accurate VI threshold that separates soil and vegetation pixels from one another, the corresponding soil and vegetation temperatures can be extracted from the linear equation. Although this method is simpler than other approaches, such as TSEB with Priestly-Taylor (TSEB-PT), it could be sensitive to VIs and the parameters that affect VIs, such as shadows. Recent studies have revealed that, on average, the values of VIs, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and leaf area index (LAI), that are located in sunlit areas are greater than those in shaded areas. This means that involving or compensating for shadows will affect the linear relationship parameters (slope and bias) between radiometric temperature and VI, as well as thresholds that separate soil and vegetation pixels. This study evaluates the impact of shadows on the retrieval of canopy and soil temperature data from four UAV images before and after applying shadow compensation techniques. The retrieved temperatures, using the TSEB-2T approach, both before and after shadow correction, are compared to the average temperature values for both soil and canopy in each grid. The imagery was acquired by the Utah State University AggieAir UAV system over a commercial vineyard located in California as part of the USDA Agricultural Research Service Grape Remote sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration Experiment (GRAPEX) Program during 2014 to 2016. The results of this study show when it is necessary to employ shadow compensation methods to retrieve vegetation and soil temperature directly.
Remote Sensing Image Segmentation using OTSU Algorithm

In recent years, extraction of information from remote sensing images is an active topic of research. Feature extraction from an image is performed by image segmentation by dividing the image into distinct and self-seminar pixel groups. In remote sensing images, large quantity of texture information is present. So, it is difficult and time consuming process to segment objects from the background in remote sensing images. Many algorithms have been proposed for the purpose of segmentation of remote sensing images. Thresholding is a simple technique but effective method to separate objects from the background. A commonly used method, the Otsu method, improves the image segmentation effectively. It is the most referenced thresholding methods, as it directly operates on the gray level histogram. In this project, Otsu thresholding algorithm is used to segment the roads and residential areas from the vegetation areas in remote sensing images.
On the difficulty to interpret results when animals are singly housed: experimental epilepsy as a prototypical example

Many experimental approaches require housing rodents in individual cages, a stressful condition for social animals, which may act as a confounding factor for data interpretation. Comparing three groups of Wistar rats - singly housed, singly housed with daily social interaction, and animals kept in pairs - we found that socially isolated animals displayed classical markers of behavioral stress and anhedonia. We then investigated how social isolation may impact the development of epilepsy, a prototypical experimental condition requiring single housing for seizure monitoring. We found that seizures were 25 times more frequent in singly housed animals without social interaction as compared to the other two groups. Isolated animals also showed increased oxidative stress levels. Data obtained from singly housed animals without social interaction is difficult to interpret because results are obtained in a context of behavioral and oxidative stress. Preclinical studies may be strongly affected by such confounding factor.
Does Outward Foreign Direct Investment Reduce Domestic Investment?: An Industry-Level Analysis

With the rise of globalisation, countries have become more connected financially and global cross-border investment flows have become more common. FDI is an important form of cross-border flow which is responsible for the spread of technology across countries and is the main source of external finance for emerging countries. In the last two decades, FDI has increased tremendously. But this has been accompanied by fears about outward FDI taking away production activities and jobs away from the home country. I look at how outward FDI affects home country investment. One can intuitively understand that a dollar of money spent abroad means a dollar less to invest in the domestic economy. Based on the theory of the financially constrained firm, I hypothesize that outward FDI reduces domestic fixed capital investment and RaD spending. I also develop a theoretical framework to distinguish the varying effects of outward FDI on domestic investment across traditional and RaD-intensive industries.By using industry-level panel data for 18 OECD countries covering the period 1995-2009, I regressed the shares of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) and RaD spending separately on the share of outward FDI both for all industries as well as specifically for traditional and RaD-intensive industries. While, outward FDI had a negative effect on domestic capital investments at the aggregate level, it did not have any significant effect while looking at specific industry types. This could be because of the reduced sample size in the individual types. Outward FDI had a negative effect on domestic RaD spending at the aggregate level and for RaD-intensive industries, but it had a positive effect for traditional industries. Thus, while fears about outward FDI taking away domestic fixed capital investments are valid, outward FDI can have both a positive and negative effect on RaD expenditure, depending on the type of industry. These results can help MNCs make strategic investment decisions taking into account their effect on their home country industry. It can also help policymakers formulate tax and industrial policies to promote home country investments.
Enhancing the antibacterial activity of polymyxins using a nonantibiotic drug

Purpose: The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and the lack of new therapies to eliminate them poses a major threat to global health. With the alarming rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), focus has now shifted to the use of the polymyxin class of antibiotics as the last line of defense for treatment of Gram-negative infections. Unfortunately, the growing resistance of bacteria against polymyxins is threatening the treatment of MDR infections, necessitating the need for novel strategies. The objective of this study was to determine if combination of polymyxin (polymyxin B or colistin) with a nonantibiotic small molecule AR-12, a celecoxib derivative that is devoid of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitory activities, can be an effective strategy against polymyxin-resistant MDR bacteria. Methods: Growth inhibition studies, time-kill assays and permeability assays were conducted to investigate the effect of AR-12 on the antibacterial activity of polymyxins. Results: Growth studies were performed on a panel of polymyxin-resistant MDR strains using the combination of AR-12 with either colistin or polymyxin B. The combination treatment had no effect on strains that have inherent polymyxin resistance; however, AR-12 was effective in lowering the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of polymyxins by 4–60-fold in several strains that had acquired polymyxin resistance. Time-kill assays using the combination of AR-12 and colistin with select MDR strains suggest rapid killing and bactericidal activity, while the permeability assays using fluorescently labeled dansylated polymyxin and 1-N-phenylnaphthylamine (NPN) in these MDR strains suggest that AR-12 can potentiate the antibacterial activity of polymyxins by possibly altering the bacterial outer membrane via modification of lipopolysaccharide and thereby improving the uptake of polymyxins. Conclusion: Our studies indicate that the combination of AR-12 and polymyxin is effective in targeting select Gram-negative bacteria that have acquired polymyxin resistance. Further understanding of the mechanism of action of AR-12 will provide new avenues for developing narrow-spectrum antibacterials to target select Gram-negative MDR bacteria. Importantly, our studies show that the use of nonantibiotic small molecules in combination with polymyxins is an attractive strategy to counter the growing resistance of bacteria to polymyxins.
The Politics of Religious Extremism in Pakistan: An Analysis

In this study, the connection between Islamic values and country policies has been carefully connected to the foundations that create political legitimating and the basic nature of a country. Islam performs a crucial part in the social fabric of Pakistan and has been integrated as the guiding concept for the constitutional procedure and governmental systems of the country but at the same time produced implicit stress for their future improvements. Various government authorities have used religious beliefs for their quest for governmental authenticity and power. This has consequently brought about politicization of spiritual explanation in Pakistan demonstrated in the form of sectarian disputes, persecution of spiritual unprivileged or disempowerment of certain spiritual organizations and management. Whereas controversy about interpreting religious identity continues pervading the Pakistani community, it is observed that large parts of the Pakistani inhabitants follow pluralistic types of Islam based on heterogeneous spiritual and devotional methods. Islamic political parties should cooperate on federal or provincial levels with national and local political parties to eliminate the religious extremism in Pakistan.
Expedition 372B/375 summary

Slow slip events (SSEs) at the northern Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand, are among the best-documented shallow SSEs on Earth. International Ocean Discovery Program Expeditions 372 and 375 were undertaken to investigate the processes and in situ conditions that underlie subduction zone SSEs at the northern Hikurangi Trough. We accomplished this goal by (1) coring and geophysical logging at four sites, including penetration of an active thrust fault (the Pāpaku fault) near the deformation front, the upper plate above the SSE source region, and the incoming sedimentary succession in the Hikurangi Trough and atop the Tūranganui Knoll seamount; and (2) installing borehole observatories in the Pāpaku fault and in the upper plate overlying the slow slip source region. Logging-while-drilling (LWD) data for this project were acquired as part of Expedition 372, and coring, wireline logging, and observatory installations were conducted during Expedition 375. Northern Hikurangi subduction margin SSEs recur every 1–2 y and thus provide an ideal opportunity to monitor deformation and associated changes in chemical and physical properties throughout the slow slip cycle. In situ measurements and sampling of material from the sedimentary section and oceanic basement of the subducting plate reveal the rock properties, composition, lithology, and structural character of material that is transported downdip into the SSE source region. A recent seafloor geodetic experiment raises the possibility that SSEs at northern Hikurangi may propagate to the trench, indicating that the shallow thrust fault (the Pāpaku fault) targeted during Expeditions 372 and 375 may also lie in the SSE rupture area and host a portion of the slip in these events. Hence, sampling and logging at this location provides insights into the composition, physical properties, and architecture of a shallow fault that may host slow slip. Expeditions 372 and 375 were designed to address three fundamental scientific objectives: Characterize the state and composition of the incoming plate and shallow fault near the trench, which comprise the protolith and initial conditions for fault zone rock at greater depth and which may itself host shallow slow slip; Characterize material properties, thermal regime, and stress conditions in the upper plate directly above the SSE source region; and Install observatories in the Pāpaku fault near the deformation front and in the upper plate above the SSE source to measure temporal variations in deformation, temperature, and fluid flow. The observatories will monitor volumetric strain (via pore pressure as a proxy) and the evolution of physical, hydrological, and chemical properties throughout the SSE cycle. Together, the coring, logging, and observatory data will test a suite of hypotheses about the fundamental mechanics and behavior of SSEs and their relationship to great earthquakes along the subduction interface.
Glyphosate Does Not Inhibit Photosynthetic Electron Transport and Phosphorylation in Pea (Pisum sativum) Chloroplasts

The activity of glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine], formulated as the isopropylamine salt, on in vitro photosynthesis was investigated. When pH 4.7 glyphosate solutions were titrated to a pH equal to that of the reaction media (pH 7.8), glyphosate additions had no effect on whole chain electron transport between coupled photosystem II (PS II) and photosystem I (PS I) in stroma-free chloroplast thylakoids from peas (Pisum sativum L. ‘Morse's Progress No. 9′). Inhibition did not occur even after a 2-h dark incubation of lamellae in a 5-mM solution of glyphosate. Fluorescence studies failed to detect an effect of glyphosate on PS-II mediated electron transport processes or upon light harvesting properties of PS II even after a 2-h glyphosate/chloroplast preincubation. Glyphosate had no effect on cyclic and noncyclic photophosphorylation even after a 100-min dark incubation of chloroplast membranes in a 5-mM solution of glyphosate. Based on these assays it is concluded that glyphosate has no direct effect on the photochemical reactions of photosynthesis when the pH of the active compound is adjusted to that of the reaction mixture prior to addition to a chloroplast suspension.
Coupled velocity and temperature acoustic tomography in heated high subsonic Mach number flows

The application of acoustic tomography (AT) for simultaneous velocity and static temperature estimation has generally been restricted to low subsonic Mach number applications due to the increased complexities associated with acoustic refraction, high computational resource requirements, and a limited range of practical applications. The current work describes a novel AT method for application in such conditions and presents the results of a proof of concept laboratory jet experiment. Using a traversed set of acoustic sound source and microphones, acoustic propagation time measurements were collected at Mach 0.48 and 0.72 jet conditions (with total temperatures of 675 K) along three azimuthal orientations and used to perform AT. A comparison of intrusive and non-intrusive measurements showed that a three orientation reconstruction could approximate jet plume size and location within 1/4th of the jet’s radius. Several sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the behavior and limitations of the proposed AT method. In particular, the effects of orientation count, reconstruction resolution, and displacement measurement errors were investigated. The findings of these sensitivity studies were used to make recommendations for future experiments. This application is the first time an acoustic method is used to non-intrusively and simultaneously measure jet velocity and static temperature distributions in high subsonic Mach number flows.
OBJECT-BASED VHSR IMAGE CLASSIFICATION USING MULTIBAND COMPACT TEXTURE UNIT DESCRIPTOR

In remote sensing, texture is commonly used to support spectral information particularly when spectral signatures of class of interest are similar. It is usually extracted using panchromatic band instead of multispectral bands. This is because panchromatic band has rich texture content due to its fine spatial resolution. Recent space-borne and pansharpening techniques can deliver multispectral images with a submetric resolution which are also good candidates for texture analysis. The difficulty in extracting texture in multispectral images is the fact that existing and widely used methods are limited to analyzing spatial relationship between pixels in a single band at a time. When multispectral images are used texture characterization is usually performed by analyzing spatial relationships in each spectral band independently. This ignores inter-band spatial relationships which can be a source of valuable source of information. This paper evaluates the capability of a recently proposed method named multiband compact texture unit. This method extracts texture by characterizing simultaneously spatial relationship in the same band and across the different bands. This evaluation is performed in the context of object-based classification paradigm using WorldView-2 image of a forest area. For that image-objects were generated through superpixel segmentation. Classification in the object-feature space is performed suing K nearest neighbor algorithm. The proposed approach is compared to two groups of methods. The first group includes texture methods that use only spatial relationships in the same band: Gabor features wavelets and Granulometry. The second group includes methods that use intra-band and inter-band spatial relationships: integrative gray-level co-occurrence matrix, opponent Gabor features and opponent local binary patterns. Experimental results show that texture extracted using both intra-band and inter-band spatial relationship improves the classification accuracy compared to when it is extracted in each spectral band independently. Among the methods of the second group that use both intra-band and inter-band spatial relationships, the multiband compact texture unit method produces the best results. * Corresponding author
The Role of Relational Embeddedness in Retail Buyers' Selection of New Products

Retailers face considerable risk in introducing new products because of high failure rates. Given the proliferation of new products juxtaposed against finite shelf space, retail buyers are confronted with a choice problem. To enhance understanding of this issue, the authors examine the role of buyer-salesperson and firm-firm relationships using data collected in the context of actual new product selection by retail buyers at two large grocery retailers in the United States. The findings indicate that buyer-salesperson and firm-firm relationships have a greater influence on new product acceptance when a new product's attractiveness is modest than when the new product is very unattractive or very attractive. At modest levels of product attractiveness, the likelihood of new product acceptance can increase by as much as 60% when the buyer has a strong relationship with the salesperson. The study provides insights into the complex interplay of marketing relationships and product attractiveness in retail buyers' selection of new products.
Preservation of the Moringa oleifera Constituents by Freeze-drying

Aims: Moringa oleifera is an edible plant. A wide variety of nutritional and medicinal virtues have been attributed to its roots, barks, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. The objective of this research was to evaluate the preservation of the constituents of the powder obtained from the moringa seeds by freeze-drying comparing it with the in natura (natural extract). Place and Duration of Study: The work was conducted at the Laboratory of Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil, in the period from August to November 2018. Methodology: The seeds were peeled and macerated manually. Freeze-drying was done in a Liotop® L101 benchtop freeze drier. After dehydration the samples were disintegrated and the physical and physico-chemical constituents were evaluated before and after freeze-drying in terms of apparent density, real density, porosity, compacted density, compressibility index, Hausner factor, solubility, moisture content and activity, ash, titratable total acidity, pH, protein, lipids and carbohydrates. Results: The in natura powder presented better results for the physical analyzes of the densities: apparent, real and compacted, however, it was observed that for the other physical parameters and physicochemical constituents the freeze-drying promoted the preservation of these in front of the in natura. Freeze-drying caused a significant reduction in moisture content, pH and lipid activity, making the powders more stable and contributing to the maintenance of their physico-chemical qualities. The inverse was observed for the ash, protein and carbohydrate contents, where freeze-drying promoted increases in their contents. Conclusion: Freeze-drying presents as an appropriate method in the preservation of moringa constituents, with emphasis on physicochemical.