Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peasants’ inequality and stratification: evidence from pre-revolutionary Russia

ABSTRACT The article analyses Russian peasants’ differentiation in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, addressing issues related to transformation of the peasantry's socio-economic standing during the market economy formation period. Combining statistical data analysis and using a multilevel model on peasants’ welfare in the province of Simbirsk, we find that a high level of inequality existed in the region at the time of the census; that inequality within a county contributes more toward income inequality than inequality between counties. Based on different statistical resources, we also plot the graphs and calculate the Gini indices for provinces for which data on the distribution of land, horses, and cows by individual farms are available. Our results do not support Chayanov's hypothesis on the correlation between the number of peasant family members and the amount of land in their possession. Our results indicate that communes were losing their ‘equalising’ function. For most provinces, the Gini index had been rising over time, indicating increasing inequality. Most importantly, this increase occurred in a relatively short period—much faster than in other countries—thereby making Russia more socially and politically vulnerable.
Middle East Moho Relief Estimation Using Spherical Prisms in Gravity Inversion

Study of Moho in Middle East and surrounding region is of great importance for geoscientists. The area contains parts of the Eurasian, Indian, African and Arabian plates as well as active tectonic structures which made it rich in geodynamic and tectonic interests. In this study we investigated Moho relief in the Middle East region using gravity and seismic data. Regarding the extent of the study area, spherical prism (tesseroid) modeling is used to calculate the gravity effect of the topography and crustal anomalies. Determining of Moho depth from gravity data is a nonlinear inverse problem. We inverted the gravity data using Uieda’s inversion method where the process was constrained by the available seismic data over the study region. The effect of topography and crustal sediments were excluded using global topography and crustal models. The resulting Moho relief is in accordance with plate boundaries and correlates well with the prominent tectonic features of the Middle East region. According to the results, the thinnest part of the crust found to be about 12 km in the Indian Ocean and the thickest part appeared in the west of Tibetan plateau with depths of about 54 km. In some parts of the study area discrepancies were seen between our results and Moho depths from seismological studies these differences are most probably caused by different approaches used in the different studies. Since we imposed smoothness by regularization on estimated Moho map, this can also be additional source of the discrepancies.
Actuator and sensor fault estimation based on a proportional multiple‐integral sliding mode observer for linear parameter varying systems with inexact scheduling parameters

This article proposes an approach for the estimation of states, actuator, and sensor faults in nonlinear systems represented by a polytopic linear parameter varying (LPV) system with inexact scheduling parameters. In the traditional LPV approaches, the scheduling variables are considered to be perfectly known. However, in practical applications, their measurement may contain precision and calibration errors or noise that can affect the performance of the diagnostic systems. Therefore, this work proposes the design of a proportional multiple‐integral sliding mode observer for fault diagnosis (FD) that copes with LPV systems with inexact scheduling parameters. Due to the introduction of some nonlinear functions, the proposed observer is a nonlinear parameter varying system for which stability and robustness performance are formulated using the Lyapunov technique and a H∞ performance criterion. It is shown that the design conditions boil down to a set of linear matrix inequalities whose solution allows computing the observer gain matrix along with the tunable parameters of the nonlinear functions. Results obtained using the simulator of an octocopter‐type unmanned aerial vehicle are used to demonstrate the applicability and performance of the proposed FD scheme.
Disseminating legislative debates: How legislators communicate the parliamentary agenda

While a rich literature addresses legislative agenda-setting in multiparty democracies, relatively little is known how members of parliament disseminate the legislative agenda beyond the parliamentary floor. Drawing on content analyses of 110 legislative debates and 5,847 press releases from Austrian MPs (2013–2017), we test whether legislators are more likely to send press releases on issues that are salient to their party (party agenda-setting) and to other parties in the party system (systemic salience). MPs should also communicate more on issues that fall within their area of expertise (issue specialization) and when they have given a speech on that issue during the legislative debate (intra-party delegation). While we find empirical support for all these expectations, communication of the legislative agenda largely rests on each parties’ issue specialists and their speakers in plenary debates. Importantly, there is no significant discrepancy overall between the actual parliamentary issue agenda and the agenda communicated by party MPs.
Optimization of Electric Vehicle Charging Points Based on Efficient Use of Chargers and Providing Private Charging Spaces

Electric vehicles are a mobility innovation that can help significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. However, increasing numbers of electric vehicles require the construction of a dense charging infrastructure with a sufficient number of chargers. Based on the identified requirements for existing electric vehicle users and potential new customers, the paper proposes a charging point model for an urban area equipped with a local transformer station and a sufficient number of low-power chargers. In particular, the model focuses on efficient use of chargers throughout the day, considering private rental of chargers paid by residents in the evening. The model uses an optimization method that compares the non-covered fixed costs due to unsold electricity to nonresidents and the annualized costs of building an additional transformer. The proposed optimal charging point solution was tested in a case study using real data capturing users’ habits and their arrivals in and departures from the car park. As our model results show, the great benefit of a park-and-ride car park equipped with chargers consists of a simple increase in car park efficiency, ensuring sufficient numbers of private charging lots, optimizing operating costs, and supporting the development of electromobility.
Prevalence, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Macrolide Molecular Study in Vaginal Group B Streptococcus: A Five-Year Study among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tunisia

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is an important perinatal pathogen. It is considered as a leading cause of stillbirth and early onset neonatal infections. The epidemiology of maternal GBS colonization is poorly understood in Tunisia. We investigated genital GBS carriage prevalence and its associated risk factors in pregnant women. Antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated for isolated strains; macrolide gene resistance and capsular serotyping were also performed.
Catalytic activity and controllable deposition of platinum nanoparticles on ionic polymer-functionalized graphene as catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are considered promising candidates for mobile and -erating temperature [1]. Moreover, platinum (Pt) is an excellent catalyst and one of the best electrode materials for DMFCs [2-4]. However, the high cost, low electrocatalytic activity and stability of common Pt catalyst inhibit their broad application for DMFCs [3]. It is well known that the electrocatalytic performance of a fuel cell greatly depends on the composi-tion, shape, size, and dispersion of the catalyst nanoparticles (NPs). The materials supporting catalyst play an important role in controlling these properties [5]. However, during fuel-cell operation, a gradual oxidation of the carbon support leads to detachment of Pt NPs from the carbon support, allowing their agglomeration, which can reach an unacceptable level [6]. In the past few years, graphene has emerged as the ideal material for a variety of dif-ferent energy applications including fuel cells, Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and solar cells. This is because of its large thermal conductivity, high surface area, high mechanical stability, and excellent electrical conductivity [7]. Chemical modification of the inert surface of graphene sheets is necessary for the uniform dispersion of Pt NPs. Currently, chemical modification is achieved by methods including acid oxidation, ionic liquid [8], and conduc-tive polymer [9]. Recently, we developed a facile and efficient route to decorate Pt NPs onto reduced gra-phene oxide (RGO) functionalized with poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) ( PDDA), as acationic polymer. In this work, we investigated the synergistic effect of a poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS)-functionalized graphene support and PDDA polymer for obtain-ing better electrocatalytic performance for DMFCs. These results demonstrated that, with high electronic conductivity and easier charge transfer, Pt/PDDA- PSS-functionalized RGO (PRGO) exhibited higher activity and stability than did Pt-decorated PDDA-RGO (Pt/PDDA-RGO), and Pt-decorated RGO (Pt/RGO). PSS (MW = 70,000) and PDDA (20 wt% in water) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Graphite (99.9%) was purchased from Bay Carbon Inc. (Bay City, MI, USA) and H2PtCl66H2O was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Ethanol (99.8%), methanol (99.8%), and ethylene glycol (EG, 99.0%) were purchased from DAE JUNG Company and used without further purification. Distilled water was used in all preparation experiments.Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized from graphite powders using a modified Hummer’s method [10]. Briefly, graphite powders were first oxidized by sulfuric acid (H
Antioxidant and antimicrobial responses associated with in vitro salt stress of in vitro and in vivo grown Pistacia khinjuk stocks

P. khinjuk Stocks, known as Bıttım or Buttum in Turkey, is a member of the Anacardiaceae family. The essential oil of khinjuk pistachio has been used to treat various illnesses because of their anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antipyretic, antibacterial, anthelmintic, antiviral effects in various folk medicines. At the same time, fruits of khinjuk pistachio are used as edible wild fruits. In this study, it was aimed to determine and compare the antibacterial, antioxidant activities and total phenolic and flavonoid amounts of different parts (root, stem and leaf explants) of in vivo (grown naturally) and in vitro derived khinjuk pistachio plants under salt (NaCl) stress. Ethanol extracted explants were used for performing biological and chemical parameters. According to the results, generally, in vivo samples shows higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activity besides the higher number of phenolic compounds than their counterparts in vitro. We have also determined that the biological activity of in vitro salt elicited explants was higher than in vitro control explants. Generally, both female and male in vivo samples have higher antioxidants (DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC) and antimicrobial activities than in vitro samples. The various plant parts (root, stem, leaf) belonging to both in vivo and in vitro samples have different biological activity level. In terms of antimicrobial activity, female plant extracts are more active than all other tested extracts. As a result, although increased salinity values significantly reduced antimicrobial activity, it is determined that 100 mM NaCl applications to in vitro leaf extracts exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and C. albicans.
Practical model with strong interpretability and predictability: An explanatory model for individuals' destination prediction considering personal and crowd travel behavior

Real‐time individuals' destination prediction is of great significance for real‐time user tracking, service recommendation and other related applications. Traditional technology mainly used statistical methods based on the travel patterns mined from personal history travel data. However, it is not clear how to predict the destinations of individuals with only limited personal historical data. In this paper, taking the public transportation metro systems as example, we design a practical method called practical model with strong interpretability and predictability to predict each passenger's destination. Our main novelties are two aspects: (1) We propose to predict individuals' destination by combining personal and crowd behavior under certain context. (2) An explanatory model combining discrete choice model and neural network model is proposed to predict individuals' stochastic trip's destination, which can be applied to other transportation analysis scenarios about individuals' choice behavior such as travel mode choice or route choice. We validate our method based on extensive experiments, using smart card data collected by automatic fare collection system and weather data in Shenzhen, China. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach can achieve better performance than other baselines in terms of prediction accuracy.
Zoomshock: The Geography and Local Labour Market Consequences of Working from Home

The increase in the extent of working-from-home determined by the COVID-19 health crisis has led to a substantial shift of economic activity across geographical areas; which we refer to as a Zoomshock. When a person works from home rather than at the office, their work-related consumption of goods and services provided by the locally consumed service industries will take place where they live, not where they work. Much of the clientele of restaurants, coffee bars, pubs, hair stylists, health clubs, taxi providers and the like located near workplaces is transferred to establishment located near where people live. In this paper we measure the Zoomshock at a very granular level by estimating the change in the number of people working in UK neighbourhoods due to home-working.
Cu-Mo2C/MCM-41: An Efficient Catalyst for the Selective Synthesis of Methanol from CO2

Supported molybdenum carbide (yMo2C/M41) and Cu-promoted molybdenum carbide, using a mechanical mixing and co-impregnation method (xCuyMo2C/M41-M and xCuyMo2C/M41-I) on a mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41, were prepared by temperature-programmed carburization method in a CO/H2 atmosphere at 1073 K, and their catalytic performances were tested for CO2 hydrogenation to form methanol. Both catalysts, which were promoted by Cu, exhibited higher catalytic activity. In comparison to 20Cu20Mo2C/M41-M, the 20Cu20Mo2C/M41-I catalyst exhibited a stronger synergistic effect between Cu and Mo2C on the catalyst surface, which resulted in a higher selectivity for methanol in the CO2 hydrogenation reaction. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the highest selectivity (63%) for methanol was obtained at a CO2 conversion of 8.8% over the 20Cu20Mo2C/M41-I catalyst.
Soft Sensor for Online Cement Fineness Predicting in Ball Mills

The cement fineness is a determining factor in product quality. Estimating this variable in real-time can be extremely useful to maintain the desired characteristics of the product during the cement grinding process, which will also allow a significant increase in the system energy efficiency. This paper describes the design and implementation of a soft sensor based on a backpropagation neural network model to predict the cement fineness online in a ball mill. The input variables of these models were selected by studying the cement grinding process, applying Spearman's rank correlation, and the mutual information (MI) algorithm. The fineness results of laboratory tests were collected to obtain the output variable and for training the models. The procedure of extracting, analyzing, treating, and cleaning raw data received from the factory and the intensified hyperparameter adjustment of the predicting model provided excellent soft sensor performance. The developed system was tested in a cement grinding process and demonstrated the ability to provide information about the variables previously obtained only through offline laboratory tests.
Uso do software NVIVO como ferramenta auxiliar da organização de informações na análise textual discursiva

The use of software programs in analyses of qualitative research has increased lately; as a result, it has triggered production of programs, which are capable of providing several resources. This paper approaches the use of the NVivo Software Program, version 12 Pro, as an auxiliary tool in the process of information organization and systematization in the methodological route of the Discourse Textual Analysis (DTA) proposed by Moraes and Galiazzi. In an ongoing doctoral study, the NVivo Software Program shows that its resources agree with epistemological and methodological principles of the DTA and effectively contribute to all steps of the analysis process. Some of its advantages are the possibilities of importing files from different sources, of moving around the corpus quickly and precisely, of taking notes, of accessing links and of creating maps and word clouds. Disadvantages include the cost of the software program and the scarce production of material and tutorials that address its use. Keywords: Discourse Textual Analysis; NVivo Software Program; Qualitative Research.
Superovulatory Response and Progesterone Profile in Murrah Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) Pretreated with GnRH Agonist

Background: Limited elite buffalo population need to be propagated at faster rate to sustain the dairy industry in India. Faster propagation could be achieved through embryo transfer technology. Low serum progesterone concentrations during the start of superstimulatory treatment is major factor that hampers the success of multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET) in buffaloes. This study evaluated the effect of GnRH pretreatment before superovulatory regimen on progesterone profile, superovulation and correlation of progesterone with superstimulatory parameter in Murrah buffaloes. Methods: Buffaloes (n=27) were superstimulated using 600 mg Folltropin and divided into three groups on basis of pretreatment: Group I and group II were pretreated with GnRH @ 10 µg and 06 µg, respectively while no pretreatment was subjected in group III (control). Progesterone hormone concentration, superovulatory response, ovulation rate, embryo recovery were recorded. Result: Our study revealed that superovulatory response was non-significantly different in all three groups and ranged from 6-8 in terms of number of corpus luteum (CL). Average number of recovered embryos in this study was nearly 2.0. A positive correlation between progesterone concentrations at the initiation of FSH treatment with number of CL and embryo recovery was observed. The study indicated that GnRH pretreatment before superstimulation improve the serum progesterone concentration, superovulatory response and embryo recovery in Murrah buffaloes.
Brassica oleracea Prevents HCl/Ethanol-Induced Gastric Damages in Mice

Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. (cabbage) is a popular vegetable with a wide range of pharmacological activities that help to promote human health. The present study investigated the beneficial effects of B. oleracea var. capitata L. extract (BOE) on HCl/ethanol (H/E)-induced gastric damages in mice. Pre-administration of BOE (25–100 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days significantly decreased macroscopically visible lesion on the gastric mucosa induced by H/E. In addition, results from hematoxylin and eosin-stained gastric tissue showed that BOE inhibited invaded percentage of lesion and prevented the reduction in mucosal thickness in peri-ulcerative region. BOE significantly alleviated the H/E-mediated decreases in Alcian blue binding, total hexose, sialic acid, and collagen in the gastric tissue, suggesting BOE attenuates the gastric damage via preserving the integrity of gastric mucus. Moreover, BOE significantly decreased histamine level in the plasma and reduced mRNA levels associated with secreting gastric acid. Furthermore, BOE inhibited myeloperoxidase activity and suppressed nuclear factor-κB mRNA and its dependent inflammatory genes expression induced by H/E. BOE also strengthened antioxidant enzyme activity, with a mitigating H/E-mediated increase in malondialdehyde level of the gastric tissue. Thus, these results suggest that BOE has the potential to protect the gastric tissue via inhibiting gastric acid secretion, inflammation, and oxidative stress.
Effect of Arsenic Toxicity on Chlorophyll Content and Antioxidative Enzymes Activities in Rice Seedlings

Aims: Arsenic (As) contamination in rice is at alarming level as majority of rice growing regions in India are As contaminated. Present investigation is designed to study the better understanding of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms in the amount of chlorophyll change and antioxidative enzymes activity under arsenic stress on rice variety IET-4786 (Shatabdi). Study Design: Completely Randomized Design. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was carried out in the departmental laboratory of Plant Physiology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), Mohanpur, Nadia,West Bengal during the year 2017-18. Methodology: Two classes of inorganic arsenic- As(V) in the form of Sodium arsenate (Na2HAsO4.7H2O, M. W. = 321.01) and As(III) in the form of Sodium arsenite (NaAsO2, M.W. =129.91) were added to the modified Hoagland nutrient solution@ 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5,15.0 mg L-1concentration. After 20 days of treatment, rice seedlings under arsenate/arsenite treatments were analyzed for change in total chlorophyll content and antioxidative enzymes activity such as superoxide dismutase (SOD: EC 1.15.1.1), catalase (CAT: EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX: EC1.11.1.11) and peroxidase (POD: EC 1.11.1.7). Results: A noticeable decrease in total chlorophyll content was observed with arsenic treatments as compared to control. Various antioxidative enzymes showed significant variable response upon exposure to As(III) and As(V). SOD activities increased at low arsenic exposure up to 7.5 mg L-1 but decreased with further increase in arsenic treatments. APX and POD activities were increased with increase in arsenic concentrations while CAT activity displayed decreasing trend. Conclusion: The results are suggestive of differential metabolism of As(III) and As(V) in rice and could exert harmfulness in the early development stage of rice at inappropriate concentrations.