Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A meeting point of entropy and bifurcations in cross-diffusion herding†

A cross-diffusion system modelling the information herding of individuals is analysed in a bounded domain with no-flux boundary conditions. The variables are the species' density and an influence function which modifies the information state of the individuals. The cross-diffusion term may stabilize or destabilize the system. Furthermore, it allows for a formal gradient-flow or entropy structure. Exploiting this structure, the global-in-time existence of weak solutions and the exponential decay to the constant steady state is proved in certain parameter regimes. This approach does not extend to all parameters. We investigate local bifurcations from homogeneous steady states analytically to determine whether this defines the validity boundary. This analysis shows that generically there is a gap in the parameter regime between the entropy approach validity and the first local bifurcation. Next, we use numerical continuation methods to track the bifurcating non-homogeneous steady states globally and to determine non-trivial stationary solutions related to herding behaviour. In summary, we find that the main boundaries in the parameter regime are given by the first local bifurcation point, the degeneracy of the diffusion matrix and a certain entropy decay validity condition. We study several parameter limits analytically as well as numerically, with a focus on the role of changing a linear damping parameter as well as a parameter controlling the cross-diffusion. We suggest that our paradigm of comparing bifurcation-generated obstructions to the parameter validity of global-functional methods could also be of relevance for many other models beyond the one studied here.
DIET OF THE WILD BOAR IN THE FRENCH ALPS

In France, as in many other European countries, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) population has increased rapidly in the last decade. Since 1990, mountainous areas have been particularly affected by the phenomenon. The growth of the wild boar population has led to an increase in the damage caused to meadows by the rooting activities of the animals. At the same time, little is known about the biology of wild boars in high elevation areas. A three-year study was undertaken to understand relationship between the diet of wild boars and damage to meadows. Diet analyses based on faecal and stomach content samples (n = 352) collected in two years (from April 1994 to April 1996). We observed strong variations in the composition of the diet throughout the year, both monthly and seasonally. All of these effects were related to food availability. Specific analyses of earthworm consumption by wild boars showed the considerable importance of those items in the wild boar diet in mountainous areas. We could not establish a relationship between earthworm consumption and belowground vegetation. Our results suggest that the rooting activities by wild boar are not directed solely toward earthworms.
Inflation Expectations and Consumer Spending at the Zero Bound: Micro Evidence

type="main" xml:id="ecin12176-abs-0001"> Standard theoretical models predict that higher inflation expectations generate greater current consumer spending at the zero lower bound of interest rates. However, recent empirical studies using U.S. micro data find negative results for this relationship. We use micro data for Japan, which has experienced low interest rates for a prolonged period, to estimate ordered probit models with a variety of controls. We find robust evidence supporting the prediction of standard models: survey respondents with higher expected inflation tend to indicate that their household has increased real spending compared with 1 year ago but will decrease it in the future. This relationship appears to be stronger for asset holders and older people . ( JEL E20, E21, E30, E31, E50, E52)
Facebook and Political Information in Italy and the UK: An Antidote against Political Fragmentation and Polarisation?

Due to the rise of digital technologies citizens can today counton innumerable and diverse sources of political information. Arguably such a proliferation of media choices in conjunction with a structural aspect of the internet, namely the presence of a pro-active and self-selecting audience, offers the conditions most conducive to selective exposure (Bimber & Davis 2003). The tendency for selectivity of the internet audience has raised serious concerns as it maylead to a more polarised and less informed electorate (Sunstein 2001, Polat 2005, Bennett & Iyengar 2008). However, despite many theoretical speculations, the relationship between the internet and the exposure to politically diverse information is still unclear. The present paper aims to contribute to this debate. Through a sequential explanatory mixed methods strategy, it examines the impact of Facebook on the consumption of political information in Italy and the United Kingdom and argues thatthis social networking website could reduce the risks of selective exposure and operate as an antidote against political fragmentation and polarization.
A Sectoral Efficiency Analysis of Malaysian Stock Exchange Under Structural Break

We investigated the weak-form market efficiency of nine daily sectoral indices of Malaysian stock market between 1996 and 2006. The structural break unit root tests evidenced most of the price indices characterized by mean-reverting process that violated the random walk process. These empirical results were in sharp contrast with the traditional unit-root test which ignored the economic crisis and currency control. Our findings concluded that the Malaysian sectoral stock markets were weak-form inefficient (except the property index) under the structural change.
A potential bias in coral reconstruction of sea surface temperature

Isotopic measurements in corals are used to reconstruct past sea surface temperature. These reconstructions are based on calibration regression analyses using paired measurements of modern isotopic composition and sea surface temperature. It is shown that error in these measurements of sea surface temperature can lead to substantial bias in reconstruction. Provided the variance of the measurement error is known or can be estimated, a simple correction can eliminate this bias.
Using design database structures to characterize freedom-to-operate in a design space: A legal case study

Novelty, and specifically freedom-to-operate (FTO), assessment is crucial step in launching and patenting a new product. We compare a traditional FTO analysis performed by a patent lawyer and expert in chemistry and pharmaceutical technology with the outcomes of a computational method. The computational method discovers the structural form of a set of patents using a text-derived similarity data, creating a descriptive space of the potentially relevant prior art. A test formulation of a fabricated new pharmaceutical drug was developed for the FTO and computational analysis, and strengths and areas for improvement of the computational method were identified. FTO analysis is time consuming and labor intensive, and results indicated that with further development, the computational method could aid patent lawyers in getting a faster and fresh snapshot of the space of prior art, and even point to patents most relevant to a proposed new product. Areas for improvement are intrinsic knowledge of the computational method in the field of application, and finding which sections of patents lead to most accurate representations of the space, and further automation and efficiency.
Drying behaviour of Andrographis paniculata in vacuum drying.

Hempedu bumi (Andrographis paniculata, AP), also known as the king of bitters, is an herb commonly found in Asian communities for medicinal usage. The drying behaviour of AP at temperatures of 40, 50, and 60°C with vacuum pressures of 10 and 30 kPa was investigated in this study. The data were then fitted with semi-theoretical and theoretical thin-layer drying models. The results reveal that the drying time is significantly (p<0.05) affected by temperature and pressure. A two-term, thin-layer model was determined as the most suitable model to fit the drying behaviour of AP. The effective diffusivity and active energy for moisture diffusion were 10-13 m2/s and 33.4 kJ/mol, respectively.
A Comparative Analysis of Vessels Detained under the PSC Agreements of Paris, Tokyo and Viña del Mar

Twenty years ago, in 1992, the International Maritime Organization set the objective of extending the regional Port State Control agreements to the world scale. This would be achieved, it was hoped, by "exporting" the model of the Paris MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) agreement of 1982 to other regional areas. Now would seem to be a good time to consider the prospects for a future scenario where all the countries involved form a truly global network with uniform procedures. The authors of this article put forward an earlier objective that could be the beginning of that global policy, from a detailed look at the three most important regional agreements (Paris, Tokyo and Vina del Mar) that encompass geographically the following areas, respectively: Europe plus Canada, the Asia-Pacific, and South America. To this end, we first make a theoretical comparison based on the legal standards of application, and then present a study made of all the vessels detained under the three agreements, with a view to determining whether or not there are different kinds of behaviours, with regard to the flags and "recognised organizations" used by the vessels to certify their levels of safety. The numerical variables we have taken as basic with respect to compliance with the international standards are: the date that the vessel's keel was laid (age of the vessel) and as significant categorical variables, the type of vessel, the flag, the typology of that flag, the corresponding classification society, and whether or not that society is a member of the IACS (International Association of Classification Societies). The results show a similar trend between the Paris and Tokyo agreements, but in the case of Vina del Mar, the level of efficacy in the control appears to be insufficient in comparison with the standard of the other two.
Determining When a Student Requires Paraeducator Support

decide when they need to hire paraeducators, or teaching assistants? When should the individualized education program (IEP) require the use of paraeducators? How do schools prevent overreliance on paraprofessionals? How can they encourage communication among educators and paraeducators and prevent burnout among paraeducators? To address some of these issues (see box, “What Does the Literature Say? ”), we developed a process to help IEP teams determine when to assign paraeducators to support students with disabilities. This article outlines the rationale for developing the process and then describes the formal, decision-making model, its benefits, and its effects.
A procedure for point clouds matching from range data and image-based systems

Most of the survey techniques used in archaeology and architecture are focused on range-data (laser scanning) and image-based systems (digital photogrammetry). The paper aims to highlight a different methodological approach in the acquisition and processing procedures of the numerical data. The proposed methodology suggests an alternative way to match point clouds from laser scanner and image-based systems, exploiting the properties of the ICP algorithms. Some tests were performed at different scale in order to achieve the suitable procedure, evidencing the differences with the classic employed methods. The figures show this comparison and the making of the new procedure. The results are very interesting and concerned the merging of the numerical models from different sources. The correct position of the points in space aids the next step of the surface reconstruction (meshing process) and the final 2D representation.
Using humanitarian aid to ‘win hearts and minds’: a costly failure?

Abstract This article contends that the integration of humanitarian assistance in efforts to ‘win hearts and minds’ in counter-insurgencies has not been successful, and that the costs, both operational and legal, clearly outweigh any benefits. It demonstrates how such manipulation of humanitarian assistance runs counter to fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. In addition, a growing body of research suggests that the use of short-term aid and relief programmes as part of counter-insurgency has been ineffectual, and that, in places such as Afghanistan, it may even have undermined the overall military goal of defeating insurgents. With the United States and NATO military operations winding down in Afghanistan, it is time for the military and policy-makers reviewing ‘winning hearts and minds’ as a counter-insurgency strategy to draw the lessons and recognize the importance of a neutral and independent space for humanitarian aid.
A Closer Look at Parental Monitoring : Adolescent Disclosure and Concealment

A Closer Look at Parental Monitoring: Adolescent Disclosure and Concealment Chelom Leavitt School of Family Life Master of Science Given potential risk factors in the lives of adolescents, parents are usually motivated to monitor and protect their adolescents. There is a need to better understand what combinations of parental dimensions and practice best influence an adolescent’s propensity to disclose or conceal personal information with their parents. This paper examines how parenting dimensions (warmth, psychological control, and harsh punishment) and the parenting practice of solicitation influence an adolescent’s propensity to disclose or conceal information. Adolescents in 106 families (53 females; predominantly Caucasian) reported on their mothers’ and fathers’ parenting dimensions as well as their parents’ effort to solicit information. Factor analysis was conducted on the measure typically used for disclosure to test whether the items measured only disclosure or if two distinct adolescent outcomes of disclosure and concealment were more appropriate. Results supported our contention that disclosure and concealment might be considered separately. Other results indicated a positive association between adolescents’ disclosure and the positive parenting dimension warmth and parental solicitation. There was a negative association between disclosure and harsh punishment in the father-son dyad. Psychological control was positively associated with concealment for both adolescent boys and girls. With a few exceptions, same gendered dyads (father-son , mother-daughter) showed the most associations between parenting dimensions and practices and disclosure or concealment.
Dynamics of Early Fermentation of Italian Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) Silage

The dynamics of fermentation were studied with Italian ryegrass ensiled in the laboratory silos. The silos were kept in the room set at 25°C, and then were opened on 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after ensiling, respectively. The samples were taken from three silos at each sampling time for chemical analyses. Mono-and disaccharides composition was determined for glucose, fructose and sucrose by high performance liquid chromatography. The Italian ryegrass silage succeeded to achieve lactate type fermentation; high values of lactic acid (85.83 g/kg) and lactic acid/acetic acid at the end of ensiling (14 day), low values of pH (3.74), acetic acid (5.38 g/kg), ethanol (19.20 g/kg) and NH3-N/Total N (75.84 g/kg), no or only small amounts of butyric acid, valeric acid and propionic acid. The fermentation dynamics showed a fast and large pH decrease caused by a fast and large production of lactic acid during the first 5 days. Mono-and disaccharides composition largely decreased within initial 0.5 day (12 h) of ensiling. Sucrose disappeared rapidly within initial 0.5 day of ensiling, and fructose and glucose contents showed an initial rise during ensiling, and then decreased gradually. These indicated that the enzymes of plant tissue were active within 2 days of ensiling, which caused the initial rise in fructose and glucose from the hydrolysis of sucrose and fructans. After 5 days of ensilage, glucose was consumed completely, suggesting that glucose was the first fermentation substrate. After 2 days of ensiling, sum amounts of lactic acid and remaining mono-and disaccharides proved to be larger than the quantity of mono-and disaccharides in the initial grass. From the facts mentioned above, it was suggested that considerable amounts of lactic acid were produced from some other substrate such as fructans than initial mono-and disaccharides. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. Vol 15, No. 11 : 1606-1610)
The “Indy way”: Lessons from Brazilian sugar-cane biofuel supply chain

This paper explores how the Brazilian sugar-energetic processors used Indycar racing to increase exports to the United States and create value by transforming the Brazilian ethanol from a commodity fuel to an advanced biofuel, between 2009 to 2012. This case study uses the relationship between Brazilian Sugar-cane Industry Association (UNICA), Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (APEX-Brazil), and the IndyCar Racing League (IRL), to show the ability to learn and perform in a competitive scenario. Absorptive Capacity (ACAP) theory is used to understand how the Brazilian sugar-energetic processors identified, assimilated, transformed, and exploited knowledge from this relationship, as well as how this experience could be used in other industries. As a trading result, Brazilian biofuel exports to the United States increased 758.22% during the studied period and the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), an American tax act in vigor since the 1970’s, was extinguished at the end of 2011. The main contribution of this study: Identify how the Absorptive Capacity Theory can explain such impacts in the Brazilian Biofuel exports through the relationship between partners in the U.S. and Brazil.
The Evaluation of Photogrammetry-Based DSM from Low- Cost UAV by LiDAR-Based DSM

Background and Purpose: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are flexible to solve various surveying tasks which make them useful in many disciplines, including forestry. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the quality of photogrammetry-based digital surface model (DSM) from low-cost UAV’s images collected in non-optimal weather (windy and cloudy weather) and environmental (inaccessibility for regular spatial distribution of ground control points - GCPs) conditions. Materials and Methods: The UAV-based DSMs without (DSMP) and with using GCPs (DSMP- GCP) were generated. The vertical agreement assessment of the UAV-based DSMs was conducted by comparing elevations of 60 checkpoints of a regular 100 m sampling grid obtained from LiDAR-based DSM (DSML) with the elevations of planimetrically corresponding points obtained from DSMP and DSMP-GCP. Due to the non-normal distribution of residuals (vertical differences between UAV- and LiDAR-based DSMs), a vertical agreement was assessed by using robust measures: median, normalised median absolute deviation (NMAD), 68.3% quantile and 95% quantile. Results: As expected, DSMP-GCP shows higher accuracy, i.e. higher vertical agreement with DSML than DSMP. The median, NMAD, 68.3% quantile, 95% quantile and RMSE* (without outliers) values for DSMP are 2.23 m, 3.22 m, 4.34 m, 15.04 m and 5.10 m, respectively, whereas for DSMP-GCP amount to -1.33 m, 2.77 m, 0.11 m, 8.15 m and 3.54 m, respectively. Conclusions: The obtained results confirmed great potential of images obtained by low-cost UAV for forestry applications, even if they are surveyed in non-optimal weather and environmental conditions. This could be of importance for cases when urgent UAV surveys are needed (e.g. detection and estimation of forest damage) which do not allow careful and longer survey planning. The vertical agreement assessment of UAV-based DSMs with LiDAR-based DSM confirmed the importance of GCPs for image orientation and DSM generation. Namely, a considerable improvement in vertical accuracy of UAV-based DSMs was observed when GCPs were used.
The Relationship between Economic Value Added with Liquidity and Returns in Companies Listed in Tehran Stock Exchange

Background: Economic Value Added is one of the most useful measures for managers’ performance evaluation. Another economical criterion used for distinguishing between company’s market value and invested capital in the company is market value added. Objective: In this paper it has been tried to study the relationship between economic value added with liquidity and returns of listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange. For this purpose we have a sample of 510 companies who have been present in exchange market during the years of 2005-2010. The companies selected for our sample are those which their financial statements are available for the mentioned period, their fiscal year hasn’t been changed during the above mentioned period, the end of their fiscal year is the same, i.e. the last month of each year and their stock have been traded during the mentioned years. With application the above mentioned conditions the number of research sample reduces to 98 companies. Liquidity and returns are dependent research variables, economic value added is independent variable and controlled variables include company size and the ratio of book value to market value of equity. In this paper the regression model has been used. Results and Conclusion: The results of the research indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between economic added value and stock liquidity. Also there is a significant and positive relationship between economic added value and returns. Finally the results indicate that there is a significant difference in the relationship between economic added value with liquidity in listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange and returns.
DIFFERENCE OF COPING STRATEGIES BETWEEN EARLY ADOLESCENT MALES AND FEMALES

Background: A number of studies argued that women and men have differences in both quantity and quality of psychosocial health problems, and women are more prone to depression (Compas, Orosan, & Grant, 1993). This latter may be explained by the gender differences of the ways of coping (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). Objective: To determine the differences of coping strategies between early adolescents male and female. Methods: Independent Sample T-Test was operated to examine the difference of coping strategies between early adolescents male and female. Instrument: Coping strategies were assessed using the newly developed Self-Report Coping Scale (SRCS, Causey & Dubow, 1992). Results: Results indicated a non-significant trend in approach coping strategy for early adolescent females (M = 48.20, SD = 6.48) over early adolescent males (M = 45.00, SD = 8.78), t(79) = -1.88, p = . 06. On the other hand, there was a significant effect for gender in avoidance coping strategy, t(79) = -2.40, p = . 02, with early adolescent females receiving a higher score than early adolescent males. Conclusion: The findings supported the previous evidence that the coping strategy between early adolescents male and female was differ.
Spatial Kinetics Model of Supercavitating Vehicles Reflecting Conic-Like Oscillation

A spatial kinetics model for supercavitating vehicles including the coupled motion of pitch, yaw, and rolling was presented. Mathematical simulations were performed to investigate dynamic performance of supercavitating vehicles. An intrinsic conic-like oscillation in the motion of supercavitating vehicles was discovered. A lakebed experiment was carried out to validate the oscillation. Good agreement is achieved between simulation and experiment in terms of the amplitude and frequency of attitude angles. The steady phase difference between the motions in different planes is also accurately captured which is about . The conic-like oscillation is attributed to the occurrence of the tail-slap motion in the vertical and horizontal planes and the steady phase difference.