Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fishing power and standardised catch rates: Implications of missing vessel-characteristic data from the Australian eastern king prawn fishery

Standardised time series of fishery catch rates require collations of fishing power data on vessel characteristics. Linear mixed models were used to quantify fishing power trends and study the effect of missing data encountered when relying on commercial logbooks. For this, Australian eastern king prawn (Melicertus plebejus) harvests were analysed with historical (from vessel surveys) and current (from commercial logbooks) vessel data. Between 1989 and 2010, fishing power increased up to 76%. To date, both forward-filling and, alternatively, omitting records with missing vessel information from commercial logbooks produce broadly similar fishing power increases and standardised catch rates, due to the strong influence of years with complete vessel data (16 out of 23 years of data). However, if gaps in vessel information had not originated randomly and skippers from the most efficient vessels were the most diligent at filling in logbooks, considerable errors would be introduced. Also, the buffering effect of complete years would be short lived as years with missing data accumulate. Given ongoing changes in fleet profile with high-catching vessels fishing proportionately more of the fleet’s effort, compliance with logbook completion, or alternatively ongoing vessel gear surveys, is required for generating accurate estimates of fishing power and standardised catch rates.
Cellularity Description of Adipose Depots in Domesticated Animals

Cellularity of adipose tissue in domesticated animals varies not only with species, sex, age and management conditions but also with depot. Differences in depots are important in animal production because of the economic and welfare implications and in humans in relation to obesity. The final amount of fat and its composition depends on the differentiation of mesenchymal multipotent precursor cells into mature adipocytes (adipogenesis) capable of fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis (lipogenesis), both processes being regulated by different key adipogenic and lipogenic genes, some of are well known and have been described. Histologically, differences can be classified as hyperplasia (an increase in adipocyte number) and hypertrophy (an increase in adipocyte size), processes that can produce adipocyte size distributions that are not necessarily Gaussian. A detailed description of the type of adipocyte size distribution can help distinguish the different adipocyte populations within depots and characterise each not only in terms of the size but also the number of the constituting cells. This description can help better understand the development and role of the different depots. It can also help when analysing causal relationships with adipogenic drivers and lipogenic enzymes involved in lipid metabolism.
Sanfilippo syndrome: Cellulose affinity purification of α-N-acetylglucosaminidase for uptake studies

Human-N-acetylglucosaminidase (Naglu) is a lysosomal acid hydrolase deficient in Mucopolysaccharidosis III type B (Sanfilippo syndrome B). We have expressed Naglu in Spodoptera frugiperda 9 (Sf9) cells as a fusion protein with the cellulose binding affinity domain and an eleven amino acid protein transduction domain (PTD) from the HIV-Tat protein. Our aims are to develop an affinity method to purify Naglu efficiently and to facilitate delivery of Naglu across the blood-brain barrier, thus allowing enzyme replacement therapy to treat neurological symptoms. Cellulose affinity purification, followed by removal of the affinity tag via a Factor Xa cleavage site, allowed simple and efficient production of highly purified and catalytically active Naglu-PTD enzyme for uptake and cell permeation studies, with 382-fold purification and 18% yield from concentrated Sf9 culture medium.
A density function connected with a non-negative self-decomposable random variable

The innovation random variable for a non-negative self-decomposable random variable can have a compound Poisson distribution. In this case, we provide the density function for the compounded variable. When it does not have a compound Poisson representation, there is a straightforward and easily available compound Poisson approximation for which the density function of the compounded variable is also available. These results can be used in the simulation of Ornstein–Uhlenbeck type processes with given marginal distributions. Previously, simulation of such processes used the inverse of the corresponding tail Lévy measure. We show this approach corresponds to the use of an inverse cdf method of a certain distribution. With knowledge of this distribution and hence density function, the sampling procedure is open to direct sampling methods. E-mail: maprm@bath.ac. uk
Natural Resources, Institutions Quality, and Economic Growth; A Cross-Country Analysis

Abstract[1] Natural resources as a source of wealth can increase prosperity or impede economic growth. Empirical studies with different specifications and data are also mixed on whether natural resources are curse or blessing. In fact, the variety of model specifications, measurements, and samples in the empirical literature makes it difficult to generalize the results. In this study, a growth model including natural resources is developed to estimate the effect of natural resource dependency on economic growth, using different measures of natural resources and controlling for the quality of institutions in 149 countries during 1996-2010. The results show that natural resource abundance, proxied by per capita natural wealth, has a positive and significant effect on GDP growth. However, the impact of natural resource dependency on GDP growth depends on the type of natural resources and the quality of institutions. Fuel dependency, for example, can be considered a strong curse, as it has no effect on GDP growth, and agriculture and food dependency a weak curse, as it can increase GDP growth in the presence of good institutional qualities. Results also show that among different indexes used for institutional qualities, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, and rule of law are more effective in avoiding the negative effect of resource dependency. The thresholds above which different types of institutional qualities can turn a curse to a blessing are also estimated for different types of natural resource dependency. [1]. We would like to thank participants at the Departmental Seminar at the University of Saskatchewan in October 2013, the STM faculty seminar in November 2014, and the 7th International Interdisciplinary Social Science Conference, held in Barcelona, Spain, June 2012, for their helpful comments.
SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF DISABILITY BY TEACHERS AND PARENTS: ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENT OF THEIR NARRATIONS

AIM: understand the social representations of disability in the school context METODOLOGY: purpose-built questionnaire with open answers, consisting of 10 questions, was used. RESULTS: the operators interviewed undoubtedly framed the disabled student in a non-medicalization perspective, albeit with qualitative differences; all teachers and all parents have de facto provided representative modalities that are often collusive between themselves; only the families of students with disabilities can provide significant information on therapeutic opportunities or previous educational experiences that may give relevant results in terms of both behaviour and profit.
Radiation Tolerant, Low Noise Phase Locked Loops in 65 nm CMOS Technology

This work presents an introduction to radiation hardened Phase Locked Loops (PLLs) for nuclear and high-energy physics application. An experimental circuit has been fabricated and irradiated with Xrays up to 600 Mrad. Heavy ions with an LET between 3.2 and 69.2 MeV.cm2 /mg were used to verify the SEU cross section of the devices. A Two-photon Absorption (TPA) laser facility has been used to provide detailed results on the SEU sensitivity. The presented circuit employs TMR in the digital logic and an asynchronous phase-frequency detector (PFD) is presented. The PLL has a ringand LC-oscillator to be compared experimentally. The circuit has been fabricated in a 65 nm CMOS technology.
Retrofit of Ressalat jacket platform (Persian Gulf) using friction damper device

A friction damper device (FDD) is used for vibration control of an existing steel jacket platform under seismic excitation. First, the damping is presented for vibration mitigation of structures located in seismically active zones. A new method for quick design of friction or yielding damping devices is presented. The effectiveness of the damping system employing such FDDs in a jacket platform is evaluated numerically. The influence of key parameters of the damping system on the vibration suppression of the offshore structure is studied in detail. To examine the vibration control effectiveness of the FDD for the jacket platform, performance of the controlled structure under the seismic forces is studied using numerical simulations. A parametric study is undertaken to discover the optimized slip load and brace area of the FDD. It is shown that the FDD is effective in mitigating the dynamic responses of the offshore platform structure.
Genetical diversity analysis of Iranian Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis by PCR - RAPD marker

Fusariums wilt of melon, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis is one of the most important diseases, causing tremendous losses in melon growing areas in Iran. Searching for resistant sources needs detail knowledge of the pathogen. Thus, genetical diversity of the pathogen were assessed on various isolates through out of important melon's growing areas, using differential standard hosts and molecular marker PCR - RAPD. The results indicated that, eighty percent of the isolates are pathogenic to the melon crops. Forma specials proving tests on seedlings of melon, cucumber, watermelon and pea showed typical symptoms of the disease on melon plants, confirming the only forma specials of melon. For the race identification tests, differential hosts were used, out of which, the existence of race one was approved. PCR - RAPD profile showed a polymorphism among populations of the pathogen and cluster analysis divided them into seven genotypic groups accordingly.
Identifying QTLs for Fiber Content and Agronomic Characters in Sugarcane Using AFLP Markers

Sugarcane is a highly complex poly-aneuploid, heterozygous, interspecific polyploid and cultivars commonly have over 100 chromosomes. The population of 168 progenies from a cross between a sugarcane commercial variety (K 93-207) and a S. spontaneum clone (MPT 97-1) were evaluated in a replicated field trial. Stalk diameter and tillering were recorded at harvesting and subsequently plant material was evaluated for fiber content. Clones were significantly different (P<0.01) for all traits analyzed. A total of 180 AFLP simplex markers were used to analyze the inheritance of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for stalk diameter, tillering and fiber content. Thirty putative QTLs from the simplex markers were identified for these three traits. Each QTL explained from 3.7 to 10.7% of the variation for stalk diameter and 3.7 to 9.9% for fiber content. For tillering each QTL explained from 4-8% of the variation. K 93-207 contributed a positive effect to the QTLs for stalk diameter and a negative effect for the QTLs for fiber content and tillering. MPT 97-1 contributed a negative effect to the QTLs for stalk diameter and a positive effect for fiber content and tillering. Ten of the QTLs from both parents were identified as contributing to more than one trait. However, these markers were not available for all parts of this very highly complex genome. Further work will be needed to identify more markers in this population.
Atrial fibrillation detection using support vector machine and electrocardiographic descriptive statistics

This paper proposes a new technique for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF). The method employs electrocardiographic features and support vector machine (SVM). The features include descriptive statistics of electrocardiographic RR interval. The RR interval is the distance in time between two consecutive R-peaks of electrocardiogram. AF detections using SVM with different electrocardiographic features and different SVM free parameters are explored. Employing SVM with the optimal free parameters and all the proposed electrocardiographic features, we find an AF detection technique with a comparable performance. The best performance obtained by the technique is 98.47% and 97.84%, in terms of sensitivity and specificity.
Material Selection and Fabrication Processes for Flexible Conformal Antennas

Flexible antennas offer many advantages for communication, radar, RF identification, and energy harvesting applications. A review on the material selection and fabrication process of flexible antennas is presented since these aspects are critical to the antenna’s overall electrical and mechanical performance. A number of different material and fabrication techniques are reviewed in detail for different types of antennas. In addition, experimental results are also discussed for these antennas, which further underlines the importance of material selection and the various fabrication processes.
Dietary Effect of Selenium-Enriched Radish Sprouts, Vitamin E and Rhodobacter Capsulatus on Hypocholesterolemia and Immunity of Broiler

The study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary Selenium-enriched radish sprouts (Se-RS), Vitamin E (Vit E), and Rhodobacter capsulatus (RC) on immunity, cholesterol concentration, and fatty acid composition in broiler meat. A total of 100 two-week-old male broiler chicks were randomly assigned into five dietary groups: I) Control; II) Se-RS (5 μg/kg Se-RS); III) Se-RS+RC (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 0.2 g/kg RC); IV) Se-RS+Vit E (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 50 mg/kg Vit E) and V) Se-RS+RC+Vit E (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 0.2 g/kg RC + 50 mg/kg Vit E). Diets and clean drinking water were offered ad libitum. After the end of 3-wk of feeding period, serum cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations were lower (P < 0.05) in broilers fed Se-RS + RC + Vit E supplemented diet compared to the control diet. At the end of the 6-wk feeding period, birds fed the Se-RS+RC+Vit E diet significantly (P < 0.05) reduced cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations and improved the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids in broiler meat. The highest (P < 0.05) number of leukocytes was observed in broilers fed Se-RS+RC+Vit E supplemented diet. Foot web index and weights of spleen, bursa, and thymus were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in birds fed Se-RS+RC+Vit E compared to the control diet. Our findings suggest that there are dual benefits of supplementing broiler diets with Se-RS+RC+Vit E because of improvements in the bird’s immunity and meat quality that is important for health conscious consumers.
Beyond Politics: Do Directors with a Political Background Make Firms Greener?

This study examines whether former politicians on corporate boards may be helpful for the implementation of green strategies. Following a resource-based view of the firm, we argue that directors with a political background can provide firms with resources and capabilities that are valuable for meeting communication and implementation challenges of creating an effective and substantive environmental management strategy. We also consider the possibility that appointments of politicians to the board are purely symbolic acts intended to enhance the publicÂ´s image, without any change in the environmental performance of the firm. We develop testable hypotheses for each of these ideas.
TRADE LIBERALIZATION, TECHNOLOGY IMPORT AND EMPLOYMENT: EVIDENCE OF SKILL UPGRADING IN THE TUNISIAN CONTEXT

There are increasing studies that address the skill upgrading in developing countries. If the theoretical analyses yield different results about the factors of skill upgrading, the issue is mainly empirical questions. This paper contributes and adds to the growing literature on labor market by investigating the impact of trade openness and technology change on employment for skilled and unskilled labor in Tunisia. In this study, we make use of a manufacturing industries annual database of 6 manufacturing industries over the period 1983-2007, provided by the Tunisian National Institute of Statistics, the Quantitative Economic Institute and the Comtrade base of United Nations. Our main empirical result indicates that trade and technology change positively affect absolute and relative skilled labor employment. This result is consistent with studies which support the idea that in developing countries trade liberalization induces skill-biased technology changes.
Comparing Pain Intensity after Surgery for Patients with Spinal Stenosis using with and without Instrumentation

Spinal stenosis has been diagnosed as a factor leading to low back pain; medicinal and surgical actions play a vital role in reducing spinal stenosis and low back pain. The purpose of this study was to compare pain intensity after surgery for patients with spinal stenosis with and without instrumentation. This was a descriptive-analytical study. Considering the sample size formula, 144 patients who had spinal stenosis surgery through target-based method were entered in this research. Patients with spinal stenosis divided to two groups of group 1 consisting of 72 patients who had non-instrumented spinal stenosis surgery (Laminectomy) and group 2 consisting of 72 patients who had instrumented spinal stenosis surgery (Pedicular Screw Fixation). Demographic data questionnaire of Numeric Pain Rating Scale was used as data collection tool in this study. In this research, patient expressed and recorded his/her pain intensity in checklist using vas scale under the supervision of researcher. Data were analyzed using statistical tests of paired t test, independent t test, and Chi-square through SPSS22 Software. Findings indicated no significant statistical difference (P>0.05) between studied group in terms of age, sex, education, marital status, and job. In case of pain intensity considering the value of p=0.0001, mean difference in pain intensity of the group with instrumentation was significant before and after intervention and considering the obtained p=1.000, this mean difference was not significant before and after intervention in the group without instrumentation. Moreover, mean of changes in pain intensity scores of two groups indicted no significant difference (P<0.0001). This means that pain intensity among group members with instrument was lower than group without instrument (P<0.098). Pedicular Screw Fixation can be named as one of effective methods in treating lumbar disc that not only reduces pain after surgery but also enables patient to do daily activities.
Influence of post-processing on the accuracy of FDM products

This paper presents the assessment of the rapid prototyping finishing techniques for printed components. The aim of the study was to compare the element printed with FDM technology before and after the treatment, using 3D scanning techniques. The object was scanned right after manufacturing, then it was subjected to finishing treatment and 3D-scanned again. The assessment of the results was performed using the GOM Inspect software, based on a comparison between scans and nominal model.
In-office dental bleaching efficacy assessment in function of the light exposure regime by digital colorimetric reflectance spectroscopy

In-office dental bleaching has been subject of several studies. Generally those studies quantify through visual analysis, the shade reduction of the teeth submitted to different bleaching protocols (light sources, bleaching agent concentrations and irradiation time). The objective of this work is the determination of the influence of four irradiation protocols on the obtainment of better aesthetic results using a colorimetric spectrophotometer that quantifies color changes in each situation imposed. Forty bovine incisors were selected in function of similar anatomic characteristics; a concentrated coffee solution was used to stain the teeth. A commercial spectrophotometer was used to measure the color changes during evolution of the experiment (stain and bleaching phases) and the obtained data was analyzed by the ANOVA test. The obtained data showed the evolution of teeth color during the staining period, as well as, the color reduction that each bleaching protocol achieved. Based on our findings it is possible to conclude that bleaching protocols with larger irradiation periods did not showed significant differences when compared with shorter irradiation protocols, in that way the use of protocols with 30 min or more of consecutive irradiation are not clinically justified and also can cause several side effects. Key words: Dental bleaching, light emitting diodes (LEDs), spectrophotometer, objective measurements.
8D.5 CARIBBEAN PRECIPITATION AND THE MADDEN-JULIAN OSCILLATION

The Caribbean is one of many regions of the world where it is vital to understand precipitation patterns, variability and extremes. The low-lying coastal regions of Caribbean islands are densely populated with development pressure increasing. The region is also vulnerable to many natural hazards that are related to and exacerbated by precipitation, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, mudslides and drought. There is also evidence that precipitation patterns can influence the spread of Dengue fever in the region (Jury, 2008). Planning, policy and management of these events are extremely dependent on knowledge of the precipitation of the region. These social and economic reasons provide considerable motivation for increasing and expanding current knowledge of precipitation in the Caribbean. Precipitation in the Caribbean varies spatially and has a bimodal annual cycle with an initial maximum in May, a minimum around July-August, and a second maximum in September-October (e.g. Jury et al., 2007). Precipitation in this region has variability on a variety of timescales. Interannually, precipitation is influenced by the El NiñoSouthern Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) (Chen and Taylor, 2002; Giannini et al., 2001). The first rainfall season tends to be wetter the year after an El Niño and drier in a La Niña year (Chen and Taylor, 2002) and the second rainfall season tends to be drier in El Niño years and wetter in La Niña years (Giannini et al., 2000; Taylor et al., 2002). A positive NAO phase implies a stronger than normal North Atlantic high and amplifies the drying during an El Niño (Giannini et al., 2001). The region is also affected on shorter timescales (days to weeks) by the propagation of easterly waves, which can mature into tropical storms and hurricanes. A period of variability that has not been studied in the Caribbean is the intraseasonal range of 30 to 90 days. A connection between the dominant mode of intraseasonal variability in the Pacific, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (Madden and Julian, 1971), and Gulf of Mexico hurricane numbers was identified by Maloney and Hartmann (2000). In addition, Barlow and Salstein (2006) showed a relationship between the MJO and summertime precipitation in Mexico and Central America. It is the aim of this paper to explicitly investigate the nature of precipitation changes associated with the MJO, including extreme events. Knowledge of a precipitation connection in the Caribbean with the MJO may lead to enhanced forecasting skill due to the predictability of an MJO event being approximately 2 weeks once an event has been initiated. It is hypothesized that low-level circulation changes _________________________________ _________ *Corresponding author address: Elinor R. Martin, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, 3150 TAMU, College Station, TX 778433150; email: ermartin@tamu.edu due to the MJO affect precipitation amounts and patterns in the Caribbean region.