Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Common faith or parting ways? A time varying parameters factor analysis of Euro-area inflation

We analyze the interaction among the common and country specific components for the inflation rates in twelve euro area countries through a factor model with time varying parameters. The variation of the model parameters is driven by the score of the predictive likelihood, so that, conditionally on past data, the model is Gaussian and the likelihood function can be evaluated using the Kalman filter. The empirical analysis uncovers significant variation over time in the model parameters. We find that, over an extended time period, inflation persistence has fallen over time and the importance of common shocks has increased relatively to the idiosyncratic disturbances. According to the model, the fall in inflation observed since the sovereign debt crisis, is broadly a common phenomenon, since no significant cross country inflation differentials have emerged. Stressed countries, however, have been hit by unusually large shocks.
A kaleidoscope of mammal, bird and fish: habitat use patterns of top predators and their prey in Florida Bay

Habitat selection by top predators that are largely free from predation pressures is a function of prey availability and interspecific competition. Such competition can be minimized through niche dimensions: mechanism of resource partitioning based on prey choice and foraging tactic. This study compared habitat use patterns of 5 top predators (bottlenose dolphins, double- crested cormorants, osprey, brown pelicans and terns) within Florida Bay with respect to each other, their prey and habitat variability. Foraging dolphins, osprey and pelicans exhibited similar habitat use patterns in shallow, turbid, productive waters with high proportions of mud and mudbank bottom types. These same habitat characteristics also described the distribution of their major prey items: mullet and catfish. Competition between these 3 predators is likely diluted by foraging tactic varia- tion. Conversely, the habitat use patterns of cormorants showed strongest association with deeper water, with low chlorophyll a and turbidity levels, less mud and mudbank habitat, and greater pro- portions of hardbottom and seagrass bottoms. Those prey items of cormorants with less competition from other predators examined displayed the same habitat associations. Cormorants in Florida Bay may concentrate their foraging efforts on less competitive prey, occurring more frequently in habitats where these prey items dominate. Despite Florida Bay's limited bathymetric relief, habitat use pat- terns of top predators are significantly influenced by depth, and subsequently bottom type. Sighting rates of all predators, except non-foraging dolphins, peaked in shallow mudbank habitats. This pat- tern of strong habitat overlap among predators implies currently adequate resource availability and/or niche dimensions among interspecific competitors.
Steady-state Hall response and quantum geometry of driven-dissipative lattices

We study the effects of the quantum geometric tensor, i.e., the Berry curvature and the Fubini-Study metric, on the steady state of driven-dissipative bosonic lattices. We show that the quantum-Hall-type response of the steady-state wave function in the presence of an external potential gradient depends on all the components of the quantum geometric tensor. Looking at this steady-state Hall response, one can map out the full quantum geometric tensor of a sufficiently flat band in momentum space using a driving field localized in momentum space. We use the two-dimensional Lieb lattice as an example and numerically demonstrate how to measure the quantum geometric tensor.
The relationship between perceived innovativeness and emotional product responses: a brand oriented approach

In the recent decades the business environment has changed tremendously due to the advance of globalization and competition, changing the essentials for success. In this context, innovativeness appears to be a key ingredient to achievement and competitiveness in the new millennium. While the innovativeness of a firm can depend on and be traced through numerous factors, consumers are more likely to perceive it through product design, as this information is readily available and easily accessible to them. Product design is one of the mostly debated topics in the last years, particularly in design literature. However, in marketing, the impact of design on a number of key constructs (e.g., brand) is only scarcely studied. To this end, the impact of product design on consumer responses also appears to be a question, which is not fully explored to date. This paper proposes that perceived brand innovativeness has a strong relationship with emotional reactions towards the design, such that the emotional responses will be more positive when the perceived innovativeness is high. To this end, an exploratory study that investigates the relationship between perceived innovativeness (of the brand) and emotional responses to a product design of that brand is conducted. The findings are evaluated through correspondence analysis and discussed from a framework that emphasizes the formation of brand knowledge. This study offers several insights for researchers and marketing practitioners, particularly on how innovativeness can contribute to building successful brands.
Parental foraging strategies and feeding of nestlings in Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Krystofkova, M. , Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Dept of Zoology, Vini na 7, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic. zlafrufru@yahoo.com (*Corresponding author) Exnerova, A. , Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Dept. of Zoology, Vini na 7, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic. exnerova@natur.cuni. cz Porkert, J., Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Dept. of Zoology, Vini na 7, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic. jiri_porkert@mybox.cz
The Effect of a Target Zone on the Stabilization of Agricultural Prices and Farmers' Nominal Income

A good harvest usually leads to a collapse in agricultural prices and farmers’ nominal income. To stabilize the market, many countries introduce a target-zone policy, together with product purchase or price subsidy strategies. This paper analyzes the effect of a target zone with different strategies operated in coordination. We find that the target zone in conjunction with the government’s purchasing policy can stabilize the agricultural product wholesale price and farmers’ nominal income when there is a disturbance in the agricultural market. However, this is not the case if there is a target zone along with a price subsidy policy.
Multi-criteria bid evaluation of public projects

Local and national Governments must deliver the public facilities that citizens need and, at the same time, select private firms that are able to build these facilities according to the best possible compromise between available resources (money, time.) and the quality of the required work/service. Consequently, multi-criteria evaluation schemes, such as the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) scheme, are often used by tendering committees in public projects. The used procedure has to meet the requirements of full transparency and to assure competitiveness among bidders. Many MEAT award related models have been proposed in the specialized literature. This paper presents a classification of these models. Their strength and weakness are illustrated. The assessment of some of these models builds upon their application to an example of public procurement. The presented analysis can be used by Governments and public firms in the selection of the tendering mechanism that best meets their requirements, needs and expectations in bid evaluation.
Solar-cycle variation of the rotational shear near the solar surface

Helioseismology has revealed that the angular velocity of the Sun increases with depth in the outermost 35 Mm of the Sun. Recently, we have shown that the logarithmic radial gradient ($\rm d\ln\Omega/\rm d\ln r $) in the upper 10~Mm is close to $-1$ from the equator to $60^\circ$ latitude.We aim to measure the temporal variation of the rotational shear over solar cycle 23 and the rising phase of cycle 24 (1996-2015). We used f mode frequency splitting data spanning 1996 to 2011 from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) and 2010 to 2015 from the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI). In a first for such studies, the f mode frequency splitting data were obtained from 360-day time series. We used the same method as in our previous work for measuring $\rm d\ln\Omega/d\ln r $ from the equator to $80^\circ$ latitude in the outer 13~Mm of the Sun. Then, we calculated the variation of the gradient at annual cadence relative to the average over 1996 to 2015. We found the rotational shear at low latitudes ($0^\circ$ to $30^\circ$) to vary in-phase with the solar activity, varying by $\sim \pm 10$\% over the period 1996 to 2015. At high latitudes ($60^\circ$ to $80^\circ$), we found rotational shear to vary in anti-phase with the solar activity. By comparing the radial gradient obtained from the splittings of the 360-day and the corresponding 72-day time series of HMI and MDI data, we suggest that the splittings obtained from the 72-day HMI time series suffer from systematic errors. We provide a quantitative measurement of the temporal variation of the outer part of the near surface shear layer which may provide useful constraints on dynamo models and differential rotation theory.
A review of soybean rust from a South African perspective.

This review article describes the nature of the soybean rust pathogen, its interaction with the soybean host and documents some of the history of soybean rust in South Africa. Soybean rust has affected soybean cropping in parts of South Africa since 2001. The disease causes leaf lesions, which may progress to premature defoliation and ultimately result in grain yield loss in susceptible soybean genotypes. Chemical control measures have been successfully employed to limit commercial yield losses in South Africa; however, controlling the effects of this disease through host-resistance or tolerance mechanisms remains a long-term goal.
Genetic similarity of Theobroma cacao L. accessions maintained in duplicate at the cacao research center germplasm collection based on RAPD markers

The objective of this work was to use RAPD markers to analyze the genetic similarity of 18 accessions maintained in 37 rows in the germplasm collection of Cacao Research Center (CEPEC/CEPLAC), Itabuna, Brazil. Within each row a plant was chosen at random, from which genomic DNA was extracted. DNA sample of each row was amplified by the RAPD. Fifty one RAPD markers were generated, and then transformed to a matrix of binary data. These binary data were used to estimate genetic similarities and to perform cluster analyses. Genetic similarities of 0.70, 0.94 and 0.96 were observed between plants of the accessions RB 29, Ca 1 and C. Sul 4, respectively. The mistakes in the identification of accessions in different germplasm collections seems to be more common than expected. Also, considering the great importance of the germplasm collections, an international effort would be necessary for the characterization of all important cacao germplasm collections around the world.
Optical Response of UV Laser Irradiated ExtrinsicSemiconductor

Fine polished samples of p-silicon were irradiated in ambient air using Excimer Laser and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry was employed to investigate their various optical properties. The changes in optical constants (refractive index and extinction coefficient) and optical band gap energy were noticed in incident wavelength range 500–1000 nm. Both refractive index and extinction coefficient decrease exponentially before and after irradiation. A fall in the optical band gap energy of p-silicon was also observed after laser exposure, which makes the materials suitable for variety of optoelectronics applications.
Systems of organic farming in spring vetch II: Biological response of Aeolothrips intermedius Bagnall and Coccinella septempunctata L

The effects of four systems of organic farming of spring vetsch on Aeolothrips intermedius Bagnall (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae) and Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) population density and the toxicity of several products on predatory insects were studied. The variants were: Control (without using any biological products); combined treatment with Polyversum (biological foliar fertilizer) and Biofa (biological plant growth regulator); treatment with NeemAzal T/S (biological insecticide, a.i. azadirachtin) and treatment with a combination of NeemAzal with Polyversum and Biofa. Variant V was a conventional farming system in which a combination of Nurelle D (synthetic insecticide), Masterblend (foliar fertilizer) and Flordimex 420 (growth regulator) was used as a standard treatment. In the organic farming system that included treatment of plants with the biological insecticide NeemAzal (azadirachtin), the reduction in A. intermedius abundance was 20.7% when it was applied alone and 24.6 % in combination with the organic products Polyversum and Biofa. NeemAzal achieved a lower reduction in the counts of predatory ladybirds C. septempunctata, from 14.9% (alone) to 21.9% (combination). The biological insecticide, applied alone or in combination, was mostly harmless and rarely harmful to A. intermedius. NeemAzal manifested harmlessness to C. septempunctata as its toxic action did not exceed 25%. An analysis of variance regarding product toxicity to A. intermedius and C. septempunctata demonstrated that the type of treatment (the application of insecticides alone or in combination) had the strongest effect on product toxicity. Тhe use of neem-based insecticides can be a substantial contribution towards preservation of biodiversity in ecosystems.
A Methodology for the Computational Evaluation of Style Imitation Algorithms

We investigate Musical Metacreation algorithms by applying Music Information Retrieval techniques for comparing the output of three off-line, corpus-based style imitation algorithms. The first is Variable Order Markov Chains, a statistical model; second is the Factor Oracle, a pattern matcher; and third, MusiCOG, a novel graphical model based on perceptual processes. Our focus is on discovering which musical biases are introduced by the algorithms, that is, the characteristics of the output which are shaped directly by the formalism of the algorithms and not by the corpus itself. We describe META-MELO, a system that implements the three algorithms, along with a methodology for the quantitative analysis of algorithm output, when trained on a corpus of melodies in symbolic form. Results show that the algorithms’ output are indeed different, although none of them encompass completely the full feature-set belonging to the style of the corpus. We conclude that this methodology is promising for aiding in the informed application and development of generative algorithms for music composition problems.
SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION ON ALKALI-HEAT-TREATMENT ON TITANIUM ALLOY

Coating of apatite in a biomimetic fluid is an alternative technique for metallic coating. Key element for effective biomimetic apatite coating depends on the surface material that can be enhanced by physical and chemical pre-treatment process. Two different preparations of Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) have been studied namely as received (as-Ti) and abraded (ab-Ti) with SiC paper. Both samples were then immersed in 5M NaOH and 5M KOH at temperature of 60 °C for 24 hours. A passive oxide layer covered on the surface of Ti6Al4V generally changed to form alkali (Na/K) titanate layer which is mechanically unstable. Therefore, alkali-treated Ti6Al4V were heat-treated at 700 °C for 1 hour to consolidate a mechanically stable structure of amorphous alkali titanate layer. Both samples before and after heat treatment were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope, 3D surface metrology, contact angle goniometry and X-ray diffraction. The result indicates that as-Ti treated in 5 M KOH showed an existence of porous network structure.
Research on the Impact of Social Circles on Self-Brand Connection: Regulation of Self-Awareness and Brand Value *

In this article we categorize social circles by sense of belonging and explore the relation between social circle types and self-brand connection (SBC). Furthermore, we research the mechanism of how the impact of social circles on consumers’ SBC is influenced by self-awareness within a particular social circle and by brand value. Our findings show that 1) the sense of belonging toward social circles has positive influence on SBC; 2) consumers’ self-awareness moderates the impact of social circles on SBC; 3) the type of brand value moderates the impact of social circles on SBC. Finally, several suggestions are derived for local management practice in China.
Close neighbours not distant friends: what has been learned about neighbourhood focused housing associations in England and the Netherlands

Effective neighbourhood working is a key requirement for housing associations in England and the Netherlands, yet this is often hampered by conflicting institutional logics of scale and localism. Housing associations are often considered to be ideally placed to facilitate such change and have a business interest in doing so, but to do so they need to establish legitimacy and trust, and to build effective partnerships with residents, government agencies and other third sector organisations based in these neighbourhoods. This is the second paper based on a two-year action research project following eight housing associations (four in England and four in The Netherlands) in their quest to balance organisational strength with community anchorage to increase their neighbourhood focus. It tracks progress and learning from these case studies in the second year of the project in which the key themes for activities have focused on community empowerment, organisational change and partnership working. It summarises learning points, barriers and enablers in relation to these three themes, assesses the value of the learning tools used in the programme and concludes by discussing the wider implications of the programme in relation to values and community focus, relations with state and market and the ability to ‘keep on keeping on’ in a time of austerity.
Selling to the Mean

We study optimal selling strategies of a seller who is poorly informed about the buyer’s value for the object. When the maxmin seller only knows that the mean of the distribution of the buyer’s valuations belongs to some interval then nature can keep him to payoff zero no matter how much information the seller has about the mean. However, when the seller has information about the mean and the variance, or the mean and the upper bound of the support, the seller optimally commits to a randomization over prices and obtains a strictly positive payoff. In such a case additional information about the mean and/or the variance affects his payoff.
A Comparison of the Diel Cycle of Modeled and Measured Latent Heat Flux During the Warm Season in a Colorado Subalpine Forest

Precipitation changes the physiological characteristics of an ecosystem. Because land‐surface models are often used to project changes in the hydrological cycle, modeling the effect of precipitation on the latent heat flux λE is an important aspect of land‐surface models. Here we contrast conditionally sampled diel composites of the eddy‐covariance fluxes from the Niwot Ridge Subalpine Forest AmeriFlux tower with the Community Land Model (CLM, version 4.5). With respect to measured λE during the warm season: for the day following above‐average precipitation, λE was enhanced at midday by ≈40 W m−2 (relative to dry conditions), and nocturnal λE increased from ≈10 W m−2 in dry conditions to over 20 W m−2 in wet conditions. With default settings, CLM4.5 did not successfully model these changes. By increasing the amount of time that rainwater was retained by the canopy/needles, CLM was able to match the observed midday increase in λE on a dry day following a wet day. Stable nighttime conditions were problematic for CLM4.5. Nocturnal CLM λE had only a small (≈3 W m−2) increase during wet conditions, CLM nocturnal friction velocity u∗ was smaller than observed u∗, and CLM canopy air temperature was 2°C less than those measured at the site. Using observed u∗ as input to CLM increased λE; however, this caused CLM λE to be increased during both wet and dry periods. We suggest that sloped topography and the ever‐present drainage flow enhanced nocturnal u∗ and λE. Such phenomena would not be properly captured by topographically blind land‐surface models, such as CLM.
The Anderson model with missing sites

In the present note we show dynamical localization for an Anderson model with missing sites in a discrete setting at the bottom of the spectrum in arbitrary dimension $d$. In this model, the random potential is defined on a relatively dense subset of $\mathbb Z^d$, not necessarily periodic, i.e., a Delone set in $\mathbb Z^d$. To work in the lower band edge we need no further assumption on the geometric complexity of the Delone set. We use a spatial averaging argument by Bourgain-Kenig to obtain a uniform Wegner estimate and an initial length scale estimate, which yields localization through the Multiscale Analysis for non ergodic models. This argument gives an explicit dependence on the maximal distance parameter of the Delone set for the Wegner estimate. We discuss the case of the upper spectral band edge and the arising need of imposing the (complexity) condition of strict uniform pattern frequency on the Delone set.