Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a Novel, Bicombinatorial Approach to Alloy Development, and Application to Rapid Screening of Creep Resistant Titanium Alloys

Combinatorial approaches have proven useful for rapid alloy fabrication and optimization. A new method of producing controlled isothermal gradients using the Gleeble Thermomechanical simulator has been developed, and demonstrated on the metastable β-Ti alloy β-21S, achieving a thermal gradient of 525-700° C. This thermal gradient method has subsequently been coupled with existing combinatorial methods of producing composition gradients using the LENS additive manufacturing system, through the use of elemental blended powders. This has been demonstrated with a binary Ti-(0-15) wt% Cr build, which has subsequently been characterized with optical and electron microscopy, with special attention to the precipitate of TiCr2 Laves phases. The TiCr2 phase has been explored for its high temperature mechanical properties in a new oxidation resistant β-Ti alloy, which serves as a demonstration of the new bicombinatorial methods developed as applied to a multicomponent alloy system.
Correlations of genes expression in PPAR signalling pathway with porcine meat quality traits

Correlations of genes expression in PPAR signalling pathway with porcine meat quality traits W. Wang1, W. Xue2, X. Xu3, B. Jin4, X. Zhang5 1School of Psychology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, P.R. China 2School of Basic Biomedical Science, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, P.R. China 3College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, P.R. China 4Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, P.R. China 5Institute of Husbandry and Poultry Research, Nanjing, P.R. China
Timing of plant phenophases in Finnish Lapland in 1997-2006

We investigated whether there were consistent changes in plant phenophases in 1997-2006 at 13 observation sites in Finnish Lapland, and whether such changes could be explained by measured climatic conditions. The phenological data were collected within the Finnish National Phenological Network organised by the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla). During the observation period, the effective temperature sum (ETS) increased on average by 17.7 day degrees/year, while the maximum snow depth decreased by 3.5 cm/year and the timing of snow melt advanced by 1.4 days/year. The spring phenophases advanced on average by 1-2 days/year in the case of most of the species studied, which resulted in a lengthening of their growth period. The autumn phenophases did not show any trends or relationships with respect to the studied climatic conditions, however. The mean May temperature and the date of snow melt explained best of all the onset of spring in the studied species.
Distribution and retention of larval fishes near reefs in the Gulf of California

I conducted a study of larval fishes in the Gulf of California, Mexico, with 3 objectives: identify the families that utilize the near-reef habitat throughout development; evaluate distributions of reef fishes for evidence of larval retention; and relate larval distributions of reef fishes to egg type and morphology of hatchlings. Analyses were based on 165 light-trap and plankton-net samples collected -1, 20, and 100 m off reefs during the summers of 1989 and 1990, and on previous offshore surveys. Sixteen families accounted for >93 % of all larvae collected near reefs, and only these families were considered further. At least 11 families, including epipelagic, sandy-bottom, and reef fishes, appeared to utilize the near-reef habitat throughout development. In addition, larval retention may have occurred in at least 5 of the reef fish families (Bythitidae, Chaenopsidae, Gobiesocidae, Labrisomidae, Tripterygiidae). Evidence for this included the presence of all larval size classes over reefs, high concentrations of larvae at 1 m and/or 20 m stations that decreased by 72.0 to 99.9 O/o at 100 m stations, and absence or rarity in offshore surveys. Larvae of some gobiids may also have been retained, but distributions varied within the family. Larvae of other reef fish families (Balistidae, Blenniidae, Pomacentridae, and perhaps Haemulidae) appeared to disperse away from reefs. All families with evidence of retention spawned non-pelagic eggs and had well-developed hatchlings, but the reverse was not true. This suggests that these traits provide the opportunity for retention, but other taxon-specific factors determine whether such a distribution is realized.
Non-stationary seabird responses reveal shifting ENSO dynamics in the northeast Pacific

The impacts of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on the ecology of the northeast Pacific are well known. However, recently there has been a shift in the dominance of El Nino events from the eastern Pacific (canonical) El Nino, to the central Pacific (Modoki) El Nino, concurrent with a strengthening of the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO). Our examination of ocean conditions and seabird reproductive success in central California shows that the way these physical factors affect the pelagic food web is also changing. Reproduction of Cassin's auklet Ptycoramphus aleuticus and Brandt's cormorant Pha- lacrocorax penicillatus, species that forage at different trophic levels, responded primarily to ENSO variability from the 1970s to the 1990s. By 1995, however, NPGO had become the dominant variable determining Cassin's auklet reproductive success. Eventually, NPGO also became corre- lated with Brandt's cormorant success but in the opposite direction to Cassin's auklet. Thus, during the mid-1990s, the correlation between the reproduction of these 2 species weakened and even- tually became inversely correlated. This shift from coherent reproduction, presumably bottom-up driven, to an inverse relationship between the 2 species suggests that the structure of the local marine food web changed as the equatorial forcing changed. This non-stationary response of sea- birds to physical forcing is cause for concern since predictions of future ecosystem productivity and effects of climate change rely on the assumption that a species' response to environmental conditions is consistent over time.
Influence of DEM resolution on surface flow network for pluvial urban flooding and simulations of integrated system

This paper presents the developments towards the next generation of overland flow modelling for analysis of urban pluvial flooding. The input data for the surface drainage network are generated automatically using detailed analysis of Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Developed tools for input data generation allows the user to define the surface flow network consisting of pathways and temporary ponds (flooded areas) and to link it with underground network through inlets. In this paper the emphasis is placed on detailed sensitivity analysis of ponds and the preferential pathways creation. Four DEM data sets for the same catchment were considered in order to compare the results obtained using the methodology. The DEMs used were generated from different acquisition techniques; hence have different resolutions and accuracy. The results obtained by the applied methodology show that they can represent the surface flow network reliably but differences need to be analysed separately. Comparing the results obtained by different data sets, the quality of the surface network generated is highly dependent on the quality and resolution of the terrain data sets. Relevant conclusions are drawn.
Rental Rates under Housing Price Uncertainty: A Real Options Approach

The conventional wisdom that house prices are the present value of future rents ignores the fact that rents are not discretionary as in dividends on stocks. Housing price uncertainty can affect household property investment, which in turn affects rent. By extending the theory of investment under uncertainty, we model the renter's decision to buy a house and the landlord's decision to sell as real options of waiting and examine real options effects on rent. Using unique data from Hong Kong, we find significant a causal effect of house prices on rents and draw important policy implications.
A longitudinal analysis of the corporate strategic stance and actions employed by South African banks in response to the global economic crisis

The South African financial sector largely proved resilient to the consequences of the global financial crisis and did not experience the financial upheaval seen in advanced economies. This paper investigated and compared the strategic stance and actions employed by eight South African banks listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange in response to the global crisis. The research was conducted through content analysis of the annual reports of these banks for the periods 2006 through 2011. Findings illustrated that, although structural and industry drivers played a key role in ensuring the relatively unscathed survival of SA banks, banks generally had a clear corporate strategic direction that remained relatively stable during the financial crisis. It was found that the industry was balanced in terms of the strategic positioning of banks. Of the eight banks, four were classified as strong niche players that were categorised as “defenders”. The big four banks were classified into two groups. ABSA and Nedbank were categorised as “analysers”, since they are generally cautious and conservative in their growth and expansion strategies. FirstRand and Standard Bank were classified as prospectors, since they tend to be more open to new opportunities. Key words: Financial sector, strategic stance, defenders, analysers, prospectors.
A comparison of avian haemosporidian parasite communities across the strait of Gibraltar

I used molecular tools to examine the diversity of haemosporidian parasites from the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in birds of Northwest Africa and Northwest Iberia. In total, 459 birds of 36 species from Portugal and 324 birds of 46 species from Morocco were tested using PCR for the presence of infections.We identified a total of 169 unique haemosporidian lineages. We found 127 parasite lineages in North Africa and 74 lineages in Iberia. Only 32 lineages were shared between the study areas. Overall prevalence was higher in Morocco, where 79% of the birds carried haemosporidian infections compared to only 44% in Iberia. The rate at which new parasite lineages were discovered with increasing sample size did not differ between the areas, however, the higher infection prevalence in Morocco translated into greater haemosporidian diversity compared with Portugal. The number of hosts from which a parasite lineage was recovered varied from one to sixteen. Parasite specificity varied among parasite genera. Haemoproteus was the most host-specific and Plasmodium was the most host-generalist. The composition of haemosporidian communities differed between Maghreb and Iberia. Haemoproteus was more common in Maghreb but Plasmodium dominated in Iberia. Infections with parasites found in both areas accounted for 63% of total infections. However, no correlation was found between the number of lineage observations in Iberia and Morocco for any parasite genus, suggesting that the parasite composition of both areas is different at both levels – the generic composition and prevalence of individual lineages.
Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactors for Post-Combustion CO2 Capture: A Scale-Up Study from Laboratory to Pilot Plant

Membrane contactors have been proposed for decades as a way to achieve intensified mass transfer processes. Post-combustion CO2 capture by absorption into a chemical solvent is one of the currently most intensively investigated topics in this area. Numerous studies have already been reported, unfortunately almost systematically on small, laboratory scale, modules. Given the level of flue gas flow rates which have to be treated for carbon capture applications, a consistent scale-up methodology is obviously needed for a rigorous engineering design. In this study, the possibilities and limitations of scale-up strategies for membrane contactors have been explored and will be discussed. Experiments (CO2 absorption from a gas mixture in a 30%wt MEA aqueous solution) have been performed both on mini-modules and at pilot-scale (10 m2 membrane contactor module) based on PTFE hollow fibers. The results have been modeled utilizing a resistance in series approach. The only adjustable parameter is in fitting the simulations to experimental data is the membrane mass transfer coefficient (km), which logically plays a key role. The difficulties and uncertainties associated with scaleup computations from lab scale to pilot-scale modules, with a particular emphasis on the km value, are presented and critically discussed.
Assessment of Acute Toxicity of Pesticides Mixtures for Cyprinus carpio and Ctenopharyngodon idella

This study describes the acute toxicity of pesticide mixtures (chlorpyrifos + endosulfan + bifenthrin) to the fish, Cyprinus carpio and Ctenopharyngodon idella. The toxicity of pesticides mixture to Cyprinus carpio and Ctenopharyngodon idella was increased in the following order: Chlorpyrifos + Bifenthrin < Endosulfan + Bifenthrin < Chlorpyrifos + Endosulfan < Chlorpyrifos + Endosulfan + Bifenthrin. However, the difference in toxicity of binary pesticide mixtures for both fish species is rather limited (p<0.05). In all cases (pesticides mixtures) Cyprinus carpio showed more sensitivity than that of Ctenopharyngodon idella. Among four pesticides mixtures, Cyprinus carpio showed significantly more sensitivity towards tertiary pesticides mixture exhibiting the mean 96-h LC50 and lethal concentration of 0.22±0.01 and 0.32±0.02 µgL -1 , respectively. For all treatments, the 96-h LC50 values for Ctenopharyngodon idella ranged from 2.16-7.49 µgL -1 while its lethal concentration values ranged from 3.86 - 13.86 µgL -1 . Comparison of four pesticides mixture revealed that the mixtures which contained endosulfan were more toxic for both fish species.
The unintended consequences of the rat race: the detrimental effects of performance pay on health

Although performance pay schemes have been linked to labour market productivity, one unintended consequence, suggested early by Adam Smith, is that performance pay is detrimental to health. Recent research has shown that there is a positive relationship between performance pay and injuries on the job. This article focusses on the consequences of performance pay on health and investigates if there is a link between performance pay and self-reported general health or specific illnesses. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, this study uses survival analysis to show that being in jobs with a performance pay element increases the likelihood of health deterioration, ceteris paribus.
The influence of social interactions on senior customers’ experience and loneliness

This study aims to understand how elderly consumers’ social interactions in small hospitality businesses (e.g. restaurants, cafes, and pubs) could promote their customer experience and alleviate their loneliness. Factor analysis and multiple regression analysis was performed using SPSS and AMOS to first identify different dimensions of the four constructs and then assess the significance of the relationship between these constructs. The results of the study show that the social interactions with employees (service manner and need identification) and social interactions with customers positively affect customer experience and the service manner of the employees has a positive influence on the reduction of loneliness of the elderly customers This study offered insights into how small hospitality organizations can facilitate elderly customers’ experience and help them to alleviate loneliness. The study will also demonstrate that loneliness as a social issue can not only be tackled by healthcare and psychological interventions but also with the help of commercial activities oriented towards experiential consumption.
Fishing, selection, and phenotypic evolution

Large changes are taking place in yield-determining traits of commercially exploited fish, including traits such as size-at-age and age-at-maturation. The cause of these phenotypic changes is often not understood, and genetic change arising from the selective effects of fishing may be a contributory factor. Selection generated by fishing gear is strong in heavily exploited fish stocks, and the spatial location of fishing can also cause strong selection. The success of selective breeding in aquaculture indicates that significant amounts of genetic variation for production-related traits exist in fish populations. Fisheries managers should be alert to the evolutionary change caused by fishing, because such changes are likely to be hard to reverse and, if properly controlled, could bring about an evolutionary gain in yield.
Resident satisfaction for sustainable urban regeneration

In Turkey, there has been increasing construction activity since 2002, and the urban environment is being altered through a range of construction activities. Both the public and private sectors have contributed directly to these activities through urban regeneration projects and by transforming the negative impacts of poorly planned projects through urban rehabilitation. However, there are negative impacts of these urban regeneration developments. Little attention has been paid to user needs and expectations or to managing regeneration in sustainable ways. Understanding resident satisfaction in regenerated urban areas is a prerequisite for reducing the environmental impact of buildings, increasing sustainable quality and creating healthy urban environments. Thus, in this study, resident satisfaction is investigated through a field survey with 200 residents in Ankara, Turkey. Cukurambar, a regenerated urban area of 4·2 ha, was chosen as the study location. The study, which aimed to determine how to provide.
Algorithms for Satisfying Dose-Volume Constraints in Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

In intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) we need to deliver a sufficient dose to target volumes (e.g., cancerous tumors) to destroy them, but at the same time we have to be careful that we do not destroy sensitive essential organs. These dual requirements can be expressed by a system of linear inequalities, in which the unknowns are the intensities to be delivered in the beamlets of the IMRT device (assuming that the dose delivered to any point in the body depends linearly on the unknowns). It is often the case that the system of inequalities that results from an ideal plan (one in which all target locations get a dose sufficient for destruction and yet all locations within an organ at risk receive an absolutely safe dose) cannot be satisfied. In such a case, it is reasonable to relax the conditions so that a specified percent of the volume of an organ at risk may receive a dose in excess of what is absolutely safe, but still not more dose than a specified higher threshold for safety. Finding a solution to a problem that involves such dose-volume constraints is inherently more complex than finding a solution for a feasible ideal plan. In this paper we discuss two approaches for solving problems with dose-volume constraints: one involves linear programming and the other is an adaptation of a projection method for solving feasible systems of linear inequalities. The two approaches are experimentally compared according to their ability to find a solution when there is one and according to their computational speed in case both of them succeed to find a solution.
Stature, Skills and Adult Life Outcomes: Evidence from Indonesia

ABSTRACT We investigate the effect of height on earnings, occupational choices and a subjective measure of wellbeing among Indonesian men. We explore the extent to which height captures the effects of endowments set before entry in the labour market. Physical and cognitive skills, co-determined with stature early in life, do not explain much of the height earnings premium directly. Yet, human capital more broadly, including cognition, educational attainment and other factors related to childhood conditions, explains around half of the height premium and does so through occupational sorting. Indeed, taller workers tend to have more education, and educated workers tend to work in more lucrative occupations that require brain and social skills, not brawn. The unexplained share of the height earnings premium may reflect a specific role of stature on social interaction, labour market advantages or self-assurance. We also find a height premium in happiness, half of which simply accounts for the educational and earnings advantages of taller workers.
Tradeoffs in Neuroevolutionary Learning-Based Real-Time Robotic Task Design in the Imprecise Computation Framework

A cyberphysical avatar is a semi-autonomous robot that adjusts to an unstructured environment and performs physical tasks subject to critical timing constraints while under human supervision. This article first realizes a cyberphysical avatar that integrates three key technologies: body-compliant control, neuroevolution, and real-time constraints. Body-compliant control is essential for operator safety, because avatars perform cooperative tasks in close proximity to humans; neuroevolution (NEAT) enables “programming” avatars such that they can be used by non-experts for a large array of tasks, some unforeseen, in an unstructured environment; and real-time constraints are indispensable to provide predictable, bounded-time response in human-avatar interaction. Then, we present a study on the tradeoffs between three design parameters for robotic task systems that must incorporate at least three dimensions: (1) the amount of training effort for robot to perform the task, (2) the time available to complete the task when the command is given, and (3) the quality of the result of the performed task. A tradeoff study in this design space by using the imprecise computation as a framework is to perform a common robotic task, specifically, grasping of unknown objects. The results were validated with a real robot and contribute to the development of a systematic approach for designing robotic task systems that must function in environments like flexible manufacturing systems of the future.
Comparison of Long and Short High-Intensity Interval Exercise Bouts on Running Performance, Physiological and Perceptual Responses

Abstract This study compared the effects of long (4×4 min) and short intervals (4×8×20 s) of high-intensity interval exercise bouts (HIIT) on running performance, physiological and perceptual responses, and excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Twelve healthy college students (8 men, 4 women; mean age=22±2 years) performed long (90–95% of peak heart rate) and short intervals (maximal intensity) of high-intensity training (running on a non-motorized treadmill) with the same total duration on separate days. The total volume of consumed oxygen during recovery was the same in both cases (P=0.21), whereas the short intervals of high-intensity training were performed at a faster mean running velocity (3.5±0.18 vs. 2.95±0.07 m/s) and at a lower RPEbreath compared with the long intervals of high-intensity training. The blood lactate concentration also tended to be lower during the short intervals of high-intensity training, indicating that short-interval training was perceived to be easier than long-interval training, even though the cardiovascular and metabolic responses are similar. Furthermore, EPOC lasted significantly longer (83.4±3.2 vs. 61.3±27.9 min, P=0.016) and tended to be higher (8.02±4.22=vs. 5.70±3.75 L O2, P=0.053) after short intervals than after long intervals of training.