Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leaving the Nest and the Social Act of Voting: Turnout among First-Time Voters

Recent studies have indicated that, contrary to common belief, the relationship between age and turnout among the youngest eligible individuals is not monotonically positive, but rather strongly negative – at least for the first few years of adulthood. With a unique dataset from government records for more than 145,000 young adults, we offer a possible explanation for this intriguing pattern – changing social influences as the young adult leaves the family nest. Parental turnout influences the young adults' turnout, and young adults living at home vote more than those who have moved out on their own. When young adults leave home, the influence of their parents' strong voting habits decreases while the weaker voting patterns among their peers have a greater impact. This partly explains the surprising negative relationship between age and turnout and indicates that while political socialization indeed matters, part of the parental influence on young adults stems from voting being a social act.
A methodology for the analysis of the Rayleigh-wave ellipticity

In this paper, a comprehensive explanation of the analysis (filtering and inversion) of the Rayleigh-wave ellipticity is performed, and the use of this analysis to determine the local crustal structure beneath the recording station is described. This inversion problem and the necessary assumptions to solve are described in this paper, along with the methodology used to invert the Rayleigh-wave ellipticity. The results presented in this paper demostrate that the analysis (filtering and inversion) of the Rayleigh-wave ellipticity is a powerful tool, for studying the local structure of the crust beneath the recording station. Therefore, this type of analysis is very useful for studies of seismic risk and/or seismic design, because it provides local earth models in the range of crustal depths.
Interbank Lending Decisions in an Economic Downturn: an Agent-Based Approach

Interbank lending is one mechanism that can make shock, which is accepted by one bank spread to other banks (contagion). There are several researchers that focused their research on analyzing the effect of interbank lending to systemic risk. However, there is a few research that analyzed the effect of banks’ decision maker’s behavior, especially on the bank interbank lending to the systemic risk. In this research, the author creates an agent-based simulation of the banking system to analyze the effect of banks’ decision maker’s behavior to systemic risk in economic downturn condition. The preliminary result from this research is for an economic downturn in a long time period, the banking system with a low net worth to the asset's ratio threshold will produce more default bank than the banking system with a high net worth to the asset's ratio threshold. However, for an economic downturn in small time period, banking system which all bank in their system has the higher net worth to assets ratio threshold will have the default bank first than the banking system which has the lower net worth to the asset's ratio threshold.
Poetry and Pedagogy: Exploring the Opportunity for Epistemological and Affective Development within the Classroom

This paper provides a review of the priority afforded to the development of pupils’ affective and epistemic development within the contemporary poetry class. The paper reports on the findings of a research project which explored the experience of teaching and learning within the post-primary Leaving Certificate programme in Ireland. The research includes interview and questionnaire data obtained over a three year period from 2007-2010 from 80 post-primary teachers of Leaving Certificate poetry and 200 post-primary Leaving Certificate pupils. The paper highlights the malign impact of summative assessment on teachers’ pedagogical aspirations, identifying widespread professional dissonance amongst the cohort. Resultantly, empirical data highlights the reduced opportunity for epistemic and affective development within the poetry class and its impact on pupils’ learning experiences. Recommendations for pedagogical redress focus on the necessity for enhanced contemplative, critical and subjective inquiry within the poetry classroom.
Overcoming the Challenges facing Lean Construction Practice in the UK Contracting Organizations

Despite the benefits realized from Lean construction practice over the past two decades, the uptake of the Lean concept in the UK seems to be sparse. The UK contracting organizations engaged in Lean construction practice are faced with challenges that need to be addressed to facilitate wider application of Lean concepts so as to gain its benefits. The purpose of the study is to investigate the challenges facing the application of Lean principles in the UK construction industry with a view to proposing solutions that could be used to address the challenges. A qualitative research approach was adopted and semi-structured interviews were conducted with Lean construction practitioners working with 10 contracting organizations in the UK. The study identified 10 dierent challenges across the organizations that participated in the research and discovered 13 strategies that could be used to overcome the challenges. Findings from this study will lead to a better understanding of the challenges facing Lean construction practice in the UK so that further research could be done on how each challenge could be addressed. The findings could also help practitioners in addressing the dierent challenges
Total and partial fishmeal substitution by poultry by-product meal (petfood grade) and enrichment with acid fish silage in aquafeeds for juveniles of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Aquafeeds are formulated with a high content of fishmeal as protein source. The fishmeal is usually produced from pelagic fish resulting in a reduction of fish availability for human consumption. Thus, it is important to find appropriate protein substitutes in the production of formulated aquafeeds. Several works reported the positive effect of partial addition of poultry by-product meal (PBM) in aquafeeds for different fish species, and from them it is clear that the total substitution of fishmeal is limited by the unbalance of essential fatty acids. In this work, aquafeeds were designed with the total and partial substitution of fishmeal by PBM and enriched with acid fish silage. The designed aquafeeds were evaluated in the rainbow fish Oncorhynchus mykiss growth. Six diets were formulated at different levels of substitution of fishmeal by PBM pet feed grade (33, 66 and 100%), with and without addition of acid fish silage (FS) from tuna fish by-products. All treatments were formulated to contain similar protein and energy in a factorial random design with three repeti tions. The diet containing 100% enriched PBM (EPBM) showed the highest specific growth rate (2.0% day -1 ) ( P < 0.001), whereas the lowest growth rate was observed with PBM33 without enrichment (1.76% day -1 ), after 22 weeks treatment These results demonstrate that the addition of FS in an aquafeed containing only poultry by-product meal as protein source improves the growth of rainbow fish. The positive effect of FS, mainly the role of essential fatty acids, is discussed.
Effect of Initial Stress on the Lateral Modes in 1-3 Piezocomposites

An investigation of the effect of initial stress on the lateral modes in 1-3 piezocomposites is conducted. The Governing equations, taking into account the piezoelectricity, initial stress, and initial strain, are developed for the piezocomposites. Analytical solutions of the mechanical displacement and electric potential function are obtained based on the Bloch waves theory. Influence of the initial stress on the lateral modes frequencies and the stop band are discussed in detail, respectively. The conclusion reached indicates that the lateral mode frequencies increase with the piezoelectricity of the piezocomposites, but decrease with the poling initial stress in piezocomposites.
Minimal Representations of Locally Projective Amalgams

A locally projective amalgam is formed by the stabilizer G(x) of a vertex x and the global stabilizer G{x,y} of an edge containing x in a group G, acting faithfully and locally finitely on a connected graph Γ of valency 2n−1 so that (i) the action is 2‐arc‐transitive, (ii) the sub‐constituent G(x)Γ(x) is the linear group SLn(2) ≅ Ln(2) in its natural doubly transitive action, and (iii) [t,G{x,y}] ⩽ O2(G(x) ∩ G{x,y}) for some t ∈ G{x,y} \ G(x). Djoković and Miller used the classical Tutte theorem to show that there are seven locally projective amalgams for n=2. Trofimov's theorem was used by the first author and Shpectorov to extend the classification to the case n⩾ 3. It turned out that for n⩾3, besides two infinite series of locally projective amalgams (embedded into the groups AGLn(2) and O2n+(2)), there are exactly twelve exceptional ones. Some of the exceptional amalgams are embedded into sporadic simple groups M22, M23, Co2, J4 and BM. For a locally projective amalgam A, the minimal degree m=m(A) of its complex representation (which is a faithful completion into GLm(C)) is calculated. The minimal representations are analysed and three open questions on exceptional locally projective amalgams are answered. It is shown that
Systematic Process for Building a Fault Diagnoser Based on Petri Nets Applied to a Helicopter

This work presents a systematic process for building a Fault Diagnoser (FD), based on Petri Nets (PNs) which has been applied to a small helicopter. This novel tool is able to detect both intermittent and permanent faults. The work carried out is discussed from theoretical and practical point of view. The procedure begins with a division of the whole system into subsystems, which are the devices that have to be modeled by using PN, considering both the normal and fault operations. Subsequently, the models are integrated into a global Petri Net diagnoser (PND) that is able to monitor a whole helicopter and show critical variables to the operator in order to determine the UAV health, preventing accidents in this manner. A Data Acquisition System (DAQ) has been designed for collecting data during the flights and feeding PN diagnoser with them. Several real flights (nominal or under failure) have been carried out to perform the diagnoser setup and verify its performance. A summary of the validation results obtained during real flight tests is also included. An extensive use of this tool will improve preventive maintenance protocols for UAVs (especially helicopters) and allow establishing recommendations in regulations.
Accountability and Bottom of the Pyramid projects: the two sides of the mirror

Cette communication etudie "l'accountability" face aux problematiques RSE. En effet, la societe demande aux entreprises d'agir en faveur des grands problemes societaux. Cependant, les entreprises rencontrent des difficultes pour satisfaire a la fois, les demandes societales et economiques. Cette relation est analysee par l'exemple des strategies de la Base de la Pyramide (BoP). Des entretiens ont ete menes aupres des managers BoP. Deux sortes "d'accountability" emergent. Elles se differencient sur quatre elements : leurs rapports a l'objectif societal et economique, le niveau ou elles prennent place, leur but et les perceptions des groupes qu'elles mettent en mouvement. Ce travail contribue a la theorie neo-institutionnelle, a "l'accountability" en RSE et a la litterature sur la BoP.
Cloning and Expression Profiles of Myf 5 Gene of Yak

To reveal the sequence characteristic and expression pattern of Myf5 gene in Jiulong yaks (Bos grunniens), a full-length cDNA of Myf5 was cloned from yak muscle tisssue by RT-PCR. The cDNA obtained was 821bp nucleotide (nt) long with an ORF of 768 bp which encoding 255 amino acids. Compared with cattle, sheep, pig, horse, human, pygmy chimpanzee, mouse, rat and dog, the homology of amino acid sequences were higher (899%), but lower in Zebrafish (60%). SQ RT-PCR analysis showed that Myf5 gene expression was observed only in longissimus muscle, but not be detected in heart, liver, kidney, spleen and adipose tissues. The expression level of Myf5 gene in longissium muscle of 0.5 and over 9 years old yaks was significantly higher than those of 3.5-5.5 years old yaks (p<0.05). These results suggest that Myf5 may play an important role in the regulation of muscle growth and development of yak.
REAL TIME PERSPIRATION MEASUREMENT USING A HETERO-CORE STRUCTURED FIBRE OPTIC SPR SENSOR

We have proposed perspiration monitoring application of hetero-core structured fibre optic Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor that can detect refractive index changes transformed as optical power changes. This sensor has sensitivity of refractive index from air to water and capability of measuring relative humidity. In the experiments, the sensor was settled in a small space of 10 ml and used to measure level of human perspiration in the small space. The palms were set on 1cm 2 square hole of the small space, as a result, the sensor caught the sweat of the examinee that got through the small space. Furthermore, four subjects were tested for perspiration monitoring from the subject’s palm. The sensor could detect difference of sweat level. The optical loss changes of subjects -A, -B, -C and -D were 1.201, 0.837, 0.980 and 0.949 dB, respectively. Additionally, perspiration was measured in conditions of before and after running in the same subject. The optical power losses of before and after running indicated to be different of 1.201 and 1.364 dB, respectively. Additionally, releasing the palm from the square hole caused air infiltration in the small space, therefore, the perspiration sensor could be repeatedly used in daily activity.
Microfluidic analyser for pH in water and wastewater

The Microfluidic Analyser for pH and Chemical Oxygen Demand (MApCOD) project is the latest stage in the development of a microfluidic platform for autonomous monitoring of environmental water quality. pH measures the acidity or basicity of water. Most aquatic animals are adapted to a range of 6.5–8.0 (close to neutral, pH 7.0). Low pH can also allow toxic substances such as ammonia to become more available for uptake by aquatic plants and animals, greatly increasing their effective toxicity. pH is commonly measured in industrial and municipal wastewaters as well as in monitoring of drinking water, of surface waters such as rivers and lakes, and in many industrial processes. In this project pH is measured using a combination of pH indicators, optimised to give a colorimetric response over the pH range 4.0–10.0, which covers the range of pH values commonly encountered in monitoring of surface waters, drinking water and many wastewaters. Dual LEDs and a photodiode are used to measure light absorbance at appropriate wavelengths (430 and 570 nm). The responses of the two pH indicators are complementary, allowing a colorimetric response to be obtained over the pH range of interest.
Attachment re'story'ation through Playback Theatre : construction of a program guide for mothers with insecure attachment narratives

This program guide is constructed based on a review of attachment theory, the reflective function, adult attachment narratives, and Playback theatre. Integrating Playback theatre, drama therapeutic exercises, and relevant theory related to attachment work, this original program guide serves to benefit mothers who have been indicated as having insecure attachment narratives by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). The 20-week, five-stage program intends to promote the reconstruction of attachment narratives, increase empathy and the reflective function, and facilitate insight into attachment experiences. Reflective functioning, a concept that has been shown to be fundamental in the attachment process, and empathy are promoted in the program by integrating the mothers in the Playback theatre process as actors. The group therapy structure also serves to promote secure attachment relationships and change the perceptions and expectations of personal relationships. Playback theatre is an effective modality for mothers with insecure attachment narratives as it facilitates an exploration of personal stories. Playback theatre offers a non-judgmental and respectful forum where stories are given a chance to be told, witnessed, and transformed in an aesthetic and powerful way. From member referrals to program evaluation, the program guide outlines necessary elements and steps needed to implement the program in a variety of settings.
Communities of fungi in decomposed wood of oak and pine

Abstract The abundance and diversity of wood decomposing fungi were investigated by isolating and cultivating filamentous fungi from wood and by detection of fruit bodies of ascomycetous and basidiomycetous fungi. The objective was to study the impact of forest management on fungi in 100-year-old oak and 87-year-old Scots pine forests in Northern Poland. Fungi were found on coarse woody debris of decayed stumps and fallen logs, boughs and branches in each of the three (managed and unmanaged) examined stands. In total, 226 species of Oomycota and fungi were recorded. Oak wood was colonized by one species of Oomycota and 141 species of fungi including Zygomycota (19 species), Ascomycota (103 species) and Basidiomycota (19 species). Scots pine wood was also colonized by one species of Oomycota and 138 species of fungi including Zygomycota (19 species), Ascomycota (90 species) and Basidiomycota (29 species). In the first, second and third stages of decomposition, the oak wood was colonized by 101, 89 and 56 species of fungi respectively and pine wood was colonized by 82, 103 and 47 species respectively. Eighty three of the observed species (37%) occurred on both types of wood, while the other species displayed nutritional preferences. A decrease in the number of species with advancing decay indicates the necessity for a continuous supply of dead wood to the forest ecosystem. This supply would secure the continuity of fauna and flora and guarantee a stable forest development. The nutritional and ecological preferences of many fungal species furthermore indicate the necessity of supplying the forests with wood of different species. In commercially managed forests the results obtained here will aid in: (i) the development of strategies for effective dead wood management in the context of forest productivity and future wood stock growth, as well as (ii) finding a compromise between forest management requirements and environmental protection.
Information Content of Annual Earnings Announcements: Evidence from Moroccan Stock Market

The objective of our work is to study the information content of accounting results of listed companies in the Casablanca Stock Exchange. Applying the methodology adopted by Beaver (1968), we analyze the market reaction, in terms of changes in prices and volumes around the announcement of annual earnings. Our study focuses on 75 companies listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange for the period [2010 to 2015]. It accounts for the presence of an informational content for the accounting results around the announcement date. Thus, this confirms the hypothesis of financial market efficiency in its semi-strong form (Fama, 1970) and the results obtained in other financial markets (US, French, Chinese .). Keywords: Information Content, Moroccan Stock Market, Earnings announcements.
Improving a trait influenced by a major gene (QTL) and many genes with small effects.

Most economically important traits are influenced by the environment and by many genes. Such traits can be improved by selecting as parents those individuals with above-average genetic merit as assessed from phenotypic information. Methods for predicting genetic merit have assumed genotypes are determined by a large number of genes, each gene having a small effect. In reality, genes likely differ in the size of their effects, and some may account for differences in performance between individuals of up to 1 genetic standard deviation. Well-designed genome searches provide good chances of determining the sizes of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and locating their approximate chromosomal positions. Several options are available for using this knowledge. One could select animals on the basis of marker genotypes, irrespective of polygenic merit, to rapidly increase QTL frequency. Alternatively, one could incorporate marker knowledge in genotype prediction and rank animals on aggregate merit combining p’olygenic effects with the average effects of QTL. The benefits of these approaches are of interest, relative to selection in ignorance of the presence and size of QTL. In practice, utilising knowledge of QTL to increase their gene frequency can, in the short term, reduce selection available to exploit polygenic variation. Selecting QTL can increase genetic advance to the next generation relative to strategies that more slowly increase QTL frequency but may result in average merit being overtaken in subsequent generations. The reasons for these long-term “losses” are described and some guidance provided as to the circumstances where such losses may be minimised.
A Practical Approach towards Modeling and Optimization of EDM Process Parameters Using Simulated Annealing Algorithm

Nowadays, electrical discharge machining (EDM) has become one of the most extensively used non-traditional material removal process. Its unique feature of using thermal energy to machine hard to machine electrically conductive materials is its distinctive advantage in the manufacturing of moulds, dies and aerospace components. However, EDM is a costly process and hence proper selection of its process parameters is essential to reduce production cost and improve product quality. In this study the effect of input EDM process parameters on AISI2312 hot worked steel, widely used in mold manufacturing, is modeled and optimized. The proposed approach is based on statistical analysis on the experimental data. The input parameters are peak current (I), pulse on time (Ton), pulse off time (Toff), duty factor () and voltage (V). Material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), and surface roughness (SR) are the most important performance characteristics of the EDM process. The experimental data are gathered using Taguchi L36 design matrix. Taguchi robust design technique was applied to obtain the signal to noise ratio (S/N ratio) for the quality characteristics being investigated. In order to establish the relations between the input and the output parameters, various regression functions have been fitted on the evaluated S/Ns data based on output characteristics. The significance of the process parameters on the quality characteristics of the EDM process was also evaluated quantitatively using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method. Then, statistical analyses and validation experiments have been carried out to select the best and most fitted models. In the last section of this research, simulated annealing (SA) algorithm has been employed for optimizations of process parameters. Using the proposed optimization procedure, proper levels of input parameters for any desirable group of process outputs can be identified. A set of verification tests is also performed to verify the accuracy of optimization procedure in determining the optimal levels of machining parameters. The results indicate that the proposed modeling technique and simulated annealing algorithm are quite efficient in modeling and optimization of EDM process parameters. KeywordsElectrical discharge machining (EDM); Optimization; Signal to noise analysis (S/N);, Modeling; Simulated Anealing algorithm (SA); Analysis of variance (ANOVA).