Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Steel Gravity Connection Details for Enhanced Integrity

Recent large-scale tests have found that Steel Gravity Framing Systems (SGFSs) with conventional connections may not be adequate to support the specified gravity load combinations under column removal scenarios. To address this issue, detailed connection models were validated against experimental results and then used to investigate alternative gravity connection details to enhance the integrity of SGFSs. A procedure was developed to design new single plate shear connection details with multiple columns of bolts so that they had design shear capacities equal to or greater than corresponding conventional configurations. Analyses of the connections under column removal showed that improvements in both connection strength and deformation capacity can be achieved using the multi-bolt-column configurations.
Finite-size scaling as a cure for supercell approximation errors in calculations of neutral native defects in InP

The relaxed and unrelaxed formation energies of neutral antisites and interstitial defects in InP are calculated using ab initio density functional theory and simple cubic supercells of up to 512 atoms. The finite-size errors in the formation energies of all the neutral defects arising from the supercell approximation are examined and corrected for using finite-size scaling methods, which are shown to be a very promising approach to the problem. Elastic errors scale linearly, while the errors arising from charge multipole interactions between the defect and its images in the periodic boundary conditions have a linear plus a higher order term, for which a cubic provides the best fit. These latter errors are shown to be significant even for neutral defects. Instances are also presented where even the 512 atom supercell is not sufficiently converged. Instead, physically relevant results can be obtained only by finite-size scaling the results of calculations in several supercells, up to and including the 512 atom cell and in extreme cases possibly even including the 1000 atom supercell.
Cross-sectional study of students’ knowledge of sizes and distances of astronomical objects

This paper reports on the results from administering a modified version of the Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire (IAQ) to middle school students and preservice science teachers in Norway. Ranking tasks formed a key part of the instrument, and we detail a new method for analyzing ranking task data. One of our main findings was that even after instruction, a significant proportion of students held erroneous views and conceptions regarding sizes, distances, and the nature of basic astronomical entities, such as stars and planets. We argue that the commonalities between some of the issues we identified and those presented in extant studies—from a variety of countries, with samples ranging from junior high school students and undergraduates to primary school teachers—may point to deeper cognitive issues inherent in, and possibly unique to, engaging with astronomy.
Phenotype Analysis of Tobacco Lines Expressing a Deregulated Arabidopsis Ca-ATPase (ACA2)

Phenotype Analysis of Tobacco Lines Expressing a Deregulated Arabidopsis Ca-ATPase (ACA2). (December 2010) Sean Michael Thompson, B.S., Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Kendal D. Hirschi Dr. Jean H. Gould Functional foods go beyond simply supplying nutrients and are increasingly becoming a focus in the prevention and treatment of disease; however, the benefits of biofortified crops to human nutrition have not been well demonstrated. Modern breeding, molecular genetics, and biotechnology are currently focusing on how to improve the nutritional content in foods. Potatoes, carrots, and lettuce are popular vegetables eaten today and are targets in developing nutrient dense crops (biofortification). Biofortification of vegetables to increase calcium (Ca) in the diet has had promising results. Here we describe the current standing of nutrient biofortification of crops. Ca distribution within the plant cell moderates critical functions from signaling to growth and development and can affect overall plant vigor. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) located Ca-ATPase ACA2 (Arabidopsis Ca-ATPase, isoform 2) is thought to play a role in intracellular calcium homeostasis. In yeast studies; a truncated pump (∆80ACA2) lacking the N-terminal region is about 10-fold more active than the full-length ACA2 pump. Single point mutations have been shown to increase activity of ACA2 in
Deconstructing Accountability Through the Lens of Democratic Philosophies: Toward a New Analytic Framework

The purpose of this paper is to analyze recent publications on accountability in order to develop a deeper understanding of both the types of accountability that are being discussed in the literature, and to uncover the philosophical underpinnings which drive these discussions. We utilize varying conceptions of democracy in an attempt to discern the underlying assumptions on which various conceptions of accountability rest – assumptions regarding the role of various community members in the education of its children; assumptions about the role of the state in the educational process; and even assumptions about the nature of human beings and human interactions. In doing so, we provide a conceptual framework which allows for a more substantive and explicit debate regarding education, accountability, and their roles in the democratic process.
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF AUDIT COMMITTEES: EVIDENCE FROM UK AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN

In this paper we provide a descriptive summary of a postal survey of FT 500 UK company audit committee chairman on the operations of UK audit committees. The survey represents an “insider view” of the activities of audit committees and the characteristics of non-executive directors and contributes to the continuing debate on corporate governance reforms. In particular we report on company boards and their composition, audit committee chairman and their outside directorships, financial literacy and remuneration and various aspects of audit committee activity. Our survey shows that UK audit committees and corporate boards have undergone many changes in the last decade since the last comprehensive survey reported in Collier (1992). Our study on the current level of activity within major UK corporate audit committees deepens understanding of the roles and characteristics of non-executive directors and the operation of UK audit committees. In particular our survey shows that there is a significant shift in audit committee activities from the traditional financial reporting role to a greater focus on internal control and risk management. Independence is overwhelmingly seen as the most significant attribute of an audit committee member. Lack of time is perceived to be the greatest impediment to audit committee effectiveness but pressure from executives and an unclear remit are surprisingly prevalent problems even after ten years of corporate governance reforms.
Benefits and weaknesses of radiocarbon dating of plant material as reflected by Neolithic archaeological sites from Poland, Slovakia and Hungary

Abstract Radiocarbon dating of the plant material is important for chronology of archaeological sites. Therefore, a selection of suitable plant samples is an important task. The contribution emphasizes the necessity of taxonomical identification prior to radiocarbon dating as a crucial element of such selection. The benefits and weaknesses of dating of taxonomically undetermined and identified samples will be analysed based on several case studies referring to Neolithic sites from Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. These examples better illustrate the significance of the taxonomical identification since plant materials of the Neolithic age include only a limited number of cultivated species (e.g. hulled wheats) and typically do not contain remains of late arrived plants (e.g. Carpinus betulus and Fagus sylvatica). For more accurate dating results cereal grains, fruits and seeds, which reflect a single vegetative season, are preferred. Among charred wood, fragments of twigs, branches and external rings should mainly be taken into account, while those of trunks belonging to long-lived trees should be avoided. Besides the absolute chronology of archaeological features and artefacts, radiocarbon dating of identified plant remains might significantly contribute to the history of local vegetation and food production systems.
The Role of Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition on Relationship among Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Career Option

The study aimed at examining the impact of the mediating role of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial career option among businesses students at Palestinian universities. Smart-PLS (3.0) was used to analysis the data obtained from a sample of 291 students at six universities in Palestine. The study found a significant positive relationship between social capital, entrepreneurial motivations and entrepreneurial career option. Furthermore, the study found that entrepreneurial opportunity recognition significantly mediates the relationship among social capital, entrepreneurial motivations and entrepreneurial career option. The study concluded with recommendations and suggestions for future research. Keywords: Entrepreneurial career option, Entrepreneurship Education, Know-why, Know-who, Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition.
THE INNER DEBRIS STRUCTURE IN THE FOMALHAUT PLANETARY SYSTEM

Fomalhaut plays an important role in the study of debris disks and small bodies in other planetary systems. The proximity and luminosity of the star make key features of its debris, like the water ice line, accessible. Here we present ALMA cycle 1, 870 μm (345 GHz) observations targeted at the inner part of the Fomalhaut system with a synthesized beam of 0. ″45 × 0. ″37 (∼3 AU linear resolution at the distance of Fomalhaut) and an rms of 26 μJy beam−1. The high angular resolution and sensitivity of the ALMA data enable us to place strong constraints on the nature of the warm excess revealed by Spitzer and Herschel observations. We detect a point source at the star position with a total flux consistent with thermal emission from the stellar photosphere. No structures that are brighter than 3σ are detected in the central 15 AU × 15 AU region. Modeling the spectral energy distribution using parameters expected for a dust-producing planetesimal belt indicates a radial location in the range of ∼8–15 AU. This is consistent with the location where ice sublimates in Fomalhaut, i.e., an asteroid-belt analog. The 3σ upper limit for such a belt is <1.3 mJy at 870 μm. We also interpret the 2 and 8–13 μm interferometric measurements to reveal the structure in the inner 10 AU region as dust naturally connected to this proposed asteroid belt by Poynting–Robertson drag, dust sublimation, and magnetically trapped nanograins.
The Effects of Geographic Location and Picture Support on Children's Story Retelling Performance

Purpose: Analysis of children's oral narratives is a frequently used naturalistic assessment technique. Comparing children's oral narrative performance to databases of samples elicited from typically developing speakers aids in the identification of language impairment and thus enhances the clinical utility of the assessment process. To investigate the potential usefulness of existing databases across different geographic locations, this study compared the story retelling performance of English-speaking children from New Zealand (NZ) to samples from the United States (US) contained in a widely used reference database available with Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts software (SALT). Method: Sixty-six NZ children (age 6;0 to 7;11) who showed typical development participated. Their performance was compared to 73 age-matched samples from the United States. All children retold the story Frog, Where Are You? using a standard protocol. Approximately half of the NZ children (n = 31) retold the story without picture support, whereas all other children were allowed to refer to the pictures during retelling. Language samples were analysed on measures of verbal productivity, semantic diversity, syntactic complexity, verbal fluency, and story quality. Results: The results indicated that variables measuring verbal productivity, semantic diversity, and story quality were sensitive to changes in elicitation procedures (presence or absence of pictures during retelling), but not to differences in geographic location (US vs. NZ). In contrast, verbal fluency was sensitive to both elicitation condition and geographic location. Implications: The results from this study suggest that, when comparing a story retelling sample to a reference database, adhering to the language sampling elicitation protocol may be more important than the geographic origin of the database.
Numerical and analytical research of the impact of decoherence on quantum circuits

Three different levels of noisy quantum schemes modeling are considered: vectors, density matrices and Choi- Jamiolkowski related states. The implementations for personal computers and supercomputers are described, and the corresponding results are shown. For the level of density matrices, we present the technique of the fixed rank approximation and show some analytical estimates of the fidelity level.
Some morphometric features and length-weight relationships of F 1 hybrid juveniles ( Umbrina cirrosa ♀

In this study, length-weight relations and some morphometric characteristics of hybrid juveniles obtained by crossing of Umbrina cirrosa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Argyrosomus regius (Asso, 1801) via artificial fertilization under aquaculture conditions were investigated. Lengths, weights and condition factors of 39 hybrid juvenile specimen varied between 26.12 and 48.67 mm, 0.7 and 0.99 g, 0.81 and 1.09 respectively. Length-weight relationship (W) was calculated (0.000009 * TL3.006 r = 0.99). Individuals have shown isometric growth (b=3) according to the results of regression analyze by b value. All 10 morphometric measurements presented significant differences between the examined species in this study at the end of biometrical analyses except distance of maxilla and pectoral fin (MPL) (P<0.05). However, the strongest correlation was found between head length (HL) and total length (TL) (P<0.05). As a result, body height of hybrid fish was respectively lower than the parent species and length was shorter compared to Mediterranean populations indicating growth values were equal to those of natural populations
Developing Undergraduates’ Awareness of Metacognitive Knowledge in Writing Through Problem-based Learning

Metacognitive awareness can improve students’ writing proficiency. Engaging and supporting students in the writing process can increase their metacognitive awareness. This study investigates the effects of a problem-based learning approach on the awareness of metacognitive knowledge of Nigerian undergraduates in writing. An intact class of second-year students in an English composition course participated in the study. The study was conducted over a period of 12 weeks. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in data collection. A metacognitive questionnaire was administered before and after the PBL treatment. Semi-structured interview was also carried out at the end of the treatment. The results showed significant effects of the PBL approach on the participants’ awareness of metacognitive knowledge of task requirements, personal learning process, strategy use, text and accuracy, problem solving and discourse features. The findings from the interview revealed that the nature of the ill-structured problem, which is related to their real life, and the interactions during the PBL process increased the participants’ awareness of metacognitive knowledge. The findings further showed that PBL approach could be adopted by ESL instructors and teachers to increase students’ awareness of metacognitive knowledge which in turn can enhance their writing proficiency. Keywords: ESL writing, metacognitive awareness, metacognitive knowledge, undergraduates, PBL approach
Quality Scalability Compression on Single-Loop Solution in HEVC

This paper proposes a quality scalable extension design for the upcoming high efficiency video coding (HEVC) standard. In the proposed design, the single-loop decoder solution is extended into the proposed scalable scenario. A novel interlayer intra/interprediction is added to reduce the amount of bits representation by exploiting the correlation between coding layers. The experimental results indicate that the average Bjontegaard delta rate decrease of 20.50% can be gained compared with the simulcast encoding. The proposed technique achieved 47.98% Bjontegaard delta rate reduction compared with the scalable video coding extension of the H.264/AVC. Consequently, significant rate savings confirm that the proposed method achieves better performance.
Occurrence and success of greater sage-grouse broods in relation to insect-vegetation community gradients

3 Hayden-Wing Associates, LLC, 2308 S. 8th Street, Laramie, WY 82073, USA Abstract: A community-level approach to identify important brood habitats of greater sage- grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) may prove useful in guiding management actions because it acknowledges that important habitat components are not ecologically independent from each other. We used principal components analysis to combine insect and vegetation variables into community gradients and used logistic regression to link these components with brood survival and occurrence. We found that brood success was higher when broods occurred in specific insect-vegetation community types. A relationship between brood occurrence and insect-vegetation gradients was not apparent. The high resolution of the data and the solid validation performance suggest that identifying insect-vegetation communities is a promising technique for quantifying sage-grouse habitat relationships. This approach offers land managers a way of identifying important sage-grouse habitat that is ecologically aligned with traditional community-level land management practices (e.g., fire management, rotational grazing, vegetation manipulation, etc.).
Hydroxyapatite-Functionalized graphene: a new hybrid nanomaterial

Graphene oxide sheets (GO) were functionalized with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHAp) through a simple and effective hydrothermal treatment and a novel physicochemical process. Microstructure and crystallinity were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to characterize the morphology of the functionalized material. The resulting novel materials combine the biocompatibility of the nHAp with the strength and physical properties of the graphene.
The effect of uncertainty in earthquake fault parameters on the maximum wave height from a tsunami propagation model

Abstract. Over the last decade precomputed tsunami propagation model databases have been used extensively for both tsunami forecasting and hazard and risk assessment. However, the effect of uncertainty in the earthquake source parameters on the results of the simulated scenarios of tsunami propagation has not always been examined in great detail. Here we have undertaken a systematic study of the uncertainty in the maximum wave height of a tsunami (hmax) as a function of the uncertainty in the rupture parameters of the earthquake that generates it (specifically the strike, dip, rake, depth and magnitude). We have shown that even for the simple case of a tsunami propagating over flat bathymetry, the coefficient of variation (CoV) and skewness of the distribution of hmax was a complex function of the choice of rupture parameter, distance and azimuth. The relationships between these parameters and CoV became even more complex as the bathymetry used became more realistic. This has major potential implications for both how warning centres operate in the future and how the uncertainty in parameters describing the source should be incorporated into future probabilistic tsunami hazard assessments.
Influence of Synoptic Weather Patterns on Solar Irradiance Variability in Northern Europe

AbstractObservations have revealed strong variability of shortwave (SW) irradiance at Earth’s surface on decadal time scales, referred to as global dimming and brightening. Previous studies have attributed the dimming and brightening to changes in clouds and atmospheric aerosols. This study assesses the influence of atmospheric circulation on clouds and SW irradiance to separate the influence of “natural” SW variability from direct and, to some extent, indirect aerosol effects. The focus is on SW irradiance in northern Europe in summer and spring because there is little high-latitude SW irradiance during winter. As a measure of large-scale circulation the Grosswetterlagen (GWL) dataset, a daily classification of synoptic weather patterns, is used. Empirical models of normalized SW irradiance are constructed based on the GWL, relating the synoptic weather patterns to the local radiative climate. In summer, a temporary SW peak in the 1970s and subsequent dimming is linked to variations in the synoptic patte.
Physical , Sensorial , Color and Rehydration Properties of Dried Green Olive Slices

The physical, sensorial and color properties of Memecik olive slices were evaluated in fresh and dried samples. The olive samples were dried by a tray dryer with hot air. The moisture of fermented green olive slices was 81.41 % (wet basis) and was reduced to 2.15 % after drying. The dehydration process was performed at 65 C with an air velocity of 1 m/s. There were changes in some physical characteristics of olives during drying, such as changing in diameters. Inner and outer diameters of olives decreased 20.6 % and 23.2 % respectively. Color components (L*, a*, b*) were measured with a Minolta colorimeter and h*, ΔC*, ΔE* values were calculated using color coordinates. There were reductions in L* (51.46 32.35) and b* values (31.65-17.03) of olive samples by drying process. An increase was observed for a* values from -0.62 to 1.95. Dried olive slices rehydrated slower than other dried foods because of their salt content. Also, dried olive slices were compared for fresh ones by sensorially with visual, aroma, taste, texture properties and general acceptibility.