Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MALE BADGE SIZE PREDICTS DOMINANCE AGAINST FEMALES IN HOUSE SPARROWS

Abstract We investigated dominance relationships and the use of male badge size as a status signal in a mixed-sex flock of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). Specifically, we tested whether females differ from males in their fighting behavior or dominance status, and whether badge size predicts dominance and fighting success of males in male-female fights. We found that both sexes were involved frequently in aggressive encounters, and the mean dominance rank of males did not differ from the mean rank of females. Badge size was the only significant predictor of the dominance rank of males, and was a good predictor of their aggressiveness measured as the proportion of fights initiated. On the other hand, female dominance rank was correlated with body weight. In male-female fights, both the proportion of female-initiated aggressive interactions and the proportion of fights won by females decreased with increasing size of the opponent's badge. Large-badged males dominated more females in dyadic interactions than smaller-badged males. These correlational results suggest that male badge size may be used as a signal of dominance status between male and female House Sparrows in winter flocks.
Prey selection under laboratory conditions by pond-bred Trematocranus placodon (Regan, 1922), a molluscivorous cichlid from Lake Malaŵi

Trematocranus placodon, a predator of freshwater snails in Lake Malaŵi, has been recommended for the control of schistosome intermediate hosts in aquaculture ponds. Fish from Lake Malaŵi were introduced into a pond close to Lilongwe and we attempted to elucidate whether pond-raised F1 retain their ability to consume snails. In laboratory experiments, small fish (70–80 mm total length) preyed only on Bulinus tropicus while fish of the 100–110 mm and the 120–130 mm size classes also chose B. globosus. All three size classes of fish preferred B. tropicus, which was abundant in the pond where fish were raised. Bulinus nyassanus was consumed by the largest fish only. Melanoides tuberculata was not preyed upon, although this species dominates stomach contents of field collected T. placodon. T. placodon is a pharyngeal crusher and comparisons of the size and dentition of the pharyngeal bones revealed some differences between field collected and pond-bred fishes. Although pond-bred fishes are able to crush snails, the development of the pharyngeal teeth should be better controlled by fish diet. A hard diet early in life is a prerequisite for T. placodon to develop molariform teeth. Later once molariform teeth are developed, fish can be transferred to pond conditions for grow-up and snail control.
Verify Correctness of Trusted data in Clouds

Cloud computing has been conceived of tangible solution to the uprising storage economy of IT enterprises. Cloud computing is the long dreamed vision of computing as a utility, where users can remotely store their data into the cloud so as to enjoy the on-demand high quality applications and services from a shared pool of configurable computing resources. By data outsourcing, users can be relieved from the burden of local data storage and maintenance. However, the fact that users no longer have physical possession of the possibly large size of outsourced data makes the data integrity protection in Cloud Computing a very challenging and potentially formidable task, especially for users with constrained computing resources and capabilities. In this paper we propose a technique based on Metadata of the files, by using this metadata, we can verify the data that is stored by a user at remote storage in the cloud is not modified by the archive and Third party verifier. To perform cryptographic operations (encryption and decryption) required lot of computing power, but computation power is different for Personal computers, laptops and handheld devices, with this technique there may be a chance to reduce the number of cryptographic operations.
Methods for mapping ecosystem service supply: a review

Mapping key areas for ecosystem service (ES) supply is essential for the development of strategies that will ensure their future supply. Given the rapid development in this area of research, we performed a review of different approaches used to map ES, with a special focus on those that use social–ecological data. We used an analytical framework based on five criteria for analyzing and comparing the methodological approaches: the types of ES, availability of data sources, types of data sources, spatial scale, and methods used to model ES. We found that regulating services were the most commonly mapped, followed by provisioning, cultural, and supporting services. Secondary (readily available) data were used more frequently than primary data to map ES. Biophysical data (land-cover variables) and mixed sources (databases like global statistics) were the most commonly employed ones. Most studies were performed at the regional or at the national scale. The most commonly used method to model services was the development of models based on the well-known causal relationships between environmental variables, followed by the extrapolation of ES values from primary data to the total analyzed area frequently using land-cover maps. Our synthesis reveals that the majority of studies are based on secondary data, applied at broad scales, without validation techniques. There is an urgent need to develop methods for deepening our understanding of the social–ecological processes behind the supply of ES in order to improve our ability to map ES for decision making.
The relation between career anchors, emotional intelligence and employability satisfaction among workers in the service industry

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the career anchors (measured by the Career Orientations Inventory), emotional intelligence (measured by the Assessing Emotions Scale) and employability satisfaction (measured by a one-item scale) of a random sample of 270 adults employed in the service industry. A quantitative survey design was used. Multiple regression analyses revealed significant relationships between the participants’ career anchors, emotional intelligence and employability satisfaction. The results further showed the entrepreneurial creativity, service/ dedication to a cause and autonomy career anchors to be significant predictors of emotional intelligence. Employability satisfaction significantly predicted the pure challenge and service/dedication to a cause career anchors. Managing others’ emotions significantly predicted employability satisfaction. The findings contribute new knowledge to the field of career psychology and may be used to inform human resource practices concerned with optimising person– job fit and the job and career satisfaction of employees. In the light of the turbulent world of work context, career counsellors may also find the results useful in facilitating proactive career behaviour among employees.
Examining workers’ perceptions of spirituality in the workplace: an exploratory study

There has been growinginterest in workplace spiritualitytheory. However, research haspredominantly been focused on USAand Canada, except some recentinitiatives. Taking it into account, thepurpose of this study is to delve intohow Brazilian workers see, perceive,and define workplace spirituality. Byemploying a phenomenologicalapproach, this study found 34 corethemes, 12 of which were alsoidentified in a previous investigationconducted by Marques et al. (2007), namely: trust, openness, kindness(compassion and friendship), honesty,moral and ethics, a sense of peaceand harmony, aesthetically pleasingwork environment, team orientation,understanding, faith in god, respect,and truth. The remaining 22 themes -which constitute the novelcontribution of this study - are as follows: fun, love, well-being, a senseof religiosity, serenity, socialresponsibility, tolerance, sincerity,meaning of work, higher values,human valuing, coherent attitudes,common interests and objectives,politeness, willing to offer guidanceand be an example, stimulatingenvironment, listening to and belistened, praying habit, patience,positive energies and thoughts,concerns with other’s well-being, andthe spirit of solidarity. In addition,this research design enabled to makesome comparisons between twodistinct cultural contexts (i.e.,Brazilian and American), whichcontributes to broaden the crosscultural management knowledge.
How Do In-Store Environmental Cues Influence Malaysian Shoppers? A Study of Hypermarket Customers in Malaysia

The importance of retail store design and merchandising policies rests in the ability of the physical retail environment to alter shopping reactions and behaviour. Specifically, this research paper examines relationship between physical hypermarket environments, Malaysian shoppers’ emotions and their subsequent shopping behaviour besides considering the role of self regulation as moderator of relationships between consumers’ shopping emotions and their post shopping evaluations. Overall, the findings of this study refute the general postulation that shopping emotions directly influence resource expenditure and shopping values. Results also contradict with previous research which indicates that action oriented shoppers are less responsive to environmental stimuli and subsequently spend less on resource expenditure because puzzled findings from this study reflects that Malaysian shoppers spend more money than they expect despite having high self degree of control. Significantly, findings show that feelings of dominance, previously dismissed as unimportant, significantly alter the shopping behavior of Malaysian shoppers. Therefore, this study proves the relevancy of measuring ‘dominance’ in the shopping emotions analysis. And finally, the last test result of this study postulates the rise of hedonic values experienced by Malaysian shoppers resulted from increased resource expenditures.
Designing extra-curricular dance programs: UK physical education and dance teachers' perspectives

Many girls do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA). Dance is a popular form of PA among UKsecondary school-aged girls and extracurricular dance programs delivered by dance specialists may provide an alternative way to increase PA amongst girls aged 11 - 12. The purpose of this study was to explore the views of physical education and dance teachers on the structure, content and delivery of an extra-curricular dance-based PA intervention for adolescent girls. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with eleven physical education teachers and eleven dance teachers, and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Themes identified addressed key logistical and content/delivery-based factors to be considered when designing a dance-based PA intervention. Logistical factors included optimizing participant recruitment and aligning external providers with school behavior management policies. Content/delivery factors focused on teacher-student rapport, facilitating dance competence, and balancing teacher and student-led time. Conclusions: This formative study highlighted that an extra-curricular dance-based PA intervention would be welcomed inUK schools. A number of considerations central to the design and delivery of such a program were identified from key user groups which can be used to inform the development of school-based dance (and non-dance) interventions aimed at increasing PA amongst adolescent girls.
A META-ANALYTIC STUDY OF THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN LONG-RUN ECONOMIC GROWTH *

This paper focuses on the mechanisms through which government policies can potentially influence the economy's transition towards a steady-state growth path and the steady-state rate of growth itself. Theoretical possibilities are illustrated by means of very simple and commonly used exogenous and endogenous growth models. The paper then provides a synthesis of the 1983-98 published literature on the empirical evidence regarding the interaction between government policies and growth. Five policy areas are considered: general government consumption, tax rates, education and health expenditures, defense and public infrastructure. The most conclusive results in the literature relate to the positive impact of education expenditures on growth. Public infrastructure also appears important. Regression analysis remains the most commonly adopted research methodology. A better link with current theories will be obtained when parameter calibration methods for micro-foundations based models replace parameter estimation of regression models with ad hoc specifications. Nonetheless, there will remain severe limitations on what can be learned for policy from highly aggregative models of endogenous growth. Better data are needed at the regional macro and meso levels to complement the currently available pooled cross-section time-series country data. The potential endogeneity of government fiscal variables can be resolved through the selection of appropriate instrumental variables, such as those that arise in cases of "natural experiments".
Trends in the evolution of ecology: “Spain is different”

Abstract. During the last fifty years ecology has matured as a scientific discipline. In this paper I analyse the temporal development of the paradigm based on physical systems (the ecosystem paradigm), and the evolutionary ecology paradigm. I first analyse the contents of 61 textbooks to calculate the relative importance of ecosystem and evolutionary ecology in the training of new generations of ecologists. Results indicate that the evolutionary approach is becoming more important since 1980, and now most textbooks dedicate 10–20% of their pages to evolutionary concepts. In a second analysis I searched the names of ecology departments in universities around the world, and found out conspicuous differences between USA, where 43% of addresses associate ecology and evolution or behaviour on the same department, and Europe, where only 10% of ecology departments also include a reference to evolution or behaviour in their name. In both analyses Spain seems to follow only the ecosystem paradigm, because Spanish textbooks dedicate almost no pages to evolutionary concepts, and there is not a single university department that includes ecology and evolution. A further bibliometric study confirmed that Spanish ecologists prefer to publish their research in general ecology journals, and are under-represented in evolutionary ecology journals. I discuss the importance of historical factors on the development of paradigms of ecology, and the special case of Spain, likely due to the influence of pioneers working in oceanography, limnology and geography.
Effects of Surface Exchange Coefficients and Turbulence Length Scales on the Intensity and Structure of Numerically Simulated Hurricanes

AbstractUsing numerical simulations, this study examines the sensitivity of hurricane intensity and structure to changes in the surface exchange coefficients and to changes in the length scales of a turbulence parameterization. Compared to other recent articles on the topic, this study uses higher vertical resolution, more values for the turbulence length scales, a different initial environment (including higher sea surface temperature), a broader specification of surface exchange coefficients, a more realistic microphysics scheme, and a set of three-dimensional simulations. The primary conclusions from a recent study by Bryan and Rotunno are all upheld: maximum intensity is strongly affected by the horizontal turbulence length scale lh but not by the vertical turbulence length scale lυ, and the ratio of surface exchange coefficients for enthalpy and momentum, Ck/Cd, has less effect on maximum wind speed than suggested by an often-cited theoretical model. The model output is further evaluated against vari.
Genetic parameters estimates for growth, reproduction and carcass traits in Nellore cattle

bianca.olivieri@hotmail.com (Corresponding Author) Associação Nacional de Criadores e Pesquisadores, Ribeirão Preto/SP, Brazil Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, FCAV, Departamento de Zootecnia, Jaboticabal/SP, Brazil 3 Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Departamento de Produccion Animal, La Plata, Argentina Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, 70770901, Distrito Federal, Brazil Zoetis, 333 Portage St., KZO300-210SE, 49007, Kalamazoo, USA Universidade de São Paulo, FMRP, Ribeirão Preto/SP, Brazil
Absence of Altruism? Female Disadvantage in Private School Enrolment in India

Using two nationally representative datasets from household surveys conducted in India in 2005 and 2012, the present paper examines the causal effect of gender in private school choice. We argue that the gender of the child is potentially endogenous in India because parents continue to have children until they have a son. To redress this potential endogeneity, we exploit the variation in private school choice among 7-18 year olds born to the same parents within the same household in an attempt to minimize both child-invariant and child-varying household-level omitted variable bias. We then explore the nature of female (dis)advantage across different types of households, communities and years with a view to assess the role of parental preferences in this respect and also its change. Significant female disadvantage exists in both survey years, though the size of this disadvantage varies across sub-samples and years. Female disadvantage is significantly higher among younger (relative to eldest) girls and also in northern and northwestern (relative to western) regions, but it is lower among girls from poor (relative to rich) households, Christian (relative to Hindu high caste) households, and those with more educated mothers. We infer that the observed within-household variations in female disadvantage across sub-samples reflect variations in non-altruistic parental preferences linked to deeply held cultural norms (for example, sons acting as old-age security and the exogamy of girls), access to schools and other public goods, thus posing considerable challenges to securing 'education for all. '
Long-Period Gratings Based on Photonics Crystal Fibers and Their Applications

The photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is a special class of components incorporating photonic crystals with a two-dimensional (2D) periodic variation in the plane perpendicular to the fiber axis and an invariant structure along it [1-3]. Typically these fibers incorporate a number of air holes that form a so-called photonic crystal cladding and run along the length of the fibers, and the shape, size, and distribution of the holes can be designed to achieve various novel wave-guiding properties that may not be achieved readily in conventional fibers [2-19], so that they have attracted significant attention in recent ten years.
02 Confalonieri_-

1 Pneumology Department, “Ospedali Riuniti di Trieste” University Hospital, Trieste, Italy 2 Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Interstitial and Rare Diseases Unit, University of Turin, San Luigi Gonzaga Medical School, Orbassano, Turin, Italy 3 Division of Rheumatology, University and IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo Foundation, Pavia, Italy 4 Pneumology Unit and Respiratory Pathophysiology and Pulmonary Haemodynamic Services RICU, San Giuseppe, MultiMedica, Milan, Italy 5 Rheumatology Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy 6 Department of Medicine, Pneumology, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IsMeTT), Palermo, Italy 7 University Hospital Internal Medicine I, Department of Clinical and Biological Science, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole, Orbassano, Turin, Italy 8 Department of Rheumatology AOUC & Dept. of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Monolayer MoS2 Strained to 1.3% With a Microelectromechanical System

We report on a modified transfer technique for atomically thin materials integrated into microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for studying strain physics and creating strain-based devices. Our method tolerates the non-planar structures and fragility of MEMS while still providing precise positioning and crack-free transfer of flakes. Furthermore, our method used the transfer polymer to anchor the 2D crystal to the MEMS, which reduces the fabrication time and increases the yield, and allowed us to exploit the strong mechanical coupling between the 2D crystal and polymer to strain the atomically thin system. We successfully strained single atomic layers of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with MEMS devices for the first time and achieved greater than 1.3% strain, marking a major milestone for incorporating 2D materials with MEMS. We used the established strain response of MoS2 Raman and photoluminescence spectra to deduce the strain in our crystals and provide a consistency check. We found good comparison between our experiment and the literature. [2018-0144]
Signal Optimal Smoothing by Means of Spectral Analysis

This chapter introduces two new empirical methods for obtaining optimal smoothing of noise‐ridden stationary and nonstationary, linear and nonlinear signals. Both methods utilize an application of the spectral representation theorem (SRT) for signal decomposi‐ tion that exploits the dynamic properties of optimal control. The methods, named as SRT1 and SRT2, produce a low‐resolution and a high‐resolution filter, which may be utilized for optimal long‐ and short‐run tracking as well as forecasting devices. Monte Carlo simulation applied to three broad classes of signals enables comparing the dual SRT methods with a similarly optimized version of the well‐known and reputed empiri‐ cal Hilbert‐Huang transform (HHT). The results point to a more satisfactory performance of the SRT methods and especially the second, in terms of low and high resolution as compared to the HHT for any of the three signal classes, in many cases also for nonlinear and stationary/nonstationary signals. Finally, all of the three methods undergo statistical experimenting on eight select real‐time data sets, which include climatic, seismological, economic and solar time series.
Global Positive Periodic Solutions of Generalized -Species Competition Systems with Multiple Delays and Impulses

By applying the fixed point theorem in a cone of Banach space, we obtain an easily verifiable necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of positive periodic solutions of two kinds of generalized -species competition systems with multiple delays and impulses as follows: It improves and generalizes a series of the well-known sufficiency theorems in the literature about the problems mentioned previously.
NULL BERTRAND CURVES OF THE AW(k)-TYPE IN MINKOWSKI

In this paper, we give curvature conditions of AW(k)-type (1≤k≤3) Cartan framed null Bertrand curves in Minkowski 3-space 3 1 E . We obtain that, a null Bertrand curve which is not null geodesic is of AW(1) type if and only if its curvature is equal to its torsion and a null Bertrand curve and its Bertrand mate are of AW(2) and AW(3) type.
Controversies in Clinical Trials of Cancer Vaccines for Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary brain tumour, continues to have a dismal prognosis. The standard initial treatment for GBM is surgical resection along with postoperative adjuvant therapy, including temozolomide, concomitant with 60 Gy of radiation therapy (RT) [1]. However, most patients eventually relapse and long-term survival remains elusive [2,3]. Thus, novel therapeutic modalities for GBM are being explored, and different types of immune-mediated approaches have been preclinically and clinically evaluated in phase I and II trials [4]. However, these GBM clinical trials face significant limitations in terms of their assessment of tumour progression and protocol setting. A critical and comprehensive review of how GBM trials should be conducted is required with a focus on how progression can be defined and clinical benefits can be evaluated following the administration of cancer vaccines.