Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Floquet problem for quasiperiodic systems

The problem of reducing x A (t)x, where A (t) is a quasiperiodic n X n matrix, to a system with constant coefficients is studied by means of an associated linear partial differential equation. A necessary and sufficient condition is given which, while not always computable, appears to provide a new approach to this classical problem.
Short run and long run dynamics of residential electricity consumption: Homogeneous and heterogeneous panel estimations for OECD

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the short run and long run dynamics of residential electricity consumption for 11 OECD countries within annual period 1979-2006. To this end, this paper first explores the findings from related literature evidence and, later, follows panel cointegration equations (CEs) and panel error correction models (ECMs). CEs give long run relations of the variables in residential electricity demand function. ECMs include both long run and short run parameter estimates of the per capita residential electricity demand in terms of residential electricity price, residential light fuel oil price, residential natural gas price and per capita income. For both ECs and ECMs, the techniques of panel OLS, panel adjusted OLS and panel dynamic OLS are utilized. Finally, this paper yields short term and long term elasticities of residential electricity consumption together with error correction terms through homogeneous and heterogeneous variance structures.
Measuring redshifts using X-ray spectroscopy of galaxy clusters: results from Chandra data and future prospects

Context. The ubiquitous presence of the Fe line complex in the X-ray spectra of galaxy clusters offers the possibility of measuring their redshift without resorting to spectroscopic follow-up observations. In practice, the blind search of the Fe line in X-ray spectra is a difficult task and is affected not only by limited S/N (particularly at high redshift), but also by several systematic errors, associated with varying Fe abundance values, ICM temperature gradients, and instrumental characteristics. Aims. We assess the accuracy with which the redshift of galaxy clusters can be recovered from an X-ray spectral analysis of Chandra archival data. We present a strategy to compile large surveys of clusters whose identification and redshift measurement are both based on X-ray data alone. Methods. We apply a blind search for K-shell and L-shell Fe line complexes in X-ray cluster spectra using Chandra archival observations of galaxy clusters. The Fe line can be detected in the ICM spectra by simply analyzing the C-statistics variation ΔC stat as a function of the redshift parameter, when all the other model parameters are frozen to the best-fit values. We repeat the measurement under different conditions, and compare the X-ray derived redshift zx with the one obtained by means of optical spectroscopy z o . We explore how a number of priors on metallicity and luminosity can be effectively used to reduce catastrophic errors. The ΔC stat provides the most effective means of discarding wrong redshift measurements and estimating the actual error in z X . Results. We identify a simple and efficient procedure for optimally measuring the redshifts from the X-ray spectral analysis of clusters of galaxies. When this procedure is applied to mock catalogs extracted from high sensitivity, wide-area cluster surveys, such as those proposed with Wide Field X-ray Telescope (WFXT) mission, it is possible to obtain complete samples of X-ray clusters with reliable redshift measurements, thus avoiding time-consuming optical spectroscopic observations. Our analysis shows that, in the case of WFXT, a blind Fe line search is 95% successful for spectra with more than 1000 net counts, whenever ΔC stat > 9, corresponding formally to a 3σ confidence level. The average error in the redshift z X decreases rapidly for higher values of ΔC stat . Finally, we discuss how to estimate the completeness of a large cluster samples with measured z X . This methodology will make it possible to trace cosmic growth by studying the evolution of the cluster mass function directly using X-ray data.
Antioxidant activity of blackberry (Rubus sp.) genotypes from the Southern Region of Brazil

The antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds of different blackberry fruit genotypes from the major Brazilian producer region (three cultivars and four selections) were evaluated and compared to the Cherokee cultivar. Phenolic and anthocyanic extracts were obtained and evaluated for each fruit genotype. The phenolic extracts of selections 02/96 and 07/001 presented higher antioxidant activity than those of cultivars in most assays. This activity was partially correlated to the higher amount of total phenolics in these samples. Thus, the phenolic compounds are probably the major responsible for the antioxidant activity in the diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. Quercetin seems to be responsible for the antioxidant activity of blackberry phenolic extracts in the β-carotene bleaching assay. Concerning anthocyanic extracts, the selection 02/96 and Cherokee cultivar from harvest 2007 had higher antioxidant activity than the other genotypes in most assays. Anthocyanins appear to be the major responsible for the antioxidant activity of anthocyanic extracts in the DPPH and FRAP assays, although ascorbic acid also contributed to the DPPH antioxidant activity. Selection 02/96 appears to have higher antioxidant activity than the commercial cultivars cultivated in the southern Brazil and appears to be promising for nutritional and health purposes.
Dynamic Capabilities and Network Benefits

The number of publicly funded initiatives to establish or strengthen networks and clusters, in order to enhance innovation, has been increasing. Returns on such investments vary, and the aim of this study is to explore to what extent the variation in benefits for firms participating in networks or clusters can be explained by their dynamic capabilities (DC). Based on survey data from five Norwegian networks, the results suggest that firms with higher DC are more successful in harvesting the potential benefits of being member of a network.
Land‐use effects on water quality of a first‐order stream in the Ozark Highlands, mid‐southern United States

Urban and agricultural land uses can alter the natural hydrologic conditions of streams and rivers and often degrade water quality. In the Ozark Highlands of the mid‐southern United States, the climate, topography, soil properties, karst limestone geology, agricultural practices and rapid urbanization make water quality of particular concern due to the increased potential for water quality degradation by contaminant leaching to groundwater and runoff to surface waters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of season (i.e. dry/cool and wet/warm) and riparian land use (i.e. urban, grazed pasture, ungrazed pasture, wetland, cultivated agriculture and grassland) on surface water quality in a first‐order stream within a diverse agricultural watershed in the Ozark Highlands. Water samples were collected twice a month within each land use during base‐flow conditions from October 2006 through October 2007. Samples were also collected periodically during storm‐flow conditions from October 2006 through December 2007. The greatest in‐stream pH was adjacent to the grazed pasture. In‐stream NO3‐N concentrations were greatest adjacent to the cultivated agriculture and grassland during the dry/cool season (i.e. October 2006 to March 2007) and averaged 2.67 mg L−1. In‐stream soluble reactive P (SRP) concentrations were greatest adjacent to the grassland during the wet/warm season (i.e. April 2007 to October 2007) and averaged 0.81 mg L−1. Concentrations of SRP, K, Mg and Zn were greater during storm‐ than base‐flow conditions and in‐stream As concentrations frequently exceeded 0.01 mg L−1. Discharge and in‐stream NH4‐N concentrations were unaffected by land use or season and averaged 0.003 m3 s−1 and 0.10 mg L−1, respectively, across all land uses and seasons. Results of this study clearly demonstrate the significant effect of adjacent land use on in‐stream water quality of a first‐order stream in a diverse agricultural watershed and highlight the importance of managing upstream land use in order to regulate downstream water quality. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of waste tyre fibers on strength, abrasion resistance and carbonation of concrete

Waste tire is increasingly becoming an environmental, health, and aesthetic problem. Used tires are of category of waste whose recycling is extensively difficult because of highly complex structure, the diverse composition of the raw material. Concrete is a versatile construction material due to easy to fabrication, locally available material, and high mechanical strength. The use of waste tires as a concrete additive is a possible disposal solution. Rubberized concrete may thus contribute in sustainable construction by use of industrial waste, minimizing the natural resources and produce a more efficient material. In this paper experimental investigation is carried out to evaluate the flexural strength, compressive strength, abrasion resistance and carbonation of concrete containing waste rubber tire fibers as partial replacement of fine aggregates. Fibers from mechanical grinding of used rubber tire have been incorporated with three water–binder ratio and six levels of rubber fibers contents (0-25%). It has also been shown that with increasing replacement level of rubber fibers, flexural strength and abrasion resistance is increased. Further, it has been also observed that compressive strength and carbonation depth changes with the increasing of the replacement level of waste rubber content.
Chapter 6 Price Competition between Platforms : The Case of eBay vs

We investigate the equilibrium market structure on competing online auction sites such as those of eBay orYahoo! Building on the model of Ellison et al. (2004), we take full account of the complexity of network effects on such platforms.We extend the model by looking at the implication of exogenous and endogenous buyer and seller charges making use of contingent tariffs. This extension brings in line the theory with the empirical findings of Brown and Morgan (2009) that eBay sellers enjoy higher prices and more favorable buyer–seller ratios than Yahoo! sellers. We also investigate welfare effects and look at the viability of duopoly with size differentials, at large markets, and at implications for policy.
Service Level Agreement aware SaaS Placement in Cloud

Cloud computing is an encouraging and favourable paradigm for both providers and consumers in diverse scopes of endeavors. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a method of conveying services or applications through the Internet – as a service, and it is known to be one of the very crucial computing services in cloud computing. Cloud computing has become a major medium for the SaaS providers to provide their applications because required scalability can be achieved through this. The challenges of SaaS placement process depends on various factors comprising cloud network size, resource requirements, and communication among its components. This thesis analyzes the SaaS Placement Problem (SPP) and proposes a mathematical model for SaaS placement in Cloud. This thesis gives an evolutionary approach, known as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) that has been applied to find the optimal placement of SaaS component and aiming to minimize the total cost incurred to the SaaS provider, and then evaluated against the traditional Greedy approach in experiments. The obtained results show our proposed algorithm SPPSO generates better solutions than Greedy approach SPGA.
Intraspecific Variation of Flueggea leucopyrus Willd. Grown in Sri Lanka and Establishing a Suitable Propagation System

Flueggea leucopyrus belongs to family Phyllanthaceae, commonly known as ‘Katupila’or ‘Heen katupila’ and has become increasingly popular as an ingredient in several traditional therapeutic systems in Sri Lanka as well as in other Asian countries. A questionnaire survey was carried out using a hundred population sample to determine the awareness of the distribution and therapeutic uses of F. leucopyrus in Sri Lanka as a preliminary survey. The aims of the present study were to interpret the phenetic variation and determine the variation of phenolic composition in leaf extracts of F. leucopyrus in different climatic zones in Sri Lanka and to develop a suitable propagation system for F. leucopyrus. Eleven floral and vegetative characters of F. leucopyrus were observed and cluster analysis was carried out to infer phenetic relationships among populations collected from localities, Colombo, Kurunegala, Puttalam and Hambanthota, . representing different climatic zones. Medicinal value of most of plants lies in phytochemicals such as phenolics, flavonoids and anthocyanidins. Thus, leaf samples were extracted into ether, and ether extracts were used to isolate phenolic compounds using 2-Dimensional paper chromatography in solvent systems, butanol: acetic acid: water; 6:7:3 and sodium formate: formic acid: water; 10:1:200. Colors of the spots were observed under UV (366nm), and R f values were calculated. Intra specific variations were observed in the distribution of phenolics in leaves and phenetic characters of F. leucopyrus with respect to their habitats in different climatic zones. Due to low seed production in F. leucopyrus , stem cuttings (Semi-hardwood, hardwood and softwood) in three different potting media were used to evaluate the successfulness in propagation . Semi hardwood and hardwood cuttings of F. leucopyrus were well established within a period of one week in sand potting medium while softwood cutting has not responded in any of the media during the period. Medium with only coir dust was also not successful in establishing the cuttings. J. Sci. Univ. Kelaniya 9 (2014): 15-25
The Museum of Music: A History of Mechanical Instruments

II At what may have been the first educational media conference ever held in the field of music, Percy A. Scholes, in 1925, expounded the virtues of the player-piano and the reproducing piano for music education. In a demonstration of the many educational possibilities of these "extraordinary mechanical contrivances," he concurred with Alexander MacKenzie, chairman of the Committee on the Educational Use of Piano-Player Rolls, that "All musical educationists of standing are today agreed as to the high value of the ordinary 'Pianola' Roll, and 'Duo-Art' Roll, and the Gramophone Record. "! Few music educators will recall that forty years ago the Pianola held as much educational promise as the phonograph recording. Mechanical aids for storing and reproducing musical sounds have come and gone during the last thousand years. As a means of bringing music to a broader audience, mechanical instruments have a history that is inseparable from developments in music education. Perhaps the most effective and far-reaching "music educator" at the present time is the
Graphs of gonality three

In 2013, Chan classified all metric hyperelliptic graphs, proving that divisorial gonality and geometric gonality are equivalent in the hyperelliptic case. We show that such a classification extends to combinatorial graphs of divisorial gonality three, under certain edge- and vertex-connectivity assumptions. We also give a construction for graphs of divisorial gonality three, and provide conditions for determining when a graph is not of divisorial gonality three.
Physiological and biochemical reactions of Hordeum vulgare seedlings to the action of silver nanoparticles

Morphometrical indexes, and spectrophotometrically measured protein and glutathione (GSH, GSSG) contents and activity of peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7), glutathione-reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2) and glutathione S-transferase (GST, EС 2.5.1.18) were examined in Hordeum vulgare L. seedlings after 0.01 and 0.1 mg/l AgNPs treatment during 24 h. We tested the hypothesis that the action of nanoparticles has a stressful effect on the physiological and biochemical processes of seedlings. Growth of roots was inhibited and fresh weight decreased by 29 % and 21% under low and high concentrations respectively. Conversely, leaf growth was intensified, and leaf length (16 % and 18%) and fresh weight (35 % and 44%) increased at low and high concentrations respectively. POD activity in roots increased by 26 % and 7%, and decreased in leaves to 57 % and 81% of control at low and high concentrations respectively. GSH content changed insignificantly, but GSSG content increased in roots (2 and 2.5-fold) and in leaves (13 % and 30%) at both AgNPs concentrations. GSH/GSSG-ratio decreased in roots (1.9 and 2.6-fold) and in leaves (1.1 and 1.3-fold) at low and high concentrations respectively. GR activity decreased at a concentration of 0.01 mg/l (7% in roots and 17% in leaves respectively) and increased at 0.1 mg/l (52% in roots and 6% in leaves). GST activity increased in leaves (52 % and 78% at low and high concentrations) but decreased by 17% in roots under high concentration of nanosilver. Thus, the action of AgNPs on barley seedlings had a dose-dependent and organ-specific character. The various directions of changes in growth, metabolic processes and activity of antioxidant defense systems appear to be a stress response of barley seedlings to the impact of AgNPs, which underlines the necessity of detailed study of plant intracellular processes exposed to the action of nanomaterial.
Reducing Electricity Demand through Smart Metering: The Role of Improved Household Knowledge

The international rollout of residential smart meters has increased considerably in recent years. The improved consumption feedback provided, and in particular, the installation of in-house displays, has been shown to significantly reduce residential electricity demand in some international trials. This paper attempts to uncover the underlying drivers of such information-led reductions by exploring two research questions. First, does feedback improve a household's knowledge of energy reducing behaviors? And second, do knowledge improvements explain demand reductions? Data is from a randomized controlled smart metering trial (Ireland) which also collected extensive information on household attitudes towards and knowledge of electricity use. Results show that feedback significantly increases a household's knowledge but improvements are not correlated with observed demand reductions. Increasing the level of knowledge ceteris paribus is therefore unlikely to bring short-run demand reductions in residential electricity markets. Given this result, it is possible that feedback acts mainly as a reminder and motivator, rather than an educational tool
MEMS-based Temperature Control Systems for DNA Amplification

This paper reports an innovative on-chip temperature control system using MEMS technology. Micro temperature sensors and micro heaters are integrated on glass substrates for biomedical applications. The temperature control system consists of thin-film platinum resistors as sensing/heating elements and a layer of polyimide as an isolation layer inside a micromachined chamber. It is demonstrated as a micro PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) chip for DNA replication. A high rise and drop rate of temperature field is attained due to low thermal inertia of the micro system. The MEMS-based on-chip temperature control system can be integrated with microfluidic structures (such as micro channels and micro chambers), which are fabricated by easy polymer casting processes. Biomedical applications such as PCR, reactors, and incubators can be realized using the developed method.
Swimming ontogeny of larvae of four temperate marine fishes

Prerequisites for understanding dispersal in pelagic larvae of demersal fishes are data on when swimming abilities of larvae are sufficiently developed to be able to alter passive dispersal trajectories. In laboratory swimming chambers, the development of critical speed and endurance swimming was measured in reared larvae of 4 species of warm-temperate marine and estuarine fishes that spawn pelagic eggs (Sciaenidae, Argyrosom us japonicus; Sparidae, Pagrus auratus, Acanthopagrus australis; Percichthyidae, Macquaria novemaculeata). Size was a better predictor of swimming ability than age. Increase in critical speed with growth was best portrayed by linear or 'flat' curvilinear relationships. Increase in endurance was best portrayed by strongly concave curvilinear relationships. The percichthyid larvae had the highest critical speed initially, but speed increased slowly with growth. The 2 sparids had the greatest increase in speed with growth, and the sciaenid the least. The greatest increase in endurance with growth was found in P. auratus, but performance of M. novemaculeata was only slightly less. The slowest increase in endurance with growth was found in A. japonicus, but, by settlement, its performance was similar to the other species. Until notochord flexion was complete, both speed and endurance were limited. Thereafter, swimming performance improved markedly at a species-specific rate. At settlement, larvae of these species could swim more than 10 km and at speeds of 15 to 20 cm s -1 (=12 to 20 BL s -1 ), which exceeded the average currents in their coastal environment. Following notochord flexion, all larvae swimming at critical speed were in an inertial environment, and this corresponded to when substantial endurance swimming developed. Whether these potential performances are actually realized in the field remains to be determined, but they provide the potential to strongly influence dispersal.
Why Foreign Direct Investment Goes Towards Central Africa

This article examines the determinants of foreign direct investment in Central Africa. We use a theory based on the OLI paradigm of Dunning (1980). The estimation technique is panel data. We obtained the following main results: (i) high rates of GDP growth attract foreign investment, (ii) oil production, human capital and trade openness also promotes the entry of FDI in Central Africa (iii) the study also show that the amplifier FDI effect would be greater if a real national investment policy is implemented. The economic policy recommendations of the study are: (i) the authorities must intensify the fight against corruption and reduce inflation; (ii) encourage private investment and (iii) modernizing infrastructure to facilitate transactions and transport of products. Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, traditional determinants, institutional determinants, territorial attractiveness, panel data.
Wave Damping in Reed: Field Measurements and Mathematical Modeling

Wave damping in vegetation in shallow lakes reduces resuspension and thereby improves the light climate and decreases nutrient recycling. In this study, wave transformation in reed (Phragmites australis) was measured in a shallow lake. Theoretical models of wave height decay, based on linear wave theory, and transformation of the probability density function (PDF), using a wave-by-wave approach, were developed and compared to the collected data. Field data showed an average decrease in wave height of 4–5% m/sup -1sup/ within the first 5–14 m of the vegetation. Incident root-mean-square wave height was 1–8 cm. A species-specific drag coefficient CD was found to be about 9 (most probable range: 3–25). CD showed little correlation with a Reynolds number or a Keulegan-Carpenter number. The PDF for the wave heights did not change significantly, but for longer distances into the vegetation and higher waves it tended to be more similar to the developed transformed distribution than to a Rayleigh distribution. Relationships developed in this study can be employed for management purposes to reduce resuspension and erosion. (Less)