Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extensive direct measurements of Posidonia oceanica defoliation confirm the importance of herbivory in temperate seagrass meadows

The rates of seagrass defoliation exerted by the herbivorous fish Sarpa salpa and by the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus were evaluated through both direct (tethering experiment) and indi- rect (bite marks) methods. Sampling was conducted once per season in 10 shallow meadows of Posi- donia oceanica (L.) Delile from the continental NW Mediterranean coast covering a spatial scale of >300 km. Results indicated that a large proportion (ca. 57%) of the annual leaf production is lost to herbivory, yet with considerable spatial variation. Patterns of seagrass defoliation showed high tem- poral variability, with a peak in summer with values that exceeded about 2.5 times those of leaf pro- duction and a minimum during the winter period. On average, defoliation exerted by S. salpa accounted for 40% of leaf production (ca. 70% of total annual losses to herbivory), while P. lividus was also responsible for a substantial 17% removal of leaf production. High discrepancies encoun- tered when comparing direct and indirect measurements suggest that the latter are inappropriate to achieve accurate estimates of herbivory pressure. This study evidences that P. oceanica leaf losses to herbivores are not marginal, but a widespread process that occurs at much higher rates than previ- ously estimated through indirect methods (ca. 2%), resetting the paradigm of the negligible impor- tance of herbivory in temperate systems.
ARTEROLANE MALEATE AND PIPERAQUINE PHOSPHATE: A NEW OPTION IN THE TREATMENT OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MALARIA

Malaria is holoendemic in India, claiming thousands of deaths annually. Recent data suggests that the burden of malaria, the most significant parasitic disease in the world, is increasing. India’s expansive geography and diverse climate supports ideal environment for sustaining malarial parasites and their vectors. The National Drug Policy of India recommends artemisinin based combination treatment for the management of malaria. Although the use of Artemisinin has strengthened global efforts to combat malaria, multi-drug resistance has increasingly become a major impediment to malaria control. The complete clearance of parasites is dependent on the partner drug in the combination being effective and also persisting at parasiticidal concentrations until most of the infecting parasites have been killed. Arterolane maleate (150mg) and piperaquine phosphate (750mg) combination is a novel antimalarial combination that is not based on artemisinin. This combination provides rapid clearance of parasitemia and malaria-related symptoms, coupled with prevention of recrudescence. Additionally, a short course treatment of 3 days encourages compliance. Combination of arterolane and piperaquine is a safe and well-tolerated drug combination, making it a welcome addition to the armamentarium against Plasmodium falciparum . KEYWORDS: malaria, Plasmodium falciparum , arterolane, piperaquine
The Kelly Criterion: implementation, simulation and backtest

In dieser Masterarbeit wird das asymptotisch optimale Kelly Portfolio, im Gegensatz zum Mittelwert/Varianz Ansatz, implementiert und in einer Simulationsstudie, wie auch auf empirischer Basis getestet. Das hauptsachliche Ziel von Kelly (1956) ist die Maximierung des erwarteten Logarithmus des Vermogens, welche, wie Breiman (1961) bewiesen hat, zu einer asymptotisch, optimalen Strategie in einer unabhangigen, stationaren Welt fuhrt, welche aber auf verschieden verteilte, zeitabhangige Renditen erweitert werden kann. %%%%In this thesis the Kelly growth-optimum criterion, as one strand of portfolio theory, besides the widely used mean-variance approach, is implemented and tested in a simulation study and on empirical basis. The main objective of Kelly (1956) is the maximization of the expected logarithm of growth, leading to, as Breiman (1961) proves, the asymptotically optimal strategy in an i.i. d. world, which can be extended to arbitrary and time-dependent returns. Under different parametric distribution assumptions for the outcomes, closed-form solutions for the growth-optimum strategy will be presented. Within a simulation study it will be shown that, sampling from the assumed data generating process naturally supports the asymptotic outperformance. As the assumption of the known process is loosened and the Kelly strategy needs to be implemented upon past, limited data, draw-down risks are increased and the portfolio maximizing the expected logarithm of end wealth is shifted to fractional Kelly bets. This holds for the empirical out-of-sample test. As the main statistical focus remains the improvement of the moment estimates in terms of errors, conditional moments are estimated by econometric time-series models. Setting the conditional mean forecast to zero if the conditional volatility forecasts surpasses the unconditional volatility, leads to a cancellation of positions in times of high uncertainty, which, one the one hand, decreases errors in the mean estimate and on the other hand, decreases portfolio draw-downs substantially.
The SLUGGS survey: new evidence for a tidal interaction between the early type galaxies NGC 4365 and NGC 4342

We present new imaging and spectral data for globular clusters (GCs) around NGC 4365 and NGC 4342. NGC 4342 is a compact, X-ray luminous S0 galaxy with an unusually massive central black hole. NGC 4365 is another atypical galaxy that dominates the W ' group of which NGC 4342 is a member. Using imaging from the MegaCam instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) we identify a stream of GCs between the two galaxies and extending beyond NGC 4342. The stream of GCs is spatially coincident with a stream/plume of stars previously identified. We find that the photometric colours of the stream GCs match those associated with NGC 4342, and that the recession velocity of the combined GCs from the stream and NGC 4342 match the recession velocity for NGC 4342 itself. These results suggest that NGC 4342 is being stripped of GCs (and stars) as it undergoes a tidal interaction with the nearby elliptical galaxy NGC 4365. We compare NGC 4342 to two well-known, tidally stripped galaxies (M32 and NGC 4486B) and find various
Parties Matter in Allocating Expenditures: Evidence from Germany

I test if parties matter with respect to the allocation of public expenditures in Germany. Considering the allocation of rights and duties due to the federal structure, two econometric models are estimated. First, a SURE model analyses spending at the federal level for the period from 1950 to 2003 and finds evidence for partisan politics and election year effects. Second, I examine the spending behaviour in the states from 1974 to 2004 in a panel data framework. In comparison to the federal level, policy has weaker impacts on the allocation of expenditures in the states.
NEVER ENDING STORY HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS SCIENCE AND BIOETHICS

The paper presents some of the scientific and ethical problems hampering the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in biomedical research. A brief review of the real possibilities of employment of hESC or adult stem cells in therapy, as resulting from experts’ reports is offered. The substrate of doubts surrounding status of human embryo and therefore legitimacy of research conducted on hESCs is also commented.
Observational constraints on the sub-galactic matter-power spectrum from galaxy-galaxy strong gravitational lensing

Constraining the sub-galactic matter-power spectrum on 1-10 kpc scales would make it possible to distinguish between the concordance ΛCDM model and various alternative dark-matter models due to the significantly different levels of predicted mass structure. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to observationally constrain the population of overall law-mass density fluctuations in the inner regions of massive elliptical lens galaxies, based on the power spectrum of the associated surface-brightness perturbations observable in highly magnified galaxy-scale Einstein rings and gravitational arcs. The application of our method to the SLACS lens system SDSS J0252+0039 results in the following limits (at the 99 per cent confidence level) on the dimensionless convergence-power spectrum (and the associated standard deviation in aperture mass): Δ2δκ<1 (σAM<0.8×108M⊙) on 0.5-kpc scale, Δ2δκ<0.1 (σAM<1×108M⊙) on 1-kpc scale and Δ2δκ<0.01 (σAM<3×108M⊙) on 3-kpc scale. The estimated effect of CDM sub-haloes lies considerably below these first observational upper-limit constraints on the level of inhomogeneities in the projected total mass distribution of galactic haloes. Future analysis for a larger sample of galaxy-galaxy strong lens systems will narrow down these constraints and rule out all cosmological models predicting a significantly larger level of clumpiness on these critical sub-galactic scales.
SEXUAL PAIN DISORDERS AMONG MALAY WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS IN MALAYSIA

Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence and associated factors of sexual pain disorders among Malay women in Malaysia with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 347 women (174 nondiabetic and 173 diabetic subjects) who attended the diabetic clinic in a university hospital. Sexual pain disorders were assessed using the Pain sub scale of Malay Version of the Female Sexual Function Index (MVFSFI). Sociodemographic information of the subjects was collected with a pre-designed questionnaire. Results: Prevalence of sexual pain disorders among Malay women with type 2 diabetes mellitus was 10.4% and the control group was 9.2% but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis did not find any relevant associated factor with sexual pain disorder. Conclusion: Sexual pain disorders among Malay women were not dependent on the diabetic status. Further studies with different population of diabetic patients are needed to confirm the results. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry,
The quot functor of a quasi-coherent sheaf

We build an infinite dimensional scheme parametrizing isomorphism classes of coherent quotients of a quasi-coherent sheaf on a projective scheme. The main tool to achieve the construction is a version of Grothendieck's Grassmannian embedding combined with a result of Deligne, realizing quasi-coherent sheaves as ind-objects in the category of quasi-coherent sheaves of finite presentation. We end our treatment with the discussion of a special case in which we can retain an analog of the Grassmannian embedding.
Erroneous Arctic Temperature Trends in the ERA-40 Reanalysis: A Closer Look

Atmospheric reanalyses can be useful tools for examining climate variability and change; however, they must be used cautiously because of time-varying biases that can induce artificial trends. This study explicitly documents a discontinuity in the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) that leads to significantly exaggerated warming in the Arctic mid- to lower troposphere, and demonstrates that the continuing use of ERA-40 to study Arctic temperature trends is problematic. The discontinuity occurs in 1997 in response to refined processing of satellite radiances prior to their assimilation into the reanalysis model. It is clearly apparent in comparisons of ERA-40 output against satellite-derived air temperatures, in situ observations, and alternative reanalyses. Decadal or multidecadal Arctic temperature trends calculated over periods that include 1997 are highly inaccurate, particularly below 600 hPa. It is shown that ERA-40 is poorly suited to studying Arctic temperature trends and their vertical profile, and conclusions based upon them must be viewed with extreme caution. Consequently, its future use for this purpose is discouraged. In the context of the wider scientific debate on the suitability of reanalyses for trend analyses, the results show that a series of alternative reanalyses are in broad-scale agreement with observations. Thus, the authors encourage their discerning use instead of ERA-40 for examining Arctic climate change while also reaffirming the importance of verifying reanalyses with observations whenever possible.
Capacity Building for Knowledge Producers in the Humanities and Social Sciences: A PhD Programme for Selected SADC Countries

The paper discusses a capacity building initiative (in the form of a PhD programme) that is being undertaken by the College of Humanities of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The programme is targeted at four Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries: Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, with specific reference to disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences. An analysis of this capacity building initiative is situated within the realm of knowledge production and knowledge-based economies/societies. The paper offers a motivation for the PhD programme. The paper also provides brief descriptions of the higher education situation in each of the four target countries. The PhD programme runs on the basis of the cohort model of supervision, and this model is outlined in the paper. The paper also narrates some advantages, opportunities and challenges that are linked to the PhD programme. This capacity building programme is a contribution to the strengthening of the skills of African knowledge producers. It is also contributing to the reduction of dependence on the West as a training ground for African knowledge producers.
FACULDADE DE INFORMÁTICA PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM CIÊNCIA DA COMPUTAÇÃO MESTRADO EM CIÊNCIA DA COMPUTAÇÃO THOMAS VOLPATO DE OLIVEIRA USAGE OF TACTILE FEEDBACK TO AID COOPERATIVE OBJECT MANIPULATION IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Virtual reality is a technology that allows users to view and interact with a 3D virtual environment (VE) in real time. A collaborative virtual environment (CVE) is a type of VE that allows two or more users to be in the same virtual environment together. Collaborative virtual environments have some issues that simple VEs do not have. For example, different techniques are required in order to allow two users to manipulate (move or rotate) a virtual object together. Some of these techniques can lead users to do unnatural movements. This study evaluates haptic feedback to let users aware of wrong movements during a cooperative object manipulation. The SkeweR technique was used as a testbed. This technique is based on the use of crushing points, where the users grab the object for the first time, to simultaneously move/rotate an object. Once the users have their hands positioned on the crushing point during the object manipulation, the interaction becomes more natural, in the sense that it is more similar to the real process. However, due to the lack of any physical constraint to the users’ movements, it is often noticed that the users’ hands move away from the crushing point during the interaction. To solve this problem, this work proposes the usage of tactile feedback to inform the user about the distance between his hand and the crushing point. The tactile feedback is provided by a vibration micromotor attached to the user’s thumb. To validate the method, a user study based on the 3D manipulation of a virtual object was performed. The virtual object had to be translated and rotated through a virtual path along a virtual wire, from the beginning to the end of it. During the interaction, users manipulated a three degrees of freedom (3DOF) position tracker and were requested to keep this tracker in the same position of the crushing point. During the trials, the participants used three modalities of interaction: without any feedback, with a visual feedback and with tactile feedback. Results showed that the users do more natural manipulations when using tactile feedback.
Perceptions of justice and extra-role behaviours of survivors after organisational restructuring at a consolidated bank in Nigeria

Orientation: Perception of justice amongst survivors of organisational downsizing is crucial for extra-role engagements. Researchers have recorded extra-role behaviours because they are important for organisational efficiency and success. Research purpose: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between employees’ perceptions of justice and their organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) after organisations downsize. Motivation for the study: Many organisations that are downsizing do not seriously consider the unintended consequences of downsizing on the behaviour of survivors. This study intends to draw the attention of organisations that are downsizing to this oversight. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a quantitative research design and survey method for the study. They distributed a self-administered questionnaire to 130 employees from a population of 180 survivors at the head office of a commercial bank that recently downsized in Lagos, Nigeria. Main findings: The research results showed that there was no fairness in the downsizing exercise. This resulted in low morale amongst survivors and unwillingness to engage in extra- role behaviours. Practical/managerial implications: It is important for organisations that are downsizing to use a participative approach in order to achieve organisational efficiency and improve productivity after restructuring. Contribution/value-added: The results of the study will give the managers of organisations, which are planning to downsize, a useful insight into how to plan the exercise, how to implement the plans, and how to manage the employees they will retrench and those they will retain after concluding the downsizing exercise.
Biogeographical variation in the population density of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in western Eurasia

Aim We reviewed 54 studies reporting population densities of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in western Eurasia in order to investigate the roles of vegetation productivity [fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) index], winter harshness (mean January temperature) and presence/absence of wolves (Canis lupus) in shaping the biogeographical variation in population density of wild boar.
The Pathology of the ICT Deployment: Case Study of Telecommunication Company of Ilam Province, Iran

The purpose of this study was the pathology of the application of information and communication technologies in the telecommunication company of Ilam. For this purpose, quantitative approach and survey method were used. Three groups of stakeholders, including employees, managers and clients were organized. The total number of samples included 200 employees, 35 managers and 30 clients. Employees were selected by random sampling, clients by available sampling, and managers by census method. Data were collected through questionnaires consisting of seven dimensions based on Ward and Elvin model. Content validity of the questionnaire was used to validate the questionnaire. On the other hand, Cronbach's alpha was applied for reliability of the questionnaire which was appropriate (0.92). In addition, one-sample t-test and Friedman test were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that the barriers to organizational processes, organizational outcomes, and internal context of the organization and past experiences are the barriers to the deployment of ICT in the telecommunication company of Ilam. Additionally, the findings showed that factors related to the intent, organizational content and external context of the organization were under the favorable conditions .
Towards European-scale convection-resolving climate simulations with GPUs: a study with COSMO 4.19

Abstract. The representation of moist convection in climate models represents a major challenge, due to the small scales involved. Using horizontal grid spacings of O(1km), convection-resolving weather and climate models allows one to explicitly resolve deep convection. However, due to their extremely demanding computational requirements, they have so far been limited to short simulations and/or small computational domains. Innovations in supercomputing have led to new hybrid node designs, mixing conventional multi-core hardware and accelerators such as graphics processing units (GPUs). One of the first atmospheric models that has been fully ported to these architectures is the COSMO (Consortium for Small-scale Modeling) model. Here we present the convection-resolving COSMO model on continental scales using a version of the model capable of using GPU accelerators. The verification of a week-long simulation containing winter storm Kyrill shows that, for this case, convection-parameterizing simulations and convection-resolving simulations agree well. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of the approach to longer simulations by conducting a 3-month-long simulation of the summer season 2006. Its results corroborate the findings found on smaller domains such as more credible representation of the diurnal cycle of precipitation in convection-resolving models and a tendency to produce more intensive hourly precipitation events. Both simulations also show how the approach allows for the representation of interactions between synoptic-scale and meso-scale atmospheric circulations at scales ranging from 1000 to 10 km. This includes the formation of sharp cold frontal structures, convection embedded in fronts and small eddies, or the formation and organization of propagating cold pools. Finally, we assess the performance gain from using heterogeneous hardware equipped with GPUs relative to multi-core hardware. With the COSMO model, we now use a weather and climate model that has all the necessary modules required for real-case convection-resolving regional climate simulations on GPUs.