Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterization of urban organic aerosol in tropical India: contributions of primary emissions and secondary photooxidation

Abstract. Organic molecular composition of PM10 samples, collected at Chennai in tropical India, was studied using capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Fourteen organic compound classes were detected in the aerosols, including aliphatic lipids, sugar compounds, lignin products, terpenoid biomarkers, sterols, aromatic acids, hydroxy-/polyacids, phthalate esters, hopanes, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and photooxidation products from biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). At daytime, phthalate esters were found to be the most abundant compound class; however, at nighttime, fatty acids were the dominant one. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, C16 fatty acid, and levoglucosan were identified as the most abundant single compounds. The nighttime maxima of most organics in the aerosols indicate a land/sea breeze effect in tropical India, although some other factors such as local emissions and long-range transport may also influence the composition of organic aerosols. However, biogenic VOC oxidation products (e.g., 2-methyltetrols, pinic acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid and β-caryophyllinic acid) showed diurnal patterns with daytime maxima. Interestingly, terephthalic acid was maximized at nighttime, which is different from those of phthalic and isophthalic acids. A positive relation was found between 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene (a tracer for plastic burning) and terephthalic acid, suggesting that the field burning of municipal solid wastes including plastics is a significant source of terephthalic acid. Organic compounds were further categorized into several groups to clarify their sources. Fossil fuel combustion (24–43%) was recognized as the most significant source for the total identified compounds, followed by plastic emission (16–33%), secondary oxidation (8.6–23%), and microbial/marine sources (7.2–17%). In contrast, the contributions of terrestrial plant waxes (5.9–11%) and biomass burning (4.2–6.4%) were relatively small. This study demonstrates that, in addition to fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning, the open-burning of plastics in urban area also contributes to the organic aerosols in South Asia.
TURBULENT MIXING OF A CLOUD WITH THE ENVIRONMENT: TWO-PHASE EVAPORATING FLOW. NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS, LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS AND FIELD MEASUREMENTS

A brief overview of numerical simulations, laboratory experiments and in-situ measurements aimed at investigation of the cloud-clear air interfacial mixing, conducted in recent years at the Institute of Geophysics, University of Warsaw is presented. The most interesting finding from these studies is that the evaporative cooling at the interface separating cloudy and clear filaments results in density differences in scale of centimeters. This effect influences smallest scales of turbulent motions through production of TKE by buoyancy forces and makes the small-scale turbulence anisotropic.
Distribution transformer lifetime analysis in the presence of demand response and rooftop PV integration

Many distribution transformers have already exceeded half of their expected service life of 35 years in the infrastructure of Western Power, the electric distribution company supplying south west of Western Australia, Australia. Therefore, it is anticipated that a high investment on transformer replacement happens in the near future. However, high renewable integration and demand response are promising resources to defer the investment on infrastructure upgrade and extend the lifetime of transformers. This paper investigates the impact of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) integration and customer engagement through demand response (DR) on the lifetime of transformers in electric distribution networks. To this aim, first, a time series modelling of load, DR and PV is utilised for each year over a planning period. This load model is applied to a typical distribution transformer for which the hot-spot temperature rise is modelled based on the relevant standard. Using this calculation platform, the loss of life and the actual age of distribution transformer are obtained. Then, various scenarios including different levels of PV penetration and DR contribution are examined, and their impacts on the age of transformer are reported. Finally, the equivalent loss of net present value of distribution transformer is formulated and discussed. This formulation gives major benefits to the distribution network planners for analysing the contribution of PV and demand response on lifetime extension of the distribution transformer. In addition, the provided model can be utilised in optimal investment analysis to find the best time for the transformer replacement and the associated cost considering PV penetration and DR. The simulation results show that integration of PV and DR within a feeder can significantly extend the lifetime of transformers.
The Leadership Style on Employee Satisfaction and Performance of Bank Employees

The main goal of the paper was a contradictory argument concerning the association between worker morale and therefore the leadership. This study is an effort to look at whether or not there's an association between leadership vogue and therefore the worker morale, so decide the acceptable form of leadership to boost worker morale in a company. According to the researchers, morale of the staff beneath autocratic or task-oriented leaders is considerably but different varieties of leadership.
Does nest predation affect nest-site selection in larks ?

Le choix de l'emplacement du nid peut influencer le taux de predation des nids. Dans ce travail on analyse la selection par l'Alouette pispolette Calandrella rufescens et le Cochevis de Thekla Galerida theklae de l'habitat dans lequel ces especes placent leurs nids, et on compare l'habitat des nids selon qu'ils ont ou non ete couronnes de succes. Pour les deux especes il existe une selection en faveur des sites les plus surs. Neanmoins, il n'y a aucune difference dans l'habitat des nids pilles ou non. Cela est probablement du a ce que la predation des nids a provoque une pression selective tres forte pour les oiseaux de steppe nichant au sol. Les emplacements qui faciliteraient la predation du nid ont ete elimines par cette pression en temps evolutif.
Bayesian uncertainty assessment of flood predictions in ungauged urban basins for conceptual rainfall-runoff models

Urbanization and the resulting land-use change strongly affect the water cycle and runoff-processes in wa- tersheds. Unfortunately, small urban watersheds, which are most affected by urban sprawl, are mostly ungauged. This makes it intrinsically difficult to assess the consequences of urbanization. Most of all, it is unclear how to reliably assess the predictive uncertainty given the structural deficits of the applied models. In this study, we therefore investigate the un- certainty of flood predictions in ungauged urban basins from structurally uncertain rainfall-runoff models. To this end, we suggest a procedure to explicitly account for input uncer- tainty and model structure deficits using Bayesian statistics with a continuous-time autoregressive error model. In ad- dition, we propose a concise procedure to derive prior pa- rameter distributions from base data and successfully apply the methodology to an urban catchment in Warsaw, Poland. Based on our results, we are able to demonstrate that the au- toregressive error model greatly helps to meet the statisti- cal assumptions and to compute reliable prediction intervals. In our study, we found that predicted peak flows were up to 7 times higher than observations. This was reduced to 5 times with Bayesian updating, using only few discharge mea- surements. In addition, our analysis suggests that imprecise rainfall information and model structure deficits contribute mostly to the total prediction uncertainty. In the future, flood predictions in ungauged basins will become more important due to ongoing urbanization as well as anthropogenic and climatic changes. Thus, providing reliable measures of un- certainty is crucial to support decision making.
Automatic detection and correction of pitch misalignment in wind turbine rotors

Abstract. In this work, a new algorithm is presented to correct for pitch misalignment imbalances of wind turbine rotors. The method uses signals measured in the fixed frame of the machine, typically in the form of accelerations or loads. The amplitude of the one per revolution signal harmonic is used to quantify the imbalance, while its phase is used to locate the unbalanced blade(s). The near linearity of the unknown relationship between harmonic amplitude and pitch misalignment is used to derive a simple algorithm that iteratively rebalances the rotor. This operation is conducted while the machine is in operation, without the need for shutting it down. The method is not only applicable to the case of a single misaligned blade, but also to the generic case of multiple concurrent imbalances. Apart from the availability of acceleration or load sensors, the method requires the ability of the rotor blades to be commanded independently from one another, which is typically possible on many modern machines. The new method is demonstrated in a realistic simulation environment using an aeroservoelastic wind turbine model in a variety of wind and operating conditions.
Voting for Income‐Immiserizing Redistribution in the Meltzer–Richard Model

This paper argues that income received via redistributive transfers, unlike labor income, requires no direct sacrifice of leisure; this makes it attractive to many voters even if it leaves them poorer. This point is made within the classic Meltzer and Richard (1981) model wherein heterogeneous voters evaluate an income-redistribution program that finances a lump-sum transfer to all via a distorting income tax. The political-equilibrium policy under majority rule is the tax most preferred, utility-wise, by the median voter. She, and many poorer voters, may support income redistribution that, ironically, leaves them poorer in income terms but with higher utility.
Accumulation of Social Capital as a Competitive Advantage of Companies which are Loyal to the Principles of Corporate Citizenship

This paper examines the characteristics that are peculiar to the corporate citizenship in the phase of maturity. The strategic forms of corporate citizenship that influence the productivity of the organization are explored. Modern business uses cause-related marketing and corporate social marketing as a strategic tool for sustainable development. The role of corporate citizenship and its interdependence with the sustainability of the organization is examined. The paper provides the evidence of interdependence between the sustainable development of the company and its accordance to the principles of the corporate citizenship. The mechanism of integration of principles of sustainable development on the basis of corporate citizenship activities is elaborated. The correlation between the corporate citizenship and accumulation of social capital is determined. Moreover, corporate citizenship is examined as an organization’s policy for overcoming crisis and managing the external environment. New forms of contemporary corporate citizenship are examined; those characteristics are distinguished that confirm corporate citizenship as the highest level of the corporate social responsibility. The paper includes the research of the companies that position themselves as corporate citizens and it confirms the correlation between the effectiveness of the management of the environment and the management of business built on the principles of corporate citizenship. The paper lists the activities needed to introduce the corporate citizenship in a company. Keywords : corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship, globalization, think tank, social capital, human capital, public-private partnership, venture philanthropy. JEL Classifications: A13, D60, M14
Group selection in the cox model with a diverging number of covariates

In this article, we propose a variable selection approach in the Cox model when there is a group structure in a diverging number of covariates. Most of the existing variable selection methods are designed for either individual variable selection or group selection, but not for both. The proposed methods are capable of simultaneous group selection and individual variable selection within selected groups. Computational algorithms are developed for the proposed bi-level selection methods, and the theoretical properties of the proposed selection methods are established. The proposed group bridge penalized methods are able to correctly select the important groups and variables simultaneously with high probability in sparse models. Simulation studies indicate that the proposed methods work well and two real examples are provided to illustrate the applications of the proposed methods to important scientific problems.
Molecular characterization of local strains of Bacillus thuringiensis in the North of Algeria

The analysis of soil samples taken from orange groves located in four cities of Northern Algeria allowed the isolation and identification of 24 strains belonging to the group Bacillus cereus, based on their physiological, biochemical and molecular characters investigated. They were divided as follow: 12 strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, 1 strain of Bacillus pumilis, 4 strains of Bacillus cereus, 5 strains of Bacillus subtilis and 2 Bacillus mycoides strains. After the molecular characterization performed with the aid of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, it was confirmed from the parasporal bodies using a scanning electron microscope that the strains of the identified collection belong to the species, B. thuringiensis. Key words: Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus pumilis, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus mycoides, polymerase chain reaction, scanning EM.
Adaptively Refined Hybrid FDM-RBF Meshless Scheme with Applications to Laminar and Turbulent Viscous Fluid Flows

The focus of this work is to demonstrate a novel approach to true CFD automation based on an adaptive Cartesian point distribution process coupled with a Meshless flow solution algorithm. As Meshless method solutions require only an underlying nodal distribution, this approach works well even for complex flow geometries with non-aligned domain boundaries. Through the addition of a so-called shadow layer of body-fitted nodes, application of boundary conditions is simplified considerably, eliminating the stair-casing issues of typical Cartesian-based techniques. This paper describes the approach taken to automatically generate the Meshless nodal distribution, along with the details of an automatic local refinement process. Also, as the primary interest of this automated CFD solver is for aerospace applications, this work includes the development of standard two-equation turbulence models for use in this Meshless based solver. Finally, results are shown for several relevant compressible, turbulent flows example configurations, demonstrating the benefits of the automatic refinement as well as the quality of the Meshless solutions in high-speed flow applications.
The ionization rates of galactic nuclei and disks from Herschel/HIFI observations of water and its associated ions

Context. Dense gas in galactic nuclei is known to feed central starbursts and AGN, but the properties of this gas are poorly known because of the high obscuration by dust. Aims: Submm-wave spectroscopy of water and its associated ions is useful to trace the oxygen chemistry of interstellar gas, in particular to constrain its ionization rate. Methods: We present Herschel/HIFI spectra of the H2O 1113 GHz and H2O+ 1115 GHz lines toward five nearby prototypical starburst/AGN systems, and OH+ 971 GHz spectra toward three of these. The beam size of 20'' corresponds to resolutions between 0.35 and 7 kpc. Results: The observed line profiles range from pure absorption (NGC 4945, M 82) to P Cygni indicating outflow (NGC 253, Arp 220) and inverse P Cygni indicating infall (Cen A). The similarity of the H2O, OH+, and H2O+ profiles to each other and to HI indicates that diffuse and dense gas phases are well mixed. We estimate column densities assuming negligible excitation (for absorption features) and using a non-LTE model (for emission features), adopting calculated collision data for H2O and OH+, and rough estimates for H2O+. Column densities range from ~1013 to ~1015 cm-2 for each species, and are similar between absorption and emission components, indicating that the nuclear region does not contribute much to the emission in these ground-state lines. The N(H2O)/N(H2O+) ratios of 1.4-5.6 indicate an origin of the lines in diffuse gas, and the N(OH+)/N(H2O+) ratios of 1.6-3.1 indicate a low H2 fraction (≈11%) in the gas. The low H2O abundance relative to H2 of ~10-9 may indicate enhanced photodissociation by UV fromyoung stellar populations, or freeze-out of H2O molecules onto dust grains. Conclusions: We use our observations to estimate cosmic-ray ionization rates for our sample galaxies, adopting recent Galactic values for the average gas density and the ionization efficiency. We find ζCR~ 3 × 10-16 s-1, similar to the value for the Galactic disk, but ~10× below that of the Galactic Center and ~100× below estimates for AGN from excited-state H3O+ lines. We conclude that the ground-state lines of water and its associated ions probe primarily non-nuclear gas in the disks of these centrally active galaxies. Our data thus provide evidence for a decrease in ionization rate by a factor of ~10 from the nuclei to the disks of galaxies, as found before for the Milky Way. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.
Economics of tobacco control in Jamaica : will the pursuit of public health place a fiscal burden on the government?

Tobacco related illnesses resulted in approximately 4 million deaths worldwide in 2003. By 2030 the expected annual death toll is expected to rise to 10 million, of which seven million are expected to be in developing countries (World Bank, 1999). The human suffering caused by smoking is immense. Studies in developing countries (USDHHS, 2000: 97 and Jha, et al., 2000a: 158) have shown that a majority of current smokers want to quit the habit, but find it very difficult to do so.
Modeling solution X-ray scattering of biomacromolecules using an explicit solvent model and the fast Fourier transform

A novel computational method based on atomic form factors and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) is developed to compute small- and near-wide-angle X-ray scattering profiles of biomacromolecules from explicit solvent modeling. The method is validated by comparing the results with those from non-FFT approaches and experiments, and good agreement with experimental data is observed for both small and near-wide angles. In terms of computational efficiency, the FFT-based method is advantageous for protein solution systems of more than 3000 atoms. Furthermore, the computational cost remains nearly constant for a wide range of system sizes. The FFT-based approach can potentially handle much larger molecular systems compared with popular existing methods.
Estimation of soil erosion risk, its valuation and economic implications for agricultural production in western part of Rwanda

Multifunctional soil conservation strategies have the capacity to control soil erosion as well as increase its quality, thus leading to sustained yields as long as planners have knowledge on the severity of soil loss. A comprehensive methodology that integrates Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques was adopted to determine the soil erosion vulnerability within Katabuvuga, Nyamyumba and Mukamira watersheds in western part of Rwanda, with the aim of supporting planning of land and water management interventions. The dominant slop class in all watershed was 16-40% covering 50% in Katabuvuga watershed, 43% in Mukamira watershed and 70.6% in Nyamyumba watershed. High erosion risk was recorded in Mukamira (72 %) and it was followed by Nyamyumba (46 %). The average soil loss in selected watersheds was 32t/ha/year. Among the various studied watershed, highest average loss was reported in Nyamyumba watershed (37t/ha/year) while the lowest average was in Mukamira watershed (28t/ha/year). Soil loss was higher in cropland and lower in settlement. The average loss of nutrients was 1705 kg/ha/year of carbon, 155 kg/ha/year of nitrogen, 3 kg/ha/year of phosphurus and 111 kg/ha/year of potassium, the highest nutrient loss occurred in cropland. Based on the cost of NPK the average value of N lost per ha per year is 167507 Rwandan Francs (Rwf) while the value of P and K loss per ha per year is 3309 Rwf and 120189 Rwf respectively. * Corresponding author KEYWORDS
Modeling Population-Based Cancer Survival Trends Using Joinpoint Survival Models

In the United States cancer as a whole is the second leading cause of death and a major burden to health care, thus the medical progress against cancer is a major public health goal. There are many individual studies to suggest that cancer treatment breakthroughs and early diagnosis have significantly improved the prognosis of cancer patients. To better understand the relationship between medical improvements and the survival experience for the patient population at large, it is useful to evaluate cancer survival trends on the population level, e.g., to find out when and how much the cancer survival rates changed. In
The oldest record of drepanosaurids (Reptilia, Diapsida) from the Late Triassic (Adamanian Placerias Quarry, Arizona, USA) and the stratigraphic range of the Drepanosauridae

Previous detailed descriptions of relatively complete drepanosaurid material make it possible to recognize isolated drepanosaurid elements from other localities. The identification of isolated elements from the USA and Great Britain extended the geographical distribution of the group and encouraged a review of Triassic collections for characteristic elements of this family. In this paper, isolated vertebrae previously described as problematic reptiles from the famous Placerias Quarry, near St. Johns,Arizona, USA are re-identified as drepanosaurids.These specimens represent the oldest occurrence of this family, which is earliestAdamanian. w e i z e r b a r t x x x a u t h o r
Latino Males in Texas Community Colleges: A Phenomenological Study of Masculinity Constructs and their Effect on College Experiences

Latino male college students are effectively vanishing from our postsecondary institutions (Saenz & Ponjuan, 2009, 2011). Recent attention from leaders and policymakers (College Board, 2011) finally mirror years of concern from educational leaders about this persistent and growing gender gap in educational attainment. Since 2000, colleges and universities in Texas have focused on bridging gaps among identified racial and gender groups by reaching prescribed targets for higher education participation and success outlined in the State’s Closing the Gaps benchmarks. In a recent revision to these benchmarks (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board [THECB], 2010), the State explicitly highlighted the importance Journal of African American Males in Education Fall 2013Vol. 4 Issue 2