Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Permanent 'phase shifts' or reversible declines in coral cover? Lack of recovery of two coral reefs in St. John, US Virgin Islands

Caribbean coral reefs have changed dramatically in the last 3 to 4 decades, with significant loss of coral cover and increases in algae. Here we present trends in benthic cover from 1989 to 2003 at 2 reefs (Lameshur Reef and Newfound Reef) off St. John, US Virgin Islands (USVI). Coral cover has declined in the fore-reef zones at both sites, and no recovery is evident. At Lameshur Reef, Hurricane Hugo (1989) caused significant physical damage and loss of coral. We suggest that macroalgae rapidly colonized new substrate made available by this storm and have hindered or prevented growth of adult corals, as well as settlement and survival of new coral recruits. Overfishing of herbivorous fishes in the USVI and loss of shelter for these fishes because of major storms has presumably reduced the levels of herbivory that formerly controlled algal abundance. Coral cover declined at Newfound Reef from 1999 to 2000, most likely because of coral diseases. The trends that we have documented, loss of coral followed by no evidence of recovery, appear similar to findings from other studies in the Caribbean. We need to focus on functional shifts in the resilience of coral reefs that result in their inability to recover from natural and human-caused stressors.
C*-ALGEBRAS GENERATED BY 2-GRAPHS AND VARIATIONS UNDER FACTORISATION PROPERTIES

These notes were written during an eight-week summer scholarship at the University of Newcastle in the summer of 2005/2006. They were written at the time as a project summary and had not been intended for distribution. However, some of the examples and conclu- sions of sections 3 and 4 arose in (4, Example 6.11). We have therefore posted these notes electronically as support material for (4).
Impact of Health Spending on Economic Growth: Empirical Application for the Case of Tunisia

In the present paper, we examine the impact of health expenditures on Tunisian GDP falling on the period 1961-2010 and using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach by Pesaran and al. (2001). Our results show That there is a stable long -run relationship between, GDP, health expenditure, labor and capital. On the other hand, the results of the causality test show that there is a bidirectional causal flow from health expenditures to income, both, in the short and in the long run.
Bubbles and unemployment in an endogenous growth model

We construct a continuous-time overlapping-generations model with labor market friction in order to examine the relationship between bubbles, economic growth, and unemployment. We show that the existence of bubbles is contingent upon the equilibrium unemployment rate. Asset bubbles can (not) exist when unemployment is low (high), which leads to higher (lower) interest rates and economic growth through labor market efficiency. Hence, economic growth under the bubble regime where bubbles can exist is higher than that under the non-bubble regime where bubbles cannot exist. Furthermore, policy or parameter changes that have a positive effect on the labor market shift the economy from a non-bubble regime to a bubble regime.
The Effects of Culture and Gender on the Recognition of Emotional Speech: Evidence from Persian Speakers Living in a Collectivist Society

This paper reports on a behavioral study that explores the role of culture and gender in the recognition of emotional speech in an under investigated cultural context (a collectivist society: i.e., Iran). Participants were asked to recognize the emotional prosody of a set of validated emotional vocal portrayals (including the five basic emotions). Findings of the experiment were then compared with the results of a similar study performed on members of an individualist culture. Taken together, our results established that both, gender as a biologically rooted social mechanism and cultural factors modulate the recognition of emotional speech. More specifically, our findings supported the view that with regard to vocal emotions, females are more sensitive compared to males. Additionally, it was revealed that members of a collectivist culture show higher sensitivity to vocal emotional cues compared to their individualist counterparts. These findings imply that cultures that center on group harmony (i.e., collectivist cultures), may thus promote higher default levels of emotional sensitivity.
phySIcal actIVIty among SIngaporean School chIldren

The purpose of the research was to examine the prevalence and interrelationships between sedentary and physical activity behaviors, and psychological determinants of physical activity among Singaporean school children A sample of 1935 children aged 10 to 14 years, took part in the study In Study 1 (N=780), physical activity and sedentary behaviors were assessed using a 7-day physical activity recall method Three distinct clusters were found for each sex using cluster analysis Thirty six percent of the boys spent much of their sedentary time in technologybased entertainment (e g , computer/internet), and 38% of them reported substantial amount of time spent studying and doing homework The rest of the boys spent their time being physically active but they were also substantially engaged in playing video games Among the girls, time spent socializing with friends, studying, and engaging in physical activity amounted to 57 3% Fifteen percent of the girls reported spending much of their time studying and doing homework A group of girls (27 8%) reported little study time, little socialization, and low engagement in physical activity compared to their peers In Study 2 (N =1155), three clusters were found using sport ability beliefs, perceived autonomy, and perceived competence as clustering variables The amount of physical activity that the children took part in was influenced by their perceptions of competence, sport ability, and autonomy The findings of the research showed that physical activity and sedentary behaviors were not inversely related In addition, the studies confirmed that certain psychological determinants were important for examining the physical activity behaviors of Singaporean school children
Modelling and Optimization of Primary Steam Reformer System Case Study: the Primary Reformer PT Petrokimia Gresik Indonesia

Steam reforming of hydrocarbons has been in use as the principal process for the generation of hydrogen and synthesis gas needed in the Ammonia production in petrochemical industries. Optimal operation of existing steam reformers is crucial in view of the high energy consumption and large value addition involved in the process. The economic objective of the process is determined by the cost of gas (Methane), the cost of steam and additional fuel. An optimum steam to gas ratio is expected from an optimum process control. This can be applied on ratio control parameter for natural gas feed. In addition, steam Carbon Ratio is used to decrease coke formation in catalyst reformer. This paper presents the model identification and optimization of reforming control system of an industrial Primary Reformer at PT. Petrokimia Gresik (One of the fertilizer petrochemical industry in Indonesia). The reformer model has been approximated in the form of Takagi-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy inference system, with architecture in neural-network model. ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System) has been utilized to determine NARX or ARX parameters model describing the dynamic of Industrial operational data have been used for training and validating the model. The optimization problem has been addressed through the utilization of Constrained Nonlinear Programming. The aim is to find the optimal process and ratio controller parameters to achieve the maximum Hydrogen formation. For a maximum fixed production rate of hydrogen produced by the unit, minimization of methane feed rate is chosen as the objective function to meet processing requirements. Keywords : Hydrocarbons, Model identification, ANFIS Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
Enhanced oxygen vacancy formation in ceria (111) and (110) surfaces doped with divalent cations

With increasing interest in new catalytic materials based on doping of cerium dioxide with other metal cations, it is necessary to have an atomic level understanding of the factors that impact on the structural and electronic properties of doped ceria as well as its reactivity. We present in this paper simulations of the ceria (111) and (110) surfaces doped with divalent cations Pd and Ni using density functional theory (DFT) corrected for on-site Coulomb interactions (DFT + U) and hybrid DFT (using the screened exchange HSE06 functional). Structural distortions due to doping are strong in both surfaces and the most stable structure for both dopants arises through compensation of the dopant +2 valence through oxygen vacancy formation. Both dopants also lower the formation energy of the active oxygen vacancy in each surface, confirming the potential for these dopants to be used in ceria based materials for catalysis or solid oxide fuel cells, where the oxygen vacancy formation energy is important. When comparing DFT + U and hybrid DFT, although the qualitative descriptions provided by both DFT approaches are similar, we do find that the energetics of oxygen vacancy formation are quantitatively different and the importance of this point is discussed.
Mechanisms controlling the gastrointestinal migrating motor complex

The mechanisms controlling the migrating motor complex (MMC) are composed, and so far incompletely recognized. The central portion of the autonomic nervous system exerts rather modulatory eff ects upon the MMC although the strong inhibitory eff ects were also observed. The role of the enteric nervous system in the initiation and propagation of the MMC is crucial. However, these peripheral mechanisms are coordinated with central infl uences exerted by the extrinsic nerves. The basic role of the cholinergic system is thus combined with the adrenergic and non-adrenergic non-cholinergic infl uences. The hormones appear mainly to disrupt and convert the MMC cycle into the feed pattern. Several hormonal factors are also known to aff ect the MMC especially to induce its phase III.
Modeling the volatility of BFCIUS and creating a Financial Conditions Index

As the economy is still recovering from one of the greatest financial downturns in the last decades, we have experienced that this period of recession is paired with financial stress. This financial stress might even be the reason that we have suffered from events like the credit crunch, and thus should be prevented from happening as much as possible. Therefore, this research looks into two different aspects of financial conditions. By forecasting several indicators of financial stress, I make an effort to convert the financial conditions into numerical values, resulting in a financial conditions index. Moreover, the index from Bloomberg is analyzed extensively in this research, in order to model the volatility of the financial conditions. This paper shows, that by correct modeling, the volatility of the financial conditions can be predicted.
Carbon to nutrient ratios in marine systems: understanding natural variability Studies of seasonal, inter-annual and regional variability

Ecological stoichiometry deals with the coupling of the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles at the base of the aquatic food webs. Variation in C:N:P stoichiometry is driven by a multitude of factors, and the aim of this thesis is to assess natural variability and identify the key drivers of seasonal, inter-annual and regional C:N:P stoichiometry. PAPER I focuses on the drivers of seasonal variation in C:N:P stoichiometry in two 20-year time series in the Skagerrak. The main result was that the suspended particulate organic matter (seston) was composed of less than 50% autotrophs at both stations. The sestonic fractions have contrasting C:nutrient ratios, which could result in an apparent Redfield stability over the season. Light intensity and spectral composition can affect the carbon to nutrient ratios in autotrophs, and uptake of P in three arctic diatoms exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) was tested in PAPER II. The results emphasize the species-specific physiological responses of P uptake under UVR stress, and showed in general little support to the hypothesis of increased P uptake during UVR exposure. PAPER III deals with the long-term trends in carbon, nutrients and stoichiometry in the Skagerrak. The nutrient concentrations decreased over the 20-year time period, while the concentrations of C and N in seston, dissolved organic N and the nonautotrophic material all increased significantly and non-linearly between 1998 and 2000. These trends were connected to a reported “darkening” of the coastal waters in Skagerrak, and indicates that a regime-shift took place in the early 2000’s. Over 3600 observations of the C:N ratio in the Arctic and pan-Arctic shelves were analysed in PAPER IV, covering an area not included in previous meta-analyses of seston stoichiometry. The C:N ratio in most regions was significantly higher than the Redfield ratio, and showed significant non-constant behaviour, thus violating the assumption of a constant ratio between C and N.
A new assessment methodology for flood risk: a case study in the Indus River basin

In this paper, the authors suggest a new flood risk assessment based on extreme discharge of the end-of-the-21st century scenario, and developed a model based on the concept of flood hazard that was composed of extreme discharge in climate change scenarios, saturation deficit during the extreme discharge, and flood periphery related to the flood disaster. The purpose of this study was to estimate, on a national scale, the number of the population possibly affected by flooding with each additional metre of inundation. The Indus River basin in Pakistan was selected as the prime research focus area. As a result, our integrated analysis was capable of predicting disaster damage caused by a hazard in a given area, considering the occurrence probability of the hazard and the vulnerability of the area. This approach is expected to play an important role in emergency response on a national level.
Secure E-Health: Managing Risks to Patient Personal Identity

As we are becoming a digital society, it is very important for us to protect the security of personal identity in any transactions. One of the efforts to maintain the security of personal identity is by unrevealed our data more than necessary. Anonymous credential allows an organization to give a credential to a user. This credential consists of user attribute such as address and date of birth. By using this credential, the user can prove the ownership to the third party without revealing the information that contained in credential information more than necessary. This paper proposes secure ehealth system that focuses on proving protocol to reveal and prove some of the patient attributes while others remain hidden, so the security of personal identity more awake. The experimental results showed that the computational time of each proving protocol less than 1 second.
Numerical study of laminar starting plumes at high Schmidt number

We consider an isothermal binary mixture of glycerol-water for Schmidt numbers around 6 ·104−6 ·105 filling a tank where a light binary mixture is injected in the center of the bottom wall. The propagation of an axisymmetrical buoyant-jet is modeled numerically for Grashof numbers in the range of 105−107 and injection Reynolds numbers in the range of 0.3− 12. The studied configuration corresponds to the experimental set-up of [6]. In agreement with experimental data, the plume reaches a constant ascent velocity after a short initial period of acceleration. Two types of plume head are obtained numerically. Basically a good agreement with the experiment has been found concerning the ascent velocity value as well as the head shape (type and size). A modified scaling law of the ascent velocity versus a modified Reynolds number is proposed to take into account the difference of kinetic viscosity of both fluids. Mots clefs : buoyant jet, glycerol-water mixture, mass plume, starting plume
Dual Careers, Time‐Use and Satisfaction Levels: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey

This article empirically examines time-use and its impact on satisfaction levels among dual career households in a post-industrial economy, the UK. Analysis explores the 1993–2009 British Household Panel Survey using panel probit regression. The evidence reveals distinctions in time-use relative to gender, occupations and employment sector. Long hours persist among managers and professionals. The uneven division of household labour, further, continues to burden women with extensive amounts of housework and care. Satisfaction with working hours and amount/use of leisure time are lower among women, especially the public sector professionals. Provision of care, occupation and partner employment characteristics represent important satisfaction determinants present among women, while income (including partner's income) only has relevance among men. Housework does not itself generate dissatisfaction. It is the overload of household tasks, due to inequality in the household division of labour, which constrains many highly skilled working women reducing satisfaction with time-use and life overall.
StratFit: An Excel Workbook for correlation of multiple stratigraphic trends

Correlation of distinct stratigraphic sequences is often critical to characterize evolution of sedimentary basins, as well as for exploration of georesources and for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions. Stratigraphic correlations are usually based on signal matching between two multiples proxies' records. Commonly, stratigraphers have to approach the correlation issue with time-consumig methods or specific software that may not be aesily accessible or may not allow a full and direct control of the adopted procedure. In this work, we propose a new simple tool, which consists of a single Microsoft Excel workbook (that we named StratFit) organized in worksheets and allows an easy correlation of different stratigraphic curves and immediate visualization of the results. The correlation process is based on the forecast function and linear regression between subsequent couples of select tie-points. The program is open source, user-friendly and llows a full control of the correlation process since all the computations are accessible for user's inspection and improvement. The StratFit workbook and the usermanual are freely distributed and can be downloaded as supplementary material.
Cr(VI) reduction by Cellulosimicrobium sp. isolated from tannery effluent

Cr(VI) is a toxic metal that has carcinogenic and mutagenic effects on all living organisms. In order to study the contribution of microbes towards Cr(VI) reduction into the less toxic Cr(III) form, an indigenous chromium-resistant bacterial strain (A 8 ) was isolated from a tannery effluent. It was identified as Cellulosimicrobium sp. on the basis of morphological and biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. It could tolerate up to 1800 µg mL -1 of K 2 CrO 4 and showed an optimum reduction (98.6%) of Cr(VI) at the concentration of 900 µg mL -1 aerobically. Cell-free enzyme assay exhibited the reduction of Cr(VI) in vitro. A total of 4 synthetic materials, sand, PVC, stone, and rubber tubing, were used as solid support to evaluate the ability of the isolated chromium-resistant bacterial strain for biofilm formation. In column experiments among bacterial film-coated materials, sand exhibited an excellent Cr(VI) reduction (96%), while PVC pipe, rubber tubing, and stone showed 94.5%, 90%, and 88.4% reduction potential of Cr(VI), respectively, after 96 h of incubation. Fluorescent microscopy also revealed that bacterial biofilm was distributed thoroughly on the surface of the sand particles. FTIR spectroscopy showed mainly the involvement of the glycerol units, polysaccharides, and C-N (alkyl) functional groups of the bacterial strain (A 8 ) in the reduction of Cr(VI).
Can Online Off-the-Shelf Lessons Improve Student Outcomes? Evidence from a Field Experiment

Many websites now warehouse instructional materials designed to be taught by teachers in a traditional classroom. What are the potential benefits of the new resources? We analyze an experiment in which we randomly give middle school math teachers access to existing high-quality, off-the-shelf lessons, and in some cases, support to promote their use. Teachers receiving access alone increased students’ math achievement by a marginally significant 0.06 of a standard deviation. Teachers who received access and support increased students’ math achievement by 0.09 of a standard deviation. Weaker teachers experience larger gains, suggesting that these lessons substitute for teacher skill or efforts. The online materials are more scalable and cost effective than most policies aimed at improving teacher quality, suggesting that, if search costs can be overcome, there is a real benefit to making high-quality instructional materials available to teachers on the Internet. (JEL C93, I21, J24, J45)
TALENT UTILIZATION AND SEARCH FOR THE APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY

This paper presents a model of development that is driven by matching between talents and technologies. Differences in productivity across countries are amplified by three dimensions of talent utilization: the range of talents utilized, the density of a specific talent utilized, and the average match quality in the economy. In our model, higher productivity increases the number of technologies available, enhancing the opportunities for individuals to match their talents to specific technologies and increasing the returns to search. More intensive search further contributes to talent utilization.
An ultimate bound on the trajectories of the Lorenz system and its applications

In this paper, a new bound on the trajectories of the Lorenz system is derived. This result is useful to show that the transverse stability of the origin in two Lorenz systems coupled in a drive-response manner is a necessary and sufficient condition for global asymptotic synchrony of the two systems, and to simplify the derivation of the upper bound to the Hausdorff dimension of the Lorenz attractor.
Optical Waveplates Based on Birefringence of Anisotropic Two-Dimensional Layered Materials

Birefringence is an inherent optical property of anisotropic materials introduced by the anisotropic confinement in their crystal structures. It enables manipulation of light propagation properties (e.g., phase velocity, reflection, and refraction) for various photonic and optoelectronic applications, including waveplates and liquid crystal displays. Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with high anisotropy are currently gaining an increasing interest for polarization-integrated nanodevice applications, which advances the research on birefringent materials. In this article, we investigate the optical birefringence of three anisotropic 2D layered materials (black phosphorus (BP), rhenium disulfide (ReS2), and rhenium diselenide (ReSe2)). We demonstrate that the birefringence in BP (∼0.245) is ∼6× larger than that of ReS2 (∼0.037) and ReSe2 (∼0.047) at 520 nm and is compared to that of the current state of the art bulk materials (e.g., CaCO3). We use these 2D materials to fabricate atomically thin optical.