Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Renewable Energy and Sociotechnical Change: Imagined Subjectivities of ‘the Public’ and Their Implications

‘The public’ are potentially implicated in processes of sociotechnical change as political actors who welcome or resist technology development in general, or in particular places and settings. We argue in this paper that the potential influence of public subjectivities on sociotechnical change is realised not only through moments of active participation and protest, but also through ‘the public’ being imagined, given agency, and invoked for various purposes by actors in technical–industrial and policy networks. As a case study we explore the significance of an imagined and anticipated public subjectivity for the development of renewable energy technologies in the UK. We use interviews with a diversity of industry and policy actors to explore how imaginaries of the public are constructed from first-hand and mediated experience and knowledge, and the influence these imagined public subjectivities may have on development trajectories and on actor strategies and activities. We show how the shared expectation of an ever present latent but conditional public hostility to renewable energy project development is seen as shaping the material forms of the technologies, their evolving spatiality, and practices of public engagement involved in obtaining project consent. Implications for the actors we are interested in and for broader questions of democratic practice are considered.
New Asiatic materials on turtles of the family Adocidae with a review of the Adocid record in Asia

This paper presents a review of all known records of turtles of the family Adocidae in Asia, including data from 88 localities. New records of adocids (cf. “Adocus” orientalis, “Adocus” sp. indet. 1 & 2, Adocus sp. indet. 1–4, Shachemys ancestralis, Shachemys sp. indet. 1–5, Adocidae indet.) are described from 14 Cretaceous and Paleogene localities of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Among them the records of Adocidae (“Adocus”) in the Oligocene of Kazakhstan and China are reported for the first time. Reassessment of the published records allows us to change taxonomic status of previous findings from 16 localities. The previously mentioned materials of “Adocus” orientalis from the Upper Eocene of Mongolia are described in detail for the first time. Shineusemys plana and Adocoides amtgai are considered here as species of the genus Adocus, and Mlynarskiella mariani – as Shachemydinae indet.
Performance Evaluation of Various Feature Extraction and Classification Techniques for Authorship Attribution

Authorship attribution tries to identify the original author of an unattributed text or document. Authorship attribution is a challenging task as it becomes quite difficult to identify original author automatically. Stylometry and authorship recognition or attribution is used interchangeably. Normally authorship attribution is done on the basis of lexical, syntactic and semantic features of a document. More recently, the problem of authorship attribution has gained wide variety attentions in the field of forensic analysis, electronic commerce etc. In this paper various feature selection, reduction and classification techniques are compared for attributing authorship of a document on PAN CLEF 2012 data set. LDA performed 12% well over all other classifiers.
A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF ON‐THE‐FLY ITEM GENERATION IN ADAPTIVE TESTING

The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility of an approach to adaptive testing based on item models. A simulation study was designed to explore the affects of item modeling on score precision and bias, and two experimental tests were administered — an experimental, on-the-fly, adaptive quantitative-reasoning test as well as a linear test. Results of the simulation study showed that under different levels of isomorphicity, there was no bias, but precision of measurement was eroded, especially in the middle range of the true-score scale. However, the comparison of adaptive test scores with operational Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) test scores matched the test-retest correlation observed under operational conditions. Analyses of item functioning on linear forms suggested a high level of isomorphicity across items within models. The current study provides a promising first step toward significant cost and theoretical improvement in test creation methodology for educational assessment.
Vector map geo-location using GPS tracks

Geographic Information Systems, especially accurate digital traffic maps, have been becoming widely used in the Intelligent Transportation Systems. The GPS data usually are more accurate than the pre-existing base map data. This paper introduces a new cartography procedure for making digital map from a start-up paper map, which has no geography data (longitude and latitude). Contrary to traditional map-making which is first a precise survey-cartography and follow-on digital controlled mapping, the new procedure is first extracting layer from a raster map and vectorization, follow-on geo-adjusting for pinpointing all nodes on the vector map. There are two key processes in the new digital map-making technique. First, the map layer extraction is controlled by output feedback for optimal recognition of road network. Second, a dynamic topological mapping is developed for geo-location and improving the accuracy of vector traffic map by utilizing some recorded GPS data as the controlled pinpoint samples. Different from those traditional geolocation methods such as affine mapping, and the rubber-streeting with manual point-by-point matching, the new adjusting is decomposed into a series of optimal topological sub-mapping on relative sub-map region. Based on pinpointing one sample point to its accuracy location, the sub-mapping adjusts all nodes within the sub-map region.
Mirroring the emotions of others by autonomic system: Intra-species effect in children

Previous research investigated the presence of differential autonomic responses towards the emotions expressed by individuals from ingroup or outgroup contexts. Results found increased affective reactions and typical identification bias that can be explained, according to “the similarity factor”, as the tendency to tune stronger with those perceived as more similar. Then, few previous studies explored the presence of such mechanisms in intra and interspecies contexts. However, further investigation is needed to better explore these issues in developmental samples and to different emotionally valenced stimuli. Thus, we asked 30 children to watch emotional pictures involving child-child (CC) and child-animal (CA) interactions with negative, positive, or neutral valence. Autonomic responses were recorded and compared across species and gender. Results showed a higher sensitivity to intraspecies emotional valence (increased heart rate for negative compared to neutral stimuli) which was visible only in the female group, thus confirming the presence of a gender effect.
Risk and Return Analysis on Performance of the Islamic mutual funds: Evidence from Malaysia*

The study used monthly aggregate returns to evaluate performance of the mutual funds for the Islamic and Conventional portfolios in Malaysia, from 1996 to 2009. The evidence from aggregate returns of the 128 Islamic mutual funds and 350 Conventional mutual funds, consists of 160 observations denoted that both portfolios have performed better than the market portfolio within the period. However, the result has shown on average the Islamic portfolio provides slightly less returns relative to the Conventional counterparts. The result revealed a statistically significant difference between the standard deviation of the portfolios, indicating that the Islamic portfolio is riskier than the Conventional portfolio. The results also revealed that both Islamic and Conventional portfolios were depended on the market portfolio of which the former portfolio was closely mirrored to the market movement in relation to the latter portfolio.
Fiber Optic Capillary Sensor with Smart Optode for Rapid Testing of the Quality of Diesel and Biodiesel Fuel

There are many fuel quality standards introduced by national organizations and fuel producers. Usual techniques for measuring the quality of fuel, as for example cetane index, fraction composition and flash point, require relatively complex and expensive laboratory equipment. Therefore, testing of fuel is not rapid and can be costly. On the fuel user side, fast and low cost sensing of useful state of biodiesel fuel is important. One of the devices that address this task is the fiber optic capillary sensor in which forced local conversion of diesel fuel into vapor is implemented. The present paper concentrates on the critical elements the construction of the sensor as well as on the interpretation of experimental results. We have investigated the construction of the micro heater and the technology of smart capillary optrode preparation. We propose a capillary optrode construction and technology that reduces unwanted light coupling, as well as a new micro heater construction that uses a silicon carbide heating element. Our experimental assumption is that diesel fuel quality can be correlated with the type and concentration of its biocomponents. We examined fuels that are mixtures prepared from components that are in line with European Union standards. The components used are petrodiesel fuel and bioesters as well as edible rapeseed oil. For the mentioned fuels, we showed that the results of experiments are easy to interpret and that the useful state of diesel and biodiesel fuels can be determined from the time of local heating that is required for vapor phase creation and the local time of vapor bubble formation. Keywords-biodiesel fuel; fuel quality; useful state of fuel; fiber optic capillaries; fiber optic sensors; capillary sensor; smart capillary optrode
Ultrasensitive optical microfiber coupler based sensors operating near the turning point of effective group index difference

We propose and study an optical microfiber coupler (OMC) sensor working near the turning point of effective group index difference between the even supermode and odd supermode to achieve high refractive index (RI) sensitivity. Theoretical calculations reveal that infinite sensitivity can be obtained when the measured RI is close to the turning point value. This diameter-dependent turning point corresponds to the condition that the effective group index difference equals zero. To validate our proposed sensing mechanism, we experimentally demonstrate an ultrahigh sensitivity of 39541.7 nm/RIU at a low ambient RI of 1.3334 based on an OMC with the diameter of 1.4 μm. An even higher sensitivity can be achieved by carrying out the measurements at RI closer to the turning point. The resulting ultrasensitive RI sensing platform offers a substantial impact on a variety of applications from high performance trace analyte detection to small molecule sensing.
CaMLA Working Papers Linguistic Features in MELAB Writing Task Performances

This study explores whether linguistic features can predict second language writing proficiency in the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) writing tasks. Advanced computational tools such as Coh-Metrix (Graesser, McNamara, Louwerse, & Cai, 2004), the Tool for the Automatic Analysis of Cohesion (TAACO: Crossley, Kyle, & McNamara, under review), and the Tool for the Automatic Analysis of Lexical Sophistication (TAALES; Kyle & Crossley, in press) were used to automatically assess linguistic features related to lexical sophistication, syntactic complexity, cohesion, and text structure of writing samples graded by expert raters. The findings of this study show that an analysis of linguistic features can be used to significantly predict human judgments of the essays for the MELAB writing tasks. Furthermore, the findings indicate the relative contribution of a range of linguistic features in MELAB essays to overall L2 writing proficiency scores. For instance, linguistic features associated with text length and lexical sophistication were found to be more predictive of writing quality in MELAB than those associated with cohesion and syntactic complexity. This study has important implications for defining writing proficiency at different levels of achievement in L2 academic writing as well as improving the current MELAB rating scale and rater training practices. Directions for future research are also discussed.
Comparative study on high-strength structural elements and CNT additions

Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) show extraordinary properties such as high strength and stiffness, the highest among known materials. This is what makes them potential candidates for concrete reinforcement. This paper explores the applicability of CNT in cementitious matrices comparing results derived from high-strength concrete and conventional concrete, as well as conventional concrete. For the execution of this research, and in order to analyze cement mortars with additions when compared to high-strength concrete, different types of CNT have been depicted and selected. After the characterization of different cement pastes obtained, structural elements have been measured. This analysis leads us to the conclusion that the most suitable mechanical strengthening agent for laboratory scale small samples is the use of CNT, since we do not detect significant differences between the structural elements dimensions and high-strength concrete regarding pastes with CNT
Examining the potential benefits of (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, and rutin on maternal and offspring cardiovascular outcomes in LDLr-/- mice exposed to an atherogenic environment during early development

Background: Maternal nutritional status can have an impact on numerous early developmental processes, and in certain cases these effects can influence the risk her offspring have for select chronic diseases later in life. We report on the effects of maternal consumption of high levels of certain flavonoids on the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in an atherosclerosis-prone mutant mouse model. Methods: LDLr -/- mutant mice were fed a control fat (CF), high fat (HF), or the HF diet supplemented with epicatechin and catechin (HFEC) or rutin (HFRU), prior to pregnancy and during lactation to explore whether the flavonoids influenced markers of vascular health in the lactating dams (lactation day (LD) 21). Post-weaning (postnatal day (PND) 22), offspring were challenged with an atherogenic environment (HF diet in the absence of flavonoids) and vascular health markers were assessed in the adult offspring (PND 60). Results: Dams fed the HF diet had elevated markers of atherosclerosis on LD 21 compared to dams fed the control diet. Flavonoid consumption prior to pregnancy and during lactation had inconsistent effects on maternal markers of atherosclerosis (plasma cholesterol, aortic lipid accumulation, and oxidative stress biomarkers) at LD 21 compared to dams fed the HF diet without flavonoids. At PND 60, there were no differences in vascular health markers among the groups of LDLr -/- offspring whose mothers consumed the CF or the HF diet with or without flavonoids during lactation. Conclusions: Maternal consumption of the flavonoid-supplemented HF diets had modest effects on maternal markers of atherosclerosis. Offspring exposure of the flavonoid-supplemented HF diets during early lactation had little effect on the cardiovascular parameters assessed in the adult offspring.
A case study of life cycle impacts of small-scale fishing techniques in Thailand

Abstract Fish provides an important source of protein, especially in developing countries, and the amounts of fish consumed are increasing worldwide (mostly from aquaculture). More than half of all marine fish are caught by small-scale fishery operations. However, no life cycle assessment (LCA) of small-scale fisheries and no LCA of marine fishery operations in Asia (Thailand) exists today. We perform LCAs to compare the impacts of three different fishing techniques: crab gill-nets, squid traps, and fish traps. Primary data sourced from four different fishers were used. We distinguished the life cycle inventories for three different seasons (northeast monsoon, southwest monsoon and pre-monsoon), since the time spent on the water and catch varied significantly between the seasons. Our results showed the largest impacts from artisanal fishing operations affect climate change, human toxicity, and fossil and metal depletion. Our results are, in terms of global warming potential, comparable with other artisanal fisheries. Between different fishing operations, impacts vary between a factor of 2 (for land transformation impacts) and up to a factor of more than 20 (fossil fuel depletion and marine eutrophication). This shows that the way in which operations are performed have a very strong influence on results. Seasonality plays a relevant role for the assessment. Our results highlight that it is important to account for seasonal aspects in LCAs. We encourage a continual effort for collecting and modeling inventory processes, as well as making them available, in order to guarantee that LCA studies outside of Europe can be performed more easily.
A Novel control of a Grid-Interfacing Inverter to Improve the Quality of Power at PCC for a 3-Phase 4-wire DG System

Renewable energy resources (RES) are being increasingly connected in distribution systems utilizing power electronic converters. This paper presents a novel control strategy for achieving maximum benefits from these grid-interfacing inverters when installed in 3-phase 4-wire distribution systems. The inverter is controlled to perform as a multi-function device by incorporating active power filter functionality. The inverter can thus be utilized as: 1) power converter to inject power generated from RES to the grid, and 2) shunt APF to compensate current unbalance, load current harmonics, load reactive power demand and load neutral current. All of these functions may be accomplished either individually or simultaneously. With such a control, the combination of grid-interfacing inverter and the 3-phase 4-wire linear/non-linear unbalanced load at point of common coupling appears as balanced linear load to the grid. This new control concept is demonstrated with extensive MATLAB/Simulink simulation studies and validated through digital signal processor-based laboratory experimental results.
Review of Törnros and Menzel Characterizing droughts under current and future climates in the Jordan River region by

Comment: The authors calculate the SPI at several time scales using observed data for the Jordan River region and determine that the SPI-6 is most strongly correlated with NVDI, a measure of vegetation cover and vigor. Using three GCM simulations, SPI-6 is then calculated for current (1961-1990) and future conditions (2031-2060), and subsequently used to identify the most extreme drought events during each period. These drought events are used within a hydrological model to compute irrigation water demand for the region. The authors conclude that droughts in the eastern Mediterranean region are projected to be prolonged and more severe over the next century, resulting in an increased total water demand for the region.
RESPONSE OF CRESTED AND NONCRESTED DANDARAWI CHICKENS TO EXCESS L-ARGININE SUPPLEMENTATION DURING WINTER MONTHS.

The present study was carried out during winter months to estimate response of two Dandarawi chicken phenotypes (crested (Cr) and non-crested (cr)) to extra L-arginine (Arg) supplementation. Seventy two female from each of Cr and cr layer Dandarawi hens were chosen when egg production(EP) reached 50 %. The Cr and cr layer Dandarawi hens were distributed randomly into 3 experimental groups; each group includes 24 layer hens divided randomly into 3 replicates with 8 hens each. The 1 group from each phenotype fed control basal diet that satisfied recommendations of NRC. Groups 2 and 3 from each type fed basal diet supplemented with 2% and 4% Larginine over NRC requirements respectively for three winter months. Arginine supplemented by 14gm/100kg diet and 28gm/100kg to perform levels 2% and 4% respectively. The following results were obtained:Crested phenotype had higher significantly EP% and egg mass per hen per day than cr during 2 month and overall period moreover Cr laying hen consumed significantly lower diets than cr during the first month of EP and improved significantly feed conversion during the second month of EP. Significant decrease was observed in yolk percent of egg laid by Cr hens but significant increase was observed in shell thickness. Body temperature of Cr phenotype during chronic cold condition was lower by about 0.38°C than cr phenotype and had low significantly respiration rate. Diets supplemented with excess Arg recorded significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher EP% than control diet during 2 month, 3 month and for overall period. Excess Arg supplementation reduced significantly feed intake during the 1 month of EP, but increased significantly feed intake during the 3 month. Increasing Arg level to 4% increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) yolk percent and decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) albumin percent.
New member candidates of Upper Scorpius from Gaia DR1

Context. Selecting a cluster in proper motion space is an established method for identifying members of a star-forming region. The first data release from Gaia (DR1) provides an extremely large and precise stellar catalogue, which when combined with the Tycho-2 catalogue gives the 2.5 million parallaxes and proper motions contained within the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS). Aims. We aim to identify new member candidates of the nearby Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Scorpius-Centaurus Complex within the TGAS catalogue. In doing so, we also aim to validate the use of a density-based clustering algorithm (DBSCAN) on spatial and kinematic data as a robust member selection method. Methods. We constructed a method for member selection using a density-based clustering algorithm (DBSCAN) applied over proper motion and distance. We then applied this method to Upper Scorpius and evaluated the results and performance of the method. Results. We identified 167 member candidates of Upper Scorpius, of which 78 are new, distributed within a 10° radius from its core. These member candidates have a mean distance of 145.6 ± 7.5 pc and a mean proper motion of (−11.4, −23.5) ± (0.7, 0.4) mas yr−1. These values are consistent with measured distances and proper motions of previously identified bona fide members of the Upper Scorpius association.
"Aí vem eu doidão": uma abordagem cognitivista para a inversão do sujeito no Português Brasileiro

This paper develops a cognitive linguistics approach to non-canonical VS order in spoken Brazilian Portuguese (BP). Based on recent developments of Mental Spaces Theory (Sanders, Sanders and Sweetser 2009, 2012; Ferrari and Sweetser 2012), and drawing on attested linguistic data from oral interviews and spontaneous conversation, the research provides evidence that BP subject inversion is a viewpoint shift phenomenon. It is argued that SV and VS structures evoke different mental space networks: the former instructs the hearer to set Viewpoint in the Deictic Centre of Communication, whereas the latter signals Viewpoint shift to the Content Domain.