Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polynomial chaos representation of a stochastic preconditioner

A method is developed in this paper to accelerate the convergence in computing the solution of stochastic algebraic systems of equations. The method is based on computing, via statistical sampling, a polynomial chaos decomposition of a stochastic preconditioner to the system of equations. This preconditioner can subsequently be used in conjunction with either chaos representations of the solution or with approaches based on Monte Carlo sampling. In addition to presenting the supporting theory, the paper also presents a convergence analysis and an example to demonstrate the significance of the proposed algorithm. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Implementation of PCI Target Controller Interfacing with Asynchronous SRAM

In this paper, we present design of a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) target controller which is interfacing with asynchronous SRAM 64kX8 memory. The target controller provides the control signals to the SRAM for read and writes cycles. The master sends the address, data and other control signals. Based on these signals the controller initiates the read and write cycles we have designed PCI block diagram which represents how the master controls target and target interfaces with memory. We also designed state machine to generate control signals for target controller by which the controller initiates the read and write cycles. PCI implements a 32-bit multiplexed Address and Data bus (AD (31:0)). The simulation results presented in this paper represents read and write transactions between slave and memory according to commands generated by controller. We have been used Xilinx ISE project navigator 0.40d to simulate project code which is written in Verilog Hardware Description Language. We have been tested our functionality by writing test bench and then compared that results with actual functionality.
Aerosol transport over the western Mediterranean basin: Evidence of the contribution of fine particles to desert dust plumes over Alborán Island

Eight months (June 2011 to January 2012) of aerosol property data were obtained at the remote site of Alborán Island (35.95°N, 3.03°W) in the western Mediterranean basin. The aim of this work is to assess the aerosol properties according to air mass origin and transport over this remote station with a special focus on air mass transport from North Africa. For air masses coming from North Africa, different aerosol properties showed strong contributions from mineral dust lifted from desert areas. Nevertheless, during these desert dust intrusions, some atmospheric aerosol properties are clearly different from pure mineral dust particles. Thus, Angström exponent α(440–870) presents larger values than those reported for pure desert dust measured close to dust source regions. These results combine with α(440, 670) − α(670, 870) ≥ 0.1 and low single scattering albedo (ω(λ)) values, especially at the largest wavelengths. Most of the desert dust intrusions over Alborán can be described as a mixture of dust and anthropogenic particles. The analyses support that our results apply to North Africa desert dust air masses transported from different source areas. Therefore, our results indicate a significant contribution of fine absorbing particles during desert dust intrusions over Alborán arriving from different source regions. The aerosol optical depth data retrieved from Sun photometer measurements have been used to check Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer retrievals, and they show reasonable agreement, especially for North African air masses.
Short-term nutrient pulses enhance growth and photosynthesis of the coral reef macroalga Sargassum baccularia

Due to their proximity to the mainland, nearshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, are directly subjected to land run-off. It is assumed that enhanced nutrient inputs to coastal waters are likely to lead to enhanced growth of primary producers. We simulated the effect of enhanced nutrient inputs on the growth and productivity of Sargassum baccularia (Mertens) C. Agardh, a large fucoid seaweed with a very high abundance on a number of nearshore reefs In the GBR. Nutrients were added as short-term pulses (24 h or 1 h duration) of ammonium and phosphate in addition to the natural background nutrients. Pulses of 8 pm01 ammonium and 1 pm01 phosphate, or higher, were taken up rapidly and significantly increased the tissue nutrient content in S. baccularia shoots These nutrlent stores were used to sustain enhanced growth and net-photosynthesis rates for about 1 wk. The strongest growth enhancement was obtained when ammonium and phosphate \yere applied together. The magnitude of the growth response was strongly dependent on the initial levels of tissue nutrients. In general, S. baccularia was highly responsive, underhning the nutrient limitation of this species at the f~eld site. Nutrients are mlported into the coastal zone of the GBR mainly by rain and riverine input, predominantly during the austral summer wet season. This is also the main growth period with the highest nutrient demand of the large Sargassum species. Our data suggest that an enhanced nutrient input during this season will significantly increase the productivity of these algae.
Type I Interferons and Their Efficacy in Treating Feline Retroviral Diseases: A Review

Interferon is one of the molecules that the organism has ready for fighting viral infections, as it forms part of the innate immune system. In this review we briefly describe why and how the different types of type I interferon (IFN-I) prevent viral infection, some of the mechanisms that viruses have for evading these actions, and their action on cells, both healthy and tumoral. The second part of the review focuses on the effect of IFN-I on retroviral infections, specifically on their use for treating feline immunodeficiency and feline leukemia viral infections.
Who Goes to Graduate School? Social and Academic Correlates of Educational Continuation After College.

Although sociologists have found direct links between parents' education and the high school and college educational attainments of their offspring, researchers have been surprised to find no parental effects on educational enrollments beyond college. Postgraduate matriculation appears to result from academic success in college, divorced from parents' educational capital. Using new data from the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, the authors reexamine this issue and extend the literature by disaggregating graduate programs by type. They find that parents' education has no effect on their children's entry into MBA programs and only a small influence on entry into master's programs; however, there is a strong effect of parents' education on entry into first-professional and doctoral programs. The role of parental education is largely indirect, working primarily through the characteristics of a student's undergraduate institution, academic performance, educational expectations, and career values. In addition, college performance maintains a strong, independent effect on enrollment in graduate school.
The Role of the 12/8 Time Signature in J. S. Bach's Sacred Vocal Music

Only in recent years have scholars begun to explicate the principles of the temporal system that formed the basic foundation of Johann Sebastian Bach's notational practice. However, research that focuses on the role of a particular time signature in Bach's sacred vocal music has been lacking. This dissertation provides a case study that examines the role of the 12/8 time signature found in Bach's sacred vocal music, and the new compositional procedures Bach implemented in conjunction with it. To address the important role of the 12/8 time signature, I trace the musico-historical context in which the signature was defined and employed by late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century theorists and composers. Through an analysis of the treatises of the period along with selected musical examples, I identify the temporal, notational, compositional conventions associated to the signature. Further, I analyze the movements notated in 12/8 in Bach's sacred vocal music in terms of their stylistic, notational, and formal procedures, exploring the extent to which Bach adhered to or deviated from these conventions.My analysis is based on six independent categories of Bach's 12/8 movements, each representing a specific type of piece. These categories include: 12/8 and continuo arias, 12/8 and chorale, 12/8 and the gigue, Cantata 136 and new experimentation, 12/8 in the passions, and 12/8 and the pastorale. Also important are the notational, stylistic, and formal changes that take place in each category over the course of time. These changes often occur in association with Bach's experimentation with new compositional procedures. Examination of the 12/8 movements also reveals the great care Bach takes in capturing the theological images and messages of the text. The examination of the music and text of Bach's 12/8 movements reveals that when he chooses to use the 12/8 time signature, he not only links it to the notational and temporal conventions he had inherited from his predecessors, but also adapts and modifies it, often with the use of new compositional procedures, to achieve new and distinctive musical results.
Style Investing with Machine Learning

This paper applies machine learning techniques to style investing. Support Vector Regression is applied to multi-factor investing based on momentum, dividend, quality, volatility and growth. The results show that Support Vector Regression selects stocks consistently with a higher efficiency ratio than a broad market investment and outperforms linear regression methods. The methods are applied to global stocks in the MSCI World index between 1996 and 2016. The behavior of both models is analyzed for economic sectors and over time. Interestingly, factors like low-volatility and momentum contribute both positively and negatively in some economic sectors and certain time periods.
Focus on classical and quantum analogues for gravitational phenomena and related effects

Hawking's prediction that black holes are not black but radiate has been one of the intellectually most influential results of theoretical physics, but Hawking's theory has not so far been testable. Recent developments in analogue models of gravity might change that. This focus issue assembles a series of papers that report on steps towards this goal and related physical effects in a variety of physical systems.
Seedling establishment in eelgrass: seed burial effects on winter losses of developing seedlings

Constraints on the transition of seeds to seedlings have the potential to control plant dispersal and persistence. We investigated the processes leading to low initial seedling establish- ment in eelgrass Zostera marina through a manipulative field experiment assessing the relative importance of germination failure and seedling loss during the winter. Seed plots were estab- lished in October at 3 unvegetated sites in the Chesapeake Bay (USA) region, with seeds either at the sediment surface or buried at 2 to 3 cm. Emerging seedlings were monitored at 6 wk intervals between December and April using a video camera, and seed germination was tracked in sepa- rate destructively-sampled plots. Sediment height change was measured, and sediment distur- bance depth was estimated by deploying cores layered with tracer particles and examining tracer loss upon core retrieval. We found a low rate of seedling establishment 6 mo after seeding (1.2, 3.8, and 2.8% for surface seeds at the 3 sites) that was largely due to seed and seedling loss rather than to germination failure, with 90% of seeds retrieved after December having germinated. Seed bur- ial significantly enhanced seedling establishment at 2 of 3 sites (40.4, 16.8, and 10.3% establish- ment for buried seeds). Seed loss occurred mostly within the first month of the experiment, and was most severe for seeds at the sediment surface. Indicator core results showed widespread dis- turbance of sediments to depths that could have dislodged early seedlings developing from sur- face seeds, and to a lesser degree seedlings from buried seeds. Our findings help identify the nature and timing of a substantial Z. marina seedling establishment bottleneck in our region, and show that some of the key processes pivotal to Z. marina recruitment dynamics and optimal res - toration strategies involve physical sedimentseedling interactions rather than seed germination.
The JT Index as an Indicator of Financial Stability of Corporate Sector

This paper presents the construction of a new indicator (named the JT index) evaluating the economy´s financial stability, which is based on a financial scoring model estimated on Czech corporate accounting data. Seven financial indicators capable of explaining business failure at a 1-year prediction horizon are identified. Using the model estimated in this way, an aggregate indicator of the creditworthiness of the Czech corporate sector (the JT index) is then constructed and its evolution over time is shown. This indicator aids the estimation of the risks of this sector going forward and broadens the existing analytical set-up used by the Czech National Bank for its financial stability analyses. The results suggest that the creditworthiness of the Czech corporate sector steadily improved between 2004 and 2006. However, the JT index for 2007 and 2008 deteriorated what could be explained through global market turbulences while the further decrease in 2009 rather by the global recession. The used methodology for the construction of the JT index might be suitable for decision makers when evaluating the economy´s financial stability. Although our research is done as a case study on the Czech Republic, its basic idea might be easily applied to other countries as well.
Extraplanar H ii Regions in Spiral Galaxies. II. In Situ Star Formation in the Interstellar Thick Disk of NGC 4013

We present observations of an Hα-emitting knot in the thick disk of NGC 4013, demonstrating it is an H ii region surrounding a cluster of young hot stars z = 860 pc above the plane of this edge-on spiral galaxy. With LBT/MODS spectroscopy we show that this H ii region has an Hα luminosity ∼4–7 times that of the Orion nebula, with an implied ionizing photon production rate log Q0 ≈ 49.4 (photons s−1). HST/WFPC2 imaging reveals an associated blue continuum source with MV = −8.21 ± 0.24. Together, these properties demonstrate that the H ii region is powered by a young cluster of stars formed in situ in the thick disk, with an ionizing photon flux equivalent to ∼6 O7 V stars. If we assume ≈6 other extraplanar Hα-emitting knots are H ii regions, the total thick disk star formation rate of NGC 4013 is ∼5 × 10−4 M⊙ yr−1. The star formation likely occurs in the dense clouds of the interstellar thick disk seen in optical images of dust extinction and CO emission.
Building a more stable financial system: regulatory reform in a post-crisis perspective

These events have resulted in a sea change in the mindset, views, and focus of financial authorities, leading to what may be described as a new regulatory and supervisory culture. As a result, a number of regulatory reforms have been proposed or are being formulated and, if implemented, are likely to have far-reaching consequences for the financial sector. The reforms touch on all of the key areas relating to the maintenance of financial stability − supervision, regulation, and crisis management − reflecting a holistic response to the weaknesses exposed by the crisis. It is necessary to take a broad approach, which addresses not only the issue of inadequate capital and liquidity buffers of financial institutions going into the crisis but also the failure of authorities to detect excessive risk taking, difficulties encountered in dealing with distressed banks once the crisis erupted, and the need to reduce moral hazard created by the perception that systemically important institutions will be bailed out.
Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Dengue Fever among the Outdoor Patients of the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Background: Dengue is a mosquito born flavivirus infection which has been endemic in Sri Lanka since late 19th century. Since there is no effective vaccination to prevent this deadly disease, knowledge of early recognition and appropriate management of the disease and practice of effective vector control are mandatory to control the disease. Method: Hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on patients attending the outpatient department (OPD) of the Teaching hospital Peradeniya (THP) from 26th to 31st of January 2015. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire and entered in to a password protected excel worksheet. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 20. Results: Data from 500 participants (146 males, 354 females) was used for primary analysis. Only 46.4% of the sample had above average knowledge on dengue fever and its vector. Knowledge had a significant association with education level (p<0.01). Overall attitude towards dengue and its prevention was at a higher level. Conclusion: Although the attitude towards dengue was good, knowledge was poor. Hence current health educational programs regarding dengue should be reviewed and also better and effective educational programs should be implemented.
Equilibria for circular spatial Cournot markets

This paper investigates a location-quantity model in a circular city. Pal (1998) investigates a duopoly model and finds that an equidistant location pattern appears in equilibrium. Matsushima (2001a) investigates an n-firm oligopoly model and shows that, if the number of firms is even, another equilibrium exists where half of the firms agglomerate at one point and the other firms agglomerate at the opposite point. We find that there exist many other equilibrium patterns that include the above two patterns as special cases.
Adsorption, Kinetics and Photoactivity of ZnO-Supported Fly Ash-Sepiolite Ternary Catalyst

Nanocomposites have been attracting more attention in various fields. In this chapter, ZnO-supported fly ash-sepiolite (ZnO-FA-Sep) was prepared as a ternary composite for the evaluation of adsorption capacities and photocatalytic activities. Characterization studies supplied information about the surface morphology variation before and after ZnO loading within the FA-Sep environment. Strong dark adsorption capacities of the supported catalysts improved their photocatalytic performances, in terms of methyl orange (MO) decolorization and degradation processes. This study not only provided important inspirations for developing support materials but also opened new features to facilitate the photocatalyts' performances. Photoelectron Spectrometer using Al K α (12.5 kV) X-ray source. Calibration of the instrument was done via carbon peak [21, 22]. UV-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra were recorded with a Shimadzu UV-2450. Diffuse reflectance measurements (DRS) were recorded by using an inte-grated sphere reflectance accessory with BaSO 4 reference. The photodegradation of methyl orange (MO)-probe molecule in this study was carried out at room temperature in a homemade photocatalytic reactor under UV light (Philips TL 15 W/ 5BLB, λ = 365 nm, an incident photon flux of 4.7 (cid:5) 10 15 photons s (cid:4) 1 ) [12, 18]. A typical reaction system included 0.2 g of a catalyst and 200 mL of a known concentration of MO. The suspension was stirred in the dark for 30 min. Thereafter, irradiation was started and UV-vis absorption spectra were recorded to monitor both degradation and decolorization processes. The decrease of the band at 274 nm indicated degradation of MO ’ s aromatic moiety while the one at 464 nm was followed for the decolorization of MO solution. All experiments were performed at room temperature and at pH = 8 (3.27 mg L (cid:4) 1 MO in the presence of 0.5 M ZnO-FA-Sep) without concerning the degradation intermediates. Also, measurements were conducted at least twice and the average value was recorded. The degradation and decolorization rate percentages of MO were calculated by the following equation: 0 initial MO and C concentration MO after t ” irradiation.
The effect of particle size of full-fat rapeseed and of multi-carbohydrase enzyme supplementation on nutrient digestibility and performance in broilers.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the particle size of full-fat rapeseed and of multi-carbohydrase enzyme supplementation on chicken performance. The experiment was conducted with 480 male broiler chickens, divided into four dietary treatments, 15 replications with 8 birds each. Two basal diets were prepared containing fine-ground (FG) or coarse-ground (CG) rapeseed. Diets were unsupplemented or supplemented with a multi-carbohydrase enzyme preparation. The CG rapeseed depressed (P<0.05) body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (P<0.05) in comparison with FG. Birds consuming diets supplemented with multi-carbohydrase enzymes had a higher feed intake and body weight gain and a better feed conversion ratio during the first 2 weeks of life (P<0.05). During the first 14 days of life, fine grinding of rapeseed had positive effects on nitrogen retention (55.7 vs 50.8%), total tract digestibility of crude fat (70.4 vs 38.9%), and AME N value (P<0.05). It can be concluded that fine grinding may be used to improve the nutritional value of full-fat rapeseed in broilers.
A Neoclassical Perspective on Budget Deficits

I n the 1988 presidential campaign, virtually every serious candidate spoke of the urgent need to trim government budget deficits. Public opinion polls have identified federal deficits as a key economic issue, second only to unemployment. While many economists are relieved by what they perceive to be a long overdue political response to a critical economic problem, others regard the fuss as much ado about nothing. It is indeed remarkable that economists can disagree so severely over an issue which commands such a uniform reaction from laymen of widely different ideologies and political affiliations. Generally speaking, there are three schools of thought concerning the economic effects of budget deficits: Neoclassical, Keynesian, and Ricardian. Before proceeding further, it is useful to review the basic structure and implications of each paradigm. The Neoclassical paradigm envisions farsighted individuals planning consumption over their own life cycles. Budget deficits raise total lifetime consumption by shifting taxes to subsequent generations. If economic resources are fully employed, increased consumption necessarily implies decreased saving. Interest rates must then rise to bring capital markets into balance. Thus, persistent deficits "crowd out" private capital accumulation. In the current economic environment, most economists would agree that these consequences would be highly detrimental.
Photonic Technologies for Millimeter- and Submillimeter-Wave Signals

Fiber optic components offer a competitive implementation for applications exploiting the millimeter-wave and THz regimes due to their capability for implementing broadband, compact, and cost-effective systems. In this paper, an outline of the latest technology developments and applications of fiber-optic-based technologies for the generation, transmission, and processing of high-frequency radio signals is provided.