Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of the Self-focusing Effect on the Optical Force Acting on Dielectric Particle Embedded in Kerr Medium

The influence of the self-focusing effect arised from Kerr effect on the optical force acting on the dielecric particle embedded in the Kerr medium, which is irradiated by the Gaussian beam, is proposed to concern. The expressions of the optical forces with the nonlinear refractive index and nonlinear focal length are derived. Using them, the distribution of the optical forces in the trapping region of the optical tweezer is simulated and discussed for same distinguished case of the Kerr medium with different nonlinear coefficients. The results show that the stabe region of the optical tweezer depends on the nonlinear coefficient of refractive index. Moreover, the stable region could be brokendown with a critical value of the nonlinear coefficient of refractive index of the surrounding medium irradiated by Gaussian laser pulse described by given parameters as intensity, duration and radius of beam waist.
Further constraints on the deep lunar interior

We have inverted the most recent set of geophysical observations pertinent to lunar interior properties, including mass M and moment of inertia I as determined by Lunar Prospector, the two Love numbers k2 and h2 as well as monthly tidal dissipation Q obtained from more than 35 years of lunar laser ranging data. In wanting to assess the ability of these parameters to constrain lunar mantle and core structure, we have used a stochastically based sampling algorithm to invert the geophysical data to obtain radial density and shear wave velocity profiles. The results indicate a small liquid Fe core (r < 400 km), with a shear wave velocity close to 0 km/s and a density of around 7 g/cm3. This is further corroborated by calculating the Bayes factor for the hypothesis that the lunar core is fluid against the hypothesis that it is solid, which is >1, thereby favouring the fluid core hypothesis. In addition, shear wave velocities for the lower mantle region (depths > 1100 km) are generally found to be lower than upper mantle velocities and can be interpreted as implying the presence of partial melt, which can explain the unusually low lunar monthly tidal Q of ∼30.
Quantification and distinction of aplastidic and plastidic marine nanoplankton by fluorescence in situ hybridization

We developed a protocol for the microscopic detection of nanoplankton by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18S rDNA targeting oligonucleotide probes in combination with tyramide signal amplification (TSA). The use of tyramides labeled with a UV-excitable fluorochrome allowed simultaneous identification and classification of the hybridized organisms according to their trophic modes. The protocol was initially validated on pure cultures and was subsequently compared with a standard technique for the enumeration of protists in a time series from North Sea waters. Cell counts with the new protocol were significantly higher for both aplastidic and plastidic nanoplank- ton, mainly due to superior detection of cells between 2 and 5 µm. FISH-TSA with specific probes for Pedinellales and a group of novel stramenopiles revealed that these lineages of bacterivores were not abundant in coastal North Sea surface waters at the time of investigation. In combination with specific 18S rRNA targeted oligonucleotide probes the new protocol may provide a valuable tool for a simultaneous rapid analysis of the identity and trophic mode of nanoplankton in environmental samples.
Effects of Saharan Dust Advection on Atmospheric Aerosol Properties in the West-Mediterranean Area

Eight measurement campaigns for the characterization of atmospheric aerosol properties were conducted from 2001 until 2008 at five sites located in the Western Mediterranean basin. Radiometric measurements were used to obtain Aerosol Optical Depth, Ångström parameters, and aerosol size distributions, allowing differentiation of background conditions from anthropogenic, marine, or Saharan dust aerosol advection. The analysis was focused on the study of optical and physical properties variation of atmospheric aerosols under Saharan outbreaks. Dust-affected data were analysed all together, independently from the measurements site, thus allowing the highlighting of similarities and differences among them. The scatter-plot Ångström exponent versus AOD at 780 nm shows a correlation among all dust data, while an overlapping region with no-dust data reveals the simultaneous presence of mineral, anthropogenic, and marine particles. Daily averaged volume size distributions can be unimodal or bimodal functions and one three-modal distribution, with a coarse mode generally prevailing. Finally, considering the ratio of small/large particles 𝑛𝑠/𝑛𝑙 and plotting the corresponding histogram for all dust data, a sharp frequency distribution is obtained with 89% of data in the range 5–65, while 89% of no-dust data extend from 5 to 135, in spite of different sources, pathways, and arrival sites.
Measurement of Quality of Lifein Heart Failure-assessment over two Decades

A B S T R A C T The Quality of Life (QoL), representing a patient-aimed end point in treatment, it has been increasingly emphasized in new heart failure therapies and non – pharmacological therapy. The measurement of QoL depends on the use of validated questionnaire, and with attention paid to the timing of collection of data and also follows up 1 & 2 after patient counselling. Its analysis of data may occur mainly in the context of conventional morbidity and mortality end points. In a review of QoL measurement in heart failure published form 1985 to 2005, we found some important data, such as the number of participating subjects in which those patients benefited by the intervention, and some who are not benefited. QoL is analysed as a treatment end point with consideration of the disease with co-morbidity and heart failure disease alone. Improvement in making QoL questionnaire and patient counselling about disease and medications may be helpful to find out the data in the determination of drug efficacy in heart failure.
Fabrication Tolerance Analysis of a 60GHz Stacked Circular Patch Antenna Based on LTCC technology

Recently a lot of applications in the millimeter (mm) wave band such as point-to-point communications at 70 to 80GHz, car radar at 77GHz and image sensor at 94GHz, are in service. Furthermore since the FCC has assigned 57~64GHz of unlicensed frequency for wireless applications, there have been standard organization activities such as IEEE 802.15. 3c and 802.11 VHT for mm-wave short-range applications with a goal to transmit a few Gbps multimedia data[1]. There have been widespread trend toward higher levels of integration to reduce cost, size and complexity. Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology is one of several candidates for mm-wave system in a packaging solution. It can be operated over 60GHz (low dielectric loss) and has flexibility in realizing module with easy-to-integrate circuit components like via-holes and cavity-buried components. Therefore one may expect mm-wave based products shall be commercialized within a few years with the advances of process technologies and low cost integration circuit design technologies such as Si CMOS and LTCC packaging. In general, high gain antennas such as a switched beam-forming or phased array antenna due to the relatively high free space path loss at mm-wave band [2] should be used in order to secure communication distance for WPAN applications and widen beam coverage. However, these kinds of antennas are very expensive and difficult to implement. On the contrary if the communication distance is more limited within 1~2m, an omni-directional antenna will also become one of the candidates for the WPAN application like several Gbps data transfer in between PC and an external hard disk [3] due to its extremely low cost. Previously we proposed a TM01 mode excited stacked circular patch antenna using LTCC substrates [4]. The antenna was fed by a microstrip transmission line through a signal via and showed the radiation pattern similar to that of a monopole type antenna. Simulated and measured results were shown, but working mechanism of the proposed structure is not shown and explained. In addition there were some mismatches in between those results due to LTCC manufacturing tolerances. In this paper, working mechanism of the proposed antenna is explained with simulation results and mode field patterns are shown. And the effects of various geometrical parameters are investigated in order to determine the critical factors in designing and manufacturing of a signal viafed stacked circular patch antenna using LTCC substrates. This design is applied to Ferro A6 LTCC substrate and manufactured at RN2 Tech Inc., Korea. Typical properties of LTCC substrate are the relative permittivity of 5.9, a loss tangent of 0.002 at 60GHz and one layer thickness of 100μm. Experiment results are compared with the simulated results after manufacturing tolerances are investigated and analyzed.
Évaluation empirique de la précision du suivi télémétrique Argos dans le Haut-Arctique et implications pour l'estimation de domaines vitaux

Argos satellite telemetry is one of the major technologies used to track free-ranging animals. However, provided locations are sometimes inaccurate and it becomes necessary to quantify this error to prevent erroneous interpretation of the data. In order to improve Argos datasets, various filtering methods have been developed. These filters were usually created to improve datasets with a high proportion of bad-quality locations; however, their accuracy and their efficiency have rarely been evaluated on high-quality datasets. The objectives of this study were to evaluate empirically the accuracy of the Argos satellite telemetry in experimental static and mobile tests in an area that was believed to provide optimal conditions for Argos technology, to compare different filtering methods to see how they improved the quality of the datasets and to evaluate how Argos errors might impact the estimated home-range size, a biological metric frequently used in spatial ecology. We coupled Argos transmitters to GPS receivers in experimental static and mobile tests in a terrestrial polar environment, Bylot Island, Nunavut. We then performed simulations aiming at evaluating how Argos errors might impact home-range estimations at a relatively small spatial scale (<5000-m radius). Our static error estimates were among the lowest reported for this technology but inaccuracy greatly increased with movement. The best improvements in location accuracy was obtained by keeping only the best Argos classes (LC3 and 2) but the two other filters gave comparable home-range size estimates while retaining more locations. Overestimation of home-range size was dependent on the spatial scale and the estimation method used but could be as low as 10%. We consider Argos telemetry to be appropriate for studies on terrestrial animals in polar environments, but we recommend always filtering the datasets and quantifying the error before analyses are performed.
Inflation Targeting and Effects of Oil Price Shocks in ECO, Case Study of Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkey*

The recent researches about the effects of oil price shocks on economy show that this kind of shocking 2000s unlike 1970s had had different results for importing and exporting economies. Experimental findings identified inflation control by more effective policies and more reliable central banks for fixing prices as one of the most reasons of this difference. This research intended to compare effects of oil price shocks between countries that have been successful or unsuccessful in controlling inflation rate. Selected countries were members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and oil price shock effects on their economy were considered by structural vector autoregressive regression with seasonal time series during 1996-Q1 to 2012-Q4. The impulse response functions and variance decomposition analysis of prediction error showed that successful countries (Kazakhstan and Turkey) in controlling inflation rate versus the unsuccessful country (Iran) during the under-study period experienced a higher economic growth rate along with lower inflation rate. On the other hand, to confirm findings of Blanchard and Gali (2007) for both oil exporting and importing countries, reliable monetary policies of Central bank for controlling fluctuations of general level of prices more effectively is one of the factors of maintaining high average production growth rate and low inflation rate during creation of oil price shocks.
Application of Bond Graph Modeling for Photovoltaic Module Simulation

In this paper, photovoltaic generator is represented using the bond-graph methodology. Starting from the equivalent circuit the bond graph and the block diagram of the photovoltaic generator have been derived. Upon applying bond graph elements and rules a mathematical model of the photovoltaic generator is obtained. Simulation results of this obtained model using real recorded data (irradiation and temperature) at the Renewable Energies Development Centre in Bouzareah – Algeria are obtained using MATLAB/SMULINK software. The results have compared with datasheet of the photovoltaic generator for validation purposes.
2 The Human Genome Project : Where AreWe Now and Where Are We Going ?

An explosion in our understanding of genetics and biochemistry, which began in the 1970s, led to the rapid development of diverse laboratory techniques such as restriction enzymes, cloning vectors, nucleic acid hybridization, and DNA sequencing. Together these methods revolutionized research in molecular biology. It was here, in this fertile atmosphere, that the seeds of genome sequencing were sown. The progressive spirit pervading research in the life sciences at this time consequently helped to fuel the conception of the Human Genome Project (HGP), whose primary aims were to determine the identity of the three billion nucleotides comprising the human genome and characterize the full repertoire of genes encoded therein. 2.1. 1 Historical Background of the HGP
Does Daylight Saving Save Electricity? A Meta-Analysis

The original rationale for adopting daylight saving time (DST) was energy savings. Modern research studies, however, question the magnitude and even direction of the effect of DST on electricity consumption. Representing the first meta-analysis in this literature, we collect 162 estimates from 44 studies and find that the mean reported estimate indicates slight electricity savings: 0.34% during the days when DST applies. The literature is not affected by publication bias, but the results vary systematically depending on the exact data and methodology applied.Using Bayesian model averaging we identify the most important factors driving the heterogeneity of the reported effects: data frequency, estimation technique (simulation vs. regression), and, importantly, the latitude of the country considered. Electricity savings are larger for countries farther away from the equator, while subtropical regions consume more electricity because of DST.
R&D, Productivity, and Profitability in Chinese Industry

This paper estimates returns to R&D in Chinese industry. Using a firm-level dataset on innovation activity in large- and medium-size industrial enterprises during 1991 to 1997, we estimate three equations – an R&D expenditure equation, a production function, and a profit function. Panel data estimation methods are applied to a semi-balanced data set constructed from the raw sample. We find substantial and significant returns to R&D in the cross-section dimension. The elasticity estimates of the production function and the restricted profit function imply that returns to R&D are much higher than returns to physical capital. We find substantial cross-industry variation in both types of returns, which declined considerably over the sample period.
Selenium and agricultural crops

Higher plants have different capacities to accumulate and tolerate selenium, referred to as accumulative and non-accumulative plants. Selenium-accumulators plants may contain hundreds of times more selenium than non-accumulators even when grown in the same soil, or can also grow in soils with low and medium selenium reserves; while selenium non-accumulator plants present low accumulation and tolerance to high selenium levels in the culture medium. Several studies have demonstrated the protective role of selenium in relation to oxidative stress in plants. Depending on the dose used, Se can activate certain enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase. These enzymes are activated in the presence of Se, reducing the rate of lipid peroxidation and formation of hydrogen peroxide in plant tissue cells, which results in reduced senescence. Symptoms of selenium toxicity include reduced growth, chlorosis of leaves and pink coloration of the roots, yellowing of leaves and black spots. Studies provide evidence on a beneficial role of Se in plants and for environmental phytoremediation. However more research is needed to consolidate the beneficial effects of Se in plants. Key words: Selenium, accumulating plants, metabolism, functions plant, toxicity.
DOES STOCK PRICE SYNCHRONICITY EFFECT INFORMATION CONTENT OF REPORTED EARNINGS? EVIDENCE FROM THE MENA REGION

This paper documents the effect of stock price synchronicity on the value relevance of reported earnings in the MENA region during the period between 2009 and 2013. Our results show that the information content of reported earnings increases with increase in stock price synchronicity. We document higher impact of earnings on returns for firms with higher stock price synchronicity. We argue that firms with high synchronicity have better information environment. As a result, these firms disclose information that is of high quality. We also show that information conveyed through stock price synchronicity is more important than information conveyed through traditional governance mechanisms.
Business, Government and Foreign Policy: Brazilian Construction Firms Abroad

This article analyses the interaction between Brazilian companies and government in the context of foreign policy, observing the state's support for the internationalization of large Brazilian civil construction firms. The results show that over the years these companies had privileged access to the Federal Executive, including civil service agencies. One consequence of this system of channelling demands through the Executive was to demote the Legislative branch to a secondary role. This pattern of interaction changed following the restoration of Congress's decision-making capacity, prompting the sector to diversify its areas of influence, focusing in particular on the Congress. To expand internationally, construction firms interact with the government primarily through the Executive, specifically via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty), which provides technical and diplomatic support, and the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico, which supplies funding. The main argument of this article is that foreign policy should be examined through the relations between state and non-state actors in a multitude of decision-making arenas, taking into consideration both domestic and international factors.
The relationship between corporate independence and firm performance: the case of public listed firms in Malaysia.

This paper examines the relationship between board independence and firm performance in Malaysia. The Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance states that at least one third of board members must be independent. Hence, this evolves the question of whether increased board independence can contribute to better performance. This study proves that those corporations which have more independent board members(more than one third of board members which is obligatory)have better firm performance. We included randomly selected 120 public listed companies in Malaysia’ Stock Exchange Board (KLSE), where the performance is measured for the financial year 2006. While this work has been successfully established this positive relationship, it acknowledges the fact, that there are shortcomings. They include only three independent variables, such as independent board members, board size and firm size. Furthermore, the study is only done for one year, and it only involves 120 companies. Although the number of companies is enough to represent corporate Malaysia, a larger sample size will provide better justification for the empirical findings. Considered all these facts, we can provide strong evidence and conclude that a higher number of independent board members may significantly lead to higher business performance.
Creating woodland islets to reconcile ecological restoration, conservation, and agricultural land use

Restoration initiatives seek to address widespread deforestation and forest degradation, but face substantial problems. “Passive restoration”, whereby abandoned agricultural land undergoes secondary succession, is often slow, owing to biotic and abiotic limitations. “Active restoration”, chiefly accomplished by planting trees, can be very expensive if large areas are to be restored. We suggest “woodland islets” as an alternative way to achieve ecological restoration in extensive agricultural landscapes, particularly in low-productivity environments. This approach involves the planting of many small, dense blocks of native trees to enhance biodiversity and provide a range of ecosystem services. If the surrounding land is abandoned, the islets act as sources of woodland species and seed, which can accelerate woodland development. Alternatively, if the surrounding area is used for cultivation or pasture, the islets will increase the conservation value of the land and offer the potential for income generation. Here, we review existing approaches to woodland restoration and evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the woodland islets approach.
Detecting planets around active stars: impact of magnetic fields on radial velocities and line bisectors

Although technically challenging, detecting Earth-like planets around very low mass stars is in principle accessible to the existing velocimeters of highest radial-velocity (RV) precision. However, low-mass stars being active, they often feature dark spots and magnetic regions at their surfaces generating a noise level in RV curves (called activity jitter) that can severely limit our practical ability at detecting Earth-like planets. Whereas the impact of dark spots on RV data has been extensively studied in the literature, that of magnetic features only received little attention up to now. In this paper, we aim at quantifying the impact of magnetic fields (and the Zeeman broadening they induce) on line profiles, line bisectors and RV data. With a simple model, we quantitatively study the RV signals and bisector distortions that small magnetic regions or global magnetic dipoles can generate, especially at infrared wavelengths where the Zeeman broadening is much larger than that in the visible. We report in particular that the impact of magnetic features on line bisectors can be different from that of cool spots when the rotational broadening is comparable to or larger than the Zeeman broadening; more specifically, we find in this case that the top and bottom sections of the bisectors are anticorrelated, i.e. the opposite behaviour of what is observed for cool spots. We finally suggest new options to show and ultimately filter the impact of the magnetic activity on RV curves.