Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Winds of change - a molecular outflow in NGC 1377? The anatomy of an extreme FIR-excess galaxy

Aims. Our goal was to investigate the molecular gas distribution and kinematics in the extreme far-infrared (FIR) excess galaxy NGC 1377 and to address the nature and evolutionary status of the buried source. Methods. We used high- (0. �� 65 × 0. �� 52, (65 × 52 pc)) and low- (4. �� 88 × 2. �� 93) resolution SubMillimeter Array (SMA) observations to image the 12 CO and 13 CO 2−1 line emission. Results. We find bright, complex 12 CO 2−1 line emission in the inner 400 pc of NGC 1377. The 12 CO 2−1 line has wings that are tracing a kinematical component that appears to be perpendicular to the component traced by the line core. Together with an intrigu- ing X-shape of the integrated intensity and dispersion maps, this suggests that the molecular emission of NGC 1377 consists of a disk-outflow system. Lower limits to the molecular mass and outflow rate are Mout(H2) > 1 × 10 7 Mand u M > 8 Myr −1 . T he age of the proposed outflow is estimated to be 1.4 Myr, the extent to be 200 pc and the outflow speed to be Vout = 140 km s −1 . The total molecular mass in the SMA map is estimated to Mtot(H2) = 1.5 × 10 8 M� (on a scale of 400 pc) while in the inner r = 29 pc the molecular mass is Mcore(H2) = 1.7 × 10 7 Mwith a corresponding H2 column density of N(H2) = 3.4 × 10 23 cm −2 and an average 12 CO 2−1 brightness temperature of 19 K. 13 CO 2−1 emission is found at a factor 10 fainter than 12 CO in the low-resolution map while C 18 O2 −1 remains undetected. We find weak 1 mm continuum emission of 2.4 mJy with spatial extent less than 400 pc. Conclusions. Observing the molecular properties of the FIR-excess galaxy NGC 1377 allows us to probe the early stages of nuclear activity and the onset of feedback in active galaxies. The age of the outflow supports the notion that the current nuclear activity is young - a few Myr. The outflow may be powered by radiation pressure from a compact, dust enshrouded nucleus, but other driving mechanisms are possible. The buried source may be an active galactic nucleus (AGN) or an extremely young (1 Myr) compact star- burst. Limitations on size and mass lead us to favor the AGN scenario, but additional studies are required to settle this question. In either case, the wind with its implied mass outflow rate will quench the nuclear power source within the very short time of 5−25 Myr. It is possible, however, that the gas is unable to escape the galaxy and may eventually fall back onto NGC 1377 again.
TRABAJO DE FIN DE GRADO « THE LANGUAGE OF THE PRELINGUISTIC STAGE: A SINGLE CASE STUDY » Autora

2 0. INTRODUCTION . 3 1. HUMAN COMMUNICATION . 5 1.1 HOW DO WE BEGIN TO COMMUNICATE? 7 2. THEORIES ON CHILDREN ́S COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT . 10 2.1 PIAGET . 10 2.2 VYGOTSKY . 14 3. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION . 16 3.1 EYE CONTACT . 16 3.2 CRYING . 16 3.3 LAUGHING . 17 3.4 GESTURES . 17 3.5 FACIAL EXPRESSIONS . 19 4. PRELINGUISTIC STAGE . 21 4.1 FROM BIRTH TO TWO MONTHS . 22 4.2 FROM TWO TO SIX MONTHS . 22 4.3 FROM SIX TO NINE MONTHS . 24 4.4 FROM NINE TO TWELVE MONTHS . 25 5. LINGUISTIC STAGE . 26 6. SINGLE CASE STUDY: METHODOLOGY . 29 7. CONCLUSION . 38 8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 39 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY . 40 -
UCLA Critical Planning Title Eco-Certification of Natural Rubber : Demand , Supply , and Potential Implications of Private Global Environmental Governance Permalink

In recent years, concern over the environmental impacts of natural rubber cultivation has generated considerable interest in eco-certification, a form of private environmental regulation designed to encourage more sustainable land-use practices. This paper explores the emergence and potential sovereignty implications of this approach to environmental control with an emphasis on the natural rubber industry. I argue that although eco-certification is advocated as a form of networked governance representing a range of political interests, the way certification programs position themselves as transparent and accountable alternatives to state-based regulation potentially serves to delegitimize the role of the state in the arena of environmental regulation. The intensification and expansion of natural rubber cultivation over the twentieth century has had a profound impact on landscapes and traditional livelihood strategies in Southeast Asia. Rubber cultivation has generated wealth for many smallholders and landowners, but comes at the cost of forest conversion, habitat and biodiversity loss, disruption of watershed functions, increased livelihood vulnerabilities, and in some cases, dispossession of land (Fox and Castella 2013). In parts of Sumatra—one of the world’s largest rubberproducing regions—expanding rubber monoculture production has resulted in a decline of both forest cover and traditional rubber agroforests, posing direct threats in terms of carbon stock loss and reduced biodiversity (Ekadinata and Vincent 2011). In response to these concerns, considerable effort has been devoted in recent years to assessing the potential of agroforestry rubber eco-certification (Bennett et al. 2007; Gouyon 2003; van den Beemt 2011). Eco-certification aims to promote socially and/or ecologically sustainable production practices by securing premium prices for commodities that are produced in accordance with ecologically and socially responsible private standards. In this way, eco-certification can be viewed as a form of private environmental regulation that relies on market forces to generate alternative incentives for smallholders to encourage more “sustainable” behaviors. Over the past two decades, eco-certification has become an increasingly common approach for promoting the dual goals of reduced environmental degra-
Nutritional and phenotypical characterization of two South African maize (Zea mays L) varieties sampled in the Qwa-Qwa region

Zea mays L represents one of the main source of energy in the diet in many African countries, especially in the sub-Saharan regions. White maize varieties, characterized by the lack of carotenoids, are usually widely preferred in Africa for human consumption, and this contributes to the occurrence of Vitamin A deficiency; yellow varieties, often derived from commercial hybrids, are usually destined for animal feeding. In this study we characterized from the phenotypical and nutritional points of view one white and one yellow South African landrace maize cultivar obtained directly from the farmers in the rural region of Qwa-Qwa (Free State Province). Calorific value, oil, protein, starch, minerals, flavonoids and carotenoids content were determined, together with free and phytic phosphorus (P). Both of the varieties showed lower protein and Fe content in comparison to the ones used as control, and the yellow one also had a low content of Zn. The white variety was characterized by a higher free P content but also by a very low level of carotenoids. Our data show that there are no nutritional reasons to prefer the white variety for human consumption, with the exception of the large size of the seeds, which make them particularly adapted for milling; hence the nutritional value of these varieties, and in particular of the white one, should be improved (protein, Fe and carotenoids), contributing in this way to tackle the problem of malnutrition in South African rural areas.
Testing for Strict Stationarity

The investigation of the presence of structural change in economic and financial series is a major preoccupation in econometrics. A number of tests have been developed and used to explore the stationarity properties of various processes. Most of the focus has rested on the first two moments of a process thereby implying that these tests are tests of covariance stationarity. We propose a new test for strict stationarity, that considers the whole distribution of the process rather than just its first two moments, and examine its asymptotic properties. We provide two alternative bootstrap approximations for the exact distribution of the test statistic. A Monte Carlo study illustrates the properties of the new test and an empirical application to the constituents of the S&P 500 illustrates its usefulness.
The Direction of Causality between Blockholder Ownership and Firm Value: US and EU Evidence

We examine the causal relationship between blockholder ownership (measured by the fraction of shares controlled by large shareholders) and firm value (measured as the simple Tobin's Q) of the largest EU and US companies. Using Granger causality tests we find no significant causal effects either way in the US/UK, but in continental Europe we find a negative effect of blockholder ownership on firm value and a negative effect of firm value on blockholder ownership. Consistent with an overall non-linear relationship, as hypothesised by Morck, Shleifer and Vishny (1988) and Stultz (1988), the negative effect of blockholder ownership on firm value performance is found to be significant only for companies with high initial levels of blockholder ownership (> 10%), but insignificant for companies with low initial levels. Consistent with lower protection of minority investors and larger private benefits of control (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997) the causal relationships are only significant in continental Europe, even for high initial levels of blockholder ownership.
Oil at Risk : Estimates the Impact of Violent Hotelling Pressures from Terrorism on Petroleum Production among Middle East and North African National Monopolies

What effect does the threat of expropriation have on resource extraction? Much of the economic literature suggests that uncertainty reduces investment, but the Green Paradox theory suggests the opposite. In this paper, we test this theory in the context of terrorism, which poses a real threat of violent expropriation of property rights. Facing this uncertainty, we find that oil producers in the Middle East and North Africa increase their extraction rate, especially in response to more severe terrorist attacks, as measured by victim deaths. This finding has important negative consequences for the world in terms of climate change and demonstrates a previously untested mechanism through which exhaustible resource supply is flooding the market.
Algal pigments distribution and phytoplankton group assemblages in the coastal transitional environment – Boka Kotorska Bay (Southeastern Adriatic Sea)

Prisutnost zajednica fitoplanktona i rasprostranjenost pigmenata utvrđivani su u tranzicijskim vodama Bokokotorskog zaljeva. Uzorci su prikupljeni četiri puta na tri lokaliteta u unutrašnjosti Zaljeva u periodu između travnja 2008. i ožujka 2009. godine. Mikroskopskom analizom utvrđeno je da fitoplankton čine morske dijatomeje, dinoflagelati, kriptofiti, klorofiti i kokolitoforidi. Pored fukoksantina kao dominantnog biomarkerskog pigmenta, bili su zastupljeni i aloksantin, 19′-heksanoiloksifukoksantin, peridinin i klorofil b‏. Fukoksantin i aloksantin su pokazali značajnu korelaciju sa klorofilom a kao indikatorom biomase fitoplanktona tijekom čitavog perioda ispitivanja. U studenom 2008. godine, dijatomeje su nadjačale kokolitoforide, koji su vjerovatno efikasno apsorbirali nutrijente tijekom perioda u kojem je njihova dostupnost bila smanjena. Kao rezultat smanjenog unosa nutrijenata, u ljetnom periodu, zajednicu fitoplanktona u Bokokotorskom zaljevu sačinjavali su uglavnom morski dinoflagelati, kriptofiti i klorofiti.
Remote Sensing Image Scene Classification

Remote sensing image scene classification has gained remarkable attention because of its versatile use in different applications like geospatial object detection, natural hazards detection, geographic image retrieval, environment monitoring and etc. We have used the strength of convolutional neural network in scene image classification and proposed a new CNN to classify the images. Pre-trained VGG16 and ResNet50 are used to reduce overfitting and the training time in this paper. We have experimented on a recently proposed NWPURESISC45 dataset which is the largest dataset of remote sensing scene images. This paper found a significant improvement of accuracy by applying the proposed CNN and also the approaches have applied.
Role of Ultrasonography (TVS) to Increase Number of Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC & TOLAC)

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Transvaginal Sonography (TVS) to measure the thickness of scarred Lower Uterine Segment (LUS) in antenatal women at term and it association with obstetrical outcome. Methods: This prospective study included 100 antenatal women with previous caesarean at term in study group and 100 antenatal women without H/O any uterine surgery of same profile in control group. LUS was scanned using TVS. All women were followed till delivery & further divided unto 2 groups for mode of delivery. Results: Out of the total 100 antenatal women in study group 28 were kept for repeat elective caesarean for repeat indications for C.S. Rest 72% women underwent trial of labour with continuous maternal and fetal monitoring. Out of 72 women kept for TOL, 26 had emergency caesarean and 46 had successful VBAC. At a cut off value of scar thickness 2.5mm, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value was 80.6%, 83%, 70% and 90.3% respectively. It suggested that if the thickness of LUS was 2.5 mm or more, chances of vaginal delivery following trial of labour was high. Conclusion: Antenatal ultrasonographic (2D/3D) assessment of LUS thickness near term can result a successful trial of labour is women with previous caesarean section.
Comparison of the adhesion ability of Candida albicans strains to biotic and abiotic surfaces

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the ability of oral Candida albicans strains to adhere to Caco-2 and Hep-2 epithelial cells, to produce slime using Congo red and Safranin methods and to form a biofilm on polymethylmethacrylate. A total of 20 C. albicans strains were tested in the present work. The biofilm formed by C. albicans isolates on acrylic denture was measured in vitro using the colorimetric method based on the reduction of the tetrazolium salt (XTT) and dry weight measurement. Our results showed that oral C. albicans strains were able to adhere to epithelial cell lines and biomaterials with different degree. In fact, more than 61% of the tested strains were adhesive to Hep-2 and 83% to Caco-2 cells. Strong slime production after safranin stain was found in 40% of strains. Slime producer C. albicans strains (16 strains) tested by safranin staining method were highly adhesive to Hep-2 (62.5%) and Caco-2 (87.5%) monolayers and biofilm formed on polystyrene and poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) surfaces (100%, respectively). Key words : Candida albicans , biofilm, polymethylmethacrylate, Hep-2, Caco-2 cells, slime production.
Market deregulation, trade liberalization and productive efficiency in Bangladesh agriculture: an empirical analysis

The impact of trade liberalization and of market deregulation in general, on the performance of agriculture remains contentious and empirical issue in the literature. Following the random coefficient frontier modelling framework, this paper attempts to contribute to this debate by computing the farm-specific productive efficiency indices in Bangladesh agriculture before and after reform. It also examines the impact of some farm-specific and policy variables on productive efficiency. The empirical results show that there are wide variations in productive efficiency across farms and regions and the average efficiency of all regions increased modestly by 8 percentage points from the pre-reform to post-reform period. The efficiency differentials are largely explained by farm size, infrastructure, households' off-farm income and the reduction of government anti-agricultural bias in relation to trade and domestic policies. The implication of these results suggests the need for further policy reform to augment productive efficiency.
Sustainable and Low Greenhouse Gas Emitting Rice Production in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Review on the Transition from Ideality to Reality.

The burgeoning demand for rice in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) exceeds supply, resulting in a rice deficit. To overcome this challenge, rice production should be increased, albeit sustainably. However, since rice production is associated with increases in the atmospheric concentration of two greenhouse gases (GHGs), namely methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), the challenge is on ensuring that production increases are not associated with an increase in GHG emissions and thus do not cause an increase in GHG emission intensities. Based on current understanding of drivers of CH 4 and N 2 O production, we provide here insights on the potential climate change mitigation benefits of management and technological options (i.e., seeding, tillage, irrigation, residue management) pursued in the LAC region. Studies conducted in the LAC region show intermittent irrigation or alternate wetting and drying of rice fields to reduce CH 4 emissions by 25–70% without increasing N 2 O emissions. Results on yield changes associated with intermittent irrigation remain inconclusive. Compared to conventional tillage, no-tillage and anticipated tillage (i.e., fall tillage) cause a 21% and 25% reduction in CH 4 emissions, respectively. From existing literature, it was unambiguous that the mitigation potential of most management strategies pursued in the LAC region need to be quantified while acknowledging country-specific conditions. While breeding high yielding and low emitting rice varieties may represent the most promising and possibly sustainable approach for achieving GHG emission reductions without demanding major changes in on-farm management practices, this is rather idealistic. We contend that a more realistic approach for realizing low GHG emitting rice production systems is to focus on increasing rice yields, for obvious food security reasons, which, while not reducing absolute emissions, should translate to a reduction in GHG emission intensities. Moreover, there is need to explore creative ways of incentivizing the adoption of promising combinations of management and technological options.
The Impact Of Government Expenditure On GDP, Employment And Private Investment A CGE Model Approach

he interaction of government expenditures with economic variables has been the subject of long debates between pros and cons in all major schools of Economics. According to Classical extremists, government expenditure has no effect on GDP due to complete crowding out between government expenditure and investment. This is vehemently rejected by radical Keynesians that assert a fiscal expansion policy affects GDP in full. In this paper we will study government expenditure effects on GDP and employment by a CGE model. It will be shown efficiency of government expenditure depends on kind of expenditure. The present paper divides government expenditures into two categories, consumption and investment expenditure. Also investment expenditure has been studied in five sectors: agricultural, gas and oil, construction, industry and mineral and service. The results confirm that government expenditure influences on economy in different ways, depends on types of costs. Increasing the government consumption expenditure causes reduction in production, employment and investment. Government investment expenditure has different
The effect of Spark motor program on sensory-motor functions in children with developmental coordination disorder

Background: Developmental coordination disorders (DCD) is one of the most common disorders affecting children aged 5 to 8 years. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Spark motor program on sensory-motor functions in 5- to 7- year-old children with DCD in Mashhad city, Iran. Materials and Methods: This research is aÂ semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design and control group. From a total of 80 children with DCD in Mashhad city, 20 children were selected using screening tests and randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. To collect data, the DCD questionnaire, Denver developmental screening test II and Raven intelligence test were used. Moreover, to evaluate the dependent variable, the Canners neuropsychological assessment questionnaire was used. The experimental group received the Spark motor program for 8 weeks (3 sessions per week, each session 45 minutes) and the control group did not receive any training. Results: Results of the study showed that there was a significant difference in the pretest and posttest mean scores of variables between the control and experimental groups. Conclusion: Spark motor program can improve perceptual-motor functions in children with DCD. Hence, it is recommended to use these exercises in schools and nurseries to improve sensory-motor functions in children with DCD.
AN ASSESSMENT OF SONG ADMIXTURE AS AN INDICATOR OF HYBRIDIZATION IN BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES (POECILE ATRICAPILLUS) AND CAROLINA CHICKADEES (P. CAROLINENSIS)

Abstract Vocal admixture often occurs where differentiated populations or species of birds meet. This may entail song sympatry, bilingually singing birds, and songs with intermediate or atypical characteristics. Different levels of vocal admixture at the range interface between Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina Chickadees (P. carolinensis) have been interpreted as indicating that hybridization is frequent at some locations but not others. However, song ontogeny in these birds has a strong nongenetic component, so that inferences regarding hybridization based on vocal admixture require confirmation. We used diagnostic genetic markers and quantitative analyses of song to characterize population samples along two transects of the chickadee contact zone in the Appalachian Mountains. More than 50% of individuals at the range interface were of hybrid ancestry, yet only 20% were observed to be bilingual or to sing atypical songs. Principal component analysis revealed minimal song intermediacy. This result contrasts with an earlier analysis of the hybrid zone in Missouri that found considerable song intermediacy. Re-analysis of the Missouri data confirmed this difference. Correlation between an individual’s genetic composition and its song type was weak in Appalachian hybrid populations, and genetic introgression in both forms extended far beyond the limits of vocal admixture. Therefore, song is not a reliable indicator of levels of hybridization or genetic introgression at this contact zone. Varying ecological factors may play a role in producing variable levels of song admixture in different regions of the range interface. Una Evaluación de la Mixtura de Cantos como Indicador de Hibridación en Poecile atricapillus y P. carolinensis