Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive effort of male northern elephant seals: estimates from mass loss

The energetic component of reproductive effort of male northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, was estimated from mass loss over the breeding season and correlated with dominance rank and age. Fifty-four unrestrained bulls were weighed on a platform scale by luring them with a model of a female seal or moving them with a tarpaulin and using playback of male aggressive vocalizations. Adult males weighed up to 2300 kg upon arrival at the breeding rookery. Mean rate of mass loss during the breeding season was 7.1 ± 1.5 (SD) and 4.6 ± 0.8 kg per day for 17 adults and 13 subadults, respectively. Rate of mass loss was positively correlated with body size (mass or length) for both age-classes. Mass-specific rate of mass loss did not differ between age-classes but increased with increasing dominance rank among adult males. Reproductive effort, expressed as percentage of body mass lost over the 3-month breeding season, was greater for high-ranking bulls (mean 41.4%) than for low-ranking adults (33.8%), b.
Worst-Case Portfolio Optimization in a Market with Bubbles

We investigate a utility maximization problem in the presence of asset price bubbles. At random times, the investor receives warnings that a bubble has formed in the market which may lead to a crash in the risky asset. We propose a regime-switching model for the warnings and we make no assumptions about the distribution of the timing and the size of the crashes. Instead, we assume that the investor takes a worst-case perspective towards their impacts, i.e. the investor maximizes her expected utility under the worst-case crash scenario. We characterize the value function by a system of Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations and derive a coupled system of ordinary differential equations for the optimal strategies. Numerical examples are provided.
Art Therapy Interventions that Facilitate Non-Verbal Expressions and how Art Therapy Can Improve Communication for Children with Autism

Autism prevalence in America has increased rapidly over the years and numerous research studies have been conducted to measure the benefits of art therapy practice within this community. Advances in the mental health field have been also made to help offer improved treatment. Art therapy uses the process of engaging in artmaking with various mediums to make products that can be used in both assessment and treatment. The art can serve as a reflection of a person’s development, abilities and personalities. In this paper, the literature review will cover: Autism, communication, available treatments, and art therapy. The research methodology employed is qualitative research in the form of a single case study. The case study illustrates art therapy interventions used with a child, to help increase social skills and attention span in classroom activities. This paper discusses how art therapy interventions help facilitate non-verbal expression in children with autism and how art therapy improves communication among this population.
Neighborhood Effects in Pesticide Use: Evidence from the Rural Philippines

This study investigates how pesticide use by neighboring farmers affects a given farmer's pesticide use. Although it is common knowledge that pesticide use has spatial externalities, few empirical economic studies directly analyze this issue. Applying the spatial panel econometric model to the plot-level panel data in Bohol, the Philippines, this study shows that the pesticide use, especially for herbicides, is spatially correlated although there is no statistically significant spatial correlation in unobserved shocks. This implies that farmers apply pesticides by mimicking neighboring farmers' behavior rather than rationally responding to the intensity of infestation.
Relaxing Competition through Product Innovation

Preliminary and incomplete We study the relation between competition and innovation. Using firm level data for the period 1993-2006 from the Statistics Netherlands, we first estimate the elasticity of each firm’s profits with respect to its costs to measure the degree of competition each firm faces, as proposed by Boone(2008). We then use the estimated profit elasticity to explain firms innovation activity. Our results provide empirical evidence for the claim that more competition leads to more innovation but that firms innovate to release competitive
CELL CYCLE AND PROTEIN COMPLEX DYNAMICS IN DISCOVERING SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN YEAST (DINÁMICAS DEL CICLO CELULAR Y COMPLEJOS DE PROTEÍNAS EN EL

Signaling pathways are responsible for the regulation of cell processes, such as, monitoring external environment, transmiting information across membranes, and making cell fate decisions. Given the increasing amount of biological data available and the recent discoveries showing that many diseases are related to the disruption of cellular signal transduction cascades, modeling signaling pathways in cell biology has become an active research topic in past years. However, reconstruction of signaling pathways remains a challenge mainly because of the need of systematic approaches for predicting causal relationships, like edge direction and activation/inhibition among interacting proteins in the signal flow. We propose an approach for predicting signaling pathways that integrate protein interactions, gene expression, phenotypes, and protein complex information. Our method first finds candidate pathways using an edge direction algorithm and then defines a graph model to include causal activation relationships among proteins in candidate pathways using cell cycle gene expression and phenotypes to infer consistent pathways. Then, we incorporate protein complex coverage for deciding the final predicted signaling pathways. We show that our approach improves the results of previous approaches, between 21 and 50 %, using different ranking metrics.
Clinico-laboratory profile of dengue patients in a tertiary hospital of Eastern India

Background: Dengue is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease of mankind. According to WHO, about 50-100 million new dengue infections are estimated to occur annually in more than 100 endemic countries. So, the present study has been done to analyzed varied clinical and laboratory profile of confirm dengue cases. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study was undertaken among 106 adult Ig M Ab positive cases admitted during October 2015 to September 2017. All patients were evaluated clinically and subjected for relevant laboratory investigations. Results: In our study male and female ratio was 20.2:1. Most common symptom was fever (95.3%) and least common was jaundice. Second most symptom was headache (70.8%). Myalgia was present in 49.1% of cases. 54.7% had nausea/vomiting. Hypotension was noticed in 33% of cases whereas encephalopathy and melaena was found in 6.6% and 2.83% respectively. Leucopenia was present in 57.5% and thrombocytopenia in 50.9% of cases. Conclusions: Younger male were commonly affected with dengue fever and promptly responded to conservative therapy due to early confirmation of diagnosis. Mortality was only 1.8% cases, may be due to delay in seeking medical attention.
Remotely sensed productivity, regional home range selection, and local range use by an omnivorous primate

Remote sensing of the environment has proved an invaluable tool to the study of animal ecology at continental to regional scales. Here, we investigated the utility of a remotely sensed index of plant productivity (the normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI]) at a much finer spatial scale to account for the range use of an omnivorous primate (the vervet monkey: Cercopithecus aethiops) foraging in a multipredator environment. Vervet monkey home range location suggested that the animals prefer areas with elevated productivity and reduced seasonality as indexed by simple NDVI metrics. Within the annual home range area, monthly NDVI values were linearly related to field measurements of leaf cover and quadratically associated with vervet monkey food availability. Temporal variation in parameters of local range use could subsequently be expressed in terms of local NDVI: Monthly averaged day journey length showed a second-order polynomial response, and the amount of time the monkeys spent on the ground increased with group size whereas linearly decreasing with monthly NDVI. The first finding signifies a behavioral response to food availability, whereas the latter is interpreted as an antipredatory response to changes in habitat visibility, associated with leaf cover. As a spatially explicit and temporally varying measure of habitat structure and productivity, the NDVI thus offers considerable scope for studies of animal behavioral ecology not only at broad spatiotemporal scales but also at a much finer grained level of analysis. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.
Oil Price Forecasting Based on EMD and BP_AdaBoost Neural Network

Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and BP_AdaBoost neural network are used in this paper to model the oil price. Based on the benefits of these two methods, we predict the oil price by using them. To a certain extent, it effectively improves the accuracy of short-term price forecasting. Forecast results of this model are compared with the results of the ARIMA model, BP neural network and EMD-BP combined model. The experimental result shows that the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and Theil inequality (U) of EMD and BP_AdaBoost model are lower than other models, and the combined model has better prediction accuracy.
SPECTROSCOPY AND PHOTOMETRY OF CATACLYSMIC VARIABLE CANDIDATES FROM THE CATALINA REAL TIME SURVEY

The Catalina Real Time Survey (CRTS) has found over 500 cataclysmic variable (CV) candidates, most of which were previously unknown. We report here on follow-up spectroscopy of 36 of the brighter objects. Nearly all of the spectra are typical of CVs at minimum light. One object appears to be a flare star, while another has a spectrum consistent with a CV but lies, intriguingly, at the center of a small nebulosity. We measured orbital periods for eight of the CVs, and estimated distances for two based on the spectra of their secondary stars. In addition to the spectra, we obtained direct imaging for an overlapping sample of 37 objects, for which we give magnitudes and colors. Most of our new orbital periods are shortward of the so-called period gap from roughly 2 to 3 hr. By considering the cross-identifications between the Catalina objects and other catalogs such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we argue that a large number of CVs remain uncataloged. By comparing the CRTS sample to lists of previously known CVs that CRTS does not recover, we find that the CRTS is biased toward large outburst amplitudes (and hence shorter orbital periods). We speculate that this is a consequence of the survey cadence.
HUBUNGAN ANTARA GANGGUAN TIDUR DENGAN PERTUMBUHAN PADA ANAK USIA 3-6 TAHUN DI KOTA SEMARANG

Latar Belakang :Prevalensi gangguan pertumbuhan masih cukup besar. Salah satu faktor yang dapat mempengaruhi pertumbuhan adalah faktor kelainan hormonal yang bisa dikarenakan oleh gangguan tidur. Sekitar 75% hormon pertumbuhan disintesis pada saat anak tidur, sehingga bila terjadi gangguan tidur pada anak maka hormon pertumbuhan akan terganggu. Tujuan : Menguji hubungan antara gangguan tidur dengan pertumbuhan pada anak usia 3-6 tahun di Kota Semarang.Metode : Penelitian observasional analitik dengan desain cross-sectional dilakukan pada periode Maret – Juni 2013.Subjek penelitian adalah orangtua anak yang memiliki anak berusia 3-6 tahun di beberapa TK/TPA dan PAUD di Kota Semarang. Pengambilan data dilakukan dengan metode wawancara dengan menggunakan kuesioner SDSC serta pengukuran antropometri meliputi berat badan, tinggi badan, dan lingkar kepala pada anak. Uji statistik menggunakan uji Mann-Whitney.Hasil :Jumlah responden sebanyak 183 anak, terdiri atas 146 anak mengalami gangguan tidur. Dari hasil analisis didapatkan perbedaan bermakna pada rerata skor HAZ antara kelompok gangguan tidur dan tidak gangguan tidur(p=0,036). Tidak terdapat perbedaan bermakna antara kedua kelompok pada rerata skor WAZ (p=0,244), Z-score IMT terhadap umur (p=0,855), dan Z-score lingkar kepala terhadap umur (p=0,389). Karakteristik data antara kedua kelompok menunjukkan perbedaanbermakna pada variabel usia, pendidikan terakhir ayah, dan status sosial ekonomi.Kesimpulan :Gangguan tidur pada anak berhubungan secara signifikan terhadap tinggi badan pada anak, namun tidak berhubungan secara signifikan pada berat badan, IMT, dan lingkar kepala pada anak.
DEVELOPING A DRAWING CULTURE: NEW DIRECTIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Sketching is integral to the design process, as it allows reflection in action, enables ambiguity and abstraction, encourages the unexpected, externalises mental imagery, and provokes creativity though analogical reasoning and reinterpretation. The articulation of the concept facilitates a discussion not only with peers and clients, but more importantly with oneself in a reflective practicum. In the context of engineering practice, sketching serves multiple social and cognitive functions throughout all stages of the product design and development process. Fundamentally sketching is the ‘first language’ of all designers and it is apparent that the design process can be limited by one’s capacity to use drawing for cognitive exploration. It is therefore essential that development of drawing skills is integrated throughout engineering education. This paper discusses curriculum initiatives aimed at developing a drawing culture amongst product design engineering students. ‘SketchFest’ is a sketching and ideation program that augments existing drawing skills, introduces new techniques and promotes student awareness of the value of sketching in product design and development.
From the Need of "Equity" To the Evidence of "Difference"; Contributions of Gender Perspectives to the Governance of the Environment

The paper focuses on the potential benefits of the introduction of gender perspectives on environmental governance practices, reflecting on two main approaches: “equity” and “difference”. In its “equity” form, gender studies assess social fairness of environmental problems and conflicts, and of political problem-solving initiatives. They show that men and women may be exposed to and influence the degradation of the environment in different ways. They help to identify population at risk because of environmental problems. They also show that the under-representation of women in environment-related political decision making may lead to unexpected side effects on females and to increased gender inequities. In its “difference” form, gender contributions point to gender tendencies in citizens’ values, interests and views on the environment. Science feminism also leads to relevant considerations about gender biases related to the scientific framing of problems, the definition, collection and analysis of data, and to the epistemological and methodological roots of the research. Finally, the “difference” approach brings relevant insights to the assessment of participatory processes embedded in environmental decision-making practices. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.
The Politics of Financial Development: Evidence from Trade Liberalization

Incumbents in various industries have different incentives to promote or oppose financial development. Changes in the relative strength of promoter and opponent industries thus result in changes in the political equilibrium level of financial development. We conduct an event study using a sample of 41 countries that liberalized trade during 1970 to 2000, and show that the strengthening of promoter relative to opponent industries resulting from liberalization is a good predictor of subsequent financial development. The benefits of developing the financial system are insufficient for financial development, and rents in particular hands appear to be necessary to achieve it. Copyright (c) 2008 by The American Finance Association.
Comparación del sellado apical: Obturación lateral con ultrasonido VS Obturación con inyección de gutapercha termoplastificada

Resumen El objetivo final de un tratamiento de conductos es el sellado tridimensional perfecto, tanto del conducto como sus ramificaciones. Se debe sellar todo el sistema de conductos, pero algunas irregularidades anatomicas como istmos, deltas apicales o conductos accesorios, permiten espacios que podrian quedar vacios, con celulas bacterianas remanentes que podrian hacer fracasar el tratamiento de conductos. Entre las nuevas tecnicas de obturacion esta la inyeccion termoplastificada cuyo calentamiento de la gutapercha se realiza fuera del conducto radicular y la obturacion con ultrasonido que se basa en el uso de puntas ultrasonicas para obtener una masa densa de obturacion. Objetivo: Comparar el sellado apical de la tecnica de obturacion con ultrasonido y la tecnica de inyeccion termoplastificada. Materiales y metodos: 30 dientes incisivos se agruparon al azar y se instrumentaron con tecnica apico-coronal a una lima K 50.Se dividieron al azar en dos grupos: A con tecnica de obturacion con ultrasonido y B con tecnica de inyeccion termoplastificada. Se tineron en tinta china por 72 horas y se seccionaron longitudinalmente. Se observaron en un microscopio optico 5x y se tomaron fotografias digitales. Resultados: No se observo filtracion apical en ambas tecnicas. Conclusiones: ambas tecnicas producen un buen sellado apical y no hubo evidencia de fugas. Palabras clave: Sellado apical, obturacion, ultrasonido, gutapercha termoplastificada.
Solution of Bang-Bang Optimal Control Problems by Using Bezier Polynomials

In this paper, a new numerical method is presented for solving the optimal control problems of Bang-Bang type with free or fixed terminal time. The method is based on Bezier polynomials which are presented in any interval as $[t_0,t_f]$. The problems are reduced to a constrained problems which can be solved by using Lagrangian method. The constraints of these problems are terminal state and conditions. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the method.
On Decreasing Marginal Impatience

One of the most controversial assumptions in endogenous time preference theory is that the degree of impatience is marginally increasing in wealth. We examine the implications of an empirically more relevant specification whereby time preference exhibits decreasing marginal impatience (DMI). With DMI, there are multiple steady-state non-satiated and satiated equilibria. In a constant interest rate economy, the non-satiated steady-state point is necessarily unstable. In a capital economy with decreasing returns technology, both the non-satiated and satiated steady-state points can be saddlepoint stable. The model is used to examine policy implications for the effects of capital taxation and government spending.
Shake Hands or Shake Apart? International Relationship of Japan with Global Blocs

Despite the world-wide spread of economic blocs following the Great Depression, Japan sought to find trade partners outside of its own bloc and to maintain a relationship with some foreign blocs, in particular maintaining a connection with the British Commonwealth and the Sterling bloc. The 1930s bloc economies did not isolate Japan. Also, in the early period of the cold war after World War II, capitalist blocs did not significantly isolate Japan. Econometric analysis of Japan's trade and world trade over the period from 1890 to 1955 based on a development of a gravity equation illustrates these statements.
Environmental Influence of Soil toward Effective Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is a process by which the organic waste is converted into manure with the help of earthworms. Growth rate, onset of maturity (clitellum development), rate of reproduction (cocoon production) and population buildup of earthworm during vermicomposting have been depend upon the conditions like temperature, moisture and physico-chemical properties of the feed mixtures. Eisenia fetida was superior to other epigeic species and tolerate wide range of temperature, moisture and pH. Endogeic species produced lesser cocoon than epigeic species and cocoon production decreased at low temperature. Maintenance of temperature and moisture content is the critical step for vermicomposting. Growth and maturation of earthworms was best at 20–25°C temperature with 80–85% moisture content. Increase temperature upto 30°C accelerated growth rate of earthworms and lessened the time to sexual maturity. Earthworms can survive in the soil contaminated with heavy metals by accumulating heavy metals in their tissues.
Nanoapplications – From geckos to human health

Nanotechnology, the manipulation of matter on a molecular scale, is all around us in our everyday lives. Chocolate, non-dairy creamer, and sunscreen are examples of consumer products with a high content of nanoparticles. Nanotechnology holds great potential for environmental applications like wastewater treatment and nanobionic engineering of plants. Due to their unique and adaptable properties for targeted therapeutic payload delivery, nanoparticles are also emerging as promising tools for innovative pharmaceutical treatment. Nevertheless, licensing regulations specifically for nanomaterials are lacking, and the long-term effects of nanoparticles on both the environment and human health need to be further clarified.
An interactive tool for sketch-based annotation

Annotation of Web content is becoming a widespread activity by which users appropriate and enrich information available on the Net. MADCOW (Multimedia Annotation of Digital Content Over the Web) is a system for annotating HTML pages that provides a uniform interactive paradigm to make annotations on text, images and video. MADCOW has also recently included novel features for groups and group annotations with reference to ontological domains, but interaction with the MADCOW client is currently limited to the use of common input devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse), requiring a precise selection of the portions to be annotated. In this paper we present a sketch-based interface, which can be used to annotate not only content but also aspects relative to the presentation of the information. While interacting with a standard Web browser, users can draw free-hand geometrical shapes (e.g., circles, rectangles, closed paths) for selecting specific parts of the Web pages to be annotated. The interaction mode depends on the adopted input device. For example, users interacting with touch-screen devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) can draw shapes with their fingers, but in principle any device able to detect sketching gestures can be supported (e.g., graphic tablets, optical pens). The paper discusses interaction aspects together with an overview of the system architecture. Finally, preliminary experimental tests and some considerations on the usability are also reported.