Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal analysis of potential evapotranspiration in the Changwu tableland from 1957 to 2012

The Changwu tableland is located in the semi‐humid to semi‐arid transition area of the Loess Plateau, China. In the present study, the daily potential evapotranspiration (ET0) of the Changwu tableland was calculated using the FAO Penman–Monteith (FPM) equation for the years 1957–2012, and the temporal variation and frequency distribution characteristics were analysed. The results indicate that the annual average ET0 of the Changwu tableland was 949.3 mm, varying from 789.2 to 1093.3 mm; a slight downward trend with a rate of −0.48 mm year−1 was found. An abrupt increase occurred in 1994. The ET0 values that correspond to frequencies of 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90 and 95% were 1076.8, 1047.6, 999.7, 947.8, 897.3, 853.0 and 827.0 mm, respectively. The recurrence intervals of maximum and minimum ET0 were both more than 50 years. The contributions of Tmax, Tmin, vapour pressure, wind speed and sunshine hours to changes in ET0 were 0.74, 0.07, −0.51, −0.57 and −0.23, respectively. The change in ET0 and the meteorological factors in the Changwu tableland are worthy of attention; measures to reduce the negative impacts of climate change are necessary.
Measurtng Corporate Real Estate Asset Management Performance

Abstract It is difficult to measure relative corporate real estate asset management performance, as different organizations require different outputs from their property assets. However, prior research has identified a number of input factors or dimensions relating to corporate real estate that tend to occur together in organizations exhibiting high levels of performance. This paper proposes a methodology to combine these input variables into a single relative measure of corporate real estate asset management performance using factor analysis. The model on which the measure is based is tested by applying it to data collected in a survey of 457 organizations in New Zealand. The results show consistency in response amongst organizations and with prior research in respect of six variables that are important to CREAM performance. This leads to the derivation of a single performance measure that reflects the combined effect of these variables.
Local Turbulent Energy Dissipation Rate in a Vessel Agitated by a Rushton Turbine

The scaling of turbulence characteristics such as turbulent fluctuation velocity, turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent energy dissipation rate was investigated in a mechanically agitated vessel 300 mm in inner diameter stirred by a Rushton turbine at high Reynolds numbers in the range 50 000 < Re < 100 000. The hydrodynamics and flow field was measured using 2-D TR PIV. The convective velocity formulas proposed by Antonia et al. (1980) and Van Doorn (1981) were tested. The turbulent energy dissipation rate estimated independently in both radial and axial directions using the one-dimensional approach was not found to be the same in each direction. Using the proposed correction, the values in both directions were found to be close to each other. The relation /(N3·D2)  const. was not conclusively confirmed.
DeepPalm-A Unified Framework for Personal Human Authentication

Different biometric traits have been proved to carry unique biological information of an individual. Although their use is always problem specific but the good performance of palm print represents a recent trend in this field. In this paper, we have proposed a novel generalized segmentation Network (PSegNet), that automatically categorize the palm print image obtained from multiple sensory resources and then detect the fixed size ROIs accurately. To best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt, of an end-to-end trained object detector, inspired by Deep Learning technique namely faster R-CNN (Region based Convolutional Neural Network) has been employed to detect and localize the position of palm. Then, the ROI image is well enhanced and transformed into illumination invariant visual representation. Over this, hand crafted features are patch-wise computed and the sub-patches are recursively matched using deformable dense matching technique called as Deep-Matching. The experimental results are examined on three publicly available palm print databases namely Poly-U, CASIA, and GPDS-CL1 databases. The proposed approach achieves equal error rate (EER) of 0.083%, decidability index (DI) of 2.94 and rank-1 identification rates (CRR) of 100% that justifies the role of CNN based ROI segmentation and multi-scale Deep-Matching criterion.
Financial constraints, exports and monetary integration - Financial constraints and exports: An analysis of Portuguese firms during the European monetary integration

Financial constraints are a key determinant that hinders firms' ability to export. This paper analyses the nexus between these constraints and firms' engagement in international trade, as well as it explores the impact of the European monetary integration process upon firms' financial constraints. Therefore, we estimate cash to cash-flow sensitivities for different periods (1996-2000 and 2001-2004) and different groups of firms, according to their exporting and importing activity. Our results indicate that, depending on their international openness, the European monetary integration seems to have generally helped reducing the degree of financial constraints faced by Portuguese firms. Additionally, our findings suggest that, rather than unconstrained firms self-selecting into exporting, firms' constraints were reduced after they started exporting.
Effect Of Extracts From Araticum (annona Crassiflora) On Ccl4-induced Liver Damage In Rats [influência Dos Extratos Etanólicos De Araticum (annona Crassiflora) Na Atividade Das Enzimas Hepáticas De Ratos Intoxicados Por Ccl4]

The influence of ethanolic extracts of Annona crassiflora on the activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes was examined. Extracts of A. crassiflora seeds and peel were administered orally (50 mg of galic acid equivalents.kg-1) to Wistar rats for 14 consecutive days followed by a single oral dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, 2 g.kg-1). Lipid peroxidation and the activities of hepatic catalase (CAT), cytochromes P450 (CP450) and b5, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRed), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the content of glutathione equivalents (GSH) were evaluated. The treatment with CCl4 increased lipid peroxidation, the level of GSH equivalents and the content of cytochrome b5 by 44, 140 and 32%, respectively, with concomitant reductions of 23, 34 and 39% in the activities of CAT, SOD, and CP450, respectively. The treatment with A. crassiflora seeds and peel extracts alone inhibited lipid peroxidation by 27 and 22%, respectively without affecting the CP450 content. The pretreatment with the A. crassiflora extracts prevented the lipid peroxidation, the increase in GSH equivalents and the decrease in CAT activity caused by CCl4, but it had no effect on the CCl4-mediated changes in CP450 and b5 and SOD. These results show that A. crassiflora seeds and peel contain antioxidant activity in vivo that could be of potential therapeutic use.
Intraspecific differences in endurance swim performance and cardiac size in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) parr tested at three temperatures

Pacific salmon encounter widely varying environmental conditions across populations. Performance traits and environmental tolerance limits are predicted to be related to the typical abiotic and biotic conditions encountered by each population. Endurance swim performance at three different temperatures (8, 12, 22 °C) was compared across nine populations of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum, 1792)) parr from British Columbia, Canada, reared in a common laboratory environment. In addition, relative ventricular mass (RVM) was compared between good and poor performers from each population. Populations significantly differed in endurance swim performance and these differences were related to the natal lake environment. Specifically, parr populations that reside in warm, shallow lakes (Okanagan, Scotch, and Stellako) had superior swim performance at 12 °C compared with 8 °C. All other populations from deeper, cooler lakes had equivalent swim performance at 8 and 12 °C. Individual variability in swim pe.
Increasing smallholders' intensity in cassava value web: effect on household food security in Southwest Nigeria

Although cassava production and processing is on the increase in Nigeria, there is still a large gap to be filled in meeting the food and raw material need of the country in terms of cassava products and by-products. The reported increase in area cultivated with cassava has not been translated to higher resource use efficiency or productivity, thus cassava smallholders have low physical and economic returns on their activities. This has serious implications for their well-being attributes, chiefly food security. A value web system, involving multiple enterprises within interconnected value chains, has been proposed as a strategy for smallholders to increase resource use efficiency and financial benefits. This study examined the levels of intensity by which cassava smallholders utilise the cassava biomass using available resources. It also isolated the determinants of the different levels of participation in the cassava biomass value web. The study further investigated the effect of higher intensity of cassava biomass utilisation by smallholders on the food security status of their households with respect to their calorie intake and dietary diversity. The study also profiled the different risks to food security based on the level of intensity of the smallholders’ participation in the cassava value web. The research used data from a survey of 150 cassava smallholders, from 7 local government areas in Ogun state Nigeria. The results revealed that food security status of households using the cost of calorie index generally increased with increasing intensity of participation in the cassava value web. Dietary diversity of households also increased with an increase in the intensity of participation in the cassava web. Smallholders who are multitasking are also less vulnerable to food insecurity. The study also found that smallholders are rational and respond to changes in market conditions for their products and are willing to take more active roles in the cassava value web. Policy thrust should thus focus on increasing market opportunities for smallholders which will serve as incentives to take more active roles in the cassava value web, with consequence for their productivity, income and hence food security.
Capital-goods imports, investment-specific technological change and U.S. growth

Investment-specific technological progress as reflected by the decline in the relative price of U.S. capital goods has substantially contributed to U.S. postwar growth. Imports of capital goods have represented an increasing share of U.S. equipment investment, and their price relative to U.S. capital goods has declined. We examine the quantitative contribution of the decline in the relative price of imports of capital goods to U.S. growth by assessing to what extent this decline can account for the decline in the relative price of capital goods in the U.S. We find that decline in the relative price of imports of capital goods has accounted for nearly 20 percent of U.S. growth during the last forty years.
Outward FDI and Domestic Investment

This paper examines the impact of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on domestic investment by applying co-integration techniques to macroeconomic time series data for the United Sates and Germany. We show that the two countries differ: In the case of the US, OFDI has positive long-run effects on domestic investment while in the case of Germany the reverse effect is reported.
Phylogeography of Potentilla fruticosa, an alpine shrub on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Aims Our objectives were (i) to elucidate the phylogeography of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) in Potentilla fruticosa in relation to Quaternary climate change and postglacial colonization, (ii) to infer historical population range expansion using mismatch distribution analyses and (iii) to locate the refugia of this alpine species on the QinghaiTibetan plateau during glacial–interglacial periods. Methods Potentilla fruticosa is a widespread species distributed on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We sampled leaves of P. fruticosa from 10 locations along a route of ;1 300 km from the northeastern plateau (Haibei, Qinghai) to the southern plateau (Dangxiong, Tibet). We examined the cpDNA of 15 haplotypes for 87 individuals from the 10 populations based on the sequence data from ;1 000 base pairs of the trnS–trnG and rpl20–rps12. Phylogenetic relationship of haplotypes was analyzed using the Phylip software package and the program TCS. The diversity of populations indices was obtained using the program ARLEQUIN. Important Findings With the limited samples, we found that (i) higher nucleotide diversity often occurs in high-altitude populations, (ii) the ancestral haplotypes distribute in the populations with higher nucleotide diversity than recent haplotypes, (iii) the expansion time of population in the high altitudes was estimated to be approximately at 52–25 ka BP (1000 years Before Present, where ‘‘Present’’ is AD 1950) and that in the low altitudes to be ;5.1–2.5 ka BPand (iv) the source location of P. fruticosa is at the high altitudes, which might provide refugia for the species during the interglacial warm periods. The species expanded from the high-elevated locations on the Tanggula Mountains during the Holocene.
A multi-phase cohesive segments method for the simulation of self-healing materials

The backbone of a numerical technique for the simulation of self-healing mechanisms is the cohesive segements method. This method, which is based on the partition of unity method, allows for the simulation of multiple interacting cracks in a heterogeneous medium, irrespective of the structure of the finite element mesh. In this paper, a concise overview of the cohesive segments method is given. The performance of the method is illustrated with an example.
TWELVE HUNDRED NON-TRIGGERED GAMMA RAY BURSTS

We present preliminary results of an o-line search for non-triggered gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the BATSE daily records for about 5.7 years of observations. We found more GRB-like events than the yield of the sim- ilar search of Kommers et al. (1998) and extended the log N log P distribution down to 0: 1p h cm 2 s 1 . The indication of a turnover of the log N log P at a small P is not conrmed: the distribution is straight at 1.5 decades with the power law index :6 and cannot be tted with a standard candle cosmological model.
An ERP Study of Autistic Traits and Emotional Recognition in Non-Clinical Adolescence

Autistic-like traits are characterized by impaired emotional recognition and proposed to be continuously distributed in the entire population. In the non-clinical population, however, the relationship between the autistic-like traits and the behavioral/physiological patterns of emotion processing ability has not been examined. In this study, we investigated the autistic traits (even including moderate-AQ participants) of typically developing adolescents, measured with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and the spectral property of their behavioral and physiological responses during emotion-discrimination tasks. Participants were screened and divided into three groups (high-, moderate-, and low-AQ groups) according to AQ scores. Each group participated in the subsequent emotion-discrimination (using angry, happy and neutral facial expressions) experiment involving event-related potentials (ERPs). The results indicated that high-AQ group displayed significant different patterns (lower late positive potentials) of the emotional processing involved in behavioral and physiological tasks compared with the moderate-AQ group. In contrast, their behavioral and physiological patterns were comparable to those shown in the low-AQ group. Thus, in the non-clinical adolescents, the spectrum of emotion recognition patterns might show a non-linear relationship with AQ scores, even suggesting that AQ could not be considered as a simple index for emotional processing.
It Takes Two

Theories of conflict emphasize dyadic interaction, yet existing empirical studies of civil war focus largely on state attributes and pay little attention to nonstate antagonists. We recast civil war in a dyadic perspective, and consider how nonstate actor attributes and their relationship to the state influence conflict dynamics. We argue that strong rebels, who pose a military challenge to the government, are likely to lead to short wars and concessions. Conflicts where rebels seem weak can become prolonged if rebels can operate in the periphery so as to defy a government victory yet are not strong enough to extract concessions. Conflicts should be shorter when potential insurgents can rely on alternative political means to violence. We examine these hypotheses in a dyadic analysis of civil war duration and outcomes, using new data on nonstate actors and conflict attributes, finding support for many of our conjectures.
Learning As the New Form of Labor 1

Increased attention within organizational theory on how to improve design of a learning organization has indicated a need for developing an actual learning theory on how employees learn in and in relation to organizations. This paper should be viewed as a contribution to development of such a theory with focus on involvement of the learning employees' perception of their learning object. In specific, my point of departure is the process of learning how to use a computer in a work practice. The background is an empirical evaluation project, in which I show that employees first and foremost regard the computer as a concrete, practical tool, which they have to learn how to use. This perception differs from the view that the computer is a tool of information and communication. On the one hand, I show that the two different perceptions of the computer as a tool are related to employees' position in the organizational division of labor. On the other hand, I argue that based on an instrumental understanding of tools the two apparently different perceptions may be interpreted in the light of continuity between action and cognition. This interpretation may be very important for the development of a learning theory for employees in organizations.
Expression of Interest for an LHCb Upgrade

There is a growing international understanding that future flavour physics experiments will be required in the second half of the next decade to either study the flavour structure of new particles discovered at the LHC or to probe new physics at the multi-TeV scale. Here we present an expression of interest of the LHCb collaboration for an upgrade of the LHCb detector after it will have collected a data sample of about 10 fb. We envisage this upgrade to enable the LHCb experiment to operate at 10 times the design luminosity, i.e. at about 2 × 10 cm s, to improve the trigger efficiency for hadronic decays by a factor of two and to collect a data sample of ∼ 100 fb. In this document we briefly describe the motivation for an LHCb upgrade. We then outline the R&D programme necessary to evaluate the required technologies for a high luminosity LHCb upgrade, which must take place over the next few years.
Effect of seed tuber desprouting on potato production in Kufri Giriraj.

Potato cultivars are known to vary in their response to desprouting. Due to the lack of information on desprouting behaviour of potato cv. Kufri Giriraj, a study was conducted to find out the desprouting behaviour with different sizes of seed tubers (20, 40, 60 g), under north-western hill conditions at Central Potato Research Station, Kufri, Shimla. The results revealed no difference in the sprouting pattern between non-desprouted and once or twice desprouted seed tubers. The total as well as seed size (20-80 g), number of tubers and yield were not influenced significantly with one or two desproutings. Increasing size of the seed tuber from 20 to 60 g resulted in a significant increase in the tuber number and yield.
Controversies in vitamin D: deficiency and supplementation after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery

Current vitamin D recommendations are insufficient and a higher intake is necessary in the general population. The requirements of bariatric surgery patients can be augmented by longstanding obesity coupled with, gastro–intestinal malabsorption. Vitamin D deficiency promotes metabolic bone disease and may increase risks for a multitude of other medical conditions. This article reviews some controversies surrounding vitamin D and proposes a management strategy for bariatric surgery patients.
Managing the Process of Engineering Change Orders: The Case of the Climate Control System in Automobile Development

Abstract Engineering change orders (ECOs) are part of almost every development process, consuming a significant part of engineering capacity and contributing heavily to development and tool costs. Many companies use a support process to administer ECOs, which fundamentally determines ECO costs. This administrative process encompasses the emergence of a change (e.g., a problem or a market-driven feature change), the management approval of the change, up to the change’s final implementation. Despite the tremendous time pressure in development projects in general and in the ECO process in particular, this process can consume several weeks, several months, and in extreme cases even over 1 year. Based on an in-depth case study of the climate control system development in a vehicle, we identify five key contributors to long ECO lead times: a complex approval process, snowballing changes, scarce capacity and congestion, setups and batching, and organizational issues. Based on the case observations, we outline a number of improvement strategies an organization can follow to reduce its ECO lead times.
GaN-Based LEDs Grown on HVPE Growth High Crystalline Quality Thick GaN Template

In this study, high crystalline quality 30 μm thick gallium nitride (GaN) films were grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) on sapphire substrate, and the thick GaN films were used for developing high performance light-emitting diodes (LEDs). By using high-resolution X-ray diffraction, the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve shows that this 30 μm thick GaN template had high crystalline quality. In addition, the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images suggest that threading dislocation densities (TDDs) are almost free in multiple quantum wells (MQWs) for LEDs grown on 30 μm thick GaN template. Compared with conventional LEDs grown on sapphire, LEDs grown on 30 μm thick GaN template exhibit 26% enhancement of light output at 20 mA.
Income Growth, School Enrolment and the Gender Gap in Schooling: Evidence from Rural Pakistan

Household panel data document a remarkable closing of the gender gap in school enrolment in rural Pakistan between 2001 and 2004. During this 3-year period there was an 8 point increase in the percentage of girls entering school while the corresponding increase for boys was less than 2 percentage points. More than half of the rise for girls can be explained by the substantial increase in household incomes whereas comparatively little is accounted for by increased school availability. Unpacking these enrolment trends and their determinants requires solving the classic period-age-cohort identification problem. The paper shows how to do so using auxiliary information on the distribution of school entry ages.