Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interannual Variability in North Atlantic Weather: Data Analysis and a Quasigeostrophic Model

AbstractThis paper addresses the effect of interannual variability in jet stream orientation on weather systems over the North Atlantic basin (NAB). The observational analysis relies on 65 yr of NCEP–NCAR reanalysis (1948–2012). The total daily kinetic energy of the geostrophic wind (GTKE) is taken as a measure of storm activity over the North Atlantic. The NAB is partitioned into four rectangular regions, and the winter average of GTKE is calculated for each quadrant. The spatial GTKE average over all four quadrants shows striking year-to-year variability and is strongly correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The GTKE strength in the northeast quadrant is closely related to the diffluence angle of the jet stream in the northwest quadrant. To gain insight into the relationship between the diffluence angle and its downstream impact, a quasigeostrophic baroclinic model is used. The results show that an initially zonal jet persists at its initial latitude over 30 days or longer, while a tilted .
How can Google Trends and sentiment analysis of TripAdvisor and Facebook predict visitor numbers to the United Kingdom and Canada from 2010 - 2015?

Internet search data and sentiment analysis are becoming standard prediction methodologies and have been used to predict everything from the stock market to cinema box office revenues, they have been seen as separate tools to carry out analysis. This paper attempts to bridge the gap in the existing research by using search and sentiment analysis to predict future visitor numbers to the UK and Canada. Sentiment analysis using the OL and HGI lexicons will be performed on hotel reviews for the UK and Canada scraped from TripAdvisor and comments extracted from hotel Facebook pages over a five-year period. This data will be matched with Google Trends data. It also aims to establish the best way to combine the data and using regression analysis. Some promising results are achieved by using multiple regression with Google TripAdvisor and Facebook data achieving over twice the correlation with visitor numbers than the highest scoring individual variable.
Follicular dynamics and production of oocytes in young Nellore heifers with energetic supplementation

To verify the effects of energy supplementation and fat on follicular dynamics, metabolic profile and the production of oocytes, 15 young heifers (Bos taurus indicus) with an average age of 14 months and with an initial weight of 256.35 kg were assigned to two treatments according to weight and follicular population as evaluated by ultrasonography: in T1 (1.0 × M), animals received 100% of the energy requirements for maintenance; in T2 (1.7 × M), animals received 170% of the energy requirements for maintenance, achieved by the addition of 200 g of Megalac®. After a period of adaptation to the diet, the treatments, blood collection and follicular aspirations were started using a randomized design. The dry matter intake and weight gain were lower in the 1.0 × M group than in the 1.7 × M group. No differences were found in the plasma progesterone concentrations, albumin, glucose, urea or gonadotropin (FSH and LH) levels between the groups. The mean concentrations of cholesterol were higher in the 1.7 × M group. The total number of small (<4 mm) and medium follicles (4-8 mm) was not altered by the treatments, but the number of small follicles increased on days 1 and 2 of the estrous cycle, with higher values found in the 1.7 × M group. The average of the oocytes also increased (9.50±2.1 and 12.5±4.4 for the 1.0 × M and 1.7 × M groups, respectively). The rapid increase in the amount of energy offered in the diet changes the amount of follicles and oocytes available for follicular aspiration (OPU) in young heifers without changing their metabolic profile.
Role of leptin in Japanese quail development

Maaajova M. , D. Lamo‰ova, M. Zeman: Role of Leptin in Japanese Quail Development. Acta Vet Brno 2002, 71: 473-479. Leptin, a hormone produced mainly by adipose tissue, controls energy balance and can also influence the embryonic development and growth. In our study we investigated the effects of leptin administration during the embryonic development on hatching rate, posthatching growth and development of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). At embryonic day 5, 0.1 µg or 1 µg of recombinant mice leptin in 50 µl of phosphate buffered saline was injected into the albumen of incubating eggs. Birds from each group were weighed daily and killed by decapitation at day 0, 2, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 of postembryonic life. Plasma concentrations of triiodothyronine (T3), testosterone and total lipids in plasma and in the liver were measured. Quail treated with leptin hatched earlier and expressed a higher body weight during the whole experimental period than the control group (p < 0.05). Significant changes in T3 concentrations, total lipids and body weight were seen immediately after hatching and shortly before sexual maturity. Testosterone levels and eggs laying were higher in leptin groups in comparison to controls. We suppose that the endocrine milieu of the developing avian embryo is influenced by leptin and the administration of this hormone during embryonic life can accelerate embryonic development of birds. birds, embryogenesis, growth, reproduction, triiodothyronine, testosterone, total lipids
Vector bundles on proper toric 3-folds and certain other schemes

We show that a proper algebraic n-dimensional scheme Y admits nontrivial vector bundles of rank n, even if Y is non-projective, provided that there is a modication containing a projective Cartier divisor that intersects the exceptional locus in only nitely many points. Moreover, there are such vector bundles with arbitrarily large top Chern number. Applying this to toric varieties, we infer that every proper toric threefold admits such vector bundles of rank three. Furthermore, we describe a class of higher-dimensional toric varieties for which the result applies, in terms of convexity properties around rays.
Why Does Education Reduce Crime?

We provide a unifying empirical framework to study why crime reductions occurred due to a sequence of state-level dropout age reforms enacted between 1980 and 2010 in the United States. Because the reforms changed the shape of crime-age profiles, they generate both a short-term incapacitation effect and a more sustained crime-reducing effect. In contrast to previous research looking at earlier US education reforms, we find that reform-induced crime reduction does not arise primarily from education improvements. Decomposing short- and long-run effects, the observed longer-run effect for the post-1980 education reforms is primarily attributed to dynamic incapacitation.
ASSESSMENT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ANTIOXIDANT STATUS AMONG PETROL STATIONS’ WORKERS EXPOSED TO BENZENE IN ZAGAZIG CITY

Background: The main environmental source of benzene exposure is vehicle exhaust emissions and evaporation losses of petrol at petrol filling stations. Activation of benzene and its reactive metabolites leads to continuous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damages DNA, RNA, and proteins by chemical reactions. Aim & Objectives: This study aims to promote health of petrol stations’ workers occupationally exposed to benzene in their daily work with the following objectives: (1)Assess trans,trans-muconic acid (ttMA) level in urine as a biological marker for benzene exposure (2) Estimate the extent of oxidative stress by measuring the Malondialdehyde (MDA) level in blood (3) Assess the activity of erythrocytes superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme (4) Identify the personal and occupational risk factors that may be associated with level of (MDA) detected, activity of (SOD) enzyme and level of (ttMA) in studied groups. Subjects & Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 43 male workers exposed to Benzene in 6 petrol stations present in Zagazig City. A control group of 40 male service workers, not exposed to Benzene were selected from the Faculty of Medicine in Zagazig University. All workers were subjected to a structured questionnaire included questions about (Personal and socio-demographic data- Occupational history- Oxidative stress questionnaire) and laboratory investigations to measure Trans,trans-muconic acid, Malondialdehyde and Superoxide Dismutase. Results: Results of this study showed that there is a high statistically significant difference regarding the level of (ttMA) & (MDA) which is higher among exposed compared to control group, while the level of (SOD) is statistically lower among exposed group. There is a high statistical significant difference concerning the level of (MDA) among smokers and non-smokers in exposed group as it is higher among smokers compared to non-smokers. Results also showed that there is statistically significant difference regarding the effect of work duration on the level of (ttMA), (MDA) and (SOD) among exposed group, as levels of (ttMA) & (MDA) increased with increased work duration while (SOD) level decreased with increased work duration. There is also a high statistically significant difference between level of (MDA) and chronic emotional stress among exposed group as (MDA) level increased with the increase of emotional stress. Conclusion: It was clear from this study that refueling procedure is an important source of exposure to benzene for the filling station workers who had higher level of benzene metabolites than control and the study also supports the hypothesis that Benzene and its metabolites induce oxidative stress which may plays a role in benzene-initiated toxicity. Keywords: Oxidative stress, Antioxidants, Petrol station, Benzene
A Study of Indoor Localization Techniques

This paper will present some of the actual indoor localization techniques. In the following, some of the localization techniques will be analyzed such as: GPS localization, Infrared Localization, Ultrasonic localization, GSM fingerprint localization, Doppler effect radio localization, RFID localization, W-LAN localization and location estimates in Wireless Sensor Networks. The advantages and disadvantages of each presented location method will be discussed
Changes of organic phosphorus in river waters in northern Bangladesh.

The variability in phosphorus concentrations and the decomposition rates of organic phosphorus were measured in five selected rivers through four surveys in July and November of 2012, and February and May of 2013. After collection the water samples were incubated for 20 days in a dark incubator and the change of forms of phosphorus such as particulate organic phosphorus (POP), dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) were analyzed. By fitting the changes to two types of models, the decomposition rates of organic phosphorus were determined. The mean total organic phosphorus (TOP) decomposition rate coefficients in the studied rivers was 0.039 day -1 . The average POP decomposition rate coefficient (POP→DOP→DIP model) was 0.038 day -1 while the mean DOP decomposition rate coefficient was 0.251 day -1 . The decomposition rate coefficients measured in this study might be applicable for modeling of river water quality. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 5 (2): 31-36, December, 2015
FACTORS AFFECTING CURRENT ACCOUNT IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Large and persistent current account deficit in most of the transition countries have attracted considerable attention, especially with the beginning of the world economic crisis. Even though common trends in the transition countries are included in the analysis, the main focus of this paper is to provide theoretical and empirical study of the main determinants of the current account in Macedonia. Multiple regression model with ordinary least squares estimator (OLS) was used for the analyzed period January 2003 – September 2012. According to the results, the variables: budget deficit, foreign direct investments, ratio of export and import, new approved credits are statistically significant determinants of the current account in Macedonia. In general, these are structural factors that affect the external imbalance. Still, part of the deepening of current account deficit (especially during third quarter of 2007 and first quarter of 2009) appears to be related to external shocks: global increase of the prices and world economic crisis. These cyclical factors reversed alongside the economic recovery during 2009, and the current account deficit was back to its average levels. This indicates the urgent need for structural changes in the Macedonian economy in order to decrease its external vulnerability in the future.
Spektralno particioniranje grafa

Uovom radu, problemklasteriranja formuliran je kao diskretni optimizacijski problembiparticioniranja grafa, čija relaksirana verzija upućuje na svojstvene vektore Laplaceove matrice grafa. Definirane su dvije varijante ciljne funkcije, razmjerni i normalizirani rez, te je pokazano da je rješenje relaksiranog problema minimiziranja ciljnih funkcija dano Fiedlerovim vektorom Laplaceove matrice i normalizirane Laplaceove matrice grafa (svojstvenim vektorom pridruženim drugoj najmanjoj svojstvenoj vrijednosti).
A Simple Model of the Response of the Atlantic to the North Atlantic Oscillation

The response of an idealized Atlantic Ocean to wind and thermohaline forcing associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is investigated both analytically and numerically in the framework of a reducedgravity model. The NAO-related wind forcing is found to drive a time-dependent ‘‘leaky’’ gyre circulation that integrates basinwide stochastic wind Ekman pumping and initiates low-frequency variability along the western boundary. Thisissubsequentlycommunicated, togetherwith the stochasticvariability induced bythermohaline forcing at high latitudes, to the remainder of the Atlantic via boundary and Rossby waves. At low frequencies, the basinwide ocean heat content changes owing to NAO wind forcing and thermohaline forcing are found to oppose each other. The model further suggests that the recently reported opposing changes of the meridional overturning circulation in the Atlantic subtropical and subpolar gyres between 1950‐70 and 1980‐2000 may be a generic feature caused by interplay between the NAO wind and thermohaline forcing.
Development and validation of HPLC method for determination of DL-α-tocopherol in egg yolk

aim of the investigation was to develop and validate analytical method for DL-α-tocopherol determination in egg yolk by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Obtained results indicated that this method has an acceptable level of accuracy and precision for DL-α-tocopherol. Recovery mean values were in the range of 99.2 percent to 100.3 percent with relative standard deviations between 0.2 percent and 0.8 percent. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 4 ng/mL and 12ng/mL of DL-α-tocopherol, respectively. Testing the robustness of the method suggested that is not changeable with time or conditions. The results showed that this method is simple, accurate, precise, and applicable in laboratories for determination of vitamin DL-α-tocopherol in egg yolk. Development and validation of HPLC method for determination of DL-α-tocopherol in egg yolk
Plant compounds insecticide activity against Coleoptera pests of stored products

The objective of this work was to screen plants with insecticide activity, in order to isolate, identify and assess the bioactivity of insecticide compounds present in these plants, against Coleoptera pests of stored products: Oryzaephilus surinamensis L. (Silvanidae), Rhyzopertha dominica F. (Bostrichidae) and Sitophilus zeamais Mots. (Curculionidae). The plant species used were: basil (Ocimum selloi Benth.), rue (Ruta graveolens L.), lion's ear (Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R.Br. ), jimson weed (Datura stramonium L.), baleeira herb (Cordia verbenacea L.), mint (Mentha piperita L.), wild balsam apple (Mormodica charantia L.), and billy goat weed or mentrasto (Ageratum conyzoides L.). The insecticide activity of hexane and ethanol extracts from those plants on R. dominica was evaluated. Among them, only hexane extract of A. conyzoides showed insecticide activity; the hexane extract of this species was successively fractionated by silica gel column chromatography, for isolation and purification of the active compounds. Compounds 5,6,7,8,3',4',5'-heptamethoxyflavone; 5,6,7,8,3'- pentamethoxy-4',5'-methilenedioxyflavone and coumarin were identified. However, only coumarin showed insecticide activity against three insect pests (LD50 from 2.72 to 39.71 mg g -1 a.i.). The increasing order of insects susceptibility to coumarin was R. dominica, S. zeamais and O. surinamensis.
Education regarding taxation from the attitude and intuition to experiment

This paper analyses students' attitudes towards taxation. The literature in the field of tax compliance research shows that there is a relationship between tax knowledge and attitudes towards taxation, more specific, higher tax knowledge determines more favourable attitudes towards taxation. The more favourable attitudes are the more favourable behaviour could possibly be. What is important in studying tax compliance is indeed the tax behaviour, but this paper has had the purpose the observe and analyze students' attitudes as a posible prediction of the future taxpayers' behaviour, more or less compliant. The paper was designed in the spirit of behavioral economics approach. According to this approach tax compliance research focuses on the non-economic determinants of taxpayers' behavior like tax education, tax knowledge and attitudes towards taxation. After summarysing the literature in the field of study, a survey was conducted among students who did or did not participate to a taxation course and did or did not pay taxes. The survey was designed using the american IRS Taxpayer Attitude Survey and other surveys developed by authors mentioned in the literature review. To measure attitudes towards taxation Likert scales were used. The respondents were asked to evaluate some statements and to express their level of agreement or disagreement with regard to those specific statements. The result are consistent with the previous research: there are differences in attitudes among the student groups and students who participated to a taxation course seem to have more favorable attitudes towards taxation.
Can Limits to Growth in the Renewable Energy Sector be Inferred by Curve Fitting to Historical Data

Abstract. The paper examines the assertion that limits to growth in the renewable energy sector can be inferred statistically from global historical data for installed capacity of solar and wind power. This claim has been made in the peer reviewed scientific literature and has been subject to considerable media coverage. If true, the harsh implication is that the substitution of fossil fuels by renewables is impossible due to Earth System constraints. It is demonstrated here that rational selection between an exponential and a logistic growth model cannot be made from existing data for the historical evolution of global installed capacity. For global power consumption, the growth limit for a fitted logistic model is so high that the growth is indistinguishable from exponential growth for any practical purpose. It is observed that some regional data show polynomial, rather than exponential, growth. But there are no signs of levelling off to a finite limit, and it is suggested that the difference between global and regional growth patterns may be that increasing technology transfer to undeveloped areas gives an extra impetus to the global growth. If this is the case we may see slower than exponential growth in the future without a definite growth limit. These overall negative results regarding drawing definite conclusion from statistical considerations lead to the conclusion that, even though statistical methods are indispensable in energy planning, they are not a substitute for physical and economic modelling.
The Adoption of IPM Techniques By Vegetable Growers in Florida, Michigan and Texas

Abstract Factors influencing the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques are studied using survey data from individual vegetable producers from Florida, Michigan, and Texas. Farmers who adopt IPM tend to be less risk averse and use more managerial time on farm activities than nonadopters. Adopters are also more likely to operate large, irrigated farms and use more family labor. Locational factors and the type of crop grown are also influential in IPM adoption. The analysis uses a logit framework and introduces adopter categories first conceptualized by rural sociologists.
Insect predators of mosquitoes of rice fields: portrayal of indirect interactions with alternative prey

The present commentary highlights the likelihood of indirect interactions in rice fields and allied wetlands using the water bugs, odonate larvae and dytiscid beetles as insect predators of mosquito. The biomass and linkage density of the species were used as input to construct the network and estimate the opportunity of intraguild predation (IGP) and apparent competition (AC). It was evident that IGP increased as a function of insect predator body weight (r= + 0.907; P < 0. 05), while an increase in prey biomass decreased its involvement in AC (r = - 0.864; P < 0.05). The interaction between mosquito prey and the predators appears to be affected by the biomass and composition of the species assemblage. Assuming chances of IGP and AC, positive preference for mosquito by the insect predators seems to be an important criterion for effective biological control.
Mobilization of knowledge in competing claims context. A research proposal for studying: "Space for change in complex societal negotiation processes over natural resources"

Problem solving in land-use planning and Natural Resource Management has long been based on linear models of both policy and science application (Giller, Leeuwis et al., 2007). The role of science in such endeavours was to provide unequivocal, predictive knowledge about the functioning of social and agro-ecological systems that would allow for rational planning (ibid.). Since the 1980s, this notion has rapidly eroded and has been replaced by the idea that it is essential to deal with multiple realities in societal problem solving efforts. With the introduction of participatory research and methodologies, we sought for consensus among stakeholders about desired policy directions and innovative solutions by creating common sense of a situation and engaging in a joint learning process. While negative experiences with participatory approaches were often attributed to incompetence, unwillingness or 'bad practice' (Pijnenburg, 2004), constraints were often due to a lack of attention for dynamics of power, negotiation and conflict. Moreover intervention projects were still organized with a narrow focus on the local level, whereas local level developments are often constrained by what happens on higher levels (cf. Giller, Leeuwis et al., 2007). In the platforms where stakeholders from different levels meet and negotiate, knowledge has become a 'weapon' in the struggle to protect interests and purchase or impose certain problem definitions and solutions. This positions negotiation processes central to land-use planning, NRM and other decision-making processes (ibid.). This theoretical paper starts from the premise that sustainable solutions may emerge when negotiation processes in and between multi-level networks lead to a balancing of local, regional, national and global developmental interests. The theoretical perspective explores the role of knowledge in complex, societal negotiation processes over natural resources, as well as the methodology for studying how multi-level stakeholders mobilize scientific and other knowledge to protect their interests, purchase their goals and create space for change.