Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamics and

The existing correlation between the extensive properties, ΔH and ΔS, the enthalpy and entropy difference between liquid and crystal phases has been checked to relate metallic glasses to other classes of amorphous materials. Expressing the specific heat difference,  C p , of molten and crystalline metallic glass-formers as a function of temperature with different functional trends, parametric expressions of fragility are derived using relevant temperatures for alloys. It is shown that relationships between the  S g /  C p,g ratio and such temperatures are useful to estimate unknown quantities when the experimental determination of the specific heat is possible. Thermodynamic indicators of fragility are compared to the kinetic fragility obtained from viscosity data accounting for the estimated errors on parameters which are derived from extrapolations. The outcome of the analysis indicates that a relationship between thermodynamic and kinetic parameters exists. Moreover a systematic scatter for some alloys indicates a diverse behaviour which can be ascribed to structure modification either in the liquid or in the solid reference state.
International Perspectives on Environmental Nanotechnology Applications and Implications Conference

Nanomaterials and their associated technologies hold promising opportunities for the development of new materials and applications in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, environmental remediation, waste treatment, and energy conservation. However, current information regarding the environmental effects and health risks associated with nanotechnology is limited and sometimes contradictory. This paper summarizes the conclusions of a 2008 NATO workshop designed to evaluate the wide-scale implications of nanotechnology on human health and the environment. A unique feature of this workshop was its interdisciplinary nature and focus on the practical needs of policy decision makers. Workshop presentations and discussion panels were structured along four main themes: technology and innovation, human health risk, environmental risk, and policy implications. Four corresponding working groups were formed to develop detailed summaries of the state-of-the-science in their respective areas and to identify emerging gaps and research needs. Gaps between the rapid advances in nanotechnology and the slower pace of human health and environmental risk science were identifi ed, along with strategies to reduce the associated uncertainties.
Sensitivity Analyses for Misclassi ﬁ cation of Cause of Death in the Parametric G-Formula

Cause-speci ﬁ c mortality is an important outcome in studies of interventions to improve survival, yet causes of death can be misclassi ﬁ ed. Here, we present an approach to performing sensitivity analyses for misclassi ﬁ cation of cause of death in the parametric g-formula. The g-formula is a useful method to estimate effects of interventions in epidemiologic research because it appropriately accounts for time-varying confounding affected by prior treatment and can estimate risk under dynamic treatment plans. We illustrate our approach using an example comparing acquired immune de ﬁ ciency syndrome (AIDS)-related mortality under immediate and delayed treatment strategies in a cohort of therapy-naive adults entering care for human immunode ﬁ ciency virus infection in the United States. In the standard g-formula approach, 10-year risk of AIDS-related mortality under delayed treatment was 1.73 (95% CI: 1.17, 2.54) times the risk under immediate treatment. In a sensitivity analysis assuming that AIDS-related death was measured with sensitivity of 95% and speci ﬁ city of 90%, the 10-year risk ratio comparing AIDS-related mortality between treatment plans was 1.89 (95% CI: 1.13, 3.14). When sensitivity and speci ﬁ city are unknown, this approach can be used to estimate the effects of dynamic treatment plans under a range of plausiblevalues ofsensitivityandspeci ﬁ
Putative Synaptic Mechanisms of Inhibition in Limulus Lateral Eye

T h e spike response to a light s t imulus o f one o m m a t i d i u m is r educed or suppressed by s imul taneous i l lumination o f ne ighbor ing ommat id ia in the lateral c o m p o u n d eyes o f the horseshoe crab, Limulu~ polyphemus. T h e physiology of this lateral inhibit ion has been extensively s tudied by Har t l ine and coworkers , 1074 (Wolbarsht and Yeandle [1067] have reviewed some o f this work and the f indings o f o the r workers in this field), and the results o f such studies provide s t rong physiological evidence for a chemical synaptic basis (Adolph and T u a n , 1972). T h e pha rmaco logy and neurochemis t ry o f the possible chemical synaptic basis o f lateral inhibit ion nonetheless , has received relatively little s tudy (Adolph , 1966; Behrens and Wulff , 1970; Ado lph and T u a n , 1972). T h e r e have been somewhat more extensive studies o f its histology (Har t l ine et al., 1961 ; Gur et al., 1972; Ado lph and T u a n , 1972; Fahrenbach , 1969), a l though ul t ras t ructura l histochemical localization and f o r m a l d e h y d e f luorescence techniques have had m o r e limited appl icat ion (Adolph and T u a n , 1972; Gur et al., 1972; Ado lph and Ehinger , 1975). THE JOURNAL OF GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY • VOLUME 6 7 " 1 9 7 6 " p a g e s 4 1 7 4 3 1 4 1 7 on A ril 7, 2008 w w w . jg.org D ow nladed fom 418 T H E J O U R N A L O F G E N E R A L P H Y S I O L O G Y • V O L U M E 67 • 1 9 7 6 In this p a p e r I p r e s e n t the resu l t s o f f u r t h e r p h a r m a c o l o g i c a l s tud ies o f l a t e r a l i nh ib i t i on which i n c l u d e the ef fec ts on i n t r a c e l l u l a r m e a s u r e m e n t s o f m e m b r a n e po t en t i a l s o f p e r f u s e d a n d i o n t o p h o r e t i c a l l y a p p l i e d s e r o t o n i n ( 5 h y d r o x y t r y p t a m i n e ; 5 H T ) , m o d i f i c a t i o n s o f t he ionic e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d the s e r o t o n e r g i c s y n a p s e b l o c k e r , lyserg ic ac id d i e t h y l a m i d e (LSD).
Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 2004-2011 [August 24, 2012]

This report provides Congress with official, unclassified, background data from U.S. government sources on transfers of conventional arms to developing nations by major suppliers for the period 2004 through 2011. All agreement and delivery data in this report for the United States are government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) transactions. Similar data are provided on worldwide conventional arms transfers by all suppliers, but the principal focus is the level of arms transfers by major weapons suppliers to nations in the developing world.
Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1988-1995

Abstract : The following are extracts from an unclassified report of conventional arms transfers to developing nations (and developed nations as well) as published under the above title by the Library of Congress on 15 August 1996. The selections included herein begin with a discussion of major research findings regarding the dollar value of both arms transfer agreements and arms deliveries to the developing countries from 1988 through 1995. These findings are all cross-referenced to comparative data tables which are presented following the textual material. Special attention is given to the roles of the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China as arms suppliers, and to identification of the leading Third World arms recipient nations. The report concludes with a listing of the type and quantity of weapons delivered to developing nations by major arms suppliers in the 1988-1995 time period.
Being an Urban Tai/Shan in the 21st Century: Challenges and Solutions

-The recent worldwide trend to move from rural areas to big cities as well as economic and security issues has brought thousands of Tai/Shans out of their villages and small towns in Shan State to urban centres in Thailand and Myanmar where they are exposed to more modernized languages and cultures. The children of many of these emigrants have very little opportunity to practice their culture and risk losing their Tai/Shan ethnic identity. This paper employs the social identity theory in an attempt to synthesize a conceptual framework to generate ideas that may help sustain the Tai/Shan identity and culture in urban Tai/Shan communities.
Astronomic timescale for the Pliocene Atlantic δ18O and dust flux records of Ocean Drilling Program Site 659

High-resolution benthic oxygen isotope and dust flux records from Ocean Drilling Program site 659 have been analyzed to extend the astronomically calibrated isotope timescale for the Atlantic from 2.85 Ma back to 5 Ma. Spectral analysis of the δ18O record indicates that the 41-kyr period of Earth's orbital obliquity dominates the Pliocene record. This is shown to be true regardless of fundamental changes in the Earth's climate during the Pliocene. However, the cycles of Sahelian aridity fluctuations indicate a shift in spectral character near 3 Ma. From the early Pliocene to 3 Ma, the periodicities were dominantly precessional (19 and 23 kyr) and remained strong until 1.5 Ma. Subsequent to 3 Ma, the variance at the obliquity period (41 kyr) increased. The timescale tuned to precession suggests that the Pliocene was longer than previously estimated by more than 0.5 m.y.
Extremal Graph Theory

Extremal graph theory is, broadly speaking, the study of relations between various graph invariants, such as order, size, connectivity, minimum/maximum degree, chromatic number, etc., and the values of these invariants that ensure that the graph has certain properties. Since the first major result by Turan in 1941, numerous mathematicians have contributed to make this a vibrant and deep subject. Among all its topics, graph coloring is the most applicable and widely studied. Typically, a graph models conflicts, and a good coloring ensures partitions into parts with no conflicts. See Bollobás [2] and Jensen and Toft [8] for an overview.
PERIODIC MIXED CONVECTION IN HORIZONTAL POROUS LAYER HEATED FROM BELOW BY ISOFLUX HEATER

خلا ــ صلا ـــ ة : ة قبط ي ف رقتس ملاريغ جودز ملا يرارحلا ل محلا ةلأس مل ة يددع ةسارد تمت أ انث ة يقف ةيماس مو د عبلا ة يئ لأا نم نخسـت يرارحلا ضيفلا تباث ردصمب لفس . دقو م قر لد عمو نا يرجلا لاجم ،يرارحلا لاجملا ضرع مت مقر ل عساو ىدمل يظحللا تلس ن ي ليار مقر ب ةصاخلا ة لاحلل تلكب Ra=100 لوط ةبس نو يرارحلا ردصملا ةيماسملا ةقبطلا ةآامسل ) A ( 1 ، 3 ، 5 . دـجو أ ريغص تلكب م قر نوكي امدنع رحلا لمحلاب متي ةرارحلا لاقتنا ن ا و A=5 , A=3 ريبآ تلكب مقر نوكي امدنع امنيب ا دوس ي يذ لا وه يرس قلا لمحلا نا ف . و تلكب م قر نوكي امد نع طسوتم ا ظـ حول ، ا قتنا م قر مي قل يرار كت ر ييغت د حو ثيح نمز لا ع م بذ بذتملاو جودز ملا ل محلاب ةرار حلا ل نمزلا عم تلسن . و ةيماس ملا ة قبطلا ةآامس ل يرارحلا ردصملا لوط يواست ةلاح يف ) A=1 ( ف ، إ ريش ت جئا تنلا ن إ ىدملاب تلكب مقر نوكي امدنع ةرارحلا لاقتنلا ةرقتسملا ةلاحلا ثودح ىل Pe = 0.1 – 10 .
Expectations Among Patients and Health Professionals Regarding Web-Based Interventions for Depression in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study

Background One-quarter of the world’s population will suffer from depression symptoms at some point in their lives. Mental health services in developed countries are overburdened. Therefore, cost-effective interventions that provide mental health care solutions such as Web-based psychotherapy programs have been proposed. Objective The intent of the study was to identify expectations regarding Web-based psychotherapy for the treatment of depression in primary care among patients and health professionals that might facilitate or hinder its effects. Methods The expectations of untreated patients and health professionals were examined by means of interviews and focus groups. There were 43 participants (20 patients with mild and moderate levels of depression, 11 primary care physicians, and 12 managers; 22 of them for interviews and 21 for groups). A thematic content analysis from the grounded theory for interviews, and an analysis of the discursive positions of participants based on the sociological model for groups were performed. Interpretations were achieved by agreement between three independent analysts. Results All participants showed a good general acceptance of Web-based psychotherapy, appreciating possible advantages and improvements. Patients, physicians, and managers shared the same conceptualization of their expectations, although highlighting different aspects. Patients focused on the need for individualized and personalized interaction, while professionals highlighted the need for the standardization of the program. Physicians were concerned with extra workload, while managers were worried about optimizing cost-effectiveness. Conclusions Expectations of the different participants can conflict with each other. Finding a balanced position among them is needed if we are to harmoniously implement effective Web-based interventions for depression in routine clinical practice.
IT?S BETTER THAN CATCHING FROGS:EXPLORING INCLUSION IN RELATION TO LOCAL CONTEXT AND KNOWLEDGE IN LAO PDR AND THAILAND

AbstractThe University of Manchester, Peter Grimes, PhD, September 30th 2011Title: ? It? s Better Than Catching Frogs: Exploring Inclusion in relation to Local Context and Knowledge in Lao PDR and Thailand? This thesis examines the applicability of pre-dominantly Western theories of inclusive school development in countries of the Global South. Firstly, the findings of a review of research literature are used to develop a typology to describe the common features of inclusive schools, incorporating ways in which they might be supported. This typology was then used to explore the ways in which schools in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand developed inclusive practices. Engagement with school systems in these countries over a period of six years between 2003 and 2009 provided opportunities to work at several different levels with schools that in some way defined themselves as being 'inclusive'. Using data generated through field work with schools in an Inclusive Education Project in Laos and one school in Thailand, tensions were identified between the theoretical framework and my initial research findings. A revision of the typology was undertaken, drawing on a wider literature to take account of additional factors such as local and national culture and the impact of the policy context in these countries. The researcher often had the role of consultant, creating tensions in the way he constructed his position and also in the schools? response. Reflecting on these tensions became a productive process in terms of understanding the factors which effectively promoted the development of inclusion in these different contexts. In particular, the process highlighted the relatively neglected significance of local context and knowledge and the way in which these factors impact on inclusive school development. In order to explore these issues in greater detail, further research was then undertaken in one school in Laos, creating a case study developed over four years. This detailed engagement revealed more clearly the limits of typologies in general and of Western theories in particular. Whilst they may offer a lens for examining inclusive school development they do not 'adequately' account for variable factors rooted in the local context. In conclusion, policy initiatives designed to support the development of more inclusive schools must allow for the creation of space at local levels for meanings to be constructed which will support teachers in developing their own sense of agency and making changes in their practice of which they have ownership.
Agglomeration Effects and the Location of Foreign Direct Investment - Evidence from French First-Time Movers

This paper analyzes the location choice determinants of French first-time investments in Europe, North America and North Africa. Firm locations are examined on two geographical scales, the national and regional level. The final sample comprises 307 location decisions in 27 countries and across 45 regions. Both, location- and firm-specific variables are used for analysing the investment strategy of French firms. The results show that higher market demand and cultural proximity to France increase the likelihood of a particular location to be chosen, whereas higher labour cost and a larger distance between a foreign location and the headquarters deter FDI investments. Manufacturing and older companies are more likely to establish their first subsidiary in Eastern Europe. Furthermore, this study examines the extent to which French investors choose foreign locations that already host a significant number of French firms. The results obtained from regressions with various absolute and relative agglomeration measures suggest that French investors are rather attracted by firm cluster in general, or by the unobserved factors that led to the agglomeration in the first place, than by any nation-specific firm cluster.
and voter turnout :

One of the most consistent findings in studies of electoral behaviour is that individuals with higher education have a greater propensity to vote. The nature of this relationship is much debated, with US studies generally finding evidence of a causal relationship, while European studies generally reporting no causal effect. To assess whether the US is an exception we rely on an international dataset incorporating 38 countries, the ISSP (International Social Survey Programme) from 1985 to 2010. Both instrumental variable and multi-level modelling approaches reveal that the US is an outlier regarding the relationship between education and voter turnout. Moreover country-specific institutional and economic factors do not explain the heterogeneity in the relationship of interest. Alternatively, we show that disenfranchisement laws in the U.S. mediates the effect of education on voter turnout, such that the education gradient in voting is greater in U.S. States with the harshest disenfranchisement legislature. As such, the observed relationship between education and voting is partly driven by the effect of education on crime.
International return migration and remittances in Brazil

In the end of the nineteen century and in the beginning of the twentieth, Brazil was one of the major places of population attraction in the World. However, since the eighties, this country shows a tendency to lose population to the rest of the Globe. Many international emigrants from Brazil still live in other countries, nonetheless a sizable proportion return after a period abroad. Most migrants tend to return to their original place of residence or to somewhere close to their origin, as social ties binds together migrants and friends and family that did not migrate, enhancing the possibility that a migrant while abroad will send remittances to these individuals. We empirically discussed these topics in this paper. Most Brazilians international migrants return from just a few countries: Paraguay, United States and Japan. The destiny of these flows are very localized: some border states for the first of these countries, such as Parana, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso; Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais for the second; and Sao Paulo and Parana for the third. Moreover, specific microregions from these states concentrated most international return migrants, as was characterized by the multivariate technique of Cluster Analyses. Although the destiny was highly concentrated, and surely are the remittances sent, we could not apprehend effectively this type of transfers from other types of earnings using the 2000 Demographic Census data aggregated for microregions. However, the results for households’ distributions in municipality did show some insightful relations between international return migration and remittances, although analyses via contingence table did not show statistical significance.
The Short Term Effectiveness of an Outdoor Environmental Education on Environmental Awareness and Sensitivity of In-Service Teachers.

Abstract Outdoor education is mostly mentioned in terms of environmental education. The aim of this research is to determine the short term effectiveness of an outdoor environmental education program on biodiversity awareness, environmental awareness and sensitivity to natural environment. The data is collected from an outdoor environmental education project which is financed by TUBITAK and its name is ‘Nature-based Outdoor Environmental Education in Canakkale and Suburbs, 2008. ' There are 27 in-service teachers in the project and the project is only for 10 days. An environmental awareness and sensitivity scale is developed for the study. The research design is pre-posttest design. The data is analysed by Wilcoxon signed rank test because of the data is non-parametric. It is found that the nature-based outdoor education program is effective to improve environmental awareness and sensitivity to natural environment; on the other hand it is not successful to improve biodiversity awareness. Key words: Outdoor education, environmental education, in-service teachers, TUBITAK, Turkey
Banana streak virus: a unique virus-Musa interaction?

In recent years, banana streak virus has proven to be a major challenge to both the virologists working with the virus and to banana researchers in general. The unusual characteristics of this virus have numerous consequences for banana research and development, far beyond the usual phytosanitary aspects linked with the movement of germplasm and the control of the disease in the field. BSV was therefore identified among the highest priorities by the Virology working group of PROMUSA, the Global Programme for Musa Improvement. In order to develop a common understanding about the complex features of the virus and to take stock of existing information and knowledge on BSV, it was decided to organize a workshop, in the framework of the Virology working group of PROMUSA, bringing together the virologists working on BSV worldwide. This workshop, held in Montpellier from 19 to 21 January 1998, was also an opportunity to identify and prioritize research needs, to discuss informally possible collaborative projects and to identify comparative advantages and complementarities among the various research teams. The workshop indicated that significant progress has recently been made, leading to the current thinking that three forms of BSV exist (an encapsidated episomal form, an unencapsidated episomal form and an integrated form) and it allowed some interim recommendations to be made. However, it also showed that many questions remain to be answered and that a significant research effort has to be undertaken to overcome the problems caused by this unique virus-Musa interaction. The link below is to the papers presented at the meeting.
Forward Looking Banking Stress in EMU Countries

Based on contingent claims analysis(CCA), this paper tries to estimate the systemic risk build-up in the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) countries using a market based measure "distance-to-default"(DtD). It analyzes the individual and aggregated series for a comprehensive set of banks in each eurozone country over the period 2004-Q4 to 2013-Q2. Given the structural differences in financial sector and banking regulations at national level, the indices provide a useful indicator for monitoring country specific banking vulnerability and stress. We find that average DtD indicators are intuitive, forward-looking and timely risk indicators. The underlying trend, fluctuations and correlations among indices help us analyze the interdependence while cross-sectional differences in DtD prior to crisis suggest banking sector fragility in peripheral EMU countries.