cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Improving the simulation of water vapor [sic] in spectral climate models
Creators: name: Minty, Louise
Publisher: name: University Of Tasmania
Year: 2023

description: Water vapor is an important climate variable that to date has been poorly modelled by Atmospheric General Circulation Models. Unphysical, negative water vapor concentrations are common and simulations suffer from excessive 'noise'. In consequence, model cloud and precipitation fields are poorly defined and the calculation of the radiation balance of the model atmosphere is compromised. These effects are particularly severe in the region of the poles. Negative water vapor concentrations in spectral models result from spectral approximation in the horizontal, and centred-difference advection in the vertical. Investigations in the horizontal domain reveal a mismatch between the features of the water vapor mixing ratio variable and the features of the approximating functions: namely, surface water vapor mixing ratio varies from about 20 g/kg at the Equator to about 0.01 g/kg at the poles, but the spherical harmonic functions of the spectral approximation fit the field in a least-squares sense. Overshoots and undershoots are produced in the approximation to the field and undershoots lead to negatives where the field is close to zero, i.e. over extensive areas of the polar regions. Investigations in the vertical domain reveal that centred-differencing overestimates moisture advection where the water vapor mixing ratio gradients are strongly negative, and this leads to negative water vapor concentrations, particularly in the tropics in the region below the hygropause. A review of various numerical options for improving water vapor simulation reveals the advantages of flux-limited advection in a finite-difference framework, and the advantages of choosing relative humidity as the prognostic moisture variable in a spectral framework. Implementation of relative humidity as the prognostic moisture variable in a spectral Atmospheric General Circulation Model confirms the conclusions of these investigations. The resulting water vapor simulations are free of negative water vapor concentrations, cloud and precipitation fields are significantly more coherent, and the simulation of the polar climate is vastly improved. Problems are encountered with the simulation of the stratosphere and the conservation of moisture due to the specifics of the model formulation. Recommendations for overcoming these problems are outlined.
title: Effects on a Wedge Flowmeter Installed Downstream of a Double Elbow Out of Plane
Creators: name: Radle, Devan S.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: Precise flow measurement is a critical part of many industries including industrial, hydropower, petroleum, nuclear, and water/wastewater. Lengthy upstream piping is required for many flowmeters to obtain accurate results. Due to piping constraints, sub- optimal flow meter installations can occur. One of these conditions is the installment of a flow meter in close proximity downstream of a double elbow out of plane (DEOP). A DEOP can cause swirl to form in the flow and can cause inaccurate metering results due to the non-uniform flow and pressure conditions. This study investigated the effect of installing a differential pressure producing wedge flow meter downstream of a DEOP on the flow measurement. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used for this study in conjunction with physical testing.
title: Toward a General Parametric Model for Assessing the Impact of Video Transcoding on Objective Video Quality
Creators: name: Alsrehin, Nawaf Omar N.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: Video transcoding can cause degradation to an original video. Currently, there is no general model that assesses the impact of video transcoding on video quality. Such a model could play a critical role in evaluating the quality of the transcoded video, and thereby optimizing delivery of video to end-users while meeting their expectations.
The main contribution of this research is the development and substantiation of a general parametric model, called the Video Transcoding Objective-quality Model (VTOM), that provides an extensible video transcoding service selection mechanism, which takes into account both the format and characteristics of the original video and the desired output, i.e., viewing format with preferred quality of service. VTOM represents a mathematical function that uses a set of media-related parameters for the original video and desired output, including codec, bit rate, frame rate, and frame size to predict the quality of the transcoded video generated from a specific transcoding.
VTOM includes four quality sub-models, each describing the impact of each of these parameters on objective video quality, as well as a weighted-product aggregation function that combines these quality sub-models with four additional error sub-models in a single function for assessing the overall video quality.
I compared the predicted quality results generated from the VTOM with quality values generated from an existing objective-quality metric. These comparisons yielded results that showed good correlations, with low error values.
VTOM helps the researchers and developers of video delivery systems and applications to calculate the degradation that video transcoding can cause on the fly, rather than evaluate it statistically using statistical methods that only consider the desired output. Because VTOM takes into account the quality of the input video, i.e., video format and characteristics, and the desired quality of the output video, it can be used for dynamic video transcoding service selection and composition.
A number of quality metrics were examined and used in development of VTOM and its assessment. However, this research discovered that, to date, there are no suitable metrics in the literature for comparing two videos with different frame rates. Therefore, this dissertation defines a new metric, called Frame Rate Metric (FRM) as part of its contributions. FRM can use any frame-based quality metric for comparing frames from both videos.
Finally, this research presents and adapts four Quality of Service (QoS)-aware video transcoding service selection algorithms. The experimental results showed that these four algorithms achieved good results in terms of time complexity, success ratio, and user satisfaction rate.
title: Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics in Flow Measurement and Meter Design
Creators: name: Sharp, Zachary B.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: Computational Fluid Dynamics is a very effective tool for understanding fluid flow and predicting how flow will respond to different boundary conditions. With this knowledge, the focus of this research is applying computational fluid dynamics to problems dealing with flow measurement in closed conduits using differential producing flow meters like Venturis. After discussion with many meter manufactures and a thorough literature review, specific areas of research were determined which will contribute to better understanding of differential producers and will add to the limited literature available on such meters. This research will present the findings of computational fluid dynamics coupled with laboratory data in the following areas:
1. Determine the effects of sudden pipe wall offsets on Venturi flow meters. This research includes both the effects of the pipe wall offset on the meter discharge coefficient as well as determining the minimum distance between the offset and the Venturi so that there is no longer any effect on meter performance. It also shows how well computational fluid dynamics can predict Venturi discharge coefficients via comparison to laboratory data.
2. Investigate the design of pressure recovery cones on different Venturi flow meter designs including determining the optimal angle of recover cone required to minimize permanent pressure loss.
3. Investigate truncated recovery cones such that a meter can be manufactured using a shorter length. This research also includes determining the best way to truncate the meter to minimize head loss while not changing the flow metering capability of the flow meter.
This research will be CFD based with laboratory data used to calibrate and validate the CFD results.
Barriers and facilitators for the implementation of interventions for the prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health in secondary schools in high-income countries: Protocol of a systematic review
Creators: name: Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb
name: Schäfer, Sarah
name: Michael, Tanja
name: Wessa, Michele
name: Lea Schaubruch (Formerly Thomas)
name: Streit, Sophie
name: Fuhr, Daniela
name: Equit, Monika
Publisher: name: OSF Registries
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Clinical Psychology
subject: School Psychology
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Health Psychology
subject: Psychiatric and Mental Health
subject: Clinical and Medical Social Work
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Life Sciences
subject: Child Psychology
subject: Mental and Social Health
subject: Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms
subject: Community Health
subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology
subject: adolescents
subject: children
subject: mental health
subject: prevention
subject: promotion
subject: resilience
subject: stress
subject: students
subject: systematic review
subject: wellbeing

description: Within the last years, many societies were exposed to major societal stressors (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, war and armed conflicts, climate crisis). Systematic reviews showed that many of those crises resulted in higher levels of mental distress in the general population and, even more pronounced, in children and adolescents. These findings resulted in calls for mental health promotion and the prevention of mental disorders in children and adolescents, with schools constituting a particularly relevant setting, which allows to address a large number of young people with low-intensity mental health interventions. Even though, many of those interventions have been examined in pilot or effectiveness studies, many programs were not sustained beyond research projects. The present systematic review aims at summarising available evidence on barriers and facilitators for the implementation of interventions for the prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health in secondary schools in high-income countries.
Convergence in BP & Kohonen neural networks
Creators: name: Mirkazemi, Aram
Publisher: name: University Of Tasmania
Year: 2023

description: This report presents an investigation on the convergence behaviour of Backpropagation and Kohonen neural networks. The causes of convergence problems have been identified and current techniques for overcoming them are reported. Two new techniques are also presented for improvement of the convergence rate of the Backpropagation neural network. The outcome of this investigation is encapsulated in a simulation software package which includes most of the current techniques and those proposed by the author.
Stellar and total baryon mass fractions in groups and clusters since redshift 1
Creators: name: Giodini, S.
name: Pierini, D.
name: Finoguenov, A.
name: Pratt, G. W.
name: Boehringer, H.
name: Leauthaud, A.
name: Guzzo, L.
name: Aussel, H.
name: Bolzonella, M.
name: Capak, P.
name: Elvis, M.
name: Hasinger, G.
name: Ilbert, O.
name: Kartaltepe, J. S.
name: Koekemoer, A. M.
name: Lilly, S. J.
name: Massey, R.
name: McCracken, H. J.
name: Rhodes, J.
name: Salvato, M.
name: Sanders, D. B.
name: Scoville, N. Z.
name: Sasaki, S.
name: Smolcic, V.
name: Taniguchi, Y.
name: Thompson, D.
name: collaboration, the COSMOS
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We investigate if the discrepancy between estimates of the total baryon mass fraction obtained from observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and of galaxy groups/clusters persists when a large sample of groups is considered. To this purpose, 91 candidate X-ray groups/poor clusters at redshift 0.1 < z < 1 are selected from the COSMOS 2 deg^2 survey, based only on their X-ray luminosity and extent. This sample is complemented by 27 nearby clusters with a robust, analogous determination of the total and stellar mass inside R_500. The total sample of 118 groups and clusters with z < 1 spans a range in M_500 of ~10^13--10^15 M_sun. We find that the stellar mass fraction associated with galaxies at R_500 decreases with increasing total mass as (M_500)^-0.37 \pm 0.04, independent of redshift. Estimating the total gas mass fraction from a recently derived, high quality scaling relation, the total baryon mass fraction (f_500^stars+gas=f_500^stars+f_500^gas) is found to increase by ~ 25% when M_500 increases from =5 X 10^13 M_sun to = 7 X 10^14 M_sun. After consideration of a plausible contribution due to intra--cluster light (11--22% of the total stellar mass), and gas depletion through the hierarchical assembly process (10% of the gas mass), the estimated values of the total baryon mass fraction are still lower than the latest CMB measure of the same quantity (WMAP5), at a significance level of 3.3σfor groups of =5 X 10^13~M_sun. The discrepancy decreases towards higher total masses, such that it is 1σat = 7 X 10^14~M_sun. We discuss this result in terms of non--gravitational processes such as feedback and filamentary heating.
description: 14 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ. Revised discussion, added section on systematics
title: The Influence of Small Displacement Faults on Seal Integrity and Lateral Movement of Fluids
Creators: name: Rasmusson, Eric A.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: In the subsurface, faults can act as conduits for seal bypass or as lateral barriers to subsurface fluid flow. Recent reservoir modeling shows that the area where a reservoir-seal interface is in contact with a fault—the fault-interface corner—can be a site of high pore-fluid pressure that may cause seal failure. This can have negative implications for industries dependent on the quality of that seal, for example, petroleum, CO2 sequestration, waste fluid injection, and nuclear waste storage industries.
In order to better understand the fault-interface corner and improve models, we examined five mesoscale (cm- to m- scale) normal-slip faults that juxtapose medium cross-bedded sandstone (1-2 m thick beds) against red or green siltstone or mudstone (~1 m thick beds) in the San Rafael Swell, Utah. Outcrop observations, X-ray diffraction mineralogy, whole-rock geochemistry, petrography, fractured grain density, and porosity data were used to gain insight into past fluid compositions, cross-cutting relationships, and fault seal qualities in order to better define the fault-interface corner models and identify new fault elements previously not considered in the models.
Fault elements documented here include shale injection into faults, fault-bounded shale blocks, entrained sand blocks, and reactivated joints. Faults with shale injection have almost double the seal thickness and mineralization along the bottom slip surface of the injected shale bed. Step-over faults on either side of fault-bounded shale blocks replace overly simplified single plane faults in previous models. Geochemical alteration and mineralization includes calcite precipitation and clay development in several faults. These faults have varying spatial relationships with the zone of deformation bands. A fault with reactivated joints represents an endmember example of the fault-interface corner models with a large opening mode fracture allowing seal bypass.
Eptesicus anatolicus Felten 1971
Creators: name: Aidek, Ahmad E.
name: Ibrahim, Amir
name: Amr, Zuhair
name: Hutterer, Rainer
name: Kryštufek, Boris
name: Serra, Gianluca
name: Benda, Petr
name: Shkaky, Yesra
name: Barbanera, Filippo
name: Al-Sheikhly, Omar F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Vespertilionidae
Eptesicus
Eptesicus anatolicus

description: 66. Anatolian Serotine, Eptesicus anatolicus Felten, 1971
(IUCN Red List: LC)
Subspecies: Monotypic species.
Distribution: Rare; confined to the wooded mountains in the coastal region (Fig. 73).
Previous records: Qal’at Salah ad-Din, Qal’at Sheizar, Qal’at Al-Marqab, and Banias (Benda et al. 2006).
description: Published as part of Aidek, Ahmad E., Ibrahim, Amir, Amr, Zuhair, Hutterer, Rainer, Kryštufek, Boris, Serra, Gianluca, Benda, Petr, Shkaky, Yesra, Barbanera, Filippo & Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., 2025, Checklist of Mammals of Syria, pp. 1-130 in Zootaxa 5580 (1) on page 72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5580.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14797597
title: Fear-based Policymaking: How Government Agencies Exploit Mortality Risk Perceptions
Creators: name: Hunter, Alecia M.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: The Value of a Statistical Life represents how much a population values reducing the probability of death. American citizens and government agencies use the Value of a Statistical Life estimates in benefit-cost analysis to pass life-saving policies. The public uses this measurement as a scientific and objective tool to identify potentially favorable policy from ineffective and inefficient policy. Institutional incentives, however, are aligned for agencies to exaggerate Value of a Statistical Life calculations and overregulate markets. This thesis summarizes how the Value of a Statistical Life data sources, methods of estimation, and inconsistent behavioral reference points distort the statistical calculations. Despite the distorted estimation, agencies still rely heavily on the Value of a Statistical Life as a tool to pass policy. Public choice theory explains that agencies employ distorted information as a tactic to pass regulation. The theory demonstrates that regulators are self-interested not unlike the general public. This thesis provides a public choice analysis and concludes that agencies are incentivized to employ distorted data sources, methods of calculation, and public risk perceptions to inflate the Value of a Statistical Life and overregulate. As such, the Value of a Statistical Life will continue to be biased and inaccurate with the current methods of calculation and addressing political incentives.
The age of blue LSB galaxies
Creators: name: Vorobyov, E. I.
name: Shchekinov, Yu.
name: Bizyaev, D.
name: Bomans, D.
name: Dettmar, R. -J.
name: ;
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: (Abridged). Low metallicities, large gas-to-star mass ratios, and blue colors of most low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies imply that these systems may be younger than their high surface brightness counterparts. We seek to find observational signatures that can help to constrain the age of blue LSB galaxies. We use numerical hydrodynamic modelling to study the long-term (~13 Gyr) dynamical and chemical evolution of blue LSB galaxies adopting a sporadic scenario for star formation. Our models utilize various rates of star formation and different shapes of the initial mass function (IMF). We complement hydrodynamic modelling with population synthesis modelling to produce the integrated B-V colors and Halpha equivalent widths (EW(Ha)). We find that the mean oxygen abundances, B-V colors, EW(Ha), and the radial fluctuations in the oxygen abundance, when considered altogether, can be used to constrain the age of blue LSB galaxies if some independent knowledge of the IMF is available. Our modelling strongly suggests the existence of a minimum age for blue LSB galaxies. Model B-V colors and mean oxygen abundances set a tentative minimum age at 1.5-3.0 Gyr, whereas model EW(Ha) suggest a larger value of order 5-6 Gyr. The latter value may decrease somewhat, if blue LSB galaxies host IMFs with a truncated upper mass limit. We found no firm evidence that the age of blue LSB galaxies is significantly smaller than 13 Gyr.
description: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics
reality therapy
Creators: name: Amiri, Maryam
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: reality therapy, gelaser

description: واقعیت درمانی، نوعی روان درمانی است که در آن سعی می شود، با توجه به مفاهیم واقعیت، مسئولیت و امور درست و نادرست در زندگی فرد به رفع مشکلات او کمک شود.  واقعیت درمانی، یکی از جدیدترین تلاش های درمانگران در راه توصیف انسان، تعیین قوانین رفتاری و چگونگی نیل به رضایت، خوشبختی و موفقیت محسوب میشود. اساس واقعیت درمانی:”ما در قبال کاری که تصمیم می گیریم انجام دهیم، مسئولیم. ما به صورت درونی با نیاز ها و خواسته ها برانگیخته می شویم و انتخاب های رفتاری خود را کنترل می کنیم (شفیع آبادی و ناصری، 1388).
The role of Jan Sedivka in the development of Australian contemporary string music
Creators: name: Morrisby, EF
Publisher: name: University Of Tasmania
Year: 2023

description: Since the settlement of Australia, the creation, publishing and performance of its string music has faced the vicissitudes of an emerging society geographically removed from mainstream musical history and influences. This thesis aims to establish the significance of Jan Sedivka on contemporary Australian string music. From his exposure to contemporary music in France, Sedivka performed and conducted twentieth century music in England for twenty-one years. Subsequently, he accepted a position at the Queensland Conservatorium, and from 1966, he taught and performed in Tasmania. There he established a Piano Trio that introduced contemporary music to the public, and was director of the String Summer Schools from 1971 to 1988 where students were exposed to contemporary European and Australian music. Sedivka was director of the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music from 1972 to 1982, and created two string quartets - Rialannah and Petra. The latter Quartet's significance rests with the focus placed on contemporary Australian chamber music. Sedivka worked tirelessly for the commissioning of a large number of Australian string compositions for both solo violin and string quartet, a momentous achievement for a single musician. A brief history of string music in Australia is documented to enable comparison of before and after Sedivka's arrival. He commissioned a number of string works, or facilitated the funding of commissions through official organizations. Sedivka's most significant contributions to Australian contemporary string music embrace his unrivalled skill as a teacher, and his willingness to be involved, and involve his students, in the performance of contemporary music. His role as a performer and conductor of the contemporary string repertoire was prominent, and his association with a considerable number of Australian composers inspired the creation of commissioned works for violin and string quartet.
Numerical Algebraic Geometry for Macaulay2
Creators: name: Leykin, Anton
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Algebraic Geometry (math.AG)
subject: Mathematical Software (cs.MS)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: 14Q99, 68N01

description: Numerical Algebraic Geometry uses numerical data to describe algebraic varieties. It is based on the methods of numerical polynomial homotopy continuation, an alternative to the classical symbolic approaches of computational algebraic geometry. We present a package, the driving idea behind which is to interlink the existing symbolic methods of Macaulay2 and the powerful engine of numerical approximate computations. The core procedures of the package exhibit performance competitive with the other homotopy continuation software.
description: 7 pages
Towards a monolithic optical cavity for atom detection and manipulation
Creators: name: Gleyzes, Sébastien
name: Amili, Abdelkrim El
name: Cornelussen, Ronald
name: Lalanne, Philippe
name: Westbrook, Christoph I
name: Aspect, Alain
name: Estève, Jérôme
name: Moreau, Gauthier
name: Martinez, Antony
name: Lafosse, Xavier
name: Ferlazzo, Laurence
name: Harmand, Jean-Christophe
name: Mailly, Dominique
name: Ramdane, Abderrahim
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We study a Fabry-Perot cavity formed from a ridge waveguide on a AlGaAs substrate. We experimentally determined the propagation losses in the waveguide at 780 nm, the wavelength of Rb atoms. We have also made a numerical and analytical estimate of the losses induced by the presence of the gap which would allow the interaction of cold atoms with the cavity field. We found that the intrinsic finesse of the gapped cavity can be on the order of F ~ 30, which, when one takes into account the losses due to mirror transmission, corresponds to a cooperativity parameter for our system C ~ 1.
Prior Emission Model for X-ray Plateau Phase of Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows
Creators: name: Yamazaki, Ryo
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2008
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The two-component emission model to explain the plateau phase of the X-ray afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is proposed. One component, which is responsible for the plateau and subsequent normal decay phase of the X-ray afterglow, is the prior emission via outflow ejected from the central engine before the main burst. The other is the main outflow, which causes the prompt GRB emission and the initial steep decay phase of the X-ray afterglow. In this model, the transition from the plateau to the subsequent normal decay phase is an artifact of the choice of the zero of time. For events with distinct plateau phase, the central engine is active 10^3-10^4 sec before the launch of the main outflow. According to this model, a prior emission in the X-ray and/or optical bands 10^3-10^4 sec before the prompt GRB emission is possibly seen, which will be tested by near-future instruments such as Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI), WIDe-field telescope for GRB Early Timing (WIDGET), and so on.
description: 12 pages, 2 figures, ApJL in press
Microstructure-dependent local strain behavior in polycrystals through in situ scanning electron microscope tensile experiments
Creators: name: Tschopp, M. A.
name: Bartha, B. B.
name: Porter, W. J.
name: Murray, P. T.
name: Fairchild, S. B.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Digital image correlation of laser-ablated platinum nanoparticles on the surface of a polycrystalline metal (nickel-based superalloy Rene 88DT) was used to obtain the local strain behavior from an in situ scanning electron microscope tensile experiment at room temperature. By fusing this information with crystallographic orientations from EBSD, a subsequent analysis shows that the average maximum shear strain tends to increase with increasing Schmid factor. Additionally, the range of the extreme values for the maximum shear strain also increases closer to the grain boundary, signifying that grain boundaries and triple junctions accumulate plasticity at strains just beyond yield in polycrystalline Rene 88DT. In situ experiments illuminating microstructure-property relationships of this ilk may be important for understanding damage nucleation in polycrystalline metals at high temperatures.
description: 16 pages, 5 figures
On the unimodality of power transformations of positive stable densities
Creators: name: Simon, Thomas
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2010
Subjects: subject: Probability (math.PR)
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: Let $Z_α$ be a positive $α-$stable random variable and $r\in{\bf R}.$ We show the existence of an unbounded open domain $D$ in $[1/2,1]\times{\bf R}$ with a cusp at $(1/2,-1/2)$, characterized by the complete monotonicity of the function $F_{α, r} (λ) = (αλ^α-r)e^{-λ^α}/!/! ,$ such that $Z_α^r$ is unimodal if and only if $(α, r)\notin D.$
Effect of synthesis parameters of cold-setting melamine-urea-formaldehyde resins on the adhesion in wood bonding
Creators: name: Kim, Minseok
name: Park, Byung-Dae
name: Hong, Soon-Il
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Physiology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: 39999 Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Science Policy
subject: 110309 Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: This work studied the effect of the synthesis parameters (i.e. synthesis method and melamine content) on the adhesion of cold-setting melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resins in wood bonding. Two types of cold-setting MUF resins were synthesized: MUF-A resins with three melamine contents (30, 40, and 50 wt%) prepared by the simultaneous reaction of urea, formaldehyde, and melamine, and MUF-B resins with the same melamine levels but synthesized by a sequential reaction process of melamine with formaldehyde and urea. The curing behaviors of both resins were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and their adhesion performance in the dry and wet states were compared in block-shear strength (BSS) and wood failure (WF) tests. As the melamine content increased, the viscosity and peak temperature (Tp) of the resins increased. However, MUF-B resins showed lower activation energy (Ea) than those of MUF-A resins. Dynamic and isothermal DMA scans also showed that MUF-B resins also had greater maximum storage modulus (E′max) than those of MUF-A resins in their neat resins and resins/wood composites, indicating stronger interphase adhesion and cohesion. Lower Tp, lower Ea, and higher E′max, of MUF-B resins than those of MUF-A resins resulted in higher BSS and WF of MUF-B resins in wood bonding. In particular, MUF-B resins with 40% melamine showed the highest BSS and WF. These results indicate that the MUF resin synthesis method is closely related to the adhesion performance in wood bonding.
A microlensing study of the accretion disc in the quasar MG 0414+0534
Creators: name: Bate, N. F.
name: Floyd, D. J. E.
name: Webster, R. L.
name: Wyithe, J. S. B.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2008
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Observations of gravitational microlensing in multiply imaged quasars currently provide the only direct probe of quasar emission region structure on sub-microarcsecond scales. Analyses of microlensing variability are observationally expensive, requiring long-term monitoring of lensed systems. Here we demonstrate a technique for constraining the size of the quasar continuum emission region as a function of wavelength using single-epoch multi-band imaging. We have obtained images of the lensed quasar MG 0414+0534 in five wavelength bands using the Magellan 6.5-metre Baade telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. These data, in combination with two existing epochs of Hubble Space Telescope data, are used to model the size of the continuum emission region $σ$ as a power-law in wavelength, $σ\proptoλ^ν$. We place an upper limit on the Gaussian width of the $r^\prime$-band emission region of $1.80 \times 10^{16} h_{70}^{-1/2} (/\rmn{M}_{\odot})^{1/2}$cm, and constrain the power-law index to $0.77\leqν\leq2.67$ (95 per cent confidence range). These results can be used to constrain models of quasar accretion discs. As a example, we find that the accretion disc in MG 0414+0534 is statistically consistent with a Shakura-Sunyaev thin disc model.
description: 7 pages, 4 figures, MNRAS accepted
Eptesicus bottae
Creators: name: Aidek, Ahmad E.
name: Ibrahim, Amir
name: Amr, Zuhair
name: Hutterer, Rainer
name: Kryštufek, Boris
name: Serra, Gianluca
name: Benda, Petr
name: Shkaky, Yesra
name: Barbanera, Filippo
name: Al-Sheikhly, Omar F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Vespertilionidae
Eptesicus
Eptesicus bottae

description: 67. Botta’s Serotine, Eptesicus bottae (Peters, 1869)
(IUCN Red List: LC)
Subspecies: E. b. hingstoni Thomas, 1919.
Distribution: Common in arid areas; confined to the rocky terrain and crevices along the Euphrates Valley, at Palmyra, and in the hills of Mesopotamia (Fig. 74).
Previous records: Qater Maghara (Ebenau 1996, Shehab et al. 2004), es-Salihiyyeh, Halabiyyeh, Sbeikhan, Zalabiyyeh, Balis, Khazneh and er-Rasafah (Benda et al. 2006), Qal’at er-Rahba, Halabiyyeh, er- Rasafah, Palmyra, and Qal’at Fakhr ad-Din Al-Maani (Shehab et al. 2007).
Recent record: ar-Raqqa (2021).
description: Published as part of Aidek, Ahmad E., Ibrahim, Amir, Amr, Zuhair, Hutterer, Rainer, Kryštufek, Boris, Serra, Gianluca, Benda, Petr, Shkaky, Yesra, Barbanera, Filippo & Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., 2025, Checklist of Mammals of Syria, pp. 1-130 in Zootaxa 5580 (1) on pages 72-76, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5580.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14797597
title: Anthropogenic and Natural Stressors and Their Effect on Immunity, Reproduction, and the Stress Response
Creators: name: Neuman-Lee, Lorin A.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: Organisms must be able to cope with many natural and anthropogenic stressors in order to successfully survive and reproduce. These stressors can come in many forms and are increasing as anthropogenic activities become more and more prevalent across the globe. In order to cope with these stressors, organisms must allocate limited energy away from processes such as reproduction to mount a stress response. This stress response involves the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and results in a cascade of hormones and down-stream effects, such as changes in reproduction and immune function. In order to understand how reptiles and amphibians cope with a variety of stressors, I conducted seven experiments. I first validated an immune assay which can be employed across vertebrate taxa and can measure functional immune responses. I then analyzed effects of natural stressors (wounding, predator attacks, natural toxins, and food restriction) and/or anthropogenic stressors (restraint and the anthropogenic toxins polybrominated diphenyl ether and indoxacarb) on reptiles and/or amphibians. In measuring many different stressors and several different taxa (the side blotched-lizard, Uta stansburiana, the rough-skinned newt, Taricha granulosa, the wandering gartersnake, Thamnophis elegans, and the common gartersnake, T. sirtalis), I hoped to determine if patterns in energy allocation and trade-offs existed on a broad scale. I found that while there are some similarities among the responses, each organism exposed to different stressors had to be examined separately. This supports the emerging consensus that the stress response is extremely context-dependent and responses seen in one context cannot be inferred to other organisms with disparate life-histories, sexes, geographic range, or previous experience. Because of this, researchers must focus on the population in question to assess physiological questions before making management decisions.
title: Developing a Method for Quantifying Nitrogen Transformation Rates Using In Situ Benthic Chambers Dosed with Isotopically Labeled Nitrate
Creators: name: Stewardson, Chelsea A.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: The transport and transformation of nitrogen within streams receiving high nitrate loads has become increasingly important as restrictions on water quality continue to tighten due to an increased awareness that pollutant loading impacts the environment at concentrations lower than previously recognized. Silver Creek in Park City, Utah, is one of many streams in the state of Utah being evaluated for its ability to process high nitrate loads coming from a water reclamation facility. Previous modelling techniques at Silver Creek revealed that the lack of information on site-specific nitrogen transformation rates left modelers unable to represent the true processes occurring within the system. To address these concerns, six in situ benthic chambers were installed in Silver Creek downstream of the confluence with the Silver Creek Water Reclamation Facility discharge. Isotope dilution and pairing techniques using labeled nitrate (N 15O3−) were used to track the transport and transformation of nitrogen within the chambers. Samples were collected from the sediment, water, and plant material within the chambers over 21 hours. A suite of laboratory methods was compiled and modified as needed to quantify the mass of labelled nitrogen incorporated as nitrate, ammonium, organic nitrogen, and dissolved nitrogen gas from the collected samples. The rate of denitrification was only able to be determined from one chamber. A complete data set was unable to be obtained from the other chambers due to: 1) leaking chambers, 2) procedural error within the laboratory and 3) error in data reported from samples sent to external laboratories. The rate of assimilation was determined using data from three chambers containing macrophytes. The rate of denitrification and assimilation were 0.032 mg L-1 d-1 and 0.205 mg kg-1 d-1, respectively, and were comparable to those found in literature. Rates of nitrification, anaerobic oxidation of ammonium, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium were also considered, but were found to be non-detect. Overall, the study resulted in a proposed methodology for collecting and processing data to determine site-specific nitrogen transformation rates required for improving water quality modeling techniques.
title: Production of Synthetic Spider Silk Fibers
Creators: name: Copeland, Cameron G.
Publisher: name: Utah State University
Year: 2016

description: Orb-weaving spiders produce six different types of silks, each with unique mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of many of these silks, in particular the dragline silk, are of interest for various biomedical applications. Spider silk does not elicit an immune response, making it an ideal material for several applications in the medical field. However, spiders cannot be farmed for their silk as they are cannibalistic and territorial. The most reasonable alternative for producing spider silk fibers is to utilize genetic engineering to produce the proteins in a foreign host and then spin fibers from the synthetic protein. Spider silk-like proteins have been expressed in transgenic goats on a scale sufficient to spin synthetic fibers. To spin it, the protein is dissolved in a solvent to create a viscous spin dope. This spin dope is extruded into a coagulation bath where it forms a fiber. Fibers spun in this manner have poor mechanical properties and are water soluble, unlike natural spider silk. By applying a post-spin draw, the mechanical properties of the fibers improve and they are no longer water soluble. This increase occurs because β-sheets, important secondary structures, form and begin to align parallel to the fiber axis. In previous work, post-spin draw has been applied by hand to the fibers after initial spinning. This is not a viable method for the commercial production of synthetic spider silk. The first aim of this research was to design, test, and optimize a mechanical system that can create consistent, synthetic spider silk fibers. The second aim of this research was to discover how parameters such as solvents, temperature, spinning speed, additives, and post-spin draw, among other variables, affect the properties of synthetic spider-silk proteins purified from goat milk. As part of this research, a mechanical system that can perform these treatments while the fiber is being made was designed, built and tested. This system was built with the intent to inform the creation of a process for the creation of a synthetic on an industrial level.
Eptesicus serotinus
Creators: name: Aidek, Ahmad E.
name: Ibrahim, Amir
name: Amr, Zuhair
name: Hutterer, Rainer
name: Kryštufek, Boris
name: Serra, Gianluca
name: Benda, Petr
name: Shkaky, Yesra
name: Barbanera, Filippo
name: Al-Sheikhly, Omar F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Vespertilionidae
Eptesicus
Eptesicus serotinus

description: 68. Eurasian Serotine, Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber, 1774)
(IUCN Red List: LC)
Subspecies: E. s. mirza de-Filippi, 1863.
Distribution: Rather uncommon in the arid areas around the Euphrates Valley, in mountainous habitats near the coast, and in the southwestern regions (Fig. 75).
Previous records: Qater Maghara (Ebenau 1996), Hayalien, Slenfeh, es-Salihiyyeh, Halabiyyeh, Maalula, Safita, Mount Hermon, and Oden Forest (Benda et al. 2006), Qal’at Najim, Qal’at er-Rahba, and Qal’at Al-Hosson (Shehab et al. 2007).
Recent records: Maqlass, Jurd Hurayra (2021).
Remarks: Formerly, the Levantine E. serotinus populations were considered as part of the nominotypical form that occurs in Europe and in the Caucasus (see Harrison & Bates 1991). However, a detailed morphological comparison and molecular genetic analysis indicated that these populations—along with the Iranian population—represent a separate subspecies, E. s. mirza de-Filippi, 1863, described from northern Iran (Spitzenberger 1994; Benda et al. 2006, 2012; Juste et al. 2013).
description: Published as part of Aidek, Ahmad E., Ibrahim, Amir, Amr, Zuhair, Hutterer, Rainer, Kryštufek, Boris, Serra, Gianluca, Benda, Petr, Shkaky, Yesra, Barbanera, Filippo & Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., 2025, Checklist of Mammals of Syria, pp. 1-130 in Zootaxa 5580 (1) on page 76, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5580.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14797597
Vibrational spectra of the ammonium halides and the alkali-metal borohydrides
Creators: name: McQuaker, Neil Robert
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2011

description: Using both infrared and Raman techniques the vibrational spectra of selected polymorphs of the ammonium halides; NH₄C1, ND₄C1, NH₄Br, ND₄Br, NH₄I and ND₄I, have been recorded in the spectral region 4000 - 50 cm⁻¹. The Raman spectra of NH₄F and ND₄F were also recorded. Although all the foregoing crystals have been the subject of previous spectroscopic investigations some important new features are observed. These include (i) Raman active longitudinal modes and (ii) previously unreported internal and external modes. In addition more meaningful assignments are made for some previously reported spectral lines. Included are assignments involving (i) the non-degenerate NH₄⁺ stretching mode in combination with acoustical modes and (ii) the transverse and longitudinal components of the triply degenerate NH₄⁺ bending mode in combination with the librational mode. A study analagous to that involving the ammonium halides was made of the following alkali-metal borohydrides: LiBH₄, LiBD₄, NaBH₄> NaBD₄, KBH₄, KBD₄, RbBH₄ and CsBH₄. From the vibrational spectrum of potassium borohydride recorded at 10°K it is possible to infer that the ordered phase associated with this salt has a cubic structure compatible with the 2 space group Td² . The vibrational spectrum of the ordered tetragonal phase of sodium borohydride allows the placing of the seven BH₄⁻ (D₂d) internal vibrational modes. In addition a mode of translatory origin is observed and a mode of rotatory origin is inferred from a line assigned as the second overtone of a librational mode. In the case of lithium borohydride seven of the nine BH₄⁻ (C₅) modes are observed. Six modes of translatory origin appear in the infrared and a mode of rotatory origin is inferred from a line assigned as the second overtone of a librational mode. The structure of potassium borohydride at room temperature is discussed and evidence in support of a structure intermediate between the ordered cubic Td² phase and the disordered cubic 0h⁵ phase of sodium borohydride is given. Finally, the F matrix associated with an undistorted XY₄ (Td) (XY₄ = NH₄⁺, BH₄⁻) ion and the G matrix associated with the same ion which has undergone a slight angular distortion to give an XY₄(D₂d) ion is used to calculate the contribution of the kinetic energy to the spectrum of the XY₄ ( D₂d) ion. It is found that the order of appearance in the spectrum of the B₂ and E components associated with the two F₂ vibrations is correctly predicted.
HD and H2 formation in low-metallicity dusty gas clouds at high redshift
Creators: name: Cazaux, S.
name: Spaans, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Context: The HD and H2 molecules play important roles in the cooling of primordial and very metal-poor gas at high redshift. Aims: Grain surface and gas phase formation of HD and H2 is investigated to assess the importance of trace amounts of dust, 10^{-5}-10^{-3} Zo, in the production of HD and H2. Methods: We consider carbonaceous and silicate grains and include both physisorption and chemisorption, tunneling, and realistic grain surface barriers. We find, for a collapsing gas cloud environment with coupled chemical and thermal balance, that dust abundances as small as 10^{-5} solar lead to a strong boost in the H2 formation rate due to surface reactions. As a result of this enhancement in H2, HD is formed more efficiently in the gas phase through the D+ + H2 reaction. Direct formation of HD on dust grains cannot compete well with this gas phase process for dust temperatures below 150 K. We also derive up-to-date analytic fitting formulae for the grain surface formation of H2 and HD, including the different binding energies of H and D. Results: Grain surface reactions are crucial to the availability of H2 and HD in very metal-poor environments. Above metallicities of 10^{-5} solar, the grain surface route dominates the formation of H2, which in turn, drives the formation of HD in the gas phase. At dust temperatures above 150 K, laboratory experiments and theoretical modelling suggest that H2 formation on grains is suppressed while HD formation on grains is not.
description: typos corrected, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Bridging Intention-Action Gap for Healthcare Measures During the COVID-19 Emergency Period
Creators: name: Roșu, Maria-Magdalena
name: Bacanu, Razvan
Publisher: name: International Journal of Economic Behavior  (IJEB)
Year: 2021

description: The COVID-19 Pandemic has proven to be a challenge which forced everyone to rapidly adapt to a new way of distanced functioning and to adopt preventive measures. With a significant body of literature dealing with the general inconsistency between intention and action, also known as the intention-action gap, the present paper aimed better grasp the citizens' tendency to engage with general healthcare measures and the commitment to the COVID-19 safety measures recommended during the period of emergency. The preventive recommendations during the COVID-19 period of emergency revealed an increased degree of efficient adoption compared to typical healthcare measures. Moreover, results are indicative of an increase in implied impediments between the beginning and the ending of the COVID-19 emergency period, without a notable broadening in the corresponding intention-action gap. This result was attributed to the commonalities between the COVID-19 emergency period and the established behavioral management strategies to reduce the intention-action gap, namely the intention actualization, “cheap talk” approach, “corrective entreaty” method, as well as “intentions implementation” strategy. This period’s efficiency to avert the three types of mental processing barriers that hinder actions to match intentions (temporal barriers, awareness barriers, and information barriers) can be classified into three major elements: clarity, consistency, and authority.
description: International Journal of Economic Behavior (IJEB), V. 11 N. 1 (2021): International Journal of Economic Behavior