Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interspecific Resource Competition Effects on Fisheries Revenue

In many fisheries multiple species are simultaneously caught while stock assessments and fishing quota are defined at species level. Yet species caught together often share habitat and resources, resulting in interspecific resource competition. The consequences of resource competition on population dynamics and revenue of simultaneously harvested species has received little attention due to the historical single stock approach in fisheries management. Here we present the results of a modelling study on the interaction between resource competition of sole (Solea solea) and slaice (Pleuronectus platessa) and simultaneous harvesting of these species, using a stage-structured population model. Three resources were included of which one is shared with a varied competition intensity. We find that plaice is the better competitor of the two species and adult plaice are more abundant than adult sole. When competition is high sole population biomass increases with increasing fishing effort prior to plaice extinction. As a result of this increase in the sole population, the revenue of the stocks combined as function of effort becomes bimodal with increasing resource competition. When considering a single stock quota for sole, its recovery with increasing effort may result in even more fishing effort that would drive the plaice population to extinction. When sole and plaice compete for resources the highest revenue is obtained at effort levels at which plaice is extinct. Ignoring resource competition promotes overfishing due to increasing stock of one species prior to extinction of the other species. Consequently, efforts to mitigate the decline in one species will not be effective if increased stock in the other species leads to increased quota. If a species is to be protected against extinction, management should not only be directed at this one species, but all species that compete with it for resource as well.
Weather Index Insurance and Common Property Resources

With weather index insurance expanding and common property resources diminishing in low-income agricultural areas, it is essential to understand the potential effects of such insurance on resources that serve as vital input bases for low-income households. Using simple analytical constructs, we illustrate how index insurance may increase or decrease use of common property resources depending on common implementation characteristics such as binding constraints and multiple sources of income in a multi-temporal decision context. This analysis of how index insurance might assist low-income families without degrading the commons can be informative for insurance administrators and policymakers.
Access-Awareness-Agency (AAA) Model of Music-Based Social-Emotional Competence (MuSEC)

Social–emotional competence (SEC) is a set of psychological resources, highly relevant for adaptive growth and wellbeing. Music has been argued to support social–emotional skills, yet there is little theoretical consensus about the underlying impact mechanisms and the special nature of music as a medium for SEC. This article presents a theoretical model of music-based SEC that combines research from general SEC models with music-specific literature from music psychology, music education, music therapy, and music for health and wellbeing. The proposed access-awareness-agency (AAA) model defines music-based social–emotional competence (MuSEC) as interplay of embodied access, reflective awareness, and sense of agency. These three components are defined as the core competencies that music in particular facilitates; competencies that underlie and explain further competence in behaviors ranging from affective self-regulation to social interaction. The article elaborates these MuSEC components and their potential connections to particular equivalents in general SEC and proposes hypotheses for empirically testing the model. The model offers a novel, integrative SEC-based perspective for advancing theoretical coherence in the growing field of music as social–emotional wellbeing and growth.
Networks of Action: Sustainable Health Information Systems Across Developing Countries

Our paper is motivated by one simple question: Why do so many action research efforts fail to persist over time? We approach this question, the problem of sustainability, building on a perspective on action research identifying the pivotal importance of networks. More precisely, local action research interventions need to be conceptualized and approached as but one element in a larger network of action in order to ensure sustainability. A vital aspect of our perspective is that local interventions depend heavily on the support of similar action research efforts in other locations. This is essential for the necessary processes of learning and experience sharing. We suggest that the scaling (i.e., spreading) of intervention is a prerequisite, not a luxury, for sustainable action research. Empirically, we base our analysis on an ongoing, large-scale action research project within the health care sector (called HISP) in a number of developing countries. HISP provides a fruitful occasion to investigate key criteria for our approach to action research, namely sustainability, scalability, and capacity to be politically relevant to the participants. We contribute to three discourses: (1) models of action research, (2) lessons for health information systems in developing countries, and (3) more generally, IS implementations that are dispersed, large-scale, and have scarce resources.
Outcome analysis of intraventricular thrombolytic therapy for intraventricular haemorrhage.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the outcome of intraventricular thrombolytic therapy for intraventricular haemorrhage and to formulate a safe and effective regimen. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Regional neurosurgical centre, Hong Kong. PATIENTS Twenty-nine consecutive adult patients who presented from November 1995 to November 1998 with non-traumatic intraventricular haemorrhage (Graeb score, > or =7) with no active rebleeding risks from vascular abnormalities. INTERVENTIONS Fourteen consecutive patients received intraventricular streptokinase via the external ventricular drainage, and 15 consecutive patients received intraventricular urokinase treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patient demographics, Glasgow coma scale score, Graeb score, mortality rate, shunt rate, fever response, infection rate, catheter blockage rate, and local and systemic bleeding tendency. RESULT The mean age of the 16 men and 13 women was 59 years (range, 14-76 years). The median Graeb score for cases of intraventricular haemorrhage was 10 (range, 7-12). There was no significant difference in terms of the Graeb score distribution, total dosage, and duration of treatment between the streptokinase and urokinase groups. More cases of fever were observed in the streptokinase group, which could be due to its antigenicity. The infection rate of the central nervous system was 3%, and the shunt rate was 24%. The overall 1-month postoperative mortality was 10%, which was related to a low preoperative Glasgow coma scale score (< or =4). No local rebleeding, systemic coagulopathy, or catheter blockage occurred. CONCLUSIONS Intraventricular thrombolytic therapy is a safe and effective method of managing intraventricular haemorrhage. We suggest instilling 20 000 units urokinase intra-operatively, followed by 20 000 units daily for about 3 days, except in cases of vascular abnormality, bleeding tendency, and trauma.
Androgen Receptor Regulate the Tyrosine Phosphorylation and Function of the Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1 ( RACK 1 ) and Src

The androgen receptor (AR) remains functionally important in the development and progression of prostate cancer even when the disease seems androgen ‘‘independent. ’’ Because signal transduction by growth factor receptors increases in advanced prostate cancer and is capable of sensitizing the AR to androgen, there is considerable interest in determining the mechanisms by which signaling systems can modulate AR function. We show herein that the adaptor/scaffolding protein receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1), which was previously reported to interact with the AR, modulates the tyrosine phosphorylation of AR and its interaction with the Src tyrosine kinase. We also show that down-regulation of RACK1 by short interfering RNA inhibits growth and stimulates prostate-specific antigen transcription in androgentreated prostate cancer cells. Our results suggest that RACK1 mediates the cross-talk of AR with additional binding partners, such as Src, and facilitates the tyrosine phosphorylation and transcriptional activity of the AR. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(22): 11047-54)
On the transition of the adiabatic supernova remnant to the radiative stage in a nonuniform interstellar medium

Methods for estimation of different reference times which appear in the description of transition of a strong adiabatic shock into the radiative era are reviewed. The need for consideration of an additional transition subphase in between the end of the adiabatic era and the beginning of the radiative ''pressure-driven snowplow'' stage for a shock running in the uniform or nonuniform medium is emphasized. This could be of importance in particular for studying the interaction of supernova remnants (SNRs) with molecular clouds and therefore for understanding the processes of the cosmic ray production in such systems. The duration of this subphase - about 70% of SNR age at its beginning - is almost independent of the density gradient for media with increasing density and is longer for higher supernova explosion energy and for smaller density in the place of explosion. It is shown as well that if the density of the ambient medium decreases then the cooling processes could differ from the commonly accepted scenario of the ''thin dense radiative shell'' formation. This property should be studied in the future because it is important for models of nonspherical SNRs which could be only partially radiative.
On the achievable improvement by the linear minimum mean square error detector

Linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) detector has been shown to alleviate the noise amplification problem, resulting in the conventional zero-forcing (ZF) detector. In this paper, we analyze the performance improvement by the MMSE detector in terms of the condition number of its filtering matrix, and in terms of the post-precessing signal to noise ratio (SNR) improvement. To this end, we derive explicit formulas for the condition numbers of the filtering matrices and the post-processing SNRs. Analytical and simulation results demonstrate that the improvement achieved by the MMSE detector over the ZF detector is not only dependent on the noise variance and the condition number of the channel matrix, but also on how close the smallest singular values are to the noise variance.
Characterization of fluoroquinolone resistance and qnr diversity in Enterobacteriaceae from municipal biosolids

Municipal biosolids produced during activated sludge treatment applied in wastewater treatment plants, are significant reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, since they assemble both natural and fecal microbiota, as well as residual concentrations of antibiotic compounds. This raises major concerns regarding the environmental and epidemiological consequences of using them as fertilizers for crops. The second generation fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin is probably the most abundant antibiotic compound detected in municipal biosolids due to its widespread use and sorption properties. Although fluoroquinolone resistance was originally thought to result from mutations in bacterial gyrase and topoisomerase IV genes, it is becoming apparent that it is also attributed to plasmid-associated resistance factors, which may propagate environmental antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the activated sludge process on fluoroquinolone resistance. The scope of resistances and mobile genetic mechanisms associated with fluoroquinolone resistance were evaluated by screening large collections of ciprofloxacin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains from sludge (n = 112) and from raw sewage (n = 89). Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants (qnrA, B, and S) were readily detected in isolates from both environments, the most dominant being qnrS. Interestingly, all qnr variants were significantly more abundant in sludge isolates than in the isolates from raw sewage. Almost all ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates were resistant to multiple antibiotic compounds. The sludge isolates were on the whole resistant to a broader range of antibiotic compounds than the raw sewage isolates; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Collectively, this study indicates that the activated sludge harbors multi-resistant bacterial strains, and that mobile quinolone-resistance elements may have a selective advantage in the activated sludge.
Chromatin analysis of occluded genes

We recently described two opposing states of transcriptional competency. One is termed ‘competent’ whereby a gene is capable of responding to trans-acting transcription factors of the cell, such that it is active if appropriate transcriptional activators are present, though it can also be silent if activators are absent or repressors are present. The other is termed ‘occluded’ whereby a gene is silenced by cis-acting, chromatin-based mechanisms in a manner that blocks it from responding to trans-acting factors, such that it is silent even when activators are present in the cellular milieu. We proposed that gene occlusion is a mechanism by which differentiated cells stably maintain their phenotypic identities. Here, we describe chromatin analysis of occluded genes. We found that DNA methylation plays a causal role in maintaining occlusion for a subset of occluded genes. We further examined a variety of other chromatin marks typically associated with transcriptional silencing, including histone variants, covalent histone modifications and chromatin-associated proteins. Surprisingly, we found that although many of these marks are robustly linked to silent genes (which include both occluded genes and genes that are competent but silent), none is linked specifically to occluded genes. Although the observation does not rule out a possible causal role of these chromatin marks in occlusion, it does suggest that these marks might be secondary effect rather than primary cause of the silent state in many genes.
Analysis of the nutrient uptake by roots in fixed volume of soil as predicted by fixed boundary, moving boundary and architectural models

This work examines the relevance of the one-dimensional models used to study the influx and the cumulative uptake of nutrient by roots. The physical models studied are the fixed boundary model (Barber and Cushman 1981) and an improved version of our moving boundary model (Reginato et al. 2000). A weight averaged expression to compute influx on root surface and a generalized formula to estimate the cumulative nutrient uptake are used. The moving boundary model problem is solved by the adaptive finite element method. For comparison of simulations of influx and cumulative uptake versus observed results six set of data extracted from literature are used. For ions without limitations of availability fixed and moving boundary models produces similar results with small errors. Instead, to low concentrations, the fixed boundary model over predicts while the moving boundary model always produces better results mainly for K. For the P uptake the moving boundary model produces better results only when the concentrations are very low and their predictions are comparable to the obtained by a 3D-architectural model. The obtained improvements would explain any failures of previous models for ions of low availability. Therefore, our model could be a simpler alternative due to its low computational burden.
On the Validity of Evolutionary Models with Site-Specific Parameters

Evolutionary models that make use of site-specific parameters have recently been criticized on the grounds that parameter estimates obtained under such models can be unreliable and lack theoretical guarantees of convergence. We present a simulation study providing empirical evidence that a simple version of the models in question does exhibit sensible convergence behavior and that additional taxa, despite not being independent of each other, lead to improved parameter estimates. Although it would be desirable to have theoretical guarantees of this, we argue that such guarantees would not be sufficient to justify the use of these models in practice. Instead, we emphasize the importance of taking the variance of parameter estimates into account rather than blindly trusting point estimates – this is standardly done by using the models to construct statistical hypothesis tests, which are then validated empirically via simulation studies.
A New Logarithmic Normalization Method in Games Theory

Multi-criteria decision making is used in many areas of human activities. Each alternative in multi-criteria decision making problem can be described by a set of criteria. Criteria can be qualitative and quantitative. They usually have different units of measurement and different optimization direction. The normalization aims at obtaining comparable scales of criteria values. The normalization of criteria values is not always needed, but it may be essential. In the new program LEVI 3.1 the following normalization methods are possible: vector, linear scale, non-linear and new logarithmic techniques. Logarithmic normalization has never been used before. The present research is focused on introducing a new logarithmic method for decision making matrix normalization.
3 2.2 Speech Act Theory

The purpose of this paper is to outline an approach to communication and pragmatics which under the names of "Activity based Communication Analysis" or "Communicative Activity Analysis" has been under development since the mid 70 ́s (cf. Allwood, 1976). To do this I start by giving a critical review of some of the main theoretical contributions in relation to which the approach has been articulated as a response. I then go on to present some of the main ideas and concepts while giving references to papers in which a more detailed argumentation can be found.
INFORMATION IN VAGUE DATA SOURCES

This paper deals with the concept of the “size” or “extent” of the information in the sense of measuring the improvement of our knowledge after obtaining a message. Standard approaches are based on the probabilistic parameters of the considered information source. Here we deal with situations when the unknown probabilities are subjectively or vaguely estimated. For the considered fuzzy quantities valued probabilities we introduce and discuss information theoretical concepts. 1
Robust control for an uncertain chemostat model

In this paper we consider a control problem for an uncertain chemostat model with a general growth function and cell mortality. This uncertainty affects the model (growth function) as well as the outputs (measurements of substrate). Despite this lack of information, an upper bound and a lower bound for those uncertainties are assumed to be known a priori. We build a family of feedback control laws on the dilution rate, giving a guaranteed estimation on the unmeasured variable (biomass), and stabilizing the two variables in a rectangular set, around a reference value of the substrate. We give two realistic applications of this control law to a depollution process and to phytoplankton culture. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
India's Emerging Economy: Performance and Prospects in the 1990s and Beyond

India's economy over the last decade looks in many ways like a success story; after a major economic crisis in 1991, followed by bold reform measures, the economy has experienced a rapid economic growth rate, more foreign investment, and a boom in the information technology sector. Yet many in the country still suffer from crushing poverty, and social and political unrest remains a problem. These essays by leading academics, policymakers, and industrialists -- including one by Amartya Sen, the 1998 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics for his work on poverty and inequality -- examine the facts of India's recent economic successes and their social and cultural context. India's rate of economic growth after the 1991 reforms were instituted reached a remarkable 7 percent for three consecutive years, from 1994 to 1997. Several contributors to India's Emerging Economy ask what this means for the nation as a whole. In his essay "Democracy and Secularism in India," Amartya Sen argues that economic progress is not the only way to measure a nation's performance. Other essays examine the actual effect India's economic growth has had on reducing poverty and recommend policies to empower the poor. Essays also address such issues as globalization and the vulnerabilities and opportunities it creates, India's experience with monetary and fiscal reform, the rapid growth of the information technology sector (including a case study of India's software industry), and India's grassroots economy.
Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience Synaptic Neuroscience Evidence for a Fixed Number of Release-sites

more stringent than that on vesicle supply. Also, I will discuss some recent results, which invoke endocytic molecules in controlling a rapid step in the cycle, probably mediating clearance of release sites from vesicular components, with which they interacted before and during exocytosis. The statistics of quantal release have provided early evidence for a limited number of release sites (see Clements and Silver, 2000 for review). Basically, this notion results from the finding that fluctuations in the number of quanta released per pre-synaptic stimulus become very small at very high release probability (e.g. under high calcium concentration). This is exactly what one expects for a fixed number N of release-(or vesicle docking-sites) and a release probability p r near one. Most stimuli will then release nearly N vesicles with little trial to trial variability. Physiologists, therefore, have been quite confident, that a given synaptic connection is equipped with a well-defined number of release-sites, which are used repetitively upon stimulation. Quite a number of studies went even further demonstrating that the number N derived from release statistics agrees well with the morphologically determined number of active zones (AZ) at a given synaptic junction (Korn et al., 1981) or with the number of boutons (Silver et al., 2003). Since there can be several vesicles (≈3–6) morphologically docked at an AZ, it was postulated that there must be a so-called " single vesicle release constraint " in the sense that once one vesicle has been released at a given AZ, no further release events are possible at this AZ within some refractory period (Stevens and Wang, 1995). However, more recently several exceptions to that rule have been found (Wadiche and Jahr, 2001; Oertner et al., 2002). Also, it has been shown that postsynaptic receptor saturation may bias the statistical estimate of N, such that it artifactually seems to agree with the number of active zones (Meyer et al., 2001). At the calyx of Held nerve terminal (on which most of the quantitative arguments, to be Many synapses in the central nervous system transmit tonically at high rates, particularly those mediating signals from sensory inputs (Rancz et al. and some auditory synapses are capable of reliably transmitting at such high rates (Wu and Kelly, 1993; Taschenberger and von Gersdorff, 2000). A number of studies have addressed the question on how nerve terminals manage to maintain high release rates, given that there are a limited …