Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Probabilistic model predicts dynamics of vegetation biomass in a desert ecosystem in NW China

Significance The temporal dynamics of vegetation biomass are of vital importance for evaluating the sustainability of arid and semiarid ecosystems. Field observations indicate that soil moisture and plant biomass fluctuate stochastically with the occurrence of rainfall events. Based on long-term field observations, we find that the dynamics of the vegetation biomass can be quantified by their analytically derived time-dependent probability distribution. This allows for the study of the impact of climate change scenarios on vegetation cover and plant water resource competition. It is found that in a restored desert ecosystem in northwest (NW) China, the growing season leaf biomass is expected to increase by nearly 25% compared to the present. The temporal dynamics of vegetation biomass are of key importance for evaluating the sustainability of arid and semiarid ecosystems. In these ecosystems, biomass and soil moisture are coupled stochastic variables externally driven, mainly, by the rainfall dynamics. Based on long-term field observations in northwestern (NW) China, we test a recently developed analytical scheme for the description of the leaf biomass dynamics undergoing seasonal cycles with different rainfall characteristics. The probabilistic characterization of such dynamics agrees remarkably well with the field measurements, providing a tool to forecast the changes to be expected in biomass for arid and semiarid ecosystems under climate change conditions. These changes will depend—for each season—on the forecasted rate of rainy days, mean depth of rain in a rainy day, and duration of the season. For the site in NW China, the current scenario of an increase of 10% in rate of rainy days, 10% in mean rain depth in a rainy day, and no change in the season duration leads to forecasted increases in mean leaf biomass near 25% in both seasons.
Familial Analysis of Epistatic and Sex-Dependent Association of Genes of the Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System and Blood Pressure

Background— Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system genes have been inconsistently associated with blood pressure, possibly because of unrecognized influences of sex-dependent genetic effects or gene–gene interactions (epistasis). Methods and Results— We tested association of systolic blood pressure with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at renin (REN), angiotensinogen (AGT), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1), and aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2), including sex–SNP or SNP–SNP interactions. Eighty-eight tagSNPs were tested in 2872 white individuals in 809 pedigrees from the Victorian Family Heart Study using variance components models. Three SNPs (rs8075924 and rs4277404 at ACE and rs12721297 at AGTR1) were individually associated with lower systolic blood pressure with significant (P<0.00076) effect sizes ≈1.7 to 2.5 mm Hg. Sex-specific associations were seen for 3 SNPs in men (rs2468523 and rs2478544 at AGT and rs11658531 at ACE) and 1 SNP in women (rs12451328 at ACE). SNP–SNP interaction was suggested (P<0.005) for 14 SNP pairs, none of which had shown individual association with systolic blood pressure. Four SNP pairs were at the same gene (2 for REN, 1 for AGT, and 1 for AGTR1). The SNP rs3097 at CYP11B2 was represented in 5 separate pairs. Conclusions— SNPs at key renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system genes associate with systolic blood pressure individually in both sexes, individually in one sex only and only when combined with another SNP. Analyses that incorporate sex-dependent and epistatic effects could reconcile past inconsistencies and account for some of the missing heritability of blood pressure and are generally relevant to SNP association studies for any phenotype.
Damage Caused by Wheeled Skidders on Cambisols of Central Europe

Machine traffic and timber skidding significantly affect the soil surface and soil properties. The effects are mostly negative and result in soil erosion, worsening of soil properties and inhibition of the growth of roots and soil organisms. In this study, we evaluated forest soil damage caused by the HSM 805 HD wheeled skidder during timber skidding in selected forest stands in the School Forest Enterprise in Zvolen. We estimated the limits for operation of forest machines in the stands and evaluated the moisture content and bulk density of the soil, CO2 concentration in the upper layer of the soil, determined the soil texture, Atterberg limits and critical moisture using the Proctor test, CBR test and examining the depth of ruts on skid trails. The measurements were taken from undisturbed forest soil unaffected by skidder traffic, the ruts and between the ruts. The results showed significant differences between the values of soil samples from undis - turbed soil and the soil affected by the skidder. The exceeding of CO 2 concentration limits and bulk density in the soil from the ruts were recorded in both stands. The methods used present the basic methodology for evaluating the effect of logging machinery on forest soil and for setting limits that will allow or prohibit the operation of logging machinery accord - ing to forest stand conditions. The moisture content of soil, when it changes from the solid to plastic phase, was chosen as the limit for machine operation. This value is also easy to measure.
The Role of Unused Loan Commitments and Transaction Deposits During the Recent Financial Crisis

Our study looks at the financial condition of banks during the recent financial crisis. We focus on the association between bank capital ratios and unused loan commitments and transaction deposits for depository institutions. We test empirically whether loan commitments had a different impact on the capital ratios of those banks that failed and did not fail during the recent financial crisis. We also analyze the role of transaction deposits, a liquidity measure, on the financial condition of depository institutions. We use a large data set for U.S. commercial banks between the first quarter of 2001 and the last quarter of 2010. Our results suggest that unused loan commitments and transaction deposits had a significant effect on the capital ratios of non-failed banks prior to the financial crisis, but only transaction deposits affected the bank capital ratios of non-failed banks during the crisis. For failed banks, large levels of unused loan commitments seem to be associated with capital ratios only during the financial crisis.
How do you choose and how well does it work?: the selection and effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies and their relationship with borderline personality disorder feature severity

ABSTRACT There is little research examining whether the selection of emotion regulation strategies is compromised among individuals characterised by emotion dysregulation. In a sample of 149 undergraduates, we examined the selection and effectiveness of 2 emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal or distraction) in response to emotionally evocative stimuli, and their relationship with emotion dysregulation, measured by borderline personality disorder (BPD) feature severity. Stimulus intensity and self-reported negative emotional intensity were also compared as predictors of strategy selection. Results indicated that self-reported negative emotional intensity was a stronger predictor of strategy selection than stimulus intensity, and participants generally selected reappraisal over distraction. However, increases in self-reported negative emotional intensity was associated with an increased likelihood of choosing distraction, particularly among individuals higher in BPD features. In general, distraction exhibited less effectiveness than reappraisal, and higher BPD features did not differentially impact such effectiveness. Our findings indicate that individuals higher in emotion dysregulation prefer to use distraction as self-reported negative emotional intensity increases, a strategy which, overall, may not be as effective as reappraisal. Selection, rather than effectiveness of emotion regulation strategy might be a key feature of individuals characterised by emotion dysregulation.
Effect of Brain-Dead Donor Resuscitation on Delayed Graft Function: Results of a Monocentric Analysis

Background. We have previously shown that a delayed graft function (DGF) longer than 6 days was a crucial threshold for long-term graft outcome. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation of DGF ≥6 days with brain-dead donor variables, including those related to resuscitation, in a population of 262 consecutive brain-dead donors from 1990 to 2003. Methods. We used a marginal logistic model in which DGF was considered as a binary variable with a cutoff of 6 days. Results. Monovariate analysis of donor parameters showed that male, age above 35 years, primary history of hypertension, hydroxyethyl starch (HES) fluid greater than 1500 mL or epinephrine infusion during resuscitation were risk factors for prolonged DGF. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that epinephrine use during donor resuscitation (P<0.001, odds ratio [OR]=4.35), cold ischemia time (CIT) ≥16 hr (P=0.01, OR=2.16), and recipient age >55 years (P=0.003, OR=2.75), were associated with a risk of prolonged DGF. A long stay (>40 hr) in intensive care and a large volume of colloids (>1250 mL, except HES) correlated with a lower risk of DGF. Conclusion. Our study shows an impact for only a limited number of brain dead donor resuscitation parameters on DGF duration. We also show that CIT has a much lower threshold (<16 hr) for DGF risk than previously described. Importantly, we show that recipient age is clearly a major independent risk factor for prolonged DGF, whereas donor age seems to act mostly as a dependent risk factor.
Frailty in self-neglecting older adults: A secondary analysis

ABSTRACT Self-neglect (SN) and frailty in older adults is associated with increased disability and mortality. Despite these commonalities, there have been no studies objectively assessing frailty in older adults who SN. This secondary analysis classified frailty in N = 37 older adults with Adult Protective Services validated SN using the Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP) of weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, activity level, and walking speed. Overall, 3% were classified as robust, 62% as prefrail, and 35% as frail. Most (72%) were overweight/obese, with clinically significant decreases in activity level (60%) and walking speed (97%). Compared to the original FFP population, older adults who SN exhibit important differences in frailty phenotypes, and finding that the largest percentage of older adults who SN were prefrail may indicate a critical opportunity for intervening in this population to reduce future functional decline and mortality.
The role of banks in transition economies: a case study of China with an emphasis on non-performing loans

This research evaluates the factors that caused unprecedented high levels of non-performing loans (NPLs) in Chinese banks and the measures that have been taken to deal with them. In examining the surrounding issues recommendations are made, which might resolve or at least ameliorate China's non-performing loans problem. An extensive literature is drawn upon and a systematic examination of the factors that were responsible for China's NPLs is presented. The research aims and objectives, and the subsequent research themes were identified after conducting field research in Chinese banks. Six managers in Chinese banks were interviewed and their views on non-performing loans in their respective banks were obtained. These banks included: the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the China Construction Bank, the Bank of China, the Agricultural Bank of China, the State and Development Bank and Citic Bank. The results of the interviews were used to design the questionnaire, which was distributed to 16 different banks. These banks are broadly representative of the main types of bank within China and include four state-owned commercial banks, seven joint-stock commercial banks, three foreign banks, one policy bank and one city commercial bank. Content analysis and descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyse the data and the findings revealed that lending managers generally lack adequate incentives to make efficient lending decisions. Moreover, although political interference in bank lending is quite widespread within China, it is not the only issue and certainly not the major issue in explaining why managers have a tendency to select inefficient projects. The measures taken to deal with NPLs in Chinese banking are also examined and the findings suggest that these have not been totally effective in resolving the problem.
Consequences of rapid ice sheet melting on the Sahelian population vulnerability

Significance A major uncertainty concerning the 21st century climate is the ice sheet response to global warming. Paleodata indicate rapid ice sheet destabilizations during the last deglaciation, which could lead to an underestimation of sea level rise, as suggested in recent publications. Therefore, we explore the impact of different scenarios of Greenland partial melting in the very sensitive Sahel region. We first demonstrate that such a melting induces a drastic decrease of West African monsoon precipitation. Moreover, we quantify the agricultural area losses due to monsoon changes. Consequently, we pinpoint a large potential for migration of millions of people in the coming decades. Thus, the ice sheet destabilization provokes not only coastal damages but also large population migration in monsoon area. The acceleration of ice sheet melting has been observed over the last few decades. Recent observations and modeling studies have suggested that the ice sheet contribution to future sea level rise could have been underestimated in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The ensuing freshwater discharge coming from ice sheets could have significant impacts on global climate, and especially on the vulnerable tropical areas. During the last glacial/deglacial period, megadrought episodes were observed in the Sahel region at the time of massive iceberg surges, leading to large freshwater discharges. In the future, such episodes have the potential to induce a drastic destabilization of the Sahelian agroecosystem. Using a climate modeling approach, we investigate this issue by superimposing on the Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 (RCP8.5) baseline experiment a Greenland flash melting scenario corresponding to an additional sea level rise ranging from 0.5 m to 3 m. Our model response to freshwater discharge coming from Greenland melting reveals a significant decrease of the West African monsoon rainfall, leading to changes in agricultural practices. Combined with a strong population increase, described by different demography projections, important human migration flows could be potentially induced. We estimate that, without any adaptation measures, tens to hundreds million people could be forced to leave the Sahel by the end of this century. On top of this quantification, the sea level rise impact over coastal areas has to be superimposed, implying that the Sahel population could be strongly at threat in case of rapid Greenland melting.
The Causality Between Financial Development and Economic Growth: The Case of Turkey

This study investigates the direction of the causal relationship between the financial development and economic growth in Turkey. The Granger non-causality tests are applied for two different conditions (non-stationary and non-cointegrated variables, and nonstationary and cointegrated variables) using five different proxies for financial development. For the series, which have a unit root and not lead to a cointegrating relationship, the traditional Granger non-causality test is applied in a vector auto regression (VAR) context, after making the non-stationary series stationary. When the variables are non-stationary, integrated of the same order and lead to a cointegrating relationship, Granger non-causality test is applied using the cointegration and the vector error correction methodology (VECM). The empirical findings in the paper suggest that, in the short-run, except for one of the proxies used, causality runs from financial development to economic growth. In the long-run, the test results in the context of VECM for the coefficients of all cointegrated series show a two way causality between financial deepening and economic growth. In the empirical analyses, time-series data was used for the period 1970-2001.
Essays in Household Finance and Corporate Finance

I examine the role of third-party debt collectors in consumer credit markets. Using law enforcement as an instrument for the number of debt collectors, I find that higher density of debt collectors increases the supply of unsecured credit. The estimated elasticity of the average credit card balance with respect to the number of debt collectors per capita is 0.49, the elasticity of the average balance on non-credit card unsecured loans with respect to the number of debt collectors per capita is 1.32. There is also some evidence that creditors substitute unsecured credit for secured credit when the number of debt collectors increases. Higher density of debt collectors improves recoveries, which enables lenders to extend more credit. Finally, creditors charge higher interest rates and lend to a larger pool of borrowers when the density of debt collectors increases, presumably because better collections enable them to extend credit to riskier applicants.
Antenna redundancy for increasing transmission reliability in wireless industrial LANs

In this paper we introduce the concept of antenna redundancy, which uses different transmitter antennas for performing retransmissions, however, without transmitting in parallel over multiple antennas and therefore without requiring complex space-time processing techniques in receivers. This allows to keep receivers of small wireless field devices cheap. We investigate for certain wireless channel error scenarios the potential of this approach to transmit data within a prescribed deadline. This question is of utmost importance for wireless industrial communication systems. The results show that antenna redundancy not only reduces the probability of deadline miss exponentially with increasing the number of antennas, furthermore it reduces the expected bandwidth needed to transmit data.
On the Italian ACE and its impact on enterprise performance: a PLS-path modeling analysis

In 1998 Italy introduced a restricted version of an Allowance for Corporate Equity, called Dual Income Tax. Using data integrating Italy's Institute for Statistics enterprise survey data and company accounts, we explore the effects of the Dual Income Tax on enterprise performance in 1998- 2001. Firms benefiting from this allowance are simulated through the DIECOFIS corporate tax microsimulation model. The method to estimate enterprise performance is based on a structural equation model which allows us to compute a composite indicator given specific factors observed from enterprise activity. We find a positive impact of the Dual Income Tax on enterprise performance in that companies benefiting from this allowance outperformed non-eligible ones.
Do Women Earn Less Even as Social Entrepreneurs?

Based upon unique survey data collected using respondent driven sampling methods, we investigate whether there is a gender pay gap among social entrepreneurs in the UK. We find that women as social entrepreneurs earn 29% less than their male colleagues, above the average UK gender pay gap of 19%. We estimate the adjusted pay gap to be about 23% after controlling for a range of demographic, human capital and job characteristics, as well as personal preferences and values. These differences are hard to explain by discrimination since these CEOs set their own pay. Income may not be the only aim in an entrepreneurial career, so we also look at job satisfaction to proxy for non-monetary returns. We find female social entrepreneurs to be more satisfied with their job as a CEO of a social enterprise than their male counterparts. This result holds even when we control for the salary generated through the social enterprise. Our results extend research in labour economics on the gender pay gap as well as entrepreneurship research on women's entrepreneurship to the novel context of social enterprise. It provides the first evidence for a "contented female social entrepreneur" paradox.
The Minimum Size of Saturated Hypergraphs

Let [Fscr ] be a family of forbidden k-hypergraphs (k-uniform set systems). An [Fscr ]-saturated hypergraph is a maximal k-uniform set system not containing any member of [Fscr ]. As the main result we prove that, for any finite family [Fscr ], the minimum number of edges of an [Fscr ]-saturated hypergraph is O(nk−1). In particular, this implies a conjecture of Tuza. Some other related results are presented.
Are there any prognostic prediction parameters (PPPs) in the treatment of the massive rotator cuff tear with latissimus dorsi transfer? Latissimus dorsi transfer in massive rotator cuff tears.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Especially in such complex salvage procedures as latissimus dorsi transfer for irreparable rotator cuff tears there is a need for valid prognostic prediction parameters. Parameters such as osteoarthritis, acromiohumeral distance, subscapularis, or teres minor insufficiency are controversial. The aim of this study is to present our data and to evaluate the literature regarding such parameters. METHODS Fifty-seven patients with a follow-up of 3 years (range, 18-72 months, n = 57) were selected for this study. Average age of patients at the time of surgery was 64.9 years. Patients were evaluated using the age and gender adjusted scoring system according to Constant and Murley score (CS). Standard radiography was attempted containing a true-ap, outlet, and axillary view. The acromio-humeral distance was measured in the true ap view. The grade of glenohumeral osteoarthritis and cuff tear arthropathy was detected using the classification of Hamada et al. Differences in CS were compared for each of the PPP. RESULTS Mean Constant score increased significantly (p < 0.0001) 3 years postoperatively from initially 22.7 points to 66.0 points (adjusted CS 80.3%). We found a major difference in the Constant score in patients with or without previous surgery (80.4% vs, 65.2%). CONCLUSION Latissimus dorsi transfer is an excellent option in the treatment of irreparable postero-superior tears of the rotator cuff in well-selected patients. The literature remains ambiguous with regard to valid prognostic predictive parameters for complex salvage procedures, owing to the consistent use of small study samples. Thus, there is an overwhelming need for a multicenter study.