Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A conceptual model of community dynamics during the transport stage of the invasion process: a case study of ships’ ballast

After J. L. Lockwood, P. Cassey and T. Blackburn (2009, Diversity and Distributions, 15, 904–910) first described a theoretical relationship between propagule pressure and colonization pressure, two empirical studies demonstrated that the transport stage of the invasion process can profoundly influence the strength of the relationship among multiple events, as well as predictions of introduction risk. However, studies exploring dynamics of transported communities are rare, as repeated‐measures sampling during transportation by any vector is logistically difficult. We constructed a conceptual model of community dynamics during transportation and supported it by empirical data for propagule pressure and colonization pressure of plankton.
Estimation of time gaps between sexual partners and epidemic modeling of threshold effects

GOAL: The time gap between sexual partners is a risk factor in the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI). A gap that is shorter than the infectious period implies a risk of transmission. The aim of this study is both empirical, methodological and theoretical: (1) to determine covariates affecting gap lengths, (2) to evaluate gap measures, and (3) to calculate effects of different gap lengths on R0. METHODS: A Swedish sample of partnership data is used to calculate gaps from self-estimations of partnership timing, and to test for differences in age, sex, and self-reported unfaithfulness. A stochastic epidemic model with partnership dynamics for homogenous populations is used to define an alternative gap measure and to calculate R0 for different gap lengths and partnership durations. RESULTS: Self-reported unfaithfulness is the only significant determinant of gap length. The effect of gap lengths on R0 is marked for gaps less than six months, but the effect is attenuated for longer partnerships. CONCLUSIONS: Gap statistics based on self-reported estimations of partnership timing is biased. It presupposes at least two partnerships and favors higher rates of partnership change. More research is needed to generalize gap measures and results to heterogenous populations. ∗Postal address: Mathematical Statistics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: toma@fc.dsv. su.se. Supervisors: Tom Britton and Fredrik Liljeros.
THE WEAK RELATION BETWEEN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND CORRUPTION: A THEORETICAL AND ECONOMETRIC STUDY

Foreign direct investment has become an important factor of development of economies in the last decades. However, its economic nature as well as its relationship with corruption has not yet been clarified in economic literature. Following previous theoretical research, mainly Dunning's eclectic model, this paper evaluates the econometric relationship between corruption and foreign direct investment by testing three theoretically-based hypotheses: that corruption perception indicator is a stationary variable, that the relationship between corruption and foreign direct investment stock is statistically weak and that changes in foreign direct investment stock do not Granger cause changes in corruption. The verification is based on unit root tests, panel co-integration and Granger causality models performed on data from the Transparency International, the World Bank and the Heritage Foundation and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for 94 countries for the years 1998-2007. The results show that there is no significant relationship between the two variables.
Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) Emergence Model Performance Evaluated in Diverse Cropping Systems

Accurate weed emergence models are valuable tools for scheduling planting, cultivation, and herbicide applications. Multiple models predicting giant ragweed emergence have been developed, but none have been validated in diverse crop rotation and tillage systems, which have the potential to influence weed emergence patterns. This study evaluated the performance of published giant ragweed emergence models across various crop rotations and spring tillage dates in southern Minnesota. Across experiments, the most robust model was a mixed-effects Weibull (flexible sigmoidal function) model predicting emergence in relation to hydrothermal time accumulation with a base temperature of 4.4 C, a base soil matric potential of -2.5 MPa, and two random effects determined by overwinter growing degree days (GDD) (10 C) and precipitation accumulated during seedling recruitment. The deviations in emergence between individual plots and the fixed-effects model were distinguished by the positive association between the lower horizontal asymptote (Drop) and maximum daily soil temperature during seedling recruitment. This finding indicates that crops and management practices that increase soil temperature will have a shorter lag phase at the start of giant ragweed emergence compared with practices promoting cool soil temperatures. Thus, crops with earlyseason crop canopies such as perennial crops and crops planted in early spring and in narrow rows will likely have a slower progression of giant ragweed emergence. This research provides a valuable assessment of published giant ragweed emergence models and illustrates that accurate emergence models can be used to time field operations and improve giant ragweed control across diverse cropping systems. Nomenclature: Giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida L. AMBTR.
Global Corruption: An Untamed Hydra

change in the perception of corruption at both national and international levels, driven in large part by civil society organizations and watchdog groups. In the many countries where corruption is endemic, but where public discussion had been most limited, it has become the focal point of increasingly open campaigns by civil society and political parties. In the international arena, a series of conventions at both the global and regional levels have influenced corporate codes of conduct and the agendas of development finance agencies. This increased awareness has achieved a notable toughening of anti-corruption legislation in many countries and spurred changes in corporate behavior. But these achievements remain quite modest in relation to the overall scale of the problem. There remains woefully inadequate recognition of the ways corruption is intertwined with the larger necessities of eliminating poverty, halting climate change, and rebuilding failed states. What anti-corruption measures are now in place need to be vastly extended. Corruption manifests itself in many different ways—from the looting of major assets to small-scale bribery, to political and party finance, to corruption both by and within multinationals, and to the interface with organized crime. The tales of largescale looting by the elite of many nations are sadly numerous—an accumulation of huge fortunes by a rogues’ gallery of heads of state, including Abacha of Nigeria ($4 billion), Suharto of Indonesia ($15 billion channeled to his family over 30 years) to Mobutu of Zaire ($4 billion, made and probably lost) and Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan (up to $1 billion pilfered from national oil revenues for special accounts). But at the other end of the spectrum, even minor acts of corruption—like small personal bribes to police or bureaucrats— can eat away at the fabric of society. While the different forms of corruption may converge in a toxic stew at the national level in scores of countries, the goals of each form are distinct—and each needs to be approached with a different set of solutions. Corruption in political finance has only one objective: the retention of power. The arrival of multi-party states in the post–Cold War world has raised acute problems in political funding, since in only very few cases do such parties have extensive membership structures and, in even fewer cases, are these members able to contribute sufficient funding to finance electoral activities. But the cost of getting elected in a multi-party democracy is often quite high. In contempoLaurence Cockcroft was a founding board member of Transparency International (TI), serving for nine years. He was chairman of the British chapter of TI from 2000–08 and continues as a member of its board of directors. He is the author of Africa’s Way: A Journey from the Past, (I. B. Tauris, 1990).
Soil and plant pollution by potentially toxic elements in Slovakia

The Problem of soil and plant pollution by heavy metals in Slovakia is evaluated in this study. The measured data on the main risk elements have been obtained from a soil-monitoring grid in Slovakia, which consists of 318 agricultural sites. Analytical procedures of Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu (extracted by 2 mol/l HNO3 and by 0.05 mol/l EDTA) as well as the total content of the described elements including Hg have been used for soil samples. Also the plants collected at the same sampling sites were analysed for their Cd, Pb, Cr and Hg contents. On the basis of the obtained results it may be concluded that significant pollution was determined only on 0.4% of the total soil cover in Slovakia. The significant correlation was determined between the soil available heavy metal content (extracted by 0.05 mol/l EDTA) and plant content. Potentially toxic elements were accumulated in the plant biomass only on heavily polluted soils.
The Factors Influencing Churn Rates Among Season Ticket Holders: An Empirical Analysis

Season ticket holders (STHs) are vital to professional sport club revenue and are purported to be the most loyal and involved of fans. Nonrenewal (churn) rates among STHs, however, often exceed 20%. Low member satisfaction, poor on-field performance and low game attendance have all been posited as explanations of high churn rates, but rarely empirically examined. The research reported here employed a unique study of over 4,500 STHs, incorporating both survey research and measures of actual behavior, to determine which variables best explain and predict churn within two professional sport teams. A variety of analytical techniques all suggest that the key variables predicting churn are length of relationship and the number of games attended. New, low attending STHs are over five times more likely to churn than long-term, frequent attendees. Typical management practice is to run reward schemes designed to increase attendance and encourage renewal. The results of this study suggest that fundamental difference.
A combined finite volumes ‐ finite elements method for a low‐Mach model

In this paper, we develop a finite volumes ‐ finite elements method based on a time splitting to simulate some low‐Mach flows. The mass conservation equation is solved by a vertex‐based finite volume scheme using a τ‐limiter. The momentum equation associated with the compressibility constraint is solved by a finite element projection scheme. The originality of the approach is twofold. First, the state equation linking the temperature, the density, and the thermodynamic pressure is imposed implicitly. Second, the proposed combined scheme preserves the constant states, in the same way as a similar one previously developed for the variable density Navier‐Stokes system. Some numerical tests are performed to exhibit the efficiency of the scheme. On the one hand, academic tests illustrate the ability of the scheme in term of convergence rates in time and space. On the other hand, our results are compared to some of the literature by simulating a transient injection flow as well as a natural convection flow in a cavity.
Immunosuppressive principles from Achillea talagonica, an endemic species of Iran

Background and the purpose of study: Achillea talagonica Boiss. (Asteraceae) grows in the western and central parts of Iran. This plant has long been used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent for treatment of rheumatic pain. Previously, the immunosuppressive activity of the aqueous extract of this endemic plant in experimental animals was reported. In this research, isolation of the main immunologically active components of A. talagonica, which were effective on humoral immune responses in BALB/c mice is elucidated. Methods: In order to find the main immunosuppressive components of A. talagonica, methanol and methanol-water (80% and 50% v:v) extracts were injected to BALB/c mice and the hemagglutinating antibody titer was assayed after immunization with SRBC (sheep red blood cells). Guided by this assay, active principles were separated by chromatographic methods. Results: Isolated compounds were identified as caffeic acid 9-O-glucoside (1), quercetin (2), luteolin (3), 3'-methoxy luteolin (4), proline (5) and choline (6) by comparison of their spectral data with those of reported in literatures. Immunosuppressive property of choline (5 mgkg -1 ) was comparable to those of prednisolone (10 mgkg -1 ); although, quercetin (20 mgkg -1 ) and caffeoyl glucoside (20 mgkg -1 ) decreased anti-SRBC titer in comparison with control groups. Major conclusion: Immunosuppressive effects of A. talagonica are due to some components belonging to betaine, flavonol and phenoilc esters.
The galactic density wave, molecular clouds and star formation

A model has been devised for the orbits of molecular clouds in the Galaxy. The molecular clouds are assumed to be launched from the two-armed spiral-shock wave, to orbit in the Galaxy like ballistic particles with gravitational perturbations due to the density-wave spiral-potential and each cloud is assumed to produce an identical cluster of stars. A comparison of the model with observations suggests that each cloud radiates detectable 12C160 (J = 1 → 0) spectral line radiation from birth to an age of 30 million years and that stars are seen in the cloud 15 million years after its birth. The model has been tested by comparing its predicted velocity-longitude diagram for CO against the observed one for the Galaxy and by comparing the model's predicted surface brightness in the UBV photo metric bands against observed surface photometry for Sb and Sc galaxies.
Gender Gap under Pressure : Performance and Reaction to Shocks ⇤

This paper examines how female and male examination performance are di↵erentially a↵ected by the degree of competitive pressure faced. Our setting is China’s National College Entrance Exam (Gaokao) which is widely regarded as the world’s most competitive exam. We show that compared to male students, females underperform on the high-stakes Gaokao, relative to their performance on the low-stakes mock examination held two months earlier. The gender gap in exam scores is 0.15 standard deviations larger in the Gaokao relative to the mock exam. This translates to a 15% decline in the probability that females qualify for a Tier 1 university when moving from a low-stakes setting to a high-stakes setting. We also examine whether there are gender di↵erences in the responsiveness to performance shocks by examining how relative performance on the morning exam of the Gaokao a↵ects females’ and males’ performance on the afternoon exam. Consistent with the idea that females are more easily discouraged, we find that females are more responsive to a given change in relative performance on the morning exam as compared to males. This is particularly true for negative shocks. Notably, the gender di↵erence in performance and reaction to shocks are more pronounced for subgroups of students where the stakes matter more. ⇤We thank seminar participants at the National University of Singapore and the Trans-Pacific Labor Seminar for helpful comments. Corresponding author: jesspan@nus.edu. sg.
Corneal Subbasal Nerve Plexus Changes in Severe Diabetic Charcot Foot Deformity: A Pilot Study in Search for a DNOAP Biomarker

Introduction Diabetic neuroosteoarthropathy (DNOAP) early symptoms are unspecific, mimicking general infectious symptoms and rendering a diagnosis challenging. Consequently, unfavourable outcomes occur frequently, with recurrent foot ulceration, infectious complications, and eventually amputation. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) of the subbasal nerve plexus (SNP) is used to detect early peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy. This pilot study was designed to determine if specific SNP changes manifest in severe DNOAP in comparison to a healthy control group. Methods This pilot study utilized a matched-pair analysis to investigate SNP changes by in vivo CCM for 26 patients (mean patient age 63.7 years, range 27 to 78) with severe DNOAP defined by condition after the need for reconstructive foot surgery (n = 13) and a healthy control group (n = 13). Corneal nerve fibre length (CNFL), nerve fibre density (CNFD), nerve branch density (CNBD), average weighted corneal nerve fibre thickness (CNFTh), nerve connecting points (CNCP), and average weighted corneal nerve fibre tortuosity (CNFTo) were assessed as well as the general clinical status, diabetic status, and ophthalmologic basic criteria. Results In vivo CCM revealed significantly reduced SNP parameters in the DNOAP group for CNFL (p = 0.010), CNFD (p = 0.037), CNBD (p = 0.049), and CNCP (p = 0.012) when compared to the healthy control group. Six patients (46%) of the DNOAP group suffered from diabetic retinopathy and none of the control group. Conclusions This pilot study revealed a rarefication of SNP in all measured parameters in patients with severe DNOAP. We see a potential value of CCM providing a SNP-based biomarker for early stages of DNOAP prior to the development of any foot deformities that needs to be evaluated in further studies. This trial is registered with German Clinical Trials Register (DKRS) DRKS00007537.
Gr upSM Etiology of Peptic Ulcer Disease

Peptic ulcer (PU) is defect in the gastrointestinal mucosa usually located in the stomach and duodenum, but it can develop in any portion of the gastrointestinal tract that is exposed to acid and pepsin in sufficient concentration and duration. Histologically, ulcers are defined as necrotic mucosal defects that extend through the muscularis mucosa and into submucosa, whereas superficial necrotic defects are considered as erosions [1]. PU disease is one of the main prevalent and still unresolved medical problem that faces many patients of both sexes worldwide and is an important cause of morbidity and healthcare costs.
The Prevalence of Bovine Hydatidosis among Slaughtered Cattle at Debre Berhan Municipal Abattoir , North Shewa Zone , Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was conducted at Debre Berhan Municipal abattoir to determine the occurrence, cyst viability, organ distribution and prevalence of bovine hydatidosis. Routine pre-slaughter examinations and meat inspections were conducted in 384 animals. Visceral organs of 25 slaughtered cattle were detected positive for Hydatidosis with an overall prevalence of 6.51%. Significantly (x2=0.028, p<0.05) higher hydatid cysts prevalence was observed in local breed (9.27%) compared to cross breed cattle (3.35). A prevalence of 14.55% and 4.97% were recorded in female and male cattle, respectively with a significant association (x2=0.011, p<0.05). Regarding to age, significantly (x2=0.032, p<0.05) higher prevalence (8.71%) was observed in cattle ≥5 years compared to those < 5 years old (2.80%). Similarly, statistically significant difference (x2=0.013, p<0.05) was found between good (2.86%) and poor (9.57%) body condition score of cattle. The relative prevalence of hydatid cysts in lungs, liver, spleen, heart and kidneys was 4.17%, 1.82%, 0.52%, 0.0% and 0.0%, respectively. The difference was significant (x2=0.001, p<0.05) among organs. Hence, lungs and liver showed the highest rate of organ condemnation in the study area. The present study showed that bovine hydatidosis was prevalent in the study area. Due to its impact on animal production and its public health importance, emphasis should be given for the control and prevention of the disease in the study area. Dawit Akeberegn1,4, Tewodros Alemneh2,4* and Tefera Kassa3 1Debre Berhan Town Municipality Office, Meat Inspection and Hygiene, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia 2Woreta Town Office of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Woreta, Ethiopia 3Borena Woreda Livestock Association and Development Office, Borena, South Wollo, Ethiopia 4University of Gondar, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gondar, Ethiopia *Address for Correspondence Tewodros Alemneh, Woreta Town Office of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, University of Gondar, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Ethiopia, E-mail: tedyshow@gmail.com Submission: 31 March 2017 Accepted: 30 April 2017 Published: 05 May 2017 Copyright: © 2017 Akeberegn D, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Research Article Open Access
‘Strengths’ Assertive Outreach: A Review of Seven Practice Development Programmes

Assertive outreach is based on extensive international research and has been promoted in the UK in 1999 as a key area of the National Service Framework for Mental Health. Its primary aim is to provide a specialist service for people disengaged from traditional approaches of mental health services, but very little attention has been paid to how such services can be developed. Practice Based Evidence, a practice development consultancy, has engaged seven assertive outreach teams to focus on development first, and follow‐up evaluation of the impact of reflective practice on team functioning. This has prompted a number of strengths‐based recommendations for changing the way we think about developing services before we engage in research and evaluation.
Long-term use of Bifidobacterium longum alleviates colorectal colitis in rats by regulating inflammatory cytokines and Treg cells

The therapeutic effects of Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) in treating IBD patients still remain controversial, with the underlying mechanisms being unclear. B. longum was used to treat the rats in vivo, as well as rats’ splenocytes in vitro. Histological damage of the colons was evaluated with standard methods. Inflammatory cytokines were measured in serum and cell culture medium. We found that treatment of B. longum reduced inflammation in TNBS-induced colitis more profoundly than salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP). B. longum increased the systemic anti-inflammatory effects in rats due to the up-regulated levels of IL-10, and the ratio of IL-10/IL-12, as well as the down-regulated levels of IL-12, IL-17, and IL-23 in the serum, more effectively than SASP treatment. And it seemed that pre-treatment of B. longum before TNBS enema combined with 3 weeks’ treatment of B. longum afterwards exerted slightly stronger anti-inflammatory effects than 3 weeks’ treatment of B. longum alone. B. longum also enhanced the proportion of the Treg cells significantly in the spleens of the TNBS-treated rats. Consequently this study showed that long-term treatment of B. longum subsp. longum exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects on chemical colitis in rats by regulating the proportion of Treg cells, and the expression of circulating inflammatory cytokines.