Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early human impact (5000–3000 BC) affects mountain forest dynamics in the Alps

The resilience, diversity and stability of mountain ecosystems are threatened by climatic as well as land‐use changes, but the combined effects of these drivers are only poorly understood. We combine two high‐resolution sediment records from Iffigsee (2065 m a.s.l.) and Lauenensee (1382 m a.s.l.) at different elevations in the Northern Swiss Alps to provide a detailed history of vegetational changes during the period of first pastoralism (ca. 7000–5000 cal. BP, 5000–3000 BC) in order to understand ongoing and future changes in mountain ecosystems. We use palaeoecological methods (fossil pollen, spore, microscopic charcoal and macrofossil analysis) as well as ecological ordination techniques and time‐series analysis to quantify the impact of fire and grazing on natural mountain vegetation at Iffigsee. Fire was used by Neolithic people to create pastures at timberline and clear forests for arable farming in the valley. This had a significant, long‐term effect on the mountain vegetation and a negative impact on keystone forest species such as Abies alba, Larix decidua and Pinus cembra. The mass expansion of Picea abies at ca. 5500 cal. BP (ca. 3500 BC) was facilitated by anthropogenic disturbance (fire, grazing and logging) causing an irreversible decline in Abies alba. Temperate Abies alba forests, which existed under warmer‐than‐today conditions, might be better adapted to projected climate change than today's drought‐sensitive Picea abies forests, especially under low anthropogenic disturbance following land abandonment. Synthesis. Human impact for millennia has shaped mountain vegetation in the Alps and still continues to have a large effect on today's species composition and distribution. Fire and traditional pastoralism have the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change, maintain species‐rich high‐alpine meadows and prevent biodiversity losses.
Plankton community structure and variability in the Scotia Sea: austral summer 2003

Plankton community structure in the Scotia Sea was investigated during January/early February 2003 based on phytoplankton cell counts from 20 m depth and mesozooplankton counts from 0 to 400 m net hauls. Cluster analysis and multi-dimensional scaling revealed 4 major groups of stations within each ordination that broadly corresponded geographically. A grouping of stations to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula was characterised by low phytoplankton cell counts. The corresponding grouping of stations in the mesozooplankton data were characterised by low abundance, overwintered state of many species, low egg production rates, and low carbon mass of copepod instars. In contrast, groupings of stations in the northern part of the Scotia Sea were characterised as chlorophyll and mesozooplankton rich, and the summer generation was well advanced. Latitude was most strongly correlated with mesozooplankton community pattern (rank correlation ρ = 0.608), whereas surface chlorophyll a was a weaker correlate (ρ = 0.344) but along with measures of sizefractioned chlorophyll contributed towards explaining variation in species stages carbon mass and egg production rates. Additional hauls to 1000 m with an LHPR indicated copepod populations were broadly in an overwintered state in the south of the region, whereas to the north of South Georgia recruitment had been completed and some species were undergoing a seasonal descent. A comparison with January/February 2000 revealed higher abundances of krill larvae throughout the Scotia Sea in 2000 as well as a more advanced generation of the copepod Calanoides acutus. Ice cover during the 2 years differed considerably; in 2000 the position of the summer ice edge broadly accorded with the 25 yr average, whereas in 2003 the ice edge lay much further north than usual. We suggest that the timing of ice retreat influenced the timing of reproduction with the late retreat in 2003 causing delayed reproduction and reduced population sizes.
eview review of physical and cognitive interventions in aging

Maintaining a healthy brain is a critical factor for the quality of life of elderly individuals and the preservation of their independence. Challenging aging brains through cognitive training and physical exercises has shown to be effective against age-related cognitive decline and disease. But how effective are such training interventions? What is the optimal combination/strategy? Is there enough evidence from neuropsychological observations, animal studies, as well as, structural and functional neuroimaging investigations to interpret the underlying neurobiological mechanisms responsible for the observed neuroplasticity of the aging brain? This piece of work summarizes recent findings toward these questions, but also highlights the role of functional brain connectivity work, an emerging discipline for future research in healthy aging and the study of the underlying mechanisms across the life span. The ultimate aim is to conclude on recommended multimodal training, in light of contemporary trends in the design of exergaming inter-
The Effect of Pharmacies’ Right to Negotiate Discounts on the Market Share of Parallel Imported Pharmaceuticals

Abstract This paper analyzes how allowing pharmacies to negotiate discounts with parallel traders and producers affects the market share for parallel imports. Economic theory predicts that discount negotiations will promote products bought directly from the producers because producers have cost advantages, due to which they always underbid the marginal prices of parallel traders. A reform that allowed discount negotiations is found to reduce the market share for parallel imports by about 11 percentage points to reach 31%. The results clearly indicate that pharmacies have an important role in the choice between medically equivalent pharmaceuticals.
Boundedly Rational Patients? Health and Patient Mistakes in a Behavioral Framework

We present the results of a randomized-assignment experiment that shows that patients perform very poorly on the Cognitive Reflection Test and thus are overwhelmingly in a System 1 state prior to a physician visit. Assigning patients the task of completing patient-reported outcomes measures immediately prior to the visit had a small numerical, but not statistically significant, shift towards a reflective frame of mind. We describe hypotheses to explain poor performance by patients, which may be due to anxiety, a bandwidth tax, or a scarcity effect, and outline further direction for study. Understanding the behavioral sources of errors on the part of patients in their interactions with physicians and in their decision-making is necessary to implement measures improve shared decision-making, patient experience, and (perhaps above all) clinical outcomes.
Ad-Hoc Networks as an Enabler of Brain Spectroscopy

The purpose of this chapter is to show the feasibility of using ad-hoc networks as an enabler of brain spectroscopy. Ad-hoc networks have many applications. The application which this chapter explains provides full mobility in everyday environment using a near-infrared light sensor designed to monitor brain function in humans. Multiple wireless networks employing several different protocols are used for data carriage and provide new freedom to conduct tests in real environment outside a lab. An Ad-hoc network (Bluetooth) is one of the wireless networks used to support the application. The value of this application is to measure the changes in the concentration of oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (Hb) in tissues in the real-life environment. This might lead to better understanding of tissue pathologies. This type of application was not available before. A fully mobile functional brain spectroscopy system has been developed to allow the possibility of testing subjects to be monitored in their real environment. To test this hypothesis, communication software was developed to allow for the collection of physiological data from a mobile near-infrared sensor via a mobile telephone that has a Bluetooth support. The developed application is used to track the changes in the concentrations of HbO2 and Hb during various activities and send the data to a computer at a remote monitoring site. The specific aims of this application have been to build a fully mobile system to monitor the concentrations of HbO2 and Hb in near real time, to monitor the concentrations of HbO2 and Hb during smoking, as well as to analyze the gathered data, and to try to understand the correlation between HbO2 and Hb during smoking. Performance and data accuracy were the key for this application to provide the sought value. Java portability allows the developed application to run on a wide range of operating systems and devices. Java Standard Edition (J2SE) was used for server code; Java Micro Edition (J2ME) was used to run code in the phone; C language was used to build the Bluetooth code and the protocol in the sensor; and Eclipse was used as the integrated development environments (IDE) to build and debug the application. Java has native network support. It is possible to create applications to support different kinds of networks and protocols. Java has native libraries that support wired and wireless communications. It supports Bluetooth, WiFi, and more. Several popular network protocols and standards are also supported. By default, Java libraries support Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and binary stream communications.
A New Look at the Binary Interaction: Potential Vorticity Diagnosis of the Unusual Southward Movement of Tropical Storm Bopha (2000) and Its Interaction with Supertyphoon Saomai (2000)

Tropical Storm Bopha (2000) showed a very unusual southward course parallel to the east coast of Taiwan, mainly steered by the circulation associated with Supertyphoon Saomai (2000) to Bopha’s east. The binary interaction between the two typhoons is well demonstrated by the potential vorticity (PV) diagnosis. With the use of the piecewise PV inversion, this paper quantitatively evaluates how Bopha moved southward due to the binary interaction with Saomai. A newly proposed centroid-relative track, with the position weighting based on the steering flow induced by the PV anomaly associated with the other storm, is plotted to highlight such binary interaction processes. Note that the above analysis can be well used to understand the more complicated vortex merging and interacting processes between tropical cyclones either from observational data or numerical experiments. The results also shed some light on the prediction of nearby tropical cyclones.
Optothermal stability of large ULE and Zerodur mirrors

Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) X-ray and Cryogenic Test Facility (XRCF) has tested the optothermal stability of two low-CTE, large-aperture mirrors in a thermal vacuum chamber. The mirrors deformed from several causes such as: thermal gradients, thermal soaks, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) gradients, CTE mismatch, and stiction. This paper focuses on how the aforementioned conditions affected the surface figure of the large optics while in vacuum at temperatures ranging from 230 to 310 K (-43 to 37 ˚C). The presented data, conclusions, and taxonomy are useful for designing mirrors and support structures for telescopes. The data is particularly useful for telescopes that require extreme dimensional stability or telescopes that operate at a temperature far from ambient.
Smart Home Anti-Theft System: A Novel Approach for Near Real-Time Monitoring and Smart Home Security for Wellness Protocol

The proposed research methodology aims to design a generally implementable framework for providing a house owner/member with the immediate notification of an ongoing theft (unauthorized access to their premises). For this purpose, a rigorous analysis of existing systems was undertaken to identify research gaps. The problems found with existing systems were that they can only identify the intruder after the theft, or cannot distinguish between human and non-human objects. Wireless Sensors Networks (WSNs) combined with the use of Internet of Things (IoT) and Cognitive Internet of Things are expanding smart home concepts and solutions, and their applications. The present research proposes a novel smart home anti-theft system that can detect an intruder, even if they have partially/fully hidden their face using clothing, leather, fiber, or plastic materials. The proposed system can also detect an intruder in the dark using a CCTV camera without night vision capability. The fundamental idea was to design a cost-effective and efficient system for an individual to be able to detect any kind of theft in real-time and provide instant notification of the theft to the house owner. The system also promises to implement home security with large video data handling in real-time. The investigation results validate the success of the proposed system. The system accuracy has been enhanced to 97.01%, 84.13, 78.19%, and 66.5%, in scenarios where a detected intruder had not hidden his/her face, hidden his/her face partially, fully, and was detected in the dark from 85%, 64.13%, 56.70%, and 44.01%.
Recycling Behavior

This work centers on the study of consumer recycling roles to examine the sociodemographic and psychographic profile of the distribution of recycling tasks and roles within the household. With this aim in mind, an empirical work was carried out, the results of which suggest that recycling behavior is multidimensional and comprises the undertaking of different roles with different sociodemographic and psychographic causal characteristics. The practical implications of these results can be applied in the implementation of segmentation policies that consider recycling behavior as the product on offer in a discriminate fashion depending on the role to be promoted among the population.
Change in Institutional Support for the US Supreme Court Is the Court’s Legitimacy Imperiled by the Decisions it Makes?

Political pundits and scholars alike have recently noticed that public judgments of how well the U.S. Supreme Court is doing its job have plummeted. Yet, the meaning of this drop for the larger legitimacy of the Court is not as clear as the poll data themselves. Some believe that dissatisfaction with the Court’s rulings threatens the institution’s legitimacy. Conventional Legitimacy Theory, on the other hand, posits a "reservoir of goodwill" through which the translation of dissatisfaction into lowered legitimacy is blocked. Positivity Theory, with its focus on the legitimizing role of the symbols of judicial authority, provides at least a partial explanation of how legitimacy is maintained in the face of rising disappointment in the Court’s rulings. Here, we focus specifically on the relationship between specific and diffuse support and the role judicial symbols play in undermining that connection, concluding that the Court’s legitimacy is more secure than many imagine.
Assessing the extinction risk of the great bustard Otis tarda in Africa

We studied the dynamics and trend of the last extant population of great bustards Otis tarda in Africa. Moroccan great bustards are the southernmost population of this species, and thus show the characteristics of a peripheral population: small size, isolation and low gene flow. Available counts indicate a severe population decline (62% in the last 15 yr), as well as a contrac- tion of the species' distribution. We used a population viability analysis (PVA) to evaluate the quasi-extinction risk and to identify the most important threats. The estimated geometric growth rate of the more realistic of a set of possible scenarios was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.85, 0.89). This implies a 13% annual decline over 50 yr. However, projections derived from these results should be inter- preted with caution, because models have a great deal of uncertainty and vital rates from Iberian populations may be different from those of the Moroccan population. PVA showed the negative consequence of human-induced mortality. According to the model that best fits our census data and if present threats remain in the coming years, this peripheral population could go extinct in ca. 20 yr. Agricultural intensification, infrastructure developments and new power lines in rural areas where the species occurs are causing habitat destruction and fragmentation and increasing artifi- cial mortality. Urgent conservation measures, especially to reduce human-induced mortality, are needed to save African great bustards from extinction. We suggest that these findings can be gen- eralized to other peripheral great bustard populations living in highly humanized landscapes.
An Improved Limited Tolerance Rough Set Model

 Abstract — Some extended rough set models in incomplete information system cannot distinguish the two objects that have few known attributes and more unknown attributes; some cannot make a flexible and accurate discrimination. In order to solve this problem, this paper suggests an improved limited tolerance rough set model using two thresholds to control what two objects have a relationship between them in limited tolerance relation and to classify objects. Our practical study case shows the model can get fine and reasonable decision results.
Title Entrepreneurship and Asymmetric Information in Input Markets

Entrepreneurs starting new firms face two sorts of asymmetric information problems. Information about the quality of new investments may be private, leading to adverse selection in credit markets. And, entrepreneurs may not observe the quality of workers applying for jobs, resulting in adverse selection in labor markets. We construct a simple model to illustrate some consequences of new firms facing both sorts of asymmetric information. Multiple equilibria can occur. Stable equilibria can be in the interior, or at a corner in which no entrepreneurs enter. Stable interior equilibria can involve involuntary unemployment, as well as credit rationing. Equilibrium outcomes mismatch workers to firms, and will generally result in an inefficient number of new firms. With involuntary unemployment, there will be too few new firms, but with full employment, there may be too many or too few. Taxes or subsidies on new firms and employment can be used to achieve a second-best optimum. Alternative information assumptions are explored.
Evaluation of the performance of native chicken and estimation of heritability for body weight

The study was conducted to compare the performance of chickens of non-descript desi (ND), hilly (H) and naked neck (NN) genotypes. Data were analyzed by GLM procedure of SPSS in a CRD. The highest hatchability was found in third hatch of ND (86.38%). The chick weight was influenced (p < 0.05) by the egg weight. The average initial body weight of day-old chicks differed significantly (p < 0.001) by genotypes. The lowest and highest mean body weight gain per bird were recorded for ND (329.38 ± 3.32 g) and NN (351.56 ± 5.08 g) genotypes, which indicated that there were an average daily growth rate of 5.88 ± 0.05 and 6.27 ± 0.09 g per bird per day at their 8th weeks growth phases, respectively. Calculated heritability for 12th week body weight of ND, H and NN were 0.16±0.39, 0.50±0.05 and 0.73±0.25, respectively and for 16th week body weight of H and ND were 0.72±0.15 and 0.35±0.15, respectively. Naked neck is genetically superior to non-descript Desi and Hilly in terms of productive and reproductive parameters. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/jbas.v37i1. 15685 Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 37, No. 1, 93-101, 2013
Similar life history traits in bull (Carcharhinus leucas) and pig-eye (C. amboinensis) sharks

Appropriate management strategies for coastal regions require an understanding of how ecological similari- ties and differences among species shape ecosystem processes. Here, we tested whether morphological similarity equated to similar age and growth patterns in two common coastal sharks in northern Australia. Vertebrae of 199 pig-eye (Carcharhinus amboinensis) and 94 bull (C. leucas) sharks were sourced principally from commercial fisheries operating along the Northern Territory coastline during 2007-2009. We sectioned vertebrae to provide estimates of age of these animals. Model averaging results indicated female pig-eye sharks matured at 13 years and lived . 30 years. Theoretical asymptoticlength(LN)(� s.e.)wasestimatedtobe2672(� 11.94)mmwithagrowthcoefficient(k)of0.145year � 1 . Male pig-eye sharks matured slightly earlier than females (12 years) and survived.26 years. Theoretical asymptotic length for males (LN )( � s.e.) was also smaller (2540 � 13.056)mm and they grew faster (k ¼0.161year � 1 ) than females. Bull sharks matured at 9.5 years and reached a maximum theoretical size (LN )( � s.e.) of 3119mm (� 9.803) with a similar growth coefficient (k ¼0.158 year � 1 ) to pig-eye sharks. Longevity of bull sharks was estimated to be more than 27 years. Our results indicate that these patterns of high longevity and slow growth are indicative of low resilience and high susceptibility to over-exploitation of these coastal sharks.
Yeast and Macroinvertebrate Communities Associated with Leaf Litter Decomposition in a Second Order Stream

The composition of yeast and macroinvertebrate communities was studied on black alder, blue gum eucalyptus and English oak leaves decaying in a stream during a six-month period. ANOVA analysis showed significantly different values (p < 0.0001) of yeast and macroinvertebrate densities among the three leaf litters. Some yeast species such as Cryptococcus albidus (SAITO), C. laurentii (KUFFERATH), Rhodothorula glutinis (FRESENIUS), R. colostri (CASTELLI), and Debaryomyces hansenii (LODDER and KREGER-VAN RIJ) were present in all litter types. Other yeasts were restricted to a specific type of litter. Macroinvertebrates were dominated by collectors-gatherers on oak and eucalyptus leaves. Shredders reached highest densities in alder leaves.
Effect of Too-Big-to-Fail Subsidies on Bank Borrowing Costs: Australian Evidence

This paper examines the extent to which implicit subsidies are embedded in the bond spreads for large Australian banks and whether early implementation of the Basel III capital framework reduces the ability of banks to capture these subsidies. Using primary market data from 2004 to 2015, We find evidence that: (i) large banks benefit from substantial subsidies, (ii) bond investors are less sensitive to the risks of large banks and (iii) implicit subsidies captured by large banks are reduced since the implementation of the Basel III capital reforms.
Fur-rubbing with Piper leaves in the San Martín titi monkey, Callicebus oenanthe

Abstract We report observations on fur-rubbing with leaves from Piper aduncum by a San Martín titi monkey, Callicebus oenanthe. Fur-rubbing occurred during the transition from the dry to the rainy season in a titi monkey group living in a forest fragment in the Moyobamba region of Peru. Since Piper leaves include very potent compounds that may affect ectoparasites, we tentatively interpret the observed fur-rubbing as self-medication.