Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermal Environment of Overwintering Ornate Box Turtles, Terrapene ornata ornata, in Iowa

Abstract The carapace temperatures of ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata) were monitored by affixing temperature dataloggers during two winters, 2001–2002 and 2003–2004. The dataloggers recorded temperature every 3 h to the nearest 0.5 C. Date of burrowing in the fall, emergence time in the spring and temperatures 48 h prior to emergence were analyzed along with the entire temperature profile of the turtles during the winter. In 2003–2004 soil temperatures from the surface to 0.75 m depth were also monitored. Most turtles did not experience freezing temperatures during either winter, but two turtles were below freezing for up to 54 consecutive days during winter 2001–2002. During 2001–2002, eight of nine turtles began burrowing within 7 d of each other in the fall, and all nine emerged within 7 d of each other in the spring. During 2003–2004, fall burrowing for 16 turtles occurred within 14–21 d, and emergence happened within 15 d. Overwintering periods varied between 172–201 d, which was intermediate between dates noted in studies to the north, south and west for this species. During 2003–2004, it was inferred that turtles burrowed to a minimum of 0.5–0.75 m by comparing turtle temperatures to those recorded at different depths in the soil, although we recorded a previous depth of up to 1.67 m. Emergence onto the surface in the spring did not relate to soil temperature, and there was no support for emergence triggered by 48 h of soil temperatures above 7 C (Grobman, 1990). It is suggested that spring emergence may be correlated with a more complex set of factors and that Terrapene ornata ornata can withstand prolonged freezing temperatures.
Size dependency of sexual reproduction and of clonal growth in two perennial plants

We compared the size dependency of sexual reproduction and clonal growth in two clonal perennials that inhabit old fields, Aster lanceolatus and Solidago canadensis. In both species there was a threshold size required for sexual reproduction to occur, and above that threshold reproductive output increased linearly with vegetative mass. Biomass allocated to clonal growth was also highly correlated with vegetative mass in both species, but there was no evidence of a threshold size for clonal growth. The absence of a clear size threshold for clonal growth emphasizes the similarity between clonal growth (vegetative reproduction) by rhizomes and growth of other vegetative parts, as opposed to sexual reproductive allocation. In both species there were differences in the allocation patterns of plants derived from seeds and those derived from rhizomes. Although seed- and rhizome-derived plants did not differ in phenology and size, the latter allocated more biomass to sexual reproduction and clonal growth in both species.
Urban Crime and Labor Mobility

We present a model of crime where two municipalities exist within a metro area (MSA). Consistent with the literature, local law enforcement has a crime reduction effect and a crime diversion effect. The former confers a spillover benefit to the other municipality, while the latter a spillover cost. If the net spillovers are positive (negative), then the respective Nash enforcement levels are too low (high) from the perspective of the MSA. When we allow for Tiebout type mobility, labor will move to the location offering lower disutility crime (including the tax burden). To attract labor both jurisdictions would like to raise the relative crime that exists in the competing region. Interestingly, this could raise or reduce enforcement compared to the immobility case. If it was too high (low) under immobility, it will be raised (reduced) further under mobility. In the symmetric case, neither can gain any labor, but the competition for it pushes the jurisdictions further away from the efficient (cooperative) outcome. Thus, mobility must be welfare reducing. We also consider asymmetry in the context of differences in efficiency of enforcement. The low cost municipality has the lower crime damage (inclusive of the tax burden) and attracts labor. Mobility is necessarily welfare reducing for the high cost municipality and for the MSA, but it has an ambiguous effect on the low cost municipality.
Destabilization of the Thermohaline Circulation by Atmospheric Transports: An Analytic Solution

Abstract The four-box coupled atmosphere–ocean model of Marotzke is solved analytically, by introducing the approximation that the effect of oceanic heat advection on ocean temperatures is small (but not negligible) compared to the effect of surface heat fluxes. The solutions are written in a form that displays how the stability of the thermohaline circulation depends on the relationship between atmospheric meridional transports of heat and moisture and the meridional temperature gradient. In the model, these relationships are assumed to be power laws with different exponents allowed for the dependence of the transports of heat and moisture on the gradient. The approximate analytic solutions are in good agreement with Marotzke’s exact numerical solutions, but show more generally how the destabilization of the thermohaline circulation depends on the sensitivity of the atmospheric transports to the meridional temperature gradient. The solutions are also used to calculate how the stability of the thermohalin.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VERBAL INSTRUCTION ON TEACHING BEHAVIOR‐MODIFICATION SKILLS TO NONPROFESSIONALS1

The effectiveness of a mastery criterion, lecture-based training program for teaching behavior modification to sheltered workshop personnel was evaluated. Staff performance was assessed in terms of: (1) verbal proficiency, as determined from a pre- and posttraining written exam, and (2) application proficiency, as measured by the frequency and appropriateness of staff responses to client behaviors. A direct count was made of the number of positive, negative, and neutral statements following client appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, and the number and type of client behaviors ignored. Thus, it was possible to determine the extent of generalization from classroom to applied settings, as well as the appropriateness of lectures for training specific performance skills. Lecture units introduced stimulus control procedures, shaping-chaining, and contingency management. Characteristic features of the training program were frequent testing, study objectives, immediate remediation, and contingent reinforcement. Verbal instruction was shown to be effective in improving subjects' verbal skills concerning behavior-modification principles, while only partially effective in improving application skills. There was an increase in the total number of staff-client interactions observed for all subjects, but only two of the response classes emphasized in the training program (reinforcing desirable client behavior and ignoring undesirable behavior) showed considerable improvement over pretraining levels. Despite this partial improvement, verbal instruction alone was shown to be insufficient for teaching the full range of behavior-modification skills required to function effectively in applied settings.
FORECASTING MODEL OF GHG EMISSION IN MANUFACTURING SECTORS OF THAILAND

The aim of this study is to analyze the modeling and forecasting the GHG emission of energy consumption in manufacturing sectors. The scope of the study is to analyse energy consumption and forecasting GHG emission of energy consumption for the next 10 years (2016-2025) and 25 years (2016-2040) by using ARIMAX model from the Input-output table of Thailand. The result shows that iron and steel has the highest value of energy consumption and followed by cement, fluorite, air transport, road freight transport, hotels and places of loading, coal and lignite, petrochemical products, other manufacturing, road passenger transport, respectively. The prediction results show that these models are effective in forecasting by measured by using RMSE, MAE, and MAPE. The results forecast of each model is as follows: 1) Model 1 (2,1,1) shows that GHG emission will be increasing steadily and increasing at 25.17% by the year 2025 in comparison to 2016. 2) Model 2 (2,1,2) shows that GHG emission will be rising steadily and increasing at 41.51% by the year 2040 in comparison to 2016.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenario drivers (1970–2050): Climate and hydrological alterations

This study was carried out to support and enhance a series of global studies assessing contemporary and future changes in nutrient export from watersheds (Global Nutrient Export from Watersheds (NEWS)). Because hydrography is one of the most important drivers in nutrient transport, it was essential to establish how climatic changes and direct human activities (primarily irrigation and reservoir operations) affect the hydrological cycle. Contemporary and future hydrography was established by applying a modified version of a global water balance and transport model (WBMplus) driven by present and future climate forcing, as described in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenarios (1970–2050). WBMplus represents a major upgrade to previous WBM implementations by incorporating irrigational water uptake and reservoir operations in a single modeling framework. Contemporary simulations were carried out by using both observed climate forcings from the Climate Research Unit of East Anglia (CRU) data sets and from Global Circulation Model (GCM) simulations that are comparable to the future simulations from the same GCM forcings. Future trends in three key human activities (land use, irrigation, and reservoirs operation for hydropower) were taken from the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment (IMAGE). The reservoir operation required establishing a realistic distribution of future reservoirs since the IMAGE model provided only the hydropower potentials for the different future scenarios.
Successful colonization of roots and Plant growth promotion of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) by seed treatment with Pseudomonas putida and Azotobacter chroococcum

Pseudomonas putida (P29) and Azotobacter chroococcum (Azb19) are the efficient promising strains selected from in vitro plant growth promoting studies. These two strains were tested for their ability to promote growth of sorghum and colonize sorghum roots. Seed bacterization with P29 and Azb19 resulted in increased plant height, shoot height, root volume, leaf area and total plant dry mass. Further, bacterial inoculation also significantly increased macro-and micronutrient uptake by sorghum plants. Using electroporation method, pure cultures of P29 and Azb19 were transformed with pHC 60 plasmid containing gfp gene. Transformants detected by colony PCR were used to study the colonization pattern on roots of sorghum. Confocal fluorescence scanning microscope (CLSM) was used to locate the inoculants on or inside roots. Root colonization in sorghum by P29 was internal whereas Azb19 was detected on root surface. GFP-tagged Pseudomonas was predominantly detected at the root differentiation zone. In case of Azb19 small aggregates of micro-colonies were observed on the surface of the roots. The efficient sorghum root colonization by these inoculants clearly demonstrated that the introduced strains could successfully inhabit the rhizosphere and thus resulting in increased nutrient uptake. Inoculation with P29 resulted in increased uptake of P (288.5%), K (179.1%), Fe (242.7%), and Zn (168.1%) as compared to Azb19 where the uptake of P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn increased by 142.6%, 161.6%, 199.5%, and 121.9%, respectively. On the other hand, inoculation with Azb19 could enhance better uptake of N (163.6%) as compared to P29 (133.3%). The strains also differed in their mode of root colonization.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN KENYA BY SIMPLICIOUS ONGOLO OCHIENG REG. D61/70097/2007 A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. ix CHAPTER ONE. 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION.1 1.1. Background of the Study.1 1.1.1. Corporate Governance in Banking Institutions.2 1.1.2. Bank Performance.3 1.1.3. Relationship between Corporate Governance and Bank Performance in Kenya. 5 1.2. Statement of the Problem. 7 1.3. Objective of the Study. 8 1.4. Importance of the Study.8 CHAPTER TWO. 10 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW.10 2.
A Simple Stated Preference Tool for Estimating the Value of Travel Time in Rural Africa

Despite its importance in benefit-cost analyses in the water supply, transportation, and health care sectors, there are relatively few empirical estimates of the value of travel time savings (VTT) in low-income countries, particularly in rural areas. Analysts instead often rely on a textbook “rule of thumb” of valuing time at 50% of prevailing unskilled wage rates, though these benchmarks have little empirical support in these settings. We estimate the value of travel time through the use of a repeated discrete choice stated preference exercise. We asked 325 rural households in Meru County, Kenya to rank two new hypothetical water sources against their current water source. The two new hypothetical sources were described as safe and reliable to use, but varied only in their distance from the household and the price charged per water container. Results from random-parameters logit models imply an average value of travel time of 18 Ksh/hr, and generally support the 50% rule. These models produce the first individual-level VTT estimates reported in a low-income setting, and indicate statistically-significant heterogeneity in VTTs, though the heterogeneity is not well correlated with observables. A latent-class approach identifies four classes of respondents: one class (about one third of respondents) values time very highly (49 Ksh/hr), one poorer group values time hardly at all (less than 1 Ksh/hr), and two groups value time at approximately 9 Ksh/hr.
Isotopic evidence for phytoplankton as a major food source for macrobenthos on an intertidal sandflat in Ariake Sound, Japan

To delineate a soft-shore trophic structure, macrobenthos was collected from an intertidal sandflat at the mouth of the Shirakawa River in the central part of Ariake Sound, Kyushu, Japan, on 3 occasions in 2003 (January, March, and June to July during the rainy season), and the isotopic compositions of animals and their potential food sources were analyzed. Food sources of animals were assessed based on the diet - tissue isotopic fractionation (δ 13 C = 0.6 to 2.0‰, δ 15 N = 3.4 to 3.9‰) of 3 main constituent species (the bivalves Mactra veneriformis and Ruditapes philippi- narum and the ghost shrimp Nihonotrypaea japonica), which had been determined by an earlier laboratory experiment. The results revealed that (1) consumers were classified into 3 groups; a group consisting of 51 species including 4 main species (the above-mentioned species and the mud shrimp Upogebia major) that derived nutrition mainly from coastal phytoplankton, one consisting of 7 species that incorporated more 13 C-enriched material (e.g. benthic microalgae) and a group con- sisting of 4 species that incorporated more 13 C-reduced material (e.g. riverine organic matter); (2) the phytoplankton-based trophic structure was composed of 3 trophic levels; (3) M. veneriformis juve- niles collected during the rainy season appeared to incorporate riverine organic matter; and (4) reeds from the flood plain, detrital terrestrial plant material, sewage effluents and seaweeds were not food sources for most consumers. We concluded that the high phytoplankton biomass and scarcity of benthic microalgae on this sandflat account for its phytoplankton-based trophic structure.
Services, goods and business client productivity: Learning from construction

This paper reviews research since the 1960s on productivity growth in the construction industry and how low growth rates, which it shares with business services, have been explained over the years. Effects of deficiencies in output quality measurement have been underestimated, and in retrospect it is clear that persistently low growth rates cannot be explained by productivity determinants that operate in the short or medium term. Better output measures would support studies of links between productivity and innovation. Industry interest in multi-criteria benchmarking of project performance suggests the development of additional measures for output quality, related to effects on client productivity.
Paleoenvironment of the Late Oligocene from the Kağızman-Tuzluca Basin (northeastern Anatolia) based on the micro- and macrofloras

The Kagizman-Tuzluca Basin in East Anatolia is still poorly documented for its stratigraphy and in particular its paleofloral assemblages. In this study, the microfloras from the Kagizman-Kotek and Komurlu areas and the macroflora from the Tuzluca area in this basin have been defined to overcome this deficiency. Sedimentary sequences of the Kagizman-Komurlu area have been deposited in terrestrial conditions different from the sequences of the Kagizman-Kotek and Tuzluca areas, which were deposited in brackish conditions near a shallow marine environment. Paleovegetation in eastern Anatolia is represented by mixed mesophytic and coniferous forests restricted to high and middle altitudes (e.g. Pinus, Ulmus, Fagaceae, Engelhardia, Sequoia, Zelkova, Lauraceae, Pterocarya, and Quercus). Open vegetation elements (Asteraceae-Asteroideae, Tubulifloridites spp., Poaceae, and Umbelliferae) in East Anatolia are more predominant than in West Anatolia. The presence of some marine dinoflagellates and Calamus, Lauraceae, and Arecaceae suggests near-seaside plant distribution in the Kagizman-Kotek and Tuzluca areas. According to micro- and macrofloral records and numerical climatic values calculated by the coexistence approach method, paleoclimatic conditions could have changed between warm temperate and subtropical, and also seasonality was effective in East Anatolia during the Late Oligocene. In addition, the paleoclimate of East Anatolia during the Late Oligocene appears to be colder than in West Anatolia based on the palynological data, and this could be related to the high elevation of East Anatolia as compared to West Anatolia. Moreover, the low precipitation values of East Anatolian indicate a dry period in the paleoclimatic conditions of the Late Oligocene
Motivation and Attitude in Learning English among UiTM Students in the Northern Region of Malaysia.

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between the students’ motivation and attitude and their English Language performance. The subjects were the part two students from three UiTM campuses in the Northern Region. The research tool used was in the form of a questionnaire. The mean scores analysis of the motivation and performance revealed that the students were more extrinsically than intrinsically motivated when learning English. However, the one-way ANOVA test showed that there is no significant difference. To test the students’ attitudes and their performance, the Spearman Rho Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient was used and the analysis revealed a significant correlation between attitude and achievement. The one-way ANOVA also showed that there is a significant difference. The mean scores was used to find out whether there is any difference between the respondents of different gender and their attitude in learning English. The results showed the existence of significant difference.
Exploring stress tolerance indices to identify terminal heat tolerance in spring wheat in Nepal

Terminal heat stress during anthesis and grain filling period accelerates maturity and significantly reduces grain size and weight. A study was performed to explore stress tolerance indices that can judge terminal heat tolerance in spring wheat in Nepal. Ten diverse lines were planted under normal (non-stress) and late (heat stress) sown condition at two locations (Parwanipur and Hardinath) in Nepal. The trial was set up in Alpha Lattice design with two replications in two consecutive crop cycles 2011-12 and 2012-13. Yield traits were recorded and stress susceptibility and tolerant indices were estimated. Correlation analysis showed that yield under stress environment had positive (r=0.80) and significant (p<0.05) association with that under non-stress environment. Similarly, grain yield under both environments had significant and positive correlation with mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP) and heat tolerance index (HTI) whereas non-significant correlation with stress susceptibility index (SSI) and tolerance index (TOL). The first two principal components explained 97% of the variation. Biplot analysis revealed that stress tolerance indices can be used selection criteria for identification of heat tolerant genotypes. Combined analysis showed that NL 1140 (SSI=0.71) possessed highest tolerance, followed by BL 3978 (SSI=0.79) while NL 1096 (SSI=1.5) appeared least tolerant. The most tolerant line NL 1140 produced mean yield of 3730.5 Kg/ha and 3000.3 Kg/ha under normal and late sown condition, respectively. The TOL of this line was the best (730) among the tested genotypes. NL 1140 and BL 3978 were identified as promising for terminal heat tolerance and can be used directly as well as in the crossing program to breed heat tolerant genotypes. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
BRANCHING PROCESSES WITH IMMIGRATION AND INTEGER-VALUED TIME SERIES

In this paper, we indicate how integer-valued autoregressive time series Ginar(d) of ordre d, d ≥ 1, are simple functionals of multitype branching processes with immigration. This allows the derivation of a simple criteria for the existence of a stationary distribution of the time series, thus proving and extending some results by Al-Osh and Alzaid (1), Du and Li (9) and Gauthier and Latour (11). One can then transfer results on estimation in subcritical multitype branching processes to stationary Ginar(d) and get consistency and asymptotic normality for the corresponding estimators. The technique covers autoregressive moving average time series as well.