Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Detection of the 1BL.1RS Translocation in Hellenic Bread Wheat Cultivars

The main motive of the present work was to detect and confirm the presence of the 1BL.1RS wheat-rye translocation in elite Hellenic bread wheat germplasm. For this, a molecular method was employed and seven Hellenic bread wheat cultivars (Acheloos, Acheron, Chios, Elisavet, Myconos, Orpheus, and Vergina) were studied. A rye population originated from Florina, and cultivar Kavkaz/Cgn, one of the donors of the 1BL.1RS translocation to bread wheat, were used as positive checks. The polymerase chain reaction was applied and two promoters for bread wheat gene alleles located on short arm of chromosome 1B (GLU-B3, GLI-B3) and one promoter for a rye gene (SEC I) located on short arm of chromosome 1R, were involved. It was demonstrated that cultivars Acheron, Elisavet and Orpheus do carry the 1BL.1RS translocation, whereas the rest of the varieties studied, they do not it. It was concluded that cultivars Acheron, Elisavet and Orpheus that carry the translocation, could be crossed to other elite genotypes lucking the translocation and produce new varieties possessing the advantages of the 1BL.1RS translocation. A special attention should be given to cultivar Acheron since this cultivar, despite the presence of the translocation carries favourable alleles in other gene loci affecting positively the quality of the produced bread.
Generic Boundaries in Texas Cave Salamanders, and a Redescription of Typhlomolge robusta (Amphibia: Plethodontidae)

Confusion presently surrounds the systematics of the salamanders of the genera Eurycea and Typhlomolge of the Edwards Plateau of central Texas. Existing morphological evidence is reviewed and found to be inadequate to resolve the status of the genus Typhlomolge. New data on skull morphology supports the continued recognition of this genus. The advanced troglobite Typhlomolge robusta Longley, 1978, is redescribed and shown to share the features which distinguish T. rathbuni from the Texas Eurycea. Typhlomolge rathbuni and T. robusta may be parapatric in the San Marcos Pool of the Balcones Aquifer.
No 559 Discounting and Relative Consumption

We analyze optimal social discount rates when people derive utility from relative consumption. We compare the social, private, and conventional Ramsey rates. Assuming a positive growth rate, we find that 1) the social discount rate exceeds the private discount rate if the importance of relative consumption increases with consumption and that 2) the social discount rate is smaller than the Ramsey rate given quasi-concavity in own and others’ consumption and risk aversion with respect to others’ consumption. Numerical calculations demonstrate that the latter difference may be substantial and have important implications for long run environmental issues such as global warming.
ACCEPTANCE : EMPIRICAL VALIDATION OF NATIONALITY BASED UTAUT USING SEM

While millions of dollars are spent building digital libraries, research findings indicate that millions of potential users may still be ignoring them. Researchers have applied different Technology Acceptance Models to determine the acceptance of Information System (IS). In this research, we recognized the existence of different groups of users of Electronic Library System (ELS) with different usage behavior and, therefore, developed and validated a Nationality based Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (NUTAUT) model adapted from UTAUT model to account for each group of users’ acceptance. Nationality was introduced based on the assumption that the UTAUT independent variables will impact the acceptance and usage differently when moderated by nationality. The result from 116 (58 international and 58 national) student participants provides support for NUTAUT by showing that the various UTAUT constructs exert varying degree of effects. It not only confirms the NUTAUT robustness in predicting acceptance of both National and International Students (91% and 98% respectively) but also determines the importance of each independent construct to each group in determining acceptance. Performance Expectancy (EE) and Social Influence (SI) are significant factors for International students while Effort Expectancy (EE) and Facilitating Conditions (FC) have the same effect for the two groups. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used as the main technique for data analysis. This study is useful to school managers, bank managers and other Information Science designers that make decision about IS that are used by people of different nationalities. The NUTAUT model can also be applied in cross-cultural acceptance and so we provide more insight into the understanding of Technology Acceptance through this study.
A Note on Kanbur and Keen: Transfers to Sustain Fiscal Cooperation

We analyze the two-country model of fiscal competition of Kanbur and Keen (1993) where countries differ in size and use a commodity tax to reach their objective of revenue maximization. Due to fiscal externalities, the non-cooperative outcome is inefficient. Besides, the international optimum could be individually irrational for the smaller country compared to the non-cooperative equilibrium. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the international optimum can be reached and sustained by means of financial transfers between the countries as suggested in another context by Chander and Tulkens (1995, 1997). We show that with transfers of a specific form internationally optimal fiscal cooperation is indeed individually rational for both countries and, in that sense, sustainable. Furthermore, we show that these transfers can be such that the optimal outcome is, under some conditions, a dominant strategy for both countries.
PRIMUS: GALAXY CLUSTERING AS A FUNCTION OF LUMINOSITY AND COLOR AT 0.2 < z < 1

We present measurements of the luminosity and color-dependence of galaxy clustering at 0.2 < z < 1.0 in the Prism Multi-object Survey. We quantify the clustering with the redshift-space and projected two-point correlation functions, ξ(rp, π) and wp(rp), using volume-limited samples constructed from a parent sample of over ∼130, 000 galaxies with robust redshifts in seven independent fields covering 9 deg2 of sky. We quantify how the scale-dependent clustering amplitude increases with increasing luminosity and redder color, with relatively small errors over large volumes. We find that red galaxies have stronger small-scale (0.1 Mpc h−1 < rp < 1 Mpc h−1) clustering and steeper correlation functions compared to blue galaxies, as well as a strong color dependent clustering within the red sequence alone. We interpret our measured clustering trends in terms of galaxy bias and obtain values of bgal ≈ 0.9–2.5, quantifying how galaxies are biased tracers of dark matter depending on their luminosity and color. We also interpret the color dependence with mock catalogs, and find that the clustering of blue galaxies is nearly constant with color, while redder galaxies have stronger clustering in the one-halo term due to a higher satellite galaxy fraction. In addition, we measure the evolution of the clustering strength and bias, and we do not detect statistically significant departures from passive evolution. We argue that the luminosity– and color–environment (or halo mass) relations of galaxies have not significantly evolved since z ∼ 1. Finally, using jackknife subsampling methods, we find that sampling fluctuations are important and that the COSMOS field is generally an outlier, due to having more overdense structures than other fields; we find that “cosmic variance” can be a significant source of uncertainty for high-redshift clustering measurements.
Biophysical controls on net ecosystem CO2 exchange over a semiarid shrubland in northwest China

The carbon (C) cycling in semiarid and arid areas remains largely unexplored, despite the wide distribution of drylands globally. Rehabilitation practices have been carried out in many desertified areas, but information on the C se- questration capacity of recovering vegetation is still largely lacking. Using the eddy-covariance technique, we measured the net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) over a recovering shrub ecosystem in northwest China throughout 2012 in or- der to (1) quantify NEE and its components and to (2) exam- ine the dependence of C fluxes on biophysical factors at mul- tiple timescales. The annual budget showed a gross ecosys- tem productivity (GEP) of 456 g C m 2 yr 1 (with a 90 % prediction interval of 449-463 g C m 2 yr 1 ) and an ecosys- tem respiration (Re) of 379 g C m 2 yr 1 (with a 90 % pre- diction interval of 370-389 g C m 2 yr 1 ), resulting in a net C sink of 77 g C m 2 yr 1 (with a 90 % prediction interval of 68-87 g C m 2 yr 1 ). The maximum daily NEE, GEP and Re were 4.7, 6.8 and 3.3 g C m 2 day 1 , respectively. Both the maximum C assimilation rate (i.e., at the optimum light intensity) and the quantum yield varied over the growing sea- son, being higher in summer and lower in spring and autumn. At the half-hourly scale, water deficit exerted a major control over daytime NEE, and interacted with other stresses (e.g., heat and photoinhibition) in constraining C fixation by the vegetation. Low soil moisture also reduced the temperature sensitivity of Re (Q10). At the synoptic scale, rain events trig- gered immediate pulses of C release from the ecosystem, fol- lowed by peaks of CO2 uptake 1-2 days later. Over the entire growing season, leaf area index accounted for 45 and 65 % of the seasonal variation in NEE and GEP, respectively. There was a linear dependence of daily Re on GEP, with a slope of 0.34. These results highlight the role of abiotic stresses and their alleviation in regulating C cycling in the face of an in- creasing frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events.
The concept of POSER ( Plankton Observation with Simultaneous Enclosures in Rosfjorden )

Enclosures with diameters of 0.75 and 1.0 m and depths to 40 m were used to investigate the phytoplankton spring bloom in southern Norway. Development of natural plankton populations was analyzed in parallel experiments supplemented by monocultures of the main phytoplankton species and in pollution experiments using mercury and Ekofisk oil. A brief account is presented of preinvestigations and enclosure design, and the objectives of POSER are outlined.
THE IRON CORRECTORS IN Al-Si ALLOYS

Iron is in practice present in Al-Si cast alloys as a result of using the scrap contaminated with iron and intensive dissolving of iron by melt Al-Si. The iron contents above 0.5% effects segregation of brittle and hard intermetallic phases. The decreasing of cooling rate shifts the start of needles segregation to the low iron content. Presence of iron increases hardness of alloy and decreases its corrosion resistance, fluidity and plastic properties. The influence of iron correctors (Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, Ti, V, Mo up to 0.7 %) and iron (up to 2.3 %) on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fluidity was evaluated. Cluster analysis was used for evaluation the group with the best properties. The best results of mechanical properties (Rm and A5) were reached with Ni, Ti and V as iron modifiers. Cr and partly Mn are effective at high iron concentration. The influence of Co on the microstructure and mechanical properties is marginal.
Benthic metabolism and nitrogen cycling in a sub-tropical coastal embayment : spatial and seasonal variation and controlling factors

Spatial and seasonal variation in sediment properties, benthic metabolism (O2 and TCO2 fluxes) and nitrogen (N) cycling (dinitrogen gas (N2), dissolved inorganic N (DIN) and organic N (DON) fluxes) in western Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, were investigated using spatially intensive sediment core incubations. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that variation in the dataset was best explained by 2 components representing heterotrophic and autotrophic pro- cesses respectively. Heterotrophic respiration was most closely associated with sediment chlorophyll c, indicating that benthic labile organic carbon (OC) was dominated by phytodetritus (diatoms) and viable phytoplankton cells. The supply of this OC to the sediments was controlled by a combination of phytoplankton biomass and hydrodynamic circulation patterns. Autotrophic benthic production across the study area was closely associated with light attenuation, which varied according to depth and turbidity. DIN fluxes were most closely associated with the autotrophic component, indicating the importance of N assimilation by benthic microalgae. N2 fluxes were negatively associated with the heterotrophic component, most likely due to the increasing inhibition of coupled nitrification- denitrification and/or an increase in N fixation as OC loading increases. DON fluxes dominated N fluxes overall and were controlled by autotrophic/heterotrophic DON production and heterotrophic DON consumption. Cluster analysis identified 3 basic states that describe the spatial and temporal variation in benthic processes across western Moreton Bay: reactive nearshore sediments underlying phytoplankton bloom centres (Cluster 1), less reactive sediments further offshore which receive a lesser supply of phytodetritus (Cluster 2) and a new suite of sediment properties, metabolism and N fluxes at the nearshore sites following a post-flood phytoplankton bloom (Cluster 3).
Polar precursor ordering in BaTiO3 detected by resonant piezoelectric spectroscopy

An experimental method, Resonant Piezoelectric Spectroscopy (RPS), is introduced for the detection of polar precursor effects in ferroelectric and multiferroic materials. RPS is based on the excitation of elastic waves through the piezoelectric effect in a sample. As the intensity of these waves is significantly amplified through mechanical resonances, RPS is very sensitive to the development of polar nanostructures. Using RPS, we identify polar nanostructures in BaTiO3 as a precursor in the cubic phase. Results are compatible with polar tweed structures which persist up to 613 K. This temperature is much higher than previously reported.
Transition Experiment ( Huebert et al . 1996 ) and the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment

Aerosols that absorb solar radiation may lead to a decrease of low-cloud cover and liquid-water path (LWP), leading to a positive radiative forcing. A large-eddy model was used to investigate this ‘semi-direct effect’ for marine stratocumulus and examine the dependency on the vertical distribution of the aerosol. In this study, the aerosols influenced clouds by directly altering the short-wave heating rate (the semi-direct effect), but did not interact with the cloud microphysics (i.e. indirect aerosol effects are excluded). Absorbing aerosols within the boundary layer (BL) decreased LWP by 10 g m−2, leading to a positive semi-direct forcing. Even for mildly absorbing aerosols (mid-visible single-scattering albedo of 0.96), the semi-direct forcing was three times stronger, and opposite in sign, to the aerosol direct forcing. The semi-direct forcing was found to be proportional to aerosol single-scattering co-albedo (tested to a value of 0.12). Conversely, with the absorbing aerosol layer above the cloud, the LWP increased by 5 to 10 g m−2, leading to a negative semi-direct forcing. Absorbing aerosols located in the BL heat the cloud layer, enhancing the daytime decoupling and thinning of the stratocumulus layer. Absorbing aerosols immediately above the BL increased the contrast in potential temperature across the inversion, leading to a lower cloud-top entrainment rate. With aerosol both within and above the BL, the semidirect forcing was positive but half the magnitude of that experienced when aerosol was only in the BL. As marine stratocumulus covers about 20% of the globe, the semi-direct effect could significantly influence the radiative forcing by absorbing aerosols.
NEWTON AND CONJUGATE GRADIENT FOR HARMONIC MAPS FROM THE DISC INTO THE SPHERE

We compute numerically the minimizers of the Dirichlet energy among maps from the unit disc into the unit sphere that satisfy a boundary condition and a degree condition. We use a Sobolev gradient algorithm for the minimization and we prove that its continuous version preserves the degree. For the discretization of the problem we use continuous P 1 finite elements. We propose an original mesh-refining strategy needed to preserve the degree with the discrete version of the algorithm (which is a preconditioned projected gradient). In order to improve the convergence, we generalize to manifolds the classical Newton and conjugate gradient algorithms. We give a proof of the quadratic convergence of the Newton algorithm for manifolds in a general setting.
The validity of the ELG hypothesis in the MENA region: cointegration and error correction model analysis

The export-led growth (ELG) hypothesis is examined for nine Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries in three-variable vector autoregressive and error correction models. When considering total exports, the results reject the ELG hypothesis in almost all of these countries. When only manufactured exports are examined, no support is found for ELG in countries with relatively low shares of manufactured exports in total merchandise exports but strong support in countries with relatively high shares. These findings suggest that promoting exports may contribute to economic growth only after a certain threshold of manufactured exports has been reached.
Age-Related Differences in Achievement Goal Differentiation.

Validity of the 2 X 2 achievement goal framework for school-aged children and adolescents was examined, using self-report responses from 1,196 Korean elementary and middle school students. Confirmatory factor analysis models hypothesizing 4 distinct achievement goal factors demonstrated the best fit in all age groups. Nevertheless, achievement goals of these young students were strongly correlated with each other, regardless of the goal definition or valence. The correlation became increasingly weaker with the increasing age of the respondents. Students in Grades 1-4 endorsed a mastery-approach goal most strongly, but those in Grades 5-9 endorsed a performance-approach goal. Performance-avoidance and mastery-avoidance goals received significantly lower average ratings than did the 2 approach goals in all age groups. Whereas both mastery-approach and performance-approach goals correlated positively with self-efficacy, strategy use, and performance in math, only the performance-approach goal correlated positively with anxiety. Anxiety also correlated positively with the 2 avoidance goals. A performance-avoidance goal further demonstrated positive correlation with help-seeking avoidance, whereas a mastery-avoidance goal did so with strategy use.
EU Actorness in International Affairs: The Case of EULEX Mission in Kosovo

Abstract This article discusses one of the missions of the European Union Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and, so far, the biggest EU mission in the area of conflict management: the rule of law mission in Kosovo, dubbed EULEX Kosovo. Its conceptual framework is built on the EU's international role and notably on the EU actorness thesis. The article explores several important aspects of the EULEX mission in Kosovo. In doing so, it looks at the following issues: (a) the first instance of the EULEX mission based on the comprehensive Ahtisaari proposal for the future status of Kosovo; (b) the launch of EULEX and, through this, EU cohesion in the mission itself; (c) the difficult process of EULEX deployment in Kosovo, which resulted in a ‘compromised authority’ and ‘ambiguous recognition’ of the mission itself; and (d) EULEX autonomy in view of its relations with other international actors (notably UNMIK) and other EU entities involved in Kosovo. In addition, the article examines the implications that the handicapped actorness of EULEX might have for its current and future input, through analyzing briefly the initial results and failures of EULEX in Kosovo. Thus, the article examines the process of establishing EULEX in Kosovo and sheds light on the EU's policies in Kosovo and in the western Balkans.
Speed related changes in muscle activity from normal to very slow walking speeds

The study of neuromuscular activity at very slow walking speeds may lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying speed regulation during walking, and may aid the interpretation of gait data in patients who walk slowly. Extreme reductions in walking speed will cause changes in locomotor task demands that may eventually result in modifications of the patterning of muscle activity that underlies walking. The aim of the present study was to investigate patterns of lower limb muscle activity during very slow walking ( < 0.28 m s−1), and to study the neuromuscular gain functions that reflect the phase dependent effects of walking speed on electromyographic (EMG) amplitude. Nine healthy young adults walked at seven different walking speeds (1.39, 0.83, 0.28, 0.22, 0.17, 0.11, and 0.06 m s −1) while EMG was recorded from eight lower extremity muscles. Results showed that the phasing of muscle activity remained relatively stable over walking speeds despite substantial changes in its amplitude. However, between 1.39 and 0.28 m s −1, epochs of Rectus femoris, Biceps femoris and Tibialis anterior activities were found that were typical for specific speed ranges. When walking speed decreased further to almost standing still (0.06 m s−1), negative gain values were found in Peroneus longus during midstance and Rectus femoris in late swing, indicating the emergence of new bursts of activity with decreasing walking speed. It is proposed that these extra activities may be attributed to increased demands on postural stability, and the altered dynamics of the swinging limb at very slow speeds. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.