Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi‐Functional Heat Pulse Probe for the Simultaneous Measurement of Soil Water Content, Solute Concentration, and Heat Transport Parameters

Water, solute, and heat transport processes in soils are mutually interdependent as each includes convective water flow and each transport mechanism is partly controlled by fluid saturation, pore geometry, temperature, and other soil environmental conditions. Therefore, their measurement in approximately identical measurement locations and volume is essential for understanding transport phenomena in soils. We introduce a 2.7‐cm‐diameter multi‐functional heat pulse probe (MFHPP), which consists of a single central heater, four thermistors, and four electrodes (Wenner array) that together are incorporated in six 1.27‐mm‐o.d. stainless‐steel tubes. The bulk soil thermal properties and volumetric water content of Tottori Dune sand were determined from the measurement of the temperature response of all four thermistor sensors after application of an 8‐s heat pulse by the heater sensor. Simultaneously with the temperature measurements, the bulk soil electrical conductivity (ECb) was measured using the Wenner array, from which soil solution concentration (ECw) can be obtained after calibration. All measurements were taken during multistep outflow experiments, which also allowed estimation of the soil's hydraulic properties. We demonstrated that the MFHPP can effectively measure volumetric water content, thermal properties, and ECb, and can be used to indirectly estimate soil water fluxes at rates larger than 0.7 m d−1 in the sand.
Numerical study of the onset of thermosolutal convection in rotating spherical shells

The influence of an externally enforced compositional gradient on the onset of convection of a mixture of two components in a rotating fluid spherical shell is studied for Ekman numbers E = 10−3 and E = 10−6, Prandtl numbers σ = 0.1, 0.001, Lewis numbers τ = 0.01, 0.1, 0.8, and radius ratio η = 0.35. The Boussinesq approximation of the governing equations is derived by taking the denser component of the mixture for the equation of the concentration. Differential and internal heating, an external compositional gradient, and the Soret and Dufour effects are included in the model. By neglecting these two last effects, and by considering only differential heating, it is found that the critical thermal Rayleigh number Rec depends strongly on the direction of the compositional gradient. The results are compared with those obtained previously for pure fluids of the same σ. The influence of the mixture becomes significant when the compositional Rayleigh number Rc is at least of the same order of magnitude as the .
On Words, Tests, and Applications: Reply to Faith et al.

Faith et al. (2003) strongly criticize our paper (Posadas et al. 2001). Their criticisms are based on what they consider our “ill definitions” and “erroneous applications” of the words complementarity, endemism, and biodiversity. The objectives of our reply to Faith et al. are to demonstrate that their criticisms do not satisfy epistemological and methodological tenets and to compare some aspects of the methods used by Posadas et al. (2001) and Faith et al. (2003) when applied to a real case.
An integrative model of ladership behavior

Article history: Received 2 March 2016 Accepted 5 August 2016 Available online xxxx Decades of questionnaire and interview studies have revealed various leadership behaviors observed in successful leaders. However, little is known about the actual behaviors that cause those observations. Given that lay observers are prone to cognitive biases, such as the halo effect, the validity of theories that are exclusively based on observed behaviors is questionable. We thus follow the call of leading scientists in the field and derive a parsimonious model of leadership behavior that is informed by established psychological theories. Building on the taxonomy of Yukl (2012), we propose three task-oriented behavior categories (enhancing understanding, strengthening motivation and facilitating implementation) and three relationoriented behavior categories (fostering coordination, promoting cooperation and activating resources), each of which is further specified by a number of distinct behaviors. While the taskoriented behaviors are directed towards the accomplishment of shared objectives, the relationoriented behaviors support this process by increasing the coordinated engagement of the team members. Our model contributes to the advancement of leadership behavior theory by (1) consolidating current taxonomies, (2) sharpening behavioral concepts of leadership behavior, (3) specifying precise relationships between those categories and (4) spurring new hypotheses that can be derived from existing findings in the field of psychology. To test our model as well as the hypotheses derived from this model, we advocate the development of new measurements that overcome the limitations associated with questionnaire and interview studies. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Household choices in fragile families and their effects on children ’ s cognitive development

This paper presents a structural model of labor and child care decisions to analyze the impact of single mothers’ decisions on their children’s cognitive development. The model represents single-mother households, in which mothers consider different child care arrangements and make labor supply decisions according to their preferences and constraints. I estimate the parameters of the model applying the Method of Simulated Moments using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Results indicate that maternal time is the most significant factor in the production of cognitive skills during the first four years of the child’s life. In disadvantaged households, institutional child care is a relevant factor that contributes to the development process starting at the age of four. A conditional transfer that requires the mother to send the child 40 hours per week to an institutional child care produces a positive impact on the child’s ability. JEL Codes : D13, J22, J24 I would like to thank Mary Arends-Kuenning, Matthew Wiswall, Elizabeth Powers, Carl Nelson, Janet Currie, Ben Crost, participants at the Southern Economic Association 2015 Annual Meeting, and the 7 International Symposium on Human Capital and Labor Markets for providing useful comments and suggestions. Contact information: Raul Sanchez. Email: rosanch2@illinois.edu.
#A5 INTEGERS 15A (2015) LOGARITHMIC REPRESENTABILITY OF INTEGERS AS K-SUMS

A set A = Ak,n ⇢ [n] [ {0} is said to be an additive k-basis if each element in {0, 1, . , kn} can be written as a k-sum of elements of A in at least one way. Seeking multiple representations as k-sums, and given any function (n) ! 1, we say that A is said to be a truncated (n)-representative k-basis for [n] if for each j 2 [↵n, (k ↵)n] the number of ways that j can be represented as a k-sum of elements of Ak,n is ⇥( (n)). In this paper, we follow tradition and focus on the case (n) = log n, and show that a randomly selected set in an appropriate probability space is a truncated log-representative basis with probability that tends to one as n! 1. This result is a finite version of a result proved by Erdős and extended by Erdős and Tetali.
Stability of Nonlocal Dirichlet Integrals and Implications for Peridynamic Correspondence Material Modeling

Nonlocal gradient operators are basic elements of nonlocal vector calculus that play important roles in nonlocal modeling and analysis. In this work, we extend earlier analysis on nonlocal gradient operators. In particular, we study a nonlocal Dirichlet integral that is given by a quadratic energy functional based on nonlocal gradients. Our main finding, which differs from claims made in previous studies, is that the coercivity and stability of this nonlocal continuum energy functional may hold for some properly chosen nonlocal interaction kernels but may fail for some other ones. This can be significant for possible applications of nonlocal gradient operators in various nonlocal models. In particular, we discuss some important implications for the peridynamic correspondence material models.
Continuum Observations at 3 and 12 mm of the High-Mass Protostellar Jet IRAS 16547–4247

Continuum data at 25 and 88 GHz toward the luminous young stellar object IRAS 16547-4247 (G343.126-0.062) have been obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The triple emission source identified previously at lower frequencies has been detected at 25 GHz. For frequencies between 1.4 and 25 GHz, the flux density of the central continuum source is well fitted with a power-law dependence that is consistent with thermal emission from a jet. The two outer lobes are radio Herbig-Haro objects exhibiting thermal and nonthermal synchrotron emission. At 88 GHz, one unresolved emission source was detected, centered on the radio jet. At this frequency the emission does not arise from the jet but from the dusty molecular envelope within which the jet is embedded.
Effect of Antimicrobial Peptide KSL-W on Human Gingival Tissue and C. albicans Growth, Transition and Secreted Aspartyl Proteinase (SAPS) 2, 4, 5 and 6 Expressions

Abstract : The antifungal armamentarium for the treatment of systemic fungal infections has increased in recent years. Although very helpful to control/eliminate fungal infections, the available antifungal drugs do have some limitations such as antifungal drug resistance. As an example, azole resistance is an issue in patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis caused by C. albicans in the context of HIV-infected individuals with recurrent oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis. A similar trend in vaginal isolates of C. albicans has been seen in women prone to recurrent vaginal candidiasis exposed to long-term fluconazole (Bulik et al., 2009),(Shahid and Sobel, 2009). In the latter scenario fortunately relatively rare to date therapeutic options available for oral management of fluconazole-reduced susceptibility C. albicans are few, resulting in the inconvenient use of long-term topical imidazoles. These facts have generated greater interest in the development of new antifungal drugs using various synthetic and naturally occurring antimicrobial molecules. Natural antimicrobial peptides, such as defensins produced by epithelial cells, showed a broad range of antibacterial activity and could play a role in preventing microbial infections(Decanis et al., 2009),(Zaslof, 2002). These antimicrobial peptides generally exhibit selective toxicity for microorganisms and show fewer propensities to induce microbial resistance.
Relapsing Fever Borreliosis in IL-10 Deficient Mice

* Corresponding author: Dr. Diego Cadavid, Center for Immunity and Inflammatory Diseases, 16 Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13 th Street, Room 8301, Charlestown, MA 02129 17 Phone 617-6793680; fax 617-6793518; email: dcadavid@partners.org 18 19 AC CE PT ED Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved. Infect. Immun. doi:10.1128/IAI.00587-08 IAI Accepts, published online ahead of print on 15 September 2008
Optical and Resonant Non-Linear Optical Properties of J-Aggregates of Pseudoisocyanine Derivatives in Thin Solid Films

The properties of colligative states of spontaneously aggregated polymethine dyes differ substantially from those of monomeric dye. Excellent examples of such self-organized molecular ensembles are J-aggregates of cyanine dyes. The J-aggregated state is now being considered for a number of non-cyanine dyes, the cyanine dye is still the most known and effective dye for J-aggregate formation (Wurthner, 2011). J-aggregates of cyanine dyes, first discovered by Jelley and Scheibe in 1936 (Jelley, 1936; Scheibe, 1936), have been studied for many years (Kobayashi, 1996). J-aggregates of cyanine dyes attract the attention of the researchers due to their interesting optical properties. J-aggregates are characterized by a strong absorption peak (J-peak) with narrow line widths which are bathochromically shifted relative to the absorption band of the monomeric dye. Their role as photographic sensitizers can hardly be overestimated (Tani, 1996; Trosken et al., 1995; Shapiro, 1994). Aggregates of dye molecules may be used to mimic light harvesting arrays and to prepare artificial photosynthetic systems (McDermott et al., 1995; Blankenship, 1995). Another development is the efficient electroluminescence revealed in single-layer light-emitting diodes based on electron-hole conducting polymers containing nano-crystalline phases of J-aggregates of cyanine dyes (Mal'tsev et al., 1999).
EVALUATION OF CLINICAL AND NEURO-BEHAVIORAL VARIABLES OF PRE-TERM NEWBORNS

Objective: To assess the clinical and neurobehavioral variables for the development of preterm newborns. Method: This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of twenty-one preterm newborns of both genders and mean gestational and chronological ages of 32 weeks (± 1.7) and 27 days (± 15.2), respectively, who were assessed while still in hospital. The medical files were used to collect data on the gestation, delivery, complications developed and on the Neonatal Medical Index (NMI). The newborns were evaluated using the Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI) in seven categories: scarf sign, motor development and vigor, popliteal angle, alertness and orientation, irritability, cry quality and percent asleep. The data were analyzed using SPSS® statistical software based on descriptive statistics (frequencies, means and standard deviations), Student’s t test for comparison of groups (study sample versus normative NAPI sample) and Spearman’s correlation test (clinical variables and NAPI categories). Results: The preterm newborns’ performance was statistically significantly different from the normative NAPI group in relation to the variables of scarf sign, motor development and vigor and cry quality. The NMI correlated negatively with scarf sign (r= -0.60). Alert behavioral state during inactivity correlated positively with motor development and vigor (r= 0.59) and with cry quality (r= 0.71). The most frequent maternal complications were genitourinary tract infection (47%) and gestational arterial hypertension (24%), and the neonatal complications were hyaline membrane syndrome (86%), neonatal infection (57%) and hyperbilirubinemia (47%). Conclusion: Neurobehavioral assessment and clinical data are variables that must be considered when working with newborns at risk of delayed development.
Business group characteristics and firm operating performance: evidence from Chile

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of business group characteristics on firm‐operating performance in Chile. Design/methodology/approach Using a multiple regression model, this study examines the effect of business group characteristics (interlocking of directors, management concentration, and business group specialization) on operating performance (ROA growth) in a sample of 104 publicly traded Chilean firms. Findings It is documented that, except for interlocking of directors, the two other business group characteristics (management concentration and business group specialization) are significantly related to the operating performance of firms belonging to Chilean business groups. These findings suggest that Chilean business groups would improve or deteriorate the performance of their affiliated firms modifying its characteristics. Originality/value Too little is known about the effect of business group characteristics on firm‐operating performance in Latin American countries suc.
A seasonal agricultural drought forecast system for food-insecure regions of East Africa

The increasing food and water demands of East Africa's growing population are stressing the region's inconsistent water resources and rain-fed agriculture. More accurate seasonal agricultural drought forecasts for this region can inform better water and agropastoral management decisions, support optimal allocation of the region's water resources, and mitigate socioeconomic losses incurred by droughts and floods. Here we describe the development and implementation of a seasonal agricultural drought forecast system for East Africa (EA) that provides decision support for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network's (FEWS NET) science team. We evaluate this forecast system for a region of equatorial EA (2° S–8° N, 36–46° E) for the March-April-May (MAM) growing season. This domain encompasses one of the most food-insecure, climatically variable, and socioeconomically vulnerable regions in EA, and potentially the world; this region has experienced famine as recently as 2011. To produce an "agricultural outlook", our forecast system simulates soil moisture (SM) scenarios using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model forced with climate scenarios describing the upcoming season. First, we forced the VIC model with high-quality atmospheric observations to produce baseline soil moisture (SM) estimates (here after referred as SM a posteriori estimates). These compared favorably (correlation = 0.75) with the water requirement satisfaction index (WRSI), an index that the FEWS NET uses to estimate crop yields. Next, we evaluated the SM forecasts generated by this system on 5 March and 5 April of each year between 1993 and 2012 by comparing them with the corresponding SM a posteriori estimates. We found that initializing SM forecasts with start-of-season (SOS) (5 March) SM conditions resulted in useful SM forecast skill (> 0.5 correlation) at 1-month and, in some cases, 3-month lead times. Similarly, when the forecast was initialized with midseason (i.e., 5 April) SM conditions, the skill of forecasting SM estimates until the end-of-season improved (correlation > 0.5 over several grid cells). We also found these SM forecasts to be more skillful than the ones generated using the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP) method, which derives its hydrologic forecast skill solely from the knowledge of the initial hydrologic conditions. Finally, we show that, in terms of forecasting spatial patterns of SM anomalies, the skill of this agricultural drought forecast system is generally greater (> 0.8 correlation) during drought years (when standardized anomaly of MAM precipitation is below 0). This indicates that this system might be particularity useful for identifying drought events in this region and can support decision-making for mitigation or humanitarian assistance.
Filipino ESL Learners' Attitudes toward Cooperative Learning and Their Relationship to Reading Comprehension.

Departing from Gonzales and Torres’ (2015) quantitative quasi-experimental study on the effectiveness of cooperative learning (CL) on Grade 8 students in a private school in Manila, the present study attempts to uncover possible )ndings in the affective dimension through a 25-item survey questionnaire that quantitatively gauges the Grade 8 Filipino ESL learners’ attitudes towards CL. The effectiveness of the approach was further assessed by correlating the attitudes with reading comprehension test scores in Gonzales and Torres’ (2015) study. Adopting both quantitative and qualitative approaches, it was discovered that, despite certain reservations, the Grade 8 learners had positive attitudes towards CL. In addition, )ndings indicate a very weak positive relationship between learner CL attitudes and reading comprehension. The current study has implications not only limited to Philippine ESL classrooms, but also to ESL classrooms around the world.
International Professional Learning Communities: The Role of Enabling School Structures, Trust, and Collective Efficacy

We explored the role of enabling school structures, trust in the principal, collegial trust, and collective efficacy in 15 pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade international, private schools in South and Central America. While the majority of these schools shared an "American" curriculum that was taught predominantly in English, we found that local culture and school norms affected the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in each school and country accordingly. As enabling school structures, trust in the principal, collegial trust, and collective efficacy were more established, the PLC was more likely to be developed based upon teacher perceptions in this quantitative study.
SPRINGS: Prediction of Protein- Protein Interaction Sites Using Artificial Neural Networks

Knowledge of protein-protein interaction sites provides an important base for deciphering novel drug targets. But on account of biological complexity and transient forms, determination of these sites is a challenge in biology. Various computational approaches are being explored for relevant prediction based on available protein sequence-structure information. Here we propose a novel method SPRINGS (Sequence-based predictor of Protein- protein Interacting Sites) for identification of interaction sites based on sequences. It uses protein evolutionary information, averaged cumulative hydropathy and predicted relative solvent accessibility from amino acid chains in artificial neural network architecture. The performance of SPRINGS is observed to be promising as a complementary approach for proteinprotein interaction sites prediction in protein engineering and drug development.
Nonclonal coloniality: Genetically chimeric colonies through fusion of sexually produced polyps in the hydrozoan Ectopleura larynx

Hydrozoans typically develop colonies through asexual budding of polyps. Although colonies of Ectopleura are similar to other hydrozoans in that they consist of multiple polyps physically connected through continuous epithelia and shared gastrovascular cavity, Ectopleura larynx does not asexually bud polyps indeterminately. Instead, after an initial phase of limited budding in a young colony, E. larynx achieves its large colony size through the aggregation and fusion of sexually (nonclonally) produced polyps. The apparent chimerism within a physiologically integrated colony presents a potential source of conflict between distinct genetic lineages, which may vary in their ability to access the germline. To determine the extent to which the potential for genetic conflict exists, we characterized the types of genetic relationships between polyps within colonies, using a RAD‐Seq approach. Our results indicate that E. larynx colonies are indeed comprised of polyps that are clones and sexually reproduced siblings and offspring, consistent with their life history. In addition, we found that colonies also contain polyps that are genetically unrelated, and that estimates of genome‐wide relatedness suggests a potential for conflict within a colony. Taken together, our data suggest that there are distinct categories of relationships in colonies of E. larynx, likely achieved through a range of processes including budding, regeneration, and fusion of progeny and unrelated polyps, with the possibility for a genetic conflict resolution mechanism. Together these processes contribute to the reevolution of the ecologically important trait of coloniality in E. larynx.
Central Bank Communication and Monetary Policy: A Survey of Theory and Evidence

Over the last two decades, communication has become an increasingly important aspect of monetary policy. These real-world developments have spawned a huge new scholarly literature on central bank communication -- mostly empirical, and almost all of it written in this decade. We survey this ever-growing literature. The evidence suggests that communication can be an important and powerful part of the central bank's toolkit since it has the ability to move financial markets, to enhance the predictability of monetary policy decisions, and potentially to help achieve central banks' macroeconomic objectives. However, the large variation in communication strategies across central banks suggests that a consensus has yet to emerge on what constitutes an optimal communication strategy.