Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public-Private Partnership in Sustainable Tourism Development : A Panacea o Poverty Alleviation in Cross River State , Nigeria

One of the cardinal economic interests of the Federal Government of Nigeria is to diversify the economy in relation to areas of competitive advantage, and one of such areas is tourism. Tourism has become a major source of economic diversification for many countries, allowing for new employment and income earning opportunities. Although, the developed countries account for a higher proportion of global tourism, many developing countries are beginning to take advantage of the huge opportunities offered by this sector. However, only developing countries with effective natural and man-made tourism supporting and enhancing infrastructure have been able to develop their tourism sector and seize the attendant advantages. Nigeria is one of such countries, with huge tourism potentials, especially given its natural and diversified landscapes. Consequently, Nigeria is currently seeking to diversify her economy away from crude oil production to maximize the employment and income generating opportunities Tourism offers. This paper therefore critically analyses Nigeria’s tourism potentials, focusing on the impacts on the wider economy. Appealing to the qualitative method of research, the paper concludes that the tourism sector has huge potentials yet unexplored, which if properly supported, through the Public-Private Partnership Policy, can contribute significantly to the economic diversification and poverty alleviation efforts of Cross River State government, one of the leading states in this sector. _________________________________________________________________________________________
Influence of genetic variation in the fungal endophyte of a grass on an herbivore and its parasitoid

Neotyphodium coenophialum (Glenn, Bacon, Price & Hanlin) (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) is an endophytic fungus that lives symbiotically within grasses and produces alkaloids that can help protect its hosts from some insect pests. We used laboratory‐based experiments to investigate whether fungal genotype influences an herbivore and its parasitoid. We tested whether variation in novel isolates, plus a control lacking fungal infection, affected preference by fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Amphipyrini), and growth and survival of Euplectrus comstockii Howard (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Euplectrini), a parasitoid of fall armyworm. Caterpillars preferred leaf blades in choice experiments from uninfected tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh. , cultivar Jesup (Poaceae)] and tended to avoid blades from plants containing fungal isolates AR502, AR542, or the most common strain from pastures in Georgia, USA, in tall fescue. However, caterpillars fed as much on leaf blades from plants containing isolate AR502 as from those lacking infection. Parasitoid pupal mass was not influenced by fungal isolate, yet fungal isolate did influence parasitoid survival. Survival was higher than expected for parasitoids reared from hosts fed plants lacking fungal infection, but was lower than expected for those reared from hosts fed plants infected with the common strain or AR542 isolates. In contrast, parasitoids reared from hosts fed plants infected with isolate AR502 did not experience higher mortality than expected by chance. Our results show that N. coenophialum can modify bottom‐up trophic cascades through direct effects on herbivores, as well as indirect effects on a natural enemy of the herbivores and that the fungus may influence the tritrophic interaction in ways that counterbalance herbivore protection provided by the symbiont. Our work also shows that these effects are influenced by fungal genotype. As attempts are made to produce forage cultivars with strains of fungal endophyte that lack negative influences on livestock, it will be prudent for investigators to assess the multi‐trophic effects of these novel associations within agroecosystems.
Push and pull motivations of Brazilian travel lovers

Some people are more interested in traveling than others. What factors motivate people to travel? What are the factors that drive them to travel (push motives), and what are those that drive them to choose a certain type of trip (pull motives)? To answer these questions, this study conducted a twophase investigation with Brazilians citizens: an exploratory and qualitative phase with 16 in-depth interviews and a descriptive and quantitative phase based on a model supported by the 3M Model of Motivation and Personality (Mowen, 2000), and interpreted using structural equation modeling, with partial least squares (PLS). The most important motives identified were push motives (to search for self-knowledge and personal development) and pull motives (to face adventures and challenges, seek novelty, have stories to tell, and experience cultural diversity).
Interactive Effects of Goal Orientation and Perceived Competence on Enjoyment among Youth Swimmers

This study investigated achievement goal orientation profile differences between youth swimmers on perceived competence and enjoyment, and the contribution of goal orientation and perceived competence to enjoyment in swimming. Male and female swimmers (n=302), aged 10-18 years (M=12.7; sd=2.25) completed a questionnaire assessing goal orientation, perceived competence and enjoyment in swimming. Cluster analysis revealed four goal orientation profile groups: high task/high ego, moderate task/low ego, high task/moderate ego and low task/moderate ego. MANOVA was conducted and a significant multivariate effect was found (Wilks=0.762; F=14.370; p=0.000; ES=0126). Further, Scheffe’s post-hoc comparisons tests revealed that swimmers scoring relatively high in both task and ego orientations, with a balance between the two, reported high values for perceived competence and enjoyment. Finally using two-way factorial MANOVA it was found that the interaction between the perceived competence and goal orientation profiles was not significant. Emphasizing task orientation for young athletes is a means to increase enjoyment in sport, regardless of their level of perceived competence.
Regulation of litter decomposition in forest ecosystems of Sweden and New Zealand

Litter decomposition is a core ecosystem process critical for carbon and nutrient cycling, and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. This thesis explores two contrasting ways by which plants can influence litter decomposition in forested ecosystems. The first half of the thesis examined the role of feather mosses in mediating the environmental conditions on the soil surface in boreal forests and the impact this has on litter decomposition. The feather moss layer intercepts much of the litterfall in boreal forests as well as retaining significant quantities of rainfall. The results showed that the pattern of moisture inputs to the moss layer was a major driver of litter decomposition and moss-associated cyanobacterial N2-fixation. Under conditions of limited moisture availability the mosses promoted the decomposition of leaf litter within the moss layer by preventing the desiccation of the litter, maintaining decomposer activity. In this way the effect of the moss layer was dependent on the prevailing moisture conditions. Further, the results showed that the moss layer promoted the decomposition of intercepted leaf litter to a similar extent across all stages of a 360-year successional gradient, despite a large increase in the depth of the moss layer and changing ecosystem properties. The second half of the thesis investigated two poorly explored aspects of the relationships between plant functional traits, litter quality and litter decomposition in temperate rain forests in New Zealand. The results showed that the decomposition of leaf, twig and wood litter of 27 co-occurring tree species was uncoordinated. This lack of coordination occurred because wood decomposition was driven by differences in the wood density of trees, which itself was unrelated to the chemical traits driving the decomposition of leaf and twig litter. The results also revealed a high degree of intraspecific variation in the leaf functional traits and leaf litter decomposition of 16 co-occurring plant species. Within species, leaf traits varied predictably in response to a soil nutrient gradient but were not related to the variations in decomposition. Overall, the results of this thesis illustrate the important and contrasting impacts that plants can have on litter decomposition, and contributes to the understanding of the complex interactions between multiple factors that regulate litter decomposition in forest ecosystems.
Fano resonances and electromagnetically induced transparency in silicon waveguides loaded with plasmonic nanoresonators

The fundamental electric dipolar resonance of metallic nanostrips placed on top of a dielectric waveguide can be excited via evanescent wave coupling, thus giving rise to broad dips in the transmission spectrum of the waveguide. Here we show via numerical simulations that narrower and steeper Fano-like resonances can be obtained by asymmetrically coupling in the near field a larger nanostrip—supporting an electric quadrupole in the frequency regime of interest—to the original, shorter nanostrip. Under certain conditions, the spectral response corresponding to the electromagnetically induced transparency phenomenon is observed. We suggest that this hybrid plasmonic–photonic approach could be especially relevant for sensing or all-optical switching applications in a photonic integrated platform such as silicon photonics.
Towards an integration of sensory research and marketing in new food products development: A theoretical and methodological review

Product innovation can be instrumental for firms that want to be market oriented. There are many examples in the literature of the importance of sensory analysis in terms of designing, testing, launching, and rethinking food products. Sensory and product testing researchers have often called on to participate in the development of new products but they only quantified consumer reactions to prototypes developed and not in concept development at the early stage development phase. Lately sensory science seems to move towards market research and the sensory professional is required to become an expert in concept development at the early stages and not just in the measurement of sensory responses. Thus, this paper reviewed and categorised the most common methods of consumer research for sensory professional to participate, with an interdisciplinary approach to the different stages of New Product Development (NPD) process with the support of background information and the use of the latest researches in the field of consumer science. This review showed that some of these techniques may not have attained extensive adoption by product developers, because the conceptual bases, the theoretical constructs, and descriptive terminology associated with them are distant to product developers and their qualitative nature place them in conflict more quantitatively. Key words: Consumer research, qualitative techniques, sensory analysis, product innovation.
Oxygen and Carbon Isotope Data from Leg 74 Foraminifers

Oxygen and carbon isotope measurements have been made in picked planktonic and benthonic foraminifers from the five sites drilled on Leg 74, covering the whole Cenozoic. For the Neogene, the coverage gives good information on the development of the vertical temperature structure of Atlantic deep water. For the Paleogene, vertical gradients were weak and it is possible to combine data from different sites to obtain a very detailed record of both the temperature and carbon isotope history of Atlantic deep waters.
Late Miocene uplift of the Tian Shan and Altai and reorganization of Central Asia climate

The timing of high surface topography and the corresponding climatic impacts of the many high ranges north of the Tibetan Plateau, such as the Altai and Tian Shan, remain poorly constrained. Most Neogene reconstructions of Central Asia climate come from interior China, where the influences of Altai and Tian Shan uplift are difficult to deconvolve from effects due to Tibetan Plateau uplift and changes in global climate. We present a new pedogenic carbonate oxygen and carbon isotope record from terrestrial Neogene sediments of the Zaysan Basin in eastern Kazakhstan, which lies upwind of the Altai and Tian Shan, in contrast to the numerous paleoclimate records from interior China. The δ18O values of pedogenic carbonate exhibit a robust 4‰ decrease in the late Neogene—a trend that sharply contrasts with nearly all downwind records of δ18O from Central Asia. We attribute this decrease to the establishment of the modern seasonal precipitation regime whereby Kazakhstan receives the majority of its moisture in the spring and fall, which lowers the δ18O of pedogenic carbonates. The dominance of spring and fall precipitation in Kazakhstan results from the interaction of the mid-latitude jet with the high topography of the Altai and Tian Shan during its movement northward in spring and southward in fall. The late Miocene interaction of the jet with these actively uplifting northern Central Asia ranges reorganized Central Asia climate, establishing starkly different seasonal precipitation regimes, further drying interior Jeremy K. Caves*, Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA; Bolat U. Bayshashov, Institute of Zoology, Academy of Sciences, Almaty 050060, Kazakhstan; Aizhan Zhamangara, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana 01000, Kazakhstan; Andrea J. Ritch, Daniel E. Ibarra, Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA; Derek J. Sjostrom, Geology Program, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, Montana 59102, USA; Hari T. Mix, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053, USA; Matthew J. Winnick, Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA; and C. Page Chamberlain, Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA China, and increasing the incidence of the lee cyclones that deposit dust on the Loess Plateau. We conclude that paleoclimatic changes in Central Asia in the Neogene are more tightly controlled by the interaction of the mid-latitude westerlies with the bounding ranges of northern Central Asia than by changes in the height or extent of the Tibetan Plateau.
A New Look at the Relationship Between Capital Constraints and Bank Lending

A central feature of the financial crisis of 2007 to 2009 was the erosion of the capital strength of numerous financial institutions. Policy responses focused on first on recapitalizing the financial system and then significantly increasing minimum capital requirements going forward. The collapse in intermediated credit that continued well after the most acute phase of the crisis ended suggests a strong link between lending and capital adequacy. However, capital adequacy is difficult for observers to assess and lending volumes reflect both supply of and demand for credit. This paper uses banks’ own assessments of their capital adequacy and customer demand to study the link between capital and lending. We find significantly reduced loan growth at banks that tighten lending standards as a result of concerns about their current or future capital position relative to banks that do not report being capital constrained. The results suggest that efforts to significantly boost required capital levels during an economic downturn could adversely affect the strength and pace of recovery, and that efforts to recapitalize the financial system during the recent crisis likely boosted lending somewhat. Preliminary Please do not quote without permission of the authors. ∗The analysis and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Reserve System, or any of our colleagues. We thank John Driscoll, William English, Diana Hancock, William Nelson, Gretchen Weinbach, and Egon Zakrajsek for helpful comments. Thomas Spiller provided excellent research assistance. Any errors remain the responsibility of the authors
Conserved crosstalk between histone deacetylation and H3K79 methylation generates DOT1L‐dose dependency in HDAC1‐deficient thymic lymphoma

DOT1L methylates histone H3K79 and is aberrantly regulated in MLL‐rearranged leukemia. Inhibitors have been developed to target DOT1L activity in leukemia, but cellular mechanisms that regulate DOT1L are still poorly understood. We have identified the histone deacetylase Rpd3 as a negative regulator of budding yeast Dot1. At its target genes, the transcriptional repressor Rpd3 restricts H3K79 methylation, explaining the absence of H3K79me3 at a subset of genes in the yeast genome. Similar to the crosstalk in yeast, inactivation of the murine Rpd3 homolog HDAC1 in thymocytes led to an increase in H3K79 methylation. Thymic lymphomas that arise upon genetic deletion of Hdac1 retained the increased H3K79 methylation and were sensitive to reduced DOT1L dosage. Furthermore, cell lines derived from Hdac1Δ/Δ thymic lymphomas were sensitive to a DOT1L inhibitor, which induced apoptosis. In summary, we identified an evolutionarily conserved crosstalk between HDAC1 and DOT1L with impact in murine thymic lymphoma development.
State of the art in m-powering: social capital constructor

espanolEl M-Powering es una Iniciativa de La Union Internacional de Telecomunicaciones (UIT) que armoniza los desarrollos que ha tenido con la evolucion que han tenido las tecnologias de la informacion y telecomunicaciones moviles (M-TIC) con las nuevas formas de interaccion social. El presente articulo realiza una revision exhaustiva en la decada de 2006 al 2016 de las aplicaciones M-powering y su Taxonomia. Para observar como las aplicaciones TIC sociales desde la perspectiva de capital social han contribuido a la mejora de las condiciones de vida en las regiones donde se han implementado, y como un referente para su aplicacion en otras regiones. Para lo anterior se utiliza las referencias de la ITU, bases de datos en linea, publicaciones en espacios academicos y paginas gubernamentales EnglishThe M-Powering is an initiative of the International Telecommunication Union ITU (for its acronym) which harmonizes developments that have taken the information technology and mobile telecommunications (M-ICT) with new forms of social interaction. This article makes a review of experiences and M-Powering applications and their derivations: M-Learning, M-Health, M-Agriculture and M-Government. From this perspective are observed social ICT applications as a form of access to social capital, and the contribution to the improvement of living conditions in the regions where they have implemented. For the above it uses ITU references; IEEE Explorer database; publications in academic spaces and governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In perspective, research updates of the potential applications of these technologies in time after peace accords as is the case in Colombia.
Modulation of Tropical Cyclones over the Eastern Pacific by the Intraseasonal Variability Simulated in an AGCM

AbstractThis study illustrates that observed modulations of tropical cyclone (TC) genesis over the eastern Pacific (EPAC) by large-scale intraseasonal variability (ISV) are well represented in a recently developed high-resolution atmospheric model (HiRAM) at the NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) with a horizontal resolution of about 50 km. Considering the intrinsic predictability of the ISV of 2–4 weeks, this analysis thus has significant implications for dynamically based TC predictions on intraseasonal time scales. Analysis indicates that the genesis potential index (GPI) anomalies associated with the ISV can generally well depict ISV modulations of EPAC TC genesis in both observations and HiRAM simulations. Further investigation is conducted to explore the key factors associated with ISV modulation of TC activity based on an analysis of budget terms of the observed GPI during the ISV life cycle. It is found that, while relative roles of GPI factors are dependent on ISV phase and locatio.
Assessment of Short-Term Engraftment Potential of Ex Vivo Expanded Hematopoietic Stem Cells Using Normal Fetal Mouse in Utero Transplantation Model

Objective: Ex vivo expansion is a promising strategy to overcome the low number of human umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells (hUCB-HSCs). Although based on the obtained results in unnatural physiological condition of irradiated genetically immune-deficient mouse models, there has always been concern that the expanded cells have less engraftment potential. The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of common ex vivo expansion method on engraftment potential of hUCB-mononuclear cells (MNCs), using normal fetal mouse, as a model with more similarity to human physiological conditions. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, briefly, isolated hUCB-MNCs were cultured in common expansion medium containing stem cell factor, Flt3 ligand and thrombopoietin. The unexpanded and expanded cells were transplanted to the fetal mice on gestational days of 11.5-13.5. After administration of human hematopoiesis growth factors (hHGFs), presence of human CD45+ cells, in the peripheral blood of recipients, was assessed at various time points after transplantation. Results: The expanded MNCs showed 32-fold increase in the expression of CD34+38- phenotype and about 3-fold higher clonogenic potential as compared to the uncultured cells. Four weeks after transplantation, 73% (19/26) of expanded-cell recipients and 35% (7/20) of unexpanded-cell recipients were found to be successfully engrafted with human CD45+ cells. The engraftment level of expanded MNCs was significantly (1.8-fold) higher than unexpanded cells. After hHGFs administration, the level was increased to 3.2, 3.8 and 2.6-fold at respectively 8, 12, and 16 weeks of post transplantation. The increased expression of CXCR4 protein in expanded MNCs is a likely explanation for the present findings. Conclusion: The presented data showed that expanded MNCs compared to unexpended cells are capable of more rapid and higher short-term engraftment in normal fetal mouse. It could also be suggested that in utero transplantation (IUT) of normal fetal mice could be an appropriate substitute for NOD/SCID mice in xenotransplantation studies.