Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An historical narrative on the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, interdecadal climate variability and ecosystem impacts

The term Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) was coined in 1997 (Mantua et al. 1997) to describe a mode of north Pacific climate variability that varies on a multi-decadal time scale. A number of independent studies being conducted at the time contributed to the realization that the PDO had widespread climatic and ecosystem impacts. This brief report is our perspective on how the PDO was identified and named. We also provide summaries of more recent work characterizing the PDO and interdecadal climate variability, and give several examples of climate induced variability in the ecosystems of the North Pacific. Introduction In the past decade, there has been an explosion in the awareness of the effect of climate variability on marine and terrestrial populations. Much of the interest stems from the growing concern about the warming of the planet in response to increased concentration of greenhouse gases and deforestation, and the resultant impact on plant and animal life. A direct method of assessing the potential impacts of global warming is by examining how populations respond to natural climate variability. In the Pacific Ocean, the natural climate phenomenon termed El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has long been recognized. The two phases of ENSO are generally termed El Niño (or warm phase) and La Niña (cool phase). Studies of ENSO-related impacts on marine ecosystems are numerous (e.g., Wooster and Fluharty (1985), Mysak (1986), Glantz (1996)). After the seasonal cycle, ENSO is the largest climate signal over most of the Pacific Ocean. While termed an oscillation, the alternation between El Niño and La Niña events is quite irregular, though generally occurring every 3 to 7 years with individual events usually lasting 8 to 15 months. The climatic and biotic impacts of ENSO events are largest near the equator and generally diminish towards the poles. The effects of ENSO are propagated to the extratropics via both oceanic and atmospheric pathways. No two ENSO events are exactly alike, differing in intensity, timing and spatial organization, and the extra-tropical climatological and ecological responses similarly vary from event to event. The five strongest El Nino events during the past 50 years occurred in 1982/83, 1997/98, 1957/58,
In vitro antiproliferative and antimicrobial evaluation of Kigelia pinnata

Kigelia pinnata (Lam.) Benth is a multi-medicinal plant with highly valued root extracts that are often applied in folk medicine for the management of various types of cancers and microbial infections. This study evaluates the anti-proliferative and antimicrobial potential of K. pinnata extracts. Oil and extracts from the root were obtained by cold extraction using hexane, ethylacetate and methanol and were concentrated in vacuo and examined for their antimicrobial activities and anti-proliferative activities on human breast cancer cell lines using agar diffusion method and tetrazolium dye assay, respectively. The oil and ethylacetate extract showed little or no antimicrobial activities for all organisms tested except for moderate activity on Aspergillus sp. , but the methanol extract showed significant activity against Salmonella typhi, Proteus sp. , Rhizopus sp. and Aspergillus sp. Most importantly, the three extracts significantly inhibited the growth of tumour cells in vitro with high cytotoxicity indices, while the ethylacetate extract had the highest potency, with IC 50 values of 10.53 ± 1.6 on human breast cancer cell lines. The root extracts showed significant anti-proliferative activity, which supports the folk claims of use of the plant as an anticancer repertoire.
Investigating condolence responses in English and Persian

This study intends to investigate condolence responses in Persian and English. The data collection instrument was movies. The movies were utilized to study the responses native speakers employ when someone offers condolences to them. Since there was no model of comparison, the researchers had to make one based on the nature of responses collected from movies. Seven categories of responses were recognized. The categories are: token of appreciation; expressing sorrow; sharing feeling; comment on the deceased; topic avoidance; self-blame statement; and divine comment. The Chi-square formula was then employed to find out whether there are any significant differences between the observed frequencies. The findings showed that Persian responses are more celestial and collectivist in nature while English condolence responses are more terrestrial and individualistic. Finally, the results were discussed and some suggestions were made.
Seed removal by ants in Brazilian savanna: optimizing fieldwork

There has been an increase in the number of studies using seed removal by ants to evaluate ecosystem functioning; however, these studies encompassed varying time periods and used different types of seeds. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate differences in the proportion of seeds removed by ants in impacted and non-impacted sites in Brazilian savanna. Furthermore, we evaluated seed removal (1) during the morning and after a 24h period of seed exposure and (2) using natural and artificial seeds (manipulated resource to resemble natural seeds). The proportion of seeds removed was higher after the 24h exposure period (artificial seeds) regardless of site status, and more artificial seeds were removed than natural seeds. Our recommendations regarding sampling period depend on whether evaluating impacted or non-impacted sites. Although seed removal was greater after 24h in both impacted and non-impacted sites, we suggest that research evaluating the proportion of seeds removed in non-impacted sites should be performed only in the morning period to optimize the sampling time (removal of 60% during this period). When the aim is to compare non-impacted and impacted sites, we suggest evaluating after 24h of exposure, since the impacted sites experienced a higher proportion of seed removal during the afternoon and/or night time periods. Furthermore, we recommend the use of artificial seeds because they are easier to obtain and manipulate, and allow us to do comparisons between studies at different regions. We consider these findings an important first step towards standardizing future research on seed removal in Brazilian savannas by facilitating fieldwork and allowing comparisons to be made among different studies.
Investigation of Subgrid-Scale Mixing and Turbulence-Chemistry Interaction in Turbulent Partially Premixed Flames

Abstract : This research project focused on issues met in using large-eddy simulation (LES) to predict turbulent nonpremixed/partially premixed combustion. In LES of such flames the subgrid-scale (SGS) scalar mixing and the resulting subgrid-scale scalar distributions must be faithfully represented. In this research the mixture fraction filtered mass density function (FMDF) of mixture fraction, temperature, and species mass fractions, the conditionally filtered dissipation rates and the conditionally filtered diffusion were studied experimentally using data from Sandia flames. The results show that the subgrid-scale mixture fraction has two limiting mixing regimes, which have strong effects on the flame structure. For the well mixed regimes the scalar diffusion had a simple structure whereas for the poorly mixed regime the diffusion structure was more complex, with the reaction and the spatial structure playing important roles. The results in the present study suggest that it is important for combustion models to predict accurately both distributed reaction zones and flamelets. Specifically, mixing models need to be able to account for the different SGS mixing structures.
Exploring the Dynamics of Customer Value in Cross-Cultural Business Relationships

Purpose – A recent development in customer value research is building theory that can help the field go beyond understanding what customers currently value to exploring how customers’ perceptions of value change. This paper seeks to extend this emerging theory of customer value change to a global context by conceptually exploring the role of national culture as a key moderator of this phenomenon.Design/methodology/approach – The literature examining the role of national culture in business is reviewed for insights pertaining to buyers’ tendencies for change in general and for clues suggesting how customers’ embedded values in various cultural contexts might undergo value change in systematically different ways. Specifically, this paper employs Hofstede’s cultural framework to explore how the lens of national culture might influence the value change process.Findings – Based on this integrative review, several links between the cultural dimensions in Hofstede’s framework and value change theory are found to be supported by the literature. These connections suggest a moderating role for national culture, given the tendency for cultural factors to shape buyers’ interpretation of environmental change drivers and their resulting feelings of tension which research shows are closely associated with customers’ desired value changes from suppliers.Originality/value – This paper offers several theoretical propositions and conceptual models for future empirical validation. These new insights into an emerging theory of customer value change can provide the building-blocks for a number of future research directions designed to help managers exercise strategic foresight for changing global markets.
The Influential Factors of Strategic Thinking at the Organizational Level

Competition was previously defined based on time, space and resources, but it is increasingly determined as the quality of strategic thinking in terms of opportunities, core competencies and capabilities. Strategic thinking can be used in any organization seeking to gain a competitive edge. With a focus on improvement, often through creativity and innovation, strategic thinking builds a vision for an organization’s future prior to the linear process of developing a strategic plan. This research was conducted to identify the factors that influence strategic thinking at the organizational level. Vital data were gathered through questionnaire by the sample of 150 respondent from the population of 270 top and mid-level managers of Shiraz municipality. Questionnaire validity was achieved by factor analysis and professor’s opinion and it’s reliability that counted by way of alpha cronbakh was evaluated 0.71. The results of empirical analysis provide evidence that the attitude of ﬁrm’s management toward risk taking,the CEO's emphasis on strategic thinking, interdepartmental teams in the organization,reward systems and marketing and technological competency foster strategic thinking, in contrast, formalization and centralization in the organizational structure impede it. The results also show that market and technological turbulence foster strategic thinking at the organizational level. Keywords: Strategic thinking , Organizational culture, Organizational structure, Competencies , Market turbulence
Use of Misoprostol in Missed Abortion – A Double Edged Sword in Anemia Prevailing Countries

Objective: To identify the efficacy of oral misoprostol (600 μg) for the management of missed abortion. Method: A prospective study was conducted at the Gynecology Department of Muhammad Medical College Hospital (MMCH) over a period of two year from January, 2013 till December 2014. Eligible women satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited after written informed consent and given 600 μg of misoprostol orally at six hour interval, with a maximum of 4 doses. Patients were monitored for 24 hours following complete abortion or surgical evacuation and then discharged. The primary outcome of the study was defined as Success (non surgical evacuation of product of conception) or Failure (excessive bleeding with retained product of conception where surgical evacuation was performed). Associated adverse events were also recorded. The data was analysed using SPSS version 21 (IBM, Chicago, IL). Result: Among four hundred and eighty five participants, success in abortion with Misoprostol was observed in 157 (32.4%) of patients with majority (92.4%) success being achieved with two doses. Women where failure was documented, excessive bleeding (61%) was most prevalent followed by incomplete abortion (36%). The most common side effects observed were severe bleeding (41.1%), cramping/ abdominal pain (16.4%), increased bleeding (13.8%) and nausea/ vomiting (8.8%). Conclusion: High failure rate and increased bleeding with the use of 600 μg of oral misoprostol for missed abortion was identified thus should only be a consideration for prescription to patients once admitted in hospital settings.
Stock Option Compensation and Managerial Turnover Raluca

Stock options as part of executive compensation have increased dramatically over the last few years. One frequently mentioned reason for awarding stock options to managers (other than aligning managerial incentives with those of shareholders) is that options can be used as a device to retain valuable CEOs. Because options granted to CEOs have a typical three-or four-year vesting period, they can reduce voluntary executive turnover by increasing the cost to the CEO of leaving the firm. The monetary cost to the CEO of leaving a firm includes both the lost value of the unvested portion of stock options and the lost value of vested stock that may have increased over time. The last component represents the time value of unexercised options that accounts for the probability of increase in the share price. On the other side, the decision of awarding stock options belongs to the company’s board of directors. Their intentions regarding the manager of the
Challenges to the efficacy of forestry and wildlife policies in Ghana for environmental protection: A review

Despite the promulgation of various forest and wildlife policies aimed at ensuring the sustainability and conservation of the environment since 1874, Ghana continues to trail in issues regarding environmental control, especially in mitigating the upfront menace of deforestation and pollution of the environment. The desk review study, driven by qualitative research approach with document analysis, was undertaken to unearth the recurring challenges that have been the obstacles to achieving sustainability and conservation of the Ghanaian environment and resources. The study revealed that the main recurring challenges to the sustainability of Ghana’s forest and wildlife policies are lack of stakeholder participation of local people, factorization of cultural practices, strong implementation strategies, proper documentation for equitable distribution of resources to the local people, and provision of sustainable alternative sources of livelihood for local residents. The study suggested pragmatic ways through which conservation planners could ensure the sustainability of Ghana’s forest and wildlife policies for optimum environmental protection. Key words: Environmental sustainability, ecosystem conservation, biodiversity, wildlife, policies.
Numerical Quenching solutions of Localized Semilinear Parabolic Equation with a Variable Reaction

This paper concerns the study of the numerical approximation for the following initial-boundary value problem: ut(x; t) = uxx(x; t) + E(1 - u(0; t))-p; (x; t) 2 (-l; l) x (0; T), u(-l; t) = 0; u(l; t) = 0; t in (0; T), u(x; 0) = u0(x) >= 0; x in (-l; l), where p > 1, l = 1/2 and E > 0. Under some assumptions, we prove that the solution of a semidiscrete form of the above problem quenches in a nite time and estimate its semidiscrete quenching time. We also show that the semidiscrete quenching time in certain cases converges to the real one when the mesh size tends to zero. Finally,we give some numerical experiments to illustrate our analysis.
Impacts of Monetary Policy on Inflation in Bangladesh

The objective of this paper is to analyze and discuss the impacts of monetary policy on Bangladesh inflation, identify the major drawbacks of the policies in minimizing the inflation rate and suggest policy recommendations on some key issues of Bangladesh inflation. To estimate the effects of the monetary policy in Bangladesh, at first the impact of different monetary policy tools used by the ―Central Banks‖ of the developed countries have been reviewed. Next, the impact of the monetary policy of Bangladesh Bank and government have been analyzed for which the data on money supply, growth of the GDP, changes in the price level, and changes in the unemployment rate have been quantitatively analyzed. We mainly used Consumer Price Index to determine the level on inflation in Bangladesh. Moreover, our study focuses on data collected from the 1950-2012, mainly focusing our study from the period of 2000-2012 as major transitions have been observed in the economy during the 12 years. We have further analyzed whether there is any correlation between (i) inflation rates and money supply, and (ii) inflation rates and growth of GDP. On the basis of the outcome of the qualitative and quantitative analysis, in the end findings and conclusion have been drawn. We have found the correlation, the impacts of monetary policy and inflation, their drawbacks and possible solutions such as independence of the monetary policy from the fiscal policy and enhancing the transparency, communication and signaling effect of policy moves, keeping the broad money in line with the estimated real GDP growth, borrowing from non-bank sources, and control money supply through various open market operations. Due to lack of access to sufficient data, some of our work is based on hypothesis and models. So some data vary according to the model being used. Lastly, even though, many works have been done from the perspective of developed and other developing countries, much work has not been carried out to establish the relationship between monetary policy and inflation in Bangladesh.
Midlatitude–Equatorial Dynamics of a Grounded Deep Western Boundary Current. Part II: Cross-Equatorial Dynamics

AbstractThis is Part II of a two-part theoretical study into the midlatitude–cross-equatorial dynamics of a deep western boundary current (DWBC) in an idealized meridionally aligned, differentially rotating ocean basin with zonally varying parabolic bottom topography. Part I determined the midlatitude flow across the planetary vorticity gradient and the dynamics of the DWBC as it begins to enter the equatorial region in the “intermediate equatorial region. ” Part II determines the nonlinear dynamics of the DWBC as it flows across the basin along the equator in the “inner equatorial region. ” The large-scale structure of the flow within the inner equatorial region corresponds to a zonally aligned nonlinear stationary planetary wave pattern that meanders about the equator in which the flow exits the equatorial region on the eastern side of the basin. In addition to numerically determining the pathlines for the large-scale equatorial flow, an approximate nonlinear model is introduced for which an analytical so.
Retrospective study of cases of rupture uterus at tertiary care center in Egypt

Background: Uterine rupture (UR)is one of the most serious obstetrical emergencies necessitating prompt diagnosis and management, as it en-dangers the maternal and fetal life. Uterine rupture (scarred/ unscarred) may occur at any stage of pregnancy. In developed countries, with good antenatal care and good supervision during labour, (UR) has become rare except by dehiscence of a caesarean scar. The objective of present study was to find out risk factors, management, related complications and associated maternal and fetal outcomes with rupture uterus.Methods: A retrospective study, data files and the case notes was retrieved from the medical records department at Aswan university hospital from January 1 2013 to December 31 2013 in the form of data relating to the age, parity, gestational age, method of termination, perinatal outcomes, and related maternal complications.Results: There were 4284 deliveries during the period under review among them 5 cases of uterine rupture. Thus, the incidence of uterine rupture was 1.1/1000 deliveries.3 cases (60%) of them had no antenatal care at any hospital or primary care center. The risk factors in these cases are in majority 4 (80%) of cases uterine rupture occurred in women with previous scar, 1case (20%) of cases uterine rupture occurred in women with none scarred uterus. As regard surgical management 3 cases (60%) managed by hysterectomy and 2cases (40%) managed by repair. As regard maternal and fetal outcome all women required blood transfusion. Associated bladder rupture was repaired in two cases (40%). After excluding fetal wastage before the age of viability, perinatal mortality was 100% (5/5). Conclusions: Present retrospective analytical study has concluded that rupture uterus is a life-threatening complication. Proper antenatal and intrapartum care, identification of high risk factors, promotion of skilled attendance at birth and institutional delivery are key factors in reduction and early diagnosis.
Growth and yield performance of soybean with the application of Bradyrhyzobium inoculant via furrow and seed Crescimento e desempenho produtivo de plantas de soja em função da aplicação de inoculante via sulco e em semente

Given the high costs of agricultural production, especially due to the price of fertilisers, particularly nitrogen, the use of inoculants to supply nitrogen to soybean crops is a widely recommended practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of applying inoculants through seed and planting furrow in soil previously cultivated with soybean and Brazilian native “cerrado” biome soil under greenhouse conditions. Seven treatments were tested: 1) inoculation via seed (inoculant + fungicide + micronutrient), 2) treatment via seed (fungicide + micronutrient), 3) control (only seed), 4) inoculation via furrow-dose 1 (recommended dose), 5) inoculation via furrow-dose 2 (twice the recommended dose), 6) inoculation via furrow-dose 3 (three times the recommended dose) and 7) inoculation via furrow-dose 1 + seed inoculation. We evaluated plant height, fresh and dry matter weight of the aerial part and nodules, number of total, viable and non-viable nodules, number of pods per plant and grain yield. Inoculation was more effective when used in cerrado soil, but soybean performance in treatments without inoculation was higher in previously cultivated soil. Application through furrow proved to be a viable practice due to the similarity of the results obtained with the traditional application by seed.