Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of the overstorey and species richness in Australian heathlands

We studied the impact of overstorey shrubs on under storey richness in three study areas in south-western Australian heathlands. In unburnt heathlands, understorey richness varied inversely with shade cast by the overstorey and was greatest in open sites with no overstorey. Burning increased species richness by as much as 50%. In post-burn sites, understorey richness relative to open sites was significantly lower under sprouting shrubs than under the skeletons of non-sprouters. Sprouters had half the number of species of open sites whereas non-sprouters had the same, or slightly more species at the southern and northern sandplain heath site. However, in burnt Banksia woodlands near Perth, understorey richness was significantly reduced relative to open sites. Understorey composition differed among open sprouter and non-sprouter sites with most species preferring open and non-sprouter sites. We develop a simple model to explore factors influencing understorey diversity. The model predicts that the magnitude and sign of overstorey effects on understorey diversity is strongly influenced by the proportion of species with dormant propagules, since they can survive shading by transient canopies, and by the strength of competitive interactions in the understorey assemblage. We conclude that understorey/overstorey interactions are important for conservation management of these heathlands, and perhaps other vegetation types. However an overstorey may suppress or promote understorey richness, depending on local species traits, and management of overstorey shrubs should vary accordingly.
First Results of Passive Radar Imaging and Tracking Using Geostationary Satellites

The use of geostationary satellites for applications in the field of radar imaging has been discussed by different research institutes recently. This paper shows the realization of a low cost passive radar system used in a stationary configuration utilizing the telecommunication satellites Astra 1N and Intelsat 12 as radar source for the first experiments. To demonstrate the potential of this technique two scenarios have been considered. The first experiment is used for evaluating the sensitivity of the system for tracking of small vehicles. The second experiment exploiting the transmitter’s movement for imaging, evaluating the potential of the used configuration for SAR applications.
GDGT distributions in the East Siberian Sea: implications for organic carbon export, burial and degradation

1School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, UK 2School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, UK 3Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES) and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Sweden 4Pacific Oceanological Institute Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia 5International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, USA 6National Tomsk Research Polytechnic University, Russia
IS CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX A SUITABLE PREDICTOR OF FUTURE ECONOMIC GROWTH? AN EVIDENCE FROM THE USA

The problem of the prediction of business cycles, and economic recessions in particular, belongs among the most important topics of contemporary macroeconomics. However, economists were not considerably successful when dealing with the recession forecasting so far, notably, the Great Recession of the late 2000s and early 2010s emerged rather surprisingly. The aim of this paper is to examine the statistical relationship (in terms of Granger causality) between the Consumer Con ﬁ dence Index (CCI) and real GDP growth in the USA from 1960 to 2015 in order to ﬁ nd whether the CCI can be a suitable predictor of the economic growth, or economic recessions respectively. Also the short-term dynamics of four periods covering US economic recessions (1967-1978, 1975-1985, 1995-2005, and 2005-2015) was examined. The main results are that the CCI Granger causes GDP in the long-run, with the lag of 6 months. As for shorter periods, the CCI Granger caused GDP in three out of four examined periods, including the Great Recession (with the lag of 3 months), and only for the so called dot-com bubble period Granger causality was reversed, with GDP causing the CCI with the lag of 6 months. These results indicate that the CCI can be considered a suitable predictor of GDP at least for the USA, but more complex and broader study, including other major economics such as the European Union, Germany, or Japan, is certainly needed.
Determinants of Public Health Outcomes: A Macroeconomic Perspective

This paper investigates the nature of the aggregate production function of health services. We build a model to analyze the role of public policy in determining social health outcomes, taking into account households choices concerning education, health related expenditures and saving. In the model, education has a positive external effect on health outcomes. Next, we perform an empirical analysis using a data set covering 80 countries from 1961 to 1995. We find strong evidence for a dual role of education as a determinant of health outcomes. In particular, we find that society’s tertiary education attainment levels contribute positively to how many years an individual should expect to live, in addition to the role that basic education plays for life expectancy at the individual household level. This finding uncovers a key externality of the educational sector on the ability of society to take advantage of best practices in the health service sector.
RACETRACK NON-SCALING FFAG FOR MUON ACCELERATION

The non-scaling Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) machines have very strong focusing, large momentum acceptance, small both dispersion and betatron functions. This report is a study of using a compact non-scaling FFAG in combination with the superconducting linac to accelerate the muons. The drift space between two kinds of combined function magnets in the previous non-scaling FFAG is removed. The time of flight in the non-scaling FFAG has a parabolic dependence on momentum. The large energy acceptance of the machine requires matching between the linac and the non-scaling FFAG arcs for both the betatron and dispersion functions over the entire energy range.
Performance of beef cattle bulls in feed lots and fed on diets containing enzymatic complex

Current paper evaluates the performance of confined beef cattle supplemented with amylolytic enzyme complex produced by fungus Aspergillus awamori and a commercial product containing multienzyme complex, yeast and MOS. Treatments comprised control (basal diet composed of 16% Mombasa grass silage, 66% ground corn, 3% vitamin nuclear mineral and 15% cottonseed meal), amylase treatment (control diet with the addition of 48.7 saccharifying units kg -1 diet) and compound treatment (control diet with the addition of enzymatic complex composed of 83.2 saccharifying units, 8.8 fibrolytic units, 0.05 g of mannan oligosaccharides and 0.2 g of inactivated yeast Kg -1 of the dry matter diet). The addition of products did not significantly increase daily weight gain, intake, feed conversion and carcass yield of cattle. There was no difference between in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDMD) in the diets. The percentage of residual fecal starch was not influenced by exogenous amylolytic enzymes of amylase and compound treatments. The tested products were not able to improve animal performance.
Distributed ` 1-state-and-fault estimation for Multi-agent systems

In this paper, we propose a distributed state-andfault estimation scheme for multi-agent systems. The proposed estimator is based on an `1-norm optimization problem, which is inspired by sparse signal recovery in the field of compressive sampling. Two theoretical results are given to analyze the correctness of the proposed approach. First, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition such that state and fault signals are correctly estimated. The result presents a fundamental limitation of the algorithm, which shows how many faulty nodes are allowed to ensure a correct estimation. Second, we provide a sufficient condition for the estimation error of fault signals when numerical errors of solving the optimization problem are present. An illustrative example is given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
The Effect of Cooled EGR on Emissions and Performance of a Turbocharged HCCI Engine

This paper discusses the effects of cooled EGR on a turbo charged multi cylinder HCCI engine. A six cylinder, 12 liter, Scania D12 truck engine is modified for HCCI operation. It is fitted with port fuel injection of ethanol and n-heptane and cylinder pressure sensors for closed loop combustion control. The effects of EGR are studied in different operating regimes of the engine. During idle, low speed and no load, the focus is on the effects on combustion efficiency, emissions of unburned hydrocarbons and CO. At intermediate load, run without turbocharging to achieve a well defined experiment, combustion efficiency and emissions from incomplete combustion are still of interest. However the effect on NOX and the thermodynamic effect on thermal efficiency, from a different gas composition, are studied as well. At high load and boost pressure the main focus is NOX emissions and the ability to run high mean effective pressure without exceeding the physical constraints of the engine. In this case the effects of EGR on boost and combustion duration and phasing are of primary interest. It is shown that CO, HC and NOX emissions in most cases all improve with EGR compared to lean burn. Combustion efficiency, which is computed based on exhaust gas analysis, increases with EGR due to lower emissions of CO and HC.
A comparative examination of traditional and skill‐based pay plans

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make a comparative assessment of the relationship between types of pay plans and several workforce‐level outcomes in 214 organizations. The plans include pay that is skill‐based, job‐based, and market‐based. The types of workforce‐level outcomes include workforce flexibility, attitudes, membership behaviors, and productivity. The paper also assesses the relationship between the success of pay plans and workforce productivity/membership behaviors.Design/methodology/approach – Survey data from 214 organizations are used to test the hypothesized relationships using hierarchical regression analysis and partial least square techniques.Findings – Results support a significant and positive relationship between skill‐based pay plans, workforce flexibility, and workforce attitudes. Skill‐based pay plans, when compared with market‐based pay plans, are found to positively relate to workforce membership behaviors, and workforce attitudes mediate this relationship. Similarly, .
Component grouping for GT applications—a fuzzy clustering approach with validity measure

The variety of the currently available component grouping methodologies and algorithms provide a good theoretical basis for implementing GT principles in cellular manufacturing environments. However, the practical application of the grouping approaches can be further enhanced through extensions to the widely used grouping algorithms and the development of criteria for partitioning components into an ‘optimum’ number of groups. Extensions to the fuzzy clustering algorithm and a definition of a new validity measure are proposed in this paper. These are aimed at improving the practical applicability of the fuzzy clustering approach for family formation in cellular manufacturing environments. Component partitioning is based upon assessing the compactness of components within a group and overlapping between the component groups. The developed grouping methodology is experimentally demonstrated using an industrial case study and several well known component grouping examples from the published literature.
Antiphospholipid antibodies and single nucleotide polymorphisms in patients with venous ulcer in the population of Latvia

Background: Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) may lead to leg ulceration (CVI stage C6) (Nicolaides A.N. et al., 2000). Some authors published that genetic risk factors are observed more frequently in patients with CVI stage C6. Also, an increased level of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) is observed in patients with CVI stage C6. CVI stage C6 more frequently develops in CVI stage C3 patients with positive antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) when compared to CVI stage C3 patients without APA. Objective: To identify the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes F5 (rs6025), F2 (rs1799963), SELE (rs5361), SERPINC1 (rs2227589), FGG (rs20066865), CYP4V2 (rs13146272), F11 (rs2289252), GP6 (rs1613662) and APA antibodies with CVI stage in the population of Latvia. Methods: The study group consisted of 188 CVI patients. APA was detected in 89 CVI patients. The diagnostics of CVI was based on clinical and duplex ultrasound data (Philips Sparq, 2012). APA was detected using ELISA assay (according to the manufacturer’s protocol (Demeditec Diagnostics GmbH, Germany)). Statistical analysis was performed using Plink 1.06. Software and Fisher exact tests. Results: Polymorphism of gene F11 (rs2289252) showed an association with CVI stage C6 (OR=1.81 (p=0.024). A statistically significant elevation of APA was observed in patients with CVI stage C6 when compared to patients with CVI stage C3 (p=0.05). Conclusions: The polymorphism of gene F11 (rs2289252) and positive APA showed an association with CVI stage C6.
A nuclear magnetic resonance answer to the Boltzmann – Loschmidt controversy ?

A unique experimental tool to deepen into the Boltzmann–Loschmidt controversy is provided by the NMR polarization echoes (PE). These appear when a local spin excitation, evolving with a many-body “di usive” spin dynamics, is reversed. The attenuation of the PEs represents a progresive failure of the quantum interferences to rebuild the local excitation. Our results indicate that, in the absence of detectable environmental interactions, the characteristic time of this attenuation is determined by the reversible dynamics itself, i.e., spin–spin interaction time. This supports the Boltzmann’s hypothesis of molecular “chaos”. c © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 05.40. +j; 75.40. Gv; 76.60. Lz; 75.10. Jm
Effect of bars on the galaxy properties

Aims. With the aim of assessing the effects of bars on disk galaxy properties, we present an analysis of different characteristics of spiral galaxies with strong bars, weak bars and without bars. Methods. We identified barred galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). By visual inspection of SDSS images we classified the face-on spiral galaxies brighter than g Results. We found 522 strong-barred and 770 weak-barred galaxies; this represents a bar fraction of 25.82% with respect to the full sample of spiral galaxies, in good agreement with several previous studies. We also found that strong-barred galaxies show lower efficiency in star formation activity and older stellar populations (as derived with the D n (4000) spectral index) with respect to weak-barred and unbarred spirals from the control sample. In addition, there is a significant excess of strong-barred galaxies with red colors. The color-color and color–magnitude diagrams show that unbarred and weak-barred galaxies are more extended towards the blue zone, while strong-barred disk objects are mostly grouped in the red region. Strong-barred galaxies present an important excess of high metallicity values compared to unbarred and weak-barred disk objects, which show similar 12+log( O/H) distributions. Regarding the mass-metallicity relation, we found that weak-barred and unbarred galaxies are fitted by similar curves, while strong-barred ones show a curve that falls abruptly with more significance in the range of low stellar masses (log ( M ∗ / M ⊙ ) < 10.0). These results would indicate that prominent bars produced an accelerating effect on the gas processing, reflected in the significant changes in the physical properties of the host galaxies.
Effect of Exogenous Proline Application on Salinity Tolerance of Cordia myxa L. Seedlings. Effect on Vegetative and Physiological Characteristics.

The study was conducted in the growing season of 2010 at a private orchard at Bab El Zubair area, Basra, Iraq, during the period from March, 1 st , 2010 to December, 1 st , 2010, to study the role of the amino acid (Proline) in salt tolerance of Lasura ( Cordia myxa L.) seedlings (cv.Local). The experiment was designed according to Randomized Completely Block Design (R.C.B.D.) in a three factorial experiment of 27 treatments resulted from the interaction of : Three levels for the first factor (the concentrations of NaCl ( 0, 6 and 12 Ds. m -1 ), three levels for the second factor (the concentrations of the amino acid proline (0, 75 and 150 mg.L -1 ) and three replicates for each experimental unit. The results showed a significant decrease in most studied vegetative characteristics with increasing the salt concentrations, but an opposite impact occurred with increasing the proline concentrations. For physiological characteristics, the proline treatment (150 mg. L -1 ) was of a significant superiority and possessed the highest content of chlorophyll, free proline quantity and acidity percentage. While for the interaction among the levels of NaCl and proline, the interaction treatment (12 Ds. m -1 NaCl + 150 mg. L -1 proline) showed the highest increment in the main stem height and diameter, length and diameter of secondary branch, average of leaf area, total chlorophyll and true proline. Keywords: Cordia myxa , proline, salinity tolerance.
Variation of the root number in families of elliptic curves

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Screening for the potential probiotic yeast strains from raw milk to assimilate cholesterol

Consumption of dairy products containing probiotics with cholesterol-lowering activity has been proposed as a means to lower serum cholesterol. In the present work, 19 yeast strains, isolated from raw milk, were tested to obtain potential probiotic yeasts for assimilating cholesterol. During in vitro tests, 17 yeast strains were capable of growth in bile salt solutions, and most of the yeast strains tolerated low pH, surviving in gastric juice. Among the 19 strains assessed, Geotrichum sp. BY2 and Pichia kudriavzevii BY10 showed highest adhesive ability to HT-29 cells. All yeast strains were able to assimilate cholesterol in the range of 3.6–44.4% over a 72 h incubation, and seven of the yeast strains were significantly higher at assimilating cholesterol (P < 0.05). According to these results, the yeast strains P.fermentans BY5, P. kudriavzevii BY10, P. kudriavzevii BY15 and Yarrowia lipolytica HY4 may serve as potential probiotics to assimilate cholesterol in the human intestine.Abstract19 17 pH 19 Geotrichum sp. BY2 Pichia kudriavzevii BY10 T-29 72 h 3.6 44.4% 7 (P < 0.05) P. fermentans BY5 P. kudriavzevii BY10 P. kudriavzevii BY15 Yarrowia lipolytica HY4RésuméLa consommation de produits laitiers contenant des probiotiques ayant une activité hypo-cholestérolémiante a été proposée comme moyen d’abaisser le cholestérol sanguin. Dans la présente étude, 19 souches de levure isolées à partir de lait cru ont été testées comme probiotiques potentiels pour assimiler le cholestérol. Au cours des tests in vitro, 17 souches étaient capables de croissance dans des solutions de sels biliaires, et la plupart des souches tolérait bien les faibles pH, en survivant dans le jus gastrique. Parmi les 19 souches testées, Geotrichum sp. BY2 et Pichia kudriavzenii BY10 montraient la plus grande capacité d’adhésion aux cellules HT-29. Toutes les souches de levure étaient capables d’assimiler le cholestérol à hauteur de 3,6 à 44,4 % après une incubation de 72 h et 7 souches avaient des taux d’assimilation significativement plus élevés (P < 0,05). D’après ces résultats, les souches de levure Pichia fermentans BY5, P. kudriavzenii BY10, P. kudriavzenii BY15 et Yarrowia lipolytica HY4 pourraient être utilisées comme probiotiques potentiels pour assimiler le cholestérol au niveau de l’intestin chez l’Homme.
Bayesian inference for ultralow velocity zones in the Earth's lowermost mantle: Complex ULVZ beneath the east of the Philippines

Ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs) are small‐scale structures with a sharp decrease in S and P wave velocity, and an increase in the density on the top of the Earth's core‐mantle boundary. The ratio of S and P wave velocity reduction and density anomaly are important to understanding whether ULVZs consist of partial melt or chemically distinct material. However, existing methods such as forward waveform modeling that utilize 1‐D and 2‐D Earth‐structure models face challenges when trying to uniquely quantify ULVZ properties because of inherent nonuniqueness and nonlinearity. This paper develops a Bayesian inversion for ULVZ parameters and uncertainties with rigorous noise treatment to address these challenges. The posterior probability density of the ULVZ parameters (the solution to the inverse problem) is sampled by the Metropolis‐Hastings algorithm. To improve sampling efficiency, parallel tempering is applied by simulating a sequence of tempered Markov chains in parallel and allowing information exchange between chains. First, the Bayesian inversion is applied to simulated noisy data for a realistic ULVZ model. Then, measured data sampling the lowermost mantle under the Philippine Sea are considered. Cluster analysis and visual waveform inspection suggest that two distinct classes of ScP (S waves converted to, and reflected as, P waves) waves exist in this region. The distinct waves likely correspond to lateral variability in the lowermost mantle properties in a NE‐SW direction. For the NE area, Bayesian model selection identifies a two‐layer model with a gradual density increase as a function of depth as optimal. This complex ULVZ structure can be due to the percolation of iron‐enriched, molten material in the lowermost mantle. The results for the SW area are more difficult to interpret, which may be due to the limited number of data available (too few waveforms to appropriately reduce noise) and/or complex 2‐D and 3‐D structures that cannot be explained properly by the 1‐D models required by our inversion approach. In particular, the complex waveforms require highly layered 1‐D models to fit the data. These models appear physically unreasonable and suggest that the SW region cannot be explained by 1‐D structure.