Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the sustainability of small farmer natural resource management systems. A critical analysis of the MESMIS program (1995-2010)

Sustainability assessment oriented to improve current systems and practices is urgently needed, particularly in the context of small farmer natural resource management systems (NRMS). Unfortunately, social-ecological systems (SES) theory, sustainability evaluation frameworks, and assessment methods are still foreign not only to farmers but to many researchers, students, NGOs, policy makers/operators, and other interested groups. In this paper we examine the main achievements and challenges of the MESMIS Program (Spanish acronym for Indicator-based Sustainability Assessment Framework), a 15-year ongoing effort with impact in 60 case studies and 20 undergraduate and graduate programs mainly in Ibero-America that is attempting to cope with the stated challenges. The MESMIS experience shows that it is possible to conduct sustainability assessments in the context of small farmers through a long-term, participatory, interdisciplinary, and multi-institutional approach that integrates a solid theoretical background, a field-tested operational framework, learning tools specifically devised to facilitate the understanding of sustainability as a multidimensional and dynamic concept, and a growing set of case studies to apply to and get feedback from users. Specifically, through the dissemination of the MESMIS assessment framework in a large set of case studies in a contrasting set of social-ecological contexts, we have been able to: (a) characterize the NRMS, their subsystems, and their main interactions; (b) link attributes, i.e., general systemic properties, with sustainability indicators to assess critical socioeconomic and environmental aspects of the NRMS; (c) integrate indicators through multicriteria tools and to expose the multidimensional aspects of sustainability; (d) propose an initial multiscale assessment to articulate processes and actors at different spatial scales; (e) develop multimedia learning tools, i.e., Interactive-MESMIS, to help users understand dynamic concepts, trade-offs, and counter-intuitive behavior; and (f) promote participatory processes through role-playing games and agent-based simulation models. Key challenges are related to the need to conduct long-term longitudinal studies that fully capture system dynamic properties while at the same time actively involving relevant stakeholders through creative and lasting participative processes. We outline an improved assessment framework that should help move the program in this direction.
Differences in omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids composition among Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) families

Fish and seafood are considered as the main sources of highly unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids in the human diet and has lots of health beneficial advantages. However, due to the shortage of fish oil in the aqua-feed and replacement of fish oil with plant oil in fish diet, the n-3 content has been decreased in farmed fish. Nowadays, by improving diet formulations and also genetic selection of fish with high content of both eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, the industry tries to improve n-3 content in Atlantic salmon. The genes which are involved in the biosynthesis of the very long chain fatty acids in Atlantic salmon are regulated by fatty acids in the diet. And omega-3 composition in salmon has in a previous study been found out to be a heritable trait. The aim of this study was to find out if variation exists in the composition of omega-3 fatty acids in different salmon families from a Norwegian breeding company. Salmon from 10 families, fed the same diet with high concentration of vegetable oil, were selected in October 2012, 10 fish from each family, and the muscle fatty acid composition analyzed. The mean percentage of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n-3, EPA) varied from 2,7 to 3,3 %, the mean percentage of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3, DHA) varied from 3,9 to 4,9 %, and statistically significant differences were observed among the families. Hardly any significant differences were found between gender, and the content of total fat was not statistically different between families.
Application of income valuation methods: value spread vs. net income

The issues preceding the process of company valuation via income valuation methods are explored in this paper. Income valuation methods are applicable only if particular requirements are fulfilled. The fulfilment of some of these requirements can be verified by the application of two selected variables: the value spread and the net income. The aim in this paper is to examine the dependence between these two variables in Czech agricultural companies using the chi-square test of independence. Based on empirical tests, it is proved that there is slightly positive dependence between these variables and that the value spread and net income are appropriate for the identification of suitable companies for the application of income valuation methods.
Seasonally contrasting responses of evapotranspiration to warming and elevated CO2 in a semiarid grassland

Global climate change is expected to alter seasonal patterns and rates of evapotranspiration in dry regions. Although climate change will involve elevated CO2 and increased temperatures, independently, these factors may have different impacts on actual evapotranspiration (AET) due to their opposing effects on transpiration. We used canopy gas exchange chambers to quantify AET in a semiarid grassland experimentally altered by elevated CO2 and warming over 3 years with contrasting ambient precipitation. Seasonal and interannual variations in AET due to background climate variability were larger than the effects of climate manipulation treatments. However, in a year with average precipitation, cumulative growing season AET was suppressed by warming by 23%. Across years, warming increased AET early in the growing season and suppressed it later in the growing season. By contrast, elevated CO2 suppressed AET early in the growing season and enhanced it later, but only in years with average or above‐average precipitation. Vegetation greenness (a proxy for photosynthetically active leaf area) was consistently the strongest predictor of AET, whereas soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit were secondary drivers. Our research demonstrates that effects of increased atmospheric CO2 and temperature on AET will be mediated by plant phenological development and seasonal climatic conditions.
The coevolution of building nests on the ground and domed nests in Timaliidae

ABSTRACT Despite the accumulation of structural descriptions of bird nests and considerable diversity in these structures across species, we know little about why birds build the nests that they do. Here we used phylogenetic comparative analyses to test one suggested explanation, specifically for Old World babblers (Timaliidae): that building a domed nest coevolved with building a nest on the ground. We show that babblers that build domed nests build them at a lower height than do babblers that build cup-shaped nests, and that in this radiation the evolution of domed nests depended on the transition to building a nest on the ground. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that babblers add a roof to the nest in order to confer protection against increased predation risk on the ground. We believe that this is the first formal identification of evolutionary pathways that have led to the diversity in nest structure and location that we see today.
Colonisation by midges (Chironomidae, Diptera) of recently-created shallow ponds: implications for the restoration of lacustrine fringing wetlands

As part of a wetland conservation programme for the Southern shore of lake Neuchatel (Western Switzerland), an experiment was started in 1993 to slow down the terrestrialization of the wetland. Sediments were removed in a reed-belt adjacent to an existing pond, at three different depths (0.20, 0.30 and 0.40 m), thus creating a new shallow pond. The colonisation by aquatic vegetation and invertebrates was monitored during three years (1994-1996) to evaluate the effect of the creation of a new pond on the chironomid di- versity and abundance through time. Chironomids (78 taxa) were among the most diverse group colonising this fringing wetland. Significant differences in abundance were found between the reed-belt and the pond habitats (existing and recently created ponds). As expected, the latter was more productive, especially during the first two years of colonization. However, the chironomid diversity in the newly created pond, measured by the rarefied richness, was intermediate between the reed-belt (low diversity) and the pre-existing pond. Ordination of the sites on the basis of their chironomid assemblages confirmed this trend. The depth at which the sediment was scrapped off, had no major influence upon the chironomid assemblages. Finally, within the three years after creation of open water habitats, the production of chironomids and consequently their avail- ability for dabbling ducks and wetland birds, were enhanced. However, this time was not enough for the chironomid community to reach the diversity of the pre-existing pond, to which it is connected. The creation of shallow ponds seemed to be crucial to slow down terrestrialization processes in this lacustrine wetland and to have only slight effects on the chironomid communities.
ACE2- Ang 1-7-MAS Axis in Human Diabetic Nephropathy

The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)- angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang (1-7)]-MAS receptor (MAS) axis might act as a counter-regulatory system against the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)- angiotensin II (Ang II)-AT1 receptor (AT1) axis. We studied renal ACE/ACE2-Ang 1-7-MAS expression in human diabetic nephropathy. The subjects were 17 diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients, 17 healthy kidney donors, and 11 minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) patients as disease controls. Double immunofluorescent staining of kidney sections for ACE and ACE2, Ang 1-7 and ACE2, or MAS and ACE2 was performed, and the results were observed by confocal microscopy. For MAS, immunostaining, in situ hybridization, and RT-PCR were also performed. The percentage area that was positively immunostained for MAS and the intensity of the staining were evaluated by computerized imaging analysis. The median serum creatinine values of the DN patients, MCNS patients, and controls were 1.1 mg/dl, 0.8 mg/dl, and 0.8 mg/dl, respectively, and the median proteinuria values of the DN and MCNS patients were 3.7 g/day and 6.8 g/day, respectively. ACE2 was mainly detected in the proximal tubules, but was also found in the glomeruli in all subjects. ACE2 co-localized with ACE, Ang 1-7, and MAS in the proximal tubules. Compared with the other specimens, the diabetic patients’ proximal tubules displayed increased ACE and decreased ACE2 expression. Tubular Ang 1-7expression was downregulated in the DN patients compared with the controls and MCNS patients. Tubular MAS expression (density/pixel) was significantly (P<0.001) downregulated in the DN patients [7.33 (6.26-9.68)] compared with the controls [24.51 (18.06-34.56)] and MCNS patients [23.75 (20.11-25.52)]. Conclusions: The tubular ACE2-Ang 1-7-MAS axis is downregulated in human diabetic nephropathy patients compared with healthy controls and MCNS patients
Explaining the relationship between job insecurity and creativity

Purpose Despite a large body of literature on the negative consequences of job insecurity, one outcome – job creativity – has received relatively scant attention. While initial studies established a relationship between job insecurity and creativity, the explanatory mechanisms for this relationship have yet to be fully explored. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Using threat-rigidity theory and broaden-and-build theory as a conceptual foundation, the authors implemented a two-country temporally lagged research design (the USA (n = 390); China (n = 346)) to test two potential mediating mechanisms – cognitive failures and positive job-related affect – as explanatory variables between quantitative and qualitative forms of job insecurity and self- and other-rated measures of creative performance. Findings Results from both countries suggest that job-related affective well-being and employee cognitive failures both explained the relationship between job insecurity and creative performance. However, affective well-being was a better explanatory variable for the relation between job insecurity and self-rated creative performance, whereas cognitive failures better accounted for the relationship between job insecurity and performance on an idea generation task. Research limitations/implications The authors discuss the implications of these findings from measurement, theoretical and practical perspectives. Originality/value The authors extend prior research on the relationship between job insecurity and creativity by: considering both quantitative and qualitative job insecurity, examining their relationships with both self- and other-rated assessments of creative job performance, and testing cognitive and affective mediating mechanisms explaining these relationships.
Stothart, G., & Kazanina, N. (2016). Auditory perception in the ageing brain: the role of inhibition and facilitation in early processing. Neurobiology of Aging, 47, 23-34. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.06.022

Aging affects the interplay between peripheral and cortical auditory processing. Previous studies have demonstrated that older adults are less able to regulate afferent sensory information and are more sensitive to distracting information. Using auditory event-related potentials we investigated the role of cortical inhibition on auditory and audiovisual processing in younger and older adults. Across puretone, auditory and audiovisual speech paradigms older adults showed a consistent pattern of inhibitory deficits, manifested as increased P50 and/or N1 amplitudes and an absent or significantly reduced N2. Older adults were still able to use congruent visual articulatory information to aid auditory processing but appeared to require greater neural effort to resolve conflicts generated by incongruent visual information. In combination, the results provide support for the Inhibitory Deficit Hypothesis of aging. They extend previous findings into the audiovisual domain and highlight older adults’ ability to benefit from congruent visual information during speech processing. 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Feeding methods, visual fields and vigilance in dabbling ducks (Anatidae)

Summary 1. Visual fields were determined in two species of dabbling ducks (Anatini): Shoveler Anas clypeata L. (planktivore whose foraging is guided mainly by tactile cues) and Wigeon A. penelope L. (herbivore whose foraging is guided mainly by visual cues). 2. The binocular fields of Shoveler and Wigeon are of similar maximum width (20°), but they differ in their position and vertical extent. The bill of the Shoveler lies in the very periphery of its frontal binocular field, which extends through 220° thus providing comprehensive visual coverage about the head. In Wigeon the bill is positioned more centrally in the frontal binocular field, which extends through 150° and results in the birds having a narrow blind area behind the head. 3. The vigilance behaviour of Shoveler and Wigeon when foraging simultaneously was studied using a focal observation procedure at sites where the two species winter in sympatry. Focal Wigeon almost only fed by grazing. Only Shoveler feeding by dabbling (filtering the first centimetres of water) were used in the analyses. Wigeon spent significantly more time in head-up vigilance than Shoveler (F1,75 = 14·70, P = 0·0003). 4. It is proposed that this interspecific difference in the proportion of time spent in vigilance behaviour may be an adaptive response to differences in the visual field topography of these species, particularly with respect to the presence/absence of a blind area to the rear of the head. 5. The ability of foragers to combine part of their vigilance behaviour with head-down feeding has recently been recognized as influencing the trade-offs related to vigilance while foraging. This study shows that this ability may vary significantly between species, even within the same genus, and that these variations are likely to be due to contrasted visual fields, themselves related to the type of feeding techniques employed by the different duck species.
Fitness Profiling in Women's Lacrosse: Physical and Physiological Characteristics of Athletes and Assessment of Positional Differences

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF TABLES v INTRODUCTION 1 Women’s Lacrosse as a Growing Sport 1 Athletic Demands of Lacrosse 1 The Need for Physiological Profiles 2 Positions in Lacrosse 2 Purpose 2 Primary Hypothesis 3 Secondary Hypotheses 3 Definition of Terms 3 Limitations and Assumptions 4 Delimitations 5 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6 Purpose and Benefits of Physiological Profiles 6 Physiological Profiles of Lacrosse Athletes 7 Physiological Profiles of Soccer Athletes By Position 9 Positional Examination of Workload in Sports 10 Other Predictors for Success in Sports 11 Physiological Characteristics Chosen For Testing 12 Anthropometric Measures 12 Maximal Aerobic Capacity 13 Muscular Endurance 15 Grip Strength 15 Flexibility 16 Vertical Jump 16 Anaerobic Speed Endurance 17 Agility 18
Vertical drain consolidation with non-Darcian flow and void ratio dependent compressibility and permeability

Vertical drains increase the rate of consolidation in soft soils by facilitating faster dissipation of excess pore water pressure through short, horizontal drainage paths. This paper presents an analytical solution for non-linear radial consolidation under equal-strain conditions incorporating smear but ignoring well resistance. Three aspects of non-linearity are considered: (a) non-Darcian flow, (b) a log-linear void-ratio–stress relationship; and (b) a log-linear void-ratio–permeability relationship. The analytical solution to non-linear radial consolidation can explicitly capture the behaviour of both overconsolidated and normally consolidated soils. For non-linear material properties, consolidation may be faster or slower when compared with the cases with constant material properties. The difference depends on the compressibility/permeability ratios (Cc/Ck and Cr/Ck), the preconsolidation pressure and the stress increase. If Cc/Ck < 1 or Cr/Ck < 1 then the coefficient of consolidation increases as exc.
Young writers’ construction of agency

This paper considers young learners’ construction of agency in the context of classroom writing lessons. It draws on data from the Esmée Fairbairn-funded project, From Talk to Text: Using Talk to Support Writing, which investigated the relationship between talk and writing in early years classrooms. The paper reports on results from in-depth interviews with pairs of children in six classrooms in the south of England. It is argued that, although human beings have the ability to shape and influence their lives, this capacity is circumscribed by the context within which their activity is located. In order to examine human agency, it is necessary to explore the social contexts and cultural tools that shape the development of human ways of acting. Data presented here indicate a sense of agency in young writers’ classroom choices but raise questions about the efficacy of these choices.
Modelling the Drying Kinetics of Canola in Fluidised Bed Dryer

Canola, one of the new oil seeds in Iran, is investigated for drying in Batch fluidised beds. Experiments were conducted to assess the kinetics of drying in the temperature range of 30-100°C. The drying rate was found to increase significantly with increasing temperature. The drying rate was compared with various exponential time decay models and the model parameters were evaluated. The approximate diffusion and logarithmic models were found to match the experimental data very closely with the maximum Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) less than 0.02. Considering fewer differences in the model evaluation factors and friendly use, logarithmic model was recommended for modelling canola drying. The experimental data were also modelled using Fick's diffusion equation, the effective diffusivity coefficients having been found to be from 3 . 76 x 10 -11 m 2 /s to 8.46 x 10 -11 m 2 /s in the range of experimental data covered in the present study. For the process, the activation energy was calculated to be 11.03 kJ/mol assuming an Arrhenius type temperature reliance.
Use of Almond Shell Powder in Modification of the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard

This study evaluated the effects of almond shell powder content as an extender, as well as the effects of varying paraffin contents, temperature, and press time on the properties of medium-density fiberboard. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a five-level, four-variable central composite rotatable design was applied to evaluate the effects of independent variables on the modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bonding (IB), and thickness swelling (TS) of medium-density fiberboard. Mathematical model equations were derived from computer simulation programming to optimize the properties of the panels. These equations, which are second-order response functions representing MOR, IB, and TS, were expressed as functions of four operating parameters of panel properties. Predicted values were found to be in agreement with experimental values (R2 values of 0.93, 0.90, and 0.90 for MOR, IB, and TS, respectively). The study showed that RSM can be efficiently applied in modeling fiberboard properties. It was found that almond shell powder maintained the MOR, IB, and TS at desirable levels up to 10.6% as an extender in the resin. Using 1.7% paraffin as a sizing agent, a press temperature of 158 °C, and a duration of 6.43 min had the highest impact on the improvement of the studied properties of medium-density fiberboard.
COMPUTER-ASSISTED CLASSES ON MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY OF NEUROLEPTICS

The purpose of this study is elaboration of computer-assisted classes for pharmacy students on medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology of neuroleptics and gathering of students’ feedback on such a didactic approach. The neuroleptics or antypsychotics are a group of drugs used for the treatment of psychosis, in particular in schizophrenia and the manic phase of bipolar disorder. According to the chemical classification, the following main groups of neuroleptics can be distinguished: tricyclic neuroleptics (phenothiazine, thioxanthene and dibenzoepine derivatives), derivatives of buthyrophenone, diphenylbutylpiperidine, indole and benzamide. Pharmacologically they can be divided into typical and atypical, taking into account the ratio of their affinity to the dopamine D2 and the serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. The presented computer-assisted classes were designed by taking into account the common problems which many students encounter when they learn medicinal chemistry.The classes make use of free software and freely available web services only and consist of the following steps:(1) molecular modeling of selected neuroleptics on the level of semi-empirical AM1 method with VegaZZ;(2) discussion of the structural features of neuroleptics that affects their pharmacological profile;(3) homology modeling of dopamine D2 receptor with SWISS-MODEL;(4) molecular docking of selected neuroleptics to the models of dopamine D2 receptor with PatchDock. The classes were highly approved by students and may be utilized in education of pharmacy and chemistry but also biology and medicine students.