Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forage Rye Improvement in the Southern United States: A Review

rye (Secale cereale L.) is an important crop worldwide for grain and forage production. Stocker cattle (Bos spp.) production in the southern United States relies on rye for forage from autumn to spring when warm-season perennials remain dormant. Because rye has high-stress tolerance with respect to both soil and environment, it fills a particular niche that spans the winter months for the region. rye forage yield has not improved over time, due in part to limited breeding effort. Many of the cultivars currently grown in the region were released as early as the 1950s. Similar to other forage crops, gains in forage yield have been small or nonexistent; therefore, an evaluation of the crop in relation to past and current breeding strategies could contribute to the future improvement of the crop. The objectives of this manuscript are to review the rye crop in relation to its cropping system, the genetic considerations for rye in relation to breeding, and past and current breeding efforts and selection processes and then to propose breeding methodologies for the improvement of rye with major focus on forage yield. Methods of selection that rely on family performance in multienvironment trials are recommended. With advancements in breeding methods, rye poses a unique opportunity among the forage crops to enable rapid cycling for development of improved cultivars. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, 2510 Sam Noble Pkwy. , Ardmore OK 73401. Received 24 May 2012. *Corresponding author (manewell@noble.org). Abbreviations: ADG, average daily gain; CMS, cytoplasmic male sterility; FSF, full-sib family; GRIN, Germplasm Resources Information Network; GS, genomic selection; GWAS, genome-wide association studies; HSF, half-sib family; LD, linkage disequilibrium; MAS, marker-assisted selection; MET, multienvironment trial; NPGS, National Plant Germplasm System; OPV, open-pollinated variety; QTL, quantitative trait loci; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism. Published in Crop Sci. 53:38–47 (2013). Freely available online through the author-supported open-access option. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2012.05. 0319 © Crop Science Society of America | 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission for printing and for reprinting the material contained herein has been obtained by the publisher. Published November 26, 2012
Effect of Incorporating Whey Protein Concentrate on Chemical, Rheological and Textural Properties of Ice Cream

Effect of whey protein concentrate as a partial substitution of milk solids not fat in ice cream formula was investigated by replacing 1, 2, 3 and 4% of mix solid not fat. Mixes and resultant ice cream samples were evaluated for their chemical, physicochemical, and rheological properties as well as the sensory quality attributes. Implementing whey protein concentrate in ice cream recipes increased total protein, freezing point and consistency, while, ash, lactose, specific gravity decreased significantly (p<0.001). Apparent viscosity as well as flow time of mixes was significantly (p<0.001) increased with substitution of milk solid not fat by whey protein concentrate. Flow behavior was also affected showing higher yield stress. The consistency coefficient (k) was more affected by the presence of whey protein concentrate in the recipe than the flow behavior index (n). However, increasing whey protein concentrate decreased hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness values in texture profile analysis, while there were increase in adhesiveness, springiness and hesion values in fresh ice cream samples over that of stored. The ice cream became smoother and highly acceptable for the panelists by replacing milk solid not fat with whey protein concentrate up to 3%. From the data obtained, it could be recommended that ice cream can be produced with high quality by substituting milk solid not fat with whey protein concentrate up to 3%.
Wallum and related vegetation on the NSW North Coast: Description and phytosociological analysis

Wallum is the regionally distinct vegetation on coastal dunefields, beach ridge plains and sandy backbarrier flats in subtropical northern NSW and southern Queensland (22°S to 33°S). This study examined floristic patterns in the wallum and allied vegetation along 400 km of coastline in north-eastern NSW. Floristic and environmental data were compiled for 494 quadrats allocated on the basis of air photo pattern and latitude. A phytosociological classification displayed strong congruence with an initial classification based upon photo pattern, especially for single stratum vegetation, thereby suggesting that API (air photo interpretation) is a valuable technique for the recognition of floristic assemblages. The utility of API for depicting the spatial distribution of tallest stratum species in multi-stratum vegetation was also confirmed. Nonetheless, photo signatures of the tallest stratum are less satisfactory as surrogates for identifying noda for the full complement of species in multi-stratum vegetation. Ordination supported the numerical classification, and reinforced the value of API for capturing meaningful biological and environmental data. Plant – environment relationships were examined for a range of variables. The consistent trend to emerge was a comparatively strong correlation between floristic composition and topographic position, and in some instances also between floristic composition and geology. Mean species richness at the 25 m scale was lower in wetter habitats, although differences were not consistently significant. Cunninghamia (2003) 8(2): 202–252
Combining forecasts – forty years later

This article is dedicated to the memory of Clive Granger, a founding editor of this journal. Its title echoes the title of his invited review article in a special issue of the Journal of Forecasting in 1989. That issue marked the twentieth anniversary of the publication of his article with John Bates, which is widely regarded as the seminal article in the field of forecast combination. This article returns to two of the topics in ‘Combining forecasts – twenty years later’ that are of much current interest, namely the impact of forecasters’ different information sets on the original point forecast combination result, and properties of different methods of combining density forecasts. A parallel result to his inefficiency-of-mean-forecasts result for point forecasts is seen to apply to density forecasts, where logarithmic combination is shown to have some advantage over linear combination.
CCID_3627_Van Geel.indd

Correspondence: Nanny van Geel Department of Dermatology, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Tel +32 9 332 22 87 Fax +32 9 332 49 96 Email nanny.vangeel@ugent.be Abstract: Vitiligo is an acquired cutaneous disorder of pigmentation, with an incidence of 0.5% to 2% worldwide. There are three major hypotheses for the pathogenesis of vitiligo that are not exclusive of each other: biochemical/cytotoxic, neural and autoimmune. Recent data provide strong evidence supporting an autoimmune pathogenesis of vitiligo. As vitiligo can have a major effect on quality of life, treatment can be considered and should preferably begin early when the disease is active. Current treatment modalities are directed towards stopping progression of the disease and achieving repigmentation. Therapies include corticosteroids, topical immunomodulators, photo(chemo)therapy, surgery, combination therapies and depigmentation of normally pigmented skin. Topical class 3 corticosteroids can be used for localized vitiligo. The use of topical immunomodulators (TIMs) in vitiligo seems to be equally effective as topical steroids, especially when used in the face and neck region. In photo(chemo)therapy, narrowband ultraviolet-B therapy (NB-UVB) seems to be superior to psoralen ultraviolet-A therapy (PUVA) and broadband UVB. In surgical techniques, split-thickness grafting and epidermal blister grafting were shown to be effective methods, although the non-cultured epidermal suspension technique has many advantages and seems to be a promising development. Depigmentation therapy can be considered if vitiligo affects more than 60% to 80% of the body. Complementary therapies such as Polypodium leucotomos show promising results in combination with UVB therapy. No causative treatment for vitiligo is currently available. More randomized controlled trials on the treatment of vitiligo are necessary.
Spatial analysis of phylogenetic community structure: New version of a classical method

The increasing availability of phylogenetic information facilitates the use of evolutionary methods in community ecology to reveal the importance of evolution in the species assembly process. However, while several methods have been applied to a wide range of communities across different spatial scales with the purpose of detecting non-random phylogenetic patterns, the spatial aspects of phylogenetic community structure have received far less attention. Accordingly, the question for this study is: can point pattern analysis be used for revealing the phylogenetic structure of multi-species assemblages? We introduce a new individual-centered procedure for analyzing the scale-dependent phylogenetic structure of multi-species point patterns based on digitized field data. The method uses nested circular plots with increasing radii drawn around each individual plant and calculates the mean phylogenetic distance between the focal individual and all individuals located in the circular ring delimited by two successive radii. This scale-dependent value is then averaged over all individuals of the same species and the observed mean is compared to a null expectation with permutation procedures. The method detects particular radius values at which the point pattern of a single species exhibits maximum deviation from the expectation towards either phylogenetic aggregation or segregation. Its performance is illustrated using data from a grassland community in Hungary and simulated point patterns. The proposed method can be extended to virtually any distance function for species pairs, such as functional distances.
Overview of a range of solution methods for elastic dislocation problems in geophysics

Tectonic faults are commonly modeled as Volterra or Somigliana dislocations in an elastic medium. Over the years, many practical solution methods have been developed for problems of this type. This work presents a concise overview in consistent mathematical notation of the most prominent of these methods, emphasizing what the various methods have in common and in what aspects they are different. No models other than that of elastic dislocations are considered. Special attention is given to underlying assumptions and range of applicability.
Individual variation in dispersal associated behavioral traits of the invasive Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis, H. Milne Edwards, 1854) during initial invasion of Lake Vänern, Sweden

Understanding and predicting species range-expansions and biological invasions is an important challenge in modern ecology because of rapidly changing environments. Recent studies have revealed that consistent within-species variation in behavior (i.e. animal personality) can be imperative for dispersal success, a key stage in the invasion process. Here we investigate the composition and correlation of two important personality traits associated with invasion success, activity and boldness, and how they are connected to sex and individual size in a newly colonised population of the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis in Lake Vanern, Sweden. We found no effect of sex or size on behavioral expressions of E. sinensis but a clear positive correlation between boldness and activity. In addition, this study generates important baseline data for monitoring behavioral development, and thereby changing ecological impact, of an invading population over time. This has implications for predicting ecological effects of invasive species as well as for managing ecological invasions.
Lecturer's Gender and Their Valuation of Student Evaluation of Teaching

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is carried out every semester at Malaysian universities and lecturers are evaluated based on student ratings. But very little is researched about what lecturers actually think about SET and whether it serves any meaningful purpose at all. This quantitative study involving six public universities on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia examines the extent to which male and female lecturers value their student evaluations of teaching (SET) and if their valuations differ significantly by gender. The study also elicits perceptions of male and female lecturers on the formative and summative functions the SET serves. A survey questionnaire comprising 29 Likert-scale items was employed to obtain data for this study. The respondents comprised 137 language instructors of English and Arabic proficiency courses for undergraduates from those six universities. Data were analysed descriptively and inferentially using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test. The study produces several outcomes. The study found that although male lecturers value SET higher than their female colleagues, no significant differences are observed in their valuation of SET by gender. Also of significance is the observation that lecturers of both gender found SET more useful for formative rather than summative functions. This study itself is significant in order to understand the lecturers’ perceptions of SET which will stimulate further discussions and thinking around the issue of strengthening the teaching practice as SET itself can be an effective tool for lecturer’s development if lecturers themselves understand and value the process.
Industrial restructuring and oligopolistic competition in a small open economy via cross-border acquisition: the case of Greece

In recent years, cross-border acquisitions have been placed in the centre of the present research agenda on Transnational Corporations (TNCs). In this context an important issue is the comparison between cross-border acquisitions and Greenfield investments. Another issue is the comparison between cross-border and domestic acquisitions. The evidence on the effects of these investment modes on industrial restructuring and competition is scarce and less than conclusive. The present study is designed to provide additional information for the case of a small open economy, using two logit regression models. The focus is on Greece and draws on both Industrial Organisation (IO) and oligopolistic Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) theory. The results indicate that the different investment forms do have multidimensional structural repercussions, which create multiple entrepreneurial gaps within the national industry. These results have important implications for industrial and competition policy.
The Role of Technology, Organization, and Environment Factors in Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation Success in Jordan

In many ways, the application of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is useful. In today’s business arena, ERP is regarded as a necessity. Implementation of ERP is costly and requires a lot of efforts but in Jordanian organizations, its success rate has been unsatisfactory. Hence, this study attempts to identify factors linked to implementation success of ERP in Jordan. The strategic factors are examined and they include technology adoption, web site service, competitive, top management support, change management, business process management, and trust. Questionnaires were distributed to ERP users in Jordanian firms which returned 141 responses which were analyzed. The results show significant linkage between technology adoption, web site service, competitive, top management support, change management, and business process management, and ERP implementation success. Nonetheless, the findings do not support the linkage between business process management and ERP implementation success. The findings show that firms can leverage TOE for improving ERP’s implementation success to gain the anticipated benefits. Also, there is possibility that different critical success factors have different impacts on ERP benefits. Such finding expands the supposition of TOE theory that resources generate competitive advantages. This paper adds to researches on ERP by providing further evidence of the differing impacts of TOE on the successful implementation of ERP.
Has Trend Inflation Shifted?: An Empirical Analysis with a Regime-Switching Model

This paper proposes a new econometric framework for estimating trend inflation and the slope of the Phillips curve with a regime-switching model. As a unique aspect of our approach, we assume regimes for the trend inflation at one-percent intervals, and estimate the probability of the trend inflation being in each regime. The trend inflation described in the discrete manner provides for an easily interpretable explanation of estimation results as well as a robust estimate. An empirical result indicates that Japan's trend inflation stayed at zero percent for about 15 years after the late 1990s, and then shifted away from zero percent after the introduction of the price stability target and the quantitative and qualitative monetary easing. The U.S. result shows a considerably stable trend inflation at two percent since the late 1990s.
Factor analysis of social and abstract intelligence.

ROBERT L. THORNDIKE George Washington UniversityIt was suggested by E. L. Thorndike some twenty years ago that there might be three main types of intelligence—abstract, mechanical, and social. Since that time a great number of tests have been developed to measure abstract intelligence, and smaller numbers to measure mechanical intelligence and social intelligence. One of the better known of the tests purporting to measure social intelligence is the George Washington Social Intelligence Test. This test has been criticized because of its low correlation with other tests which were
Differences in plural forms of monolingual German preschoolers and adults

Abstract – Pluralization strategies of monolingual German children aged 3-6, median 4;2 (N = 810), and adults aged 18-96, median 24;0 (N = 582), were compared on the basis of eight nonce nouns from the language test SETK 3-5. Differences between younger and older Germans resembled previously described differences between German and immigrant pre-schoolers for most aspects, e.g., use of fewer plural allomorphs (types), more errors in umlauting, and more avoidance strategies in the linguistically weaker groups. However, both German children and adults demonstrated the same universal frequency- and phonology-based pluralization patterns. Surprisingly, ungrammatical plural forms were equally frequent in both children’s and adults' answers. Key words : plural acquisition, morphology, German, gender, pluralisation Zusammenfassung – Pluralisierungsstrategien von monolingualen deutschen Kindern im Alter von drei bis sechs, Median 4;2 (N = 810), und Erwachsenen im Alter von 18 bis 96, Median 24;0 (N = 582), wurden anhand von acht Kunstwortern aus dem Sprachtest SETK 3-5 verglichen. Die Unterschiede zwischen den Deutschen im Kindes- und Erwachsenenalter waren in den meisten Hinsichten den zuvor beschriebenen Unterschieden zwischen Deutschen und Migranten im Vorschulalter ahnlich, z.B. Gebrauch von weniger Pluralallomorphen (Typen), mehr Umlautfehler, mehr Vermeidungsstrategien in den sprachlich schwacheren Gruppen. Generell demonstrierten jedoch sowohl deutsche Kinder als auch deutsche Erwachsene dieselben universellen frequenz- und phonologisch bedingte Pluralisierungsmuster. Unerwarterterweise erwiesen sich ungrammatische Pluralformen in der Kinder- und Erwachsenensprache als gleich haufig. Schlagworter : Pluralerwerb, Morphologie, Deutsch, Genus, Pluralisierung
Characterization of RD20 as a potential regulator of Heterotrimeric G protein signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Heterotrimeric G proteins are known to be important components of regulatory pathways in animals and fungi and the elucidation of G protein signaling in plants is an emerging area of investigation. The study of signaling and regulatory control of plants responses to environmental stress at the molecular level is an area of wide interest and the plant growth regulator abscisic acid is known to play a major role in the plant response to environmental stress. This work reports on the characterization of the stress induced caleosin gene RD20/CLO3. Here the interaction of the caleosin protein Responsive to Dehydration 20, RD20/CLO3 with the alpha subunit (GPA1) of the heterotrimeric G protein complex in Arabidopsis was investigated at protein level and the N-terminal domain of RD20 protein was found to interact with GPA1. Characterization of the effect of RD20/Clo3 on plant stomatal density and index indicate that the gene is necessary for the ABA mediated reduction of stomatal proliferation. In addition, methods to improve the level of protein expression in E. coli and the subsequent purification of RD20 and GPA1 were developed. The purified protein will be used in future studies to investigate the role of RD20 as a potential GTPase Accelerating Protein for GPA1.
Susceptibility of contrail ice crystal numbers to aircraft soot particle emissions

We develop an idealized, physically based model describing combined effects of ice nucleation and sublimation on ice crystal number during persistent contrail formation. Our study represents the first effort to predict ice numbers at the point where contrails transition into contrail cirrus—several minutes past formation—by connecting them to aircraft soot particle emissions and atmospheric supersaturation with respect to ice. Results averaged over an observed exponential distribution of ice supersaturation (mean value 15%) indicate that large reductions in soot particle numbers are needed to lower contrail ice crystal numbers significantly for soot emission indices around 1015 (kg fuel)−1, because reductions in nucleated ice number are partially compensated by sublimation losses. Variations in soot particle (−50%) and water vapor (+10%) emission indices at threefold lower soot emissions resulting from biofuel blending cause ice crystal numbers to change by −35% and <5%, respectively. The efficiency of reduction depends on ice supersaturation and the size distribution of nucleated ice crystals in jet exhaust plumes and on atmospheric ice supersaturation, making the latter another key factor in contrail mitigation. We expect our study to have important repercussions for planning airborne measurements targeting contrail formation, designing parameterization schemes for use in large‐scale models, reducing uncertainties in predicting contrail cirrus, and mitigating the climate impact of aviation.