Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Turbulent mixing and heat fluxes under lake ice: the role of seiche oscillations

Abstract. We performed a field study on mixing and vertical heat transport under the ice cover of an Arctic lake. Mixing intensities were estimated from small-scale oscillations of water temperature and turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates derived from current velocity fluctuations. Well-developed turbulent conditions prevailed in the stably stratified interfacial layer separating the ice base from the warmer deep waters. The source of turbulent mixing was identified as whole-lake (barotropic) oscillations of the water body driven by strong wind events over the ice surface. We derive a scaling of ice–water heat flux based on dissipative Kolmogorov scales and successfully tested against measured dissipation rates and under-ice temperature gradients. The results discard the conventional assumption of nearly conductive heat transport within the stratified under-ice layer and suggest contribution of the basal heat flux into the melt of ice cover is higher than commonly assumed. Decline of the seasonal ice cover in the Arctic is currently gaining recognition as a major indicator of climate change. The heat transfer at the ice–water interface remains the least studied among the mechanisms governing the growth and melting of seasonal ice. The outcomes of the study find application in the heat budget of seasonal ice on inland and coastal waters.
Sponge species composition, abundance, and cover in marine lakes and coastal mangroves in Berau, Indonesia

We compared the species composition, abundance, and cover of sponges in 2 marine lakes (Kakaban Lake and Haji Buang Lake) and adjacent coastal mangroves on the islands of Kakaban and Maratua in the Berau region of Indonesia. We recorded a total of 115 sponge species, 33 of which were restricted to Kakaban Lake, 18 to Haji Buang Lake, and 30 to coastal mangroves on Maratua Island. Only 13 species were shared among all habitats. The 2 marine lakes are located 10 km apart, but their assemblages were more similar to each other than to the bay mangrove systems just 200 to 500 m away. Our results show that marine lakes represent a distinct habitat with significantly higher sponge cover and abundance as well as a markedly different species composition when compared with coastal mangroves. In both lake and coastal mangrove habitats there was a pronounced gradient in composition away from the shore with the primary difference between solid (root or rock) and soft substrate (mud or sand). Each substrate type harbored different sets of species in both lake and coastal mangrove habitats. There was no significant difference in sponge species composition, abundance, or cover between semi-permanent transects sampled in 2008 and 2009. We show for the first time that mangroves in the Indo-Pacific harbor a diverse array of sponge species and, further, that marine lakes harbor numerous unique species hitherto unknown to science.
Integrated weed management in wheat with new molecules

A field experiment was carried out at Instructional Farm, Department of Agronomy, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh (Gujarat) during Rabi of 2008–09 and 2009–10. The weed free treatment recorded significant improvement in yield attributes, viz. number of effective tillers, spikelets per spike and grain weight per plant, followed by pendimethalin 0.9 kg/ha as pre-emergence followed by one hand weeding at 35–40 DAS. Integration of pendimethalin as pre-emergence with clodinafop, metsulfuron-methyl and 2,4-D amine salt as post-emergence with or without hand weeding proved effective in reducing weed density and dry weight of weeds. All the weed control treatments significantly influenced the grain and straw yield of wheat excluding unweeded control. The pre-emergence application of pendimethalin controlled monocot and dicot weeds, while clodinafop controlled monocot and metsulfuron-methyl controlled dicot weeds. Integrated weed management practices also produced increased nutrient uptake by crop and minimized nutrient due to weeds.
Prevalence of overweight, obesity and its associated risk factors among school children aged 6-16 years of Biratnagar

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as a ‘global epidemic. Overweight and obese children are at higher risk for developing long-term chronic diseases like hypertension. With globalization bringing more lifestyle modifications, adolescents are exposed to multiple risk factors including obesity, diet, academic stress, lack of physical work apart from hereditary risk factors. Early diagnosis of obesity and hypertension is an important strategy in its control, effective treatment and prevention of complications. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of and the factors associated with childhood overweight/obesity among school children Material and Methods It is a school based cross sectional study done in schools of Biratnagar. School going children aged 6 to 16 years from 10 different schools of Biratnagar were taken as study population. Five were private schools and five were government schools. All the school going children aged 6 to 16 years were included in the study. Children with any chronic illness were excluded from the study. Results A total of 1900 students were included between age group of 6 to 16 years. The prevalence of overweight, obesity and hypertension were 2.9%, 1.8% and 6.1%. Conclusion Overweight, obesity was significantly associated with hypertension. Students studying in private schools and family income > Rs.10,000 were strongly associated with overweight, obesity and hypertension. Family history of hypertension was also associated with overweight/obesity. Journal of Nobel Medical College Vol.5(2) 2016; 22-25
UMOD Geneassociated Renal Failure Patients have Unusual minerals and Nitrogenous Wastes Levels after hemodialysis

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Abbreviations: CKD: Chronic Kidney Disease; ESKD: End Stage Kidney Disease; ESRD: End-Stage Renal Disease; CRF: Chronic Renal Failure; CKF: Chronic Kidney Failure; KSA: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; GFR: Glomerular Filtration Rate; UMOD: Uromodulin; PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; mg: Milligrams; dL: deciliter; UAKDs: Uromodulin Associated Kidney Diseases; SCr: Serum Creatinine Concentration; TAL: Thick Ascending Limb; ADTKD: A Dominant form of Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease; AVF: Arteriovenous Fistula
Modelling Small Economy Exports: The Case of Singapore

This paper sheds further light on the debate spearheaded by Riedel (1988) on the specification of a small country export function. The theoretical and empirical analyses in the paper show that while the price-taker assumption cannot be rejected, the export function for Singapore should not be construed as a standard export supply equation. As argued by Kapur (1983) instead, it is an export function with both demand and supply factors playing a role. We arrived at the final model specification by taking into consideration changes in the import content of exports over time. The paper also provides a new methodology for deriving a quarterly series of manufacturing net capital stock.
PSR J1311−3430: A HEAVYWEIGHT NEUTRON STAR WITH A FLYWEIGHT HELIUM COMPANION

We have obtained initial spectroscopic observations and additional photometry of the newly discovered Pb = 94 minute γ-ray black-widow pulsar PSR J1311−3430. The Keck spectra show a He-dominated, nearly H-free photosphere and a large radial-velocity amplitude of 609.5 ± 7.5 km s−1. Simultaneous seven-color GROND photometry further probes the heating of this companion, and shows the presence of a flaring infrared excess. We have modeled the quiescent light curve, constraining the orbital inclination and masses. Simple heated light-curve fits give MNS = 2.7 M☉, but show systematic light-curve differences. Adding extra components allows a larger mass range to be fit, but all viable solutions have MNS > 2.1 M☉. If confirmed, such a large MNS substantially constrains the equation of state of matter at supernuclear densities.
The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had

Have you lost the art of reading for pleasure? Are there books you know you should read but haven't because they seem too daunting? In The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer provides a welcome and encouraging antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise. In her previous book, The Well-Trained Mind, the author provided a road map of classical education for parents wishing to home-school their children, and that book is now the premier resource for home-schoolers. In this new book, Bauer takes the same elements and techniques and adapts them to the use of adult readers who want both enjoyment and self-improvement from the time they spend reading. The Well-Educated Mind offers brief, entertaining histories of five literary genres-fiction, autobiography, history, drama, and poetry-accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type. The annotated lists at the end of each chapter-ranging from Cervantes to A. S. Byatt, Herodotus to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich-preview recommended reading and encourage readers to make vital connections between ancient traditions and contemporary writing. The Well-Educated Mind reassures those readers who worry that they read too slowly or with below-average comprehension. If you can understand a daily newspaper, there's no reason you can't read and enjoy Shakespeare's Sonnets or Jane Eyre. But no one should attempt to read the "Great Books" without a guide and a plan. Susan Wise Bauer will show you how to allocate time to your reading on a regular basis; how to master a difficult argument; how to make personal and literary judgments about what you read; how to appreciate the resonant links among texts within a genre-what does Anna Karenina owe to Madame Bovary? -and also between genres. Followed carefully, the advice in The Well-Educated Mind will restore and expand the pleasure of the written word.
Allelopathic Effects of Winter Legumes on Germination and Seedling Indicators of Various Summer Cereals

Abstract In the present study, the putative allelopathic potential of aqueous extracts (10 % w/v) of three legumes, i.e. alfalfa, berseem and brassica spp. , including distilled water treatments as check were evaluated on germination and early seedling growth indicators of rice, sorghum and millet under laboratory conditions. The treatments were compared in completely randomized design with factorial arrangements in four replications. The recorded observations clearly indicated that the germination process and seedling growth of receptor plants were negatively affected in the presence of legume extracts. The extract of Brassica had the strongtest inhibitory effect on germination process in form of increased mean germination time (MGT) and lowered the coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG), germination % age and germination index (GI) as compared to other extracts. Likewise, the lowest root and shoot length, their fresh and dry weight was also noted in petri dishes with Brassica extracts. Among the receptor crops, rice was the most susceptible in term of both seedling growth and germination attributes. The interaction between test crops and legume extracts was found to be significant for most of studied parameters except germination % age, fresh and dry weight of root and shoot. The presence of allelochemicals in the studied legumes entitled them to be used in weed management programme and is also signal for designing specific production technologies able to reduce their effects on succeeding crops.
Protostellar disk formation and transport of angular momentum during magnetized core collapse

Context. Theoretical studies of collapsing clouds have found that even a relatively weak magnetic field may prevent the formation of disks and their fragmentation. However, most previous studies have been limited to cases where the magnetic field and the rotation axis of the cloud are aligned. Aims. We study the transport of angular momentum, and its effects on disk formation, for non-aligned initial configurations and a range of magnetic intensities. Methods. We perform three-dimensional, adaptive mesh, numerical simulations of magnetically supercritical collapsing dense cores using the magneto-hydrodynamic code Ramses. We compute the contributions of all the relevant processes transporting angular momentum, in both the envelope and the region of the disk. We clearly define centrifugally supported disks and thoroughly study their properties. Results. At variance with earlier analyses, we show that the transport of angular momentum acts less efficiently in collapsing cores with non-aligned rotation and magnetic field. Analytically, this result can be understood by taking into account the bending of field lines occurring during the gravitational collapse. For the transport of angular momentum, we conclude that magnetic braking in the mean direction of the magnetic field tends to dominate over both the gravitational and outflow transport of angular momentum. We find that massive disks, containing at least 10% of the initial core mass, can form during the earliest stages of star formation even for mass-to-flux ratios as small as three to five times the critical value. At higher field intensities, the early formation of massive disks is prevented. Conclusions. Given the ubiquity of Class I disks, and because the early formation of massive disks can take place at moderate magnetic intensities, we speculate that for stronger fields, disks will form later, when most of the envelope will have been accreted. In addition, we speculate that some observed early massive disks may actually be outflow cavities, mistaken for disks by projection effects.
Identification of New Drug Targets in Multi-Drug Resistant Bacterial Infections

Abstract : We are combining two parallel efforts to explore new targets and pathways in A. baumannii. We hypothesize that two proteins involved in aromatic amino acid and metabolite biosynthesis are essential and are valid targets for development of inhibitors as potential antibiotics. We additionally hypothesize that a novel natural product is produced by A. baumannii that may play a role in pathogenesis or virulence. Goal 1. We aim to validate two protein targets that have been identified through genetic screening as essential targets in A. baumannii. These targets will be biochemically and structurally characterized, and will be screened in silico for potential fragment-based ligands that could bind to the enzyme active site. Conservation and prevalence of the targeted genes for goal 1 confirm essentiality and cloning, expression, purification, and preliminary crystallization was completed during year 1. Goal 2. We will characterize biochemically a novel natural product biosynthetic pathway to identify a new secondary metabolite and characterize the phenotype of a deletion strain that is unable to produce this compound. All genes for goal 2 have been cloned and catalytic proteins have been purified. Functional reconstitution of this pathway was initiated, identifying potential natural product building blocks. A structure of one protein has been determined.
Interactive Blood-Coil Simulation using Discrete Exterior Calculus

The Discrete Exterior Calculus (DEC), a new method for solving fluid dynamics problems in a computationally efficient way is introduced. It deals with the vorticity-based equations, and updates the vorticity by a backtracking step, which makes the computation circulation-preserving at a discrete level, as well as stable. The pre-computation of operators and the use of larger time steps result in fast simulations. We illustrate this method by simulating a coil embolization procedure used for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. This complex medical procedure requires careful planning and advanced technical skills in order to be successful. Using the DEC method, the complex blood flow patterns within the aneurysm are computed, and the two-fold interaction between coils and blood is also considered. This approach allows for fast computation of coil-flow bilateral influence, resulting in interactive simulations that can be used for advanced training of interventional radiology procedures.
Troubled semi-presidentialism: stability of the constitutional system and cabinet in Ukraine

THE EVOLUTION OF A CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK is at the heart of the complex political transition experienced by the former Soviet republics during the first post-communist decade. Ukraine, like many other countries in the region, has opted for a semi-presidential constitutional model. As several scholars have already pointed out, both negotiating several constitutional arrangements and practising the norms prescribed by these arrangements proved to be difficult. The first post-communist decade in Ukraine was plagued with numerous conflicts among branches of government, political polarisation and dangerous challenges to democratic legitimacy. While constitutional debates about the underlying institutional framework in most of the countries in the post-communist region have already settled down, allowing politicians to turn to everyday political issues, the debates about the basic issues of government organisation in Ukraine are as topical as ever. Some of the major political parties persistently question the rationality of principles that guide the separation of powers in Ukraine. Both parliamentary factions and individual deputies have repeatedly mounted attacks on the existing constitutional system, proposing radical amendments to the 1996 constitution. And finally, the incumbent president, whose second term in office is about to expire in 2004 and whose chances of securing the election of a favoured successor are slim, declared to the surprise of many observers that the constitutional provisions guiding the separation of powers in Ukraine had to be changed. This article examines how the choice of this constitutional model affects both the relationship among key institutional actors and the prospects of institutional change. It starts by analysing the character of the relationship between the president and parliament in the context of their competition over control of the cabinet. While the issue of constitutional system stability is more fundamental than the problem of cabinet stability, I start with the latter because understanding the conflict over cabinet formation and the cabinet’s stay in office allows illumination of the principal lines of institutional rivalry in the Ukrainian political system. I then proceed by examining how the institutional interests and preferences of key political actors who inhabit the presidency, the legislature and the cabinet affect the prospects of maintaining or changing the constitutional status quo in Ukraine.
THE EFFECTS OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS ON THE PERFORMANCEOF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN NIGERIA: Evidenced from United Bank for Africa (UBA) plc

The performance of the financial sector plays a vital role in the development of any economy. However, the performance of the banking industry in Nigeria over the years has been characterized by inefficiencies, a high regime of insolvency, serious incidence of distress, vulnerability to systemic financial crises and macro-economic instability. This study evaluated the effects of mergers and acquisitions on the performance of commercial banks in Nigeria with a particular interest in United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc. Using the Capital, Asset, Management, Earnings, and Liquidity (CAMEL) criterion, the research made use of secondary data, obtained from the bank's annual reports and statements of accounts. Covering a period of 2000-2010, the work evaluated the performance of the bank before and after mergers and acquisitions, the using pair sample t-test. The results showed that mergers and acquisitions had positive, significant effects on the performance of commercial banks in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others, that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should set and enforce capital adequacy standards for commercial banks. The study also recommended that UBA Plc, and by extension, commercial banks in Nigeria should embark on more training and re-training programmes for their management to improve management competency.
Studies on Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Waxed and Dewaxed Pressmud and its effect on Water Holding Capacity of Soil

Pressmud is a by-product of sugar industry. For every 100 tonnes of sugarcane crushed about 3 tonnes of pressmud cake is left behind as by-product. It is used as both a soil reclamation agent as well as a soil conditioner. But presence of wax in pressmud stimulates a decrease in soil quality and porosity after its repeated applications. Present study was undertaken to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics such as pH , NPK organic carbon, organic matter, moisture content etc. of raw pressmud as well as pressmud from which the wax is extracted by solvent recovery, and also water holding capacity of Loam soil by applying different percentage of waxed and wax extracted pressmud. It was found that the water holding capacity of soil containing dewaxed pressmud was high as compared to waxed pressmud and in the range of 58.39 to 92.43 % in the dewaxed pressmud where as for wax containing pressmud it was 49.39 to 86.63 %. The C: N ratio of dewaxed pressmud was high, and was 18.54 % as compared to that of waxed pressmud. The composting processes improve the physical structure and lower the C: N ratio of the pressmud and leads to reduction in C: N ratio i.e. 16.53 % of dewaxed pressmud after composting. However the physico- chemical parameters of the composted waxed pressmud were not significantly higher than those of composted dewaxed pressmud. So it can be conclude that dewaxed pressmud are used as fertilizer in agriculture field.
Evaluation of Physical Education Teachers in Way of Alexithymia

Abstract The present study endeavored to examine the alexithymia levels of physical education teachers and interpret the findings in terms of gender and professional seniority. This research is conducted as a kind of survey model and included 98 physical education teachers. Toronto Alexithymia Scale and personal information forms are used as data collection tools. To analyze the level of alexithymia of the teachers by gender and professional seniority t-test, one way variance analysis techniques, and descriptive statistics (number, percentage, arithmetic average) are used. The analysis figured out that physical education teachers have medium level of alexithymia. However, any meaningful difference in terms of gender and professional seniority variable was not observed. Further, working conditions, personal traits, age average and professional seniority of teachers affect the level of alexithymia.