Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NEOTECTONIC-PERIOD CHARACTERISTICS, SEISMICITY, GEOMETRY AND SEGMENTATION OF THE TUZ GÖLÜ FAULT ZONE

Tuz Golu Fay Zonu (TGFZ) Orta Anadolu’nun en onemli kita-ici aktif fay zonlarindan biridir. TGFZ yaklasik 200 km uzunlugunda, 2 - 25 km genisliginde, Kuzeybati (KB) gidisli, aktif, sag yanal dogrultu atim bilesenli normal bir fay zonudur. KB’da Tuz Golu kuzeyi ile Guneydogu’da Kemerhisar (Nigde) arasinda uzanir. Bu zon, Orta Anadolu Neotektonik Bolgesi’ni, Kayseri-Sivas ve Konya-Eskisehir Neotektonik Bolgeleri olmak uzere iki alt neotektonik bolgeye ayiran bir gecis zonudur. Bu calismada TGFZ’nin neotektonik donem ozellikleri, depremselligi, geometrisi ve segment yapisi arastirilmistir. TGFZ, uzunluklari 9 ile 30 km arasinda degisen, birbirine kosut veya yari kosut onbir geometrik fay segmentinden olusmaktadir. Normal faylar icin onerilen gorgul esitlikler kullanilarak yapilan hesaplamalarla, TGFZ segmentlerinin azami M=6,11–6,80 buyuklugunde deprem uretebilecekleri ve bu depremlerde en fazla 0,34–1,41 m ve ortalama 0,25- 0,68 m dusey yer degistirme meydana gelebilecegi ortaya konmustur. TGFZ uzerinde yurutulen fay kinematik analiz calismalari, bolgede KD-GB yonlu genislemeli bir tektonik rejimin etkin oldugunu gostermistir. Yapisal jeolojik gozlemler, stratigrafik iliskiler ve yas verilerine gore, TGFZ bolgesinin neotektonik donem baslangic yasi Erken Pliyosen’dir. TGFZ, Erken Pliyosen’den itibaren etkinlesen KD-GB yonlu genislemeli tektonik rejimin urunu bir yapidir. Bu yapi, guncel Tuz Golu Pliyo-Kuvaterner Havzasi’ni dogudan sinirlar. Erken Pliyosen’den itibaren TGFZ’nin toplam normal egim atim miktari 200 - 268 m olarak hesaplanmistir. Jeolojik yas ve atim miktarlarina gore TGFZ uzerindeki yillik kayma hizi ortalama 0,046 mm dir.
Grain yield, yield components and malting quality traits of spring barley on acidic soils.

A varietal trial involving six genotypes of spring barley (‘Jastrebac’, ’Dinarac’, ’Dunavac’, ’NS-404’, ’Jaran’ and ’Lider’) was conducted over a three-year period at the farm estate of the Secondary School of Agriculture and Chemistry, Kraljevo (Serbia) (the experimental field of the Faculty of Agronomy, Cacak) on an acidic soil (pHH2O 4.5). The following traits were analysed: stem height, spike length, grain number per spike, thousand-kernel weight, grain yield, total germination capacity, grain protein content and extract content. Regardless of year, stem height was significantly higher in ’Dunavac’ and ’Jaran’ than in the other cultivars. The highest stem height in all cultivars was obtained in the second year. Spike length, grain number per spike and 1000-kernel weight were significantly higher in ‘NS-404’ compared to the other cultivars. Variations in grain yield across years were the lowest in ‘Jaran’ and ‘Dinarac’. Total germination capacity was significantly higher in 'Jastrebac' than in the other cultivars in the first and second years. The significant increase in protein content in both years on average for all cultivars was accompanied by a significant decrease in malt extract, and vice versa. The high protein content in some cultivars along with the high malt extract content suggests that the strength of correlation between the traits is dependent on environmental conditions. Although the soil had poor physical and chemical properties, all cultivars had their 1000-kernel weight, total germination capacity, protein content and malt extract content within the standardised limits.
CO 2 /O 2 specificity factor of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase in grapevines ( Vitis vinifera L.): First in vitro determination and comparison to in vivo estimations

The specificity factor (S) of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate. carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) defines the relative rates of carboxylation and oxygenation of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) catalysed by the enzyme. The determination of S for Rubisco purified from the Vitis vinifera L. cvs Tempranillo and Manto Negro is described here for the first time. Rubisco extraction was made in Bicine buffer with the inclusion of polyethylene glycol (PEG), beta-mereaptoethanol, diethyldithio-carbamic acid (DIECA) and several protease inhibitors. Furthermore, in the same cultivars, the apparent in vivo specificity factor for Rubisco (S*), was obtained from gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. For both cultivars the values of S were close to 100 at 25 degreesC. However, in mature leaves, S* was about 67 for Manto Negro and 55 or 77 for Tempranillo, depending on leaf age. Leaves of plants under drought showed even lower values. These discrepancies between S and S* are ascribed to equating CO 2 in the sub-stomatal cavity with CO 2 at the Rubisco catalytic site in the chloroplast. However, S* values from young developing leaves were very close to S for both cultivars. It is concluded that estimations of S* based on gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence data are reliable only in thin, young and non-stressed leaves.
Effect of phytase supplementation on apparent phosphorus digestibility and phosphorus output in broiler chicks fed low- phosphorus diets.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplemental phytase in broiler chicks fed different low levels of total phosphorus (P) on the apparent phosphorus digestibility (APD) and phosphorus output (PO) in the faeces and ileal digesta. After fed a standard broiler starter diet from day 0 to 14 post-hatch, a total of 144 male broiler chicks were allocated to 6 groups for a 7-d experiment with a 2 × 3 factorial design comparing phytase (supplemented without (CTR) or with 400 FTU/kg phytase (PHY)) and total P levels (2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 g/kg). The faecal samples were collected from day 17 to 21 post-hatch. At 22 days of age, all the chicks were slaughtered and collected the ileal digesta. Phytase supplementation significantly ( P < 0.01) increased APD and decreased PO in the faeces and ileal digesta in comparison with the CTR group. In addition, PO in the faeces expressed as g/kg DM diets and faeces (Diet × P level, P = 0.047 and < 0.01, respectively) as well as PO in the ileal digesta expressed as g/kg DM digesta (Diet × P level, P = 0.04) were affected by diet and P level, which were due to the significant reduction ( P < 0.01) by PHY supplementation to the diets with 3.0 g/kg total P. The results evidenced that supplemental phytase improved the APD and PO when chicks was fed 3.0 g/kg total P diet, while lower total P levels may limit exogenous phytase efficacy.
Influence of Exposing Root Canal Dentin to Calcium Hydroxide on Its Flexural Strength

Calcium hydroxide has been used extensively in endodontic treatments, for instance as an intra-canal dressing; however, the exposure of root canal dentin to calcium hydroxide may affect its flexural strength and could have important clinical implications for endodontic treatment. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the influence of calcium hydroxide on the flexural strength of root canal dentin. Seventy-two extracted single-rooted human mandibular premolars were used in this study. Each tooth was instrumented using crown-down technique and was irrigated using sterile saline. The teeth were assigned into three groups of 24 each. The prepared root canal system of each tooth was filled with calcium hydroxide mixed with sterile saline (group 1), a calcium hydroxide commercially available product (UltraCal®) (group 2) or saline solution (group 3, as control). The apices and access opening were sealed using composite resin, and the teeth were immersed in artificial saliva. After 7, 14 and 30 days of immersion, the inner root canal dentin of 8 teeth respectively from each group were sectioned to create dentin bars (1 X 1 mm, with 7 mm in length). Each dentin bar then was subjected to a three-point bending flexural test using MTS (Universal Testing Machine). Data gathered were then analyzed using two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s test with the level of significance of 95%. The results showed that exposure to calcium hydroxide either using calcium hydroxide mixed with sterile saline or UltraCal® for 14 and 30 days can reduce flexural strength of root canal dentin compared to control group (p 0.05). It can be concluded that calcium hydroxide reduced the flexural strength of root canal dentin. The longer the exposure to calcium hydroxide would produce a greater effect on flexural strength of root canal dentin.
Teaching Parasitology with Concept Maps in Laboratory Lessons for Teacher Education Courses

This paper presents a teaching strategy developed for lab lessons in a course of Human Parasitology, within the Biological Sciences Teaching Education Course, at the Faculdade de Formacao de Professores, Universidade de Pernambuco, FFPG – UPE, located in Garanhuns, Brazil. The proposed strategy was supported by Concept Maps. These are tools whose theoretical foundations lie in Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning Theory. The course was taken by a group of 6th semester undergraduate students that were studying to be middle and high-school biological sciences teachers. We have observed that Concept Mapping has favoured the interaction between students, and thus made the lessons about Human Parasitology more interesting. Moreover, the produced Concept Maps showed evidence of progressive differentiation and integrative reconciliation of the proposed concepts. Thus, we argue that Concept Maps are relevant resources for teaching parasitology in lab lessons, enriching the teaching strategies, and thus making them potentially more meaningful for course development in a Teacher Education Course.
Developing a rubric for assessing pre-service English teacher struggles with instructional planning

Abstract This paper aims to report on the development of a rubric and formative assessment targeting pre-service teacher instructional planning in an English teacher education programme in Indonesia. Ten curriculum components as proposed by Van den Akker were incorporated to develop the rubric. Educational Design Research (EDR) as an approach was employed to guide this study. The findings suggest that the rubric is useful in the formative assessment of the pre-service teacher instructional planning. Teacher challenges in instructional planning were also found, particularly in the five aspects: writing good learning objectives, defining teacher roles, determining learning activities, assessing outcomes, and allocating times needed for learning activities. The rubric is also effective in assessing not only cognitive and psychomotor learning, but also affective/attitude learning. Finally, the rubric can also be used to assess the internal consistency of the instructional planning.
EARLY MAGMATIC AND REACTION-INDUCED TRENDS IN MAGNETITE FROM THE CARBONATITES OF KERIMASI, TANZANIA

We examined the mode of occurrence, pattern of zoning and composition of magnetite and associated spinel-group minerals in three types of calciocarbonatite from the Kerimasi volcano, in Tanzania. In all samples, magnetite is one of the earliest phases to have crystallized, and shows an appreciable compositional variation. The majority of compositions correspond to magnetite with low to moderate proportions of magnesioferrite and ulvospinel components (10–28 and 2–28 mol.%, respectively) and 2 O 4 ). The two trace elements consistently present in appreciable amounts are V (400–2000 ppm) and Zn (700–3300 ppm); the abundances of other trace elements are much lower and very variable (≤15 ppm Cr, 170 ppm Ni, 220 ppm Co, 490 ppm Zr, 14 ppm Hf, 95 ppm Nb, 3 ppm Ta, and 80 ppm Ga). Magnetite is thus a minor host of Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta in carbonatites. The composition of magnetite crystallizing from carbonatitic magma evolves by becoming depleted in Mg and Ti, whereas its Al content inversely correlates with the V content and, thus, is sensitive to variations in f (O 2 ). The compatibility of V is interpreted to decrease, and that of Mn to increase, with increasing f (O 2 ). Covariation between the Mn and Zn contents suggests that the partitioning behavior of Zn is controlled by the coupled substitution Zn 2+ Mn 3+ Fe 2+ −1 Fe 3+ −1 . The Mg–Ti depletion trend is accompanied by a decrease in Zr and Ta contents at constant or decreasing levels of Nb and Hf, which has implications for the partitioning behavior of high-field-strength elements in carbonate melts. In addition to the magmatic evolutionary trend, the Kerimasi magnetite exhibits a previously unrecognized trend arising from a reaction of the magnetite with the carbonatitic magma. This trend involves enrichment of the peripheral parts of magnetite crystals in Mg, Al, Mn, Zr and Nb, and their mantling by Fe-rich spinel. This trend requires that a (Mg 2+ ) and a (Al 3+ ) in the magma increase with evolution, whereas a (SiO 2 ) remains low to impede the precipitation of Mg–Al silicates.
Anthropogenic climate change: a reason for concern since the 18th century and earlier

Abstract During the last 20 years the concept of anthropogenic climate change has left academic circles and become a major public concern. Some people consider ‘global warming’ as the major environmental threat to the planet. Even though mostly considered a novel threat, a look into history tells us that claims of humans deliberately or unintentionally changing climate is a frequent phenomenon in Western culture. Climate change, due to natural and anthropogenic causes, has often been discussed since classical times. Environmental change including climate change was seen by some as a biblical mandate, to ‘complete the Creation’. In line with this view, the prospect of climate change was considered as a promising challenge in more modern times. Only since the middle of the 20th century, has anthropogenic climate change become a menacing prospect. The concept of anthropogenic climate change seems to be deeply embedded in popular thinking, at least in Europe, which resurfaces every now and then after scientific discoveries. Also, extreme weather phenomena have in the past often been explained by adverse human interference. A list of claims of anthropogenic climate modifications is presented; the remarkable similarity of the anthropogenic climate change debate in the second half of the 19th century is compared to the present situation. Of course, the present threat seems much more real than any of the historical predecessors, which turned out to be overestimated.
The Non-Monotonic Political Effects of Resource Booms

This study uses variation in natural resource rents and mineral production among Peruvian municipalities to analyze the impact of resource booms on local politicians' behavior and citizens' well-being. Although this topic has recently attracted scholarly interest, existing empirical evidence remains inconclusive regarding whether resource booms are beneficial or detrimental to citizens via their effects on public good provision and living standards. Despite many existing theoretical models allowing for the possibility of non-monotonic responses, empirical literature has largely approached this phenomena using linear models, thus misunderstanding the complex nature of resource booms. By examining recent extraordinary mineral price increases along with particular rules for natural resource rent distribution in Peru, I show that the effects of resource booms on reelection outcomes, political competition, public goods provision, clientelism, and well-being are conditional to the size of the rents in a non-monotonic fashion. These results are robust to endogenous production responses and are consistent with recent theoretical scholarship for resource rich economies.
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS OF HUMAN CYTOCHROME CYP2E1 AND RISK OF NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA IN ALGERIA POPULATION

Objective: The present study was carried out to analyze the relationship between CYP2E1 genetic polymorphism and the risk of developing nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). Methods: The study involved 100 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, compared with 180 healthy controls. Genomic DNA samples were assayed for restriction fragment length polymorphisms in the CYP2E1 by PCR amplification followed by digestion with RsaI. The frequency comparison between the two groups was determined by the χ (2) test. Results: Our results showed that the distribution of CYP2E1- /- allele frequency was found to be significantly different between controls (22 %) and cancer cases (26%) along with twice increase of the NPC risk in Algeria (OR=2.2, CI 95% [1.02-2.54]). Conclusion: Our results are in line with those found for other populations and subsequent they emphasize the importance of the involvement of this gene in the development of the NPC detoxification process, which exhibited more and more strong association with environmental factors.
TRICHOTHECENE GENOTYPES OF FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM SPECIES COMPLEX AND F. CROOKWELLENSE ISOLATES FROM MEXICAN CEREALS

Four of the world’s most important crops, wheat, barley, rice and maize, in addition to other small grains are susceptible to Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC), the most important causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB). The major threat from this species complex comes from trichothecene mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV) and their acetylated derivatives, including 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 15- acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON), and 4-acetylnivalenol (4-ANIV). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are being utilized to quickly identify type B trichothecene genotypes in populations of head blight causing Fusaria. In the current study, 388 isolates collected from different locations in 6 Mexican states between 1995 and 2013 were analyzed by chemotype and sub-chemotype specific markers. It was found that the disease has been predominantly caused by FGSC, while F. crookwellense co-presented as FHB causal agent in Mexico. Both DON and NIV trichothecene genotypes were identified in isolates belonging to FGSC, with the DON genotype predominating. Furthermore, all DON isolates were shown to be the 15- ADON genotype and no 3-ADON genotype was identified. This was the first detailed study on the trichothecene genotypes of Mexican toxigenic Fusarium strains on large scale; wherein we report for the first time the occurrence of FGSC isolates belonging to NIV trichothecene genotype in Mexico.
Road Barrier Repair Costs and Influencing Factors

This paper presents a study that examines repair costs for different road barrier types and factors that influence these costs. The analyses focused on w-beam and cable barriers used as median barriers. To some extent, pipe barriers, Kohlswa-beam barriers, and concrete barriers were also studied. The influencing factors included in this study were road type, speed limit, barrier type, and seasonal effects. A case study was conducted in four regions of the Swedish Road Administration. Data were collected from 1,625 barrier repairs carried out during 2005 and 2006. The results show that the number of barrier repairs and the average repair cost per vehicle kilometer are higher along collision-free roads than along motorways and 4-lane roads. The results also show that the number of barrier repairs and the average repair cost per vehicle kilometer are higher for cable barrier than for other barrier types. No conclusion can be drawn regarding influence of speed limits on barrier repairs and associated costs as the result from the regions are divergent and not statistically significant.
Long-term Stretching Program in Older Active Adults Increases Muscle Strength

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term and repeated bout effects of static stretching (SS) program in older active adults, and to clarify the effects of flexibility on muscle strength of knee and trunk. The subjects were healthy active adults (aged 67–80 years). The intervention group (n = 7) performed the SS program for 1 year and an additional period of 2 years. The SS program was configured to target the body’s major muscle groups, and the exercises were performed five times a week. The peak torques in extension and flexion of knee and trunk (isokinetic contraction 60°/ sec) were obtained from isokinetic dynamometer, and sit and reach test was assessed yearly. As a result, flexibility was increased by 31% during the first SS intervention (period of 1 year), and muscle strength were also increased by about 10% to 17%. Additionally, a higher effect was obtained by the second SS intervention (period of 2 years). We found a significant correlation between the magnitude of changes in flexibility and muscle strength. Therefore, the repetition of an SS program is important for improving or maintaining flexibility and muscle strength in older active adults.
Commitment, control, and the use of competency management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the commitment‐ and control‐approaches on the use of competency management, and to investigate whether attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control mediate these effects.Design/methodology/approach – In Study 1, using a survey, employees indicated whether their organization adopted a commitment‐ or a control‐approach towards competency management. Moreover, they rated their own attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and behaviour. In Study 2 a scenario experiment was conducted in which the authors manipulated the commitment‐ and control‐approaches towards competency management in order to establish causal relations.Findings – Results consistently showed that the use of competency management is higher within a commitment‐ than within a control‐approach. Furthermore, attitude and perceived behavioural control were found to mediate the relationship between the commitment‐approach and the use of competency manag.
Image Retrieval based Local Motif Patterns Code

We present a new technique for content based image retrieval by deriving a Local motif pattern (LMP) code co-occurrence matrix (LMP-CM). This paper divides the image into 2 x 2 grids. On each 2 x 2 grid two different Peano scan motif (PSM) indexes are derived, one is initiated from top left most pixel and the other is initiated from bottom right most pixel. From these two different PSM indexes, this paper derived a unique LMP code for each 2 x 2 grid, ranges from 0 to 35. Each PSM minimizes the local gradient while traversing the 2 x 2 grid. A co-occurrence matrix is derived on LMP code and Grey level co-occurrence features are derived for efficient image retrieval. This paper is an extension of our previous MMCM approach [54]. Experimental results on popular databases reveal an improvement in retrieval rate than existing methods.
Fair Valuation of Various Participation Schemes in Life Insurance

Fair valuation is becoming a major concern for actuaries, especially in the perspective of IAS norms. One of the key aspects in this context is the simultaneous analysis of assets and liabilities in any sound actuarial valuation. The aim of this paper is to illustrate these concepts, by comparing three common ways of giving bonus in life insurance with profit: reversionary, cash or terminal. For each participation scheme, we compute the fair value of the contract taking into account liability parameters (guaranteed interest rate and participation level) as well as asset parameters (market conditions and investment strategy). We find some equilibrium conditions between all those coefficients and compare, from an analytical and numerical point of view, the systems of bonus. Developments are made first in the classical binomial model and then extended in a Black and Scholes economy.
Stock Prices and Monetary Policy: An Impulse Response Analysis

This paper analyses the relationship between monetary policy and the stock market with the aim of gaining new insights into the transmission mechanism of monetary policy. The empirical findings shed light on the importance of stock prices for money demand and therefore provide useful information to monetary authorities to decide on policy actions. A technique developed by Wickens and Motto (2001) for identifying shocks by estimating a VECM for the endogenous variables is employed. The reported evidence suggests that stock markets play a significant role in the money demand function.