Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of elevated CO2 on diel leaf growth cycle, leaf carbohydrate content and canopy growth performance of Populus deltoides

Image sequence processing methods were applied to study the effect of elevated CO2 on the diel leaf growth cycle for the first time in a dicot plant. Growing leaves of Populus deltoides, in stands maintained under ambient and elevated CO2 for up to 4 years, showed a high degree of heterogeneity and pronounced diel variations of their relative growth rate (RGR) with maxima at dusk. At the beginning of the season, leaf growth did not differ between treatments. At the end of the season, final individual leaf area and total leaf biomass of the canopy was increased in elevated CO2. Increased final leaf area at elevated CO2 was achieved via a prolonged phase of leaf expansion activity and not via larger leaf size upon emergence. The fraction of leaves growing at 30–40% day−1 was increased by a factor of two in the elevated CO2 treatment. A transient minimum of leaf expansion developed during the late afternoon in leaves grown under elevated CO2 as the growing season progressed. During this minimum, leaves grown under elevated CO2 decreased their RGR to 50% of the ambient value. The transient growth minimum in the afternoon was correlated with a transient depletion of glucose (less than 50%) in the growing leaf in elevated CO2, suggesting diversion of glucose to starch or other carbohydrates, making this substrate temporarily unavailable for growth. Increased leaf growth was observed at the end of the night in elevated CO2. Net CO2 exchange and starch concentration of growing leaves was higher in elevated CO2. The extent to which the transient reduction in diel leaf growth might dampen the overall growth response of these trees to elevated CO2 is discussed.
PERCEIVED USABILITY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AND ACCEPTANCE OF VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS BY LOWER SECONDARY STUDENTS, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS

In the present research the results of 288 lower secondary schools in-service teachers, 192 undergraduate students and 211 lower secondary school students from Slovenia were analysed in terms of importance of fieldwork and the information and communication technology (ICT) as a solution for supporting or replacing fieldwork itself. The main aim of the analysis was to compare the points of view in all stages: from students to teachers. Also, comparisons with international data obtained as part of TIMSS and TALIS studies were made. The analysis showed that participants tend to acknowledge a very positive effect to this kind of learning, despite the obstacles connected therewith. A comparison of the usage of ICT at home and in the school environment, as predicted, showed that students tend to be more digitally competent than their teachers. Also, the statistically significant difference pointed out that older teachers are less favourable towards ICT in education than their younger colleagues. Key words: biology education, information communication technology, lower secondary education, teaching/learning strategies, virtual field trip.
Network Linkages to Predict Bank Distress

Building on the literature on systemic risk and financial contagion, the paper introduces estimated network linkages into an early-warning model to predict bank distress among European banks. We use multivariate extreme value theory to estimate equity-based tail-dependence networks, whose links proxy for the markets' view of bank interconnectedness in case of elevated financial stress. The paper finds that early warning models including estimated tail dependencies consistently outperform bank-specific benchmark models with- out networks. The results are robust to variation in model specification and also hold in relation to simpler benchmarks of contagion. Generally, this paper gives direct support for measures of interconnectedness in early-warning models, and moves toward a unified representation of cyclical and cross-sectional dimensions of systemic risk. JEL Classification: G21, G33, C54, D85
Mediumship: review of quantitatives studies published in the 21st century

Background Mediumship can be defined as the alleged ability to communicate with deceased persons. The last decade has been particularly productive for this field of research and the study of mediumship can help the understanding of the human mind-brain relationship and provide objective data to the scientific community and to the general population. Objective The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss the results found on recent studies investigating mediumship. Furthermore, we aim to discuss the psychophysiology underlying mediumship and future perspectives for this study topic. Methods A literature search for articles in English, Portuguese and Spanish published from January 2000 up to June 2015 was conducted using three electronic databases (PubMed, Lilacs and Web of Science). Review articles, qualitative studies and studies investigating altered states of consciousness caused by psychoactive substances were excluded. The original search returned 150 articles, but the application of exclusion criteria resulted in the inclusion of 19 articles for final analysis. Results The general findings were: (1) an association of mediumship with good mental health, predominantly in experienced mediums, (2) heterogeneous findings regarding the ability of mediums to provide accurate information what may be due to different study methodologies and (3) incipient studies assessing physiological correlations during mediumistic communications (i.e. hypoactivation of brain regions responsible for cognitive processing and writing planning during psychography compared to a control task; electroencephalographic (EEG) changes and a slight predominance of the sympathetic nervous system). Discussion There is a paucity of empirical data available in this controversial research field. New studies employing rigorous design (e.g.triple-blind protocols to test accuracy of mediumistic communications), and sensitive methods are required.
The Importance of Real and Nominal Shocks on the UK Housing Market

The goal of this paper is to examine the responsiveness of the UK housing market to real and nominal shocks. To achieve this goal, we use a structural VAR model, based on quarterly data for the period 1957:1-2009:4. We find that in response to an interest rate shock, house prices (aggregate house price and modern house price) fall sharply over the first 4 years and do not recover to their pre-shock level. In response to a real GDP shock, both house prices react in a positive inverted U-shaped manner. Finally, we find that an inflation shock has a U-shaped negative impact on aggregate and modern house prices in the UK.
Intergranular crack propagation in brittle polycrystals using topological procedures and accurate finite element analyses

The thesis explores numerical approaches for the definition of crack paths in polycrystalline materials. Traditional approaches, such as the finite element method (FEM) or the more advanced generalized finite element method (GFEM), cannot be easily used in materials with a large number of grains due to their high computational cost. Cheaper approaches, based on topological considerations, might generate crack paths identical to those obtained with more expensive simulation tools. Aim of this thesis is to determine under which circumstances these two classes of methods deliver identical crack paths. The algorithms that have been developed show that a considerable improvement in terms of computational costs can be achieved.
The Distance Effect and the Regionalization of the Trade of Low-Income Countries

The “distance effect” measuring the elasticity of trade flows to distance has been to be rising since the early 1970s in a host of studies based on the gravity model, leading observers to call it the “distance puzzle”. We review the evidence and explanations. Using an extensive data set of 124 countries over the period 1970-2005, we confirm the existence of this puzzle and identify that it only applies to poor countries (the bottom third in per capita income terms in our sample—i.e. the low-income countries according to the World Bank classification, 2006). We show that this group has intensified trade with closer partners and have chosen new partners that are closer than existing partners, leading to a regionalization of their trade at both extensive and intensive margins (regionalization of trade is absent for the other countries). Combining several methods on cross-section and panel estimates of the gravity equation, we estimate that low-income countries exhibit a significant rising distance effect on their trade around 15% between 1970 and 2006 while there is no more distance “puzzle” for trade within richer countries (the top third in per capita income terms in our sample). We dispose of previous explanations of the puzzle, and note that this regionalization could well be a reflection of both increased integration of this group of countries in the world economy or a greater marginalization.
Macro-Financial Spillovers

We develop a new methodology to analyse spillovers between the real and financial sides of the economy that employs a mixed-frequency modelling approach. This enables high-frequency financial and low-frequency macroeconomic data series to be employed directly, avoiding the data aggregation and information loss incurred when using common-frequency methods. In a detailed analysis of macro-financial spillovers for the US economy, we find that the additional high-frequency information preserved by our mixed-frequency approach results in estimated spillovers that are typically substantially higher than those from an analogous common-frequency approach and are more consistent with known in-sample events. We also show that financial markets are typically net transmitters of shocks to the real side of the economy, particularly during turbulent market conditions, but that the bond and equity markets act heterogeneously in both transmitting and receiving shocks to the non-financial sector. We observe substantial short and medium-run variation in macro-financial spillovers that is statistically associated with key variables related to financial and macroeconomic fundamentals; the values of the term spread, VIX and unemployment rate in particular appear to be important determinants of macro- financial spillovers.
A Theoretical Model of the Thermal Conductivity of Idealized Soil

Accurate prediction of soil thermal conductivity is of prime importance in the numerical simulation of heat transmission through soils. This paper focuses upon empirical and semi-empirical prediction methods for soil thermal conductivity. A family of empirical correlations are presented which relate soil thermal conductivity to saturation for five soil types: gravel, sand, silt, clay, and peat. These correlations are developed from a database of measured data available in the literature. Also, a theoretical model of soil thermal conductivity is developed for granular materials composed of rotund particles in an almost dry state. This theoretical model includes the effects of the micro-structure and the conductivity of the solid phase. It explicitly relates soil thermal conductivity to dry density and agrees well with experimental data. This paper also presents a review and discussion of those factors which affect soil thermal conductivity, previously reported prediction methods, and conductivity measureme.
Cold fronts in galaxy clusters

Context. Cold fronts have been observed in several galaxy clusters. Understanding their nature and origin is extremely important for investigating the internal dynamics of clusters. Aims. To gain insight into the nature of these features, we carry out a statistical investigation of their occurrence in a sample of galaxy clusters observed with XMM-Newton and correlate this occurrence with different cluster properties. Methods. We selected a sample of 45 clusters starting from the B55 flux limited sample (Edge et al. 1990, MNRAS, 245, 559) and performed a systematic search for cold fronts. Results. We find that a large fraction of clusters host at least one cold front. Cold fronts are easily detected in all systems that are manifestly undergoing a merger event in the plane of the sky, while the presence of these features in the remaining clusters is related to a steep entropy gradient, in agreement with theoretical expectations. Assuming that cold fronts in cool core clusters are triggered by minor merger events, we estimate a minimum of 1/3 merging events per halo per Gyr.
The Influence of Intrinsic Strain Softening on Strain Localization in Polycarbonate: Modeling and Experimental Validation

Intrinsic strain softening appears to be the main cause for the occurrence of plastic localization phenomena in deformation of glassy polymers. This is supported by the homogeneous plastic deformation behavior that is observed in polycarbonate samples that have been mechanically pretreated to remove (saturate) the strain softening effect. In this study, some experimental results are presented and a numerical analysis is performed simulating the effect of mechanical conditioning by cyclic torsion on the subsequent deformation of polycarbonate. To facilitate the numerical analysis of the mechanical rejuvenation effect, a previously developed model, the compressible Leonov model, is extended to describe the phenomenological aspects of the large strain mechanical behavior of glassy polymers. The model covers common observable features, like strain rate, temperature and pressure dependent yield, and the subsequent strain softening and strain-hardening phenomena. The model, as presented in this study, is purely single mode' (i.e., only one relaxation time is involved), and therefore it is not possible to capture the nonlinear viscoelastic pre-yield behavior accurately. The attention is particularly focused on the large strain phenomena. From the simulations it becomes clear that the preconditioning treatment removes the intrinsic softening effect, which leads to a more stable mode of deformation.
Factors Affecting Teens' Attitudes Toward Their Pregnant Peers

Research has shown that pregnant teens experience negative consequences resulting from stigmatization, but little research has explained why teenagers stigmatize pregnant peers to a greater degree than sexually active peers. We investigated factors affecting how teens view their pregnant peers. We hypothesized that belief in the effectiveness, availability, and ease of use of contraceptives; belief in a just world; feelings of invulnerability; and male gender would be associated with negative attitudes toward pregnant teens. Data from 101 high school students indicated that attitudes toward contraception and belief in a just world correlated in the expected direction with stigmatization and that male participants reported more negative attitudes. As a group, the study variables predicted negative attitudes, and in particular, attitudes toward contraception and gender uniquely contributed to negative beliefs about pregnant peers. This research may help educators and youth advocates understand and improve the outcomes of pregnant teens who face stigmatization. Every year in the United States, approximately 750,000 teens aged 15–19 become pregnant (Kost, Henshaw, & Carlin, 2010), a much higher rate than most other industrialized nations (McKay & Barrett, 2010). This troubling statistic has prompted a great deal of research on effective methods of managing adolescents’ sexual behavior and preventing pregnancy, in addition to generating a maelstrom of differing public opinion and political debate (Collins, Alagiri, Summers, & Morin, 2002). Although research that informs teen-pregnancy prevention efforts is of great importance, research is also needed to inform efforts to improve the social, emotional, and educational outcomes of teens who are already pregnant and to mitigate the negative consequences associated with pregnancy. One of the negative consequences of pregnancy is social stigmatization (Whitehead, 2001). Gallup-Black and Weitzman (2004) reported that although 87% of teens believed that sexual activity before the age of 18 was accepted by their peers, a significantly smaller percentage (53%) believed that teen parenting was accepted. This discrepancy indicates that among teens, pregnancy is stigmatized to a much greater degree than being sexually active. In order to understand how to help reduce stigmatization of pregnant teens, there must be a greater understanding of what determines the attitudes that teens have toward their pregnant peers. Although a number of studies have focused on how pregnant teens experience their pregnancies in the social world (Rentschler, 2003; Whitehead, 2001; Wiemann, Rickert, Berenson, & Volk, 2005), few quantitative studies have examined how nonpregnant teens view their pregnant peers. However, some studies have employed qualitative methodologies to examine the topic (Herrman, 2008; Kegler, Bird, Kyle-Moon, & Rodine, 2001). In one of the few studies that asked nonpregnant teens their opinions of pregnant and parenting peers, several participants emphasized the notion that teen parents lacked ambition and significant direction in
Regional characteristics of tropical expansion and the role of climate variability

Radiosonde‐based tropical expansion rate estimates for six continental‐centered regions of the globe are discussed. New results from the Northern Hemisphere are presented, complementing previous Southern Hemisphere (SH) results using an identical methodology. Expansion rates are largest over Asia and Australia‐New Zealand (ANZ). Other regions show more modest rates of expansion, and there is no statistically significant expansion over North America. In the hemispheric average, expansion rates are slightly larger in the SH. This asymmetry, although not statistically significant, is consistent with ozone depletion acting as a codriver of tropical expansion since 1979. The picture of regional expansion here is different from that in other studies or that derived solely from reanalyses. The relationships between tropical expansion and modes of climate variability are explored using partial regression techniques. Interannually, a relationship is seen with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) across most of the globe. Regionally, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has a significant impact over Asia, while the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) affects expansion over ANZ. Considering the longer‐term changes in the climate variability indices since 1979, it suggests that the PDO may account for up to 50% of the observed tropical expansion over Asia, while SAM may account for 20–30% of the SH expansion, particularly over ANZ. Decadal changes in ENSO may account for a further 20–30% of the global and regional trends. Accounting for the effect of climate variability helps to reconcile the differences in observations and model‐based simulations of tropical expansion.
Effects of temperature, food type and food concentration on the grazing of the calanoid copepod Centropages chierchiae

SUSANA GARRIDO1,2*, JOANA CRUZ1,3,4, A. MIGUEL P. SANTOS3, PEDRO RE1 AND ENRIC SAIZ2 1 CENTRO DE OCEANOGRAFIA, LABORATORIO MARITIMO DA GUIA, FACULDADE DE CIENCIAS, UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA, AVENIDA NOSSA SENHORA DO CABO, NO 939, 2750-374 CASCAIS, PORTUGAL, INSTITUT DE CIENCIES DEL MAR CSIC, PS. MARITIM DE LA BARCELONETA 37-49, E-08003 BARCELONA, SPAIN, 3 INSTITUTO PORTUGUES DO MAR E DA ATMOSFERA IPMA, AV. BRASILIA S/N, 1449-006 LISBON, PORTUGAL AND CCMAR, UNIVERSITY OF ALGARVE, CAMPUS DAS GAMBELAS, 8005-139 FARO, PORTUGAL
Proxy-quality thresholds : Theory and application ✩

We consider alternative models of a regression containing a proxy for an unobserved reg For each model at most two pieces of prior information are necessary to determine the sign regressor coefficient: the sign of the partial correlation between the proxy and the unobserved sor, and a lower bound on the partial or simple correlation between the proxy and the unob regressor. We apply our technique to investment and leverage regressions that contain a p the incentive to invest. In both cases proxy quality must be high for the coefficient of interes non-zero. Published by Elsevier Inc. JEL classification: G31; E22; C29; C49
A mixed culture of Propionibacterium thoenii P-127, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus plantarum as protective cultures in Kareish cheese.

Forty samples of Kareish cheese were collected from Cairo and Giza markets and examined for incidence of yeasts. All examined samples contained yeasts in considerable numbers (log 5.6 cfu/g). The most predominant species isolated were Saccharomyces cerevisiae (46.67%) followed by Candida species (30%). The antiyeast activity of Lactobacillus rhamnosus B-445 and Lactobacillus plantarum DSA 20174 was tested alone or in combination with Propionibacterium thoenii P-127. A combination between P thoenii and both lactobacilli was found to be the most active against tested yeasts. This led to the development oftwo protective cultures containing P thoenii P-127 and L. rhamnosus B-445 or L. piantarum DSA 20174. These protective cultures were used to manufacture Kareish cheese to determine their antiyeast activities and their effect on the composition, sensory and textural characteristics of the cheese. The protective cultures showed inhibitory activities against yeasts in Kareish cheese at refrigerator temperatures (4°C) without an influence on the quality of the food. In conclusion, yeasts growth can be minimized using a protective culture containing P thoenii P-127 and L. rhamnosus or L. plantarum without undesirable effects on sensory properties. The potential of the tested protective cultures to inhibit yeast growth on Kareish cheese (soft cheese) was a new finding in this research.