Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloud Forest Bird Responses to Unusually Severe Storm Damage 1

In 1998, storms related to Hurricane Isis caused extensive gaps in the cloud forest of El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, where severe storms are infrequent. We examined how this disturbance affected bird species composition. Species richness and composition were similar both between pre‐ and post‐disturbance forest and between newly created gaps and plots that remained forested after the hurricane. However, differences in response guilds were greater between pre‐ and post‐disturbance plots than between forest plots with gaps after disturbance. Granivorous, omnivorous, and terrestrial species were more abundant before the hurricane, whereas insectivorous, midstory, and generalist foragers were more abundant after the hurricane. In addition, species with high sensitivity to disturbance were more abundant in the pre‐disturbance forest, while low sensitivity species were more abundant after disturbance. In the post‐disturbance forest, insectivorous species were most abundant in gaps and terrestrial‐canopy foragers were most abundant in forest plots. Permanently open areas had significantly lower species richness, but had lowland generalist and second‐growth species not present in the cloud forest. Results suggest that changes in species composition were not limited to the newly created gaps, but also affected the whole forest. The decline of high sensitivity species after disturbance supports the hypothesis that disturbance negatively affects specialists and benefits generalist species. Although there is evidence that natural communities tend to return to pre‐disturbance conditions, changes in community structure could be aggravated if recurrent hurricanes occur before succession takes place.
The Effect of Hand Hygiene Promotion in a University Hospital in China

Objective: Implementing a multimodal campaign could be resulted in a sustained increase in hand hygiene (HH) compliance rates. However, most studies of HH campaign have been conducted in the developed countries. This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of hand hygiene campaign in a university hospital in China. Methods: During the period of the HH campaign, the WHO hand hygiene improvement strategy was implemented to improve hand hygiene compliance. We collected and evaluated the effect of hand hygiene campaign by the questionnaire of WHO hand hygiene observation, consumption of alcohol-based hand rub (AHR), liquid soap and gloves, and the quality of HH by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test. Results: Of the 4,177 opportunities of hand hygiene evaluated, the HH compliance improved significantly from 24.2% to 41.0% after the intervention. Health care workers in the ICU showed higher hand hygiene compliance compared with those in other departments. In general, Nurses’ hand hygiene compliance was higher than those of physicians and surgeons. The consumption of AHR and the ATP pass rate increased after the intervention. Conclusion: Through the intervention, medical staff hand hygiene compliance was greatly improved from 24.2% to 41.0%. The WHO Hand Hygiene Strategy was also effective in hospital of China.
Using Microblogging to facilitate Community of Inquiry: An Australian tertiary experience

The usage of Twitter as part of tertiary learning is growing and is increasingly a common scene. However, most institutions use Twitter for social information exchange rather than deep pedagogical use. Here we experiment with Twitter based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) approach using two undergraduate cohorts from Australia and America. Both cohorts were asked to exchange messages and discuss on a given topic for three weeks via Twitter. Our findings show that all three types of presence from the CoI model, viz. cognitive, social and teaching, can be facilitated by the use of Twitter in teaching. This demonstration of the use of microblogging for pedagogical use is a significant contribution to the higher education literature since previous studies‘ findings are largely limited to aspects of social presence.
Credit Risk Rating Migration and Unobserved Borrower Heterogeneity

Some past studies of credit risk ratings migration have found trend reversals and evidence that the data‐generating process is nonstationary. Using a sample of Farm Credit System mortgages, we find no compelling statistical evidence of either phenomenon. We do find evidence that our sample of loans may be characterized by two types of borrowers – namely, movers and stayers. This type of borrower heterogeneity is unobserved because movers who do not migrate are indistinguishable from stayers who never migrate. We report on the development of a flexible nonparametric model for estimating transition probabilities. The model can also be used to estimate nonstationary transition probabilities and an example is provided.
IN-SPIRALING CLUMPS IN BLUE COMPACT DWARF GALAXIES

Giant star formation clumps in dwarf irregular galaxies can have masses exceeding a few percent of the galaxy mass enclosed inside their orbital radii. They can produce sufficient torques on dark matter halo particles, halo stars, and the surrounding disk to lose their angular momentum and spiral into the central region in 1 Gyr. Pairs of giant clumps with similarly large relative masses can interact and exchange angular momentum to the same degree. The result of this angular momentum loss is a growing central concentration of old stars, gas, and star formation that can produce a long-lived starburst in the inner region, identified with the blue compact dwarf (BCD) phase. This central concentration is proposed to be analogous to the bulge in a young spiral galaxy. Observations of star complexes in five local BCDs confirm the relatively large clump masses that are expected for this process. The observed clumps also seem to contain old field stars, even after background light subtraction, in which case the clumps may be long-lived. The two examples with clumps closest to the center have the largest relative clump masses and the greatest contributions from old stars. An additional indication that the dense central regions of BCDs are like bulges is the high ratio of the inner disk scale height to the scale length, which is comparable to 1 for four of the galaxies.
Evaluation of methods for measuring microdamage accumulation in cortical bone

by Matthew D. Landrigan Bone is subjected to cyclic loading in vivo through daily physical activities, leading to the accumulation of fatigue microdamage and, possibly, fractures. Therefore, the ability to characterize microdamage accumulation is important for understanding and assessing fracture risk. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate methods for measuring microdamage accumulation in cortical bone using both mechanical and novel, non-destructive histological techniques. During fatigue testing, linear elastic beam theory (LEBT), the secant modulus, the tangent modulus, the unloading modulus, and creep have been used to measure the accumulation of fatigue microdamage via changes in mechanical properties. Mechanical measures for the accumulation of damage in bovine cortical bone during four-point bending fatigue were shown to be highly dependent on the initial specimen modulus and mechanical measure employed. The LEBT modulus was shown to include the combined effect of both elastic (recovered) and creep (accumulated) strain indicating that both the secant modulus and creep should be measured throughout a test to most accurately Matthew D. Landrigan indicate damage accumulation and account for different damage mechanisms. Moreover, indentation of roller supports resulted in inflated measures of the LEBT modulus degradation and creep. The results of this study suggest that investigations of fatigue microdamage in cortical bone should avoid the use of four-point bending unless no other option is possible. Conventional techniques used to image damage accumulation in cortical bone are inherently invasive, destructive, two-dimensional, and tedious. Therefore, microcomputed tomography was investigated as a possible non-destructive technique using a precipitated barium sulfate contrast agent to label damage. The ratio of the segmented stain volume to bone volume increased from the unloaded control group to specimens loaded in cyclic uniaxial tension to a 5 and 10% reduction in secant modulus. Segmented images showed distinct regions of bright voxels, verified to be due to the presence of BaSO4, which were indicative of fatigue cracks, as well as the accumulation of linear microcracks and diffuse damage. Local variations in mineralization were also measured by micro-CT and suggested to be useful in predicting the susceptibility of tissue to the initiation and accumulation of microdamage.
Energy Release and Heat Generation During the 1999 Ms 7 . 6 Chi-Chi

On September 20, 1999, the Ms7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake ruptured the Chelungpu fault in central Taiwan. Integrating observed and inversed results of source parameters, the fracture energy, Eg, and frictional energy, Ef, on the fault and its northern and southern segments are estimated. Together with given values of strain energy, ∆E, and seismic radiation energy, Es, the seismic efficiency, i.e., η=Es/∆E, and the radiation efficiency, i.e., ηR=Es/(Es+Eg), are evaluated. The average fracture energy per unit area, G, is also calculated from Eg. The frictional heat caused by dynamic frictional stress is calculated from Ef. Results show a marked difference in source properties between the two segments. The average frictional and ambient stress levels on the two segments are estimated. The total energy budget of and heat generated by the earthquake are elucidated based on a 2-D faulting model with frictional heat. Both observed and calculated results suggest the possible existence of fluids, which produced suprahydrostatic gradients, on the fault during faulting. Lubrication and thermal fluid pressurization might play a significant role on rupture. List of used symbols (Included also are the unit and the section or sub-section, where the symbol is used the first time.) Energy ∆E: Strain energy (J, which is the abbreviation of Joule) (Section 1) Es: Seismic radiation energy (J) (Section 1) Eg: Fracture energy (J) (Section 1) Es: Frictional energy (J) (Section 1)
Curcumin Attenuates Apoptosis and promotes cell proliferation and Protects Rats against Gentamycin-induced Nephrotoxicity

Background: The aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin (GEN) was associated with nephrotoxicity in humans. Curcumin (CUR) supplementation is effective for preventing or ameliorating the renal toxicity of some drugs in patients and animals. Aim of Work: Investigating the possible protective role of Curcumin against the adverse gentamycin renal changes in rats and ellucidating its mechanism of action.Material and Methods: Twenty four adult male rats were used in this study. The animals were divided into four groups; Group I (control group), GEN group (II) received Gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day) for 21 days, CUR group (III) received Curcumin for 21 days, GEN + CUR group (IV) received GEN together with CUR (100 mg/kg) for 21 days. All animals were euthanized at the end of experiment and the kidney was obtained. Renal homogenates were assessed for oxidative stress markers Glutathione (GSH) and Malodialdehyde (MDA). Paraffin sections were processed then stained with Hx & E, Masson's trichrome and immunohistochemical stains: BAX (for apoptosis) and PCNA (for cell proliferation). Results: Curcumin had significantly (p<0.05) improved the level of MDA and GSH in renal tissue as compared to Gentamycin received rats. Histologically, gentamycin adverse histological changes were markedly improved in GEN+ CUR group. The area % of collagen fibers and positive BAX reaction in GEN+ CUR group was significantly decreased (p<0.05) as compared to GEN group. The area % of positive PCNA reaction in GEN+CUR group had increased significantly (p<0.05) as compared to GEN group.Conclusion: Curcumin could attenuate apoptosis, promote cell proliferation and protect rats against Gentamycin nephrotoxicity.
Social Capital and Chinese International Students' Use of Social Network Site in the UK

Social capital refers to the resources embedded in people’s social networks. Since the Internet has launched, the usage of online Social Network Sites (SNSs) has been associated with user’s social capital. Most previous literature was Facebook-based, and only few research paid attention to other types of SNSs, and their influence of users’ social capital. This study investigates how two major used SNSs among Chinese international students in the UK affect their bridging and bonding social capital respectively. In this study, fifty Chinese international students studied at the University of York were recruited and asked to finish computer-based questionnaires for measuring the bridging and bonding social capital and the intensity of SNSs use. The results indicated that both SNSs usages were positively associated with Chinese students’ bridging and bonding social capital. Specifically, the Facebook usage was more associated with the bridging social capital, and the WeChat usage was more associated with the bonding social capital. In conclusion, Chinese international students could obtain different types of social capitals via different types of SNSs respectively.
Antimicrobial activity of various brands of children's toothpastes formulated with Triclosan, Fluoride and Xylitol

Objective: Evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of four different commercially available children’s toothpastes on bacteria growth inhibition from oral microbiota of young children. Material and Method: The toothpastes tested contained: 1100 ppm sodium fluoride, xylitol and 750 ppm sodium fluoride, xylitol and 500 ppm sodium fluoride, and xylitol and triclosan. Twenty 18 to 30 month-old children were selected. Nonstimulated saliva samples were collected and inoculated on brain heart infusion (BHI) agar. Toothpaste dilutions were applied into the agar wells and incubated at 37ºC for 24 hours in microaerophilic conditions. Saline and 0.12% chlorhexidine were used as controls. Antimicrobial activity was determined in duplicate by agar-well diffusion technique. Bacterial growth inhibition zones were recorded in mm. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05). Results: All toothpastes showed antimicrobial activity when compared to negative control (p<0.05). Toothpaste containing triclosan presented the highest antimicrobial activity followed, in this order, by xylitol and 750 ppm sodium fluoride, chlorhexidine, 1100 ppm sodium fluoride, xylitol and 500 ppm sodium fluoride and saline. Conclusions: Toothpaste containing triclosan and xylitol presented excellent antimicrobial activity, and may be considered a good option for young children.Key words: Toothpastes. Oral hygiene. Pediatric Dentistry.
Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in Peritoneal Dialysis

The ultrafiltration failure during peritoneal dialysis (PD) is related to inflammatory responses induced by bio-incompatible PD fluids, which may lead to deterioration of peritoneal membrane (PM) function. Mesothelial cells, lymphocytes, macrophages and other cell types present in the peritoneal cavity are stimulated to produce cytokines and growth factors that promote pathological processes. Due to these factors, blood and lym- phatic vessels proliferate and could be responsible for hyperfiltration and PM failure type III and IV. Vessels proliferation may be related to fibrosis, being the cause and/or effect of the mesenchymal conversion of different cell types such as mesothelial (MMT), bone marrow-derived (fibrocytes) or endothelial (vascular- and lymph-endo-MT) cells. Lymphangiogenesis in PD is a poorly analysed process; however, its contribution to peritoneal function disorders has been recently recognized. VEGF production is associ- ated with blood and lymphatic vessels proliferation, while specifically lymphangiogenesis is mainly regulated by VEGF-C and VEGF-D. Excessive lymphatic fluid drainage from the abdominal cavity may be related with macromolecule and isosmotic solutions reuptake and convective reabsorption of solutes that were cleared from plasma by diffu- sion. Some drugs have been shown to modulate tissue fibrosis, MMT, EndoMT, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis and could represent interesting therapeutic strategies to protect the PM.
A physical model for the spectral-timing properties of accreting black holes

We develop new techniques to deconvolve the radial structure of the X-ray emission region in the bright low/hard state of the black hole Cygnus X-1 using both spectral and timing data in the 3–35 keV range. The spectrum at these energies is dominated by Comptonization rather than the disc, but there is a complex pattern in the time lags between different energy bands and differences in the normalization and shape in the power spectra of these bands, which clearly shows that the Comptonization is not produced from a single, homogeneous region. We use a physically based model of density fluctuations propagating through a spectrally inhomogeneous flow, setting the spectral components by jointly fitting to the time-averaged and Fourier-resolved spectra. The predicted variability in any band is modelled analytically in Fourier space so it can be fit directly to the observed power spectra and lags. We find that the best-fitting model picks out three distinct radii in the flow, each with a distinct Compton spectrum. The variability and luminosity produced at these radii is enhanced, while propagation of fluctuations from larger radii is suppressed. We associate these radii with the disc truncation, the inner edge of the flow, and (more speculatively) the jet launch radius. These distinct radii are most evident where the source is close to a transition between the low/hard and high/soft states. We suggest that the smoother power spectra seen at lower luminosities imply that the source structure is simpler away from the transition.
A Statistical Analysis of Witchcraft Accusations in Colonial America

The idea of magic and witches was not foreign to the society of Colonial America. Many historical studies have examined the social, political, and economic aspects of witch hunts in Colonial America, especially the infamous Salem witch hunt. During the Salem witch hunt of 1692, over 150 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, 19 people were executed, and countless others were victimized. The object of this paper is to analyze witchcraft accusations of seventeenth-century Colonial America to discover any underlying patterns. Time series count data of witchcraft accusations were used to conduct an intervention analysis to determine whether the Salem witch hunt had an effect on witchcraft accusations in Colonial America.
Multi-proxy evaluation of early Holocene Acropora cervicornis from the Enriquillo Valley, Dominican Republic: implications for local climate dynamics and coral biochemistry

2 Chapter 1: Introduction . 4 Chapter 2: Geologic setting . 6 Chapter 3: Methods . 16 Chapter 4: Results . 24 Chapter 5: Petrographic evidence of skeletal fabric variability: implications for diagenesis . 31 Chapter 6: Stable isotope variability: implications for Caribbean climate dynamics and coral biochemistry . 37 Chapter 7: Trace element variability: implications for local watershed dynamics and coral biochemistry . 45 Chapter 8: Induced aragonite-calcite inversion in A.cervicornis: implications for paleoclimate research . 55 Chapter 9: Synthesis and further challenges . 59 Acknowledgments . 64 References . 65
Molecular mechanism of dbigh1 action

Molecular mechanism of dBigH1 action PhD student: Milos Tatarski The basic unit of chromatin is the nucleosome. Each nucleosome is made up by the four core histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. A linker histone, called histone H1, will bind the nucleosome and the DNA at the DNA entry and exit site forming the so-called chromatosome. This structure allows the compaction of the chromatin into higher order structures (Noll et al., 1977; Thoma et al., 1979). The Drosophila germline specific H1 variant dBigH1 is present in the male and female germline. It is shown that dBigH1 helps keeping the zygotic genes repressed until cellularization by heterochromatin formation. dBigH1 null mutants show a significantly increased expression of zygotic genes during early embryogenesis than wild type flies, as could be shown by qPCR analysis (Perez-Montero et al., 2013). The chromatin remodeler ACF1 is the large subunit of the ATP-dependent nucleosome sliding factors ACF and CHRAC. Expression of ACF1 in Drosophila is highest during embryogenesis and stays at high levels throughout the life of the fly only in neuroblasts and primordial germ cells (Ito et al., 1999; Varga-Weisz et al., 1998). The histone chaperone NAP1 was shown to be the histone chaperone for the Xenopus germline specific linker histone H1M/B4 (Shintomi et al., 2005). We have shown that dBigH1 incorporates in reconstituted chromatin using the Drosophila preblastodermic cell free reconstitution system (DREX). In transcription experiments with the assembled chromatin and HeLa nuclear extract we show that dBigH1 represses transcription in vitro. Furthermore, using truncated constructs of dBigH1, we show that the N-terminal tail of the protein is responsible for the repression. Neutralizing ACF1 and NAP1 leads to more dBigH1 incorporation in assembled chromatin, indicating an interplay between those proteins. When overexpressing ACF1 in the Drosophila male testis, we can see an increase of germal stem cells and Gonialblast cells in the testis tip. Additionally, we show that dBigH1 and ACF1 colocalize in those cell types, suggesting a mechanism of regulation of dBigH1 through the chromatin remodeler ACF1. The most relevant conclusions: 1. dBigH1 inhibits transcription of in vitro assembled chromatin in a dose-dependent manner. 2. Increased transcription inhibition of dBigH1 depends of its acidic N-terminal domain region. 3. Neutralization of ACF1 or NAP1 leads to increased dBigH1 incorporation into in vitro assembled chromatin. 4. ACF1 colocalizes with dBigH1 in male germ stem cells (GSCs) and gonialblast cells (GBs). 5. ACF1 overexpression leads to an increase of GSCs/GBs in the testis
Discourse markers in EFL classrooms : A corpus-driven research

This study aims at determining discourse markers used by Turkish teachers and native teachers in EFL classrooms and comparing these items in terms of variety and frequency. To reach the objectives of the present study, two seperate corpora were compiled through audio-recordings collected from two Turkish and two native EFL teachers’ lectures. AntConc (2014), a specific concordance program designed for text analysis, was utilized in the analysis of the corpus data. Corpus-driven research results indicated that Turkish teachers used 29 different discourse markers and native teachers used 37 different discourse markers in their classroom discourse. It was also seen that Turkish teachers underused most discourse markers compared to native teachers in EFL classrooms. In the light of these findings, notable implications were suggested for English language teaching.