Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mathematical models of environmental opportunist pathogen dynamics

Environmental opportunist pathogens are a class of organisms that are able to both infect multicellular hosts and grow in the outside-host environment as free-living organisms. Environmental opportunism differs from obligate parasitism in that direct host-to-host contact is not necessary for disease transmission and that there are environmental pathogen reservoirs which in suitable conditions act as sources of infection. Because of this, environmental opportunist pathogens form a persistent threat to human health, livestock, and wildlife, and cannot be eradicated by treating hosts. Three well-known examples of pathogens of this class are Vibrio cholerae, Flavobacterium columnare, and Bacillus anthracis, all of which cause sporadic outbreaks. Between infections, these pathogens are subject to multiple biotic and abiotic environmental pressures in the outside-host environment. While environmental opportunist pathogens are not dependent on live hosts for transmission and thus benefit from increased virulence, balancing between the two environments, within-host and outside-host, might incur trade-offs and thus limitations to their spread. In this thesis I have developed mathematical models of environmental opportunist pathogen dynamics and studied the effects of environmental variation and outsidehost interactions on patterns of pathogen outbreaks. The studies included in the thesis address (i) the origin of a sigmoidal dose-dependent infectivity response, (ii) the effect of competition in the outside-host environment on opportunist pathogen outbreaks, (iii) the effect of environmental variation on environmental opportunist dynamics, and (iiii) how environmental variation enables invasions of emerging opportunist pathogen strains. The modelling approach has enabled identification of factors such as alleviation of competitive pressure and certain kinds of environmental variation as outside-host environmental factors that promote outbreaks. Additionally, modelling results can be used to suggest control strategies to reduce the probability of environmental opportunist pathogen outbreaks. 1. Mathematical modelling in ecology and
Capitalized Amenity Value of Urban Wetlands: A Hedonic Property Price Approach to Urban Wetlands in Perth, Western Australia

Up to 60 per cent of potable water supplied to Perth, Western Australia, is extracted from the groundwater system that lies below the northern part of the metropolitan area. Many of the urban wetlands are groundwater-dependent and excessive groundwater extraction and climate change have resulted in a decline in water levels in the wetlands. In order to inform decisions on conserving existing urban wetlands, it is beneficial to be able to estimate the economic value of the urban wetlands. Applying the Hedonic Property Price approach to value urban wetlands, we found that distance to the nearest wetland and the number of wetlands within 1.5 km of a property significantly influence house sales price. For a property that is 943 m away from the nearest wetland, which is the average distance to the wetland in this study, reducing the wetland distance by 1 m will increase the property price by AU$42.40. Similarly, the existence of an additional wetland within 1.5 km of the property will increase the sales price by AU$6976. For a randomly selected wetland, assuming a 20 ha isolated circular wetland surrounded by uniform density housing, the total sales premium to surrounding properties was estimated to be around AU$140 million (AU$40 million and AU$230 million).
Antibody response in naïve and sensitised goats infested by Sarcoptes scabiei

The purpose of this study was to characterize the IgG and IgE antibody responses in goats infested repeatedly with Sarcoptes scabiei . Ten goats purchased from scabies-free farms were infested with 2000 live mites on the auricles. Fifty days after the initial infestation, the goats were treated with ivermectin. After being completely recovered, the goats were reinfested then treated again at 50 days post infestation. Blood samples were collected at the time of the first infestation, then every 10 days afterwards for 270 days. Seroconversion for IgG took place after 30 days following the first infestation, whereas the maximum level of the specific IgG antibodies occurred after 50 days. Immunoblot analysis identified a number of antigens ( M r 180, 135, 43 and 38 KDa) that recognised by the IgG at 10 days and continuously recognised throughout the course of the multiple infestations. Being consistently recognised, those antigens should be essential in the development immunological diagnostic tests for scabies. The levels of scabies-specific IgE antibodies increased slowly during the first infestation and rapidly dropped following treatment of the animals with ivermectin. In the second and third infestations, however, the reaginic antibodies rose rapidly and with a grater level. On immunoblot analysis, at least 10 antigens ( M r 130, 72, 64, 58, 48, 44, 41, 39, 27 and 25 KDa) were observed to be recognised by the IgE present in the sera from scabies-infested animals. Since IgE response is considered to play a major role in the immune protection, those allergens, therefore, could be used as the main component of an anti-scabies vaccine. Key words: Sarcoptes scabiei , antibody, goats
Cooling paths during the Mesozoic Extensional Tectonics of NE China: example from the South Liaodong Peninsula Metamorphic Core Complex

The South Liaodong Peninsula massif is the easternmost Mesozoic Metamorphic Core Complex, recognized in Eastern China. It provides a good example of the combination of ductile shearing, synkinematic plutonism and polyphase exhumation. The Jurassic granodioritic plutons, located at the footwall of the detachment normal fault, and dated here at ca 160 Ma, recorded two different phases of cooling. A slow cooling regime of about 3-10°C/my prevailing before 122 Ma, was followed by a significant increase in cooling rate of about 40-55°C/my after that time. By contrast, a single fast cooling path was recorded by the Cretaceous monzogranite situated in the footwall of the detachment normal fault. This result indicates that the Jurassic and Cretaceous plutons recorded different exhumation processes: a Jurassic slow or negligible exhumation and a Cretaceous fast one assisted by normal faulting. These two cooling stages correspond to distinct geodynamic processes during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Extensional tectonics seems not significant before Early Cretaceous. The second stage, dominated by an extensional regime which develops after ca 120 Ma, is tentatively correlated to the lithosphere removal of the North China Craton.
Phenotypic, Genetic and Environmental Trends of Milk Production Traits in Karan Fries Cattle

First lactation records of 643 Karan Fries (KF) cattle sired by 77 bulls maintained at the NDRI herd during 1992-2009 were used to estimate phenotypic and genetic trends of first lactation traits viz. 305 days milk yield (FL305MY), total milk yield (FLTMY) and lactation length (FLL). The phenotypic trends were estimated as 20.74 ± 6.08 kg (0.64 percent of herd average), 34.04 ± 8.62 kg (0.90 percent of herd average) and 1.02 ± 0.65 days (0.28 percent of herd average) for FL305MY, FLTMY and FLL respectively. The estimated genetic trends were using BLUP 4.85 ± 5.62 kg (0.15 percent of herd average), 3.44 ± 2.60 kg (0.09 percent of herd average) and 0.58 ± 0.24 days (0.16 percent of herd average) for FL305MY, FLTMY and FLL respectively. The estimated environmental trends were 15.89 ± 8.27 kg, 30.6 ± 9.00 kg and 0.44 ± 0.69 days FL305MY, FLTMY and FLL respectively. It was inferred that there has been genetic improvement in the milk production traits in the desirable direction over the years.
The Prediction Power of Servant and Ethical Leadership Behaviours of Administrators on Teachers' Job Satisfaction

The purpose of this study is to identify servant leadership and ethical leadership behaviors of administrators and the prediction power of these behaviors on teachers' job satisfaction according to the views of schoolteachers. This research, figured in accordance with the quantitative research processes. The target population of the research has consisted of 319 schoolteachers working in the city center of Eskisehir in 2016--2017 academic year. They are selected randomly in Eskisehir province to identify the participants of the survey, participated in the study voluntarily. In this study as a descriptive research, mean score, standard deviation values, Pearson's product-moment correlation and multiple regression analysis was utilized for analysis of the data. According to correlation analyses, servant leadership is in negative direction with ethical leadership and job satisfaction. There is a negative relation between all dimensions of servant leadership and job satisfaction. Ethical leadership is in positive relation with job satisfaction. Ethical leadership is in positive relation with all dimensions of job satisfaction. According to the results of regression analyses, job satisfaction increases when ethical leadership increases, job satisfaction decreases when servant leadership increases.
Seismic and spectroscopic characterization of the solar-like pulsating CoRoT target HD 49385

Context. The star HD 49385 is the first G-type solar-like pulsator observed in the seismology field of the space telescope CoRoT. The satellite collected 137 days of high-precision photometric data on this star, confirming that it presents solar-like oscillations. HD 49385 was also observed in spectroscopy with the NARVAL spectrograph in January 2009. Aims. Our goal is to characterize HD 49385 using both spectroscopic and seismic data. Methods. The fundamental stellar parameters of HD 49385 are derived with the semi-automatic software VWA, and the projected rotational velocity is estimated by fitting synthetic profiles to isolated lines in the observed spectrum. A maximum likelihood estimation is used to determine the parameters of the observed p modes. We perform a global fit, in which modes are fitted simultaneously over nine radial orders, with degrees ranging from � = 0t o� = 3 (36 individual modes). Results. Precise estimates of the atmospheric parameters (Teff ,[ M/H], log g) and of the v sini of HD 49385 are obtained. The seismic analysis of the star leads to a clear identification of the modes for degrees � = 0, 1, 2. Around the maximum of the signal (ν � 1013 μHz), some peaks are found significant and compatible with the expected characteristics of � = 3 modes. Our fit yields robust estimates of the frequencies, linewidths and amplitudes of the modes. We find amplitudes of ∼5.6 ± 0.8 ppm for radial modes at the maximum of the signal. The lifetimes of the modes range from one day (at high frequency) to a bit more than two days (at low frequency). Significant peaks are found outside the identified ridges and are fitted. They are attributed to mixed modes.
Analysis of satellite‐based and in situ hydro‐climatic data depicts water storage depletion in North China Region

Water storage depletion is an increasing hydrological threat to agricultural production and social stability across the globe. It is fast approaching threshold levels especially in arid/semiarid regions with low precipitation and excessive evapotranspiration (ET). This study analyses water storage dynamics in the North China Region (NCR) – an important grain‐production base in China. It uses monthly Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and field‐measured precipitation data products for 2002–2009. The datasets are analysed in a basin‐scale water balance equation to determine the state of storage in the NCR study area. Based on the validated satellite‐based data products with field‐measured values, average error/bias in the datasets is <10%. The analysis also shows favourable agreements among the GRACE‐derived and flux‐based storage changes at various temporal scales. Whereas the amplitudes and phases of the precipitation and ET fluxes are largely stable for 2002–2009, those of GLDAS runoff and GRACE total water storage anomaly apparently narrow out. The linear trends in the monthly, seasonal and annual storage changes are negative for the study period, suggesting storage loss. There is an apparent seasonality of storage change in the study area; with summer storage gain, winter storage loss and an overall storage loss that is on the average of 16.8 mm/yr. Storage loss is most severe in the central floodplain region (the main irrigated production zone) of the study area. Storage depletion in this important agro‐based semi‐arid region could have negative implications for the millions of people in the region and beyond in terms of water supply, crop production, food security and social stability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ULTIMATUM GAME WITH ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION: A STUDY OF DECEPTION AND FAIRNESS

The task of the experiment reported here is to examine decision making in ultimatum games with symmetric and asymmetric information. In the asymmetric information condition, subjects (n = 134) were given an opportunity to deceive their playing partner. I found that participants indeed deceived their partners, specifically: While subjects were given on average 108.06 (probabilistic) CZK (Czech Koruna) to divide among themselves and their partner, in the asymmetric condition they reported to their partner that they were given 59.05 CZK only. Subsequently, they allocated only 30.19 CZK to their partner in the asymmetric information ultimatum game, whereas in the symmetric information game, where deception was not possible, they allocated 48.65 CZK. The larger the surplus to be divided, the more deception was present. Women deceived significantly more than men and allocated less money to their partner in the asymmetric information ultimatum game (the effect size of gender was small, though).
Cephalopods and mesoscale oceanography at the Antarctic Polar Front: satellite tracked predators locate pelagic trophic interactions

Predator data and exploratory fishing in the Scotia Sea have revealed the presence of cephalopod stocks in the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ). This is a vast, remote region where large epipelagic cephalopods aggregate into highly mobile schools making them difficult to locate and sample. We used satellite tagged predators and shipboard acoustics for coarse and fine scale location of cephalopod concentrations, and sampled them with commercial and scientific nets to determine the relationship between cephalopod distribution and mesoscale oceanographic features at the PFZ. Satellite tags were attached to 9 grey-headed albatrosses Diomedea chrysostoma, breeding at Bird Island, South Georgia, to monitor foraging at sea in January-March 1994. A foraging area at the PFZ, north of South Georgia, was located, an acoustic survey undertaken and a fixed station established where acoustic targets were found. A net survey was carried out with a commercial pelagic trawl, a rectangular midwater trawl 25 m2 (RMT25), a horizontal multiple plankton sampler and a neuston net. Acoustic layers were targeted and the RMT25 sampled 200 m layers to 1000 m in daylight and darkness. Cephalopods were simultaneously recovered from food samples fed to D. chrysostoma chicks at Bird Island. Two CTD transects, approximately normal to the major current flow, were undertaken across the PFZ and remote-sensed sea-surface temperature images from NOAA polar orbiting satellites were obtained aboard ship. The pelagic trawl sampled a cephalopod community that closely resembled that exploited by D. chrysostoma. The largest and most conspicuous species was the ommastrephid squid Martialia hyadesi which is the most important cephalopod prey species. Net-sampled M. hyadesi had been feeding on crustaceans and mesopelagic fish. The cephalopod community was sampled in a feature, interpreted as a warm core ring, in an area characterised by mesoscale features associated with the bathymetry of the northern end of the Northeast Georgia Rise and near a gap in the Falkland Ridge. The association of these mesoscale features with the bathymetry suggests that they may be predictable foraging locations for the cephalopods and their predators.
The impact of financialisation on the wage share: a theoretical clarification and empirical test

It is frequently asserted that financialisation has contributed to the decline in the wage share. This paper provides a theoretical clarification and a systematic empirical investigation. We identify four channels through which financialisation can affect the wage share: (1) enhanced exit options of firms; (2) rising price mark-ups due to financial overhead costs for businesses; (3) increased competition on capital markets and shareholder value orientation; and (4) the role of household debt in increasing workers’ financial vulnerability and undermining their class consciousness. The paper compiles a comprehensive set of empirical measures of financialisation and uses it to test these hypotheses with a panel regression of 14 OECD countries over the 1992-2014 period. We find strong evidence for negative effects of financial liberalisation and financial payments of non-financial corporations on the wage share that are in the same order of magnitude as the effects of globalisation.
Safety Information Needs, Sources and Behaviour of Artisanal and Small Scale Miners in SouthWest Nigeria

Miners, particularly artisanal and small scale ones, require information to stay safe in their jobs. This study examined the safety information needs, sources and safety information behaviour of artisanal and smallscale miners in some selected locations in Oyo and Ogun states, Nigeria. The study adopted a sample survey research. Accidental sampling was used to select respondents from mine sites in Oyo and Ogun states, Nigeria. The study sampled 400 copies of questionnaires and out of 369 copies of questionnaire retrieved from the respondents, 357 eligible copies were used to carry out frequency distributions, factor analysis, regression and correlation analyses. The result of the analysis carried out showed that males were dominant among the respondents and majority of the respondents were married, having secondary education as their highest level of education. The hypotheses tested showed that attitude towards safety information seeking, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control have significant relationship with miners’ behavioural intention to seek for safety information and behavioural intention has a significant relationship with miners’ information behaviour and their safety Information needs. Findings from the study revealed that the safety information needs of miners include information on safety equipment, health care services, accidents, diseases and geological hazards associated with mining. The findings also showed that artisanal and smallscale miners prefer their fellow miners as their safety information source. The study recommended that there should be peer education of some AS miners who should be sources of information to others since the miners prefer using interpersonal sources of safety information source.
Investment in Health Technologies in a Competitive Model with Real Options

This paper adopts a real options approach to study the optimal timing of investment in new technologies by health care providers competing for patients and the role of alternative payment systems in the adoption decision. The innovative technology provides a better health outcome, thus attracting a larger number of patients. On the other hand, at the early stages of innovation it is assumed to involve a larger degree of uncertainty and higher costs. The role of the payment system turns out not always to be intuitive. In particular, it is shown that a more generous scheme does not always induce earlier investment. By comparing the competitive solution with the social optimal timing, some policy implications are finally discussed. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Infrared confocal imaging for inspection of flaws in yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP)

Custom made medical yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) components require a high standard of machining and inspection techniques to ensure high reliability of the manufactured parts. Due to heat generated during machining processes, which in turn can cause cracking, the strength of Y-TZP ceramics can be compromised. Thus, a novel confocal mid-infrared transmission imaging technique is introduced in this paper. It provides enhanced imaging capabilities for flaws and cracks introduced into the bulk of the component compared to previously developed imaging techniques. We demonstrate that micrometre scale cracks can be identified in Y-TZP components up to 3.5 mm thick with an imaging resolution of approximately 30 µm, and also show that macro scale flaws can be observed in the volume of Y-TZP ceramics of up to 3.5 mm thick.
Perceiving Racial/Ethnic Disadvantage and Its Consequences for Self-Esteem among Asian-Americans

This study is the first to test experimentally (vs. correlationally) whether perceiving racial/ethnic disadvantage leads to lower self-esteem among Asian-Americans. We manipulated perceived disadvantage by having Asian-American college students recall and write about experiences in which they were personally disadvantaged because of their race/ethnicity, and examined the effects of perceiving disadvantage on various outcome measures, including racial/ethnic identity, racial/ethnic salience (the number of ethnic identities participants listed on the Twenty Statements Test), and self-esteem. Consistent with experimental research with other racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States, the self-esteem of Asian-Americans was unharmed by recalling and describing past incidents of racially-based disadvantage.
COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY AND THE ACQUISITION OF COMPLEX COGNITIVE SKILLS IN THE ELDERLY: TOWARDS AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK

The purpose of this article is to explore the advantages of instructional formats based on cognitive load theory for elderly learners engaged in the acquisition of complex cognitive skills. A great body of research has demonstrated that cognitive aging is accompanied by a reduction of working - memory capacity, a general slowing of mental processes, and a decline of the ability to repress irrelevant information. The core idea of cognitive load theory is that working - memory capacity is limited and should therefore be managed with great care and discretion. Cognitive load theory claims that this can be achieved by minimizing the level of extraneous cognitive load, which is the portion of load that does not contribute to schema acquisition, and by maximizing the level of germane cognitive load, which directly contributes to the construction of cognitive schemata. Since instructions based on cognitive load theory deal with cognitive limitations, in that they lead to an efficient use of the available resourc.