Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The environment and space, not phylogeny, determine trait dispersion in a subtropical forest

Summary 1. A central aim of forest ecologists is to quantify the relative importance of different community assembly mechanisms in tropical and subtropical tree communities. Recent work in this field has focused on the importance of functional trait similarity and abiotic filtering. While important, none of this work has simultaneously: linked these trait dispersion patterns to the underlying abiotic environment, considered dispersal limitation and quantified the degree to which patterns of trait dispersion may be explained simply by shared ancestry. 2. Here we use data from a subtropical Chinese forest to accomplish this goal. We first examine the trait dispersion (leaf area, specific leaf area, seed mass, wood density, maximum height and five traits together) on local scales by comparing the observed trait dispersion pattern to that expected from a null model. Then we use a variance partitioning approach to examine the degree to which spatial proximity, environmental similarity or the phylogenetic dispersion of the species determine the observed trait dispersion. 3. The results show that, on local scales, trait dispersion is often non-randomly filtered. Further the widespread trait clustering observed is largely explained by the environment and space, while the phylogenetic dispersion of species in a sample explains relatively little. This result further underscores that inferring an assembly mechanism from a pattern of phylogenetic dispersion is tenuous. 4. The work is important in that it is the first to partition the variation in tree trait diversity into its spatial, environmental and phylogenetic components and that it demonstrates that functional trait data often lack enough phylogenetic signal on local scales to confidently link patterns of trait and phylogenetic dispersion. Ultimately, the findings suggest a strong role for abiotic filtering and dispersal limitation during community assembly on local spatial scales and that shared evolutionary history plays a relatively small role.
Effect of environmental factors in Daphnia magna longevity parameters

Longevity is the ability to survive beyond the average age of death for the species. It can be modulated by several environmental parameters that influence cellular metabolism, oxidation, or DNA integrity. A set of works has already been carried out in order to understand the influence of environmental factors in longevity. However, most of these studies are restricted to a narrow number of model species. It is then pertinent to generate more knowledge on the genome structure and on the functional responses of genes to environmental conditions within species with tractable ecologies, aiming to improve the understanding of gene-environment interactions in an evolutionary context. The most direct way to address this problem is to identify genes or interventions that function similarly to modulate life span in different organisms. Components of the insulin or insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway, the nutrient-responsive target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase and the sirtuin (SIR) family of protein deacetylases, regulated by PNC1 gene (pyrazinamidase and nicotinamidase), among others, have been found to have this property. Taking this into consideration, the main goal of this work was to assess the influence of several environmental parameters in the longevity of two clonal lineages of the cladoceran species Daphnia magna Straus (K6 and BEAK). To attain this purpose, the effects of temperature, food restriction and different copper levels were evaluated in the reproduction (total number of neonates produced) and life span of D. magna. The effects in the gene expression and genomic integrity of the PNC1 gene (occurrence of mutations) were assessed in the food restriction and copper assays, respectively. The model organism Daphnia magna was selected to address the purposed objective as its ecology is well understood, it is of easy maintenance and reproduces by parthenogenesis, which allows the creation of clonal lineages, thus providing a tool to discriminate genetically based differences (among clones) from the experimental background. In addition, the genome of the closely related Daphnia pulex has been sequenced, allowing the assessment of the relationship between structure, gene expression and population-level responses to environmental changes. In general, the obtained results revealed a clonal lineage dependency on the influence of the environmental parameters in longevity. An increased temperature and copper concentration provoked a reduction in the reproductive output and as well as in the longevity of daphnids. Food restriction also induced a decrease in the reproductive output of both clonal lineages of D. magna. After DNA sequencing, only similar SNPs were found in all samples and therefore, no mutational alterations were caused by exposure to the studied environmental factors. No significant effects occurred in the relative gene expression of PNC1 due to caloric restriction.
Body awareness and responses to experimentally Induced pain

PURPOSE. The aim of this study is to discuss personal and demographic factors that influence the relationship between physical activity and awareness of one's own body, as well as the pain response (threshold and tolerance of pain), situational anxiety and personality. In the study 38 healthy individualvolunteers, students in Trakia University Stara Zagora were selected. All participants were divided into two groups: actively involved in individual or team sport (n = 19) and healthy normaly active subjects (non-athletes, n = 19). The age of the study participants ranged between 18 and 39 years, while the gender breakdown was as follows: men 22 women – 16. Methods: Psychological Questionnaires: Body Awareness Questionnaire that asks subjects to rate, on a 4 point scale, the degree to which they were currently experiencing symptoms of sympathetic arousal, State Trait Anger Scale, and State Trait Anxiety Scale. Objective methods (cold pressure test) are used only to determine the pain sensation and pain tolerance thresholds. The results of investigation support significant differences between athletes and non-athletes in pain thershold, body awareness and anxiety. The study conclusions discuss body awareness as an increasing factor for pain resistance in athletes and as an integral part of the learning
Happiness over the life cycle: exploring age-specific preferences

Existing evidence suggests a U-shaped relationship between age and life satisfaction, when controlling for income and education and other personal characteristics. On the other hand, there is no clear pattern between old age and happiness without the use of controls. Thus, it is not ageing as such, which results declining happiness, but rather the circumstances which are associated with ageing. Which of these circumstances could be averted? Are the preferences of the elderly are similar to others? The paper aims to explore these issues, using the European Social Survey. The results imply that the varying level of life satisfaction during the life cycle may be explained partly by changing preferences (by the decreasing importance of work, the increasing importance of religion, and the declining disutility of being single), and partly by changing circumstances. While changing preferences seem to increase well-being, changing circumstances seem to decrease it. Exceptions are the few positive changes in circumstances, which are likely to contribute to higher well-being, include increasing religiosity and relatively low pensioners’ poverty across the 21 European countries examined here. Old days thus are happy above all due to changing priorities in life.
European Monetary Integration and Average Industry Productivity

Following the financial crises, the macroeconomic effects of EMU have been extensively discussed however research investigating the micro adjustments of entrant countries’ industries is still lacking. This thesis studies the effects of trade liberalisation, namely the European monetary integration has on the industry average productivity. The underlying theoretical model of Melitz (2003) develops a dynamic industry model with heterogeneous firms explaining the impact of trade on intra-industry resource and profit reallocations. The analysis is extended to incorporate Heckshcher-Ohlin model predictions, and hypotheses are drawn from the complementing model conclusions. The empirical model using comprehensive firm level data of 29 Eastern European and Central Asian countries for the time period 2003-2013 validates the models’ hypotheses. Specifically, strong evidence is found to show that trade liberalisation leads to industry average productivity gains. Some evidence is also found for EMU having the same effect, however the results are not robust across specifications. Finally, the results also show some indication of model complementarity as comparative advantage sectors are found to gain proportionately more from trade liberalisation.
Stock Market and Monetary Policy Versus Inflation: A Time Series Approach

We examine the dynamic relationship among real activity, inflation, interest rates and stock returns in the post-war period from 1947 to 2008 by employing a recursive vector autoregression (VAR) model. We find no significant relationship between real stock returns and inflation, supporting the Fisher effect that common stocks are hedges against inflation. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of changes in the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy rule by comparing the response of interest rates to inflation between two sub-periods: pre-1980 period (1947 – 1979) and post-1980 period (1980 – 2008). We find that real interest rates absorb inflation shock much more quickly in the post-1980 period than in the pre-1980 period, the evidence supporting the well-known fact that the Federal Reserve more aggressively responds to inflation in the post-1980 period than in the pre-1980 period.
Reproductive cycle in an imposex-affected population of Olivancillaria deshayesiana (Gastropoda: Olividae) from Mar del Plata, Argentina

Olivancillaria deshayesiana (Gastropoda: Olividae) is distributed from Ilha Grande (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) to Necochea (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Apart from some descriptions of the embryonic development and the egg capsules, little is known about the reproduction and ecol- ogy of this species. In this 2 yr study (October 2005 to September 2007), the reproductive cycle of O. deshayesiana was examined in a population highly affected by imposex, from the Mar del Plata coast, Argentina. Males exhibited seasonal reproductive activity, with a major spawning period from September to January (spring to early summer) for the 2 yr, which coincided with an increase in seawater temperature and photoperiod. In contrast, females were mature and capable of spawn- ing year round, with a major spawning period from September to January (spring to early sum- mer), simultaneous with the major spawning period of males.
On the path to the digital rock physics of gas hydrate bearing sediments – processing of in-situ synchrotron-tomography data

Abstract. To date, very little is known about the distribution of natural gas hydrates in sedimentary matrices and its influence on the seismic properties of the host rock, in particular at low hydrate concentration. Digital rock physics offers a unique approach to this issue yet requires good quality, high-resolution 3-D representations for the accurate modeling of petrophysical and transport properties. Although such models are readily available via in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray tomography, the analysis of such data asks for complex workflows and high computational power to maintain valuable results. Here, we present a best-practice procedure complementing data from Chaouachi et al. (2015) with data post-processing, including image enhancement and segmentation as well as exemplary numerical simulations of an acoustic wave propagation in 3-D using the derived results. A combination of the tomography and 3-D modeling opens a path to a more reliable deduction of properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments without a reliance on idealized and frequently imprecise models.
Corporate response to climate change: language, power and symbolic construction

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to explore corporate communications related to climate change in both a voluntary and mandatory setting. Adopting a critical perspective, the paper examines how companies who participated in the voluntary UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and the UK Government’s mandatory Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme positioned themselves within the climate change debate. In particular, the analysis draws attention to how companies, through their communicative practice, helped to constitute and reproduce the structure of the field in which they operate. Design/methodology/approach - – A context-sensitive discursive analysis of 99 stand-alone reports produced by companies participating in the UK ETS and CRC over a nine-year period. The analysis is informed by Thompson’s (1990) depth-hermeneutic framework, which mediates the connection between linguistic strategies and the institutional field. Findings - – The analysis suggests that companies tended to adopt particular linguistic strategies in their communications related to climate change. For example, the strategy of “rationalisation” was employed in order to emphasise the organisational “opportunities” resulting from climate change; in this sense, companies sought to exploit climate crises in order to advance a doctrine that endorsed market-based solutions. A noteworthy finding was that in the mandatory CRC period, there was a notable shift towards the employment of the strategies that Thompson (1990) refers to as “differentiation” – whereby companies attempted to displace responsibility by presenting either government or suppliers as barriers to progress. Originality/value - – This paper explores how disclosure on climate change evolved while organisations participate in voluntary and compulsory climate change initiatives. In this respect, the analysis is informed by the social and political context in which the disclosure was produced.
Accumulation studies on Amundsenisen, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, by means of tritium, dielectric profiling and stable-isotope measurements: first results from the 1995–96 and 1996–97 field seasons

Abstract The paper focuses on studies of snow-pit samples and shallow firn cores taken during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 field seasons at Amundsenisen, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The dating of the firn is based on the artificial tritium distribution in the snow cover and on several reference horizons identified by electrical measurements. The early 1964 through 1965 horizon is marked by the deposition of sulfate released to the atmosphere during the eruption of the Agung volcano in March 1963; this horizon was detected by dielectric profiling and electrical conductivity measurements: the proof by chemical analysis has still to be seen. At the ten investigated sites on Amundsenisen the 1964-65 horizon was identified 4.1-5.7 m below the surface. The accumulation rates on Amundsenisen are 41-91kg m-2 a−1 The cores are up to 100 years old A relationship between isotope content and the mean air temperature on a regional scale can be based on measurements of firn temperature at 10 m depth at the drilling sites Between Neumayer station at the coast and Heimefrontfiella, the temperature gradient of the deuterium content is 9.6%0 K−1. South of Heimefrontfiella, on the Amundsenisen plateau, it is only 5.5‰ K−1. Time series of yearly accumulation rates show no significant trend For the isotope records a significant trend to higher values with gradients of 0.1-0.2 δ 2H‰a−1 can be seen in five of the ten time series
Examining the Effect of the Conflict Management Strategies on Job Performance

The rapid globalization of modern business and the challenges to reach sales objectives pose major issues for human resource management. One important area that has yet to be fully explored is the management of conflict between sales and marketing functional areas. We hypothesize that: 1) marketing and sales task conflict is more likely to involve distributive (win–lose) issues and 2) when win–win (integrative) potential exists, the disputants are more likely to approach conflict from a fixed-pie perspective. Our analysis of data collected from food manufacturing industry supports this hypothesis. The application of different conflict management strategies varies depending on whether they are applied to sales or marketing task conflict. The importance of aligning conflict management strategies with the integrative potential of sales and marketing tasks is presented to managers.
The Impact of Human Capital on Farm Operator Household Income

Data from the 2006 Agricultural Resource Management Survey and multivariate regression procedures are used to examine the role of human capital in impacting the incomes of farm households. The paper uses an “adjusted” concept of income where government payments are subtracted from total household income thus allowing for the utilization of government payments as a potential control variable in the regression models. Findings indicate a significant and positive role for higher education except for farm households at the very lower and upper ends of the income distribution.
Human capital resource and performance of mobile phone companies in Kenya.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of human capital on performance of mobile phone companies in Kenya. The study used explanatory. The target population was 381 respondents and the sample size was 170 respondents from the four mobile phone companies in Kenya. The research adopted stratified random sampling technique. The study used mainly primary data which was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Data was analyzed using inferential statistics. The analysis used stata statistical package version 11.0 to aid data analysis. The results were presented using tables. The findings indicated that human capital had a positive significant effect on performance of mobile phone companies. The study recommends that human capital is a key player in establishing performance therefore; managers should introduce more training to improve human capital skills.
Stability and inheritance analysis of transgenic Tobacco expressing Hepatitis B surface antigen

Plants provide ample advantages over other expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins efficiently at low cost. The current focus of plant transformation is towards stable expression of a transgene. However, some unintended transgene instability has occurred in the expression of recombinant proteins. To study the genetic stability of a transgene, we transformed leaf explants of tobacco with the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) gene along with npt-II as an antibiotic selection marker using Agrobacterium mediated transformation. The presence of the HBsAg gene in putative transformants was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The crude protein obtained from the transformed tobacco plants was tested by western-blot analysis and Enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) to prove the antigen specificity and immunogenic nature of the hepatitis B surface antigen. The T1 to T4 generation seeds obtained from the transgenic tobacco plants were tested after germination in the presence of kanamycin and Mendelian segregation was confirmed. This phenotypic and molecular characterization strengthens the genetic stability and inheritance of the HBsAg gene in different generations of transgenic tobacco plants.
Recorded and potential alien invertebrate pests in Finnish agriculture and horticulture

It is assumed that climate change will promote pest invasions and their establishment in new regions. We have updated the list of current alien invertebrate pest species in Finland and produced a list of potential new alien pests using a self-organizing map (SOM) that ranks species in terms of their risk of entry into Finland. The 77 pest species recorded included 67 insects, 5 nematodes, 2 mites and 3 slugs. Nearly half of the alien species appeared to have invaded Finland during the last 48 years. The SOM analysis is considered a viable tool for identification of potentially high-risk invasive pests from among the multitude of potential alien invaders, and represents a useful complement to local expert knowledge-based risk assessment of potentially invasive pests. Along with the comparisons with databases of current and potential pest species, SOM analysis suggests that in the changing climate, the habitats at greatest risk from exotic pests in Finland are horticultural: orchards, ornamental hardy-nursery stocks, landscape and ornamental tree nurseries, and greenhouses.
YIELDS OF WINTER WHEAT VARIETIES BRED AT KARCAG IN DIFFERENT SOIL CULTIVATION SYSTEMS

The examination of new soil use methods started in 1997, at the University of Debrecen CAAES RISF Karcag Research Institute. Our goal was to prevent and reduce the soil degradation processes in Karcag. A lot of areas in this microregion are occupied by the "minute soils", which can be characterized by a very short period for optimal cultivation due to their unfavourable hydrological features and heavy texture. Any tillage operations applied out of this optimal period involve the risk of soil degrading effects. The cumulative effect of the past improper operations has resulted in formation of a physically degraded and dusty cultivated layer. The consequences of the structural degradation of the soil: unfavourable hydrological features, decreased nutrition supply capacity, moderated microbiological activity effects of soil protective cultivation technologies - involving direct seeding and residue management - on the soil, crop and economy of production are examined in a multiple long-term field experiment on a heavy textured soil. In lysimeters the correlation of water supply, soil moisture content and water use efficiency of crops was revealed too. We also measured the tractive power demand, the moisture content, the penetration resistance, and the CO2 emission of the soil in the two cultivation systems. It was established that the CO2-emission from the soil cultivated with the soil conservation technology was significantly higher in the most cases compared to conventional tillage system based on ploughing. Measuring CO2-emission, the most important (from agricultural point of view) characteristic of the soil can be directly quantified. According to the research achievements of the first sixteen years of the experiment the applied treatments have not always significantly influenced the yield of the indicator crop (winter wheat), but considerably decreased the energy consumption and costs of cultivation.
Variational assimilation of Lagrangian trajectories in the Mediterranean ocean Forecasting System

Abstract. A novel method for three-dimensional variational assimilation of Lagrangian data with a primitive-equation ocean model is proposed. The assimilation scheme was implemented in the Mediterranean ocean Forecasting System and evaluated for a 4-month period. Four experiments were designed to assess the impact of trajectory assimilation on the model output, i.e. the sea-surface height, velocity, temperature and salinity fields. It was found from the drifter and Argo trajectory assimilation experiment that the forecast skill of surface-drifter trajectories improved by 15 %, that of intermediate-depth float trajectories by 20 %, and moreover, that the forecasted sea-surface height fields improved locally by 5 % compared to satellite data, while the quality of the temperature and salinity fields remained at previous levels. In conclusion, the addition of Lagrangian trajectory assimilation proved to reduce the uncertainties in the model fields, thus yielding a higher accuracy of the ocean forecasts.