Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemical composition and antioxidant properties of some industrial tree bark extracts

Wood bark is a residue of forestry production that is used as a fuel source. The chemical composition of tree bark is similar to that of the harvested wood, and it contains a variety of useful compounds. To determine the chemical composition and antioxidant activities of different barks, fir (Abies nordmanniana), beech (Fagus orientalis), pine (Pinus sylvestris), poplar (Populus alba), and oak (Quercus robur) barks were selected because they are used for industrial purposes in Turkey. The dried bark powders were extracted using a 65:35 methanol-water mixture (v/v) to determine the total phenolic content, the flavonoid content, and the antioxidant properties (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), metal chelating, and H2O2 scavenging). The flavonoid components were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and extracted by hexane to analyze the volatile components by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The poplar bark extracts had the highest total phenolic content, highest total flavonoid content, and highest antioxidant content. The poplar bark extracts were rich in myricetin (87.761 mg/L), which is a flavonoid with rich antioxidant properties. The presence of valuable extracts suggests that barks may have uses as valuable raw materials for chemical applications such as cosmetics, perfumes, and food preservatives.
PEI DRAFT final.indd

‘Space’ has been referred to as ‘the final frontier for ecological theory’ (Kareiva 1994). Indeed, a spatial approach to documenting and modeling variation in populations, communities and species diversity has dominated ecology for the last few decades, and resulted in significant advances in understanding (e.g. island biogeography (MacArthur & Wilson 1967), metapopulation dynamics (Hanski 1991; Tilman et al. 1997), and macroecology (Gaston & Blackburn 2000)). We now appreciate not only that ecological pattern and process is scale dependent, but that multiscale approaches are necessary to understand the hierarchical nature of mechanisms underlying the patterns we observe (Usher & Booth 1986; Wiens 2000; Schneider 2001; McGeoch & Price 2004). Integrating the findings from a range of hierarchical spatial scales is therefore an effective tool for generating hypotheses and identifying the scale dependent nature of pattern and mechanism in any biotic system (Bellehumeur & Legendre 1998; Noda 2004).
Gibrat’s law and legacy for non-profit organisations: a non-parametric analysis

Gibrat’s Law of proportional effect (i.e. growth is independent of initial size) has been tested for firms for several decades. In this paper I test Gibrat’s Law for charities in England and Wales through time. Using a data set based on the population of registered charities from 1998 to 2009, I am able to test the ‘ex ante’ hypothesis that Gibrat’s Law holds over the long run for a sample of charities as well as testing Gibrat’s Legacy (that Gibrat’s Law holds for large and mature organisations), the ‘ex post’ hypothesis. I use nonparametric local polynomial smoothing techniques which are more robust to the issues of autocorrelation, sample selection and truncation that make the conventional parametric approaches to testing Gibrat’s Law difficult in practice. Results suggest that the dynamic processes driving growth in the charitable sectors may differ from those driving the growth of firms. Unlike for-profit firms Gibrat’s Law is found to generally hold when controlling for selection both ‘ex ante’ and ‘ex post’. Results may be driven by the absence of a minimum efficient scale which charities must achieve to survive and the different funding profiles of charities.
EFFECTS OF PACLOBUTRAZOL ON STOMATAL SIZE AND DENSITY IN PEACH LEAVES

To study the stomatal contribution to total leaf gas exchange in leaves of paclobutrazoltreated peach trees (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), counts and measurements of stomata were made. Peach trees (cv. Catherine) were treated with different doses of paclobutrazol at bloom, and later in summer, counts of stomata per unit area of leaf showed that the density increased linearly with the doses, while the length of the stomata also decreased linearly.
Pulmosphaeria archontophoenicis gen . et sp . nov . associated with Archontophoenix alexandrae ( Arecaceae ) in northern Queensland

Archontophoenix alexandrae Wendl. is endemic to northern Queensland, Australia. It occurs in the rainforests of tropical and warm temperate regions, ranging from the northern coast of Queensland to the southern coast of New South Wales and is found in damper areas along streams, gullies and adjacent to swamps (Uhl & Dransfield, 1987). Its endemic nature and the relative geographic isolation of its natural habitat makes it a suitable candidate for studies relating to host specificity of fungi and fungal biogeography. The mycobiota of this palm in its natural habitat is currently being investigated. A species that cannot be placed in any genus so far described was encountered and the monotypic genus Pulmosphaeria is introduced to accommodate it.
The informational content of the shape of utility functions: financial strategic behavior

Recently, Pennings and Smidts (2003) showed a relationship between organizational behavior and the global shape of the utility function. Their results suggest that the shape of the utility function may be related to 'higher-order' decisions. This research examines the relationship between financial strategic decisions and the global shape of the utility function of real decision makers. We assess the shape of utility functions of portfolio managers and show that the global shape is related to their strategic asset allocation. The findings demonstrate the informational content of the shape of utility functions in the context of financial strategic behavior. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Organic Data and Research from the ARMS Survey: Findings on Competitiveness of the Organic Soybean Sector

Organic production has expanded rapidly in the US over the last decade, particularly for specialty crops. In 2005, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Agricultural Statistics (NASS) began to include targeted sub-samples of organic producers in its major annual economic survey, the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). In this article we use data from the 2006 ARMS to examine the characteristics of producers adopting the organic production approach to soybean production, and contrast these with conventional producers. Organic soybean producers were younger, had less acreage, were less likely to work off-farm, and were more often located in northern states than conventional soybean producers. Also, differences in the costs of production for each system are derived. Results indicate that the average costs for producing soybeans were higher for producers using the organic approach in 2006 after accounting for the influence of other factors on production costs, sample selection bias, and organic transition costs, but were covered by the higher premiums that year. However, the organic price premium for soybeans has narrowed since 2006, and reduced the economic incentive for converting to or maintaining an organic system. Introduction Crop acres under organic systems have grown rapidly during the past decade in response to strong consumer demand. In 2008, US producers dedicated approximately 4.6 million acres of cropland, rangeland, and pasture to certified organic production, more than double the 1.8 million certified acres in 2000 (18). However, adoption of organic systems has been uneven across farm sectors, with rapid growth for organic specialty crops and weak growth or acreage declines for organic grains and oilseeds. Organic soybean acreage, for example, declined 7% during this period, to 126,000 acres in 2008 (0.2% of US soybean acreage), while organic apple acreage doubled to 18,000 acres (5% of US apple acreage). Producers in every sector face numerous production and marketing challenges in transitioning to organic production (2,5,7,22). For grains and oilseeds, the costly transition period and uncertainty of future returns reduce the probability of organic conversion, and organic producers may abandon organic management when returns to conventional crop production are high (4). In the early 2000s, several first-time research, conservation, and marketing assistance provisions were included in Congressional legislation to assist organic producers and handlers, including a provision to improve economic data on organic agriculture. Beginning in 2005, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Agricultural Statistics began including sub-samples targeting organic production of selected commodities in its major annual economic survey of producers, the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). ARMS collects detailed farm financial information, including income, expenses, assets, and debt, as well as farm and operator characteristics. 29 April 2013 Crop Management Published June 13, 2014
Compliment Responses across Gender in Philippine Context

A number of researches on compliments and compliment responses (CRs) have been done from cross-cultural perspectives; however, few attempts have been made to conduct contrastive studies across gender. This study analyzed the results from 15 male and 15 female advanced L2 learners in Paranaque Science High School to determine what CRs strategies and types of compliments they employed. From the data collected, results revealed that the male and female participants opted to follow the trend from the previous studies: Accept, Reject, and Evade pattern. Both groups preferred Accept the most, and Reject the least. In addition, two explicit types of CRs strategies were evidently preferred by both groups: the Appreciation Token and Return Compliment. On the one hand, male participants preferred to use implicit CRS strategy of Informative Comment; but on the other hand, female participants opted to employ implicit CRS strategy of Shift Credit. The linguistic manipulations of CRs shown in this study indicate that no universal model of CRs would work because different genders have different sets of protocols, thereby preventing any valid generalization. Several pedagogical implications were provided for future instruction in teaching ESL.
Estimation of Amino Acid Requirement Adjusting for Carry-Over EffectBased on Approximate Change-Point Regression Model.

It is an important issue to determine amino acid requirement in human in nutritional science. The indicator amino acid oxidation technique is often employed to the issue. An indicator amino acid is measured repeatedly from each participant at intake of various dosage of the target amino acid to determine the requirement. Change-point models are often employed to determine the requirement. Carry-over effects due to repeated measurement may influence on estimation of the change-point. In this paper, a model is introduced to evaluate the carry-over effect and to estimate the change-point adjusting for the carry-over effect. A simple inference procedure is introduced based on an approximation of the change-point model. It can be easily executed using a standard software for the non-linear mixed effect models. We apply the model to a dataset analyzed in a previous study to estimate the requirement of lysine in human. A simulation study is also conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method with small sample size.
The growth interval of garnet in the UHP eclogites from the Dabie orogen, China

Abstract Zircon inclusions, extracted from garnet from an ultrahigh-pressure eclogite in the eastern part of the Dabie orogen, were investigated with high spatial resolution U-Pb geochronology. The unzoned zircon rims have garnet and omphacite inclusions and show weak cathodoluminescence, low-Th/U ratios (0.02-0.18), flat high rare-earth elements patterns, and an absence of Eu anomalies, which suggest metamorphic growth in the presence of garnet and in the absence of feldspar. Dispersed concordia U-Pb ages, ranging from 205.1 ± 3.3 to 255.3 ± 6.1 Ma, defined a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 223 ± 8 Ma (mean square of weighted deviation, MSWD = 38), which is significantly younger than the Lu-Hf garnet-whole rock age of 242.2 ± 2.6 Ma. The U-Pb age probability distribution indicates two age populations at ca. 241 and ca. 216 Ma. The zircon rims, with younger ages, are distinguished from those with older ages by the occurrence of garnet and omphacite inclusions. Well-preserved prograde major- and trace-element zoning in garnet and the significant contribution of older garnet cores in bulk isotopic digestion suggest that the Lu-Hf age mostly reflects an early phase of garnet growth likely at amphibolite facies conditions. The new Lu-Hf age combined with the U-Pb ages of the zircon inclusions in garnet suggest that garnet growth was sustained over a time interval of ~25 m.y.
Biomass Extraction Using Non-Chlorinated Solvents for Biocompatibility Improvement of Polyhydroxyalkanoates

An economically viable method to extract polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from cells is desirable for this biodegradable polymer of potential biomedical applications. In this work, two non-chlorinated solvents, cyclohexanone and γ-butyrolactone, were examined for extracting PHA produced by the bacterial strain Cupriavidus necator H16 cultivated on vegetable oil as a sole carbon source. The PHA produced was determined as a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) homopolyester. The extraction kinetics of the two solvents was determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). When cyclohexanone was used as the extraction solvent at 120 °C in 3 min, 95% of the PHB was recovered from the cells with a similar purity to that extracted using chloroform. With a decrease in temperature, the recovery yield decreased. At the same temperatures, the recovery yield of γ-butyrolactone was significantly lower. The effect of the two solvents on the quality of the extracted PHB was also examined using GPC and elemental analysis. The molar mass and dispersity of the obtained polymer were similar to that extracted using chloroform, while the nitrogen content of the PHB extracted using the two new solvents was slightly higher. In a nutshell, cyclohexanone in particular was identified as an expedient candidate to efficiently drive novel, sustainable PHA extraction processes.
Tens Rule

The tens rule became a popular invasion hypothesis in the 1990s and is still widely used today, even though empirical support has been mixed from the beginning and the number of studies questioning it has been increasing in the past decade. Also, the rule is not based on a model or other defensible concept or argument. Here we divide the tens rule into two more specific subhypotheses: the invasion tens rule and the impact tens rule, where the former predicts that about 10% of species successfully take consecutive steps of the invasion process, and the latter that about 10% of established non-native species and about 1% of all introduced non-native species cause significant detrimental impacts. A quantitative metaanalysis of 102 empirical tests of the tens rule from 65 publications shows no support for this hypothesis. Looking at the invasion tens rule and comparing different taxonomic groups, about 25% of non-native plants and invertebrates, and about 50% of non-native vertebrates are on average successful in taking consecutive steps of the invasion process. We thus suggest replacing the invasion tens rule by two taxon-dependent hypotheses: the 50% invasion rule for vertebrates and the 25% invasion rule for other organisms, particularly plants and invertebrates. The impact tens rule is not supported by currently available evidence, either, and more data are needed before a reasonable alternative hypothesis can be formulated. In a nutshell, we suggest abandoning the tens rule and using the 50% invasion rule for vertebrates and the 25% invasion rule for other organisms. These hypotheses provide new standards that are supported by currently available data and against which future data can be tested.
Stock Volatility Modelling with Augmented GARCH Model with Jumps

Knowing the characteristics of news in numerical indices one can use them in mathematical and statistical models and automated trading systems. Currently, the tools of the news analytics have been increasingly used by traders in the U.S. and Europe. The interest in news analytics is related to the ability to predict changes of prices, volatility and trading volume on the stock market. The emphasis of the paper is on assessing the added value of using news analytics data in improving the explanatory power of the GARCH–Jump model. Based on empirical evidences for some of FTSE100 companies, the paper examines two GARCH models with jumps. First we consider the well-known GARCH model with autoregressive conditional jump intensity proposed in [1]. Then we introduce the GARCH-Jumps model augmented with news intensity and obtain some empirical results. The main assumption of the model is that jump intensity might change over time and that jump intensity depends linearly on the number of news (the news intensity). The comparison of the values of log likelihood supports the hypothesis of impact of news on the jump intensity of volatility.
Better Survival after Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery than Conventional Laparotomy for Rectal Cancer : Five-Year Results from a Single Center in Japan

We previously reported an interim analysis of short-term outcomes and 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in 111 patients with stage I-III primary rectal cancer who underwent radical curative resection by hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS; n=57) or conventional laparotomy (CL; n=54). This time, we report the 5-year postoperative RFS and OS for these patients, as well as the pattern of recurrence. Follow-up for 5 years after surgery was possible in 95.5% of all patients (94.7% after HALS and 96.3% after CL, p=N.S.). With regard to background factors, there were no differences between the HALS group and CL group with respect to gender, age, rectal location, resection method, pathological stage, and treatment including postoperative adjuvant therapy. The 5-year relapse-free survival rate (5Y-RFS) was 82.5% in the HALS group versus 67.7% in the CL group (p=0.084) and the 5-year overall survival rate (5Y-OS) was 92.9% in the HALS group versus 73.7% in the CL group (p=0.005). Recurrence was due to liver metastasis (HALS: 7.0%, n=4; CL: 7.4%, n=4) (p=1.000), lung metastasis (HALS: 3.5%, n=2; CL: 9.3%, n=5) (p=0.263), or local intrapelvic recurrence (HALS: 5.3%, n=3; CL 3.7%, n=2) (p=1.000). No patient was converted from HALS to CL. Based on these results, HALS is associated with better survival of rectal cancer patients than CL.HALS allows safe and reliable minimally invasive surgery at a lower cost than pure laparoscopy, suggesting that 3-port HALS with a small (50 mm) abdominal incision can become a standard operative method.
Ameliorative Effect of Curcumin on Hepatic Oxidative Stress , Antioxidant Status , Cardiac Markers Enzymes and Inflammation in High Cholesterol Diet-Induced Hypercholesterolemia in Rats

Hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia has been ranked as one of the greatest risk factors contributing to the prevalence and severity of coronary heart diseases. The therapeutic effect of curcumin (CUR) administration on enzymatic antioxidant status, hepatic oxidative stress, cardiac marker enzymes and inflammation in high cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats were evaluated. Sixty male rats were divided into four equal groups. Group Ι :( Control group) rats fed on normal diet. Group Π: Rats fed hypercholesterolemic diet (HCD) [4% cholesterol (w/w) and 1% cholic acid]. Group III: rats fed HCD + curcumin (200 mg/kg b.wt/day, orally). Group IV: rats fed normal diet + curcumin (200 mg/kg b.wt /day, orally). Blood and liver tissue samples were collected at 2, 4 and 6 weeks from the onset of treatment with curcumin. The obtained results showed marked increase in TNF-α, IL-6 concentrations, LDH, CK-MB, ALT, AST and GGT activities in addition to NO and L-MDA in liver tissue of hypercholesterolemic rats fed with high cholesterol diet. However, a significant decrease in liver tissues antioxidant enzymes(CAT, SOD and GPx) activities were observed in hypercholesterolemia induced in rats. Treatment with curcumin to hypercholesterolemic rats lowered serum TNF-α, IL-6, liver and cardiac marker enzymes, NO and LMDA and ameliorate antioxidant enzymatic status in liver tissue. These results suggest that, treatment with curcumin has a powerful modulating effect on hypercholesterolemia induced inflammation and hepatic oxidative stress with enhanced the antioxidant defense system in liver tissues. Also, curcumin may be effective in controlling cholesterolemic status and has the potential in reducing cardiovascular complications due to hypercholesterolemia.
Borderline Products between Bio-fertilizers/ Bio-effectors and Plant Protectants： The Role of Microbial Consortia

In the delicate normative balance, at European Union (EU) level of the borderline products (i.e., between plant protectants and bio-fertilizers/bio-effectors) containing microbial consortia (MC) instead of single microbial strains, the most relevant factors influencing the categorization of the products are the intention of use, the cell density and the mode of action. For the latter, the basic difference between the two types of products is that a plant protectant has a targeted activity on plant pathogens, while a bio-fertilizer acts indirectly by nourishing and fortifying the host plant (healthier plant), thus inducing a generalized resistance to the onset of pathological status, irrespective of its origin and nature. Case-studies are presented on the effectiveness of MC as bio-fertilizers/bio-effectors on different crops. Bio-fertilizers exhibit a double effect—biotic and abiotic, leading to the fortification of the crop plant linked to its more effective water and nutrient uptakes as well as to a generalized healthier status. This in turn leads to a higher resistance to diseases. In addition, bio-fertilizers play a relevant role on the reduction of environmental impacts due to chemical fertilizers, e.g., by facilitating the uptake of phosphorus (P), thus reducing the need of P fertilization. Although finding a scientifically-based balance between regulatory need and marketing constraint is not always an easy task, the availability of scientific advancements combined to common sense should help in describing positive effects and risk profiles of MC in agriculture.
Reservoir characterisation of the Patchawarra Formation within a deep, basin-margin gas accumulation

An exploration program to assess the basin-centred gas (BCG) and stratigraphic trap potential of the Mettika Embayment in the southern Cooper Basin resulted in the discovery of gas at Hornet–1 and Kingston Rule–1. The embayment is a confined fluvial sedimentary depocentre surrounded by prolific gas fields producing from structurally closed anticlines. Gas pay was identified and both wells produced sustained gas flows to surface of between 1.2 and 2.2 MMscf/d after fracture stimulation. Core collected from the Patchawarra Formation sandstone reservoir was analysed to constrain the depositional environment and establish petrophysical properties by routine and special core analysis. An integrated reservoir study was undertaken to understand depositional setting, reservoir architecture, trapping mechanisms, permeability, and saturation controls on productivity. Gas identified in the embayment appears to have accumulated in subtle stratigraphic and combination structural traps against the flanks of existing fields and does not display the geological and physical characteristics of a BCG play. The impact and analysis of hydrocarbon migration and reservoir trapping influences in this basin-margin gas accumulation may be applicable to other under-explored flank and trough plays of the Cooper Basin.