Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification and Abundance of Benthic Foraminifera in the Sediments from Fereidoonkenar to Babolsar of Southern Caspian Sea

In this study in order to introducing Foraminifera species and determining their relationship with the environmental factors, sediment samples were gathered in spring 2011 from 12 stations (ranging in depths 5, 10, 15 and 20 meters) in the Southern Caspian Sea from Fereidoonkenar to Babolsar. Environmental factors of water near the bottom including temperature, salinity, dissolved Oxygen, pH were measured during sampling and grain size and total organic matter and calcium carbonate concentration were measured in laboratory. Structure of the sediment samples mostly consisted of fine sand; very fine sand, silt and clay and 4 species of benthic foraminifera species belong to 4 genera of 4 families were identified. Ammonia beccarii caspica, Elphidium littorale caspicus, Milliammina fusca and Ammotium sp. The cosmopolitan foraminifer, Ammonia beccarii caspica was common in all sampling stations. Density of benthic forams had a significantly correlation with grain size, that their density were increased with adding silt and clay rate. The structure of the sediments was the most important abiotic factors controlling the distribution pattern of benthic forams in the sampling stations. Structural abnormalities in the testes of the benthic foraminifera indicated the comparatively polluted benthic environment from Fereidoonkenar to Babolsar of Southern Caspian Sea.
Interactive comment on “Masked millennial-scale climate variations in South West Africa during the last glaciation” by I. Hessler et al

The presented manuscript addresses links between the high (northern) latitude climate change and the vegetation in the South African tropics and subtropics. This study adds to a number of existing publications of the authors on closely related subjects. In the new study, the authors extended an existing pollen record from ODP Site 1078 into glacial MIS3 and compared the vegetation changes to results from an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity (EMIC). Overall, the manuscript is well written and addresses an interesting question that would be generally well placed in Climate of the Past. However, there are several major issues concerning the originality and significance of the study. In my review, I will concentrate on the proxy part of the manuscript.
The impact of biogenic, anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions on regional and seasonal variations in secondary organic aerosol

The global secondary organic aerosol (SOA) budget is highly uncertain, with global annual SOA production rates, estimated from global models, ranging over an order of magnitude and simulated SOA concentrations underestimated compared to observations. In this study, we use a global composition-climate model (UKCA) with interactive chemistry and aerosol microphysics to provide an in-depth analysis of the impact of each SOA source on the global SOA budget and its seasonality. We further quantify the role of each source on SOA spatial distributions, and evaluate simulated seasonal SOA concentrations against a comprehensive set of observations. The annual global SOA production rates from monoterpene, isoprene, biomass burning and anthropogenic precursor sources is 19.9 19.6, 9.5 and 24.6 Tg (SOA) a −1 respectively. When all sources are included, the SOA production rate from all sources is 73.6 Tg (SOA) a −1 , which lies within the range of estimates from previous modelling studies. SOA production rates and SOA burdens from biogenic and biomass burning SOA sources peak during northern hemisphere (NH) summer. In contrast, the an thropogenic SOA production rate is fairly constant all year round. However, the global anthropogenic SOA burden does have a seasonal cycle which is lowest during NH summer, which is probably due to enhanced wet removal. Inclusion of the new SOA sources also accelerates the ageing by condensation of primary organic aerosol (POA), making it more hydrophilic, leading to a reduction in the POA lifetime. With monoterpene as the only source of SOA, simulated SOA and total organic aerosol (OA) concentrations are underestimated by the model when compared to surface and aircraft measurements. Model agreement with observations improves with all new sources added, primarily due to the inclusion of the anthropogenic source of SOA, although a negative bias remains. A further sensitivity simulation was performed with an increased anthropogenic SOA reaction yield, corresponding to an annual global SOA production rate of 70.0 Tg (SOA) a −1 . Whilst simulated SOA concentrations improved relative to observations, they were still underestimated in urban environments and overestimated further downwind and in remote environments respectively. On the other hand, the inclusion of SOA from isoprene and biomass burning did not improve model–observations biases substantially except at one out of two tropical locations. However, these findings may reflect the very limited availability of observations to evaluate the model, which are primarily located in the NH mid-latitudes where anthropogenic emissions are high. Our results highlight that, within the current uncertainty limits in SOA sources and reaction yields, over the NH mid-latitudes, a large anthropogenic SOA source results in good agreement with observations. However, more observations are needed to establish the importance of biomass burning and biogenic sources of SOA in model agreement with observations.
Improving Spring Melt Calculations of Surface Runoff in the Upper Þjórsá River Using Measured Snow Accumulation

One of the challenges of managing water resources for electricity production in Iceland is the seasonal variation of river discharge. With good discharge predictions it is easier to manage and optimize the hydropower resources. Spring season is of special interest because it brings valuable snowmelt, a resource that is difficult to quantify, predict and simulate. In this project a river catchment in the Upper Þjórsá River was analyzed, in particular the snow accumulation and the resulting spring floods. It involved making hydrological simulations with a HBV rainfall-runoff model. Input meteorological data were obtained from automatic weather stations located in or in the vicinity of the catchment. One of the challenges for these weather stations is to produce reliable precipitation data, especially when the precipitation is in the form of snow. Therefore to adjust the snowpack in the HBV model before spring melt started snow measurements that have been done in the Icelandic highlands were used. The relationship between the snow measurements and the spring melt was analyzed with regression analysis to see if there was a connection between the measured snow water equivalent (SWE) and the resulting spring discharge. The results show that there is a relationship between the measured SWE and spring discharge. The measured SWE provided a valuable point of reference in adjusting the snowpack in the HBV model and thus improving the spring discharge simulations for the catchment.
HOW E-GOVERNMENT MAY ENHANCE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

Huge asymmetries characterise information within public procurement systems. While enhancement has been achieved at an upper level of the procurement chain (i.e., centralisation of bids), poor efforts characterise the lower level. E-Government, which aims to better manage public information, could represent a way to augment transparency and apply more effectively market rules, as well as to advice public managers in defining solutions to emerging problems. The article starts with a theoretical review of the link between e-Government and procurement, then analyses two concrete cases: one on the supply side (CONSIP) and one on the demand side (Hermes), paying particular attention to perspective and actual effects of this latter R&D project, which sees a joint effort of private and public entities.
Paramount Impact of the Indian Ocean Dipole on the East African Short Rains: A CGCM Study

Abstract The variability in the East African short rains is investigated using 41-yr data from the observation and 200-yr data from a coupled general circulation model known as the Scale Interaction Experiment-Frontier Research Center for Global Change, version 1 (SINTEX-F1). The model-simulated data provide a scope to understand the climate variability in the region with a better statistical confidence. Most of the variability in the model short rains is linked to the basinwide large-scale coupled mode, that is, the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) in the tropical Indian Ocean. The analysis of observed data and model results reveals that the influence of the IOD on short rains is overwhelming as compared to that of the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO); the correlation between ENSO and short rains is insignificant when the IOD influence is excluded. The IOD–short rains relationship does not change significantly in a model experiment in which the ENSO influence is removed by decoupling the ocean and atmosphere.
Does the Expectation Hypothesis Hold at the Shortest End of the Term Structure

This paper examines the predictability smile at the shortest end of the term structure. The existence of a predictability smile has been well documented: spreads between long rates and short rates are able to forecast subsequent movements in interest rates well, provided the horizon is three months or less or two years or more. The predictive power of the spread at the shortest maturities, however, has not been adequately investigated. This is a potential shortcoming of the existing literature as a projection of the predictability smile to the shorter maturities is not a guarantee that the expectations hypothesis holds. In Japan, a positive spread between the forward and the spot rates has insufficient predictive power for the future spot rate innovations, while a negative spread has near-perfect predictive ability. Further, we provide evidence that this result is not unique to Japan, as we find this "asymmetric predictability" to be a feature of the very short-term money markets of the U.S., U.K. and Italy.
Effect of sulphur and nitrogen fertilization on bread-making quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties under Mediterranean climate conditions

Turkey has applied for EU-membership, but still faces problems of lacking quality standards for bread wheat. Studies on the influence of S-fertilization on grain yield and bread-making quality of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) in the region haven’t been carried out until today. This research was conducted for two growing seasons (2008-2009 and 2009-2010) at Adnan Menderes University Research and Experimental Farm located in the Western Turkey (Aegean region) at 37o 44’ N 27o 44’ E in order to determine the effects of nitrogen (0, 70, 140, 210 kg ha -1 ) supplemented with sulphur (0 or 40 kg ha -1 ) with respect to yield and bread-making quality of the varieties Golia and Sagittario, grown primarily in Western Turkey. S-fertilization had positive effects on grain yield and some quality parameters under Mediterranean conditions; however, signifi cant differencess were rather rare. Particularly the gluten-index and the sedimentation value promoted by S fertilization were among the tested parameters. Therefore, S-fertilization in improving bread-making quality of wheat in the region should not be disregarded. Grain yield and quality could be promoted simultaneously with increasing N-doses.
Online Reviews in an E-Commerce Environment: Impact on Brand Trust and Consumer Equity

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of consumer-to-consumer online reviews on the drivers of customer equity (CE) and the role of brand trust. An experimental online forum was purpose-built and a restricted probability sample of 269 participants was drawn from a registered online panel. The research finds: (a) that the valence of consumer-to-consumer online reviews positively affects customer equity; (b) that negative online reviews cause have the highest relative impact on customer equity, and (c) as brand trust increases, the change in the customer equity drivers tend to become more negative.
Traces of the crustal units and the upper-mantle structure in the southwestern part of the East European Craton

Abstract. The presented study is a part of the passive seismic experiment PASSEQ 2006–2008, which took place around the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) from May 2006 to June 2008. The data set of 4195 manually picked arrivals of teleseismic P waves of 101 earthquakes (EQs) recorded in the seismic stations deployed to the east of the TESZ was inverted using the non-linear teleseismic tomography algorithm TELINV. Two 3-D crustal models were used to estimate the crustal travel time (TT) corrections. As a result, we obtain a model of P-wave velocity variations in the upper mantle beneath the TESZ and the East European Craton (EEC). In the study area beneath the craton, we observe up to 3% higher and beneath the TESZ about 2–3% lower seismic velocities compared to the IASP91 velocity model. We find the seismic lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath the TESZ at a depth of about 180 km, while we observe no seismic LAB beneath the EEC. The inversion results obtained with the real and the synthetic data sets indicate a ramp shape of the LAB in the northern TESZ, where we observe values of seismic velocities close to those of the craton down to about 150 km. The lithosphere thickness in the EEC increases going from the TESZ to the NE from about 180 km beneath Poland to 300 km or more beneath Lithuania. Moreover, in western Lithuania we find an indication of an upper-mantle dome. In our results, the crustal units are not well resolved. There are no clear indications of the features in the upper mantle which could be related to the crustal units in the study area. On the other hand, at a depth of 120–150 km we indicate a trace of a boundary of proposed palaeosubduction zone between the East Lithuanian Domain (EL) and the West Lithuanian Granulite Domain (WLG). Also, in our results, we may have identified two anorogenic granitoid plutons.
The Effect of Corporate Governance and Audit Market Privatization on the Auditor Independence

Establishment of the Iranian Association of Certified Public Accountants and audit market privatization as the new phenomenon in Iranian audit market is taken into consideration by many researchers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of audit market privatization on auditor independence and accruals quality, and to study whether corporate governance mechanisms (duality of CEO and chairman of board of directors, the number of changes in board of directors and the change of CEO) can affect above relations. We test research hypothesis in listed firms on Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) for the period of 2001 to 2011. Using multiple regression analysis, we have found that audit market privatization is negatively associated with auditor independence and accruals quality. Also, corporate governance mechanisms don’t decrease the negative relation between audit market privatization, auditor independence and accruals quality. This paper extends the audit market literature by examining how increased competition in the audit market affects auditor independence and accruals quality in emerging markets.
A randomized trial comparing hypofractionated and conventionally fractionated three-dimensional conformal external-beam radiotherapy for localized prostate adenocarcinoma: a report on the first-year biochemical response.

OBJECTIVE This paper describes the first-year biochemical (prostate-specific antigen [PSA]) response of 91 irradiated patients enrolled in a single-institution randomized trial comparing hypofractionated (HFRT) and conventionally fractionated (CFRT) external beam radiotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-four patients in the CFRT treatment arm were irradiated with 74 Gy in 37 fractions (2 Gy per fraction), and 47 in the HFRT arm were treated with 57 Gy, given in 13 fractions of 3 Gy plus 4 fractions of 4.5 Gy. The clinical target volume includes the prostate and a base of seminal vesicles. The proportions of patients who reached PSA nadir (nPSA) lower than or equal to 1.0 ng/mL (nPSA1) and 0.5 ng/mL (nPSA05) were compared. RESULTS There were 2 non-cancer-related deaths (1 in the CFRT and 1 in the HFRT treatment arms). Biochemical relapse after irradiation was defined in five cases (3 in the CFRT and 2 in the HFRT treatment arms) during a 12-month follow-up. The remaining 84 patients were analyzed. The proportions of patients reaching nPSA1 were 50% and 54.5% in the CFRT and HFRT treatment arms, respectively (chi-square P=0.843). The percentages of patients reaching nPSA05 were 25% and 18.2%, respectively (chi-square P=0.621). The trends toward increasing proportions of biochemical responders (both nPSA1 and nPSA05) during 12 months after radiotherapy were observed, but the difference between trends for treatment arms did not reach a statistical significance. CONCLUSION The preliminary results presented here demonstrate that HFRT schedule induces biochemical response rates comparable to those in the CFRT schedule during the first-year follow-up.
Cross-shore Velocity Moments in the Nearshore: Validating SWASH

The cross-shore sediment transport is of great importance in the coastal water since it may lead to significant change of coastal profile. Many researches have proved that the sediment transport is proportional to velocity moments. In this study, the velocity moments under wave action in the perpendicular direction to the coastline are studied by means of a non-hydrostatic model SWASH and a decomposition technique. The purpose of this project is to perform the velocity moments which contribute to the cross-shore sediment transport with a numerical analysis and the most significant components can be found through the comparisons. These contributed flows to the velocity moments, namely the asymmetric oscillatory flow, wave grouping-induced flow and undertow, are the major objects to be studied. A set of measurements of wave flume experiment are adopted to evaluate the feasibility of the method developed in this study. Firstly, a series of sensitivity analysis of wave decay and mean velocity are presented to investigate the influence of varied settings in SWASH, including the vertical resolution, boundary imposition, bottom friction, discretization schemes for advection terms and water depth in velocity points. The results indicate that predictions of SWASH with proper settings are in good agreement with measurements in terms of wave decay and vertical velocity. Furthermore, a detailed analysis is subsequently conducted with regard to surface elevation, wave decay and undertow. Most of the SWASH predictions are in relatively good agreement with the measurements, but some deviations occurred after wave breaking. This is probably associated to the absence of the production of turbulent energy due to surface roller. A signal decomposition technique is applied to separate the signals with different frequencies. Through the decomposition process, the long and short wave flows are separated by means of filtering out the other part. The SWASH predicted central odd moments of long wave flows is relatively underestimated while the long wave flow variances and the central odd moments of asymmetric flows agree well to the observations. This may correspond to the loss of signal information after decomposition. By summing up the contributions of undertow, wave grouping-induced long wave flow and asymmetric oscillatory flow, the total odd flow moment is easily acquired. Generally, the offshore-directed undertow is the dominant component, the shoreward asymmetric flow is of secondary importance and the contribution of long wave flow is relatively small. As a consequence, the resulted total flow carries the sediment transporting seaward. In overall, SWASH is capable of simulating the wave decay and vertical flow structure correctly. However, some deviations near the breaking point implies that, the implementation of breaking-induced turbulence in SWASH is of great importance.
Cereal yield losses caused by lepidopterous stemborers at different nitrogen fertilizer rates in Ethiopia

Abstract: Field trials were carried out at three locations in the cool‐wet western and one location in the semiarid eastern ecozones of the Amhara State of Ethiopia to determine the effects of nitrogen fertilizer on pest infestation and yield losses caused by lepidopterous stemborers in maize and sorghum. Three N fertilizer levels, i.e. 60, 120 and 180 kg/ha for maize, and 41, 64, and 87 kg/ha for sorghum, were compared with a zero N treatment. The dominant pest species were the noctuid Busseola fusca (Fuller) and the invasive crambid Chilo partellus (Swinhoe). Leaf N content was positively related to N fertilizer dosage. In general, pest density, parasitism, plant growth and borer damage variables increased with crop growth stage. On sorghum, in the cool‐wet western Amhara, increasing levels of N fertilizer also tended to increase pest density, plant growth and damage variables. In the semiarid ecozone, parasitism by the exotic parasitoid Cotesia flavipes Cameron tended to increase with N level. In the cool‐wet ecozone, sorghum yields increased by up to 74% because of fertilization; losses caused by stemborers decreased linearly with N dosage from 49% to 36%. In maize, because of low borer densities, there were no discernable trends for pest infestation and yield losses. In the cool‐wet ecozone, sorghum yields were positively related to insecticide application and plant height, and negatively to damage variables such as tunnelling and peduncle damage. In semiarid eastern Amhara, the effects of fertilizer on pest, damage and yield were low on both crops because of the higher soil fertility. The results indicate that the profitability of nitrogen fertilizer as an integrated pest management tactic in the control of cereal stemborers depends, among others, on the severity of borer damage and the soil fertility status prevailing in an area. It is concluded that N fertilizer helps minimize the impact of borers on grain yields, especially on sorghum and in the cool‐wet ecozone.