Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engineer pioneer plants respond to and affect geomorphic constraints similarly along water-terrestrial interfaces world-wide

AIM Within fluvial and coastal ecosystems world-wide, flows of water, wind and sediment generate a shifting landscape mosaic composed of bare substrate and pioneer and mature vegetation successional stages. Pioneer plant species that colonize these ecosystems at the land–water interface have developed specific traits in response to environmental constraints (response traits) and are able to modify habitat conditions by modulating geomorphic processes (effect traits). Changes in the geomorphic environment under the control of engineer plants often feed back to organism traits (feedback traits), and thereby ecosystem functioning, leading to eco-evolutionary dynamics. Here we explain the joint foundations of fluvial and coastal ecosystems according to feedback between plants and the geomorphic environment. LOCATION Dynamic fluvial and coastal ecosystems world-wide. METHOD Drawing from a pre-existing model of ‘fluvial biogeomorphic succession’, we propose a conceptual framework showing that fluvial and coastal ‘biogeomorphic ecosystems’ are functionally similar due to eco-evolutionary feedbacks between plants and geomorphology. RESULTS The relationships between plant traits and their geomorphic environments within different fluvial and coastal biogeomorphic ecosystems are identified and classified within a framework of biogeomorphic functional similarity according to three criteria: (1) pioneer plants develop specific responses to the geomorphic environment; (2) engineer plants modulate the geomorphic environment; (3) geomorphic changes under biotic control within biogeomorphic ecosystems feed back to organisms. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The conceptual framework of functional similarity proposed here will improve our capacity to analyse, compare, manage and restore fluvial and coastal biogeomorphic ecosystems world-wide by using the same protocols based on the three criteria and four phases of the biogeomorphic succession model.
Histological Effects of Acrylamide on the Reproductive Organs of Male Rats

: Acrylamide is a chemical compound which has been discovered in overcooked carbohydrate foods in recent years. Several studies have reported that acrylamide has toxic effects on different systems of the human and animal body. The present study was carried out to investigate its effect on the histology of the reproductive organs of male Sprague-Dawley rats. The study animals were divided into four groups with five animals in each group. Group one served as the control while groups two to four were administered oral acrylamide doses of 10 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg respectively for a period of four weeks. The results obtained from the study showed that acrylamide administration generally induced abnormal histological changes on the reproductive organs of treated animals in a dose dependent manner. Acrylamide induced injurious effects on the reproductive organs of male Sprague-Dawley rats that may contribute to male reproductive organs dysfunctions.
Board Task‐Related Faultlines and Firm Performance: A Decade of Evidence

Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: To what extent can group faultlines and their potential value-destroying effects be detected on corporate boards? Task-related attributes of the type of directorship, education, board tenure, and financial background of board members are considered as directors’ characteristics that give rise to the faultline phenomenon. The impact of task-related faultlines on firm performance as well as the moderating effects of busy boards, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)tenure, executive directors’ (EDs) compensation structure, and the average non-executive directors’ (NEDs) involvement in board committees are examined. Research Findings/Insights: Using a panel of FTSE 350 companies from 1999 to 2008, we find a strong negative effect of task-related faultlines on firm performance. Further exploration of the moderating effects demonstrates that the condition of a busy board and CEO tenure exacerbate the negative effects of faultlines. At the same time, the executive pay contingency is found to have a remedying effect on boardroom cohesiveness, whereas the involvement of NEDs in board committee work is not likely to make the adverse effects of board faultlines less pronounced. Theoretical/Academic Implications: Based on the arguments of social identity theory, this study shows that task-related faultlines on corporate boards have strong negative value-creating implications. The positive moderating impact of the executive compensation structure renders support to agency theory predictions about executive incentive alignment. This work also underlines the usefulness of the concept of faultlines in the corporate governance literature, because unitary boards, where NEDs and EDs share board responsibility, exhibit pre-existing factions, similar to top management teams of family-controlled firms and teams managing international joint-ventures. Practitioner/Policy Implications: This research points to the importance of a careful selection process of directors by nomination committees. It also underlines the role for active leadership on boards, who should be aware of available strategies to ameliorate the negative consequences of board schisms, such as accentuating superordinate board identity and/or informal meetings
Characterization of complex plasmonic modes in two-dimensional periodic arrays of metal nanospheres

Two-dimensional periodic arrays of noble metal nanospheres support a variety of optical phenomena, including bound and leaky modes of several types. The scope of this paper is the characterization of the modal dispersion diagrams of planar arrays of silver nanospheres, with the ability to follow individual modal evolutions. The metal spherical nanoparticles are described using the single dipole approximation technique by including all the retarded dynamic field terms. Polarizability of the nanospheres is provided by the Mie theory. Dispersion diagrams for both physical and nonphysical modes are shown for a square lattice of Ag nanospheres for the case of lossless and lossy metal particles, with dipole moments polarized along the x, y, and z directions. Though an array with one set of parameters has been studied, the analysis method and classification are general. The evolution of modes through different Riemann sheets and analysis of guidance and radiation are studied in detail.
A Study of Relationships between L1 Pragmatic Transfer and L2 Proficiency

Studies in interlanguage pragmatics have shown that L2 learners’ proficiency has an influence on the occurrences of L1 pragmatic transfer. However, questions remain whether the relationship between L1 pragmatic transfer and L2 proficiency is positive or negative. This paper is designed to study L1 pragmatic transfer in requests made by Chinese learners of English at low L2 proficiency level and at high L2 proficiency level and how L1 pragmatic transfer is related to their L2 proficiency. Ten low proficiency learners of English, ten high proficiency learners of English? ten native speakers of English and ten native speakers of Chinese participate in this study. Requests are collected by means of a discourse completion test questionnaire and are analysed in terms of requestive semantic formulas based on the taxonomy of request strategies, internal modifiers and external modifiers. The research results reveal that L1 pragmatic transfer decreases with the increase of L2 proficiency such as learners’ use of direct strategies, lexical and phrasal downgraders, imperatives and grounder and no clear relationship is found between L1 pragmatic transfer and L2 proficiency in terms of the other request strategies, internal modifiers and external modifiers. These results provide partial support to negative correlation hypothesis —high proficiency L2 learners are less likely to transfer their native language pragmatic norms since they have enough control over L2.
Evaluation of Micro-Pathogens Associated with Nigerian Currency (Naira Notes)

Evaluation of micro-pathogens associated with the Nigerian Currency (Naira note) was examined using the standard microbiological techniques. The bacterial load of the Naira notes ranged from 4.0±0.6x103 cfu/ml to 50.0±0.1x103 cfu/ml which differed significantly (p
Spin Hall effect of gravitational waves

Gravitons possess a Berry curvature due to their helicity. We derive the semiclassical equations of motion for gravitons taking into account the Berry curvature. We show that this quantum correction leads to the splitting of the trajectories of right- and left-handed gravitational waves in curved space. This is the spin Hall effect (SHE) of gravitational waves. We find that the SHE of gravitational waves is twice as large as that of light. Possible future observations of the SHE of gravitational waves can potentially test the quantum nature of gravitons beyond the classical general relativity.
Crustal Differentiation Processes at Krakatau Volcano, Indonesia

Anak Krakatau is a basaltic andesite cone that has grown following the famous caldera-forming 1883 eruption of Krakatau. It breached sea level in 1927 and since the 1950s has been growing at an average rate of similar to 8 cm a week. We present new major and trace element data combined with whole-rock delta O-18, Sr and Nd isotope data for 1883, 1993 and 2002 Krakatau eruptive products and the surrounding crust. Bombs erupted from Anak Krakatau during 2002 contain frothy metasedimentary and plutonic xenoliths that show variable degrees of thermal metamorphism, plastic deformation and partial melting. Contact-metamorphic minerals such as cordierite and tridymite in metasedimentary xenoliths are consistent with high-temperature metamorphism and incorporation at mid- to upper-crustal depth. Energy-constrained assimilation and fractional crystallization modelling of whole-rock data suggests that the Anak Krakatau magmas have a genetic relationship with the 1883 eruption products. The geochemical impact of crustal contaminants on whole-rock compositions is apparently small, and we conclude that low levels of assimilation of a quartzo-feldspathic sediment are recorded in Anak Krakatau magmas. Plagioclase phenocrysts from the 2002 eruption exhibit disequilibrium textures and complex compositional zoning, however, and are also isotopically variable with a total range in Sr-87/Sr-86 of 0 center dot 7043-0 center dot 7048 as determined by in situ laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. This suggests that although shallow crustal assimilation appears to have had a limited effect on whole-rock chemistry, a complex late-stage differentiation history is recorded within the magma's cargo of crystals and xenoliths.
Acoustic and mechanical properties of Nankai accretionary prism core samples

We studied undeformed sediment and accreted strata recently recovered by Ocean Drilling Program/Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (ODP/IODP) drilling in Nankai Trough convergent margin to unravel the changes in physical properties from initial deposition to incipient deformation. We have derived acoustic (Vp) and mechanical (uniaxial poroelastic compliance, compaction amplitude) properties of samples from various drill sites along the Muroto (ODP 1173) and Kii transects (IODP C0001, C0002, C0006, and C0007) from isotropic loading tests where confining and pore pressure were independently applied. We quantified the dependence of Vp on both effective (Peff) and confining (Pc) pressure, which can be used to correct atmospheric pressure measurements of Vp. Experimental Vp obtained on core samples extrapolated to in situ conditions are slightly higher than logging‐derived velocities, which can be attributed either to velocity dispersion or to the effect of large‐scale faults and weak zones on waves with longer wavelength. In the high‐porosity (30%–60%) tested sediments, velocities are controlled at first order by porosity and not by lithology, which is in agreement with our static measurements of drained framework incompressibility, much smaller than fluid incompressibility. Rather than framework incompressibility, shear modulus is probably the second‐order control on Vp, accounting for most of the difference between actual Vp and the prediction by Wood's (1941) suspension model. We also quantified the mechanical state of Nankai samples in terms of anisotropy, diagenesis, and consolidation. Both acoustic and mechanical parameters reveal similar values in vertical and horizontal directions, attesting to the very low anisotropy of the tested material. When considering the porous samples of the Upper Shikoku Basin sediments (Site 1173) as examples of diagenetically cemented material, several mechanical and acoustic attributes appeared as reliable experimental indicators of the presence of intergrain cementation. We also detected incipient cementation in samples from IODP Site C0001 (accretionary prism unit). In terms of consolidation, we distinguished two classes of material response (shallow, deformable samples and deep, hardly deformable ones) based on the amount of compaction upon application of a Peff large with respect to the inferred in situ value, with a transition that might be related to a critical porosity.
Homogenization of Linear and Semilinear Second Order Parabolic PDEs with Periodic Coefficients: A Probabilistic Approach☆

We study the limit of the solution of linear and semilinear second order PDEs of parabolic type, with rapidly oscillating periodic coefficients, singular drift, and singular coefficient of the zeroth order term. Our method of proof is fully probabilistic and builds upon the arguments in earlier work. In the linear case, we use the Feynman Kac formula to represent the solution of the parabolic PDE, and in the semilinear case we use an associated backward stochastic differential equation.
The Heterogeneous Effects of Government Spending: Itâ€™S All About Taxes

Empirical work suggests that government spending generates large expansions of output and consumption. Most representative-agent models predict a moderate expansion of output, and a crowding-out of consumption. We reconcile these findings by taking into account the distribution of taxes. Using US data from 1913 to 2012, we provide evidence that government spending induces larger expansions in output and consumption when financed with more progressive taxes. We then develop a model with heterogeneous households and idiosyncratic risk, to show that a rise in government spending can be expansionary, both for output and consumption, only if financed with more progressive labor taxes. Key to our results is the model endogenous heterogeneity in householdsâ€™ marginal propensities to consume and labor supply elasticities. In this respect, the distributional impact of fiscal policy is central to its aggregate effects.
Innate Immune and Fungal Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Various fungi and bacteria can colonize in the brain and produce physical alterations seen in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Environmental and genetic factors affect the occurrence of fungal colonization, and how fungi can grow, enter the brain, and interact with the innate immune system. The essence of AD development is the defeat of the innate immune system, whether through vulnerable patient health status or treatment that suppresses inflammation by suppressing the innate immune system. External and mechanical factors that lead to inflammation are a door for pathogenic opportunity. Current research associates the presence of fungi in the etiology of AD and is shown in cerebral tissue at autopsy. From the time of the discovery of AD, much speculation exists for an infective cause. Identifying any AD disease organism is obscured by processes that can take place over years. Amyloid protein deposits are generally considered to be evidence of an intrinsic response to stress or imbalance, but instead amyloid may be evidence of the innate immune response which exists to destroy fungal colonization through structural interference and cytotoxicity. Fungi can remain ensconced for a long time in niches or inside cells, and it is the harboring of fungi that leads to repeated reinfection and slow wider colonization that eventually leads to a grave outcome. Although many fungi and bacteria are associated with AD affected tissues, discussion here focuses on Candida albicans as the archetype of human fungal pathology because of its wide proliferation as a commensal fungus, extensive published research, numerous fungal morphologies, and majority proliferation in AD tissues.
Ground and satellite observations of substorm onset arcs

[1] Auroral features and associated particles and fields are investigated for a sequence of substorm onsets observed at ∼1900 MLT on 24 October 2000. During a 30-min interval at 1020–1050 UT, we identified three Pi 2 wave packets with positive H enhancements at midlatitudes and associated auroral brightenings in auroral images obtained by a ground all-sky camera and the IMAGE FUV imager. The DMSP F15 satellite crossed brightening arcs during the third Pi 2 pulsation in the field-of-view of the ground camera at Tixie (66.0° MLAT), Russia. The crossing was 1–2 hours duskside of the main onset local time. The brightening arcs were located in the region 1 upward field-aligned current system. The most equatorward arc, which brightened just after the second Pi 2 pulsation, was at the equatorward boundary of the region 1 current and in the sunward convection region. The arcs corresponded to inverted-V accelerated electrons with energies of ∼10 keV. On the basis of these simultaneous ground-satellite measurements, we discuss substorm onset models of reconnection/flow braking and near-Earth plasma sheet instabilities.
The Mediating Role of Intellectual Capital in Corporate Governance and the Corporate Performance Relationship

Corporate governance significantly effects corporate performance and this relationship is established through number of studies theoretically and empirically conducted in this field. Also, there are studies which show the relationship between corporate governance and intellectual capital performance. Furthermore, intellectual capital performance positively effects corporate performance as shown in the previous studies. These relationships trigger this study to explore the role of intellectual capital as a mediator between corporate governance and corporate performance relationship. This study focuses on the idea that governance measures, board of directors in this study, can contribute to the intellectual capital efficiency of the companies which in turn results in higher corporate performance. A single structural model of corporate governance, intellectual capital and corporate performance is conceptualized. In the model, board of directors, variables are taken as governance measures, Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAICTM) as intellectual capital performance measure and traditional financial measures as corporate performance measures. It is intellectual capital resources which act as mechanism through which the corporate governance is able to influence the corporate performance. Intellectual capital is taken as mediator to confirm that IC properly mediates the CG and performance relationship conceptually. This study will be beneficial for the research community to combine different areas of study under one model. This study will suggest the management and other regulatory bodies to understand the importance of intellectual capital along with governance and performance.
Research Article THE HISTORY AND HEALTH OF A NINETEENTH-CENTURY MIGRANT MINE-WORKER POPULATION FROM KIMBERLEY, SOUTH AFRICA

Trenching by the Sol Plaatje municipality in Kimberley, South Africa, accidentally intersected 145 unmarked graves outside the fenced Gladstone Cemetery in 2003. The McGregor Museum was responsible for recovering the disturbed material. This paper describes the archaeological findings and demographic composition of the human remains excavated at the site and discusses briefly the pathological changes observed in the skeletons. One hundred and seven skeletons were exhumed from 15 graves along the trench. Remains from a minimum number of 26 individuals were also rescued from another site where material dug out of the trench had been dumped. All skeletal remains were analysed using standard anthropometric techniques, and visually examined for signs of pathology and trauma. Archaeological evidence as well as palaeopathological indications suggested that the skeletal remains were most likely those of migrant mine workers who died between 1897 and 1900, with the majority of the population consisting of young male individuals (n = 77, 20–49 years of age at the time of death) of low socio-economic status. The prevalence of infectious diseases (treponemal disease (8%), non-specific osteomyelitis (1%) and tuberculosis (1%)) observed in the sample, most likely reflects the pre-antibiotic era from which these individuals came as well as the overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions to which they were exposed on a daily basis. Cranial and long bone fractures (26.2%) observed are testimony to the high levels of interpersonal violence and hazardous mining environment described in archival documents, and other pathological lesions such as myositis ossificans (8%), spondylolysis (9%), Schmorl’s nodes (31%) and enthesophytes are indicative of the physical demands associated with mining activities. These results give substance to contemporary reports on the appalling conditions and hazards to which migrant workers were exposed when selling their labour on the mines in the late 19th century.
Interactive comment on “ Modeling stomatal conductance in the Earth system : linking leaf water-use efficiency and water transport along the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum ” by G . B . Bonan

In this manuscript, Bonan et al. present improvements to the stomatal conductance routines in the CLM land surface model, in particular with respect to drought stress. The authors present a detailed account of the changes, and demonstrate that they were able to improve the current implementation, as compared to data from several flux sites. The simulations are separated by leaf-scale and canopy-scale, which I find very useful to help understand the differences between models (rather than just showing the full model behaviour as a black box, which is still too common). However, I do
E ff ects of temperature , salinity , and fish size on growth and consumption of juvenile bluefish

Consumption and growth rates of juvenile bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix increased with increasing temperature and decreased with increasing fish size in short-term (7 days) experiments. Salinity had no effect on growth or consumption rate in a short-term experiment. In a long-term (90 days) mesocosm experiment, consumption and growth rates declined with increasing body size. Predictive equations developed from short-term experiments did not adequately predict observed consumption rates in the mesocosm experiment. However, growth in the mesocosm experiment was similar to field growth. Also, mesocosm consumption rates and consumption rates calculated using field growth and mesocosm growth efficiencies were similar to published independent field estimates of consumption rate. Our results indicate that experiments to determine the effects of temperature and the allometry of body size on growth and consumption rates should be conducted over long time periods simulating field conditions. Juvenile bluefish have rapid growth and their individual cumulative consumption is large. This result suggests that bluefish may have a large effect on their prey populations. This effect has yet to be quantified. 1995 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles