Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imprints from the solar cycle on the helium atom and helium pickup ion distributions

Abstract. Neutral interstellar helium atoms penetrate into the solar system almost unaffected by gas–plasma interactions in the heliospheric interface region, and thus can be considered as carriers of original information on the basic parameters (like density, temperature, bulk velocity) of the Very Local Interstellar Medium (VLISM). Such information can nowadays be derived from analysis of data obtained from different experimental methods: in situ measurements of He atoms (Ulysses), observations of the solar backscattered He 584 A radiation (EUVE), in situ measurements of He + pickup ions (AMPTE, Ulysses, Wind, SOHO, ACE). In view of the current coordinated international ISSI campaign devoted to the study of the helium focusing cone structure and its evolution, we analyze expected variations of neutral He density, of He + pickup fluxes and of their phase space distributions at various phases of the solar activity cycle based on a realistic time-dependent modelling of the neutral helium and He + pickup ion distributions, which reflect solar cycle-induced variations of the photoionization rate. We show that the neutral helium density values are generally anticorrelated with the solar activity phase and in extreme cases (near the downwind axis) the maximum-to-minimum density ratio may even exceed factors of ~ 3 at 1 AU. We also demonstrate that in the upwind hemisphere (at 1 AU and beyond) the He + fluxes are correlated with the solar cycle activity, whereas on the downwind side the maximum of the expected flux up to distances of ~ 3 AU occurs around solar minimum epoch, and only further away does the correlation with solar activity become positive. Finally, we present the response of the phase space distribution spectra of He + pickup ions (in the solar wind frame) for different epochs of the solar cycle and heliocentric distances from 1 to 5 AU covering the range of Ulysses, Wind and ACE observations. Key words. Solar physics, astrophysics and astronomy (ultraviolet emissions) – Space plasma physics (ionization processes; numerical simulation studies)
Supplemental guanidino acetic acid improved feed conversion, weight gain, and breast meat yield in male and female broilers.

After the ban of meat and bone meal in 2001, European poultry producers observed a certain drop in performance. This may be due to the lack of creatine supply because vegetable feed ingredients do not contain this semi-essential nutrient. Guanidino acetic acid (GAA), which is a natural precursor of creatine, was supplemented (0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.12 % of diet in form of CreAminoTM) to a vegetable diet (negative control). A positive control with 6 % meat and bone meal in feed was also included. 1056 male and 1056 female broilers were each equally distributed to 48 floor pens (eight / treatment) and fed starter and grower diets. At day 42, three birds per pen were sacrificed for carcass evaluation. Weight gain of female broilers fed the negative control diets was lower than that of birds fed the positive control diet (p<0.05) – for other performance criteria this effect was only numerical. Supplemental GAA in vegetable diets more than resolved this effect. Analysis of variance revealed that the optimal GAA supplementation level was somewhere between 0.06 % (p<0.05, breast yield – males) and 0.12 % (p<0.05, feed conversion – males and breast yield – females). In a few cases regression analysis was possible suggesting optimum GAA supplementation levels of 0.05 % (weight gain) and 0.11 % (feed conversion).
On the Determinants of Fiscal Centralization: Theory and Evidence

This paper presents a simple positive model that unifies most of the results of the normative literature on fiscal federalism. The model describes an economy characterized by two levels of government, one public good, and a private good. The predictions of the model are tested by using a new set of measures of fiscal centralization. The main findings are that country size, income per capita, ethnic fractionalization, and level of democracy are negatively correlated with the degree of fiscal centralization. The model is tested using OLS, Tobit, and semi-parametric estimators. The paper also shows that the set of variables included in the regression are helpful to predict changes in the level of centralization.
An investigation in roundwood extraction of Fagus sylvatica and Calabrian Pine by Greifenberg TG700

Cable yarding is especially popular in the European mountains, where slope and roughness parameters are limits for ground-based harvesting technology. This system, most commonly steep slope harvesting techniques worldwide, is poorly diffu1086 G. Macrì et al. sed in Southern Italy. The study was conducted in two forests in the Apennine mountain range. The time and motion study was conducted using the repetition timing method to determine the total yarding cycle time. We measured the impact of the following independent variables on the “total cycle time” (total time) and on the “productivity”. The productivity study carried out showed that the work capacity of cable crane tested was satisfactory. Using the Greifenberg TG700, the extraction costs were calculated as 17.70 € per m at site A and 17.44 € at site B, where these costs refer to the working time (productive + unproductive time).
Investigating Supply Chain Management Practices in Iranian Manufacturing Organizations

The aim of this article is threefold, firstly to investigate the extent of supply chain management (SCM) practices implementation in Iranian manufacturing organizations, secondly, given contextual factors of the country to identify benefits and barriers of SCM implementation and thirdly, to survey if there is any relationship between SCM practices and organizational performance of Iranian manufacturing organizations, mainly based on a descriptive analysis. Based on the review of literature main practices and also benefits and barriers of SCM implementation was identified. A self administered questionnaire was designed and distributed among 127 logistics and manufacturing managers of Iranian manufacturing organizations, of which 97 complete questionnaires returned, yielding a response rate of about 76 percent. Through descriptive statistical analysis the extent of SCM practices, main benefits and barriers in the surveyed organizations and their ranking orders were determined. Results revealed that holding safety stock is the most implemented practice of SCM. Also, increased customer satisfaction and inadequate information sharing in the chain were ranked as the major benefit and barrier of SCM implementation respectively. The result of chi-square test showed that the implementation of SCM practices is positively and significantly related to organizational performance of Iranian manufacturing companies.
Models for leaf area estimation in dwarf pigeon pea by leaf dimensions

Bragantia, Campinas, v. 77, n. 2, p.221-229, 2018 ABSTRACT: This study aims to determine the most suitable model to estimate the leaf area of dwarf pigeon pea in function of the leaf central leaflet dimension. Six samplings of 200 leaves were performed in the first experiment, at 36, 42, 50, 56, 64, and 72 days after emergence (DAE). In the second experiment, seven samplings of 200 leaves were performed at 29, 36, 43, 49, 57, 65, and 70 DAE, totaling 2600 leaves. The length (L) and width (W) of the central leaflet were measured in all leaves composed by left, central, and right leaflets, the product of length times width (LW) was calculated, and the leaf area (Y – sum of left, central, and right leaflet areas) was determined by digital images. Linear, power, quadratic, and cubic models of Y as function of L, W, and LW were BASIC AREAS Article
Common montane birds are declining in northern Europe

Large-scale multi-species data on population changes of alpine or arctic species are largely lacking. At the same time, climate change has been argued to cause poleward and uphill range shifts and the concomitant predicted loss of habitat may have drastic eff ects on alpine and arctic species. Here we present a multi-national bird indicator for the Fennoscandian mountain range in northern Europe (Finland, Sweden and Norway), based on 14 common species of montane tundra and subalpine birch forest. Th e data were collected at 262 alpine survey plots, mainly as a part of geographically representative national breeding bird monitoring schemes. Th e area sampled covers around 1/4 million km 2 , spanning 10 degrees of latitude and 1600 km in a northeast – southwest direction. During 2002 – 2012, nine of the 14 bird species declined signifi cantly in numbers, in parallel to higher summer temperatures and precipitation during this period compared to the preceding 40 yr. Th e population trends were largely parallel in the three countries and similar among montane tundra and subalpine birch forest species. Long-distance migrants declined less on average than residents and short-distance migrants. Some potential causes of the current decline of alpine birds are discussed, but since montane bird population sizes may show strong natural annual variation due to several factors, longer time series are needed to verify the observed population trends. Th e present Fennoscandian monitoring systems, which from 2010 onwards include more than 400 montane survey plots, have the capacity to deliver a robust bird indicator in the climate-sensitive mountainous regions of northernmost Europe for conservation purposes.
Learning From Less Successful Kaizen Events: A Case Study

Abstract: This paper describes results from an ongoing research program focused on identifying determinants of Kaizen event effectiveness, both in terms of initial event outcomes and the sustainability of outcomes. Although anecdotal published accounts suggest that increasing numbers of companies are using Kaizen events, and that these projects can result in substantial improvement in key business metrics, there is a lack of systematic research on Kaizen events. A particular weakness of the current published accounts is the lack of attention to less successful events – only strongly successful applications of Kaizen events receive much coverage in the accounts; however, the organizational learning literature suggests that understanding less successful cases is a key component of organizational learning. We present a case study from a less successful Kaizen event to demonstrate how the case study event contributed to organizational learning. We also present a set of methods and measures that can be used by practicing engineering managers and engineering management researchers to evaluate and analyze Kaizen event performance. The implications of the case study event for the current body of knowledge on Kaizen events are also examined, and, finally, directions for future research are described.
Abundance and Production of Bacterioplankton along a Transect of Ise Bay, Japan

Abundance and production of bacterioplankton were investigated along with chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration over a transect through Ise Bay, Japan. The transect was designed to cross the thermohaline front of the bay, which assumes a distinct form in winter. Average bacterioplankton abundance was 6.4 × 109 cells l–1 in winter and 8.3 × 109 cells l–1 in summer. Average bacterioplankton production was estimated to be 13.8 μg C l–1day–1 in winter and 35.6 μg C l–1day–1 in summer. Chl-a maxima were observed in the inner area and the front area, while the maximum bacterioplankton abundance and production were found at the inner to innermost area of the bay. Thus, the bacterioplankton abundance or production in Ise Bay was not necessarily coupled with the front-associated chl-a maximum.
'May contain nuts'? The reality behind the rhetoric surrounding the British Conservatives' new group in the European Parliament

The British Conservative Party's decision to leave the European Peoples' Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED) group in the European Parliament and establish a new formation—the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)—has attracted criticism, much of it focused on the supposedly extremist politics and character of the partners with which the Conservatives have chosen to work. In fact, while those parties which have joined the Conservatives in the new group are for the most part socially conservative, they are less extreme and more pragmatic than their media caricatures suggest. Moreover, such caricatures obscure some interesting incompatibilities within the new group as a whole and between some of its Central and East European members and the Conservatives, not least with regard to their foreign policy preoccupations and their by no means wholly hostile attitude to the European integration project.
Prediction of boron adsorption on some soils of State Paraná, Brazil

A adsorcao de B pelo solo afeta o seu comportamento no meio ambiente e sua disponibilidade para as plantas. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito da calagem na adsorcao de B em solos do Estado do Parana, e correlacionar estes valores com os atributos quimicos e fisicos do solo. Foram utilizadas amostras da camada superficial, de 0– 0.2 m, de nove solos, escolhidas por apresentarem variacao no material de origem, as quais contemplaram as Ordens Latossolo, Nitossolo, Argissolo e Neossolo. Para determinar a quantidade de B adsorvido amostras com e sem calagem, apos incubadas durante 40 dias, foram mantidas em contato, mediante agitacao por 24 h, com solucao de CaCl2 0,01 mol L–1 contendo diferentes concentracoes de B (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 e 16 mg L–1 de B). O ajuste dos resultados experimentais foi realizado pela forma nao-linear da isoterma de Langmuir. A adsorcao maxima de B variou de 2,28 a 42,89 mg kg–1 (sem calagem) e de 22,73 a 109,89 mg kg–1 (com calagem), sendo que, os Nitossolos foram os solos que apresentaram maior capacidade de adsorcao de B. A calagem aumentou a quantidade de B adsorvido nos solos, exceto no Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo e no Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo. A energia de ligacao de B no solo diminuiu com a calagem, na maioria dos solos, indicando que em valores de pH mais elevados a B e adsorvida mais fracamente. O pH do solo, a materia orgânica e os teores de oxidos de silicio (SiO2) e de aluminio (Al2O3) foram as propriedades do solo que se correlacionaram diretamente com a adsorcao de B.
Assimilation of High-Frequency Radar Currents in a Nested Model of the West Florida Shelf

[1] High-frequency radar currents are assimilated in a West Florida Shelf (WFS) model based on the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS), which is nested in the Atlantic Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) for the purpose of including both local and deep-ocean forcing, particularly the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current. Tides are not included in this model. An ensemble simulation of the WFS model is carried out under different wind-forcings in order to estimate the error covariance of the model state vector and the covariance between ocean currents and winds. Radial currents measured by high-frequency radar antennas near Saint Petersburg and Venice, Florida, USA, are assimilated using this ensemble-based error covariance. Different assimilation techniques using a time-average ensemble, a filter to reduce surface-gravity waves and an extended state vector including wind stress were tested. Results of the WFS model assimilating surface currents show an improvement of the model currents not only at the surface but also at depth.
Correlations and path analysis in peanut.

Genetic parameters of agronomical traits of peanut were estimated and the coefficients of genotypic correlation between the grain yield and the primary components of the yield apportioned into direct and indirect effects. The cultivars (Tatu, BR 1, L.7 Vermelha, CNPA 75 AM, CNPA 76 AM, CNPA 68 AM, L.8.14.12, L.8.14.01 and L.7 Bege) were evaluated in Teresina, state of Piaui. The highest estimates of the coefficient of genotypic determination and of the relation b were obtain ed for weight of 100 seeds, number of pods plot -1 , grain yield, number of seeds pod -1 and pod yield. The spliting of the genotypic correlations into grain yield and the primary components, in direct and indirect effects, shows that the grain yield was positively influenced by the number of pods plot -1 and weight of 100 seeds, and negatively by the number of seeds pod -1 . In a favorable sense, the number of pods plot -1 was the trait of greatest direct influence on the grain yield.
Differences between Elementary and Secondary Preservice Science Teachers' Perceived Efficacy Beliefs and Their Classroom Management Beliefs.

Teacher efficacy has been one of the few variables consistently related to positive teaching behavior and student outcomes. Teacher efficacy can also be related with teacher’s classroom management approaches (Henson, 2001). The purpose of this study was to assess differences between Turkish elementary and secondary preservice teachers’ science teaching efficacy and classroom management beliefs. Data in this study were collected from a total number of 646 preservice teachers enrolled in elementary and secondary science teacher education programs in Turkey using Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) (Enochs & Riggs, 1990) and the Attitudes and Beliefs On Classroom Control (ABCC) Inventory (Martin, Yin, & Baldwin, 1998). Results indicated that secondary preservice teachers were more efficacious than the elementary counterparts on the two dimensions of the STEBI-B. However, all participants were found to be more interventionist on the instructional management and non-interventionist on the people management. In addition, analyses were not revealed any significant gender and education level differences on the subscales of the ABCC Inventory.
Pension Reform Disabled

Old-age pension reform is on the agenda across the OECD, and a key target is to delay retirement. Most of these countries also have a disability insurance (DI) program accounting for a large share of labor force exits. This paper builds a quantitative life-cycle model with endogenous retirement to study how DI and old-age pension (OA-pension) systems interact with health and wages to determine retirement age, with particular focus on the macroeconomic effects of OA-pension reforms. Individuals face uncertain future health status and wages, and if in bad health they are eligible for DI if they choose to retire before reaching the statutory retirement age. I calibrate the model to the Norwegian economy and explore the effects of raising the statutory retirement age and cutting OA-pension on labor supply and public finances. The main contribution of the paper is that I, in contrast to standard macro pension models, include DI as another endogenous margin of retirement. I show that failure to account for this margin might severely bias the analysis of OA-pension reforms.
Self-Esteem, Coping Efforts and Marital Adjustment

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between self-esteem, specific coping strategies and marital adjustment. The sample consists of 216 subjects from 108 couples who completed the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Ways of Coping Checklist. The results confirm the presence of a relationship between self-esteem, specific coping strategies and marital adjustment in men and women. High self-esteem and marital adjustment are associated with the use of problem solving strategies and less avoidance as a way of coping. Moreover, cross analyses reveal that one’s feelings of self-worth are associated with his/her spouse's marital adjustment. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.
Interventions to minimise nutrient losses from bari land (rain-fed upland) in the middle hills of the Western Development Region of Nepal.

Bari lands (rainfed upland bench or sloping terraces) in Nepal are increasingly becoming a focus of concern in terms of soil fertility decline and management. The understanding of the circumstances leading to high erosion and leaching losses, and the areas particularly affected by high losses, are essential prerequisites to attempting to improve soil conservation. Participatory research is being conducted with farmers in three contrasting agroecological regions; Nayatola (20—25 slopes, l,000—1,500mm annual rainfall); Landruk (terraces 0—5 slope, 3,000—3,500mm annual rainfall); and Bandipur (0—5 slope, 1,100—1,500mm annual rainfall). The research aims to develop soil and water management interventions that control erosion without resulting in high leaching and so are effective in minimizing total nutrient losses. Interventions being tested include the control of water movement through diversion of run-on, and planting fodder trees on terrace risers on bench terraces in high rainfall areas, and strip cropping in non-terraced sloping fields of low to medium rainfall areas. Results to date indicate that the interventions are effective in reduction of soil loss from the bari land in comparison with existing farmer practice, but no effect is observed on nutrient losses in solution form through runoff and leaching.
Photosynthesis in Global Cycle of Biospheric Carbon

A key role of photosynthesis as a regulator of global carbon cycle dynamics is considered. According to the suggested model, global natural carbon cycle is regard‐ ed as a transition of carbon from the oxidative state, presented by carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and carbonate species, into the reduced state, presented by different biogenic forms, produced in photosynthesis and in the following transformations. Photosynthesis provides a conversion of oxidative forms into reductive ones. The reverse transition is realized via respiration of living organisms, via microbial and chemical oxidations, accompanying transformations of “living” matter after burial. Among them the oxidation of the buried organic carbon by means of thermochemical sulfate reduction in the subduction zone, where lithospheric plates collide, is most important. Photosynthesis is under the impact of the Earth crust processes. In particular, the lithospheric plates’ movement exerts the impact on photosynthesis development via periodic injections of CO 2 into “atmosphere–hydrosphere” system during the plates’ collisions. The irregular lithospheric plates’ movement generates orogenic cycles which consist of short-term orogenic period of active volcanism, magmatism, and mountain building and a long-term geosynclynal period of low volcanic activity and quiet development of Earth crust processes. The pulsating movement of plates affects the dynamics and development of photosynthesis, which in turn determines the periodici‐ ty of numerous processes in the nature, including climatic cycles, changes in the rate of biodiversity, irregular accumulation of organic matter in sediments, uneven strati‐ graphic oil distribution, sea level changes, etc. The redox carbon cycle is a self-organizing system due to negative feedback between CO 2 assimilation and photorespiration of global photosynthesis in response to oxygen growth. It made carbon cycle to shift to ecological compensation point. In this point, the system becomes sensitive to separate plates’ collisions that results in short-term climatic oscillations. sediments, uneven stratigraphic oil distribution, study various phenomena in the past, including evolution itself. Very interesting and important results can be obtained in combination of isotopic techniques of different elements.