Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of long-wavelength tilting and climatic change on sediment accumulation

The elevation of continental interiors over time is demonstrably variable. A major part of change in elevation within the continental interior is likely driven by density changes within the upper mantle and by global mantle convection. For example, upper-mantle flow has been invoked as the cause of Neogene uplift of the interior Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau, warping and tilting sediment transport slopes that link to the widespread deposition of gravel units within the Great Plains. These geomorphic and sedimentologic features, however, can also be generated by an increase in runoff, since erosion will promote change in elevation due to isostatic compensation and the loading of the lithosphere by the deposition of sediment. To explore the consequences of change in topography and climate, we use a general length-dependent diffusive sediment transport law to model both erosion and deposition that includes the concentrative effects of river systems. The simplicity of the approach means that we can collapse sediment transport to one dimension and couple erosion and deposition with plate flexure. We find that for a landscape that is gently tilted (slope of order of 10 –3 ), a change in runoff has a minor effect on transport gradient, as sediment transport and associated flexural response maintain topography at a similar elevation. However, there can be a significant change in depositional style when the degree of tilt is altered by, for example, a local change in upper-mantle density. An increase in buoyancy within the upper mantle, which increases slopes, leads to a transient reduction in grain sizes deposited at a fixed location. This behavior is due to a temporary retreat of the zone of erosion into the catchment and a transient increase in accommodation space relative to sediment supply. A reduction in tilt has the opposite effect, the older deposits are eroded, and the erosion-deposition transition rapidly moves down system. There is convincing evidence that the formation of thin and laterally extensive conglomeratic units of the Great Plains was due to a reduced rate of subsidence. Based on the results of our model, we suggest that the deposition of widespread conglomeratic units within continental interiors is generally a consequence of a reduction in slope, as the dynamic support for regions of high topography is reduced.
Shear-band structure in ballistically tested carbide-free bainitic steels

Adiabatic shear bands represent intense plastic deformation that is localised because the rate at which the heat generated by deformation is greater than that at which it is dissipated. The structure of such bands generated by ballistic testing is examined in order to reveal the governing mechanisms. We attempt to distinguish in particular whether local reaustenitisation occurs, or if the microstructural change are a reflection simply of intense deformation.
Effect of Soil Parameters on the Distribution of Soil Fauna from Roadside Trees at Three Elevations in Mauritius

The effect of soil parameters on the distribution of soil fauna was carried out in Mauritius during summer from November 2012 to April 2013. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution of soil fauna of roadside trees at three elevations in Mauritius. Soil fauna were collected utilizing pitfall traps made of plastic cups at three different elevations (Flic en Flac, 5 m; Rose-Hill, 221 m; and Mare aux Vacoas, 569 m). Traps were placed among Casuarina equisetifolia (5m), Dictyosperma album (221 m) and Pinus sylvestris (569 m) trees. A total of 18730 individuals were sampled of which 10740 individuals were sampled at 5 m, 5293 individuals at 221 m and 2697 individuals at 569 m. Significant difference was recorded between study sites and months when considering humidity, temperature, soil carbon content and soil moisture (p 0.05) but significant difference was recorded between study sites (p<0.05). Principal component analysis extracted 18 out of 24 soil fauna species. Preference of soil fauna for higher levels of certain soil parameters was observed. Higher Shannon Weiner Diversity Index and Evenness were recorded at Mare aux Vacoas, while higher Margalef Index was recorded at Rose-Hill. This index was used to quantify the species richness. This study can be useful in determining soil fauna distribution and their specificity as such data has implications for biological control as well as for collection of specific insects. Moreover, this study also has implications for town planners with respect to planting roadside trees and their ensuing edaphic communities for managing insect pests. Moreover, the soil fauna species richness and community structure from roadside trees located at different elevations in Mauritius were also considered.
Aluminum nitride MEMS resonant thermal biosensors

Calorimetry is a very effective technique employed for analyzing biochemical reactions (glucose and urea sensing, DNA detection and biodefense). Most of the commercial microcalorimetric sensors available in the market don’t have either a simple operational configuration (amperometric sensors which rely on a detection of ions in a solution based on changes in electric current), or can only detect temperature changes in the range of 0.1-0.2 K. The most important performance metrics that ought to be considered for the design and optimization of microcalorimetric biochemical sensors are the thermal detection capabilities of the sensing element and the thermal coupling between the biochemical reaction and the thermal detector. All these fundamental challenges are addressed in this thesis by taking advantage of advanced material properties and innovative device engineering, the result of which are high temperature resolution (994.5 μK/Hz in a 50 Hz measurement bandwidth and 534.355 μK/Hz in a 200 Hz measurement bandwidth) micro-calorimetric sensors based on high frequency (134.5 MHz and 116.67 MHz) Aluminum Nitride (AlN) nano-plate resonators (NPR), overlapped by a freestanding reaction chamber separated by a micro-scale air gap (~50 m). High sensitivity (~8.66 ppm/K and ~22.2 ppm/K) and low noise performance (~1.16 Hz/Hz in a 50 Hz bandwidth) are achieved by scaling the overall volume of the resonant structure and by taking advantage of two high quality factor, Q (~882 and ~985), resonant systems. Efficient thermal coupling between the biochemical reaction and the resonant thermal detector is achieved by reducing to ~50 m the air gap between the resonator and the freestanding reaction chamber. The non – contact measurement also reduces the degradation of performance metrics like mass loading effects. The unique thermal detection capabilities of the AlN NPR calorimetric sensors enabled the monitoring of Urea and Glucose enzymatic reactions, as well as exothermic Acid-base neutralization reactions using Hydrochloric Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide. The effectiveness of the fabricated micro-calorimetric sensor prototype for monitoring chemical reactions was characterized by sequentially placing in the reaction chamber different concentrations of Acid and Base and monitoring the resonator frequency shift induced by the heat generated by the exothermic reaction at each concentration. As expected, saturation was reached when the concentration ratio between the two chemicals was 1:1, because maximum heat is generated at equal concentrations, resulting in a maximum frequency shift. For the biochemical enzymatic reactions, sensitivities of 9.4815 kHz/M for urea and 2.583 kHz/M for glucose were obtained. Detection limits for urea and glucose measurement were calculated to be 61.22 M and 535.803 M respectively. The experimental results also demonstrate the great potential of the proposed technology for the implementation of a new class of high temperature resolution and low noise AlN NPR thermal detection based biochemical sensors.
Generation of sub-100 fs pulses tunable from 1700 to 2100 nm from a compact frequency-shifted Er-fiber laser

We report generation of sub-100 fs pulses tunable from 1700 to 2100 nm via Raman soliton self-frequency shift. The nonlinear shift occurs in a highly nonlinear fiber, which is pumped by an Er-doped fiber laser. The whole system is fully fiberized, without the use of any free-space optics. Thanks to its exceptional simplicity, the setup can be considered as an alternative to mode-locked Tm- and Ho-doped fiber lasers.
Effects of Losartan, Tempol, and Their Combination On Renal Nitric Oxide Synthases in the Animal Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract Down-regulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and NO deficiency in the kidneys have been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this study we examined the effects of losartan, tempol, and combined treatment on three NOS isoforms expressions, kidney NO content and NOS correlation with renal function and structure in the early stage of adriamycin (ADR)-induced CKD in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Rats were divided into control group, and four other groups which were treated with ADR and received vehicle, losartan (L, angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker), tempol (T, redox-cycling nitroxide) or T+L treatment (by gavage) in a six-week study. Reduction of all NOS isoforms expressions were significantly improved by losartan or tempol, and correlated with proteinuria amelioration. Combined treatment induced down-regulation of constitutive NOS isoforms, whilst inducible NOS was up-regulated and followed by increased nitrite content and a significant decline in the glomerular filtration rate. Losartan or tempol prevented ADR-induced neoexpression of vimentin in the glomeruli and tubulointerstital areas, whereas de novo vimentin expression was still observed in the atrophic tubules and in the interstitial fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in combined treatment. It can be concluded that single treatments, contrary to combined, were effective in improving NO bioavailability and slowing down the progression of CKD.
Are wages rigid in Colombia ? : Empirical evidence based on a sample of wages at the firm level

This paper uses Colombian data at the firm level for the period 1999 to 2006 to provide microeconomic evidence on the existence and extent of downward nominal wage rigidity. To conduct the analysis, we use a rich panel of firms for white and blue collar workers, consisting of 1517 firms for the former and 781 firms for the latter. The presence of wage rigidity is determined by means of three statistic techniques used in recent literature, such as the analysis of the histograms of the distribution of wage changes, the LSW statistic and the Kahn test. The results suggest the existence of downward nominal wage rigidities; it is worth mentioning that rigidity is higher for blue collar workers than white collar workers, since the increase in the wages of the blue workers is generally done by taking into account the change in the minimum wage, which is why a higher rigidity would be expected.
Genomewide Markers for Controlling Background Variation in Association Mapping

Current procedures for association mapping in plants account for population structure (Q) and kinship (K). Here I propose an association mapping procedure that uses genomewide markers (G) to account for quantitative trait loci (QTL) on background chromosomes. My objective was to determine if the G and QG models are superior to the K and QK models. I simulated mapping population sizes of N = 384, 768, and 1536 inbreds that belonged to three known subpopulations. The G and QG models showed the best adherence to the significance level (P) specified by the investigator for declaring QTL. Across different genetic models (15 or 30 QTL), population sizes, and P levels, the Q model suffered from a high number of false positives (NFP). With the K and QK models, a relaxed P level led to a reasonable number of true QTL detected (NTQ) with N = 384 or 768 but it led to high NFP with N = 1536. Compared with the K and QK models, the G and QG models had a better balance between high NTQ and low NFP. The results strongly indicated that the G and QG models are superior to the K and QK models.
The Effect of Compensation, Motivation of Employee and Work Satisfaction to Employee Performance Pt. Bank Xyz (Persero) Tbk

This study aims to determine the effect of variable compensation, work motivation and job satisfaction on employee performance PT. Bank XYZ (Persero) Tbk by using a quantitative and technical approach to path analysis (Path Analysis). The population in this research are employees with non-managerial positions at 24 branch offices in the working area of Regional Office I covering the provinces of DKI Jakarta, West Java and Banten as many as 2547 people, with a sample of this study as many as 346 respondents with exploratory research method which aims to test a theory or hypothesis to reinforce or reject the theory or hypothesis of the results of research undertaken. The results of this study indicate that compensation has a positive and significant effect on work motivation, compensation has a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction, work motivation has a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction, compensation has positive and significant effect on employee performance, work motivation has positive and significant impact on performance employees and job satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on employee performance.
Dividend Policy of Jordanian Firms: Stability Tests and Survey Results

The aim of this study is to examine listed Jordanian firms in terms of the issue of dividend policy stability. In more specific terms, the paper complements the econometric analysis of dividend stability with a survey of the Chief Financial officers (CFOs). Based on a total of 40 industrial firms and the time period 2002-2013, the results of the panel data analysis indicate that Jordanian firms follow stable dividend policy. In addition, the survey results support the econometric conclusions. Based on the results of this paper, it is recommended that future research should examine the issue of what really determines the dividend policy of Jordanian firms. In addition, given the fact that the industrial firms follow stable dividend policy, it would be extremely interesting to investigate whether or not these firms manage earnings in order to meet their dividend stability objective. Highlights: Examining listed Jordanian industrial firms in terms of if the firms adopt stable dividend policy? The results reveal that the sample of firms do follow stable dividend policy Do Chief Financial officers’ (CFOs) views on dividend policy support or contradict the actual behaviour of dividend policy?
Infection of dogs with Babesia canis in Gwagwalada area of Federal Capital Territory , Abuja , Nigeria

Epidemiological investigation was carried out to determine the prevalence of infection with Babesia canis in dogs in Gwagwalada metropolis of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria, from November 2013 to January 2014. Blood samples were collected from 101 dogs and examined for the parasite. Data obtained were analyzed to determine the prevalence of Babesia canis and the correlation of infection with age, sex, breed, types of management and presence or absence of tick infestation on the animal. Dogs screened were those from randomly selected house holds within the area. Overall results show an infection rate of 9/101 (8.9%). The prevalence was higher (P <0.05) among adults than puppies and also higher (P<0.05) among dogs with tick infestation than those without.
Large scale hydrological model river storage and discharge correction using satellite altimetry-based discharge product

Land surface models (LSMs) are widely used to study the continental part of the water cycle. However, even though their accuracy is increasing, inherent model uncertainties can not be avoided. In the meantime, remotely sensed observations of the continental water cycle variables such as soil moisture, lakes and river elevations are more frequent and accurate. Therefore, those two different types of information can be combined, using data assimilation techniques to reduce a model’s uncertainties in its state variables or/and in its input parameters. The objective of this study is to present a data assimilation platform that assimilates into the large-scale ISBA-CTRIP LSM a punctual river discharge product, derived from ENVISAT nadir altimeter water elevation measurements and rating curves, over the whole Amazon basin. To deal with the scale difference between the model and the observation, the study also presents an initial development for a localization treatment that allows one to limit the impact of observations to areas close to the observation and in the same hydrological network. This assimilation platform is based on the ensemble Kalman ﬁlter and can correct either the CTRIP river water storage or the discharge. Root mean square error (RMSE) compared to gauge discharges is globally reduced until 21 % and at Óbidos, near the outlet, RMSE is reduced by up to 52 % compared to ENVISAT-based discharge. Finally, it is shown that localization improves results along the main tributaries.
Depth induced breaking of wind generated surface gravity waves in Estonian coastal waters

Depth-induced wave breaking is a key term for wave energy dissipation in the action balance equation of the third generation spectral wave models, and becomes an essential consideration in modelling wave behaviour in shallow water and near the coast. Neglecting this sink function leads to an overestimation of significant wave heights. Current paper addresses the importance of depth induced wave breaking, using the SWAN wave model, at two locations in Estonian coastal waters in case of NNW storms — the first site is the Harilaiu Bank, situated in the north-west of the Saaremaa Island while the other one is Tallinn Bay. We performed simulations using SWAN with two different setups, i.e. the depth induced wave-breaking accounted and not accounted. The computed wave height in the first case was smaller than in the second case with maximum difference of 4.8 m in the Harilaiu Bank and 2.3 m in Tallinn Bay. Previous studies using the WAM model suggest that remarkable wave maxima exist in these regions due to focusing of wave rays e.g. due to topographic refraction of surface waves. As these maxima were reproduced by SWAN when depth-induced wave breaking was turned-off, we conclude that the maxima simulated by WAM can be an artefact of the model.
UTILISATION OF WILD CANES FROM CHINA

IN 2002 a collaborative program of breeding and research was commenced, aiming to utilise wild germplasm from China for sugarcane improvement in both China and Australia. Some results and recommendations arising from this program to date are reported here. The program aimed to: 1. Characterise genetic diversity in Chinese S. spontaneum and Erianthus arundinaceus; 2. Conduct crossing between Chinese S. spontaneum and Erianthus spp. and sugarcane, and initial evaluation of the resulting progeny; 3. Assess if and how DNA markers can be used to identify genome regions of positive or negative value from wild clones, and to assist in programs aiming to introduce new genes from wild canes into commercial cultivars; 4. To quantify genotype × environment interactions between Australia and China. Results from the genetic diversity studies indicated a high level of genetic diversity in both S. spontaneum and Erianthus arundinaceus in China, and provide a basis for targeted sampling and use of this material in future breeding efforts or for core collections. Two hundred and two crosses from a range of S. spontaneum and Erianthus clones generated viable seeds, and 100 of these crosses have been verified (to date) using DNA markers as producing true hybrids. These results were significant in relation to Erianthus spp. in providing (to our knowledge) the first report of verified fertile Saccharum × Erianthus hybrids in the world, despite many past efforts. Several case study populations derived from S. spontaneum and Erianthus were used for Quantitative Trait loci (QTL) mapping. Several apparently important QTL for cane yield were identified from S. spontaneum. An approach to apply DNA markers in future introgression breeding in sugarcane is recommended, based on the results and experience obtained. Another significant result was the first (to our knowledge) documentation of genotype × country interactions. Somewhat surprisingly, moderate to high (>0.6) genetic correlations in performance of families and clones between trials in China and Australia were observed, despite some contrasting environmental and management conditions. This result supports ongoing collaboration between China and Australia via exchange of selection trial results and selected germplasm.
Understanding the Learning & Advocacy Needs of a Twice-Exceptional Student Through A Strengths-Based Lens: A Case Study in California

7 CHAPTER 1 TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS . 8 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM . 8 PURPOSE STATEMENT . 10 RESEARCH QUESTION . 10 THEORETICAL RATIONALE . 11 ASSUMPTIONS . 12 BACKGROUND AND NEED . 13 SUMMARY . 14 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 15 INTRODUCTION . 15 HISTORICAL CONTEXT . 16 REVIEW OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH . 19 PERSONAL COMMUNICATION/INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERT . 46 SUMMARY . 48 CHAPTER 3 METHOD . 49 RESEARCH APPROACH . 49 Twice-Exceptional Student 6 ETHICAL STANDARDS . 50 SAMPLE AND SITE . 50 ACCESS AND PERMISSIONS . 50 DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES . 51 DATA ANALYSIS APPROACH . 51 CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS . 52 DESCRIPTION OF SITE, INDIVIDUALS, DATA . 52 THEMES . 71 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION /ANALYSIS. 79 SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS . 79 COMPARISON OF FINDINGS TO THE LITERATURE. 79 LIMITATIONS/GAPS IN THE RESEARCH . 81 IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. 90 OVERALL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY . 91 ABOUT THE AUTHOR . 92 REFERENCES . 93 Twice-Exceptional Student 7
Global carbon emissions from biomass burning in the 20th century

We used a new, 100‐year, 1 × 1° global fire map and a carbon cycle model (CASA) to provide a yearly gridded estimate of the temporal trend in carbon emissions due to wildfires through the 20th century. 2700–3325 Tg C y−1 burn at the end of the 20th century, compared to 1500–2700 Tg C y−1 at the beginning, with increasing uncertainty moving backward in time. There have been major changes in the regional distribution of emissions from fires, as a consequence of i) increased burning in tropical savannas and ii) a switch of emissions from temperate and boreal forests towards the tropics. The frequently‐used assumption that pre‐industrial emissions were 10% of present biomass burning is clearly inadequate, in terms of both the total amount and the spatial distribution of combustion.