Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Freshwater molluscs in mountain lakes of the Eastern Alps (Austria): relationship between environmental variables and lake colonization

This study examines the colonization of twelve mountain lakes of the Central Alps in Austria by freshwater gastropods and bivalves. Of the twelve lakes studied, seven are in the montane vegetation level (600 – 1400 m), and five are subalpine (1400 – 2200 m). At each lake, species diversity and abundance was measured by taking 10 samples along the shore, for each parameter. In addition to recording of molluscs, I measured 12 environmental factors, namely, altitude, water temperature, shading, water pH, conductivity, oxygen saturation, biological oxygen demand after 5 days (BOD5), nitrate concentration, total hardness, mean grain size of the bottom substrate, and percentage of submerged vegetation and algal cover, at each sample site. I then used multivariate statistical analysis, specifically Canonical Correspondence Analysis, to detect any relationships between these physico-chemical factors and the distribution of molluscs. The study detected a total of 13 mollusc, 8 gastropod and 5 bivalve species in the lakes, with lakes at the montane vegetation level generally exhibiting higher species diversities than lakes at the subalpine vegetation level. Pisidium casertanum, Galba truncatula, P. subtruncatum, and Radix balthica exhibited the highest species abundance, while Acroloxus lacustris and Musculium lacustre, both typical of lower altitudes, were very rare. Multivariate analysis revealed an important influence of shading, altitude, nitrate, BOD5, oxygen saturation, substrate grain-size and submerged vegetation on the distribution patterns of most mollusc species. In contrast, the distribution patterns of P. subtruncatum and P. obtusale were highly independent of the measured environmental factors.
Irrigation management techniques with anaerobic baffled reactor effluent: effect on rice growth, yield and water productivity T. I. Busaria,*, A. Senzanjea, A. O. Odindob and C. A. Buckleyc

The study evaluated the effect of irrigation management techniques using anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent on the growth and yield of rice. It was hypothesized that irrigation techniques with ABR effluent have a significant effect on the growth, yield of rice, water productivity (WP) and water balance (WB). The experimental setup was a randomized complete block design for 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons, three treatments each with three replications. The treatments were alternating wetting and drying (AWD), continuous flooding irrigation (CFI) and wetting without flooding (WWF). The effect of irrigation management techniques was significant (P, 0.05) for the 2017 season but insignificant (P. 0.05) in 2018 on the yield. The effect of irrigation treatments on WP was significant (P, 0.05). The effects were not significant (P. 0.05) on the plant height, leave area index (LAI) and number of tillers per plant. However, the effect was significant (P, 0.05) on the number of panicles per plant. The effects of irrigation treatments were significant (P, 0.05) on number of irrigation, amount of irrigation, total water use and daily field WB. In conclusion, the result proved the acceptability of the hypothesis. AWD irrigation with ABR effluent should be encouraged among rice farmers.
Migration as a Risky Enterprise: A Diagnostic for Bangladesh

We provide a quantitative diagnostic of attempts by Bangladeshi workers at migrating to foreign countries and the risks that they face in doing so. We show that migration failures may be as high as one-third of attempts at migrating, with large financial losses for households with an aspiring migrant. Using a duration model, we find that success in migrating is associated with a current higher national migration, larger village migration network, and urban residence. We also find that in spite of the high cost of failure, there are still large expected gains from trying to migrate.
Experimental validation of a hypothesis for lung tumour dynamic characterisation*

This paper describes seminal work for using tools from fractional calculus on modelling geometry and dynamical nonlinear effects in a mimicked lung tumour setup. A device and methodology are tailored to verify the hypothesis that presence of tumour in lung will affect the frequency dependent respiratory impedance. The data is analysed in terms of detection and quantification of nonlinear distortion in two situations mimicked by the proposed setup: a normal lung and a tumorous lung. Results indicate the feasibility of this research direction and the paper outlines the opportunities at hand.
Correlation Studies among Productions Traits in Bread Wheat under Rainfed Conditions

In order to study correlation among yield and yield component in bread wheat, an experiment was conducted at new Developmental Research Farm Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, the University of Agriculture, Peshawar during 2013-2014 cropping season under rainfed conditions. Twenty four genotypes were planted in 6 x 4 alpha lattice designs with three replications. Data were recorded on plant height, tillers m , 2 spike length, 1000-grain weight, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes for all the traits studied, except for grain yield and harvest index. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive genotypic and phenotypic association of grain yield with plant height, tillers m , spike length and biological yield. Moreover, significant positive association of grain 2 yield was observed with grains spike and harvest index at phenotypic level only. Strong association of these 1 traits with grain yield suggested that these traits could be safely used as selection criterion for further improvement in yield of wheat.
A EMPIRICAL A ALYSIS OF ZERO-LEVERAGE FIRMS: EVIDE

This paper examines the question of why some firms have zero leverage. It shows that extreme debt conservatism is a common empirical phenomenon in the U.K. Zero-leverage U.K. firms can be categorized into two distinct groups, namely dividend payers and nondividend papers. While both groups face some forms of financial constraints, the second group is particularly more credit-constrained, consisting of younger and smaller firms with lower (negative) profitability and tangibility, larger cash holdings and growth options. Logistic regression results confirm that small, cash-rich and high-growth firms are likely to be unlevered. Zero-leverage firms are likely to lever up when they increase in size, reduce their cash reserves, make large investment or deviate further from their target leverage. These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that many firms adopt a zero-leverage policy due to being credit-constrained. They also provide moderate evidence for the financial flexibility and underinvestment hypotheses that some firms, especially the less constrained group of dividend payers, may avoid debt to mitigate investment distortions. JEL classification: G32
New Approaches and Tools for Grazing Management

Abstract Novel concepts and tools to promote progress in grazing science and management need to incorporate heterogeneity and nonlinear scaling of spatially and temporally distributed ecological interactions such as diet selection, defoliation, and plant growth. Traditional grazing management factors are number of animals, species and category of animals, spatial distribution of forage demand, and temporal distribution of forage demand. These traditional methods have been based on a paradigm that is static, assumes equilibrium conditions, and does not consider scaling issues, neither in time nor in space. Three related issues that can contribute to the progress in the understanding and management of grazing systems are spatial heterogeneity, event-driven dynamics, and scaling effects. Spatial heterogeneity of species and defoliation determine pasture stability by modulating competition and response to heterogeneous defoliation. When pasture species are well mixed, livestock are less able to select their preferred diet. When species are separated into larger and more easily identifiable patches, the selected diet approaches the preferred one. Simultaneously, patchiness in pasture components and redistribution of nutrients by grazing can lend global compositional stability to grass–clover pastures. Grazing at high animal density can be studied using the paradigm of event-driven dynamics. Several mechanisms suggest that grazing systems should have allometric spatial and temporal scaling in addition to the well-recognized allometric scaling of food requirements with body mass. Grazing system performance should scale allometrically with pasture size because both resource distribution and animal movements frequently have fractal properties. As pasture size increases, fewer hierarchical levels of grazing behavior are constrained, and the new spatial patterns introduce nonlinearity in the response to pasture size. Operant conditioning of foraging behavior, conditioned aversions, plant spatial pattern, pasture size and shape, timing and duration of grazing periods, and number of animals are discussed as precision tools to manage grazing systems.
EQUILIBRIUM AND STABILITY ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITE SLIT TUBES

This paper considers a deployable structure, of tubular cross-section, manufactured from a novel composite layup which ensures that it is stable in both its extended and coiled forms. A beam model has been derived which predicts the deformations as the structure moves from one equilibrium state to the other, and predicts the location of the second equilibrium state. This model is now being extended to also consider the stability of the second equilibrium position.
Bioinformatics strategy for the screening of key genes to differentiate adenomyosis from endometriosis (Review)

Adenomyosis is one of the most common gyneco‐ logical diseases worldwide. Despite intense efforts to elucidate the pathogenesis, the molecular mechanisms responsible for adenomyosis are not yet fully understood. The aim of this review was to screen candidate functional networks and identify key genes to differentiate adenomyosis from endo‐ metriosis. A search was conducted between 2000 and 2018 through the English language literature (online MEDLINE PubMed database) using the key words, adenomyosis combined with endometriosis, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and functional networks. Eligible microarray datasets were collected from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, NCBI‐GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/). The mRNA and/or protein expression of adenomyosis candi‐ date genes was confirmed by the published data (https://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed). The comprehensive gene expres‐ sion analysis based on the NCBI‐GEO database revealed the candidate DEGs and functional networks. Among a total of 3,119 genes collected from the adenomyosis signatures, 2,845 genes (91.2%) overlapped in the endometriosis signa‐ tures. A total of 274 DEGs were identified to be specific to adenomyotic lesions. Among these, we selected 50 genes whose expression profiles have been published in a public repository. Although the two conditions may share common pathways, a set of DEGs, including insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF1), osteopontin (OPN), KiSS‐1 metastasis suppressor (KISS1), neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1, also known as CD56), versican (VCAN), L‐selectin ligand and Annexin A2, (ANXA2), have been suggested to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of adenomyosis. The enriched functions and pathways of the DEGs include the process of endometrial invasion, cell survival, wound healing, scarring and fibrosis. On the whole, in this review, we present a comprehensive gene expression analysis based on NCBI‐GEO database to identify adenomyosis candidate genes. DEGs and functional networks help us to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of adenomyosis, and provide candidate targets for the diagnosis and treatment of adenomyosis.
CDK1-mediated CENP-C phosphorylation modulates CENP-A binding and mitotic kinetochore localization

Kinetochore localization of CENP-C, which is a key and conserved kinetochore component, is regulated during cell cycle progression. Watanabe et al. demonstrate that CDK1-mediated CENP-C phosphorylation regulates mitotic kinetochore localization via binding of CENP-C to the CENP-A nucleosome.
The ARO 4 gene of Candida albicans encodes a tyrosine-sensitive DAHP synthase : evolution , functional conservation and phenotype of Aro 3 p-, Aro 4 p-deficient mutants

Departments of Comparative Genomics1, Discovery Genetics2, Genomics Bioinformatics3, Microbial Bioinformatics and Microbial Genetics4, Glaxo SmithKline, King of Prussia, PA 19406, USA The enzyme 3-deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase catalyses the first step in aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in prokaryotes, plants and fungi. Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain two catalytically redundant DAHP synthases, encoded by the genes ARO3 and ARO4, whose activities are feedback-inhibited by phenylalanine and tyrosine, respectively. ARO3/4 gene transcription is controlled by GCN4. The authors previously cloned an ARO3 gene orthologue from Candida albicans and found that: (1) it can complement an aro3 aro4 double mutation in S. cerevisiae, an effect inhibited by excess phenylalanine, and (2) a homozygous aro3-deletion mutant of C. albicans is phenotypically AroM, suggesting the existence of another isozyme(s). They now report the identification and functional characterization of the C. albicans orthologue of S. cerevisiae Aro4p. The two Aro4p enzymes share 68% amino acid identity. Phylogenetic analysis places the fungal DAHP synthases in a cluster separate from prokaryotic orthologues and suggests that ARO3 and ARO4 arose from a single gene via a gene duplication event early in fungal evolution. C. albicans ARO4 mRNA is elevated upon amino acid starvation, consistent with the presence of three putative Gcn4p-responsive elements (GCREs) in the gene promoter sequence. C. albicans ARO4 complements an aro3 aro4 double mutation in S. cerevisiae, an effect inhibited by excess tyrosine. The authors engineered ∆aro3/∆aro3 ∆aro4/MET3p : :ARO4 cells of C. albicans (with one wild-type copy of ARO4 placed under control of the repressible MET3 promoter) and found that they fail to grow in the absence of aromatic amino acids when ARO4 expression is repressed, and that this growth defect can be partially rescued by aromatic amino acids and certain aromatic amino acid pathway intermediates. It is concluded that, like S. cerevisiae, C. albicans contains two DAHP synthases required for the first step in the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway.
Auditory-Visual Matching and Language-Based Learning Disorders: Two Studies of Specific Language Impairment and Developmental Dyslexia

This is a binary study about auditory-visual matching in language-based learning disorders (N=212). Much controversy ensures about the extent to which auditory processing deficits are important in the genesis of language-based learning disorders, particularly specific language impairment and developmental dyslexia. Explorative study 1 focused on children between the ages of 6 and 13, with SLI (N=84), dyslexia (N=52) and typical language development (N=28). The results showed that children with SLI experience very similar difficulties to those of children with dyslexia in auditory-visual matching. Comorbidity was evident, as 63% of children had additional diagnoses. Encouraged by interesting results, an intervention study was conducted. Study 2 involved 48 children, [pre-schoolers (N=23), first-graders (N=25)] who participated in the auditory-visual matching training period. After the training, an improvement in the auditory-visual matching test was found. The positive effect was also evident based on the Assessment Inventories, which evaluate the development of overall cognitive performances.
Corporate governance and IFRS 7 disclosure in Nigerian banks: A triple model assessment

This study employs three models, pooled OLS, fix effect with white cross-section standard error covariance and panel EGLS data with cross-section random effects to assess the impact of corporate governance and IFRS 7 financial instruments disclosure in the balance sheet of 14 listed banks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange during the period 2008-2012. The empirical evidence illustrates that the chi-square and F-statistics in both pooled OLS and fixed effect are significant hence, not appropriate for estimating the model.We employ the Hausman test and applied the redundant effect equation model to further test for the effect.It is found that the null hypothesis in the correlated random effect has an insignificant probability value of 1.0000 supporting the conclusion that IFRS 7 disclosure is related to board committee, board accounting and board financial expertise and the type of gender in boards of the investigated banks.Based on this analysis, the random effect model which report significant values on three of the independent variables (BC, 0.0014 and BE, 0.0000) at 1% and (GEN, 0.0056) at 10% level of significance is the preferred model. These findings are apropos to managers, accountants and regulatory authorities especially in banks of developing countries which have just embrace or are in the process of embracing IFRS7 in their financial instruments disclosure.We further recommend that existing regulations in Nigeria mandatorily compel listed banks in Nigeria to have at least 15% women as board members because of their positive contribution towards compliance with disclosure requirements.
Archaeological record of earthquake ruptures in Tell Ateret, the Dead Sea Fault

The archaeological Tell Ateret (North Israel), constructed on the active Dead Sea Fault, was intermittently settled for over six millennia. Structures on the Tell that have been offset by earthquake ruptures provide a remarkable record of alternating construction and slip. We excavated the site in order to resolve the geometry and to time the earthquake rupture history back to the earliest settlement. The measurements of faulted archaeological walls are complemented with data from historical documents, numismatic analysis, and geological observations. We report three newly discovered offsets that add to two previously resolved slip events (the 20 May 1202 and 30 October 1759 earthquakes), completing a three millennia archaeoseismic record. The oldest offset measuring at least ~2 m bisected Iron Age IIA fortifications. The second offset, the largest of all five, reaching ~2.5 m, is dated to circa 142 BCE The third, whose post‐Hellenistic date is not determined, is of ~1.5 m, possibly resulting from multiple earthquakes. We constrain the time of the largest offset by a hoard of 45 coins, the latest of which had been minted 143/142 BCE. Indicative pottery and historic texts support the year 143/142 as terminus post‐quem of the rupture at this site. These observations, together with a new kinematic approach, show uneven slip distribution in time and variable amounts of slip along the Jordan Gorge segment of the Dead Sea Fault. We suggest, based on previous palaeomagnetic measurements, that distributed deformation west of Tell Ateret can explain the apparent missing slip of 4.5 ± 3.5 m since the Hellenistic times.
How can SLE Impact patient´s life

This review examines the disease impact on life of 76 SLE patients by collecting data using special questionnaire. The impact of the disease on professional activities has confirmed that up to 63% of patients are registered disabled, of which 46% are granted full disability pension. SLE negatively affects patients’ career – up to 39% of SLE patients stated that they had to change a job due to their disease. SLE has a strong impact on everyday life of patients. SLE symptoms are significant even during the period of quiescence – they predominantly fatigue, reduced physical activity, and pain. Among the all activities of daily life the most influenced are staying in the sun and more stressful activities or sport. The fact that limitations in all monitored activities are present in more than 50% of patients is a serious issue. Treatment-related adverse events have negative impact on the quality of life in almost 70% of patients. The most frequent include gastrointestinal symptoms, visual disturbance, and osteoporosis. SLE has a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and hinders them from leading everyday life at the level comparable to healthy population.
Analysis of Student Views on Foreign Language Learning in Second Life Environment

Bu arastirmanin amaci; yabanci dil ogretimi icin Second Life (SL) sanal dunyasinda uc boyutlu bir ogrenme ortami tasarlayarak, katilimcilarin ogrenme ortamina yonelik goruslerini degerlendirmek ve bu ortamda yasanan sorunlari incelemektir. Durum calismasi olarak desenlenen arastirma 2011-2012 ogretim yilinda Ege Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi'nde Yabanci Dil derslerine kayitli 24 gonullu ogrenci ile 10 hafta boyunca yurutulmus, katilimcilarin 5 farkli ana etkinlige katilmalari saglanmistir. Arastirmada ogrencilerin demografik bilgilerini, bilgisayar kullanim durumlarini ve Ingilizce yeterliklerini belirlemek icin Kisisel Bilgi Anketi kullanilmistir. Ayrica, etkinliklere iliskin katilimcilarin goruslerini almak amaciyla Geribildirim Anketi ile Second Life (SL) Ogrenme Deneyimi Anketi kullanilarak veri toplanilmistir. Bunlara ek olarak katilimcilarin uygulama ile ilgili genel goruslerini almak icin yari yapilandirilmis gorusmeler yapilmistir. Arastirmanin sonucunda, katilimcilarin SL ortamini ilgi cekici ve eglenceli bulduklari, etkinliklerin kendileri icin yararli oldugu belirlenmistir. Buna ek olarak SL ortamindaki etkinliklerin, ogrencilerin yabanci dil konusma surecindeki cekingenliklerini yenmelerinde etkili oldugu gorulmustur. Ayrica katilimcilarin ortami kullanirken cesitli nedenlerle konusmada zorluklar yasadiklari ve farkli teknik sorunlar ile karsilastiklari anlasilmistir. Bununla birlikte katilimcilar, kampus ici erisim, ses sorunlari gibi sik yasanan sorunlarin asilmasi kosuluyla SL'nin yabanci dil ogretiminin yani sira bircok farkli alanda kullanilabilecegini belirtmislerdir. Arastirmanin sonunda ulasilan bulgular dogrultusunda uygulamaya ve arastirmaya yonelik oneriler sunulmustur.
Productivity Improvement in Korean Rice Farming: Parametric and Non-Parametric Analysis

The published empirical literature on frontier production functions is dominated by two broadly defined estimation approaches - parametric and non-parametric. Using panel data on Korean rice production, parametric and non-parametric production frontiers are estimated and compared with estimated productivity. The non-parametric approach employs two alternative measures based on the Malmquist index and the Luenberger indicator, while the parametric approach is closely related to the time-variant efficiency model. Productivity measures differ considerably between these approaches. It is discovered that measures of efficiency change are more sensitive to the choice of the model than are measures of technical change. Both approaches reveal that the main sources of growth in Korean rice farming have been technical change and productivity improvements in regions of the country that have been associated with low efficiency. Copyright 2004 Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Inc. and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.