Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anchorage and resistance to uprooting forces of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) shoots planted in slag substrates

Different types of slag (air-cooled, granulated and carbonated granulated slag) were employed as basal media of eelgrass, Zostera marina L. We investigated how factors such as slag type, particle size and sedimentation of fine particles affected anchorage of eelgrass to the substrates. It was found that eelgrass planted in slag substrates could endure current velocity of 10 to 50 cm s. Thus, slag substrates can adequately support and anchor the eelgrass plants even during severe current flow (50 cm s). Root establishment and anchorage were also examined by looking at the resistance of the plants to uprooting forces. Results showed that shoots in slag substrates with the finest particle size (<1.18 mm) gave the highest resistance to uprooting among the particle sizes tested (<1.18, 1.18-2.36 and 2.36-4.75mm). Among the slag substrates, shoots in granulated slag pots gave the highest resistance to uprooting. Addition of dredged sediment (DS) or settling of fine particles improved the root establishment, anchorage of eelgrass and root-rhizome extension. However, it was suggested that addition of DS or settling of fine particles to slag may be beneficial to root establishment up to a certain extent only and too much of it might be harmful to eelgrass plants.
Expression of MT4-MMP, EGFR, and RB in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Strongly Sensitizes Tumors to Erlotinib and Palbociclib Combination Therapy

Purpose: Here, we investigated the clinical relevance of an unprecedented combination of three biomarkers in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), both in human samples and in patient-derived xenografts of TNBC (PDX-TNBC): EGFR, its recently identified partner (MT4-MMP), and retinoblastoma protein (RB). Experimental Design: IHC analyses were conducted on human and PDX-TNBC samples to evaluate the production of the three biomarkers. The sensitivity of cancer cells expressing or not MT4-MMP to anti-EGFR (erlotinib) or anti-CDK4/6 inhibitor (palbociclib) was evaluated in vitro in 2D and 3D proliferation assays and in vivo using xenografts and PDX-TNBC displaying different RB, MT4-MMP, and EGFR status after single (erlotinib or palbociclib) or combined (erlotinib + palbociclib) treatments. Results: EGFR and MT4-MMP were coexpressed in >70% of TNBC samples and PDX-TNBC, among which approximately 60% maintained RB expression. Notably, approximately 50% of all TNBC and PDX-TNBC expressed the three biomarkers. Single erlotinib and palbociclib treatments drastically reduced the in vitro proliferation of cells expressing EGFR and MT4-MMP when compared with control cells. Both TNBC xenografts and PDX expressing MT4-MMP, EGFR, and RB, but not PDX-TNBC with RB loss, were sensitive to erlotinib and palbociclib with an additive effect of combination therapy. Moreover, this combination was efficient in another PDX-TNBC expressing the three biomarkers and resistant to erlotinib alone. Conclusions: We defined a new association of three biomarkers (MT4-MMP/EGFR/RB) expressed together in 50% of TNBC and demonstrated its usefulness to predict the TNBC response to anti-EGFR and anti-CDK4/6 drugs used in single or combined therapy.
Stock Investment Value Study Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation

This paper constructs 3-level evaluation model based on index system for the listed corporations and confirm the weights by the factor analysis, then compute the investment value of listed companies in chlor-alkali industry making use of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and illustrate the method. The objective and reasonable basis for making investment decision is provided.
High-frequency oscillations in a solar active region observed with the RAPID DUAL IMAGER

High-cadence, synchronized, multiwavelength optical observations of a solar active region (NOAA 10794) are presented. The data were obtained with the Dunn Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak using a newly developed camera system: the rapid dual imager. Wavelet analysis is undertaken to search for intensity related oscillatory signatures, and periodicities ranging from 20 to 370 s are found with significance levels exceeding 95%. Observations in the H-α blue wing show more penumbral oscillatory phenomena when compared to simultaneous G-band observations. The H-α oscillations are interpreted as the signatures of plasma motions with a mean velocity of 20 km s −1 . The strong oscillatory power over H-α blue-wing and G-band penumbral bright grains is an indication of the Evershed flow with frequencies higher than previously reported.
Assessing the Factors Contributing to Non –Performance Loans in Kenyan Banks

The Banking sector is an indispensable financial service sector supporting development plans through channelizing funds for productive purpose, intermediating flow of funds from surplus to deficit units and supporting financial and economic policies of government. This paper will look at the factors contributing high rates of NPLs in Kenya despite the introduction of CBR. The other objectives are to determine the effects of Non-performing Loans in Kenyan commercial banks, to establish the trend of bad loans, before and after the introduction of CRB in Kenyan commercial banks and to determine the efforts taken to reduce the risks due to NPLs. The research covers all commercial banks in Kenya for the last ten years. The paper used secondary data and to analyse and draw conclusions and recommendations. This paper will provide an insight to the authorities manning the institutions and the government such that they find it in order to reduce the NPLs also it will provide a basis for further research. Key words: Non-Performing Loans, Kenya, Commercial banks, Credit Reference Bureaus
"If I have a job in the city, I'll go to the bush on weekends" : place production among Toba people in northern Argentina

Indigenous straggles over places are a response to the spatial reconfiguration that is part of an ongoing process of colonization. This thesis explores how urban indigenous people contest social exclusion through everyday place-making. I analyze how the residents of the Lote 68, an indigenous neighborhood in the city of Formosa (Northern Argentina), cope with their position of marginality within the city, by simultaneously embracing a project of "progress" and by reappropriating the nearby bushes within rural private properties. The interviews and participant observation I conducted among this group show that their use of space disputes the hegemonic notions of aboriginality that articulate it as a poor, backward and a welfare-dependent identity. Conversely, the bush is a place that offers Lote residents a way of coping with unemployment, but more importantly, permits them to re-appropriate the notion of aborigen (indigenous person), recreate meaningful forms of socialization, and ultimately generate an alternative access to the city.
Forma e função em vacas braford: o exterior como indicativo de desempenho e temperamento

O objetivo deste trabalho foi buscar ferramentas que possam auxiliar os produtores na tomada de decisao ao selecionar vacas mais adaptadas as condicoes ambientais e que apresentem temperamento mais docil. Para isso, foram tomadas 11 medidas corporais de 84 vacas Braford e adotou-se como indices de desempenho, a eficiencia produtiva (EP= media do peso das progenies ao desmame x numero de partos/(idade atual - 2)) e a habilidade materna mais provavel (HMMP) a qual representa a capacidade da vaca em desmamar progenies mais pesadas. Para classificar o temperamento dos animais utilizou-se uma escala de temperamento e o tempo que os animais levavam para percorrer uma distância de 6,5 metros, imediatamente apos sairem do tronco de contencao ate o final do brete. Observou-se que os animais de tamanho corporal grande foram os que apresentaram as melhores producoes no ambiente em estudo, diferindo dos grupos de tamanho corporal medio e pequeno, para a HMMP (p= 0,04) e do grupo de tamanho corporal pequeno, para a EP (p= 0,01). Houve uma correlacao positiva e altamente significativa entre as medidas corporais e os indices produtivos adotados neste trabalho, com excecao das medidas: comprimento de anca e as alturas das cruzes e de anca. Observou-se que, em animais com redemoinho capilar (independentemente do tipo) acima da linha dos olhos, ha alta porcentagem de individuos agitados quando comparados aos animais de redemoinho na linha dos olhos e animais sem redemoinhos (p<0,01). Houve uma tendencia dos animais que apresentaram redemoinho do tipo espiral ter maior escore de temperamento e menor tempo de saida do brete. As medidas corporais e a posicao do redemoinho capilar facial podem constituir uma ferramenta que venha auxiliar o produtor na tomada de decisoes ao selecionar qual o biotipo mais adequado ao seu sistema de producao.
New Evidence on the Cyclicality of Employer-to-Employer Flows from Canada

This paper presents new estimates of gross worker flows for Canada for the sample period 1978 to 2016. We use administrative data from the Canadian Record of Employment in combination with the Canadian Labor Force Survey to estimate employer-to-employer flows in addition to flows between labor market states. We highlight three main results: Roughly two-thirds of all job separations are employer-to-employer flows. Employer-to-Employer flows are highly procyclical. The combination of these two results means that total job separations are procyclical. If employer-to-employer flows improve match quality, our results imply that recessions have a sullying effect on the labor market.
The mass–concentration–redshift relation of cold and warm dark matter haloes

We use a suite of cosmological simulations to study the mass–concentration–redshift relation, c(M, z), of dark matter haloes. Our simulations include standard Λ-cold dark matter (CDM) models, and additional runs with truncated power spectra, consistent with a thermal warm dark matter (WDM) scenario. We find that the mass profiles of CDM and WDM haloes are self-similar and well approximated by the Einasto profile. The c(M, z) relation of CDM haloes is monotonic: concentrations decrease with increasing virial mass at fixed redshift, and decrease with increasing redshift at fixed mass. The mass accretion histories (MAHs) of CDM haloes are also scale-free, and can be used to infer concentrations directly. These results do not apply to WDM haloes: their MAHs are not scale-free because of the characteristic scale imposed by the power spectrum suppression. Further, the WDM c(M, z) relation is non-monotonic: concentrations peak at a mass scale dictated by the truncation scale, and decrease at higher and lower masses. We show that the assembly history of a halo can still be used to infer its concentration, provided that the total mass of its progenitors is considered (the ‘collapsed mass history’; CMH), rather than just that of its main ancestor. This exploits the scale-free nature of CMHs to derive a simple scaling that reproduces the mass–concentration–redshift relation of both CDM and WDM haloes over a vast range of halo masses and redshifts. Our model therefore provides a robust account of the mass, redshift, cosmology and power spectrum dependence of dark matter halo concentrations.
Scotland’s Forgotten Carbon: A National Assessment of Mid-Latitude Fjord Sedimentary Carbon Stocks.

Abstract. Fjords are recognised as hotspots for the burial and long-term storage of carbon (C) and potentially provide a significant climate regulation service over multiple timescales. Understanding the magnitude of marine sedimentary C stores and the processes which govern their development is fundamental to understanding the role of the coastal ocean in the global C cycle. In this study, we use the mid-latitude fjords of Scotland as a natural laboratory to further develop methods to quantify these marine sedimentary C stores on both the individual fjord and national scale. Targeted geophysical and geochemical analysis has allowed the quantification of sedimentary C stocks for a number of mid-latitude fjords and, coupled with upscaling techniques based on fjord classification, has generated the first full national sedimentary C inventory for a fjordic system. The sediments within these mid-latitude fjords hold 640.7 ± 46 Mt of C split between 295.6 ± 52 and 345.1 ± 39 Mt of organic and inorganic C, respectively. When compared, these marine mid-latitude sedimentary C stores are of similar magnitude to their terrestrial equivalents, with the exception of the Scottish peatlands, which hold significantly more C. However, when area-normalised comparisons are made, these mid-latitude fjords are significantly more effective as C stores than their terrestrial counterparts, including Scottish peatlands. The C held within Scotland's coastal marine sediments has been largely overlooked as a significant component of the nation's natural capital; such coastal C stores are likely to be key to understanding and constraining improved global C budgets.
Understanding the process of successful acquisition: An actor-network-theory perspective

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a phenomenon that is getting more and more attention in organizational studies lately. Big international companies are buying smaller companies in order to achieve competitive advantages. But despite this increased popularity, studies show that the majority of all mergers and acquisitions are failing. Many reasons have been suggested for this and the literature is not in consensus regarding the factors that are leading to the failure of M&As and consequently, what factors that are contributing to the success of mergers and acquisitions. Based on the need for more research within this field, as suggested by the literature, the aim of this paper is to study the unfolding of a successful acquisition process through the lens of actor-network-theory and the model of translation and to identify the factors contributing to the success of an acquisition. To fulfil the aim of this paper, a case study of an acquisition has been conducted at an international multidisciplinary consultancy firm acting in the field of architecture, design and engineering. The events that unfolded during the acquisition process have been analysed using the actor network theory (ANT) and the model of translation. The implications of this study are that the acquisition process is a process of translation where actors are enrolled and mobilized. The vital factors contributing to the success of the acquisition are identified as communication, cultural fit between the merging companies, the speed of the acquisition, the presence of an integration plan and the current legislation regarding employee rights in the acquirer’s country. By analysing the process of acquisition through the lens of ANT, this study contributes to the literature on actor-network theory by adding an understanding of successful acquisition process as a process of translation. By identifying the factors that were important for the successful outcome of the acquisition, this study also contributes to the literature on determinants for a successful acquisition process.
AE Measuring Economic Growth Using Data Envelopment Analysis 386 Amfiteatru Economic MEASURING ECONOMIC GROWTH USING DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS

Exploring and explaining development gaps between countries is an important theoretical and empirical task. This paper presents empirical studies related to economic growth and its determinants across countries, based on the use of data envelopment analysis method. It emphasizes the importance of this nonparametric approach to macroeconomic efficiency analysis and provides a broader and more comprehensive perspective to the researchers on this issue.
The gendered effects of labour market experiences on marriage timing in Egypt

Background: In Egypt, the ‘social problem’ of delayed marriage is typically attributed to the difficult labour market conditions and high marriage costs faced by young people, particularly men. However, emerging evidence indicates that Egyptian women’s employment experiences may also influence marriage timing. Objective: This paper investigates gender differences in the determinants of marriage timing, including employment history, job characteristics, education, and urban residence. It tests a number of hypotheses based on existing claims in the literature on marriage timing. Methods: Data from two waves of the nationally representative Egypt Labour Market Panel Survey are used to carry out proportional hazard analyses. Characteristics of never-married respondents at wave one in 1998 are used to predict the risk of marriage by wave two in 2006. Results: The results indicate that, to some extent, never-married men who have favourable labour market experiences marry earlier. The same experiences bear no association with women’s marriage timing. For men, being employed and having a public sector job are important economic prerequisites for marriage. Conclusions: Evidence indicates that Egyptian men with favourable labour market experiences attract a spouse and establish an independent household faster than others. The male breadwinner ideal is therefore a powerful force in dictating who marries when in Egypt today. I also contend that previous studies may have overstated the delaying effects of education and urban residence on marriage, particularly for women. Finally, I offer four contextual factors that must be taken into account when predicting whether existing theories will hold in a given setting.
The tree-shrub vegetation in rocky outcrop cerrado areas in Goiás State, Brazil

We describe the floristic composition of the tree-shrub vegetation in 10 areas of rocky outcrop cerrado in Goias State, Brazil. Ten 20×50m plots (totaling 1ha) were established and all of the individuals with diameters at 30cm above soil level (DB30) ³5cm were included in the sampling. Comparative analyses of the flora were realized using similarity indices (Sorensen and Czekanowski), classification analysis (TWINSPAN), and the Mantel test. A total of 13,041 tree-shrub individuals were sampled, distributed among 219 species, 129 genera and 55 families. Fabaceae was the most well-represented family, followed by Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae, Vochysiaceae, Malphigiaceae, and Rubiaceae. Fully 42.3% of the comparisons evaluated by the Sorensen index were >0.50, while all the values were <0.50 for the Czekanowski index, with the exception of Jaragua and Mara Rosa areas. The TWINSPAN classification generated four divisions and, in general, only the differences in the size of the population were responsible for the groupings. The Mantel test indicated that there was no relationship between floristic similarity and the distances between the areas (r=0.32, P=0.05). It therefore appears that the areas of rocky outcrop cerrado in Goias State are relatively floristically homogeneous and that they are principally distinguished by the differences in the sizes of the populations of their dominant species, and the presence of exclusive species in certain areas.
Student engagement in the middle years: A year 8 case study

Various explanations and solutions have been proposed over the last ten years in relation to the ongoing problem of student lack of engagement with the middle years' curriculum in Australia. Identified contributors to this problem include an irrelevant or trivial curricular focus and ineffectual teaching and learning strategies. In this paper we report on a case study of a group of Year 8 teachers' beliefs and practices about what promotes or constrains this engagement. We found that while the teachers sought to introduce less directive approaches to topics, and were trying to encourage students' sense of task ownership and direction, they struggled to develop effective student self-regulatory practices. We conclude by identifying some practical strategies that support the growth of these practices as one aspect of student engagement.
The Real Effects of Debt

At moderate levels, debt improves welfare and enhances growth. But high levels can be damaging. When does debt go from good to bad? We address this question using a new dataset that includes the level of government, non-financial corporate and household debt in 18 OECD countries from 1980 to 2010. Our results support the view that, beyond a certain level, debt is a drag on growth. For government debt, the threshold is around 85% of GDP. The immediate implication is that countries with high debt must act quickly and decisively to address their fiscal problems. The longer-term lesson is that, to build the fiscal buffer required to address extraordinary events, governments should keep debt well below the estimated thresholds. Our examination of other types of debt yields similar conclusions. When corporate debt goes beyond 90% of GDP, it becomes a drag on growth. And for household debt, we report a threshold around 85% of GDP, although the impact is very imprecisely estimated.
The Contribution of Norm Familiarity to Race Differences in Tipping

A large web-based survey found that (a) awareness of the 15% to 20% tipping norm partially mediates Black–White and Hispanic–White differences in restaurant tip size and (b) norm awareness predicts restaurant tip size for Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites alike. These findings replicate and extend previous research results reported by Lynn and suggest that race differences in tipping can be reduced by reducing race differences in awareness of the 15% to 20% restaurant tipping norm.
AHPSort: an AHP-based method for sorting problems

Six problem formulations exist in the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA): choice, sorting, ranking, description, elimination and design problems. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is a useful and widespread method for solving choice and ranking problems. However, it is not adapted for sorting problems. Moreover, another practical limitation of AHP is that a high number of alternatives implies a large number of comparisons. This paper presents AHPSort, a new variant of AHP, used for the sorting of alternatives into predefined ordered categories. Furthermore, AHPSort requires far less comparisons than AHP, which facilitates decision making within large-scale problems. In this paper, a real case study for supplier selection is used to illustrate our approach. First, the candidates are sorted with AHPSort within two classes: accepted and rejected suppliers. Then, a single supplier is selected with AHP among the accepted suppliers.
EFFECT OF FIVE ALPHA DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE (5α-DHT) ON CYTOKINE PRODUCTION BY PERITONEAL MACROPHAGES OF NZB/BALBc MICE

One of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the immune system by steroid hormones could be the monocytic-macrophage system. In this study the effect of the male hormone 5a-DHT on cytokine release by peritoneal macrophages (m<\» of male and female NZB/BALBc mice was investigated. Macrophages from male mice activated with LPS produced a greater amount of IL-lf3 (21.8%) (p<0.05) and IL-6 (19.3% ) (p<0.0 1) than age-matched females. However, the total amount of TNF-a released by LPS-activated macrophages was greater (24.8%) (p<0.05) in female than male mice. 5a-DHT enhanced IL-lf3 and reduced IL-6 release by activated macrophages in a dose-dependent fashion. The effect of 5a­ D HT on TNF-a release was not exactly dose-dependent Therefore, it is likely that the modulation of the immune system by steroid hormone may partly be due to the effect of 5a-DHT on the secretion of cytokines by the monocytic-macrophage system.