Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Caracterização das propriedades físico-mecânicas da madeira de eucalipto com diferentes densidades

The objective of the present work was to characterize a lot of Eucalyptus wood marketed by a Brazilian forest company. In this work, Eucalyptus wood, probably E. grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, was purchased in the local market in the air-dry condition. The whole lot was subdivided in two sub-lots; one with heavier wood, the other with lighter. The reason for this was that the shipment arrived with boards having notable differences in weight. Test-specimens were prepared from boards taken from each sub-lot. The characterization was therefore carried out in twice as many test-specimens as required by Brazilian standards, as described in the NBR 7190 (1997) standard. The tests showed the existence of two board populations with significantly different mechanical properties.
Links in the trophic chain: modeling functional relationships between in situ oceanography, krill, and blue whale distribution under different oceanographic regimes

The response of marine predators to global climate change and shifting ocean conditions is tightly linked with their environment and prey. Environmental data are frequently used as proxies for prey availability in marine predator distribution models, as the ephemeral nature of prey makes sampling difficult. For this reason, the functional, ecological links between environment, prey, and predator are rarely described or explicitly tested. We used 3 years of vessel-based whale survey data paired with oceanographic sampling and hydroacoustic backscatter to model trophic relationships between water column structure, krill availability, and blue whale Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda distribution in New Zealand’s South Taranaki Bight region under typical (2014 and 2017) and warm (2016) austral summer oceanographic regimes. The warm regime was characterized by a shallower mixed layer, and a stronger, thicker, and warmer thermocline. Boosted regression tree models showed that krill metrics predicted blue whale distribution (typical regime = 36% versus warm regime = 64% cross-validated deviance explained) better than oceanography (typical regime = 19% versus warm regime = 31% cross-validated deviance explained). However, oceanographic features that predicted more krill aggregations (typical regime) and higher krill density (warm regime) aligned closely with the features that predicted higher probability of blue whale presence in each regime. Therefore, this study confirms that environmental drivers of prey availability can serve as suitable proxies for blue whale distribution. Considering changing ocean conditions that may influence the distribution of marine predators, these findings emphasize the need for models based on functional relationships, and calibrated across a broad range of conditions, to inform effective conservation management.
An Overview of Plant Defenses against Pathogens and Herbivores

Plants represent a rich source of nutrients for many organisms including bacteria, fungi, protists, insects, and vertebrates. Although lacking an immune system comparable to animals, plants have developed a stunning array of structural, chemical, and protein-based defenses designed to detect invading organisms and stop them before they are able to cause extensive damage. Humans depend almost exclusively on plants for food, and plants provide many important non-food products including wood, dyes, textiles, medicines, cosmetics, soaps, rubber, plastics, inks, and industrial chemicals. Understanding how plants defend themselves from pathogens and herbivores is essential in order to protect our food supply and develop highly disease-resistant plant species. This article introduces the concept of plant disease and provides an overview of some defense mechanisms common among higher plants. A close examination of plant anatomy is presented, as well as some of the ecological relationships that contribute to plant defense and disease resistance. Special care has been taken to illustrate how products used in everyday life are derived from substances produced by plants during defense responses. Disciplines Agricultural Science | Agriculture | Botany | Plant Biology | Plant Pathology Comments This article is from The Plant Health Instructor (2008), doi:10.1094/PHI-I-2008-0226-01 . Posted with permission. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/plantpath_pubs/94
Cross-Sectional and Aggregate Labor Supply

Standard heterogeneous agent macro models that highlight idiosyncratic productivity shocks do not generate the near zero cross-sectional correlation between hours and wages found in the data. We ask whether matching this moment matters for business cycle properties of these models. To do this we explore two extensions of the model in Chang et al. (2019) that can match this empirical cross-section correlation. One of these departs from the assumption of balanced growth preferences. The other introduces an idiosyncratic shock to the opportunity cost of market work that is highly correlated with the shock to market productivity. While both extensions can match the empirical correlation, they have large and opposing effects on the cyclical volatility of the labor market. We conclude that the cross-sectional moment is important for business cycle analysis and that more work is needed to distinguish the potential mechanisms that can generate it.
Social Influences on the Dynamics of a Northeastern Black-Capped Chickadee Population

Factors affecting yearly population levels of both breeding and nonbreeding numbers of Black—capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) were studied over a 10—yr period in a 35—40 ha partially residential area in western Massachusetts. More than 90% were color—banded each year. Breeding levels were remarkably stable, varying between 12 and 15 pairs. Most of the few recorded changes in breeding density were negatively correlated with changes in fall numbers over the previous two years, producing a see—saw effect. Significantly more fall recruits settled in years of higher subsequent winter survival, suggesting an ability by fall chickadees to assess survival in the coming winter. Winter survival was not affected by sex. But was strongly affected by within—sex rank. Among young birds, those with high winter rank gained significantly more local breeding territories than did lower ranked birds. Low—ranked yearlings vanished from the study area in all but one spring, most driven away by the territorial behavior of higher ranked birds. Significantly more yearlings vanished at flock break—up in years with higher overall winter survival. Older chickadees showed no similar spring drops in numbers. If 10—15% of those driven off in spring bred elsewhere, birds surviving until 1 September lived an average of ° 1.8 yr. Annual survival was °59%.
Policy Learning in Comparative Policy Analysis

Abstract This article explores how policy learning can improve comparative policy analysis by focusing on causality in learning processes. After summarizing the comparative credentials of the policy learning literature, the article outlines a framework of four learning modes, relating it to three approaches of causality: deterministic, probabilistic, and set-theoretic. It then builds on this to explore different approaches to causation and learning in relation to: policy change, political contexts, and, finally, the temporal and spatial dimensions of comparative policy analysis. The article concludes by showing how these challenges are addressed and suggesting implications for further research.
Periodicity of propagule expulsion and settlement in the competing native and invasive brown seaweeds, Cystoseira humilis and Sargassum muticum (Phaeophyta)

Dense stands of the invasive species Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt develop in tidal pools close to its southern distributional limit in Europe, the southwest coast of Portugal. Along this coast, sheltered tidal pools form a specific habitat in which colonization occurs. Invaded pools are originally inhabited by Cystoseira humilis Kützing. Differences in gamete release between the competing native and alien species might be important for the initial settlement and further spread of the invader. Therefore, we tested whether egg expulsion and embryo settlement in both species had the same timing with respect to lunar and tidal cycles. For more than 2 months during the reproductive season egg expulsion and embryo release were monitored daily for each species. Egg expulsion in S. muticum showed a broadly semilunar periodicity peaking around full and new moon (spring tides), when low tides take place in the morning/evening. In contrast, C. humilis egg expulsion showed an asymmetric semilunar-to-lunar periodicity peaking around waning quarter moon, when low tides occur around midday. Embryo settlement detected in pools was low for both species and less periodic. Phase differences in expulsion events between the two species with respect to the semilunar cycle suggest that cues other than the moon are involved in their timing. Our observations suggest that variations in physiological mechanisms and/or environmental conditions result in different patterns of egg expulsion between the two species. This might have consequences for fertilization success, gamete dispersal and survival. It was further found that peaks in egg expulsion and embryo release (i.e. settlement) in S. muticum were much more synchronous at a site in northern Portugal compared with a site close to the current southern distributional limit in south-west Portugal, possibly as a consequence of thermal stress experienced in the south.
Stable isotope analysis of harbour porpoises and their prey from the Baltic and Kattegat/Skagerrak Seas

Abstract The by-caught harbour porpoises in commercial fisheries have raised concerns over their conservation status in the Baltic region. One important aspect for management purposes is porpoise movements within the region. We measured stable isotopes in cod, herring and hagfish, species that are important prey for harbour porpoises in the Baltic region. Bone collagen in fish from the marine Kattegat/Skagerrak was significantly enriched in 13C compared with collagen in fish from the brackish Baltic Sea. However, despite the isotopic variation seen in their prey, we found no difference in 13C in harbour porpoise collagen from the two areas. In fact, only eight of 24 porpoises had isotope signatures corresponding to those estimated for the diet in the area where they were caught. Our general conclusion is that porpoises move between the Baltic and Kattegat/Skagerrak Seas. Future studies are needed to evaluate the magnitude of these movements.
Mercury accumulation in the fish community of a sub‐Arctic lake in relation to trophic position and carbon sources

Summary 1 Stable isotope analysis has improved understanding of trophic relationships among biota. Coupled with contaminant analysis, stable isotope analysis has also been used for tracing the pattern and extent of biomagnification of contaminants in aquatic food webs. 2 Combined analysis of nitrogen (δ 15 N) and carbon (δ 13 C) isotopes from fish species in a sub-Arctic lake were related to tissue mercury (Hg) concentrations to assess whether carbon sources influenced Hg accumulation in fish, in addition to trophic position. 3 Statistical models were used to estimate Hg biomagnification and uptake, to elucidate Hg accumulation dynamics and to appraise the relative importance of Hg exposure routes for the fish species. 4 Species Hg contamination increased as a function of trophic position (δ 15 N) and was inversely related to the δ 13 C signature. Species connected to the benthic food chain had lower Hg concentrations than species connected to the pelagic food chain. Species undergoing ontogenetic dietary shifts with increasing size, e.g. lake trout Salvelinus namaycush , also showed increased Hg concentrations with increasing reliance on pelagic fish as prey. 5 The results indicate that both vertical (trophic) and horizontal (habitat) food web structure influence Hg concentrations in fish tissue. 6 The biomagnification and uptake models indicated that contamination at the base of the food chain in the lake exceeded estimates for more southerly environments, thereby demonstrating the importance of dietary and water column Hg exposure routes in the sub-Arctic for determining Hg concentrations in fish. 7 Overall, the data reported here demonstrate how a combination of ecological concepts (food webs), developing ecological methods (stable isotopes) and environmental geochemistry can combine profitably to indicate the risks of exposure to environmental contaminants. Additional studies of the dynamics of Hg accumulation in the food webs of sub-Arctic lakes are needed, particularly in the light of the estimated high biomagnification rates and the heavy reliance of Inuit communities on subsistence fish harvests.
Shifts in plant functional community composition under hydrological stress strongly decelerate litter decomposition

Abstract Litter decomposition is a key process of nutrient and carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The decomposition process will likely be altered under ongoing climate change, both through direct effects on decomposer activity and through indirect effects caused by changes in litter quality. We studied how hydrological change indirectly affects decomposition via plant functional community restructuring caused by changes in plant species’ relative abundances (community‐weighted mean (CWM) traits and functional diversity). We further assessed how those indirect litter quality effects compare to direct effects. We set up a mesocosm experiment, in which sown grassland communities and natural turf pieces were subjected to different hydrological conditions (dryness and waterlogging) for two growing seasons. Species‐level mean traits were obtained from trait databases and combined with species’ relative abundances to assess functional community restructuring. We studied decomposition of mixed litter from these communities in a common “litterbed. ” These indirect effects were compared to effects of different hydrological conditions on soil respiration and on decomposition of standard litter (direct effects). Dryness reduced biomass production in sown communities and natural turf pieces, while waterlogging only reduced biomass in sown communities. Hydrological stress caused profound shifts in species’ abundances and consequently in plant functional community composition. Hydrologically stressed communities had higher CMW leaf dry matter content, lower CMW leaf nitrogen content, and lower functional diversity. Lower CWM leaf N content and functional diversity were strongly related to slower decomposition. These indirect effects paralleled direct effects, but were larger and longer‐lasting. Species mean traits from trait databases had therefore considerable predictive power for decomposition. Our results show that stressful soil moisture conditions, that are likely to occur more frequently in the future, quickly shift species’ abundances. The resulting functional community restructuring will decelerate decomposition under hydrological stress.
DNA polymorphisms among near-isogenic lines for powdery-mildew-resistant genes in barley detected by primers targeting resistance-gene analogs

Barley powdery mildew, caused by Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei, is a disease of economic importance in Europe and many other parts of the world. Genetic resistance is one of the most effective means to control this disease. The use of molecular markers closely linked to powdery-mildew-resistant genes would facilitate barley improvement. In this study, primers were synthesized based on the resistance-gene analogs primers used in genomic studies of maize, rice, barley, wheat, and potato. These primers were then used to detect DNA polymorphism in 15 near-isogenic lines (NILs) derived from 'Pallas', each carrying a different gene for resistance to E. graminis f. sp. hordei. We identified nine resistance-gene analogs putatively linked to the powdery-mildew-resistant genes Mla3, Mlp, and Mlg carried by the 'Pallas' NILs P2, P19, and P21, respectively. These molecular markers are potentially valuable tools for barley breeders to stack genes conferring resistance to powdery mildew. The three NILs will be individually crossed with a common susceptible barley cultivar to determine the linkage between the targeted resistance genes and the newly identified molecular markers.Key words: Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei, resistance, molecular markers.
A meta-analysis: capital structure and firm performance

PurposeThe paper aims at providing insights on the relationship between capital structure and performance of the firm by employing meta-analytical approach to obtain a synthesized result out of controversial studies as well as the sources for such inconsistency.Design/methodology/approachUsing secondary data, the analysis is divided into two main parts with concerns to the overall strength of the relationship, the effect size and the potential paper-specific characteristics influencing the magnitude of impacts between leverage and firm performance (moderators of the relationship). Overall, a total number of 32 journals, reviews and school presses were selected besides online libraries and publishing platforms. There were 50 papers with 340 studies chosen from 2004 to 2019, of which data range from 1998 to 2017.FindingsUsing Hedges et al. (1985,1988), descriptive and quantitative analysis have been conducted to confirm that corporate performance is negatively related to capital decisions, which inclines toward trade-off model with agency costs and pecking order theory. The estimation induces rather small effect size that implies sufficiently large sample size to be effectively investigated. In terms of moderator analysis, random-effects meta-regression models of three different techniques are used to increase the robustness in research findings, showing statistically significant elements as publication status, factor of industry and proxy of firm performance.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first papers presenting meta-analysis in capital structure and performance for two languages, Vietnamese and English, providing a consistent result with previous worldwide papers.
Bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides in frogs of the Rana esculenta complex in central Italy

Concentrations of commonly used organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were determined in tissues of 23 adult and 24 larval water frogs of two coexisting species (Rana lessonae and the hemiclonal hybrid R. esculenta) and in the water of their breeding pond in an agricultural zone in Umbria, central Italy, where increased occurrence of infectious diseases and distinctly oversized tadpoles were recently observed. The concentrations of OCP in tissues of both species were lower than those in the water of their breeding pond, except for DDT, which was more concentrated in adult frogs than in pond water (bioaccumulation factor 7 for R. lessonae, 15 for R. esculenta). Total OCP concentration and adult body weight were positively correlated for both species, which is consistent with bioaccumulation. In accord, adults contained higher OCP concentrations than tadpoles. Oversized tadpoles had higher OCP concentrations than normal tadpoles. Mean OCP concentrations in individual organs were about an order of magnitude higher than those in whole-frog homogenates. They were highest in brain, higher in ventral than in dorsal skin, and moderately high in ovaries; transmission of bioaccumulation loads to the next generation is therefore possible. The observed OCP concentrations appear too low to directly cause mortality in water frogs, but effects of cumulative exposure to low-level pollutants and their synergistic interactions with the effects of other natural and anthropogenic environmental stressors are unknown.
The Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) airborne field campaign

Abstract. In the fall of 2017, an airborne field campaign was conducted from the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California, to advance the remote sensing of aerosols and clouds with multi-angle polarimeters (MAP) and lidars. The Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign was jointly sponsored by NASA and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON). Six instruments were deployed on the ER-2 high-altitude aircraft. Four were MAPs: the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP), the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration (SPEX airborne), and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The remainder were lidars, including the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) and the High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2). The southern California base of ACEPOL enabled observation of a wide variety of scene types, including urban, desert, forest, coastal ocean, and agricultural areas, with clear, cloudy, polluted, and pristine atmospheric conditions. Flights were performed in coordination with satellite overpasses and ground-based observations, including the Ground-based Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (GroundMSPI), sun photometers, and a surface reflectance spectrometer. ACEPOL is a resource for remote sensing communities as they prepare for the next generation of spaceborne MAP and lidar missions. Data are appropriate for algorithm development and testing, instrument intercomparison, and investigations of active and passive instrument data fusion. They are freely available to the public. The DOI for the primary database is https://doi.org/10.5067/SUBORBITAL/ACEPOL2017/DATA001 (ACEPOL Science Team, 2017), while for AirMSPI it is https://doi.org/10.5067/AIRCRAFT/AIRMSPI/ACEPOL/RADIANCE/ELLIPSOID_V006 and https://doi.org/10.5067/AIRCRAFT/AIRMSPI/ACEPOL/RADIANCE/TERRAIN_V006 (ACEPOL AirMSPI 75 Science Team, 2017a, b). GroundMSPI data are at https://doi.org/10.5067/GROUND/GROUNDMSPI/ACEPOL/RADIANCE_v009 (GroundMSPI Science Team, 2017). Table 3 lists further details of these archives. This paper describes ACEPOL for potential data users and also provides an outline of requirements for future field missions with similar objectives.
Relative growth and the compound eye in Xiphosura

Xiphosurans are a remarkably compact and conservative group of animals. Both in their evolution and in their development these chelicerate arthropods have maintained an astonishing stability of structure and proportions. Indeed mesozoic Xiphosura, like Mesolimulus walchi (Desmarest) are closely similar in most of their morphological features to recent forms. Even the paleozoic Pnleolivnulus auitus Dunbar from the Permian of Kansas differs but little from the three still living genera which it antedates by about two hundred million years ! (Dunbar, '23 ; StBrmer, '52). I n a sense this phylogenetic inflexibility of the horseshoe crabs is reflected in their ontogenetic growth pattern. At least several basic body dimensions have invariant relative growth coefficients and even nearly constant proportions from the time of hatching to the age of large, fully mature adults many years later. A sharp contrast to this basic isometric growth pattern is afforded by the development of the compound eye, particularly with relation to the number of facets present. In early instars rapid increases in the number of these elements occur. Later on their rate of multiplication is notably slower. Furthermore, the lateral eyes of the 4 species of Xiphosura here studied show iniportant differences in size and facet number despite the over-all close similarities of the animals themselves.