Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gully erosion in mountain area of SW-China, assessed using 137Cs and 210PBEX tracers and GPS survey

Gullies are extensively distributed in the Upper Yangtze River Basin, SW-China. But the impact of these gullies on total sediment output is still not clear because there is no reliable technique for quantifying this issue. The target areas of our research are the dry-valleys located in the upper Yangtze River Basin, SW-China. Our study objectives are to: a) quantify gully erosion rates as affected by land use change over the last 100 years, and b) to assess relative importance of different erosion types including gully and rill or sheet erosion in sediment production in selected gully catchments.
When Threats are Internal: National Identity and Cascading Frames, from My Lai to Abu Ghraib

When Threats are Internal: National Identity and Cascading Frames, From My Lai to Abu Ghraib Charles Michael Rowling Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor David S. Domke Department of Communication This dissertation explored the role of national identity in shaping how political actors, journalists and citizens interact and respond to moments in which America’s image has been threatened by the transgressions of the U.S. military. I focused on what types of national identity frames tend to emerge within public discourse in these moments, what kind of contestation is advanced by political opponents and journalists, and how the public responds to these dynamics. Three studies were conducted. I began by analyzing the communication environment surrounding two nationally dissonant moments in U.S. history—the My Lai Massacre and the Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal. In these studies, I systematically examined: (1) White House and U.S. military communications to determine whether and what extent these officials articulated national identity frames; (2) Congressional communications to measure the degree to which these officials echoed or challenged the frames; and (3) news coverage to assess whether the range of debate in official discourse was matched by parallel disagreements in news content. As a final step, I conducted an experiment to test the effects of these national identity frames—when echoed or contested in the press—on citizens in response to a news article about U.S. military transgressions. Methodologically, I combined quantitative content analysis with experimental methods. The results suggest that frames designed to protect and restore the nation’s identity in nationally dissonant moments broadly resonate within the citizenry and, in turn, encounter diminished resistance as they cascade downward in the framing hierarchy from political opponents to journalists and finally into the public. By examining political communication in these three important areas—political messages, news content, and public opinion—I sought to illuminate the complex process through which the press aligns its coverage with government communications and how national identity plays a crucial role in this process. This work has important implications for our understanding of press-state relations and how Americans perceive and evaluate the nation, its leaders, and its policies.
DETERMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ATTITUDES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CYNICISM AND COMMITMENT OF THE EMPLOYEES IN HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES

Organizational cynicism is one of the important antecedents of organizational commitment. Organizational commitment is not handled with all of its dimensions in the limited selection of literature works examining the effect of the dimensions of organizational cynicism on organizational commitment. However employees can show their cynical attitudes and their commitment in one or more dimensions. Cynical attitudes of the employees affect their affective, continuance and normative commitment for the organization to different degrees. In other words, the effect of the each dimension of cynicism on the dimensions of organizational commitment can be in different degrees. For that reason main objective of this study is examining the effect of the dimensions of organizational cynicism on the dimensions of organizational commitment. 389 questionnaires, filled out by the employees of four or five-star hotel managements and holiday villages in Antalya district, have been used in total. The modal and hypotheses suggested in the study were tested by structural equation modelling. According to the results gathered, it is seen that dimensions mainly effective for affective, continuance and normative commitment are * This study is reproduced from the master's thesis titled "Determining the relationship between the attitudes of organizational cynicism and commitment of the employees in hospitality businesses in Antalya" which was published in 2013. Travel Management, School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Mustafa Kemal University, İskenderun/Hatay Turkey balikcioglusevgi@hotmail.com Assoc. Prof. Ph.D., Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay Turkey haltay@mku.edu. tr, haltay2002@gmail.com AIBU Journal of Social Sciences, 2014, Vol:14, Year:14, Issue:2, 14: 133-157 134 cognitive and affective cynicism in order. It is also seen that behavioral cynicism has no significant effect on the dimensions of organizational commitment.
Dental mesowear reflects local vegetation and niche separation in Pleistocene proboscideans from Britain

Proboscideans, and elephants in particular, played a key role in Pleistocene mammal communities in Europe. The British Pleistocene fossil record provides a unique opportunity to study changes in proboscidean feeding ecology associated with environmental proxy data such as pollen records and the presence of competitors. Here we utilize a recently introduced dietary analysis method, mesowear angle analysis, for studying relationships between dietary variation in proboscideans, changes in available vegetation and the presence of sympatric proboscidean species. The method is based on recording the relief of worn molar surfaces as angle measurements, which reflect attrition‐ vs. abrasion‐dominated feeding and serve as a proxy for grazing vs. browsing diets. By comparison with pollen records, we show that blunt mesowear angles specifically reflect grass eating rather than open‐ground feeding in general. We further find that all British Pleistocene proboscidean species were relatively flexible feeders able to shift their dietary preference according to local vegetation composition. Nonetheless, when more than one proboscidean species occurred in the same environment, they always show significantly different mean mesowear signal, suggesting dietary niche separation.
Progress in Tropical Cyclone Predictability and Present Status in the North Indian Ocean Region

Tropical cyclone (TC) is an important research area since it has a significant impact on human life, properties and environment. The researchers all over the world have been studying fundamental and advanced processes to better understand and thereby predict the genesis and evolution of TCs. This review chapter provides a brief overview on TC climatology, their basic characteristics, movement and intensification, research on structure analysis and prediction of these fascinating storms, with primary emphasis to North Indian Ocean (NIO). The role of ocean and atmosphere in determining the genesis and intensification of TCs is discussed. This chapter reviews the past and current research activities including inter-annual and intra-seasonal changes in TCs, current status of TC research using numerical weather prediction, gaps identified and relevant measures taken by the meteorological and government agencies in this direction, along with future directions in order to improve the understanding and predictability over the NIO region.
Analysis of genotype x environment interaction and seed yield stability of sesame in Northern Ethiopia

The experiment was conducted in Northern Ethiopia from 2011-2013 under rain fed conditions in a total of seven environments vis. E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6 and E7. The objective of the study was to evaluate the adaptability and stability of sesame genotypes across environments. 13 sesame genotypes were evaluated and the experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The average grain yield of the genotypes was 742.9 Kg/ha with the outstanding genotypes being G4 (926.8 kg/ha), G1 (895.1 kg/ha) and G12 (832.7 kg/ha) respectively, and low the yielding genotype was G9 (614.3 kg/ha). The combined ANOVA for grain yield showed significant effects of the genotypes, environments and genotype x environment interaction. According to the additive main effect and multiplicative interaction bi-plot (AMMI bi-plot) and Genotype x Environment interaction bi-plot (GGE bi-plot) G12 was the most stable, and G7, G8 and G9 were the unstable genotypes. Furthermore, the Genotype main effects and GGE bi-plot showed E5 as the most discriminating and representative environment. The GGE bi-plot also identified two different growing environments, the first environment containing E4 and E6 (in the Dansha area) with the wining genotype G1; and the second environment encompassing E1, E2, E3, E5 and E7 (in the Humera, Dansha and Sheraro areas) with winning genotype of G4. Key words: AMMI bi-plot, environment, GEI, GGE bi-plot.
Sophy β-Glucan from the Black Yeast Aureobasidium pullulans Attenuates Salmonella-Induced Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Injury in Caco-2 Cell Monolayers via Exerting Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

The zoonotic pathogens Salmonella spp. infection disrupted intestinal epithelial barrier function and induced local gastroenteritis and systemic inflammation in humans and animals. Sophy β-glucan, a water-soluble β-1,3/1,6-glucan synthesized from the black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans, was reported with immune-regulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-infective properties. Here, we investigated the protective role of sophy β-glucan on Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (SE)-challenged Caco-2 cells monolayer and explored underlying action mechanisms. The results showed that pretreatment with sophy β-glucan blocked the adhesion and invasion of SE onto Caco-2 cells along with alleviating SE-induced epithelial barrier injury, as evidenced by increased trans-epithelial electrical resistance, decreased fluorescently-labeled dextran 4 flux permeability, and an enhanced Claudin-4 protein level in the SE-stimulated Caco-2 cell monolayer. Moreover, treatment with β-glucan down-regulated pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α) while up-regulating anti-inflammatory factors IL-10 at mRNA and protein levels in SE-infected Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, sophy β-glucan strengthened the anti-oxidative capacity of Caco-2 monolayers cells by elevating T-AOC and SOD activity and inhibiting MDA production defending SE. Together, our data showed that sophy β-glucan could prevent intestinal epithelial injury induced by SE, possibly by exerting anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it might be helpful for controlling SE infection.
Influence of gender on the prevalence of behavioral symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's dementia

Suhrn Uvod: Prevalencia behavioralnych symptomov u pacienta s Alzheimerovou demenciou je jeden z faktorov, ktorý výrazne ovplyvňuje osetrovateľsku starostlivosť, predstavuje veľke problemy osetrovateľskej starostlivosti a je hlavnou pricinou institucionalizacie a zvýsených nakladov. Design: Pre tento výskum bol zvolený dizajn prospektivnej kvantitativnej studie vykonanej na zaklade posudzovacej skaly. Cieľ: Cieľom výskumu bolo zmapovať prevalenciu behavioralnych symptomov, prejavov problemoveho spravania u pacientov s Alzheimerovou demenciou a zistiť vplyv pohlavia na jednotlive prejavy. Metodika: Na posudenie behavioralnych symptomov, problemoveho spravania pacientov s Alzheimerovou demenciou sme použili posudzovaciu skalu Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) a výsledky sme statisticky spracovali pomocou Mann-Whitney U testu. Výskumnu vzorku tvorilo 413 pacientov, ktori boli do vzorky zaradeni na zaklade zamerneho výberu. Výsledky: Pomocou skaly bol zistený výskyt behavioralnych symptomov, problemoveho spravania až u 92 % pacientov, u mužov je skore (54) problemoveho spravania vyssie ako u žien (49), avsak tento rozdiel je iba nahodný a nedosahuje hodnotu statistickej významnosti (p = 0,273). V suvislosti s agresivnym spravanim, konstatujeme, že je statisticky významný rozdiel (p = 0,038) v prejavoch agresivneho spravania medzi mužmi a ženami. V prejavoch fyzicky neagresivneho spravania (p = 0,098) a v prejavoch verbalne nepokojneho spravania (p = 0,220) medzi mužmi a ženami nie je statisticky významný rozdiel. Zaver: Problematika prevalencie behavioralnych symptomov, problemoveho spravania u pacientov s Alzheimerovou demenciou je vysoko aktualna. Na zaver možeme konstatovať, že pohlavie nema jednoznacný vplyv na prejavy behavioralnych symptomov, problemoveho spravania u pacientov s Alzheimerovou demenciou.
Nonheating methods for absolute paleointensity determination: Comparison and calibration using synthetic and natural magnetite‐bearing samples

Nonheating paleointensity methods utilize an anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) or a saturation isothermal remanent magnetization to model the natural thermal remanent magnetization (TRM) to avoid heating‐induced alteration. We report the results of paleointensity experiments using the ARM, pseudo‐Thellier, and ratio of equivalent magnetization (REM) methods conducted to investigate their relative efficiency in recovering the true paleofield strength and to provide additional estimates of their calibration factors. The experiments on synthetic magnetite‐bearing samples representing single‐domain (SD) and pseudo‐single‐domain (PSD) magnetic states indicated that the correction factors for the ARM‐based methods depend on the magnetic grain size/domain state changing from ~6.3 (for SD grains) to ~4.1 (for ~1.5 µm PSD grains). The pseudo‐Thellier method yielded correct absolute paleointensity values when normalization by the TRM/ARM demagnetization slope was used. When applied to samples of lava flows and dikes from the ~32 kyr Lemptégy volcano (France), both the ARM and pseudo‐Thellier methods produced similar paleointensity estimates (28.0 ± 5.1 μT and 26.9 ± 4.7 μT, respectively) consistent with the available Thellier data for the 31–33 kyr time interval. The correction factors estimated from our synthetic samples for the REM (~3000) and for REMc (~1500) and REM′ (~1500) variants are consistent with the previously published estimates. However, all REM variants yielded unrealistically high estimates (>110 μT) of the paleofield strength from our natural samples. Our experimental results support ARM as a better proxy of TRM and suggest that the ARM‐based methods currently represent the best alternative to heating‐based absolute paleointensity method.
Probabilistic small-signal stability analysis of power system with solar farm integration

Currently, large-scale solar farms are being rapidly integrated in electrical grids all over the world. However, the photovoltaic (PV) output power is highly intermittent in nature and can also be correlated with other solar farms located at different places. Moreover, the increasing PV penetration also results in large solar forecast error and its impact on power system stability should be estimated. The effects of these quantities on small-signal stability are difficult to quantify using deterministic techniques but can be conveniently estimated using probabilistic methods. For this purpose, the authors have developed a method of probabilistic analysis based on combined cumulant and Gram– Charlier expansion technique. The output from the proposed method provides the probability density function and cumulative density function of the real part of the critical eigenvalue, from which information concerning the stability of low-frequency oscillatory dynamics can be inferred. The proposed method gives accurate results in less computation time compared to conventional techniques. The test system is a large modified IEEE 16-machine, 68-bus system, which is a benchmark system to study low-frequency oscillatory dynamics in power systems. The results show that the PV power fluctuation has the potential to cause oscillatory instability. Furthermore, the system is more prone to small-signal instability when the PV farms are correlated as well as when large PV forecast error exists.
Plant-Soil Stoichiometric Characteristics
and Their Influencing Factors
in the Pisha Stone Area

Planting alfalfa is one of the biological measures to manage the Pisha stone area in the Yellow River Basin, where soil erosion is serious, and the ecosystem is extremely fragile. The characteristics and driving factors of plant-soil ecological stoichiometry during the planting process of the loess layer (LL) (0-90 cm) and Pisha stone layer (PSL) (90-180 cm) were studied to reveal the limiting factors of plant-soil nutrients and the driving mechanism of ecosystem evolution in this area. In this study, the correlation between the contents of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and their ratios in alfalfa and soil with different planting years (2, 5, 8, and 10 yr) was measured. Plant-soil C, N, and P stoichiometry characteristics were explored to analyze the influence mechanisms of fallow years and soil layers. The results showed that the changes of C, N, and P in alfalfa were similar to those of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in LL. Alfalfa C/N was significantly positively correlated with soil C/P and N/P. Alfalfa growth is limited by N in the early stages and P in the middle and late stages, which can provide a theoretical basis for vegetation restoration and soil erosion management in the Pisha stone region. This study investigated the stochastic properties of the alfalfa-soil continuum and its fluctuations with the planting year.
Evaluation of cytogenotoxic effect of potassium acetate on Allium cepa L. root tips

Potassium acetate is a food additive used for preserving and regulating acidity (buffering agent) of processed food. The continuous use of food additives in our various foodstuffs made it necessary to test their possible toxicity. This research aims to test the cytogenotoxic effects of the food additive potassium acetate (E261) by using Allium cepa test system. The parameters tested were: root length, root number, mitotic index, and mitotic abnormalities. The concentrations of potassium acetate were: 0,00% (control), 0,05%, 0,10%, 0.15%, 0,20%, and 0,25%. The onions were incubated in different concentrations of potassium acetate for 72 hours. The roots were then taken and spread on a microscopic slide by squash method. The results showed that the tested food additive had a positive effect on root length, root number, and mitotic index at 0.05%. However, it had mitodepressive effect at higher concentrations and also decreased root length and root number as compared to the control. Total mitotic abnormalities increased with increasing the food additive concentration. The different mitotic abnormalities observed were laggard chromosomes, C-mitosis, multipolar anaphase, sticky metaphase, binucleate, sticky anaphase, and micronuclei. The highest effect of the test material was observed at 0.25% potassium acetate. These results suggest that this food additive is mutagenic and can be harmful if used in high concentrations in food. Keywords: Food additive, Meristematic cells, Mitotic index, Abnormalities
Housing and Ireland’s Older Population

It is sometimes argued that residential immobility on the part of older people results in the sub-optimal allocation of the housing stock. If older people remain in larger houses which were purchased with a view to housing families with growing children, then such houses are not available for the next generation of younger families. Similarly, if older people remain close to places of work after retirement, they may contribute to the limiting of supply in urban centres. In this paper, we explore this issue in two ways. First, we look at the types of houses being occupied by older people in different household structures – living alone, as couples or with children/grandchildren. This provides a sense of whether there are, in fact, many older people living in houses that are large relative to their needs. Second, we explore whether there is much evidence of older people ‘trading down’ to smaller houses or ‘trading out’ of urban areas to more rural areas. On the first issue, the picture is mixed. We find that many older people living alone already live in smaller houses. For example, 40.6 per cent of older people living alone live in houses with four rooms or less – the corresponding figure for people living with children/grandchildren is 15.8 per cent. However, when we look at couples, we find that 30.9 per cent live in houses with seven rooms or more. We find no evidence of trading down or trading out among the small proportion of older people who moved between 2010 and 2012. The findings suggest that there is scope for generating more mobility in housing but any policy initiatives should be sensitive to concerns related to social isolation and negative health consequences if older people leave familiar communities. * This paper was prepared as part of a research programme funded jointly by the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) and the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). We would like to thank The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) for providing us with access to the data used in this paper. We would also like to thank Dr Anne Nolan and Dr Irene Mosca for their assistance with data queries in the early stages of the research work.
Application of Long-Chained Auxin Conjugates Influenced Auxin Metabolism and Transcriptome Response in Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis

Auxin amino acid conjugates are considered to be storage forms of auxins. Previous research has shown that indole-3-acetyl-L-alanine (IAA-Ala), indole-3-propionyl-L-alanine (IPA-Ala) and indole-3-butyryl-L-alanine (IBA-Ala) affect the root growth of Brassica rapa seedlings. To elucidate the potential mechanism of action of the conjugates, we treated B. rapa seedlings with 0.01 mM IAA-, IPA- and IBA-Ala and investigated their effects on the auxin metabolome and transcriptome. IBA-Ala and IPA-Ala caused a significant inhibition of root growth and a decrease in free IAA compared to the control and IAA-Ala treatments. The identification of free auxins IBA and IPA after feeding experiments with IBA-Ala and IPA-Ala, respectively, confirms their hydrolysis in vivo and indicates active auxins responsible for a stronger inhibition of root growth. IBA-Ala caused the induction of most DEGs (807) compared to IPA-Ala (417) and IAA-Ala (371). All treatments caused similar trends in transcription profile changes when compared to control treatments. The majority of auxin-related DEGs were found after IBA-Ala treatment, followed by IPA-Ala and IAA-Ala, which is consistent with the apparent root morphology. In addition to most YUC genes, which showed a tendency to be downregulated, transcripts of auxin-related DEGs that were identified (UGT74E2, GH3.2, SAUR, IAA2, etc.) were more highly expressed after all treatments. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the hydrolysis of conjugates and the release of free auxins are responsible for the effects of conjugate treatments. In conclusion, free auxins released by the hydrolysis of all auxin conjugates applied affect gene regulation, auxin homeostasis and ultimately root growth inhibition.