Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of land use change and elevated CO2 on the interannual variations and seasonal cycles of gross primary productivity in China

Abstract. Climate change, rising CO2 concentration, and land use and land cover change (LULCC) are primary driving forces for terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP), but their impacts on the temporal changes in GPP are uncertain. In this study, the effects of the three main factors on the interannual variation (IAV) and seasonal cycle amplitude (SCA) of GPP in China were investigated using 12 terrestrial biosphere models from the Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project. The simulated ensemble mean value of China's GPP between 1981 and 2010, driven by common climate forcing, LULCC and CO2 data, was found to be 7.4±1.8 Pg C yr −1 . In general, climate was the dominant control factor of the annual trends, IAV and seasonality of China's GPP. The overall rising CO2 led to enhanced plant photosynthesis, thus increasing annual mean and IAV of China's total GPP, especially in northeastern and southern China, where vegetation is dense. LULCC decreased the IAV of China's total GPP by ∼7 %, whereas rising CO2 induced an increase of 8 %. Compared to climate change and elevated CO2 , LULCC showed less contributions to GPP's temporal variation, and its impact acted locally, mainly in southwestern China. Furthermore, this study also examined subregional contributions to the temporal changes in China's total GPP. Southern and southeastern China showed higher contributions to China's annual GPP, whereas southwestern and central parts of China explained larger fractions of the IAV in China's GPP.
Climatic factors and increased frequencies of ‘southern’ chromosome forms in natural populations of Drosophila robusta

New data are reported from two localities where historical changes in the relative frequencies of the gene arrangements of the woods fly, Drosophila robusta, had been documented earlier and from two localities that had last been sampled over 30 years ago. Several arrangements were found to have increased frequencies in all the localities studied. These arrangements are the ones with corresponding north-south clines, most also with corresponding relations to altitude. This, plus the fact that the similar changes have occurred in four states, one very far from the others, indicates that natural selection related to a pervasive climate effect, such as global warming, is responsible. Significant changes in another arrangement. one with no regular north-south or altitudinal variability, in some of the localities probably involve different ecological factors.
Effect of the Fluorine Substitution for –OH Group on the Luminescence Property of Eu3+ Doped Hydroxyapatite

In this study, different fluoridated hydroxyapatite doped with Eu3+ ion nanoparticles were prepared by the hydrothermal method. The relationship between luminescence enhancement of Eu3+ ions and a fluorine substitution ratio for hydroxyl group in hydroxyapatite was discussed. Moreover, the effect of fluorine substitution for a hydroxyl group on phase composition, crystallinity, and crystal size was studied. Phase composition and chemical structures were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy analyses. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) patterns were performed to analyze the morphology and particle size. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) patterns were observed to analyze fluorine substitution for the hydroxyl group and chemical state of Eu3+ ions in fluoridated hydroxyapatite. The results of these experiments indicated that the samples with a different fluorine substitution ratio were prepared successfully by maintaining the apatite structure. With an increasing fluorine substitution ratio, the morphology maintained a rod-like structure but the aspect ratio tended to decrease. XPS patterns displayed that the fluorine replaced the hydroxyl group and brought environmental variation. The fluorine ions could affect the crystal field environment and promote luminescence conversion. There was a linear relationship between the fluorine substitution ratio and luminescence enhancement.
How live chat assistants drive travel consumers’ attitudes, trust and purchase intentions

Purpose By adopting a social presence theory perspective, this study aims investigate the influence of perceived usefulness of live chat services and of their unique human attributes on customer attitudes, beliefs and behaviours in the context of online travel shopping. Design/methodology/approach Based on a cross-sectional survey research involving 8 travel provider websites and 631 travel consumers, this work applies structural equation modelling to analyse the data. Findings The results illustrate that the perceived usefulness from the communication with a human live chat assistant positively influences customer attitudes and trust towards the website as well as increasing purchase intention. The findings further illustrate the role of the human social cues conveyed by live chat facilities, namely, human warmth, human assurance, human attentiveness and human customised content in positively moderating this effect. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to specific human attributes. Future research could investigate the role of other human characteristics as well as assess the ability of artificial intelligent powered chatbots in replicating the human elements outlined in this research. Originality/value The study provides a unique contribution to the travel literature by offering empirical insights and conceptual clarity into the usefulness of human operated live chat communication on travellers’ attitudes, trust towards the website and purchase intentions.
Studies on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of goat's milk dadih incorporated with tropical-fruit purees.

This study was carried out to improve the nutritional value of goat’s milk dadih by the addition of tropicalfruit purees, namely, jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus, Lam.), pineapple (Ananas comosus) and papaya (Carica papaya). Dadih with added fruits were compared with the control (without fruit puree) for physical, chemical and sensory attributes. The texture properties of the tropicalfruit dadih were significantly different (p< 0.05) from the control. Control dadih showed highest values for lightness and hue (p< 0.05) as compared to tropicalfruit dadih. The addition of tropicalfruit purees significantly increased (p< 0.05) the moisture, protein, ash and vitamin C contents of the fruit added dadih. There were no significant differences (p> 0.05) in the fat, carbohydrate, energy and total soluble solid contents. Sensory evaluations using a hedonic test showed that all dadih were acceptable. Overall, syneresis of the dadih increased with decreasing pH throughout storage at 4 °C.
Effects of deportation fear on Latinxs’ civic and political participation

ABSTRACT As deportations have increased, fear of removal has risen. However, few scholars have addressed the effects of deportability on civic and political engagement. Using the Pew Hispanic Center's 2010 National Survey of Latinos (data file and codebook accessed 3 March 2014 from http://www.pewhispanic.org/category/datasets/), I explore the effects of fear of deportation (FOD), encounters with the homeland security state, and racial discrimination on Latinxs’ political participation. Findings reveal that FOD, discrimination, and encounters with the homeland security state produce distinct trajectories of political integration. These indicators catalyzed nonelectoral action around immigration reform. Experiences of discrimination positively affected Latinx citizens’ plans to vote, though FOD and encounters with the homeland security state were not significant. Notably, when accounting for FOD, encounters with the homeland security state, and discrimination, citizenship and immigration status did not have significant effects. These results bring together the literatures on crimmigration and immigrant political incorporation, revealing concrete ways that deportability and racialization of Latinx communities shape participation.
Prevalence and associated factors of uncorrected refractive errors among school children in suburban areas in Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract Refractive errors lead to visual impairment if they are uncorrected. The prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors in children is considerably high, even though they can be easily corrected with spectacles. To estimate the prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors and investigate their associated factors among school children in suburban areas in Indonesia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among school children aged 11–15 years in randomly selected schools. All students in the selected schools underwent uncorrected, presenting, and best-corrected visual acuity testing. Structured interviews were administered to the parents of children with refractive errors. All associated factors were analysed by multivariate logistics regression. A total of 3035 school children, 1193 boys and 1842 girls, were examined. The prevalence of refractive errors was 15.9% (95% CI: 14.7–17.3), while that of uncorrected refractive errors was 12.1% (95% CI: 11.0–13.4). Lower father’s income was associated with a higher prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.6–2.69; p = 0.26). Worse visual performance (OR:0.38; 95% CI: 0.27–0.55; p = 0.1) and longer distance to primary healthcare services (OR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.37–0.69; P = 0.1) were associated with a lower prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors. Uncorrected refractive errors were found to be highly prevalent among school children in suburban areas in Bandung Regency. The availability of visual assessment services for children needs to be improved.
Arctic Sea Ice Loss as a Potential Trigger for Central Pacific El Niño Events

Little attention has been paid to the influence of Arctic sea ice loss on climate variability in the tropical Pacific. By analyzing observational data sets, we hypothesized that anomalous Arctic sea ice concentration variations have the potential to influence tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) variability via atmosphere‐ocean coupled processes in the eastern subtropical North Pacific. To test this hypothesis, we conducted idealized model experiments with 15 ensembles in which historical SSTs for 1951–2016 were restored in the Arctic only with different initial conditions. We found that a positive phase of North Pacific Oscillation‐like atmospheric circulation, which is modulated by a sea ice reduction in the Pacific Arctic sector, triggers El Niño‐like warming in the central tropical Pacific. This implies that connections between the Arctic and the tropics should be considered for further understanding of changes in El Niño and other tropical Pacific climate variability in a changing climate.
Developing Sustainable Decision Performance for Science and Technology Industries in China

This study considers the mediating role of top management teams’ (TMTs) behavioral integration in exploring the relationship between the strategic decision-making process (SDMP; procedural rationality and constructive political behavior) and sustainable decision performance (decision quality and decision satisfaction). Survey data totaling 580 from the TMTs of the science and technology enterprises from first-tier cities in China were analyzed through structural equation modeling. The results indicate a positive influence of procedural rationality and constructive political behavior on sustainable decision quality and satisfaction. Behavioral integration appeared to mediate the nexus between the sustainable decision-making process and strategic decision performance. By categorizing the SDMP into two dimensions, a complete and explicit concept of the SDMP is reached, which permits practitioners to aim investments of a critical resource in realizing the full potential of decision performance in the sustainable decision performance.
UTILIZATION OF AMINO ACIDS OF BROKEN RICE IN GROWING PIGS

ABSTRACTARTICLE INFO Keywords: amino acids, broken rice, digestibility, pig INTRODUCTION In animal production systems, it has been traditional to feed conventional feeds notably cereals, oil cakes and meals to both ruminants and non-ruminants. The non-traditional feed resources are those feeds that have not been traditionally used in animal feeding and are not normally used in commercially produced rations for livestock (FAO, 1985) . There are many by-products which are not routinely used in animal nutrition. Many by-products have a substantial potential value as animal feedstuffs. The use of agro-industrial by products in animal nutrition may be economically worthwhile, since conventional feedstuffs are often expensive ( Mirzaei-Aghsaghali and Maheri-Sis, 2008) . In pig nutrition the soy bean meal and corn are the standards for supplying energy and protein in the diets, but there are many alternatives that can be used to meet the nutritional requirements of pigs while reducing the cost of diets
A New Model For Endocrine Glucose-Insulin Regulatory System

To gain insight into complex biological endocrine glucose-insulin regulatory system where the interactions of components of the metabolic system and time-delay inherent in the biological system give rise to complex dynamics. The modeling has increased interest and importance in physiological research and enhanced the medical treatment protocols. This brief contains a new model using time delay differential equations, which give an accurate result by utilizing two explicit time delays. The bifurcation analysis has been conducted to find the main system parameters bifurcation values and corresponding system behaviors. The results found consistent with the biological experiments results.
Myeloid cell function in Huntington's disease

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The peripheral innate immune system contributes to HD pathogenesis and has been targeted successfully to modulate disease progression, but mechanistic understanding relating this to mutant (m)HTT expression in immune cells has been lacking. This thesis demonstrates that human HD myeloid cells produce excessive inflammatory cytokines due to cell-intrinsic effects of mHTT expression on the NFkB pathway, whereby mHTT interacts with IKK, leading to increased degradation of IkB and subsequent nuclear translocation of RelA. Transcriptional alterations in intracellular immune signaling pathways were also observed. Using a novel method of siRNA delivery to lower HTT expression, this thesis shows a reversal of disease-associated alterations in cellular function - the first time this has been demonstrated in human cells. Glucan-encapsulated siRNA particles (GeRPs) were used to lower HTT levels in human HD monocytes/macrophages, resulting in reversal of HTT-induced elevated cytokine production and transcriptional changes. These findings improve our understanding of the role of innate immunity in neurodegeneration, introduce GeRPs as a tool for studying cellular pathogenesis ex vivo in human cells and raise the prospect of HTT lowering in immune cells as a therapeutic in HD. Evaluating immune function in different mouse models of HD, blood and splenic monocytes replicated the hyper-reactive phenotype seen in HD patients demonstrating that HD mouse models can be of use to understanding HD immune pathology and to test immune modulatory therapies. Furthermore, human HD myeloid cells demonstrated a striking defect in migration towards different chemokines. Looking at the cell’s ability to form filopodia, it became apparent that actin-remodelling is reduced and causes decreased migration. Work performed in collaboration with Novartis revealed that mHTT levels in immune cell subsets differ significantly between disease stages. Monocyte and T cell mHTT levels were significantly associated with disease burden scores and caudate atrophy rates in HD patients. mHTT fragments detected in HD immune cells may explain the progressive increase in mHTT levels. These findings indicate that quantification of mHTT holds significant promise as a non-invasive disease biomarker.
Subscore Equating and Profile Reporting

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to address the necessity of subscore equating and to evaluate the performance of various equating methods for subtests. Assuming the random groups design and number-correct scoring, this paper analyzed real data and simulated data with four study factors including test dimensionality, subtest length, form difference in difficulty, and sample size. The results indicated that reporting subscores without equating provides misleading information in terms of score profiles and that reporting subscores without a pre-specified test specification brings practical issues such as constructing alternate subtest forms with comparable difficulty, conducting equating between forms with different lengths, and deciding an appropriate score scale to be reported.
The Moderating Effect of Buying Impulsivity on the Dynamics of Unplanned Purchasing Motivations

Previous studies of in-store decision making have assumed that motivations for unplanned purchases are homogeneous throughout a shopping trip. In response to this assumption, the authors develop a conceptual framework to explain how consumers’ internal (i.e., intrinsic) and external (i.e., extrinsic) motivations for unplanned purchases actually vary during a shopping trip. Two field studies and five online experiments provide evidence that the personality trait of buying impulsivity predicts differences in whether a shopper initially focuses on internal motivations (e.g., “because I love it”) or external motivations (e.g., “because it is on sale”) for unplanned purchases at the beginning of a shopping trip and, consistent with a mechanism of motivation balancing, that motivations for unplanned purchases change as a shopper satisfies their initial motivations. The studies also demonstrate how the level of buying impulsivity influences the effectiveness of point-of-purchase messages at stimulating unplanned purchases and consumers’ relative spending on unplanned purchases. Overall, these findings address conflicting results in previous shopping studies, advance the literature streams on consumer motivation and sequential choice, and contribute insights to enhance shopper-marketing programs.
Współczynniki przeliczeniowe suchej biomasy drzew i ich części dla sosny pospolitej (Pinus sylvestris L.) w zachodniej Polsce

ABSTRACT Wspolczynniki przeliczeniowe suchej biomasy drzew i ich cześci dla sosny pospolitej ( Pinus sylvestris L.) w zachodniej Polsce Addresses Rafal Wojtan – e−mail: rafal.wojtan@wl.sggw. plRobert Tomusiak, Michal Zasada, Albert Dudek, Kazimierz Michalak, Lech Wroblewski, Szymon Bijak, Karol BroniszSamodzielny Zaklad Dendrometrii i Nauki o Produkcyjności Lasu; Wydzial Leśny; SGGW;ul. Nowoursynowska 159 bud. 34; 02−776 Warszawa Wstep Obserwowane zmiany klimatu sklaniają do poszukiwania potencjalnych przyczyn ich powsta−wania. Za jeden z wazniejszych czynnikow, ktory moze przyspieszac ocieplanie klimatu, uwazasie wzrost stezenia dwutlenku wegla w atmosferze. Mozliwości sterowania stezeniem tego gazuw powietrzu upatruje sie w ograniczaniu jego emisji i zwiekszaniu akumulacji pod postacią bio−masy. Spośrod ekosystemow lądowych potencjalnie najwieksze mozliwości pochlaniania CO 2 posiadają lasy. Dotychczas dokladnie nie określono jak duze ilości wegla akumulują lasy roznychstref klimatycznych. W tym kontekście waznym zagadnieniem badawczym staje sie opraco−wanie metod sluzących rozwiązaniu tego problemu oraz określenie wielkości i dynamiki aku−mulacji biomasy w ekosystemach leśnych. Podejmowane dotychczas analizy dotyczą wybranychobszarow i stopniowo poszerzają zasob informacji z tej dziedziny [Detwiler, Hall 1988; Cost i in. 1990; Birdsey 1992; Alexeyev, Birdsey 1998; Brown i in. 1999]. W Polsce badania nad aku−mulacją biomasy byly dotychczas prowadzone w stosunkowo niewielkim zakresie [Lemke 1973,1975a, b, 1978, 1983; Oleksyn i in. 1999; Socha, Wezyk 2004, 2007; Orzel i in. 2005; Bijak,Zasada 2007; Zasada i in. 2008, 2009; Bronisz i in. 2009]. Poznanie dynamiki akumulacji bio−masy moze przyczynic sie do opracowania modelu gospodarki leśnej, w ktorej maksymalizo−wany jest poziom akumulacji dwutlenku wegla.
High-grade dysplasia of the esophagus: when is it time for surgery? —a systematic review

Endoscopic management of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) of the esophagus, an alternative to esophagectomy, has risen in popularity over the last decade. Despite this popularity, some patients may benefit from esophagectomy. Guidelines indicating which patients should receive surgery vs. endoscopic treatment are nonexistent. This systematic literature review aims to define the current role of surgery in the treatment of HGD. The current literature is lacking in definitive guidelines for all patients. Patients with nodules, ulcers, multifocal dysplasia, large hiatal hernias, and long segment Barrett’s esophagus should be counseled on the risks and benefits of esophagectomy as first-line treatment. A multidisciplinary approach should be taken to tailor treatment based on patient and disease characteristics.
Molecular and physiological basis for cold-induced angiogenesis in fishes

Angiogenesis- growth of capillaries from a pre-existing network- can be induced in cold-acclimated fishes, where torpor onset and increased oxygen availability, suggests that the primary stimulus for angiogenesis is not metabolic. It was hypothesised that cold-induced angiogenesis was due to increased blood viscosity, therefore endothelial mechanotransduction of high shear stress, and that warm-induced capillary rarefaction was due to reduced shear stress. The reversal of elevated shear stress by vasoconstriction using the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-NNA, and cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin had different effects. L-NNA administration hinted towards capillary regression at low temperatures but there was a trend towards increased capillarity at intermediate and high temperatures, whereas indomethacin had no effect. Neither warm acclimation nor vasodilatation using the α-adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin, had an effect on capillarity. Investigation of the effects of NO on heart rate at high temperature showed NO may reduce heart rate at high temperature. However, this does not explain the trend towards an increase in capillarity with L-NNA at high temperature. Evidence is presented for the absence of eNOS in fishes suggesting either nNOS-derived NO or prostanoids are responsible for vascular tone. Microarray analyses were used to identify signalling pathways that would explain the discrepancies, but proved inadequate to reveal significant endothelial responses to cold acclimation.
Nondestructive Defect Detection in Castings by Using Spatial Attention Bilinear Convolutional Neural Network

X-ray images of castings are widely used in manufacturing for quality assurance. This article investigates the X-ray-image-based defective detection. The main contributions in this article are twofold: first, a new full-image method is proposed to classify defective castings and nondefective ones; and second, by combining two technologies, spatial attention mechanism and bilinear pooling used in deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), a new spatial attention bilinear CNN is proposed to enhance the representation power of CNN. To validate the above initiatives, extensive experimental studies have been carried out to show the advantages of the new method over a number of existing ones.