Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Land subsidence pattern controlled by old alpine basement faults in the Kashmar Valley, northeast Iran: results from InSAR and levelling

SUMMARY Fluid storage systems, such as oil, gas, magma or water reservoirs, are often controlled by the host rock structure and faulted terrain. In sedimentary basins, where no direct information about underlying structure is available, the pattern of ground deformation may allow us to assess the buried fault arrangement. We provide an example in the semi-arid area of Iran, in the Kashmar Valley, a region subject to land subsidence due to water overexploitation. Geodetically determined subsidence rates in the Kashmar Valley exceed 15‐30 cm yr −1 . The pattern of surface deformation is strongly non-uniform and displays NE‐SW elongated bowls of subsidence. The trend resembles old Cretaceous-to-Tertiary faults that evolved during early alpine tectonic deformation. Although these early alpine structures are considered tectonically inactive in the present day, the observed land subsidence pattern indicates significant structural control on the geometry of the aquifer basin and its deformation during reservoir drainage.
Invasion of Subalpine Meadows by Trees in the Cascade Range, Washington and Oregon

In the forest-tundra ecotone region of the Washington and Oregon Cascades, massive invasion into subalpine meadows by a variety of tree species, especially Abies lasiocarpa and Tsuga mertensiana, has been noted. The most intense period of establishment in most areas was during 1928 to 1937. Little invasion has been noted in the Cascade Range since about 1945. We consider fire, grazing, and forest edge effect as possible factors influencing the massive establishment of trees during this time but suggest that climatic change is the most probable causative factor. At Paradise Valley on the slopes of Mount Rainier, trees invaded meadows during the period when the mass budget of the Nisqually Glacier was generally negative; after 1945, this mass budget was positive or balanced. The snow-free period in certain subalpine meadow communities is probably the most critical factor affecting tree establishment. Invasion densi
Preference of Hyposoter didymator ( Thunberg ) ( Hymenoptera : Ichneumonidae ) on the Larval Stages of Helicoverpa armigera ( Hübner ) ( Lepidoptera : Noctuidae )

The young instars (1-3 rd instars) of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were used in order to determine parasitization preference of the parasitoid Hyposoter didymator (Thun.) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) which may develop inside H. armigera. One of 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd instar larvae and an experienced H. didymator female were inserted into a petri dish and then observed for parasitization. The parasitized larva that H. didymator inserted her ovipositor was immediately removed from the petri dish and another group of 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd instar larvae were inserted into the petri dish. This procedure was continued until 20 host larvae were parasitized. Parasitized larvae were inserted into transparent 100 ml cylinders with artificial insect diet. All cylinders were stored in the growth chamber at 25±1°C temperature and 65%±5 humidity. The parasitized larvae were dissected at Ringer’s solution under a stereomicroscope and the eggs of parasitoid were searched since the parasitoid eggs could easily be seen after 24 hours later than the parasitization. After dissection, the larvae with parasitoid egg were accepted as preferred by the parasitoid and the parasitization ratios (%) for 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd instar H. armigera larvae by H. didymator were calculated. Results show that the host instar preferences of H. didymator females were significantly different (F(2,24)=38,055; P<0,05) and the most preferred H. armigera instar was the 3 rd instar (52%), then the 2 nd instar (32%). The least preferred H. armigera instar was the 1 st instar (16%). We believe that these results may be useful in H. didymator breeding programs.
Emergence of Drug Resistance among ESBL Producing Klebsiella Species Along With the Detection of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Fluoroquinolones: A Hospital Based Study from Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka

DOI: 10.21276/sjams.2017. 5.10. 35 Abstract: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production is the major resistance mechanism to β-lactam antibiotics in Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, emergence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) in ESBL-producing isolates has become a global threat for treatment of these infections. The aim of the study was to analyze ESBL production among Klebsiella species by combined disc diffusion method and to detect fluoroquinolone resistance by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method along with the MIC by Estrip method. A total of 200 isolates of Klebsiella species were collected from different non repeated clinical samples and Antibiotic susceptibility test with special reference to fluoroquinolone antibiotics was performed by disc diffusion and ESBL production was confirmed by combined disc diffusion method. Among 200 Klebsiella isolates, 121(60.5%) were ESBL producers. Out of these 121 ESBL isolates, Multidrug-resistance was observed in 80.9 % isolates. Fluoroquinolone resistance was detected among ESBL isolates of which; 76% were resistant to nalidixic acid and 76% to ciprofloxacin, 74.4% levofloxacin, 76% to sparfloxacin and 76% to moxifloxacin. For carbapenem antibiotics; 55.4 % and 54.5% ESBL isolates were susceptible to imipenem and meropenem respectively. Resistance to Piperacillin and Piperacillin/tazobactam were 90.1% and 72.7%, respectively. Bacterial resistant profile found to be quite high to ESBL production with quinolone resistance in the majority of the Klebsiella isolates, which are emerging because of prescription of improper antibiogram schedules.
Flight-to-quality debt crises

I characterize risk averse lenders' optimal bond holdings under which flight-to-quality crises can arise when there are large differences in borrowing countries' future default risks, and do this within a dynamic, stochastic general equilibrium model. In this paper, there is a substitution effect between bonds issued by different countries because they are competing with each other on international borrowing. The relative fundamentals, rather than the absolute fundamentals, determine the magnitude of the substitution effect, and thus the direction of lenders' cross-border capital movements. Specifically, when the difference in countries' fundamentals is large enough, international lenders would like to move toward countries with relatively low future default risks, which improves these countries' borrowing conditions and deteriorates other countries'. Furthermore, the safer countries accommodate lenders' capital movements by issuing more debt, which reduces the borrowing resources available to other countries, further intensifies the difficulties faced by countries with deteriorated borrowing conditions, and may finally force these countries to default. Such forces were quantitatively important in explaining the empirical evidence from the recent European Debt Crisis: European peripheries had difficulty raising funds in international markets, while in countries such as Germany, and the United States, the yields declined and the debt positions rose since 2010.
Revisiting Gertler-Gilchrist Evidence on the Behavior of Small and Large Firms

Gertler and Gilchrist (1994) provide evidence for the prevailing view that adverse shocks are propagated via credit constraints of small firms. We revisit the behavior of small versus large firms during the episodes of credit disruption andrecessions in the sample extended to cover the 2007-09 economic crisis. We find that large firms' short-term debt and sales contracted relatively more than those of small firms during the 2007-09 episode. Furthermore, the short-term debt of large firms also contracted relatively more in the previous tight money episodes if one takes into account the longer period that it takes for large firms' debt to reach its post-shock trough. Our findings challenge the view that propagation of shocks in the economy takes place via credit constraints of small firms.
USE OF LPC WHEEL-TRACKING RUTTING TESTER TO SELECT ASPHALT PAVEMENTS RESISTANT TO RUTTING

The last survey carried out in 1991 on the French road network shows that, for the last 15 years, the roads have behaved very well as far as surface rutting is concerned. Less than 1.5% of the motorway network is affected by rutting defects. The phenomenon is limited and confined to particular areas. The explanation of this favorable situation lies in the awareness as early as 1970 of the rutting problem due to heavy traffic, which led to the design of a laboratory test, the Laboratoires des Ponts et Chaussees (LPC) wheel-tracking rutting tester. This test, whose mechanical and dynamical conditions are as close as possible to those generated in the pavement, is performed at a rather high temperature (60 deg C). The test has allowed the determination of different types of material behaviors and the definition of limit values (used in standards) allowing a good quality of the road. These specifications have been confirmed by correspondence between performance in the wheel-tracking rutting test and behavior on site. Moreover, the influence of test parameters and the mixture on the stability level of the mixes has been estimated. Interlaboratory tests, carried out in 1992 in conformity with ISO Standard 5725, confirmed the first estimates obtained in pretests, that is, very good repeatability values. New applications of the test have been used for the study of special asphalt mixes, study of the behavior of waterproofing systems for bridge decks, and analysis of the evolution of the macrotexture of very thin surface layers (20 or 30 mm). However, because of a significant increase in heavy traffic, new studies will be performed this year on the LPC circular fatigue test track in Nantes, France. At the same time, comparison studies on test devices and rutting depth prediction calculation models will be made, particularly on the finite element computation model CASTOR.
Hofstadter’s butterfly in quantum geometry

We point out that the recent conjectural solution to the spectral problem for the Hamiltonian H = e x + e − x + e p + e − p in terms of the refined topological invariants of a local Calabi–Yau (CY) geometry has an intimate relation with two-dimensional non-interacting electrons moving in a periodic potential under a uniform magnetic field. In particular, we find that the quantum A-period, determining the relation between the energy eigenvalue and the Kähler modulus of the CY, can be found explicitly when the quantum parameter q = e i ℏ is a root of unity, that its branch cuts are given by Hofstadter’s butterfly, and that its imaginary part counts the number of states of the Hofstadter Hamiltonian. The modular double operation, exchanging ℏ and ℏ ̃ = 4 π 2 / ℏ , plays an important role.
DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND PARTNERSHIPS IN SOUTHERN EUROPE: EVIDENCE FROM VARNA AND BARI

The aim of this research is to investigate through empirical and primary data the possibility of design and implementation of development policies and partnerships in the South Eastern Europe especially in the areas of Bari and Varna. Specifically, this research is based on data extracted from 183 SMEs firms of all the productive sectors which express their evaluations for the role of specific development policies to their competitiveness per sector but also the degree and dynamic of developing partnerships with the local and regional authorities. Further the findings of the analysis designate the important issues of regional economic development focusing on the ability of public authorities to design and implement effectively development policies in order to benefit the competitiveness of themselves and the firms as well as the special sensitive areas of Southeastern Europe which is a very interesting zone for research.
Localization at injectives in complete categories

We consider a complete category s/. For each object I of Q/ we define a functor Q:d a'-)and obtain a necessary and sufficient condition on Ifor Q, after restricting its codomain, to become a reflector of sl onto the limit closure of I. In particular, this condition is satisfied if I is injective in V with regard to equalizers. Among the special cases of such reflectors are: the reflector onto torsion-free divisible objects associated to an injective I in Mod R; the Samuel compactification of a uniform space; the Stone-cech compactification. We give a second description of Q in terms of a triple on sets. If I is injective and the functor Q is equivalent to the identity then, under a few extra conditions on V, -2/'P is triplable over sets with regard to the functor taking A to sd(A, I). We recall some notation and definitions. We write ci(A, B) or just (A, B) for the set of all maps from A to B in Sl. Y denotes the category of sets. The limit closure of an object I of Q' is the smallest full replete subcategory of si closed under limits and containing I. I is injective with regard to the map f:A--B if . d(f, I)x:,/(B, I)--j1(A, 1) is a surjection. We call I injective in _sd if it is injective with regard to all regular monomorphisms in d/. A regular monomorphism is a map which happens to be an equalizer. The object I determines functors
Incentivized Peer Referrals for Tuberculosis Screening: Evidence from India

We study whether and how peer referrals increase screening, testing, and identification of patients with tuberculosis, an infectious disease responsible for over one million deaths annually. In an experiment with 3,176 patients at 122 tuberculosis treatment centers in India, we find that small financial incentives raise the probability that existing patients refer prospective patients for screening and testing, resulting in cost-effective identification of new cases. Incentivized referrals operate through two mechanisms: peers have private information about individuals in their social networks to target for outreach, and they are more effective than health workers in inducing these individuals to get tested. (JEL H51, I12, I18, O15, Z13)
A Practical Path-planning Algorithm for a Vehicle with a Constrained Turning Radius : a Hamilton-Jacobi Approach

We consider the problem of optimal path planning of a forward moving simple car with a minimum turning radius (a Dubins’ car), in a known environment possibly containing inpenetrable obstacles. We model this problem in the HamiltonJacobi partial differential equation framework, and provide a finite difference numerical method to solve it. Furthermore, we introduce and demonstrate a scheme based on this framework to steer a micro-car on a testbed [29].
HMGB1-Induced p62 Overexpression Promotes Snail-Mediated Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Glioblastoma Cells via the Degradation of GSK-3β

Rationale: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumor, characterized by its propensity to invade the surrounding brain parenchyma. The effect of extracellular high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein on glioblastoma (GBM) progression is still controversial. p62 is overexpressed in glioma cells, and has been associated with the malignant features and poor prognosis of GBM patients. Hence, this study aimed to clarify the role of p62 in HMGB1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of GBM both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Immunoblotting, immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR were performed to evaluate EMT progression in both human GBM cell line and primary GBM cells. Transwell and wound healing assays were used to assess the invasion and migration of GBM cells. shRNA technique was used to investigate the role of p62 in HMGB1-induced EMT both in vitro and in vivo orthotopic tumor model. Co-immunoprecipitation assay was used to reveal the interaction between p62 and GSK-3β (glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta). Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression levels of proteins in human GBM tissues. Results: In this study, GBM cells treated with recombinant human HMGB1 (rhHMGB1) underwent spontaneous EMT through GSK-3β/Snail signaling pathway. In addition, our study revealed that rhHMGB1-induced EMT of GBM cells was accompanied by p62 overexpression, which was mediated by the activation of TLR4-p38-Nrf2 signaling pathway. Moreover, the results demonstrated that p62 knockdown impaired rhHMGB1-induced EMT both in vitro and in vivo. Subsequent mechanistic investigations showed that p62 served as a shuttling factor for the interaction of GSK-3β with proteasome, and ultimately activated GSK-3β/Snail signaling pathway by augmenting the degradation of GSK-3β. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation between p62 and GSK-3β, and a combination of the both might serve as a more powerful predictor of poor survival in GBM patients. Conclusions: This study suggests that p62 is an effector for HMGB1-induced EMT, and may represent a novel therapeutic target in GBM.
Assessment of Biomass and Total Carbon Stock in a Tropical Wet Evergreen Rainforest of Eastern Himalaya along a Disturbance Gradient

Rainforests of North-East India in the Eastern Himalaya forms a part of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot with rich biodiversity accompanied with dense vegetation of trees, thus making rainforest ecosystems a major carbon sink. Despite the biological richness, forest degradation is a matter of serious concern in this region. Considering disturbance as a major factor, a study was carried out to assess the biomass and carbon allocation pattern in the different compartments of the rainforest. The study area was stratified into least disturbed (LD), mildly disturbed (MD) and highly disturbed (HD) sites based on visual assumption, and later disturbance index of the sites were calculated. Vegetation analysis for various ecological indices was carried out. Biomass and carbon stock in different pools were estimated adopting suitable regression equations developed earlier for similar ecological regions. The total plant biomass showed a gradual decrease from LD to HD site and was 425.70 ± 29.71 Mg ha-1 in the LD site, followed by 236.08 ± 5.82 Mg ha-1 in the MD site and 127.38 ± 4.74 Mg ha-1 in the HD site. Amongst the different pools, aboveground biomass constituted the largest compartment in all the three sites for C stock and biomass. Tree density and basal area were highest in the LD sites. Soil organic Carbon (SOC) stock in 0 45 cm depth was also recorded maximum in the LD (72.48 ± 5.11 Mg C ha-1) followed by MD (40.13 ± 2.50 Mg C ha-1) and HD (32.38 ± 1.66 Mg C ha-1) sites. Total carbon stock was also found highest (306.61 ± 17.14 Mg C ha-1) in the LD site followed by 169.97 ± 2.59 Mg C ha-1 in the MD and 102.43 ± 3.18 Mg C ha-1 in HD site. Forest disturbance thus showed a significant inverse relation with carbon storage in all the pools. Thus it can be concluded that carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems was influenced by the anthropogenic disturbances in the present study.
EARLY GENERATION SELECTION OF SUGARCANE FAMILIES AND CLONES IN AUSTRALIA : A REVIEW

Sugarcane breeding programs typically commence by evaluating a large number of seedlings derived from true seed. Individual clone (mass) selection applied at this stage of the program has been shown to be inefficient because of lack of replication and the associated confounding effects of the environment. In Australia, the introduction of mobile weighing machines made it possible to implement family selection. Several research projects demonstrated that family selection, when followed by individual clone selection, was superior in terms of genetic gain and more cost effective than either family or individual clone selection alone. This combination of family and individual clone selection is now used routinely in all the Australian programs. Families are evaluated using replicated plots for cane yield (mechanically harvested and weighed) and sucrose content in the plant crop. Individual clones are selected, based mainly on visual appraisal for cane yield, from selected families in the first ratoon crop. Family selection is usually liberal with about 30 – 40 % of families selected. More clones are selected from the best families with progressively fewer clones being selected from the moderate to average families. The availability of objective family data makes it possible to estimate the breeding value of parents using the Best Linear Unbiased Predictors (BLUP). This information is used to retain or drop parents from the crossing program and to plan better cross combinations. Approved for publication by the Director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station as manuscript number 02-14-0563.
Are scale-based techniques enough for learners to convey their UX when using a Learning Management System?

As technology evolves, learning institutions have sought to invest in new learning technologies. Many universities have been adopting platforms designed to support the learning process, called Learning Management Systems (LMSs), to complement face-to-face learning, as well as to support distance learning. This widespread adoption of LMSs raises the need for evaluating them regarding aspects related to quality in use, such as User eXperience (UX). UX is very important in e-learning context, given that it may influence learner’s attitude towards the use of the LMS. Despite its importance, few studies evaluated the UX of LMSs. Moreover, researchers have been using generic techniques to evaluate them. In this context, there is no evidence of studies conducted to identify whether these techniques can fully capture the experience conveyed by these platforms. This paper presents an analysis of two UX evaluation techniques (User Experience Questionnaire, and Integrated Experience Acceptance Model) applied to an LMS called Edmodo. We carried out a study with 34 students, divided into two groups, to evaluate the UX of Edmodo and obtain their perceptions about the technique they used. We also gathered the difficulties faced by the students during the execution of the tasks on the platform, while correlating those difficulties with learning issues. In addition, we performed a qualitative analysis in order to better understand the results. Regarding Edmodo, the results showed that the students perceived its UX as positive. Regarding the techniques, both groups considered them easy to use and useful. However, around 41% of the students in both groups reported that they were not able to fully evaluate their UX using the techniques. The qualitative results allowed the identification of positive and negative aspects that researchers may consider during the improvement or development of new UX evaluation techniques.
Risky Relations - A study of the relationship between expected stock returns and volatility on the international market

This econometric study examines the relationship between expected returns and volatility in ten industrialized countries. It includes three models; GARCH-M, EGARCH-M and the PARCH-M model. Furthermore, it investigates if the results change with the use of several time intervals, different data frequency and the inclusion of macroeconomic variables into the models. The results provide evidence that no significant relationship between volatility and expected return could be identified on the international market in the long term. In the short term, a weak and unstable relationship could be found in some markets. Furthermore, the results suggest that there generally exists a positive short term relationship and a negative long term relationship between expected returns and volatility. This paper also found evidence that volatility explains the expected return in the long term in a greater extent than it does on the short term.