Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volcanic Grinding Tools in Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): Local Production vs. Import of Morgantina-Type Millstones in the Hellenistic-Roman Period

This archaeometric study was focused on 28 grey to dark-grey lava artifacts found in Ustica Island (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) and referable to different grinding tools: saddle querns, rotary Morgantina-type millstones, rotary hand-mills and one small mortar. Mineralogy, petrography and bulk rock geochemical analyses emphasized that most of the grinding artifacts belonged to the Na-Alkaline series of Ustica, mainly basalts, hawaiites and mugearites. Nevertheless, some millstone samples did not match major and trace elements of Ustica lavas, in particular, one high-TiO2 Na-Alkaline basalt from Pantelleria Island, some tholeiitic/transitional basalts from the Iblei Mountains and one Calcalkaline basaltic andesite, most likely from the Aeolian Archipelago. The Hellenistic–Roman re-colonisation of Ustica Island, after ca. one millennium of nearly complete abandonment, was testified by the import of the non-local Morgantina-type rotary millstones, very widespread in the Mediterranean area from 4th–3rd century BC. This import of millstones represented, for the Ustica inhabitants, a real breakthrough for developing a local production of grinding artifacts on the basis of the new rotary technique which was much more efficient than that of the archaic saddle querns, largely used in the Middle Bronze Age. The results are also discussed in the framework of the overall volcanic millstone trade in the Mediterranean area and the different milling technology in antiquity.
Desempenho e sobrevivência de alevinos de black bass (Micropterus salmoides, Lacepède 1802), submetidos ao condicionamento alimentar, utilizando diferentes patês protéicos

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a utilizacao de racoes artificiais com diferentes pates proteicos incorporados na dieta de alevinos de black bass ( Micropterus salmoides ). Foram utilizados 320 alevinos, com peso e comprimento inicial medio de 0,57±0,1g e 3,61±0,21cm, respectivamente. Os peixes foram distribuidos em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado em 32 caixas de polipropileno de 310 litros, com 4 tratamentos e 8 repeticoes. Utilizou-se uma racao referencia (RR) com 38% PB como base da dieta, sendo adicionada pates proteicos (PP) referente a cada tratamento, compostos por coracao bovino (CB), sardinha eviscerada (SE), farinha de peixe chilena (FP) e file de tilapia (FT). Durante o treinamento alimentar foi observado boa aceitacao as dietas artificiais, com melhores resultados de desempenho para os tratamentos com FP e FT.
Tides and sea‐level variability in the south‐west Pacific from TOPEX/Poseidon

Abstract A harmonic‐analysis technique is used to compute tidal amplitudes and phases over the south‐west Pacific Ocean from the first 300 cycles (up to November 2000) of TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimetry. The analysis is performed along groundtracks and at track crossover locations and the resultant harmonics are shown to compare favourably with those from open‐coast sea‐level gauges and from regional and global tidal models. Small‐scale oscillations (<400 km) in along‐track amplitudes and phases are used to identify likely regions of M2 internal tide generation, or aliasing between K1 and semi‐annual signals. Tidal harmonics derived from satellite altimetry were used to improve the open‐sea boundary forcing for a limited‐area tidal model and produce a better validation with coastal sea‐level gauges.
Yellowing, morphology and behaviour in sexually mature gynandromorphs of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria

The morphology, colouration and sexual behaviour of two gynandromorph adults of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria Forskål are described. In each of these specimens, the left half of the external genitalia has male characteristics and the right half has female characteristics. Yellowing of the epidermis occurs to different degrees in normal sexually mature male and female adult S. gregaria under crowded conditions. Two hypotheses are known to explain this phenomenon. One suggests involvement of a sex‐hormone/receptor complex, whereas the other proposes different sensitivities of the epidermis to the same hormonal environment. To examine which hypothesis is more likely, one gynandromorph adult is kept under crowded conditions and the other is maintained under isolated conditions. In the former, the left half of the body turns bright yellow, as in a sexually mature crowded male, and the right half is brownish with little yellowing, as in a sexually mature crowded female of the same age. The bilaterally divided body colouration may support the second hypothesis. In the second gynandromorph, which is isolated after adult emergence, the body colour remains brownish. Upon sexual maturity, this individual is kept together with normal male or female adults for behavioural observations. It attempts to mount a female but is approached and mounted by males.
Intellectual Capital and Profitability: Evidence from Indian Pharmaceutical Sector

Intellectual capital (IC) has gained recognition in enhancing the firms’ value and gain competitive advantage in the developed world. Thus, it is imperative for all stakeholders to have an understanding of its impact on firms’ profitability. The present study aims to analyse the impact of intellectual capital on firms’ profitability of Indian pharmaceutical companies listed in National Stock Exchange (NSE-500) for the time period of 10 years (i.e. 2009–2018). The paper has used modified version of Pulic’s Value Added Intellectual Coefficient, i.e., M-VAIC as a proxy to measure intellectual capital and firms’ profitability as represented by ROA, ROE and EBITDA. In line to analyse the effectiveness, a balanced panel data regression technique has been used. The results of the paper indicate a significant relationship between intellectual capital and firms’ profitability. Also, it is found that human capital, relational capital and physical capital have a significant role in increasing the profitability of the firm. The analysis would help the administration and management of pharmaceutical companies in the composition and organization of intellectual capital, stakeholders in the decisions related to investment and financial specialist for enhancing intellectual capital efficiency and value creation for the firm. Human capital is found to be having a positively significant impact on firms’ profitability; their inclusion and management are suggested for the companies.
Ecologia da polinização de Ipomoea asarifolia (Ders.) Roem & Schult. (Convolvulaceae) na região semi-árida de Pernambuco.

The present work was carried out during March/1995 to July/1997, to study aspects of the phenology, pollination and reproduction of Ipomoea asarifolia growing at Fazenda Catalunha, Santa Maria da Boa Vista, PE. I. asarifolia is a perennial creeping liana with floration registered in the period of March to October, characterized as a cornucopian pattern of flowering. The flowers are gathered in cymes, with a pink funnel-like corolla with magenta mesopetals working as nectar guides. The anthesis is diurnal (05:30 - 06:00 h) and the flowers lasting for approximately six hours. The amount of nectar secreted by flower is less then 1µl. Bees Megachilidae and Apidae were the main visitors of this Convolvulaceae. Liturge huberi Ducke was considered as effective pollinatior, and Acamptopoeum prinii Holm. and Diadasina riparia Ducke as occasional. Ipomoea asarifolia is self-incompatible, producing fruits and viable seeds only after crossed pollination. However the tests of pollen tube growth showed that 10 hours after pollination, pollen tubes reached the micropile of both self- and cross-pollinated ovules, suggesting a late acting self-incompatibility system. The germination tests showed that only the seeds obtained in natural conditions (93,3%) and from cross-pollination experiment (100%) were viable, reinforcing the data obtained in the reproduction system.
The Impact of Ad-Blockers on Product Search and Purchase Behavior: A Lab Experiment

Ad-blocking applications have become increasingly popular among Internet users. Ad-blockers offer various privacy- and security-enhancing features: they can reduce personal data collection and exposure to malicious advertising, help safeguard users' decision-making autonomy, reduce users' costs (by increasing the speed of page loading), and improve the browsing experience (by reducing visual clutter). On the other hand, the online advertising industry has claimed that ads increase consumers' economic welfare by helping them find better, cheaper deals faster. If so, using ad-blockers would deprive consumers of these benefits. However, little is known about the actual economic impact of ad-blockers. We designed a lab experiment (N=212) with real economic incentives to understand the impact of ad-blockers on consumers' product searching and purchasing behavior, and the resulting consumer outcomes. We focus on the effects of blocking contextual ads (ads targeted to individual, potentially sensitive, contexts, such as search queries in a search engine or the content of web pages) on how participants searched for and purchased various products online, and the resulting consumer welfare. We find that blocking contextual ads did not have a statistically significant effect on the prices of products participants chose to purchase, the time they spent searching for them, or how satisfied they were with the chosen products, prices, and perceived quality. Hence we do not reject the null hypothesis that consumer behavior and outcomes stay constant when such ads are blocked or shown. We conclude that the use of ad-blockers does not seem to compromise consumer economic welfare (along the metrics captured in the experiment) in exchange for privacy and security benefits. We discuss the implications of this work in terms of end-users' privacy, the study's limitations, and future work to extend these results.Presented at the 29th USENIX Security Symposium, August 12-14, 2020
Revealing 35 years of landcover dynamics in floodplains of trained lowland rivers using satellite data

Lacking substantial erosive and sedimentation forces, regulated rivers allow their floodplains to become overgrown with forest, increasing the flood risk of the hinterland. In the Netherlands, floodplains have therefore been subjected to interventions, like clear cutting, lowering and creation of side channels, and management, consisting of grazing and mowing. However, the comprehension of how those activities influence landcover dynamics is lacking. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate long‐term landcover dynamics of a regulated river system through the lens of remote sensing. What transitions between landcover classes can be observed? And how (if) do management and interventions impact succession and retrogression of landcover classes? The study area comprised the upstream part of the Dutch Rhine River, its three branches and five adjacent floodplains. Satellite data (LandSat 5 and 8), encompassing a 35‐year period (1984–2018), were used for studying landcover dynamics. Landcover classification was based on seven classes: water, built‐up area, bare substrate, grass, herbaceous vegetation, shrubs and forest. Retrogression was highest for the landcover classes obstructing water flow (shrubs, forest and herbaceous vegetation), succession was most frequent on bare substrate, and water and grass were the most stable landcover classes. The regulated nature of the system became apparent from the spatial and temporal cacophony of landcover dynamics which differ from those of natural meandering rivers. This study showed that satellite data are useful for analyzing the impact of human activities within floodplains of regulated rivers and may assist in floodplain management aimed at combining water safety and nature policies.
A note on the characterization of a small Celtic pony breed

Summary Eleven microsatellites are used as representative neutral markers to screen a small Celtic pony breed (Asturcon). Allelic frequencies are calculated from a random sample (n = 50) to estimate some population genetic parameters, allowing the description of the population. The allelic frequencies are compared with published data from other populations with the same markers, leading to genetic distances which indicate the Asturcon position respective to such divergent populations as Equus przewalski and the Australian thoroughbred. Zusammfassung Characterisierung einer kleinen keltischen Ponyrasse. Kurzmitteilung. Elf Mikrosatelliten wurden als neutrale Marker zur genetischen Charakterisierung der Asturcon, einer kleinen keltischen Ponyrasse verwendet. Allelfrequenzen wurden aus einer Stichprobe (n = 50) geschatzt und einige genetische Parameter zur Beschreibung der Population abgeleitet. Ein Vergleich der Allelfrequenzen mit publizierten anderer Rassen fuhrte zu genetischen Distanzen, die die Stellung der Asturcon in bezug auf solch unterschiedliche Populationen wie E. przewalski oder autralischer Vollbluter deutlich macht.
The Transitioning State of Systematic Ichthyology

Copeia has maintained a manuscript category entitled ‘‘Comments’’ for some time, but with little usage. In order to spur interest in the journal via exchange of ideas on timely topics of particular interest to the readership, I have solicited the following commentaries on the topic of evidence in phylogenetic systematics. The opening comment was written in early 2009 in response to Mooi and Gill’s abstract and oral presentation at the 2008 ASIH meetings in Montreal. In the future, I expect to publish such comments and debates on a semi-regular basis and invite any and all readers with suggestions and contributions for potential consideration to contact me in advance of manuscript submission. —Scott Schaefer, Editor.
Studies on the Lichen Family Thelotremataceae in Tasmania. The Genus Chroodiscus and its Relatives

Abstract The Tasmanian species of the family Thelotremataceae with thin-walled ascospores and exfoliating, chroodiscoid apothecia are studied in detail. Problems in the delimitation of genera are discussed, and characters such as the morphology of the apothecia, structure and form of the exciple, presence of periphyses, ascus structure, ascospore morphology and thallus chemistry are evaluated. The concept of the typically foliicolous genus Chroodiscus (Müll. Arg.) Müll. Arg. is expanded to include corticolous and terricolous species, and the new taxa C. asteliae Kantvilas & Vězda, C. australis Kantvilas & Vězda, C. australis subsp. tasmanicus Kantvilas & Vězda, C. lamelliferus Kantvilas & Vězda and C. minor Kantvilas & Vězda are described and illustrated. The related Australasian species, C. megalophthalmus (Müll. Arg.) Vězda & Kantvilas is also treated. Two new genera are also described. Pseudoramonia Kantvilas & Vězda, based on the Venezuelan species, P. stipitata (Vězda & Hertel) Kantvilas & Vězda, is introduced to accommodate P. richeae Kantvilas & Vězda; Topeliopsis Kantvilas & Vězda is described to include the Tasmanian taxa, T. muscicola Kantvilas & Vězda and T. rugosa Kantvilas & Vězda, and the North American species T. toensbergii Vězda & Kantvilas.
Forecasting Civil Wars: Theory and Structure in an Age of “Big Data” and Machine Learning

Does theory contribute to forecasting accuracy? We use event data to show that a parsimonious model grounded in prominent theories of conflict escalation can forecast civil war onset with high accuracy and over shorter temporal windows than has generally been possible. Our forecasting model draws on “procedural” variables, building on insights from the contentious politics literature. We show that a procedural model outperforms more inductive, atheoretical alternatives and also outperforms models based on countries’ structural characteristics, which previously dominated models of civil war onset. We find that process can substitute for structure over short forecasting windows. We also find a more direct connection between theory and forecasting than is sometimes assumed, though we suggest that future researchers treat the value-added of theory for prediction not as an assumption but rather as a hypothesis to test.
INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION IN THE DINOFLAGELLATE PERIDINIUM VOLZIP 1

Clonal isolates of Peridinium volzii Lemmerman were analyzed morphologically and biochemically. Morphological observations at the light microscope level show the clones to be different varieties and forms of the same species. Biochemical analysis by enzyme electrophoresis and flow cytometric determination of nuclear DNA quantities indicates that these isolates are genetically heterogeneous without any clear correlation existing between morphological variation and biochemical variation. Isozyme analysis, however, indicates that strains from the same location are generally more related to each other than they are to isolates with other geographical origins. In general, our results suggest the presence of genetic redundancy and a multiclonal origin for individuals of the same species present in the same locale.
Early Growth and Mortality of Largemouth Bass in West Point Reservoir, Alabama‐Georgia

Abstract Early growth and mortality rates for the 1977 year class of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides were estimated and compared to the initial year class of largemouth bass after impoundment of West Point Reservoir in 1975. The population fecundity was estimated before spawning to be 422,000 mature ova per hectare in littoral areas. The number of young of the year ranged from 1,138 per hectare in May to 20 per hectare in August. Monthly instantaneous mortality rates for the 1977 year class were 0.872 between June and September 1977 and 0.213 between May 1977 and August 1978. Survival was estimated as: 0.22% from spawning to brood dispersal; 5.88% from brood dispersal in early June to early September 1977; and 0.002% if the estimate for population fecundity is used as the number of eggs spawned surviving to August 1978. The monthly instantaneous growth rate was 1.645 between May and September 1977. The observed biomass of young-of-the-year largemouth bass in September was 5.83 kg per hectare. Greate.
Successive Decode-and-Forward Relaying With Privacy-Aware Interference Suppression

Successive relaying holds the promise of achieving spatial diversity gain for single-antenna users while recovering the multiplexing loss due to the half-duplex relaying in B5G/6G. However, how to mitigate inter-relay interference (IRI) with privacy protection in low complexity remains open. In this paper, we present a successive decode-and-forward (DF) relaying protocol based on an analog network interference cancellation (NICE) method, which may suppress IRI, using linear processing without decoding the signals from the source. More specifically, a relay actively keeps receiving signals from the source, which are then used as prior knowledge to enable an amplify-and-cancel (AC) IRI mitigation strategy. The AC based IRI suppression is capable of improving high information privacy, because a relay does not need to know codebooks used by other relays and will not decode any signals intended for other relays. We obtain the closed-form expression of the minimum residual interference power, based on which the average throughput and the optimal diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) are presented. The DMT analysis along with simulations shows that the proposed method outperforms conventional two-timeslot half-duplex relaying in terms of the spectral efficiency. It also achieves lower complexity than CAO-SIR based on decode-and-cancel (DC) in [1] and lower IRI than the successive amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying in [2].
Lagrangian two-phase flow modeling of scour in front of vertical breakwater

ABSTRACT A Lagrangian particle-based two-phase flow model is developed to simulate the scouring process induced by standing wave in front of the trunk section of a vertical breakwater. Given the two-dimensional nature of the scouring problem at the trunk of vertical wall, the fluid phase is simulated with two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations based on weakly compressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (WCSPH) formulation in conjunction with sub-particle scale (SPS) turbulence closure model. The sediment phase is simulated using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). The effects of interparticle and particle-wall collisions are computed by activating a spring-dashpot system. The WCSPH fluid-phase and DEM sediment-phase are coupled through a weakly one-way coupling procedure using wave orbital velocity. The numerical model is successfully validated against experimental data. The maximum scour depth predicted by WCSPH-DEM model is closely approximate the experimental data. This study, for the first time, demonstrated an extra recirculating sediment transport mechanism in front of the vertical breakwater, similar to steady streaming recirculating cells in the fluid phase, which has a direct impact on the formation of scour hole and maximum scour depth at the breakwater trunk. The scenario modeling conducted in this study show that by increasing the steady streaming velocity, the deposition rate and the depth of scour hole were increased.
Do representations of gender and profession change over time? Insights from a longitudinal corpus study on Dutch language textbooks (1974–2017)

ABSTRACT Studies on English language textbooks indicate that, with some exceptions, women are underrepresented and appear in low-status professions. To what degree do these findings apply to textbooks for Dutch as a Second Language (DSL) learners? To our knowledge, there are no studies into gender and profession in DSL materials. Dutch, however, constitutes an interesting, culture-specific case as both female, male and gender neutral professional role nouns exist, but their use is not formally regulated. We systematically analysed textual and pictorial representations of fe/male professionals in chapters about work in 15 DSL textbooks published within the last 50 years. Results suggest that women are not underrepresented in dialogues and pictures but are backgrounded through male firstness. Female professional names appear less frequently than male names and women are described in gender typical roles, whereas men are not. This holds for both older (1974–2009) and recent materials (2011–2017). Overall, more gender neutral nouns refer to men, but they have been used more frequently within the last decade to refer to women. Future studies should add psycholinguistic and classroom perspectives and consider additional foci. We discuss pedagogical implications for those with concern for gender equality in learning materials.
Study of utilization of antenatal care services and its determinants among pregnant women admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Mangaluru, Karnataka, India

Maternal mortality refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth. Though, the number of women and girls who died each year from complications of pregnancy has declined from 451,000 in 2000 to 295,000 in 2017, yet over 810 women are still dying every day, while for every woman who dies, approximately 20 others suffer serious injuries, infections or disabilities. Further, 94% of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income countries. Two regions, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, account for 86 per cent of all maternal deaths worldwide. The high number of maternal deaths in some areas of the world reflects inequities in access to health services, and highlights the gap between rich andpoor.