Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gypsum Efficiency in the Amelioration of Saline Sodic/Sodic Soils

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economy of Pakistan, which is mainly dependent on irrigated agriculture. Its sustainability is confronted with the problems of waterlogging and salinity which appeared due to inadequate drainage facilities, unlined water channels, improper agriculture practices followed by the farmers deferred operation and maintenance of the Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects (SCARPs) and inadequate water supplies. In a survey conducted by WAPDA during 1977-79, it was reported that about 28% of the surveyed area (16.24 million ha) is affected by surface salinity. In case of profile salinity/sodicity, the situation is even more serious and there are 11, 24 and 3% saline, sodic and sodic soils, respectively. Saline soils (11%) can be reclaimed by simple leaching with excessive water but for the reclamation of about 27% saline-sodic and sodic soils application of some chemical/biological amendments is imperative because to have a potential production, the soil must be physically, chemically and biologically healthy for plant growth. Gypsum being easily available and cheap can be used for the reclamation of saline sodic and sodic soils efficiently provided irrigation water is available. The gypsum applied will replace the sodium (Na + ) with calcium (Ca ++ ) from the soil exchange complex and will be leached down below root zone with irrigation water resulting in better and productive soil and more crop yield per unit area. Efficiency of gypsum in the reclamation of saline-sodic and sodic soil varies considerably depending upon the type of the soil to be reclaimed, the methods of gypsum application, the fineness of the gypsum particles, combination of gypsum with other amendments and breaking of the soil hard pan, if exists. Use of gypsum in combination with FYM, finer gypsum (80-100 mesh) and breaking of soil hard pan were significantly better in improving the physical and chemical properties of soil and crops yield. The impacts of gypsum application technologies like different methods and doses of gypsum application, combined application with other amendments, breaking of soil hard pan on physical and chemical properties of soil and crops yield have been discussed in this paper.
Reappraisal of Precambrian sheet‐braided rivers: Evidence for 1·9 Ga deep‐channelled drainage

The repetitive sedimentology of many Precambrian sheet‐dominated fluvial sandstones favoured their attribution to unconfined depositional processes. This article presents outcrop evidence for deep‐channelled drainage in the 1·9 Ga Burnside River Formation of Kilohigok Basin, Arctic Canada. On the ground, sheet‐like sandbodies with ubiquitous cross‐bedding are at first consistent with classic, unconfined depositional models. However, satellite and oblique‐aerial imagery of sections up to 15 km wide and 500 m thick reveals the occurrence of incised palaeovalleys hosting clustered, kilometre‐scale, channel bodies with attached large foreset bars pointing to downstream‐lateral accretion, sand sheets with aspect ratios (i.e. width to thickness) as high as 2500, and scattered aeolian intervals. The genetic association of these architectural elements points to aggradational fluvial piedmonts composed of low‐relief unit bars generated by braidplain channels several metres deep. Preservation of aeolianites was facilitated by fluctuating groundwater table and accommodation. Fluvial piedmonts were transected by weakly sinuous channel belts up to 25 m deep and characterized by through‐going or tributary planform. Aspect ratios comparable with those of late Palaeozoic to modern braided channels disprove the inference that all Precambrian streams readily widened in response to increased discharge. Previous facies models for large‐scale Precambrian sheet‐braided rivers failed to depict entire channel forms, possibly because they could not be resolved by ground‐based observations. Based on their limited geomorphic variability and abundance of architectural elements with very high aspect ratios, this study recommends that large sheet‐braided fluvial systems should still be considered separately from their post‐Silurian (i.e. vegetated) braided counterparts. Parallels between sheet‐braided and modern dryland rivers do not, however, reconcile with the deep, perennial, channelized processes described here. Yet, distal sand‐bed and perennial reaches of modern sandur plains remain the closest analogue to sheet‐braided rivers. This conjecture contradicts the assumption that all Precambrian rivers were prone to simulate seasonal behaviours independently from their actual climate regime.
Geochronological evidence for phased volcanic activity in Fife and Caithness necks, Scotland

Abstract In an attempt to establish a chronology for volcanic neck emplacement and so elucidate petrogenesis, isotopic studies have been carried out on various cumulate inclusions, blocks and megacrysts which occur chiefly in association with tuffs infilling several Scottish vents. K-Ar ages of 13 samples of low-pressure cumulate minerals (biotite, hornblende and pyroxene) from necks in East Fife indicate crystallisation at shallow depth at 314 Ma. U-Pb analyses of zircons are concordant at 318 Ma suggesting they are also members of this suite and their formation is penecontemporaneous with the Namurian volcanic activity which is welldocumented stratigraphically. By 295 Ma crystallisation of anorthoclase megacrysts had been completed, perhaps from the fractionated residuum. An eruption from considerable depth (within the stability field of garnet precipitation) then broke through to the surface bearing high-pressure megacrysts. This penetrated and disrupted the early cumulates carrying them to the surface and producing the diverse vent assemblages. K-Ar dating of basanites suggest that the Duncansby Ness neck in Caithness was emplaced around 270 Ma in the early Permian. For two Fife necks the balance of evidence favours an age of 290 Ma (Stephanian) for this final explosive activity associated with vent formation.
BUKA FENAM (Buletin Fisika Fenomena Alam) Sebagai Alternatif untuk Meningkatkan Minat Baca: Sebuah Uji Kelayakan

Penelitian ini disusun dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui apakah pengembangan buletin fisika dengan materi optika fisis (fenomena interferensi) layak digunakan sebagai alternatif media pembelajaran fisika untuk meningkatkan minat baca peserta didik. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian R&D dengan metode yang dipakai adalah ADDIE dengan lima tahap yaitu (1) Analysis (2) Design (3) Development (4) Implementation (5) Evaluation. Namun dikarenakan penelitian ini hanya sampai dengan menentukan kelayakan buletin, maka tahap yang digunakan hanya sampai dengan development atau pengembangan. Pengumpulan data diperoleh dari 40 orang mahasiswa Pendidikan Fisika dan Fisika Murni UNY. Hasil dari uji kelayakan pada keempat indikator antara lain (1) uji kelayakan isi didapatkan rata-rata nilai 81,13%, (2) uji kelayakan penyajian didapatkan rata-rata nilai 83.39%, (3) uji kelayakan kebahasaan didapatkan nilai 78,44%, dan terakhir (4) uji kelayakan minat baca didapatkan rata-rata nilai 82.67%. Dari hasil penelitian didapat kesimpulan bahwa media pembelajaran buletin ini dapat dan layak digunakan sebagai media pembelajaran pada materi optik fisis (fenomena alam).
Census of the Sicilian rock partridge Alectoris graeca whitakeri population in ZPS ITA010029 Monte Cofano, Capo San Vito and Monte Sparagio

During the project "LIFE09 NAT/IT/000099-SICALECONS-Urgent actions for the conservation of Alectoris graeca whi­ takeri", this species was censused in the ZPS ITA010029 Monte Cofano, Capo San Vito and Monte Sparagio (Trapani province, Sicily) with playback technique between March and April 2011. Superimposing a UTM grid of 1 km mesh on the study area produced cells of 100 hectares. Using a GPS satellite receiver we reached, where possible, the centre of each cell from where the cospecific call was broad- casted. A total of 163 listening stations were implemented. Using software GIS ARCMAP 10.0 (ESRI) presence data were interpolated with vegetational and phytosociological maps (CORINE) to establish rock partridge's suitable area. The range of the rock partridge in the ZPS was calculated to be 9,893 hectares, corresponding to approximately 65% of the ZPS. A total of 29 individuals were counted, cor- responding to 5 pairs and 19 calling males.The Sicilian rock partridge population in the ZPS was estimated to be 66 pairs. Density values in the ZPS were lower than those reported for other areas. In the ZPS highest density was observed in Zingaro Reserve, where poaching seems to be less frequent compared to other areas of ZPS and where burning has not been recorded for years.
A Practitioner’s Guide

www.asse. org NOVEMBER 2006 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY 27 WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL disorders (WRMSDs) constitute a major problem in many industries in terms of frequency, cost to employers and impact on the daily lives of those injured. In 2004, WRMSDs accounted for one-third of the 1.3 million injury and illness cases resulting in days away from work (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2005). They also are associated with a substantially higher number of days away from work than other types of injury and illness (BLS, 2005). WRMSDs are impairments generally characterized by chronic pain and discomfort that may originate in nerves, tendons, tendon sheaths, muscles or blood vessels. These disorders include nerve compression disorders such as cubital tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome and thoracic outlet syndrome, as well as inflammations of the tendons and sheaths such as tendonitis and tenosynovitus. However, a large proportion of WRMSDs cannot be associated with damage to specific tissues as identified by, for example, X-ray or ultrasound. Thus, while it is generally agreed that musculoskeletal disorders can be the result of adverse occupational loads, the mechanisms behind their causation and persistence are still largely obscure. The contributing work-related factors for musculoskeletal disorders are fairly well established. In an analysis of the epidemiologic evidence, Bernard (1997) concludes that substantial evidence exists for an association between exposure to awkward postures and neck/shoulder disorders, for a combination of physical work factors leading to disorders of the elbow, hand/wrist and tendonitis, and for heavy lifting being connected with low back disorders. In an evaluation and discussion of a broader set of studies, members of the National Research Council Steering Committee for the Workshop on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries (1999) concludes that for “those studies involving the highest levels of exposure to biomechanical stressors of the upper extremity, neck and back, and for those with the sharpest contrast among the study groups, the positive relationship between the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and the conduct of work is clear. ” Therefore, the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace often focuses on the evaluation of jobs in terms of the physical job requirements and the development of solutions to reduce the frequency, duration and/or intensity of the biomechanical stressors during work. Ergonomics job analysis (EJA) is performed to systematically: •identify hazardous work situations that present peak exposures (e.g., extremely heavy lifting); •determine whether exposure is beyond conventionally recommended levels (e.g., working in kneeling postures for more than 2 hours per 8-hour shift); •rank order jobs for intervention; •evaluate whether interventions actually reduce exposures associated with jobs. Common questions that arise in ergonomics practice include: •Is greater than 50 lb ever handled during a job? •Do workers in a job spend more than 25% of the work time in trunk flexion? •Which tasks or jobs are the most hazardous?
Association between BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations and survival in women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer.

CONTEXT Approximately 10% of women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) carry deleterious germline mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2. A recent article suggested that BRCA2-related EOC was associated with an improved prognosis, but the effect of BRCA1 remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To characterize the survival of BRCA carriers with EOC compared with noncarriers and to determine whether BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers show similar survival patterns. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A pooled analysis of 26 observational studies on the survival of women with ovarian cancer, which included data from 1213 EOC cases with pathogenic germline mutations in BRCA1 (n = 909) or BRCA2 (n = 304) and from 2666 noncarriers recruited and followed up at variable times between 1987 and 2010 (the median year of diagnosis was 1998). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Five-year overall mortality. RESULTS The 5-year overall survival was 36% (95% CI, 34%-38%) for noncarriers, 44% (95% CI, 40%-48%) for BRCA1 carriers, and 52% (95% CI, 46%-58%) for BRCA2 carriers. After adjusting for study and year of diagnosis, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers showed a more favorable survival than noncarriers (for BRCA1: hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68-0.89; P < .001; and for BRCA2: HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50-0.76; P < .001). These survival differences remained after additional adjustment for stage, grade, histology, and age at diagnosis (for BRCA1: HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64-0.84; P < .001; and for BRCA2: HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.39-0.61; P < .001). The BRCA1 HR estimate was significantly different from the HR estimated in the adjusted model (P for heterogeneity = .003). CONCLUSION Among patients with invasive EOC, having a germline mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 was associated with improved 5-year overall survival. BRCA2 carriers had the best prognosis.
Author ' s personal copy International Environmental Agreements with mixed strategies and investment ☆

In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o We modify a canonical participation game used to study International Environmental Agreements (IEA), considering both mixed and pure strategies at the participation stage, and including a prior cost-reducing investment stage. The use of mixed strategies at the participation stage reverses a familiar result and also reverses the policy implication of that result: with mixed strategies, equilibrium participation and welfare are higher in equilibria that involve higher investment. Limiting increases in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) stocks requires an international effort. The global nature of GHG pollution and the fact of national sovereignty complicate the usual problems of eliciting the provision of a public good, in this case, reduction of GHG emissions. International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) attempt to alleviate the free riding problem associated with transboundary pollution. Although there are many examples of successful IEAs, these do not involve problems on the same scale as climate change. In the absence of historical analogies, economic theory plays an especially important role in helping to think about ways of addressing the climate policy problem. The literature on IEAs uses both non-cooperative and cooperative game theories. A major non-cooperative strand uses the definition of cartel stability in a participation game (D'Aspremont et al., 1983). In this game, countries first make a binary decision, whether to join or stay out of an IEA, and then the resulting IEA decides on the level of abatement. review this literature. IEA members internalize the effect of their actions on other members, while non-members ignore the externalities. A stable IEA is both internally stable (members do not want to defect) and externally stable (outsiders do not want to join); that is, the equilibrium at the participation stage is Nash in the binary participation decision. These models are generally pessimistic about the equilibrium level of participation, and they suggest that IEAs are especially ineffective when potential benefits of cooperation are large (Ioannidis et al. show that IEAs may not be able to improve substantially upon the non-cooperative outcome even when countries are heterogeneous. Karp and Simon (2011) reconsider these issues using a non-parametric …
Effects of litter and soil cover on Quercus liaotungensis seed predation and removal by animals

In this study,Quercus liaotungensis seeds were released on the ground of a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in Liupan Mountains,and an investigation was conducted on the seed predation and removal by animals in the treatments litter elimination,litter cover,and soil cover,taking no litter elimination and releasing seeds directly to the ground as the control.After 3 days of release,the retention rate of Q.liaotungensis seeds in treatments litter cover and soil cover was 10.7% and 7.0%,respectively.After 14 days of release,the retention rate of the seeds(0.7%) was highest in treatment of soil cover,but null in treatment litter cover.In treatments litter cover and soil cover,the in situ eaten rates of the seeds was quite high(45.9% and 41.5%,respectively),but in treatment litter elimination,the in situ eaten rates of the seeds was the lowest(27.0%) whereas the eaten rate after removal was the highest(49.8%). The burial rate of the seeds in treatments litter elimination,litter cover,and soil cover after removal by animals was significantly higher than that of the control(P0.01). The seeds after the removal were mainly distributed in the areas with a distance of 5 m,especially 1 m and 1-2 m,from the original places.The mean distance of the seeds eaten after the removal was longer than that of the seeds buried after removal,with the maximum being 2.38 m ± 0.55 m and 1.44 m ± 0.26 m,respectively.
Infiltration and Exfiltration on a Steep Gravel Beach: Implications for Sediment Transport

Simultaneous high frequency field measurements of water depth, flow velocity and groundwater elevation, coincident with observations of bed level change were made across the swash zone of a steep gravel beach. Groundwater oscillations were forced directly by swash events on the beachface but the antecedent elevation of the water table was important in determining the net groundwater response. The instantaneous swash flux was used as an indicator of infiltration/exfiltration and was highly asymmetric across the swash zone. A region of strong infiltration in the mid- to-upper-swash termed the Swash Recharge Zone (SRZ) and a transition region in the lower-swash where infiltration/exfiltration balance were identified. Morphological change over the tidal cycle was exclusively onshore and associated with berm construction. Accretion occurred close to the uprush limit within the SRZ whilst morphological change across the transition region was minimal. It is suggested that swash volume asymmetry caused by infiltration in the SRZ biases sediment transport onshore by reducing the sediment transport competency of the backwash.
Visits to National Parks and Hiking Areas: A Panel Data Analysis of Their Socio-Demographic, Economic and Site Quality Determinants

This study examines the impacts of socio-demographic, economic and park quality determinants on visits to nature areas. The authors apply panel data estimation techniques to Finnish data on 46 national parks and hiking areas between 2000 and 2008. The main results show that ‘visits to nature areas’, as a variable, reacts positively to the population size and quality features but negatively to gasoline prices and income level. Of the age classes, the population share of ‘young retirees’ – people aged between 65 and 74 – increased the number of visits to nature areas significantly, whereas the share of ‘baby boomers’ – people aged between 55 and 64 – was insignificant in explaining the number of visits. As the baby boomers are reaching retirement age, and assuming that their generation behaves like the young retirees in this study, the demand for national parks and hiking areas may increase substantially in the coming years. This will increase the pressure to expand current parks and establish new ones.
The Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on Students

This study examined the benefits of using animal assisted therapy student behavior/concentration to read and their motivation to read. Research was conducted in the students’ homes with the use of a certified therapy dog during reading and writing activities. Data was collected through observations, student and parent questionnaires, and examination and analysis of student work samples. The findings show that the presence of a therapy dog can improve student behavior/concentration to read and write as well as motivation to read and write. Therapy dogs should be used in addition to everyday instruction as a behavioral management tool and motivator for students and to create a classroom environment that allows students to feel they can take risks. Document Type Thesis Degree Name MS in Literacy Education Department Education Second Supervisor Joellen Maples Subject Categories Education This thesis is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_ETD_masters/341 THE EFFECTS OF ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY ON STUDENTS 1 The Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on Students
Estimation of the Apparent Permeability in the Dynamic Centrifuge Tests

Centrifuge model tests have been widely used to validate analytical procedures, with the assumption that variations of parameters from the prototype to the model are governed by the scaling law. However, the coefficient of permeability in dynamic centrifuge tests seems to be much larger than the value calculated from the scaling law. Permeability may significantly affect the rate of pore-pressure buildup in liquefiable soil and associated deformation during earthquake loading. Therefore, proper estimation of the actual coefficient is very important in interpreting experimental data and validating analytical procedures. Based upon the physical law of conservation of mass, this paper presents an approach for backanalysis of the permeability of saturated sand in the dynamic centrifuge test. The ability and necessity of such an approach was demonstrated by comparing the experimental and numerical results.