Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the effect of genetic diversity on the early establishment of the threatened seagrass Posidonia australis using a reciprocal‐transplant experiment

Two common goals for restoration are rapid plant establishment and long‐term plant persistence. The success of transplanted populations may be jeopardized if the donor transplants are not genetically diverse, and/or poorly matched to their new environment. Here, we test the effects of local adaptation and plot‐level genetic diversity on the early establishment phase of a threatened seagrass species, Posidonia australis, by performing a reciprocal transplant experiment across two genetically and geographically distinct populations in southeastern Australia. Posidonia australis is a long‐lived, slow‐growing species that has no seed bank, and the successful transplantation of live shoots and seedlings is the only available restoration method. Our results show a strong effect of local adaptation and genetic diversity on P. australis survivorship and performance over the first 6 months following transplantation. High‐genetic diversity plots displayed higher survival rates and exhibited reduced productivity and increased carbohydrate reserves within the rhizome. This suggests that high‐diversity plots included shoots that were conserving energy stores by actively reducing growth rates during the early stages of transplantation. The lowest diversity plots exhibited high leaf and root productivity and corresponding low carbohydrate reserves. This may be a sign of stress in the low‐diversity transplants, potentially explaining the very low survival rate. We suggest that future restoration efforts source donor transplants from multiple local sources to ensure both local adaptation and sufficient genetic diversity to increase the likelihood of early establishment success.
Determinants of Technology Acceptance: Two Model-Based Meta-Analytic Reviews

Examining the determinants of technology acceptance has been a central interest across disciplines. The technology acceptance model (TAM) and its variants and extensions are the most popular theoretical frameworks in this line of research. Two model-based meta-analytical approaches, that is, meta-meta-analysis and conventional meta-analysis, are used to pool the correlations and to test the path relationships among the variables of the TAM. We find that the extended TAM, which we term the TAM Plus, prevails in the model fit testing and that the results of the pooled correlations and path coefficients estimated using the meta-meta-analysis and meta-analysis are generally consistent.
Infrastructure and Flight Consolidation Efficiency of Public and Private Brazilian International Airports: A Two-Stage DEA and Malmquist Index Approach

Air transportation is a paramount element within the transport infrastructure of any country. In recent years, several factors have led to an increased demand in the civil aviation industry in Brazil, putting pressure on the country’s airport infrastructure, which by itself justifies industry-related efficiency studies. Although the airport efficiency analysis is widely discussed in the literature, studies aiming to compare public and private Brazilian international airports are still scarce. The main objective of this study is to comparatively analyze the efficiency of public and private Brazilian international airports. To do so, efficiency was studied under two mathematical approaches: the two-stage DEA model and the Malmquist Index. Subsequent statistical analyses show a significant difference in efficiency between government-managed airports and those under concession to the private sector.
A Distributed Model Predictive Control Framework for Grid-Friendly Distributed Energy Resources

This work develops a distributed fast-frequency control framework for application in self-consuming energy communities. We propose a distributed consensus optimization of inertia coefficients based on the individual resource constraints of grid-friendly distributed energy resources (ders), which relies on the presence of a peer-to-peer communication infrastructure. In the proposed control strategy, the inertia coefficients of the individual ders are optimally tuned in real-time by a faster control loop to improve the frequency response metrics such as nadir frequency, peak overshoot, and the settling time of the frequency transient with the help of local model predictive controllers. The coordination among the ders are simulated on the cigre benchmark microgrid and the control is validated on a power hardware-in-the-loop platform.
State-led Financialization in China: The Case of the Government-guided Investment Fund

Abstract China is witnessing a growing trend towards financialization by the state. Drawing on the concept of state-led financialization, this study is the first to explore how the government-guided investment fund (GGIF) has evolved and spread throughout the country. The promotion policies and practices of the central government have laid the key foundation for the development of GGIFs, while local governments have quickly adopted this new financial tool, resulting in its widespread take up. State-owned enterprises are heavily involved in the operation of GGIFs, indicating that this market-oriented tool has largely failed to attract capital from the private sector. This study shows that state-led financialization in China has strengthened rather than weakened the influence of the state in the economy, which is not the case in most Western economies. However, the limitations and risks of the GGIF are also related to the dominant role of the state in GGIF operations.
Loss of hepatocyte cell division leads to liver inflammation and fibrosis

The liver possesses a remarkable regenerative capacity based partly on the ability of hepatocytes to re-enter the cell cycle and divide to replace damaged cells. This capability is substantially reduced upon chronic damage, but it is not clear if this is a cause or consequence of liver disease. Here, we investigate whether blocking hepatocyte division using two different mouse models affects physiology as well as clinical liver manifestations like fibrosis and inflammation. We find that in P14 Cdk1Liv-/- mice, where the division of hepatocytes is abolished, polyploidy, DNA damage, and increased p53 signaling are prevalent. Cdk1Liv-/- mice display classical markers of liver damage two weeks after birth, including elevated ALT, ALP, and bilirubin levels, despite the lack of exogenous liver injury. Inflammation was further studied using cytokine arrays, unveiling elevated levels of CCL2, TIMP1, CXCL10, and IL1-Rn in Cdk1Liv-/- liver, which resulted in increased numbers of monocytes. Ablation of CDK2-dependent DNA re-replication and polyploidy in Cdk1Liv-/- mice reversed most of these phenotypes. Overall, our data indicate that blocking hepatocyte division induces biological processes driving the onset of the disease phenotype. It suggests that the decrease in hepatocyte division observed in liver disease may not only be a consequence of fibrosis and inflammation, but also a pathological cue.
A non-destructive approach for the predictive master curve of ASPHALT pavements using ultrasonic and deflection methods

ABSTRACT The elastic modulus of an asphalt mixture varies with temperature and frequency of load due to its visco-elastic nature, and this behaviour is represented by a master curve constructed by either laboratory tests or predictive models based on known material properties. The predictive approach is based on the material specifications and enables to estimate the modulus over a range of frequency without any laboratory tests. However, this estimated curve should be corrected with respect to a measured reference value, which can be obtained from non-destructive methods. In this study, ultrasonic surface waves (USW) and light weight deflectometer (LWD) tests are conducted on two laboratory slab specimens and an as built pavement, and the experimental results are compared with the predictive master curves. The measured dynamic moduli are found consistently higher than the predictive master curves indicating that the model underestimates the modulus of asphalt mix. Finally, the method is verified by shifting the moduli measured at different frequencies to the 25-Hz-design modulus, of which those obtained by the USW tests from the laboratory and field match very well, whereas those by the USW and the LWD tests from the as built pavement are also found highly consistent with each other.
Intrinsic rewards modulate sensorimotor adaptation

Recent studies have demonstrated that task success signals can modulate behavioral changes during sensorimotor adaptation tasks, primarily through the engagement of explicit processes. In a series of reaching experiments with human participants, we explore a potential interaction between reward-based learning and implicit adaptation, using a method in which feedback is not contingent on task performance. We varied the size of the target to compare conditions in which visual feedback indicated an invariant angular error that either hit or missed the target. Hitting the target attenuated the behavioral changes from adaptation, an effect we attribute to the generation of an intrinsic reward signal. We evaluated two models, one in which reward and adaptation systems operate in parallel, and a second in which reward acts directly on the adaptation system. The results favor the latter, consistent with evidence showing communication, and possible overlap, between neural substrates underlying reward-based learning and sensorimotor adaptation.
Influence of soil evolution on the heavy metal risk in three kinds of intertidal zone of the Pearl River Estuary

Human activities and the increasing emphasis on coastal protection contribute to the diversity and evolution of intertidal soil. But, less is known about the influence of soil evolution on the heavy metal risk in intertidal zones. In this study, soil samples were collected from three kinds of intertidal zone in the Pearl River Estuary, including bare beach (BB), a spartina growing area (SGA), and a mangrove growing area (MGA), to reveal the influence of key factors on the heavy metal risk. The results showed that the highest concentrations of Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Cr mainly existed in the surface layer of SGA and MGA and decreased with depth, reaching 3.57, 365.26, 91.24 95.12, 58.47, and 111.35 mg kg−1, respectively. Residual fractions were the main geochemical fractions and increased with depth, while exchangeable fractions showed the opposite trend. Based on the geoaccumulation index, soils were moderately to extremely polluted by Cd and partially to moderately polluted by Zn, Cu, and Ni. Cd had high potential adverse effects (ranging from 25.29 to 45) in MGA according to the risk assessment code. Correlation and principal component analyses indicated that soil organic carbon (SOC), clay, pH, Fe, and Mg were the key factors that affected the heavy metal risk. Linear regression revealed that SOC and clay were positively correlated with the pollution level of heavy metals, while clay and Fe were positively correlated with the ecological risk. Consequently, the variation in properties due to intertidal soil evolution may modulate the risk of heavy metals.
Loss of Peroxisomal Hydroxypyruvate Reductase Inhibits Triose Phosphate Isomerase but Stimulates Cyclic Photosynthetic Electron Flow and the Glc-6P-Phosphate Shunt

The oxygenation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate by Rubisco is the first step in photorespiration and reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis in C3 plants. Our recent data indicates that mutants in photorespiration have increased rates of photosynthetic cyclic electron flow around photosystem I. We investigated mutant lines lacking peroxisomal hydroxypyruvate reductase to determine if there are connections between 2-PG accumulation and cyclic electron flow. We found that 2-PG is a competitive inhibitor of triose phosphate isomerase (TPI), an enzyme in the Calvin-Benson cycle that converts glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. This block in metabolism could be overcome if glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate is exported to the cytosol where the cytosolic triose phosphate isomerase could convert it to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. We found evidence that carbon is reimported as Glc-6P-phosphate forming a cytosolic bypass around the block of stromal TPI. However, this also stimulates a Glc-6P-phosphate shunt, which consumes ATP, which can be compensated by higher rates of cyclic electron flow. Once Sentence Summary Triose phosphate isomerase is inhibited in plants lacking hydroxypyruvate reductase 1 and this is overcome by exporting triose phosphate to the cytosol and importing Glc-6P, which stimulates a Glc-6P-phosphate shunt and cyclic electron flow.
Multiwavelength Variability of BL Lacertae Measured with High Time Resolution

In an effort to locate the sites of emission at different frequencies and physical processes causing variability in blazar jets, we have obtained high time-resolution observations of BL Lacertae over a wide wavelength range: with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) at 6000–10000 Å with 2 minute cadence; with the Neil Gehrels Swift satellite at optical, UV, and X-ray bands; with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array at hard X-ray bands; with the Fermi Large Area Telescope at γ-ray energies; and with the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope for measurement of the optical flux density and polarization. All light curves are correlated, with similar structure on timescales from hours to days. The shortest timescale of variability at optical frequencies observed with TESS is ∼0.5 hr. The most common timescale is 13 ± 1 hr, comparable with the minimum timescale of X-ray variability, 14.5 hr. The multiwavelength variability properties cannot be explained by a change solely in the Doppler factor of the emitting plasma. The polarization behavior implies that there are both ordered and turbulent components to the magnetic field in the jet. Correlation analysis indicates that the X-ray variations lag behind the γ-ray and optical light curves by up to ∼0.4 day. The timescales of variability, cross-frequency lags, and polarization properties can be explained by turbulent plasma that is energized by a shock in the jet and subsequently loses energy to synchrotron and inverse Compton radiation in a magnetic field of strength ∼3 G.
Determinants of e-government service adoption: an empirical study for business registration in Southeast Vietnam

ABSTRACT The study aims to examine the determinants affecting the adoption of e government services in Vietnam. An extended version of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model is employed to build the research model. The model is investigated through asurvey of 433 responses from small and medium enterprise (SMEs) owners in three Southeast provinces in Vietnam, and analysed using amultinomial logit model. The findings are expected to not only assist SMEs in their business registration process but contribute to quality improvement and promotion of e-government services in Southeast Vietnam.
Effect of foliar application of gibbrellic acid on pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.)] under rainfed conditions

A field experiment was conducted at the Agriculture Research Station (Dr. PDKV), Buldana during 2016, to study the effect of foliar application of gibbrellic acid on pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.)] under rainfed conditions. In pigeonpea, 10 treatments comprising gibbrellic acid–management practices (application of 25, 50, 75 ppm GA3 at flowering, pod development stages and control) were tested. Results indicated that two applications of 75 ppm GA3 at flowering and pod development stages recorded significantly number of branches /plant, number of pods/ plant, seed index and grain yield than no application of the GA3. The same treatment recorded higher rain water use efficiency and higher gross returns.
Junior secondary students’ acceptance and continuance of e-learning system use: a multi-group analysis across social backgrounds

ABSTRACT Although previous research into adults’ acceptance or continued use of technology has been extensive, there is a lack of research study that investigated e-learning systems acceptance and continuance of teenagers with different social backgrounds. This study aimed to explore the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural factors that motivate teenagers’ acceptance and continuance of e-learning system use, and to compare such system use behaviours across teenagers with different social backgrounds. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action, the technology acceptance model, and the expectation-confirmation model, a research model was proposed and tested using data from a three-wave longitudinal survey on 1182 junior secondary students. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the model with the entire sample. The results showed that perceived ease of use, peer subjective norm, and teacher subjective norm were strong motivators of behavioural intention at all use stages. Multi-group SEM analysis was conducted across teenagers with different gender, experience, and socio-economic status. The results showed significant path differences in all group comparisons, revealing the existence of social divides in the modelled relationships. The majority of these path differences were found in the relationships between satisfaction and its antecedent variables. The findings and implications are discussed.
Serial discontinuity in naturally alternating forest and floodplain habitats of a Michigan (USA) stream based on physicochemistry, benthic metabolism, and organismal assemblages

ABSTRACT We tested the response of several different water quality metrics at 6 sites along a 4-km alternating forest (canopied) and floodplain (non-canopied) reach of the East Branch of the Black River, an undisturbed northern Lower Michigan trout stream, during summer 2015. Physicochemical parameters were unchanged between sites and reflected an undisturbed continuum. In-stream woody debris was higher at the forest sites, whereas relative canopy cover and sunlight intensity were higher at the floodplain sites. Both benthic macroinvertebrates and adult caddisflies exhibited greater species richness and a higher abundance of shredders at the forest sites, and a higher abundance of scrapers at the floodplain sites. Fish specimen abundance, species richness, and percentage of trout were not different between sites, and instead all increased throughout the summer. Community respiration was unchanged between the single tested floodplain site and the forest sites upstream and downstream of it. Gross primary production and net daily metabolism were higher at the floodplain site, leading to stream autotrophy. This result was also obtained when tested in summer 2017. Our results support the idea that terrestrial habitat changes can singularly affect the fundamental ecological functioning of an undisturbed stream, primarily due to deviations in sunlight penetration and allochthonous input. Moreover, the short distances between sites with alternating results indicate the dynamic and serially discontinuous state of natural rivers.
Patterns of small mammal species richness in mediterranean and temperate Chile

While it is widely accepted that species richness and rarity are non-randomly distributed across time, space, and taxa, it is by no means evident which are the factors affecting the distribution patterns of both attributes. In this study we analyze richness and rarity patterns of small mammals (rodents and marsupials) in Mediterranean and temperate Chile. We test for the effect of environmental factors that may explain richness and endemism variability after accounting for spatial autocorrelation. We also analyze the relationship between species traits and correlates of rarity (density and range size) after accounting for phylogenetic relatedness. Our results show that energy input and to a lesser degree glaciations may explain richness pattern of small mammals from forest habitats in Chile, whereas glaciations and topographic heterogeneity are associated with endemicity patterns. Both factors may explain the high richness found at 37° S and the low values at the southernmost tip of the continent. When phylogenetic relatedness was accounted for, the number of vegetation types was the only ecological trait significantly associated with density and latitudinal range. Our results reinforce the importance of energy availability and productivity in determining patterns in biodiversity.
Studies on Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance Analysis in Rice ( Oryza sativa L.) under Submergence

The present experiment was conducted with 26 rice genotypes under submergence and normal conditions. Based on eleven characters namely, days to first flowering, plant height, number of tillers per plant, number of panicles per plant, panicle length, 1000 grain weight, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO 2 conc. , transpiration rate and grain yield per plant, studies on variability, heritability and genetic advance were made both in submergence and normal conditions. The characters of major contributors in normal condition were number of panicles per plant, number of tillers per plant, intercellular CO 2 Conc. and stomatal conductance. In case of submergence condition the major contributors were number of panicles per plant and 1000 grain weight. High heritability along with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for number of panicles per plant, photosynthetic rate and grain yield per plant in normal and submergence conditions which indicate that these traits are governed by additive gene action. Added, low heritability along with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for intercellular CO 2 Conc. in both normal and submergence conditions. Since genetic per cent of mean was high for both cases, the expected progress under selection could be obtained in the next generation itself and selection of such characters cases might be effective.
Improvement the Plasticity via Dual-Amorphous and Nanocrystals Synergistically in a Zr-Cu-Al-Nb Bulk Metallic Glass Composite

In this work, a small amount of Nb has been added in a Zr52Cu42.5Al5. 5 bulk metallic glass, and a Zr52Cu42Al5.5Nb0. 5 bulk metallic glass composite with dual-amorphous and nanocrystal structures has been developed for the first time. This in situ formed bulk metallic glass composite has a larger room compressive plasticity of above 13% than that of the Zr52Cu42.5Al5. 5 bulk metallic glass. The excellent plasticity of the bulk metallic glass composite is attributed to the phase-separated matrix with micro-nanocrystal and the nanocrystallization during the deforming process. This work may give a new sight into design bulk metallic glass composites and the underlying mechanism for deformation.