Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of combined biotic and abiotic stress on some physiological aspects and antioxidant enzymatic activity in mungbean (Vigna radiate L.)

Stomata conductance (gs), Shoot water content (SWC), chlorophyll pigments (chl a,b) and enzymes involved in anti-oxidant photo-protection were determined in two mungbean genotypes (Kawmay-1 and VC2010) under greenhouse conditions. The two genotypes were subjected to water deficit stress (20, 40 and 80% of field capacity) and two root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) infection levels (non-infected and infected at 15000 juveniles per pot). Both water deficit and nematode infection resulted to a fast decline in the chlorophyll pigments, gs and SWC in both genotypes; however, VC2010 was recorded as being comparatively resistant. Increase in antioxidant enzymes activity was detected for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in both stresses, but this activity was more pronounced in water deficit stress than nematode infection, especially at 40% field capacity. APX and PPO production peaks recorded at 20% of irrigation in VC2010 were highest. This revealed that VC2010 genotype was tolerant to environmental stresses compared to Kawmay-1. It was conceived from the present study that water deficit stress significantly hampered the physiological representatives of plant health, while on the other hand enzymatic alterations to cope with the biotic and abiotic stresses in plants could be used for better tolerability and plant health. The results indicated that oxidative damage (ROS) produced under environmental stress can be minimized by increasing the antioxidant enzymatic activities in mungbean. Key words: Enzymatic activities, Nematode infection, Mungbean, reactive oxygen species (ROS), stomata conductance, water deficit.
Aggregations of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in a hypersaline environment, the Mar Menor lagoon (NW Mediterranean)

The ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, a species native to estuaries and coastal regions of the western Atlantic Ocean, was first introduced into the Black Sea in the early 1980s, where it negatively affected zooplankton biodiversity and biomass, and commercial fisheries. This invasive ctenophore was first reported along the Spanish Mediterranean coast in 2009. In 2012, new blooms of this species were reported in the hypersaline and largest coastal lagoon of the Western Mediterranean basin, the Mar Menor lagoon, Spain. Sampling in the lagoon during summer 2012 showed an average abundance of 23.4 ctenophores 100 m -3 , in early August, declining to 8.2 ctenophores 100 m -3 by early September. The population contained only adults (total length 19 to 79 mm), which increased in size through the summer. Generalized additive models suggested M. leidyi abundance was significantly related to temperature, but not to salinity or depth. The Mar Menor lagoon is an anthropogenically-disturbed habitat that may favour this species. Blooms of M. leidyi in the Mar Menor lagoon are of great concern given its negative impacts in previously invaded habitats.
Hyperbola of External Debt: A Lesson from Asian Crisis *

With an observation of the stylized facts of the crisis-hit Asian countries, the paper presents the 'hyperbola of external debt' hypothesis contending that there may exist a threshold hyperbola warning a prospective occurrence of a currency crisis. The empirical evidence shows that given the financial fragility and others, a composite indicator for making a diagnosis on the health of the external debt position of a country is roughly the product, {the ratio of total external debt to GDP (%)-10%}{the ratio of short-term external debt to total external debt (%) - 10%}.
Eulerian-Lagrangian Formulation for Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations

The Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation of the (inviscid) Euler dynamics in terms of advected Weber-Clebsch potentials (Lamb, 1932), was extended by Constantin to cover the viscous Navier-Stokes dynamics (Constantin, 2001). Numerical studies (Ohkitani & Constantin, 2003), of this formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations concluded that the diffusive Lagrangian map becomes non-invertible under time evolution and requires resetting for its calculation. They proposed the observed sharp increase of the frequency of resettings as a new diagnostic of vortex reconnection. In previous work we were able (Cartes et al., 2007; 2009) to complement these results, using an approach that is based on a generalised set of equations of motion for the Weber-Clebsch potentials, that turned out to depend on a parameter τ, which has the unit of time for the Navier-Stokes case. Also to extend our formulation to magnetohydrodynamics, and thereby obtain a new diagnostic for magnetic reconnection. In this work we present a generalisation of the Weber-Clebsch variables in order to describe the compressible Navier-Stokes dynamics. Our main result is a good agreement between the dynamics for the velocity and density fields that come from the dynamics of Weber-Clebsch variables and direct numerical simulations of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. We first present the inviscid Eulerian-Lagrangian theory, then Constantin’s extension to viscous fluids and derive our equations of motion for the Weber-Clebsch potentials that describe the compressible Navier-Stokes dynamics. Then, performing direct numerical simulations of the Taylor-Green vortex, we check that our formulation reproduces the compressible dynamics.
Tools for Risk Analysis: Updating the 2006 WHO Guidelines

This chapter reviews developments since the WHO Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater in agriculture were published in 2006. The six main developments are: the recognition that the tolerable additional disease burden may be too stringent for many developing countries; the benefits of focusing on single-event infection risks as a measure of outbreak potential when evaluating risk acceptability; a more rigorous method for estimating annual risks; the availability of dose-response data for norovirus; the use of QMRA to estimate Ascaris infection risks; and a detailed evaluation of pathogen reductions achieved by produce-washing and disinfection. Application of the developments results in more realistic estimates of the pathogen reductions required for the safe use of wastewater in agriculture and consequently permits the use of simpler wastewater treatment processes.
Empirical Tests of the Leasing Puzzle Using Sale-and-Leaseback Transactions

Theory suggests that leasing and debt are substitutes; however, leasing is not a pure financing decisions so empirical tests have been mixed. In sale-and-leaseback transactions, operational control remains unchanged. In this paper, I use a combined sample consisting of 98 sale-and-leaseback observations over the period 1987 to 2003 to test several theories in the leasing literature. After controlling for exogenous determinants of incremental debt policy, I find that firms that have high levels of non-debt tax shields tend to increase debt levels after executing a sale-and-leaseback transaction suggesting a complementary affect. However, in robustness checks, I cannot reject the substitution hypothesis.
Valuation Accuracy and Infinity Horizon Forecast: Empirical Evidence from Europe

This paper focuses on the assumptions of infinite-horizon forecasting in the field of firm valuation. The estimate of long-run continuing values is based on the hypothesis that companies should have reached the steady state at the end of the period of explicit forecasts. It is argued that the equivalence between cash accounting and accrual accounting is the way of verifying the steady-state assumption, defined as the state when a firm earns exactly its cost of capital, i.e., what we would expect in pure-competition settings. From this definition, we derive that the “ideal” growth rate to use in steady state is equal to the reinvestment rate times Weighted Average Cost of Capital. To validate our approach, we collect a sample of 784 analyst valuations and compare how the implied target prices deviate from what the target prices would have been using the “ideal” steady-state growth rates. Using Logit and Cox regression models, we find that this deviation has predictive value over the probability that actual market price reaches the target price over the following 12-month period - the smaller the deviation the greater is the likelihood that the market price reaches the target price.
Bringing the High Seas into the Lab to Evaluate Speech Input Feasibility: A Case Study: SiMPE – 5th Workshop on Speech in Mobile and Pervasive Environments (part of ACM MobileHCI’2010)

As mobile technologies continue to penetrate increasingly diverse domains of use, we accordingly need to understand the feasibility of different interaction technologies across such varied domains. This case study describes an investigation into whether speechbased input is a feasible interaction option for use in a complex, and arguably extreme, environment of use – that is, lobster fishing vessels. We reflect on our approaches to bringing the “high seas” into lab environments for this purpose, comparing the results obtained via our lab and our field studies. Our hope is that the work presented here will go some way to enhancing the literature in terms of approaches to bringing complex real-world contexts into lab environments for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of specific interaction technologies.
Choosing Smoothness Parameters for Smoothing Splines by Minimizing and Estimate of Risk

Smoothing splines are a popular approach for non-parametric regression problems. We use periodic smoothing splines to fit a periodic signal plus noise model to data for which we assume there are underlying circadian patterns. In the smoothing spline methodology, choosing an appropriate smoothness parameter is an important step in practice. In this paper, we draw a connection between smoothing splines and REACT estimators that provides motivation for the creation of criteria for choosing the smoothness parameter. The new criteria are compared to three existing methods, namely cross-validation, generalized cross-validation, and generalization of maximum likelihood criteria, by a Monte Carlo simulation and by an application to the study of circadian patterns. For most of the situations presented in the simulations, including the practical example, the new criteria out-perform the three existing criteria.
Ising Model for Conductive Percolation in Electrically Conductive Adhesives by Considering Random Arrangement of Conducting Particles

Problem statement: Thermodynamically, particles in composites will arrange in a way such that the Helmholtz free energy is minimized. However, even a single structure has the lowest free energy, it should not ignore the probability of other structures having larger energies to occur, although at small chances. Approach: All possible arrangements of particles in the composites, therefore, must be taken into account in the theory or simulation development. Results: The composite energy depends on the interaction between components in the composites. To consider the effect of interactions on energy, in this study we used a simple Ising model incorporated with the Bragg-Williams approximation. We used the model to predict the average packing fraction and the percolation threshold in composites as well as other quantities related to percolation phenomenon. Conclusion/Recommendations: We found several predictions that have not been reported by previous authors. This model can be important in the understanding conductivity development in electrically conductive adhesive composites.
Assimilation of sea surface salinity in a tropical Oceanic General Circulation Model (OGCM): A twin experiment approach

Observing ocean surface salinity in the global ocean is a challenging issue for future years' oceanographic activities. It is motivated by the active role of salinity that is now well recognized in ocean dynamics and ocean/atmosphere exchanges. This is particularly evident in the case of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Improvements to ocean state estimation and predictions will require that salinity observations must be taken into proper account in conjunction with temperature and altimetric data. The sensitivity of a primitive equation model of the tropical Pacific Ocean to sea surface salinity (SSS) is studied through the use of a data assimilation technique in the rather academic “twin experiment” context. The data assimilation technique used, the Singular Evolutive Extended Kalman (SEEK) filter, is derived from the conventional Kalman filter theory. The paper explains why such a sophisticated technique is necessary. Indeed, an empirical scheme such as the Newtonian relaxation method, used in the same conditions, fails to constrain either the observed (surface) variable or the other components of the state vector. Within the experimental context chosen, the assimilation of SSS data with the SEEK filter is able to constrain most of the model variables linked with the SSS signal. SSS information, in particular, appears relatively successful in restoring zonal velocity, which is an important variable in warm/fresh pool migration, and in simulating a barrier layer in the atmospheric convergence zones. The final analysis errors are small and stable over time. This is widely true when simulating satellite SSS observations based on the GODAE criteria (0.2 psu error, 200 km, 10 days), which shows the potential of these observations. To extend these results to a real context, the problems of model‐data bias and unknown error covariances must be addressed as they are actually a strong limitation in assimilation performance when assimilating any real data set.
3D protein structures similarity matching based on fractal features

In this paper, we propose a new method for finding similarity in 3-D protein structure comparison. Different from the other existing methods, our method is grounded in the theory of fractal geometry. The proposed feature vectors of protein structures are invariant to the rotation, translation, scaling of the protein molecule, and it is simple to implement. The method is very fast because it requires neither alignment of the chains nor any chain-chain comparison. We calculate the fractal features of a set of 200 protein structures selected from PDB (Protein Data Bank). The experimental result shows that our method is very effective in classification of 3-D protein structures.
Bias caused by water adsorption in hourly PM measurements

Abstract. Beta-attenuation monitors are used worldwide to monitor PM mass concentration with high temporal resolution. Hourly PM10 and PM2. 5 dry mass concentrations are publicly available with the tacit assumption that water is effectively removed prior to the measurement. However, as both the filter material of the monitor and the aerosol particles are capable of retaining a significant amount of water even at low relative humidities, the basic assumption may not be valid, resulting in significant bias in reported PM10 and PM2. 5 concentrations. Here we show that in PM10 measurement, particle-free air can produce apparent hourly average PM concentrations in the range of −13–+21 µg m−3 under conditions of fluctuating relative humidity. Positive and negative apparent readings are observed with increasing and decreasing relative humidities, respectively. Similar phenomena have been observed when the instrument filter was previously loaded with atmospheric aerosol. As a result the potential measurement biases in hourly readings arising from the interaction with water may be in the range of −53… + 69 %.
Nucleic Acids as Detection Tools

The progress of biotechnology, especially towards nanobiotechnology, has been inspired from biological processes that have evolved over billions of years. Nucleic acids, long revered for their genetic coding properties, have now emerged as important materials for molecular diagnostic technologies. At the core of nucleic acid-based diagnostics is the fidelity of hybridization, a reversible thermodynamic process in which a nucleic acid molecule binds another nucleic acid molecule with the complementary sequence. This characteristic has been extensively explored in many areas of detection-oriented applications, to distinguish pathogenic species, to detect disease-related gene markers, to quantify the level of gene expression in cells and more. In addition to the ability to form helical structures, nucleic acids are also known to have the ability to perform more complex tasks such as enzymatic catalysis and molecular recognition (ligand binding). The first discovery in this arena was made in the early 1980s when some natural RNA molecules, now known as ribozymes, were found to exhibit catalytic properties reminiscent of protein enzymes [1,2]. Years later, an elegant technique known as ‘in vitro selection’ was invented and has since become a relatively routine process for engineering artificial DNA, RNA or modified nucleic acid molecules that can function as enzymes and receptors [3–6]. This has led to a colossal collection of functional nucleic acid sequences, many of which have been explored for bioanalytical applications. Our pursuit towards a better quality of life has generated an increasing demand for new tools and techniques to diagnose disease accurately or to examine environmental conditions. The ideal detection device and assay must offer great selectivity, excellent sensitivity, ease of use and low cost of production. Nucleic acids can satisfy these requirements due to the following assets: (1) specific Watson–Crick base pairing under a wide range of conditions, (2) high stability and long shelf-life, (3) low cost of synthesis and (4) excellent adaptability to external modifications such as radiolabels and fluorescent and colorimetric dyes.
Azimuthal oscillations and dynamics of electrons into channel of Stationary Plasma Thruster

In the report represents results of numerical calculation the transport electrons into channel stationary plasma thruster in field azimuthal and longitudinal wave. For this calculation have been used characteristics wave obtained from experiment. Results that have been derived by numerical simulation of electron dynamics, analysis Hall parameter, shown, that azimuth wave can increase electron transport velocity along channel thruster. It is shown, that in elastic collisions in wave field the electrons are displaced along the channel to a higher value, than when driving only in a constant field. Increasing transport velocity of electrons by interacting them with azimuthal wave can represent through decreasing "scattering time" τе= τ0 2 /τi, where τ0 - time of scattering electron on neutral atom, τi - ionization time. In taking this in attention Hall parameter have been calculated for two SPD models, operating on Xe and Kr. Comparison this values with experimental values shown, that they enough well coincide between them.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Use In Children In Hong Kong : A Pilot Study

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a popular kind of alternative medicine. Since TCM was implemented in the healthcare system in 1999 in Hong Kong, its use has become increasingly common particularly among adults. Characteristics of TCM use in children have not received much attention. This absence of information limits the knowledge about pediatric TCM usage patterns. Objectives: The current study aimed to examine the use of TCM in children, mainly to ascertain the conditions to seek TCM treatments, the types and reasons of TCM use. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire to obtain information on TCM usage patterns in children, including conditions, types, effectiveness and reasons of TCM use, from caregivers. Caregivers' attitudes toward TCM were also acquired. A total of 70 caregivers, who with their children attended the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Chinese Medicine clinics, completed the questionnaires in October-November 2012. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the association of caregivers' attitude toward TCM and their socio-demographic variables. Results: Behavioral problems were the leading condition that children sought TCM treatments. A high percentage (52.9%) of acupuncture use was detected. Over 50% of the caregivers admitted the concurrent use of both TCM and Western medicine (WM) on their children. TCM was considered as a holistic and natural medical process. Over 90% of the caregivers believed TCM had fewer side effects and less toxic than WM. Education was a predictor of the belief that TCM had few side effects. Conclusion: This is a pilot study to uncover TCM usage patterns in children attending the HKBU Chinese Medicine clinics. It also provided insight into the attitudes of caregivers toward TCM. However, in addition to the small sample, the subjects selected were only those visiting the TCM clinics. Thus the sample might not be representative and results could not be generalized. Hence, future studies should be general population-based.
Validation of 'Cloud-Free' Tropical UTLS MIPAS Ozone and Water Vapour

Anomalous concentration values detected in cloud-flagged MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) L2 tropical ozone and water vapour profiles analysed at the University of Leicester motivates us to investigate the current cloud detection scheme used operationally by MIPAS. In this paper, we describe a method that explores the effect of tropical upper tropospheric clouds on MIPAS ozone and water vapour profiles and quantify the cloud screening that will potentially maximise the quantity of clear sky L2 profiles produced and minimise errors produced by clouds. We also present validation results of MIPAS tropical ozone and water vapour profiles using the HALOE and SHADOZ datasets.
Customer Service Behavior and Attitudes among Hotel Managers: A Look at Perceived Support Functions, Standards for Service, and Service Process Outcomes

A model of customer service behavior and outcomes was proposed and tested among managerial-supervisory personnel (N = 250) from 11 hotel properties within six large national and international hotel companies. Confirmatory factor analyses yielded a reliable approach to examine elements of customer service and outcomes in a service-based setting. Specifically, organizational support was represented by two independent dimensions of coworker support and supervisory support. A dimension of standards for service was presented and validated as a central mediating factor in the perception of service processes, along with customer (guest) orientation, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions as outcome measures in a path model of customer service behavior.