Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of organic farming for food security: local nexus with a global view

A convergence of factors has made food security one of the most important global issues. It has been the core concept of the Milan Expo 2015, whose title, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, embodied the challenge to provide the world’s growing population with a sustainable, secure supply of safe, nutritious, and affordable high-quality food using less land with lower inputs. Meeting the food security agenda using current agricultural production techniques cannot be achieved without serious degradation to the environment, including soil degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change. Organic farming is seen as a solution to the challenge of sustainable food production, as it provides more nutritious food, with less or no pesticide residues and lower use of inputs. A limit of organic farming is its restricted capability of producing food compared to conventional agriculture, thus being an inefficient approach to food production and to food security. The authors maintain, on the basis of a scientific literature review, that organic soils tend to retain the physical, chemical and biological properties over the long term, while maintaining stable levels of productivity and thereby ensuring long-term food production and safety. Furthermore, the productivity gap of organic crops may be worked out by further investment in research and in particular into diversification techniques. Moreover, strong scientific evidence indicates that organic agricultural systems deliver greater ecosystem services and social benefits. Keywords: organic farming, sustainable agriculture, environment, food security, 2015 Milan Expo, global governance
Formation of two types of cysts by a mixotrophic dinoflagellate, Pfiesteria piscicida

ABSTRACT: Despite the widespread occurrence of mixotrophic dinoflagellates, most research oncyst formation in dinoflagellates has focused on phototrophic organisms or on factors affecting photo-trophic growth (i.e. light intensity and nutrient supply). Presumably, factors that stimulate cyst for-mation in mixotrophic organisms would be combinations of those factors that affect phototrophic and phagotrophic growth (such as limiting light intensity and limiting prey concentrations). The toxicdinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida is an interesting test case because it has a complex life history andis considered mixotrophic. Recently, a form of P. piscicida has been described that does not have theability to produce toxins (termed ‘non-inducible’). The objectives of this study were to identify whichlife stages are likely to be present in a mixotrophic culture of ‘non-inducible’ P. piscicida and to deter-mine the morphological differences based on fluorescent stain uptake. Also, we examined whichcombinations of adverse environmental factors (low light intensity and low prey concentrations)affect life stage transformations. In this culture, we observed 3 distinct life stages (a zoospore stage,and 2 cysts). One of the cysts (termed Cyst A) has a thick cell wall and appears to form from activelyfeeding zoospores regardless of light intensity. The second type of cyst (Cyst B) has a much thinnercell wall and only forms from recently fed zoospores maintained in complete darkness. During theexperiment, encystment rates to either cyst were low, suggesting that encystment will not dramati-cally affect bloom dynamics on small timescales.KEY WORDS:
Microsatellite-Based Genetic Structure and Differentiation of Goldfish (Carassius auratus) with Sarcoma

Ten microsatellite loci were used for analyzing six populations of goldfish (Carassius auratus) with sarcoma. It showed that there was the highest genetic diversity among the white oranda with red cap (RC) population, and the lowest among the white tigerhead (WT) population. However, the outcross existed among every population. There was huge genetic differentiation between WT and the other four populations. The average observed heterozygosity (HO) among populations ranged from 0.3571 to 0.7381. And significant genetic difference (FCT = 0.1891, P = 0.0186) appeared among goldfish varieties which can be classified into three groups (RT, WT; RL, BL, YC; RC). The software Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCA) and STRUCTURE showed that significant genetic differences were revealed between RC population of goldfish and other five populations.
Scrum with the Spices of Agile Family: A Systematic Mapping

Agile mania has revolutionized the software industry. Scrum, being a widely adopted mainstream production process, has dominated other Agile family members. Both industrial and academic researchers eagerly tailored and adapted the Scrum framework in quest of software process improvement. Their burning desire for innovation drive them to integrate other software development models with it to leverage the forte of all the models combined and stifle the weaknesses. This paper aims at providing state-of-the-art insightful understanding of how practices from different Agile process models have been plugged into the Scrum framework to bring about improvements in different extents of development that ensued enhanced productivity, and product quality. To gain the in-depth perception, a systematic mapping study has been planned. This study will identify researches on hybrid models of Scrum within agile family, published between 2011 and 2017. Subsequently, these hybrid models of Scrum will be examined broadly by classifying and thematically analyzing the literature, and outcomes will be presented. This study will contribute a latest coarse-grained overview that in turn may guide researchers for future research endeavors.
Alcohol Effects on TNF-ÃÂ± and IL-10 Production in an Ex-Vivo Model of WholeBlood Stimulated by LPS

Alcohol exposure is related to increased susceptibility to infections. We investigated the effect of acute exposure to alcohol on pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production in an ex-vivo model of whole blood stimulation with lipopolysacharide (LPS). Ten ml of whole blood were taken from 24 healthy volunteers (all men) aged 36.5 ± 1.4 years. Each sample was transferred into two tubes, without and with EDTA as anticoagulant, under sterile conditions. We had 14 groups: the control group in which whole blood was incubated without any other intervention, the LPS group in which whole blood was stimulated with LPS alone, and 12 alcohol groups with (6 groups) and without LPS stimulation (6 groups) using six different doses of alcohol (5‚ 12.5‚ 25‚ 50‚ 100 and 200mM). LPS (500pg) was added after pretreatment with alcohol for 10 minutes. Blood samples were diluted 1:10 in RPMI 1640 culture medium (100μl whole blood added in 900μl RPMI 1640), and then alcohol solution and LPS were added according to the study protocol for incubation period of 4 hours at 37°C. Cell culture supernatants were isolated with centrifugation at 1,800rpm, for 5 min at room temperature and stored at -70°C until measurements. Cytokine levels were determined in culture supernatant with the ELISA method. Alcohol had no effect on cytokine production when incubated with whole blood alone. TNF-α IL-6 and IL-10 significantly increased after LPS stimulation. Alcohol had no effect on IL-6 production after LPS challenge but significantly decreased TNF-α and IL-10 production in the presence of LPS challenge at 25mM to 200mM in a dose dependent manner. Conclusively TNF-α and IL-10 were significantly decreased after alcohol exposure in a dose depended manner in a model of whole blood stimulation with LPS exvivo expressing both suppression of pro- and anti-inflammatory response.
Evaluation of the functionality of bread loaves prepared with quinoa flakes through biological tests

The aim of this study was to evaluate quinoa flakes and bread prepared with the pseudocereal with regard to nutritional aspects by determining chemical composition, content of tocopherols and fatty acid composition as well as to possible beneficial effects in Wistar rats given commercial feed supplemented or not with quinoa flakes and cholesterol. The following parameters were determined: weight gain, food intake, liver weight, fat in liver and lipid profile in blood and liver. The results showed that processing affected the nutritional characteristics of bread because there was a significant increase in dietary fiber content but reduction in soluble fiber. Increased fiber did not influence food intake or weight gain. Regarding fat in liver of rats, the group that consumed bread without quinoa but with cholesterol showed higher lipid content. The addition of quinoa increased significantly the level of all types of tocopherols, especially in the group of animals that consumed 20% quinoa bread, improving the lipid profile both in blood and liver, largely due to a reduction in oxidized LDL.
Generation and maintenance of bulk turbulence by libration-driven elliptical instability

Longitudinal libration corresponds to the periodic oscillation of a body’s rotation rate and is, along with precessional and tidal forcings, a possible source of mechanically-driven turbulence in the fluid interior of satellites and planets. In this study, we present a combination of direct numerical simulations and laboratory experiments, modeling this geophysically relevant mechanical forcing. We investigate the fluid motions inside a longitudinally librating ellipsoidal container filled with an incompressible fluid. The elliptical instability, which is a triadic resonance between two inertial modes and the oscillating base flow with elliptical streamlines, is observed both numerically and experimentally. The large-scale inertial modes eventually lead to small-scale turbulence, provided that the Ekman number is small enough. We characterize this transition to turbulence as additional triadic resonances develop while also investigating the properties of the turbulent flow that displays both intermittent and sustained regimes. These turbulent flows may play an important role in the thermal and magnetic evolution of bodies subject to mechanical forcing, which is not considered in standard models of convectively driven magnetic field generation.
Growth of Women-Owned Businesses: The Effects of IntangibleResources and Social Competence

Previous research suggests that women entrepreneurs face many challenges in starting and growing a business. In this study, we examine the relationship of intangible resources and the growth of womenowned businesses. We focus on four intangible resources: social-, human-, and reputational capital, as well as social competence. Using case studies of women entrepreneurs, we found that a woman entrepreneur’s social-, human-, and reputational capital are related to the growth of her business. We also found that social competence moderates the social-, human-, and reputational capital – growth relationship in women entrepreneurs.
Family Events and the Timing of Intergenerational Transfers

This research investigates how family events in adult children’s lives influence the timing of their parents’ financial transfers. We draw on retrospective data collected by the German Socio-Economic Panel Study and use event history models to study the effects of marriage, divorce and childbirth on the receipt of large gifts from parents. We find increased chances of receiving real estate at marriage and in subsequent years, at childbirth, but not in the event of divorce. Large gifts of money are received in the years of marriage and divorce, but not at childbirth. Our findings indicate that parental gifts are triggered by adult children’s economic need, but also point to a plurality of transfer motives and meanings for parents, adult children and their relationships.
Invariants of the heat equation for non-minimal operators

A special class of non-minimal operators which are relevant for quantum field theory is introduced. The general form of the heat kernel coefficients of these operators on manifolds without boundary is described. New results are presented for the traces of the first two heat kernel coefficients for vector, Yang–Mills and perturbative gravity. It is argued that non-minimal operators can be used to define gauge-fixing independent actions and solve the conformal mode problem in quantum gravity.
Effects of laminar shear stress versus resveratrol on the citrulline-NO cycle in endothelial cells

Laminar shear stress (LSS) due to pulsatile blood flow enhances endothelial function by multiple mechanisms including NO production. Red wine and its constituent, resveratrol, have also been postulated to provide vascular protective effects. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of mechanical LSS and pharmacological resveratrol treatments on the endothelial citrulline-NO cycle. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with LSS (12 dyn·cm-2) or resveratrol (25 - 100 μM). The expressions of argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1), argininosuccinate lyase (ASL), nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) and cationic amino acid transporter 1 (CAT1), and the production of NO were determined. The expressions of Kruppel-like factor (KLF) 2 and KLF4 as upstream regulators of ASS1 and NOS3 were also analyzed. LSS strongly increased the mRNA levels of ASS1 (8.3 fold) and NOS3 (5.4 fold) without significant effects on ASL and CAT1 mRNAs. Resveratrol increased the ASS1 mRNA level in a dose-dependent manner up to 3.8 fold at 100 μM. The effects of resveratrol on the expressions of KLF2 and KLF4 mRNAs were smaller than those of LSS. Protein levels of ASS1 and NOS3, and NO production were markedly increased by LSS but resveratrol (50 μM) increased only ASS1 protein level. The results of the current study showed that LSS had greater effects on the citrulline-NO cycle activity leading to NO production, compared to resveratrol. Because resveratrol was not so effective at stimulating the endothelial citrulline-NO cycle, further studies are needed to find more potent drugs that increase the expression of ASS1 and NOS3 genes.
Studies on the Effective Physical Parameters for Chirp Reduction in Optical Injection Locked Semiconductor Lasers

In optical injection locking, the light from one laser (master laser)is injected into another laser slave laser. The injected light causes changes in the slave laser characteristics, and it can lock the slave laser lasing frequency to the ML lasingfrequency. The locking characteristics are determined by theamount of injected power and thefrequency difference between the master laser and slave laser.In this paper, the chirp of injection-locked semiconductor lasers has been theoretically investigated. First, chirpcharacteristics of semiconductor lasers are described. The chirp to power ratio has been calculated with including opticalinjection effect in lasers rate equation. Then, the effects of phase difference between master and slave laser and modulation frequency on chirp to power ratio are evaluated. The results of calculations show that the effect of phasedifference can be neglected, but optical injection, line width enhancement factor, and detuningfrequency have an effective role in chirp reduction of semiconductor lasers.
An Empirical Examination of Sample Selection Methods in the Context of Life Insurer Financial Distress

This study empirically examines properties of matched-pair versus non matched- pair sampling methods in the context of financial distress for the U.S. life insurance industry. While the majority of prior insurer insolvency studies employed matched-pair sampling techniques to identify important variables and to classify and predict firms likely to become financially distressed, we provide empirical evidence that three solvency-related items are sample dependent: variables identified as important measures of insolvency, coefficients, and classification rates. Thus, empirical studies employing relatively small matched-pair samples are likely to yield sample specific results that are not fully generalizable to the relevant population of firms. Results apply directly to financial distress models and also extend to other research employing choice-based sampling methods that involve binary state models with skewed distribution of the two states of interest.
A New Tool for Textual Aggregation in OLAP Context

We present in this paper a system for textual aggregation from scientific documents in the online analytical processing (OLAP) context. The system extracts keywords automatically from a set of documents according to the lists compiled in the Microsoft Academia Search web site. It gives the user the possibility to choose their methods of aggregation among the implemented ones. That is TOP-Keywords, TOPIC, TUBE, TAG, BienCube and GOTA. The performance of the chosen methods, in terms of recall, precision, F-measure and runtime, is investigated with two real corpora ITINNOVATION and OHSUMED with 600 and 13,000 scientific articles respectively, other corpora can be integrated to the system by users.
Integration of science and monitoring of river ecosystem health to guide investments in catchment protection and rehabilitation

1. Stream ecosystem health monitoring and reporting need to be developed in the context of an adaptive process that is clearly linked to identified values and objectives, is informed by rigorous science, guides management actions and is responsive to changing perceptions and values of stakeholders. To be effective, monitoring programmes also need to be underpinned by an understanding of the probable causal factors that influence the condition or health of important environmental assets and values. This is often difficult in stream and river ecosystems where multiple stressors, acting at different spatial and temporal scales, interact to affect water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem processes. 2. In this article, we describe the development of a freshwater monitoring programme in South East Queensland, Australia, and how this has been used to report on ecosystem health at a regional scale and to guide investments in catchment protection and rehabilitation. We also discuss some of the emerging science needs to identify the appropriate scale and spatial arrangement of rehabilitation to maximise river ecosystem health outcomes and, at the same time, derive other benefits downstream. 3. An objective process was used to identify potential indicators of stream ecosystem health and then test these across a known catchment land-use disturbance gradient. From the 75 indicators initially tested, 22 from five indicator groups (water quality, ecosystem metabolism, nutrient cycling, invertebrates and fish) responded strongly to the disturbance gradient, and 16 were subsequently recommended for inclusion in the monitoring programme. The freshwater monitoring programme was implemented in 2002, funded by local and State government authorities, and currently involves the assessment of over 120 sites, twice per year. This information, together with data from a similar programme on the region's estuarine and coastal marine waters, forms the basis of an annual report card that is presented in a public ceremony to local politicians and the broader community. 4. Several key lessons from the SEQ Healthy Waterways Programme are likely to be transferable to other regional programmes aimed at improving aquatic ecosystem health, including the importance of a shared common vision, the involvement of committed individuals, a cooperative approach, the need for defensible science and effective communication. 5. Thematic implications: this study highlights the use of conceptual models and objective testing of potential indicators against a known disturbance gradient to develop a freshwater ecosystem health monitoring programme that can diagnose the probable causes of degradation from multiple stressors and identify the appropriate spatial scale for rehabilitation or protection. This approach can lead to more targeted management investments in catchment protection and rehabilitation, greater public confidence that limited funds are being well spent and better outcomes for stream and river ecosystem health.
Modeling of Plug-in Electric Vehicles Interactions with a Sustainable Community Grid in the Azores

E RNEST O RLANDO L AWRENCE B ERKELEY N ATIONAL L ABORATORY Modeling of Plug-in Electric Vehicles’ Interactions with a Sustainable Community Grid in the Azores Goncalo Mendes , Instituto Superior Tecnico - MIT Portugal Program SES Michael Stadler , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S.A. and Center for Energy and innovative Technologies (CET), Austria Chris Marnay , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S.A. Paulo Ferrao , Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal Christos Ioakimidis , DeustoTech Energy Unit - University of Deusto, Spain Environmental Energy Technologies Division 2012 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings August 12, 2012 - August 17, 2012, Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA http://eetd.lbl. gov/EA/EMP/emp-pubs.html DER-CAM has been funded by the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Distributed Energy Program of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. The case study work of this paper has been funded by FCT PTDC/SENENR/108440/2008 and MIT Portugal Program. We thank ISA and Ad Mensuram for providing services buildings load data for this work. We also thank Professor Dr. Tomas Gomez and Ilan Momber for their very valuable contributions to previous versions of DER-CAM.
Learning, product innovation, and firm heterogeneity in developing countries; Evidence from Tanzania

Using firm data, this study investigates the various sources of firm learning, investment and linkages, and their importance for product innovation in Tanzania. The analysis reveals important differences in innovation strategies for foreign and local firms. Foreign innovative firms have stronger vertical linkages with other foreign firms and invest more in human and physical capital. Local firms offset these disadvantages through in-house R&D, connectivity, and collaboration with other local firms, proving to be more embedded in the local industrial structure.
Revision of European species of the genus Rhabdomastix (Diptera: Limoniidae). Part 2: Subgenus Rhabdomastix s. str.

The second and final part of a revision of the European species of the genus Rhabdomastix Skuse, 1890 is presented. The subgenus Rhabdomastix s. str. is revised. Seven species are redescribed, Rhabdomastix (Rhabdomastix) japonica Alexander, 1924, R. (R.) laeta (Loew, 1873), R. (R.) borealis Alexander, 1924, R. (R.) edwardsi Tjeder, 1967, R. (R.) subparva Starý, 1971, R. (R.) hirticornis (Lackschewitz, 1940) and R. (R.) beckeri (Lackschewitz, 1935). Three new synonyms are proposed. Lectotypes of four pertinent nominal species are designated. Descriptions are provided of six species, viz. R. (R.) laetoidea sp. n. (Czech Republic, Slo- vakia, Bulgaria, Ukraine), R. (R.) crassa sp. n. (France, Czech Republic, Slovakia), R. (R.) corax sp. n. (Bulgaria, Greece), R. (R.) eugeni sp. n. (France, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Ukraine, Armenia), R. (R.) filata sp. n. (Bulgaria, Greece, European Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia) and R. (R.) georgica sp. n. (Georgia). Male and female terminalia are illustrated for all the species, and a key to species is appended.
DETERMINATION OF ACTIVATION ENERGIES AND TENSILE CHARACTERISTICS OF POLYMER LATEXES DEPENDING ON DIFFERENT HEATING METHODS AND THICKNESSES

In this work, film formation from composites of polystyrene (PS) latex particles and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) was studied using both infrared radiative heating (IRH) and standard convectional heating techniques. Photon transmission (PT) techniques of PS/PVA composite films and tensile strength of pure PVA films were investigated for the film formation process at each temperature and different film thicknesses, respectively. Results showed that the activation energy required for the completion of film formation decreased considerably in IRH annealing technique and IRH heating also causes more homogenous and more flat film surface than films annealed in the oven. Ductility properties were enhanced with the thicker PVA films.