Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The terrestrial isopod fauna of South Transdanubia (Hungary)

FARKAS S. : The terrestrial isopod fauna of South Transdanubia. Abstract: Extensive investigations between 1996 and 2004 yielded 31 terrestrial isopod species from South Transdanubia (SW - Hungary). The records originated from hand and pitfall sampling of charac - teristic habitats in 343 sites that are situated in 175 UTM squares covering the whole territory. The most common species are Armadillidium vulgare, Porcellium collicola, Hyloniscus riparius and Trachelipus rathkii . The rare species are Protracheoniscus franzi and Porcellium recurvatum . Significant share of the species (29 %) are distributed in Central and SE-Europe while the proportion of Illyrean and Alpine elements is low. The amount of introduced isopods is 23 %. Using IndVal statistical method, the next species were found to be characteristic of typical habitats: Armadillidium zenckeri (marshes), Protracheoniscus politus, (dry oak woodlands), Lepidoniscus minutus (fresh oak woodlands), Trachelipus nodulosus, Porcellium collicola, (black locust plantations), Androniscus roseus, Haplophthalmus mengii, Cylisticus convexus, Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii, Porcellio scaber, Porcellionides pruinosus and Proporcellio vulcanius (synanthropic habitats). No characteristic species was found in riverine and swamp woodlands.
Self-Adaptation in Geotracking Applications: Challenges, Opportunities and Models

Geotracking emerges as a mission-critical mean to observe, track and otherwise manage mobile entities from the regular notification of their geographic locations, thanks to positioning devices such as GPS and cell phones. First used in logistic systems, geotracking now strives for large-scale with new applications like the management continent-wide green tax collection on millions of trucks from their passage through thousands virtual toll points. As the current single device, fixed position notification frequency policies can no longer cope with the stringent requirements of such large-scale applications, this paper first examines the challenges and opportunities for self-adaptation in geotracking systems and applications. After identifying the main requirements to that end, it then provides for a first set of decision-making models for identified self-adaptation scenarii, in the context of a set of everyday geotracking business-oriented applications. Finally, it proposes a set of tools and the software architecture currently developed under the French ANR project SALTY to address these issues in the conceptual framework of autonomic computing.
Essays on Strategic Interactions CANDIDATE

In Poisson games, an extension of perfect equilibrium based on perturbations of the strategy space does not guarantee that players use admissible actions. This observation suggests that such a class of perturbations is not the correct one. In the first chapter, the right space of perturbations is characterized to give a definition of perfect equilibrium in Poisson games. Furthermore, such a space is used to define the corresponding strategically stable sets of equilibria. They are shown to satisfy existence, admissibility, and robustness against iterated deletion of dominated strategies and inferior replies. In the second chapter, it is shown that in every Poisson game the number of connected components of Nash equilibria is finite. This result is obtained by exploiting the geometric structure of the Nash equilibrium set, which is shown to be a semi-analytic set; i.e., a set defined by a finite system of analytic inequalities. Furthermore, it is also shown that every Poisson game has a stable set contained in a connected component of equilibria. In the third chapter, a different model of strategic interaction is analyzed, the double round-robin tournament. A tournament is a simultaneous n-player game that is built on a two-player game g. Each player meets all the other players in turn and in every match the game g is played. The winner of the tournament is the player who attains the highest total score, which is given by the sum of the payoffs that he gets in all the matches he plays. Arad and Rubinstein (2013) analyze tournaments of the round-robin type, where each player is matched with every other player once to play a symmetric game g. With the aim of extending the analysis of tournaments to asymmetric games, double round-robins are studied, where each player meets all his opponents twice to play g in alternating roles. In particular, the relationship between equilibria of the tournament and equilibria of the base game g is explored.
An Optimized Preparation Method to Obtain High-quality RNA from the Buds of Sunflowers

In an attempt to isolate high-quality, total RNA from flower buds of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). We have already improved the SDS method. After adding liquid nitrogen, we have to grind the material down. After that we add protein -DNA precipitation, wash it with the addition of different kinds of alcohol, such as 75% alcohol and precipitation. Then we add DEPC water and guanidine hydrochloride blend, LiCl overnight precipitation,and then wash it off with 75% alcohol, finally make it dissolved in 15 µL DEPC water which collocated in minus 80 environment for storage. The total RNA is precipitated with 1/10 volume of NaAc and 2 volumes of absolute ethanol to prevent contamination by polysaccharides. These experimental results show that the total RNA extracted by this method is of high purity and integrity, and the electrophoretic bands are clear. D260/D230, D260/D280 and RNA (g/100mg) are 2.05, 2.11 and 9.52, respectively. Total RNA can amplify the target gene fragment by PT-PCR. This improved method can be used to extract the high-quality RNA from the sunflower buds of the space mutation, in order to study the molecular mechanism of the next step.
Mergers and acquisitions: A synthesis of theories and directions for future research

The purpose of this paper is to review a synthesis of theories and empirical studies dealing with the mergers and acquisitions in the recent decay in an attempt to provide directions for future research. The review focuses on four main streams including: first, the motives for mergersacquisitions; which are the strategic profits, the overconfidence of managers and the desire to create a big empire resulting from merger. From second, corporate characteristics of firms that did merger or acquisition; third, the economic consequences of the operation of merger and acquisition and finally; fourth, the implication on the market with the impact of merger on the value of the firm. We think that this article can give another idea about the information disclosed by any company choosing to merge and can be analyzed by practitioners by giving them the theoretical background of the merger and acquisition problem.
Chitosan as a Hepato-Protective Agent against Single Oral Dose of Dioxin

Investigations revealed that tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induces hepatic damage. Chitosan exhibits antioxidant properties and supplementations with antioxidants can influence hepatotoxicity. We evaluate effect of dietary low molecular weight chitosan (106-110 kilodaltons) in 3 multiplied doses (1.2, 2.4 and 3.6 g/ kg diet) against hepato toxic effects caused by a single oral dose (5 µg TCDD/ kg body weight) for 6 weeks in adult male albino rats. TCDD decreased body weight gain, food intake, feeding efficiency ratio, serum albumin and albumin / globulin ratio. While it caused an increase in liver relative weight, serum total protein, globulin, aspartate and alanine amino transferases and alkaline phosphatase. Also, TCDD caused basophilic hyper chromatic nuclei, hepatic degeneration and fibrosis. Chitosan alone showed a significant positive effect in measured items except feed intake, body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio. Also it alleviated most of biochemical and histological hepatotoxic effects of dioxin. Chitosan is safe as a dietary supplement in rat's diet and can mitigate the hepatotoxic effects of TCDD by controlling the antioxidant status and free radicals production.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF YELLOW MOMBIN (Spondias mombin L.) ATOMIZED POWDER

Dehydration is an important alternative to making the most of the use the surplus of production and take advantage of the seasonality of tropical fruits. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical composition of the yellow mombin pulp (Spondia mombin L.) powder, obtained by spray drying, and evaluate its sensory acceptance in the form of reconstituted juice. The physicochemical analyzes of the yellow mombin powder were: pH, soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and moisture, with all results in accordance with the current legislation. The addition of maltodextrin in the process reduced the sensory analysis values (color, appearance, and taste). The tested formulations, (powders with 25 and 27.05% maltodextrin) preserved, and even favored the aroma. These formulations had the following values (7.66 and 7.68) higher than the values found for integral juice (6.60).
A Community-Based Program Promotes Sanitation

Basic sanitation facilities are still lacking in large parts of the developing world, engendering serious environmental health risks. Interventions commonly deliver in-kind or cash subsidies to promote private toilet ownership. In this paper, we assess an intervention that provides information and behavioral incentives to encourage villagers in rural Mali to build and use basic latrines. Using an experimental research design and carefully measured indicators of use, we find a sizeable impact from this intervention: latrine ownership and use almost doubled in intervention villages, and open defecation (OD) was reduced by half. Our results partially attribute these effects to increased knowledge about cheap and locally available sanitation solutions. They are also associated with shifts in social norms governing sanitation. Taken together, our findings, unlike previous evidence from other contexts, suggest that a progressive approach that starts with ending OD and targets whole communities at a time can help meet the United Nations’ 2015 Sustainable Development Goal of ending OD.
Large‐scale plant light‐use efficiency inferred from the seasonal cycle of atmospheric CO2

We combined atmospheric CO2 measurements, satellite observations, and an atmospheric transport model in an inverse modeling framework to infer a key property of vegetation physiology, the light‐use efficiency (LUE) of net primary production, for large geographic regions. We find the highest LUE in boreal regions and in the northern hemisphere tropics. Within boreal zones, Eurasian LUE is higher than North American LUE and has a distinctly different seasonal profile. This longitudinal asymmetry is consistent with ecological differences expected from the much greater cover of deciduous vegetation in boreal Eurasia caused by the vast Siberian forests of the deciduous conifer, Larch. Inferred LUE of the northern hemisphere tropics is also high and displays a seasonal profile consistent with variations of both cloud cover and C4 vegetation activity.
Sustainable nitrification in fluidised bed reactor with immobilised sludge pellets

Sustainable immobilised microbial pellets were developed with water-borne polyurethane (WPU) material together with powdered activated carbon (PAC) and activated sludge as microbial inoculums for nitrification or partial nitrification. The nitrification performance and the influencing factors were studied with lab-scale aerobic fluidised bed reactors (FBR) under various temperature conditions. During the start-up period, quickly increasing the influent ammonium concentration from 40 to 320 mg N·l -1 led to a stable nitrification performance with high nitrite accumulation (>80%). Characterisation of the FBR performance indicated that the desired partial nitrification could be achieved at pH 7.8–8.5, dissolved oxygen (DO) 3-5 mg·l -1 and temperature between 24 and 29°C. Addition of organic carbon (glucose) improved the ammonium removal but decreased the nitrite accumulation ratio significantly. TOC concentration above 800 mg·l-1 was not able to cause the inhibition of the heterotrophs over the nitrifiers. PCR-DGGE results indicated the presence of Nitrosomonas (ammonia-oxidising bacteria) and Nitrobacter (nitrite-oxidising bacteria) in the immobilised pellets. Keywords: bioimmobilisation, ammonium, partial nitrification, wastewater treatment
Financial Interlocks and Earnings Management: Evidence from Italy

This paper examines financial interlocks between banks and industrial companies, and its relationship to earnings quality and the cost of debt. This issue is especially pertinent given the inherent conflict of interest present between banks and industrial firms, and their poorly understood inter-relationships. By examining a sample of Italian firms over the period 2001-2004, we document that the incidence of bankers on the board of industrial firms is negatively related to earnings management by the relevant industrial firm, suggesting that bankers perform a monitoring/control role that constrains opportunistic behaviour on behalf of management. On the other hand, the incidence of industrial executives on the boards of banks is positively related to earnings management by the industrial firm. This suggests that industrial firm executives who hold a board position in a bank, effectively capture the monitoring process. Additional analysis reveals that bankers also play an opportunistic role as well, protecting their investments when earnings of industrial firms fall, and through charging higher interest rates. Our results are robust to a large number of covariates and alternative statistical specifications including firm fixed effects, three stage least-squares, and OLS. A clear recommendation stemming from this study is that monitoring and lending should be kept separate, in line with the regulatory/litigation environment found in the USA.
Meristem culture for rapid regeneration in Black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.)

The shoot apical meristem for production of plantlets from black pepper variety Sreekara was assessed. Meristem extension was achieved in liquid medium containing Murashige and Skoog with 0.1 mgl -1 kinetin and 0.5 mgl -1 GA 3 , subsequent direct shoot induction in ½ MS with 3 mgl -1 BA and 1 mgl -1 IAA followed by shoot growth and development in ½ MS +0.5 mgl -1 Indole butyric acid. The meristems of 2mm resulted in shoot induction and proliferation via direct organogenesis. Successful rooting of meristem derived shoots was achieved in half strength WPM with 3 mgl -1 BA and 1 mgl -1 Kinetin. In vitro multiplication from the meristem derived plants shows the possibility for mass multiplication. The developed protocol was effective with 40% regeneration frequency of meristems, simple and rapid protocol for regeneration with 66-70days and subsequent micro propagation for the production of plant stock. This is the very first report on meristem culture in blackpepper. The protocol will be of immense importance in rapid mass multiplication of elite germplasm, as well as for conservation of this important species.
association between KiF 1 B ( rs 17401966 ) polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility : a meta-analysis

and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php). OncoTargets and Therapy 2018:11 3225–3235 OncoTargets and Therapy Dovepress
Mechanism of anchoring proteins on the cell envelope

Surface proteins, essential structural components of bacterial cell wall, are synthesized as precursors equipped with specific functional domains. The N-terminal signal module enables translocation across the plasma membrane via Sec or Tat pathways, while sorting motif, located in the C-terminus, is responsible for protein attachment to the cell wall peptidoglycan. Only exception are lipoproteins which lipoylated cysteinyl residue connected with bacterial membrane is in N-terminal part of protein. Most of surface proteins, as surface (S-) layer proteins, internalins or autolysins, are linked to the different structures of cell wall through non covalent forces. From the other hand, molecules with LPXTG motif, which attachment involves sortase activity, are linked to the peptidoglycan by covalent bond. Due to structural, chemical and physicochemical properties, surface proteins are attractive components of diverse industrial or medical systems. Knowledge about mechanism of anchoring proteins to the cell envelope will open new possibility of their applications.
Effectiveness Analysis of Capital Adequacy Regulation in China

This paper is to estimate the effectiveness of capital adequacy regulation (CAR) in improving capital ratios and restraining risk-taking behavior of Chinese banks in a simultaneous equation framework with an unbalanced panel data of 37 China’s commercial banks (1999-2003). As shown in the data, most domestic banks in China have not yet met the 8 percent capital requirement. The empirical analysis does not find a statistically significant relationship between changes in capital, risk levels and the regulatory pressure, implying that the imposition of capital adequacy regulation may not effectively increase capital level and discourage risk-taking behavior of banks in China. To improve capital adequacy of Chinese banks, therefore, recapitalization for state-owned banks should be implemented. Furthermore, the regulatory authority should be handed over the independence, which may help it fairly exercise its regulatory and supervisory authority. More importantly, ownership reform should be launched so that the government can focus on its role as a regulatory and supervisory agency instead of a bank owner, which is necessary for promoting an equal footing for all banks in the financial regulatory framework. Moreover, this also helps cultivate proper internal control mechanisms in banks. ———————————— * A PhD candidate at Hitotsubashi University (e-mail: chua@st.ics.hit-u.ac.jp; Phone: 81-80-65095515). As part of my master’s thesis, this paper owes much to Prof. Shigeki Kunieda, Dr. Li-Gang Liu, Prof. Yasuhiro Maehara, and Ms. Rouselle Lavado for their insightful comments and tremendous help. The author also acknowledges the helpful discussions in the Fifth East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference (Hawaii, 2006) and constructive comments by an anonymous referee of East-West Center Working Paper. The author is fully responsible for any remaining errors.
DOES THE STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY OF AQUATIC MACROPHYTES EXPLAIN THE DIVERSITY OF ASSOCIATED SPIDER ASSEMBLAGES?

Abstract Differences in species richness and species composition of spiders associated with aquatic macrophytes of different structural complexities were examined in the Pantanal floodplain of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The plants studied were Nymphaea amazonum (Nymphaeaceae), Salvinia auriculata (Salviniaceae), Echinodorus paniculatus (Alismataceae) and Eichhornia azurea (Pontederiaceae), whose classes of complexity were determined based on their leaf and branch densities, vertical structure, and height. Data were collected from 62 monospecific plant patches in temporary lentic environments. A total of 235 spiders of 33 species in 13 families was collected. Nymphaea amazonum, the plant with the lowest complexity class, did not provide adequate sites for the establishment of spiders, and only four individuals of four spider species were found on its patches. Salvinia auriculata and E. paniculatus shared the intermediate class of complexity, but showed statistically significant differences in composition and richness of spider species. In E. paniculatus, greater height and lower leaf and branch densities favored the establishment of web weavers, whereas the smaller height and higher density of S. auriculata promoted the occurrence of wandering spiders. Eichhornia azurea, the plant with the highest complexity class, presented the greatest number of unique spider species, differing from the other plants in spider species composition. Results indicate that richness and composition of spider species associated with aquatic macrophytes in the study site are influenced by the structural complexity of these plants.
Virtual Reality Content‐Based Training for Spray Painting Tasks in the Shipbuilding Industry

Training is one of the representative application fields of virtual reality technology where users can have virtual experience in a training task and working environment. Widely used in the medical and military fields, virtual‐reality‐based training systems are also useful in industrial fields, such as the aerospace industry, since they show superiority over real training environments in terms of accessibility, safety, and cost. The shipbuilding industry is known as a labor‐intensive industry that demands a lot of skilled workers. In particular, painting jobs in the shipbuilding industry require a continuous supplement of human resources since many workers leave due to the poor working environment. In this paper, the authors present a virtual‐reality‐based training system for spray painting tasks in the shipbuilding industry. The design issues and implementation details of the training system are described, and also its advantages and shortcomings are discussed based on use cases in actual work fields.
Optimization of ℓp-regularized Linear Models via Coordinate Descent

In this paper we demonstrate, how `-regularized univariate quadratic loss function can be effectively optimized (for 0 6 p 6 1) without approximation of penalty term and provide analytical solution for p = 1 2 . Next we adapt this approach for important multivariate cases like linear and logistic regressions, using Coordinate Descent algorithm. At the end we compare sample complexity of ` with `, 0 6 p < 1 regularized models for artificial and real datasets.
Design, Finite Element Analysis and Implementing a Reconfigurable Antenna with Beam Switching Operating at ISM Band

A new radiation pattern reconfigurable antenna is designed and fabricated. The antenna is able to radiate in four orthogonal directions in the azimuth plane and sweep the whole azimuth. The radiation pattern reconfigurability is obtained using the passband and stopband characteristics of EBG surfaces which are used to form EBG panels to surround the feeding dipole centered in the structure. Switching between passband and stopband is implemented using active elements in the structure.
Revision of the short-billed marsh wren (Cistothorus platensis) of Mexico and Central America. American Museum novitates ; no. 2569

The Short-billed Marsh Wrens [Cistothorus platensis (Latham)] of Mexico and Central America are reviewed. Nine subspecies, one a migrant (C. p. stellaris), are recognized from the region. Cistothorus platensis tinnulus has an extensive range in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Other forms are more restricted in their dis­ tribution: C. p. potosinus (new), San Luis Potosí ; C. p. jalapensis (new), central highlands of Vera­ cruz; C. p. warneri (new), lowlands southern Veracruz, Tabasco, and adjacent Chiapas; C. p. elegans, highlands of Guatemala; C. p. russelli (new), British Honduras; C. p. graberi (new), Honduras; and C. p. lucidus, Costa Rica and Panama, with one record from Nicaragua. Maps showing ranges are included.