Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The "Black Bog Ant" Formica picea NYLANDER, 1846 - a species different from Formica candida SMITH, 1878 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

According to morphometrical and genetical evidence, the ant taxa collected by BOLTON (1995) under the name Formica candida SMITH, 1878 can be divided into a minimum of two different species with separate zoogeography. The well-known "Black Bog Ant" – distributed over Europe, the Caucasus and the West Siberian Lowland – is identified as Formica picea NYLANDER, 1846, but the species found in all Central Asian mountains north to the Gorno-Altaisk region, in Tibet, Mongolia, the Baikal region and East Siberia is redescribed as Formica candida SMITH, 1878 under fixation of a neotype. According to article 23.9. 5. of the 4th edition of ICZN (1999), the name Formica picea NYLANDER, 1846 (a junior primary homonym of F. picea LEACH, 1825) needs not be replaced by one of its junior synonyms. This rule is most appropriate, considering the fact that F. picea LEACH is in Camponotus MAYR since 1861 and will never return to Formica; this application ends the confusing to-and-fro between three names that lasted for 50 years. The separation of F. picea and F. candida from the three other Palaearctic species with shining blackish body and reduced pubescence (i.e. F. gagatoides RUZSKY, 1904, F. kozlovi DLUSSKY, 1965 and F. gagates LATREILLE, 1798) is explained and morphometric data are given in two tables. An explanation for the peculiar habitat shift of F. picea is offered.
“Paolo Baffi” Centre on Central Banking and Financial Regulation

Central banks’ international reserve holdings have increased significantly in the recent past. While traditional models fail t o explain this accumulation of reserves, the more recent literatur e argues that reserves are used as a lifejacket against currency crises. Howev er, research so far has neglected the question whether and how central bank s change their precautionary reserve holdings after the country wa s affected by a currency crisis. This paper tests the hypothesis that central banks revi e their reserve policy in the aftermath of currency crises. A dynamic pane l data model is estimated for developing and industrial countries c overing the period from 1975 to 2003. The evidence suggests that currency c rises induce a permanent increase of reserves. This effect is part icularly strong for recent currency crises since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98.
1 BeBeC-2012-24 SOURCE IDENTIFICATION OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE USING AN INVERSE METHOD WITH BEAMFORMING MATRIX REGULARIZATION

This paper addresses the discrimination of inlet / exhaust noise of aero-engines in free-field static tests using far-field semi-circular microphone arrays. Three approaches are considered for this problem: focused beamforming, inverse method with Tikhonov regularization and inverse method with beamforming matrix regularization (called hybrid method). The classical beamforming method is disadvantaged due to need for a high number of measurement microphones in accordance to the requirements. Similarly, the Inverse methods are disadvantaged due to their need of having an a-priori source information. The classical Tikhonov regularization provides improvements in solution stability, however continues to be disadvantaged due to its requirement of imposing a stronger penalty for undetected source positions. The proposed hybrid method builds upon the beneficial attributes of both the beam-forming and inverse methods, and has been validated using experiments conducted in hemi-anechoic conditions with a small-scale waveguide system simulating a gas turbine engine. The method has further been applied to the measured noise data from a Pratt & Whitney Canada turbo-fan engine and has been observed to provide better spatial resolution and solution robustness with a limited number of measurement microphones compared to the existing methods. More validation work is ongoing.
PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CENTRAL BLOCKADE

The physiological responses to spinal and epidural anaesthesia have much in common. These responses are mostly due to the fact that the local anaesthetic solution blocks not only somatic, sensory and motor fibres, but also produces pre-ganglionic sympathetic blockade. Postganglionic sympathetic nerves play a role in controlling gastrointestinal tone and motility, cardiac function and vascular tone thereby regulating regional blood flow. Blockade of sympathetic nerve fibres and resulting loss of vasomotor tone causes changes in blood flow to various organs depending on the level of block achieved. The parasympathetic nervous system is also important in regulating cardiovascular and gastrointestinal function. This lecture will focus on comparison of the physiological responses to spinal and epidural anaesthesia.
Studying the Condition of Soil Protection Agrolandscape in Ukraine Using Remote Sensing Methods

The article reviews the scientific approaches to monitoring of soil condition on the soil protection agrolandscape. In 1980s, the contour-meliorative soil protection system was established on the selected fields in Ukraine. The objective of the current research was to determine the capabilities of satellite survey to identify the changes of soil cover that had occurred on these fields during the past 25 years. Soil erosion processes are very dynamic, therefore it is essential to use time-series of operative satellite images to track those changes. Rills on the fields, caused by water erosion, are clearly identified on high-resolution satellite data. Erosion causes the decrease of humus content, which affects soil reflection values. This in turn leads to a corresponding change of color shade on satellite images. The research allowed to determine correlation between remote sensing data and soil organic carbon content and to acquire a mathematical model which describes this correlation. The condition of the agrolandscape soils was assessed using the regression model, which helped to evaluate erosion risk for different areas of the test polygon. The visual interpretation of satellite imagery led to a conclusion about a damaging effect of erosion on protective forest belts and accordingly on fields' soil cover and crops. Visual analysis results were approved by field research. Photos taken during the field research indicate an unsatisfactory status of forest belts and a devastating effect of eroding water flows. These are the results of irresponsible land use and constant violation of methodical principles of the contour-meliorative system organization. The article concludes that the use of time-series of high-resolution satellite imagery allows monitoring the condition of soil protection agrolandscape, in particular the forest belts' status, soil cover conditions and their change over time. The research results can be used as an informational basis for the soil protection agrolandscape monitoring system.
e-HRM viewed from a management fashion perspective; an exploratory study based on the case study research

This paper investigated e-HRM from a management fashion point of view. Researchers within other areas of HRM (and other management field) already investigated certain management techniques within their field by using management fashion theory. This is the first time e-HRM is systematically approached by this theory. 13 case studies on the adoption and implementation of e-HRM systems and applications within organizations were analyzed. The findings indicate e-HRM shows a lot of characteristics of a management fashion. e-HRM can be considered rational and progressive, and a lot of socio-psychological and techno-economic forces influencing the adoption of e-HRM were found. But, what was very difficult to analyze within the scope of this research, was the supply side of management fashions. This consists of management fashion setters disseminating e-HRM to the market. It is impossible to define all management fashion setters for e-HRM and to measure and analyze the dissemination process based on case studies. However, we could draw some conclusions regarding the management fashion setting process based on case studies. Governments can for example also play a role in the adoption and implementation process of e-HRM, especially for small- and medium sized firms, by encouraging firms to take part in conferences. Also, employees, line managers and particularly top management do play a role in ‘selling’ e-HRM in organizations. Top management can convince employees to use their e-HRM system, but the HRM department can also convince top management to adopt e-HRM systems or applications. Management fashion theory is a theory that makes you think, and makes organizations aware of the factors influencing their decision making.
Optimizing protein importance assessment through a Dijkstra-based sequential optimization technique

Proteins and the networks they determine, called interactome networks, have received attention at an important degree during the last years, because they have been discovered to have an influence on some complex biological phenomena, such as problematic disorders like cancer. This paper describes an optimized algorithm, which assesses the importance of proteins that belong to an interactome network. Thus, it computes the importance of each protein through the usage of an adapted Dijkstra-based betweenness computation algorithm. The procedure allows for an informative and comprehensive analysis of interactome networks to be conducted, at various levels of complexity. The practical performance and usefulness of the algorithm was carefully tested on real biological data and the results acknowledge it is able to process existing proteomic data in a timely and informative manner, considering existing one-processor hardware architectures. Apart from being particularly useful for research purposes, the novel protein data analysis method also dramatically speeds up the proteomic databases analysis process.
Turbulent–laminar patterns in shear flows without walls

Turbulent–laminar intermittency, typically in the form of bands and spots, is a ubiquitous feature of the route to turbulence in wall-bounded shear flows. Here we study the idealised shear between stress-free boundaries driven by a sinusoidal body force and demonstrate quantitative agreement between turbulence in this flow and that found in the interior of plane Couette flow – the region excluding the boundary layers. Exploiting the absence of boundary layers, we construct a model flow that uses only four Fourier modes in the shear direction and yet robustly captures the range of spatiotemporal phenomena observed in transition, from spot growth to turbulent bands and uniform turbulence. The model substantially reduces the cost of simulating intermittent turbulent structures while maintaining the essential physics and a direct connection to the Navier–Stokes equations. We demonstrate the generic nature of this process by introducing stress-free equivalent flows for plane Poiseuille and pipe flows that again capture the turbulent–laminar structures seen in transition.
Model Stability Test of Money Demand by Monthly Time Series Using CUSUM and MOSUM Tests: Evidence from Turkey

The effects of policies are represented by the parameters of the concerning estimated model. As Lucas critique suggests unless the parameters change with respect to policies, the existing policies will be valid in the long-run. However, policy change can be observed at an unknown point and slowly in particular time period, then these policies will not be associated with structural change. In this study, model stability of money demand constituted by monthly time series concerning the periods of 2001:5-2011:3 in Turkey was tested by recursive CUSUM and MOSUM tests. The results of CUSUM and MOSUM tests demonstrated a single-continuous break and two discrete breaks. In this period, slow structural breaks in the model were thought to be caused by the inflation targeting policies, restricted money supply and short-term interest policies of the government.
FULL DYNAMIC AND PUSHOVER ANALYSES OF OUT-OF-PLANE MASONRY FACADES: APPLICATION AND COMPARISONS BY RBSM

The paper is focused on the analysis of out–of–plane mechanisms which actually represent the most recurrent collapse mode for the facade of buildings such as churches or basilicas. A full Nonlinear Dynamic (ND) modelling of the seismic response is performed by adopting a specific rigid body and spring model (RBSM), where damage is ascribed to the out-of-plane flexural behaviour. A phenomenological description of the cyclic response of the masonry material is provided in the definition of the constitutive prescriptions, including hysteretic and degrading material behaviour. Then, a comparison is made with a non linear static pushover (NSP) analysis, which is performed by means of the same specific RBSM under quasi-static loading, incrementally applied. The seismic response in terms of generalized force–displacement curve and the ultimate limit displacement capacity are evaluated, comparing them with the seismic displacement demand, expressed in terms of spectral coordinates. The two different approaches are compared by considering as a case study the church of Rosario, in Guastalla, which was damaged by Emilia Romagna Earthquake (1987). A number of analyses have been performed, investigating a variety of different aspects concerning the accelerogram records and their correlation with the damage indicators of the non-linear models.
Engineering Magnetoresistance in MnxGe1−x System for Magnetic Sensor Application

In 2007, a Nobel Prize is awarded to Dr. Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg for their contribution in giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect. The magnetic head based on GMR effect has significantly increased the storage density in the hard disk drive (HDD) and brought the coming of the digital age. Besides, the rapid development of GMR sensor has opened a wide and promising range of applications, including the aspects in automobile, traffic monitor, biomedicine, and space, etc. As continuously extending the market, it needs GMR sensor with much lower cost, smaller size, higher sensitivity, and compatibility with the CMOS technology. In light of that, we give a review about the recent progress of the MR effect in MnxGe1−x system, which refers to the material growth and magnetic and MR property. Through engineering the MnxGe1−x structure, it could realize the transition from negative to positive MR, geometric-enhanced giant MR, and electricfield controlled MR. The fact of well-designed MR effect and high compatibility with Si technology brings a high potential and advantage for fabricating MnxGe1−x-based MR sensors, which could be widely used in magnetic head and biomedical sensors, among others, with the superiority of much lower manufacturing cost, lower power dissipation, higher integration density, and higher sensitivity.
High Incidence of Disorder-Promoting Amino Acids in the Amino Terminus of Mature Proteins in Bacillus subtilis

Problem statement: Exported polypeptides are usually synthesized as preproteins which are composed with mature domains and the signal peptides. The foreign proteins are usually inefficiently secreted by the aid of signal peptides. Although we know that the mature protein played an important role in the protein export process, we do not know what properties of the mature domains are critical for protein export? This study explores the influence of the property of the mature domains on protein export in Bacillus subtilis. Approach: We analyzed the amino acid composition of 241 predicted exported proteins and 457 cytoplasmic proteins of Bacillus subtilis that have been previously reviewed using the program DAMBE, Codeprotein and Codeprotein Win. Results: Disorder-promoting amino acids in the first 14 residues of the mature domains were overrepresented in comparison to the residues in the NH2-terminal region of cytoplasmic proteins or the cytoplasmic proteins. Further, the NH2 terminus of the mature domain had more negatively charged residues and fewer positively charged residues than the NH2 terminus of the signal peptide. Conclusion/Recommendations: The presence of disordered domains in the NH2-terminal regions of mature domains may provide the binding site and maintain the exported proteins in a secretion-competent conformation and the contrary charged residues distribution in the two ends of hydrophobic core may help form the hairpin-like structure of the signal peptide. These findings may have important implications for the understanding of the contribution of mature domains to membrane targeting and to translocation.
Yield Stability Analysis of Promising Early Maturing Hybrid Maize

Maize yield represents the interaction between genotype and environment. An excellent genotype should have high mean yield and small variation across common locations.This information could be obtained through yield performance test and stability analysis of yield data obtained from multilocation trials. This research was aimed to find out yield stability of eight early maturing maize promising lines at five sites using the AMMI method. There were total 12 genotypes of maize hybrids used in this research, consisted of eight hybrids (CH-1, CH-2, CH-3, CH-4, CH-5, CH-6, CH-7, and CH-8) and four check varieties (Gumarang, Bima 3, AS-1, and Bisi 2). This research was conducted at five locations ie. Gowa (South Sulawesi), Donggala (Central Sulawesi), Manado (North Sulawesi), Probolinggo (East Java) and Lombok Barat (West Nusa Tenggara) from April to September 2013. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. Variable measured was grain yield at all trial locations. Analysis of variance was performed for each site data to determine the performance of each genotype at each location. Results showed that genotype CH-2, CH-4 and CH-6 were considered as stable genotypes. Genotype CH-2 and CH-4 have a potensial to be released as new early maturing variety, due to its high yield of 8.71 and 7.52 t/ha averaged over 5 locations. Genotype CH-6 yielded below the mean yield of all genotypes, while genotype CH-8 was adaptive to a specific location, such as in Donggala, with yield of 8.38 t/ha.
The contribution of occult precipitation to sulphur deposition in the Czech Republic

We present a spatial estimation of the contribution of occult precipitation to the true atmospheric sulphur deposition across the territory of the Czech Republic. Our estimation is based on differences in two spatially explicit, data driven geo-statistical deposition models for forested areas: 1. a throughfall sulphur deposition model and 2. a sulphur deposition model calculated from dry plus wet-only deposition (often referred to as the “total” deposition). The sulphur deposition maps for Czech forested areas at 1x1 km resolution are presented and the dependence of the contribution of occult precipitation to sulphur deposition on altitude is assessed. All available data on precipitation chemistry at disposal, results of wet-only, bulk and throughfall measurements were compiled. Our preliminary results based on geo-statistical modelling indicate that the contribution of occult precipitation to sulphur deposition is significant, varies in a wide range, and is dependent on altitude. On 68% of the Czech forested area, the occult deposition in 2008 ranged between 0–0.5 g.m-2.year-1, on 25% between 0.5–1 g.m-2.year-1, on 3.5% between 1–1.5 g.m-2.year-1, and on 0.7% it was more than 1.5 g.m-2.year-1. In relative terms, in 2008 the occult precipitation contribution to sulphur deposition over the Czech forested area was up to 200% of wet plus dry deposition estimates in 99% of the grid cells, and in the remaining 1% of the grid cells it even ranged between 200–400%. Across ca. 50% of the Czech forested area 50–100% of sulphur deposition was contributed by occult precipitation. Our results indicate that when using the maps of the “total deposition” derived from wet and dry deposition without accounting for occult deposition (which is hitherto a common approach), we are likely to substantially underestimate the true atmospheric deposition and consequently its possible impacts on ecosystem health. The approach and the weaknesses that still remain are discussed. The presented results are rough estimations but can be considered the best available at the moment for the Czech Republic.
The International Journal of Biostatistics Estimating a Survival Distribution with Current Status Data and High-dimensional Covariates

We consider the inverse problem of estimating a survival distribution when the survival times are only observed to be in one of the intervals of a random bisection of the time axis. We are particularly interested in the case that high-dimensional and/or time-dependent covariates are available, and/or the survival events and censoring times are only conditionally independent given the covariate process. The method of estimation consists of regularizing the survival distribution by taking the primitive function or smoothing, estimating the regularized parameter by using estimating equations, and finally recovering an estimator for the parameter of interest.
Water with different salinity levels for lactating goats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of supplying water with varying salinity levels to dairy goats on nutrient intake, apparent nutrient digestibility, and milk yield. The experiment lasted 65 days and involved 24 crossbred goats with mean body weight of 38±4 kg, which were randomly allotted. It was set in a completely randomized design with four treatments consisting of 640, 3188, 5740 and 8326 mg L‒1 total dissolved solids (TDS) in the drinking water. The results showed that water salinity levels had no effect on the intake of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, crude protein, ether extract, total carbohydrates, non-fibrous carbohydrates, total digestible nutrients, metabolizable energy, digestible energy, or apparent nutrient digestibility. Water intake was influenced by the salinity, increasing as the salt level was increased. Moreover, the varying salinity had no significant effect on milk yield. Drinking water containing up to 8326 mg L‒1 TDS provided no interference with the intake and nutrient digestibility of lactating goats in the feedlot. However, increasing the water salinity affects animal intake without any changes in milk yield. Therefore, this type of water can be used for crossbred goats at 30 days in milk, for up to 65 days in the feedlot.