Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phosphorus retention properties of forest humus layer in buffer zones and clear-cut areas in southern Finland

Hydrological losses of phosphorus (P) from forested areas have been reported to increase after harvesting operations. An efficient method of decreasing P losses has been to leave unmanaged buffer zones along forest brooks, streams and lakes. However, the processes controlling P retention by buffer zones are still not fully understood. To assess the importance of forest humus layer in P retention a small-scale survey was carried out at three buffer zones and adjoining clear-cut areas in southern Finland. In general, the humus layer in the buffer zones adsorbed more P than in clear-cut areas and the P adsorption was strongly related to the contents of oxalate extractable iron and aluminium. However, there were indications that the P retention capacity of the humus may decrease with the length of time the clear-cut area or buffer zone has been under the impacts of clear-cutting. There may be significant seasonal changes in humus P retention, but further studies are needed for a critical evaluation of the changes in humus P adsorption between seasons and years. Nevertheless, when compared with the increase in P release after harvest in a boreal forest, the maximum P retention capacity of the humus layer was small. Therefore, the role of the forest humus layer in P retention in clear-cut areas and buffer zones may be insignificant.
A Pilot Study of Real-Time Experience Sampling Method to Evaluate Student Engagement in a Global Health Rotation

International experiences are increasingly popular among medical students, but few have been rigorously evaluated. We used ESM to characterize the experience of medical students participating in the one-month University of Chicago Geographic Medicine Scholars Program (GMSP) in Hyderabad, India. Participants wore watches programmed to randomly beep eight times daily, during the first and third weeks. When alerted, students reported their activity and rated their level of engagement and emotion in booklets. All 11 student participants responded to 59% of 816 alerts. 41% of beeps occurred during GMSP formal structured activities (i.e., lecture, clinic). Students reported structured activities to be more interesting (6.05 versus 4.14; Pl0.001), more important to their future goals (6.48 versus 5.71; Pl0.001), more challenging (3.75 versus 2.48; Pl0.001), and more enjoyable (6.08 versus 5.36; Pl0.001) than unstructured activities. Our results show that future global health efforts should augment the use of structured activities.
Teaching about prejudice with a Bogardus Social Distance Scale activity: Replication and extension

This study presents a three-year replication and extension of Maurer’s (2013) evaluation of a classroom activity to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Students in six sections of an introductory family science course were assigned to one of three conditions and one of two target marginalized groups for a 3x2 design. Results differed significantly from those reported by Maurer (2013), and suggested that all three methods tested were equally effective in reducing prejudice and discrimination and that such changes were lasting. Additionally, a student participant served as a co-inquirer on this project, and her reflections on the process are included.
Food Web Architecture and Population Dynamics: Theory and Empirical Evidence

Food web theory makes quantitative and qualitative predictions about the patterns of population dynamics to be expected in food webs with particular structures. Some of these predictions can be tested by comparing population dynamics in simple food chains of different architecture. Few studies have been designed specifically to manipulate food chain properties as a test of food web theory, but relevant information can be gleaned from studies of predatorprey dynamics in which food chain structure is known to vary in important ways. For example, comparisons of prey population dynamics in the presence or absence of a predator can be used to infer the consequences of a small change in food chain length. Common consequences of increased food chain length include greater temporal variation in abundance and a greater frequency of local extinctions. Studies that compare the impact of omnivore and nonomnivore predators are so infrequent that few conclusions can be reached. Ex
The Robbin-Salamon index theorem in Banach spaces with UMD

Let (A(t))t∈R be a continuous family of unbounded operators on a UMD Banach space X, with t-independent domain W dense and compactly embedded in X. Under these and other general technical conditions, we prove that the operator DA = d dt − A(·) is a Fredholm operator between the spaces W (R, X) ∩ L(R, W ) and L(R, X) for every p ∈ (1,∞). We also characterize the index of DA by the spectral flow of A. These results generalize those obtained by Robbin and Salamon when X and W are Hilbert spaces, p = 2 and the family (A(t))t∈R is selfadjoint. The hypotheses involved are satisfied by broad classes of second order elliptic differential operators with boundary conditions and by PDE systems with a Hamiltonian-like structure. An application to the L maximal regularity for the nonautonomous Cauchy problem on the half-line is discussed in detail.
Towards a Reflective Textbook Evaluation Model

This paper investigates ways in which textbook evaluation can help in implementing a positive change in EFL teachers’ professional careers. It draws the attention of Moroccan high school English language practitioners to the viability of using textbook evaluation as a reflective practice to enhance teachers’ professional development. It argues that a systematic textbook evaluation allows teachers to develop professionally while reflecting on the content of the textbooks they are using. This process can be formative within the formal guided context of in-service teacher training programs where voluntary teachers regularly meet in teacher learning communities (TLCs)devoted to textbook evaluation. The objective of such collective reflective activity is to encourage teachers’ lifelong learning as they will learn from each other’s experiences and improve their teaching practices. Eventually, they will agree on effective reflective practices which promote teachers’ professional development. The findings recorded by TLCs could be used in improving the quality of future textbooks. A survey was designed to explore the attitudes of Moroccan high school English language teachers towards the suggested model of textbook evaluation and its ability to promote teachers’ professional development. The findings demonstrated that the teachers are in favor of the suggested textbook evaluation model as they believe that it has the potential of gearing not only their professional development, but also the quality of current and future ELT textbooks.
FORMATION OF GLOBULAR CLUSTERS IN ATOMIC-COOLING HALOS VIA RAPID GAS CONDENSATION AND FRAGMENTATION DURING THE EPOCH OF REIONIZATION

We investigate the formation of metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) at the center of two dark matter halos with at using cosmological radiation-hydrodynamics simulations. We find that very compact (≲1 pc) and massive ( ) clusters form rapidly when pristine gas collapses isothermally with the aid of efficient Lyα emission during the transition from molecular-cooling halos to atomic-cooling halos. Because the local free-fall time of dense star-forming gas is very short ( ), a large fraction of the collapsed gas is turned into stars before stellar feedback processes blow out the gas and shut down star formation. Although the early stage of star formation is limited to a small region of the central star-forming disk, we find that the disk quickly fragments due to metal enrichment from supernovae. Sub-clusters formed in the fragmented clouds eventually merge with the main cluster at the center. The simulated clusters closely resemble the local GCs in mass and size but show a metallicity spread that is much wider than found in the local GCs. We discuss a role of pre-enrichment by Pop III and II stars as a potential solution to the latter issue. Although not without shortcomings, it is encouraging that a naive blind (not tuned) cosmological simulation presents a possible channel for the formation of at least some massive GCs.
Evidence that Quadrastichodella nova (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is the only Gall Inducer among Four Hymenopteran Species Associated with Seed Capsules of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) in South Africa

Three chalcidoid wasp species, Megastigmus zebrinus Grissell (Torymidae), Quadrastichodella nova Girault (Eulophidae) and Leprosa milga Kim & La Salle (Eulophidae), have each been described independently as gall inducers associated with Eucalyptus species (Myrtaceae). The finding that at times they emerge together from seed capsules of river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnhardt) collected at the same site in South Africa, cast doubt on the accuracy of these earlier interpretations. The current study examined the gall inducing abilities of each of the three wasp species. During geographical surveys, all three species coexisted in seed capsules at 16 of the 61 sites sampled. A study of the seasonal emergence pattern of the three species, together with a fourth, locally abundant gall associate, Aprostocetus sp. , showed that Q. nova and L. milga emerge during early summer, while the remaining two species emerge in smaller numbers throughout the year. Oviposition trials on sleeved branches of E. camaldulensis, from which all insects had previously been excluded, verified that Q. nova had the ability to induce galls, while both M. zebrinus and L. milga failed to do so. Only one type of gall of characteristic structure was encountered, which repudiates the possibility of a second gall inducer, and no indication of inquilinism was found. Megastigmus zebrinus, L. milga and Aprostocetus sp. are thus more likely to be parasitoids.DNA sequences were obtained for the adults of all four these species. By matching the DNA of identified adults with that of juvenile hymenopterans in the galls, it was confirmed that all four hymenopterans species developed within the seed-capsule galls of E. camaldulensis. Regrettably, this technique failed to give a clear indication of the exact host relationships between the various gall inhabitants. By dissecting seed capsules at different stages of gall development, the origin of the gall was proven to be in the placenta of one of the locules of a flower bud, and not in a seed or ovule, as previously reported.
Online Travel Service Quality: the Role of Pre-Transaction Services

The Internet revolution has led to significant changes in the way travel agencies interact with customers. Travel websites are used to different degrees, and for a variety of combinations of pre-transaction, transaction and post-transaction services. A better understanding of how customers interact with online services will help providers improve service quality to levels that satisfy or even delight customers, and thus create loyalty. This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on online service quality, applies the theory to online travel offerings, and reports on an empirical study of quality perceptions of pre-transaction services provided on three travel websites. Effects on customer responses were measured for process and outcome dimensions of online service quality. Implications for the design of online travel services and suggestions for further research are formulated.
Hybrid model of clot formation in flow

The process of blood coagulation and clot formation in vivo is not yet completely understood. One of the main questions related to haemostasis is why the clot stops growing in normal conditions before it completely obstructs the flow in the vessel, whereas, in pathologic cases, it can continue to grow, often with fatal consequences. Hence, revealing the mechanisms by which the clot grows and stops growing in the flow remains of great importance. In order to study this topic we have developed a hybrid DPD-PDE method where Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) is used to model plasma flow and platelets, while the protein regulatory network is described by a system of partial differential equations. The model describes the interaction between blood flow, platelet aggregation and plasma coagulation. As a result of modelling we propose a new mechanism of clot growth and growth arrest in flow. The developed model and its parts can be used as a base to modelling of different physiological phenomena related to cell-cell interactions and blood flows.
Are recent changes in sediment manganese sequestration in the euxinic basins of the Baltic Sea linked to the expansion of hypoxia

Abstract. Expanding hypoxia in the Baltic Sea over the past century has led to the development of anoxic and sulfidic (euxinic) deep basins that are only periodically ventilated by inflows of oxygenated waters from the North Sea. In this study, we investigate the potential consequences of the expanding hypoxia for manganese (Mn) burial in the Baltic Sea using a combination of pore water and sediment analyses of dated sediment cores from eight locations. Diffusive fluxes of dissolved Mn from sediments to overlying waters at oxic, hypoxic and euxinic sites are consistent with an active release of Mn from these areas. Although the present-day fluxes are significant (ranging up to ca. 240 μmol m−2 d−1), comparison to published water column data suggests that the current benthic release of Mn is small when compared to the large pool of Mn already present in the hypoxic and anoxic water column. Our results highlight two modes of Mn carbonate formation in sediments of the deep basins. In the Gotland Deep area, Mn carbonates likely form from Mn oxides that are precipitated from the water column directly following North Sea inflows. In the Landsort Deep, in contrast, Mn carbonate and Mn sulfide layers appear to form independently of inflow events, and are possibly related to the much larger and continuous input of Mn oxides linked to sediment focusing. Whereas Mn-enriched sediments continue to accumulate in the Landsort Deep, this does not hold for the Gotland Deep area. Here, a recent increase in euxinia, as evident from measured bottom water sulfide concentrations and elevated sediment molybdenum (Mo), coincides with a decline in sediment Mn content. Sediment analyses also reveal that recent inflows of oxygenated water (since ca. 1995) are no longer consistently recorded as Mn carbonate layers. Our data suggest that eutrophication has not only led to a recent rise in sulfate reduction rates but also to a decline in reactive Fe input to these basins. We hypothesize that these factors have jointly led to higher sulfide availability near the sediment–water interface after inflow events. As a consequence, the Mn oxides may be reductively dissolved more rapidly than in the past and Mn carbonates may no longer form. Using a simple diagenetic model for Mn dynamics in the surface sediment, we demonstrate that an enhancement of the rate of reduction of Mn oxides is consistent with such a scenario. Our results have important implications for the use of Mn carbonate enrichments as a redox proxy in marine systems.
ARFIMAX and ARFIMAX-TARCH realized volatility modeling

ARFIMAX models are applied in estimating the intra-day realized volatility of the CAC40 and DAX30 indices. Volatility clustering and asymmetry characterize the logarithmic realized volatility of both the indices. The ARFIMAX model with time-varying conditional heteroskedasticity is the best performing specification and, at least in the case of DAX30, provides statistically superior next trading day's realized volatility forecasts.
Infrastructure and sectoral output along the road to development

Public infrastructure is one of the foundations for economic growth. Empirical research has found that public infrastructure can have different effects in different sectors of the economy. The theoretical literature, however, has concentrated in one‐sector growth models. This paper develops a three‐sector model (agriculture, manufacturing and services) to study the effects of infrastructure. The model is calibrated and solved numerically using parameters from seven Latin American countries. Results show that the largest gains would have been obtained at an early stage of development in the decade of the 1960s. The seven Latin American countries would have also benefited from additional public investment in the 1990s, especially the service sector. This result also has implications for the early 2000s, as infrastructure expenditures have not increased from the 1990s levels. Correspondence Address: Felix Rioja, Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. Tel. +1 (404) 651‐0417, Fax: +1 (404) 651‐4985. Email: prcfkr@langate.gsu. edu JEL Classification: O4, H5
Model of Adsorption on Epitaxial Single-Layer Graphene

Model of adsorption on graphene is built by two steps: For the beginning density of states for the graphene monolayer on solid substrate is calculated, then adsorbed atom is placed on the such constructed epitaxial graphene. Both metallic and semiconducting substrates are considered. Charge transfer between adatom and epitaxial graphene is estimated. Effects of graphene layer and substrate on the electron state of adatom are analyzed.
No genetic differentiation in the rose-infesting fruit flies Rhagoletis alternata and Carpomya schineri (Diptera: Tephritidae) across central Europe

After the last glacial retreat in Europe, multiple recolonizations led to intraspecific differentiation in many of the recolo- nizing taxa. Here we investigate the genetic diversification across central Europe in two recolonizing taxa, the tephritid fruit flies Rhagoletis alternata (Fallen, 1814) and Carpomya schineri (Loew, 1856), which attack rose hips. Analysis of amplified and sequenced fragments of the mitochondrial genes encoding cytochrome oxidase I (800 bp), cytochrome oxidase II (470 bp) and cyto- chrome b (450 bp), indicate that all the individuals of R. alternata (n = 21) collected from across Europe share the same haplotype. Two individuals of C. schineri form Berlin, which is further north of the range than previously reported in the literature, differ from the other individuals (n = 13) in one nucleotide position on the cytochrome oxidase II gene fragment. This level of genetic variation in sequences with a summed length of 1720 bp is unexpectedly lower than in other insect taxa (n = 63). This might have been caused by a selective sweep by a cytoplasmic symbiont such as Wolbachia, or a recent range expansion associated with a host shift or a single recolonization event.
Fiber metallic glass laminates

The fabrication and properties of fiber metallic glass laminates (FMGL) composite composed of Al-based metallic glasses ribbons and fiber/epoxy layers were reported. The metallic glass composite possesses structural features of low density and high specific strength compared to Al-based metallic glass and crystalline Al alloys. The material shows pronounced tensile ductility compared to monolithic bulk metallic glasses.
Chitosan and grape secondary metabolites: A proteomics and metabolomics approach

Chitosan is a polysaccharide obtained by deacetylation of chitin, and it is involved in defence mechanisms of plants toward diseases. In the present work, V. vinifera L. cv. Ortrugo, grafted on 420A rootstock was grown in pot and treated, at veraison, by 0.03% chitosan solution at cluster level. Just before the treatment (T0) and 24 hours (T1), 48 hours (T2), 72 hours (T3) and 10 days (T4) later, the concentration of stilbenic compounds was detected, and at T1 proteomics and metabolomics analyses were done. Proteomics relies on the analysis of the complete set of proteins existing in a given substrate, while metabolomics relies on the analyses of the complete set of metabolites in a given substrate. The treatment improved the stilbene concentration over the control at T1. Proteomic analysis showed that superoxide dismutase (SOD) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) were overexpressed in the treated grapes. SOD is known to be an enzyme active against reactive oxygen species (ROS) while PAL is a key enzyme in the phenylpropanoids pathway. Metabolomics analysis highlighted the positive role of the treatment in improving the triperpenoid concentration (betulin, erythrodiol, uvaol, oleanolate); these compounds are known to be effective against microbes, insects and fungi.
A spatio-temporal model for air quality mapping using uncertain covariates

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most critical air pollutants because of its effects on the human health and the environment. It is well known that covariates, such as meteorological and geographical variables, have a significative influence on PM concentration. In this work we model PM concentration, measured by the monitoring network in Piemonte, taking into account the uncertainty of covariates that are output of a deterministic model chain, by means of a spatio-temporal error-in-variables model. The aim is to map the PM concentration random field all over Piemonte region considering all the uncertainty sources, i.e. the error related to the PM measurements and the covariate simulation as well as the error coming from the spatial prediction procedure.
Non-isolated, high gain, boost converter for power electronic applications

This paper presents a new non-isolated high gain, boost converter for power electronic applications, such as renewable energy and electric vehicle systems. The converter uses a coupled inductor and switched capacitor to achieve the high step up voltage requirements. Importantly, the structure of the high voltage side, together with the switched capacitor, reduces the voltage stress across the diodes; thus enhancing the capability of the circuit. Furthermore, the semiconductor switch voltage stress is reduced to less than one third of the output voltage. The main switch achieves zero current switching (ZCS) turn-on performance and all diodes achieve (ZCS) turn off reducing reverse recovery losses. As a result, the circuit exhibits high efficiency performance; which is essential in most modern power electronic applications. In this paper, the operational principle and performance of the proposed converter is presented and validated experimentally with a 250 W, 20 V input voltage / 190 V output voltage prototype circuit.
Blood parameter changes during stopover in a long-distance migratory shorebird, the bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica taymyrensis

Bar-tailed godwits migrate from West African wintering sites to breeding areas in northern Russia with only one stopover. We compared hematocrit (Hct), blood hemoglobin concentration (Hb), and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHb; a measure of the relative proportion of Hb in the cellular blood fraction) between arriving godwits lured to land 60 km short of the stopover site and godwits during subsequent refueling. The Hct and Hb of arriving godwits was low when compared to that of refueling birds. On the stopover site, Hct and Hb correlated positively with size-corrected body mass. In addition, Hb and MCHb reached peak levels in the last days of stopover. We explored the possibility of regenerative anemia in arriving godwits by comparing the fraction of reticulocytes (young red blood cells) between arriving and refueling birds. No differences were found. Therefore, we suggest that the increase in Hct, Hb, and MCHb during refueling is not in response to a severe anemic state at arrival. Rather, we suggest that the increase in blood parameters may anticipate the increased aerobic requirements of impending migratory flight and possibly satisfy heightened oxygen demands of the larger body mass of fattened birds. The Hct increase on the stopover site may also serve to buffer the red blood cell population against possible red blood cell breakdown during long-distance flight.