Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foliar and soil concentrations and stoichiometry of nitrogen and phosphorous across European Pinus sylvestris forests: relationships with climate, N deposition and tree growth

1. This study investigated the factors underlying the variability of needle and soil elemental composition and stoichiometry and their relationships with growth in Pinus sylvestris forests throughout the species' distribution in Europe by analyzing data from 2245 forest stands. 2. Needle N concentrations and N:P ratios were positively correlated with total atmospheric N deposition, whereas needle P concentrations were negatively correlated. These relationships were especially pronounced at sites where high levels of N deposition coincided with both higher mean annual temperature and higher mean annual precipitation. Trends toward foliar P deficiency were thus more marked when high N deposition coincided with climatic conditions favorable to plant production. 3. Atmospheric N deposition was positively correlated with soil-solution NO3-, SO42-, K+, P, and Ca2+ concentrations, the soil-solution NO3-:P ratio, total soil N, and the total soil N:Olsen P ratio, and negatively correlated with soil Olsen P concentration. 4. Despite these nutrient imbalances, during the period studied (1990-2006), N deposition was positively related with Pinus sylvestris absolute basal diameter (BD) growth, although only accounting for the 10% of the total variance. However, neither N deposition nor needle N concentration were related with relative annual BD growth. In contrast, needle P concentration was positively related with both absolute and relative annual BD growth. 5. These results thus indicate a tendency of European P. sylvestris forests to store N in trees and soil in response to N deposition and unveil a trend toward increased nutrient losses in runoff as a consequence of higher soil-solution N concentrations. Overall, the data show increasing ecosystem nutrient imbalances with increasingly limiting roles of P and other nutrients such as K in European P. sylvestris forests, especially in the center of their distribution where higher levels of N deposition are observed. Thus, although the data show that N deposition has had an overall positive effect on P. sylvestris growth, the effect of continuous N deposition, associated with decreasing P and K and increasing N:P in leaves and in soil, may in the future become detrimental for the growth and competitive ability of P. Sylvestris trees.
Marketing and market development Signaling corporate values: consumers' suspicious minds

Purpose – While managers and researchers recognize that corporate social responsibility is positively related to some corporate performance measures, the instrumental reason for this linkage is still unclear. The present research proposes that this relationship can be better understood if the concept of trustworthiness is included. Design/methodology/approach – Using an experimental design, the present research presents a study in which the presence or absence of environmental commitment information in a company profile is manipulated and presented to consumers, and reports the differences in the measures of consumers’ perceptions of company trustworthiness and its sources originated by this manipulation. The analysis of these differences provided evidence of significant positive effects on perceived benevolence and negative effects on perceived ability measures. Findings – The findings of the present research seem to indicate that, in some contexts, companies’ cause commitment can have different (positive and negative) effects on consumers’ perception of firms’ trustworthiness. Research limitations/implications – The small sample size is the principal limitation of the study. Also the exclusion of personal and cultural values as moderators of the effects is a limitation. Therefore, results should be analyzed carefully because they could vary if the study is replicated in a different culture. Future research should include these personal and cultural variables in a more comprehensive model. Practical implications – Managers must manage carefully this type of company commitment and the communication of these corporate activities to stakeholders. Originality/value – This paper tries to analyze from the individual behavior perspective the relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate trustworthiness.
Managing Constraints and Removing Obstacles to Knowledge Management

Practice of knowledge management is often characterized by obstacles to creation, distribution, and transfer of knowledge from specific groups of settings. Obstacles or constraints to attempts to constitute knowledge as an organizational resource have been previously dealt within the context of organizational learning perspectives; however, there still remain barriers toward making learning available and all-pervasive throughout organizations. This is often as a result of two important factors; i) bureaucratic and hierarchical forms of organization, and ii) owing to the situated and tacit character of knowledge. This paper is a result of theoretical exploration aimed toward addressing these core issues, and proposes solutions to manage constraints and remove obstacles to knowledge management, as well as means to codify the tacit character of knowledge. The research offers a view that although it is reasonable to value knowledge in financial or economic terms, it is also important to consider the problems which make it difficult to extract and transfer knowledge within specific organizational settings. Addressing the issue of rising competitive pressure for innovation, this paper proposes several solutions to enable lateral flows of knowledge-sharing by overcoming the factors that affect acquisition of, and creation and distribution of knowledge across fluid social boundaries.
Interspecific hybridization between Mauremys reevesii and Mauremys sinensis : Evidence from morphology and DNA sequence data

Turtle hybrids have been found in some taxa, but so far, studies on interspecific hybridization between Mauremy reevesii and Mauremy sinensis have not been reported. Recently, we obtained three specimens (Hy1, Hy2, Hy3）with unusual morphological characteristics from pet trade Market, which are suspected to be hybrids rather than new species, because they were morphologies intermediate between M. reevesii and M. sinensis . In further study, we analyzed two aspects; morphological characteristics and molecular data, separately. The morphological characteristics showed that the pattern of the carapace, the plastron and neck stripes of the three specimens was between that of M. reevesii and M. sinensis (the morphological features of Hy1 and Hy2 have more resemblance with those of M. sinensis , and those of Hy3 have more resemblance with those of M. reevesii ). In molecular analyses, two mitochondrial genes (12S, cytb) and two nuclear genes (RAG-1, R35) were respectively cloned from each suspected specimen. One sequence was obtained for each mitochondrial gene, while two different sequences were obtained for each nuclear gene. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that mitochondrial genes sequences from each suspected specimen clustered into the corresponding sequences of their putative female parents, while the two pairs nuclear parental alleles sequences were strongly paraphyletic, for they were included in two different genetic lineages ( M. reevesii and M. sinensis ). Therefore, we concluded that the three suspected specimens are hybrids (Hy1 and Hy2: M. reevesii ♂ × M. sinensis ♀; Hy3: M. sinensis ♂ × M. reevesii ♀). It is the first report that interspecies hybridization of M. reevesii and M. sinensis can cross completely. Key words : Mauremys reevesii, Mauremys sinensis, hybridization, morphology, DNA sequence.
Digital Image Watermarking- An Overview

With the growth in the information technology and the sharing of digital data over the internet the electronic publishing is becoming more popular. These improvements in the computer technologies increase the problems of copyright and ownership. Digital watermarking has emerged as an answer to this problem. In the initial part of this paper there is information about the watermarking and then there is classification of different types of watermarking. At the end is given the parameters on which we can conclude which watermarking technique is best.
Modeling, Control and Implementation of a Lithium-ion Battery Charger in Electric Vehicle Application

The rapid development of Electric Vehicle powered by lithium-ion battery has resulted in significant interesting to charging device. However, the nonlinear characteristics of lithium-ion battery increase the complexity of charger designing. In this paper, to overcome the disadvantages, battery model is established and its parameters are evaluated adopted an exponential fitting method. Then an appropriate control strategy is proposed based on small signal model to realize the proposed charging strategy. Finally, experimental results from a laboratory prototype are shown to verify the feasibility of the proposed strategies.
Culture and organisational context: how it influences voice behaviour

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how business practitioners can encourage voice behaviour (i.e. communicating opinions and concerns to improve business functioning). This paper specifically focuses on individuals’ ideas of power distance as a predictor of voice. Furthermore, it evaluates the moderating effect of work discipline on this relationship between power distance and voice. Data was collected from a survey sent out to mainly Dutch and German employees who are active on the labour market. A sample of 139 responses was used to regress power distance, voice behaviour and an interaction variable of work discipline and power distance. The results show that power distance is negatively related to voice behaviour. The larger the power distance the less voice is expressed. Work discipline, the moderator, did not prove to have significant effects on the relationship. Exploratory findings show that a significant moderating effect may exist when solely looking at the private sector. This study contributes to previous research in its extension of proof of the negative relationship between power distance and voice. It furthermore contributes to the assessment of work discipline and its influence on voice behaviour.
Numerical study of scattering from rough inhomogeneous films

We adapt the differential method to the study of scattering from randomly rough inhomogeneous films, and we extend the application domain of the surface-integral method to rough surfaces with many embedded scatterers. These methods are compared in the case of geometries in which both volume and surface scattering occur. A good agreement is obtained, and the advantages and drawbacks of each technique are pointed out. The angular scattering from rough inhomogeneous structures corresponding to models of snowcover in the radio-frequency domain or paints in the optical domain is shown.
A Power-Aware Framework for Executing Streaming Programs on Networks-on-Chip

Nilesh Karavadara, Simon Folie, Michael Zolda, Vu Thien Nga Nguyen, Raimund Kirner, 'A Power-Aware Framework for Executing Streaming Programs on Networks-on-Chip'. Paper presented at the Int'l Workshop on Performance, Power and Predictability of Many-Core Embedded Systems (3PMCES'14), Dresden, Germany, 24-28 March 2014.
Effects of Chorisia crispiflora Ethyl Acetate Extract on P21 and NF-κB in Breast Cancer Cells

Purpose: The current study addressed the evaluation of the in-vitro cytotoxic activity of Chorisia Crispiflora (Bombaceae) different extracts on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, then in parallel phytochemical and molecular investigations of the most cytotoxic extract. Materials and Methods: The most cytotoxic extract against -7 breast cancer cell line was investigated for its effect on NF-κB, p21 and DNA fragmentation. The compounds isolated were identified using different spectroscopic techniques. Results: The most active extract was the ethyl acetate, where it exhibited cytotoxic effect at IC50; 5.2 and 4.2 µg/ml compared with doxorubicin for 48 & 72 hours. Further investigations on the extract were achieved in parallel for detection the active principles responsible for that effect and for assessing the molecular mechanisms underlying extract may interfere with several cell signaling pathways. Protocatechuic acid, apigenin 7-rhamnoside, apigenin 7-glucoside, kaempferol 3- rutinoside and apigenin 7- neohesperidoside were isolated and identified through different spectroscopic methods. The anticancer effect on MCF- 7 breast cancer cell line was produced as result of down regulation of NF-κB and up regulation of p21 levels at time and concentration dependent manner. Conclusions: Chorisia crispiflora extract may down regulate NF-κB and up regulate p21 levels at time and concentration dependent manner and also may assume that activated NF-κB antagonizes P53induces P21 function, possibly through the cross-competition for transcriptional coactivators. The phenolics isolated from the extract may responsible for the anticancer effect produced. (Abeer M. Ashmawy, Samar S. Azab, Omayma A. Eldahshan Effects of Chorisia crispiflora Ethyl Acetate Extract on P21 and NF-κB in Breast Cancer Cells) Journal of American Science 2012;8(8): 965-972). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience. org.143
Age specific sex differences in BMI and skin fold thickness among children of Kazaure Emirate, Nigeria

An important phenomenon occurring in human population is the variation in their physical morphology. The physical dimensions of human body are influenced by geographical, racial, age and gender factors. Physical anthropometry provides the technique by which human body dimensions can be evaluated and measured. The aim of the study was to determine age specific sex differences in height, weight, BMI and skin fold thickness among children aged 5- 12 years from Kazaure emirate, Jigawa State, Nigeria. The objective of the study was to investigate sexual dimorphism in the measured variables. A total of 1212 primary school pupils aged 5-12 years (659 males and 553 females) were involved. All the anthropometric variables were taken using standard protocols. An independent t-test was used to determine gender differences using SPSS version 20.0and P ≤ 0.05 considered a level of significance. The results showed a significant gender difference in height and weight at age of 8 years (P = 0.009) and (P< 0.001), respectively. For bicep skin fold thickness (BSF), the gender difference was observed at 7 to 12years of age with (P< 0.001). Similar pattern in triceps TSF) and suprailiac (SISF), showed significant difference at age six (P< 0.001) and (P =0.01), respectively. All ages showed differences in subscapular skin fold thickness (SSF)(P< 0.001). In the SSF, female had higher mean value while for height and weight the reverse trend was the case. In conclusion, the gender differences in SSF may be linked with higher adipose tissue in female than in the male counterparts in childhood. Keywords: Anthropometry, BMI, Skin fold thickness, age, sex, Nigeria
Signatures of chaos and non-integrability in two-dimensional gravity with dynamical boundary

We propose a model of two-dimensional dilaton gravity with a boundary. In the bulk our model coincides with the classically integrable CGHS model; the dynamical boundary cuts of the CGHS strong-coupling region. As a result, classical dynamics in our model reminds that in the spherically-symmetric gravity: wave packets of matter fields either reflect from the boundary or form black holes. We find large integrable sector of multisoliton solutions in this model. At the same time, we argue that the model is globally non-integrable because solutions at the verge of black hole formation display chaotic properties.
Crystal plasticity: The Hamilton-Eshelby stress in terms of the metric in the intermediate configuration

The Hamilton-Eshelby stress is a basic ingredient in the description of the evolution of point, lines and bulk defects in solids. The link between the Hamilton-Eshelby stress and the derivative of the free energy with respect to the material metric in the plasticized intermediate configuration, in large strain regime, is shown here. The result is a modified version of Rosenfeld-Belinfante theorem in classical field theories. The origin of the appearance of the Hamilton-Eshelby stress (the non-inertial part of the energy-momentum tensor) in dissipative setting is also discussed by means of the concept of relative power.
Comparación de dos métodos de fraccionamiento físico de la materia orgánica del suelo

Se compararon las concentraciones de carbono organico particulado (COP) y carbono sobrenadante (Cs) obtenidas por los metodos de fraccionamiento granulometrico (fraccion > 53 µm) y densimetrico (densidad de licor: 2 g cm-3), respectivamente, utilizando el analisis de regresion. Las muestras de suelo fueron tomadas de un ensayo de larga duracion ubicado en la EEA-INTA Pergamino que compara cuatro secuencias de cultivo y dos sistemas de labranza. Los dos metodos estuvieron lineal y positivamente correlacionados para las profundidades 0-5 y 5-10 cm y las ordenadas al origen no difirieron de cero, indicando que ambos estimaron el carbono labil de manera similar. Debido a que las pendientes no fueron distintas de uno, las diferencias entre los dos metodos fueron constantes en todo el rango de carbono labil medido. Para la profundidad 10-20 cm, no hubo correlacion y las concentraciones de Cs fueron superiores y menos variables que las de COP. La densidad del licor utilizada puede explicar la obtencion de cantidades similares o superiores de Cs con respecto a COP, debido a una contribucion importante del complejo organo-mineral a la fraccion sobrenadante.Se compararon las concentraciones de carbono organico particulado (COP) y carbono sobrenadante (Cs) obtenidas por los metodos de fraccionamiento granulometrico (fraccion > 53 µm) y densimetrico (densidad de licor: 2 g cm-3), respectivamente, utilizando el analisis de regresion. Las muestras de suelo fueron tomadas de un ensayo de larga duracion ubicado en la EEA-INTA Pergamino que compara cuatro secuencias de cultivo y dos sistemas de labranza. Los dos metodos estuvieron lineal y positivamente correlacionados para las profundidades 0-5 y 5-10 cm y las ordenadas al origen no difirieron de cero, indicando que ambos estimaron el carbono labil de manera similar. Debido a que las pendientes no fueron distintas de uno, las diferencias entre los dos metodos fueron constantes en todo el rango de carbono labil medido. Para la profundidad 10-20 cm, no hubo correlacion y las concentraciones de Cs fueron superiores y menos variables que las de COP. La densidad del licor utilizada puede explicar la obtencion de cantidades similares o superiores de Cs con respecto a COP, debido a una contribucion importante del complejo organo-mineral a la fraccion sobrenadante.
Properties of Sodium Alginate–Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogels Irradiated By Gamma Ray For Wound Dressing Materials

A copolymer of sodium alginate (SA)–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was synthesized by gamma irradiation to make a hydrogel and study on its properties has been carried out. A series of 0.5% -2.0% (w/v) of SA solution and 10% (w/v) of PVA solution were prepared in separate tubes. Each of the SA solution was mixed with PVA solution, then it was irradiated with gamma ray at the doses of 30 kGy, 40 kGy, and 50 kGy (dose rate of 10 kGy/hour), respectively. The properties of hydrogels were evaluated comprising of the physical performance, gel fraction, swelling ratio, water evaporation, and pH. The results showed that increase of irradiation dose can increase the gel fraction, but increase of SA concentration can decrease the gel fraction. SA concentration of 1-2% with gamma ray irradiation dose of 30 kGy was a suitable condition to produce a good hydrogel with properties as follow, gel fraction of 75.83%-78.70%, swelling ratio of 69.12-80.14 g/g, and maximum water evaporated of 54.21-76.41%, the pH value ranged 5.60-5.65. The hydrogels produced are suitable to be used for wound dressing, especially for wet wounds, and can be applied for two days.
How middle managers' group‐focus emotions and social identities influence strategy implementation

The literature on top-down strategy implementation has overlooked social-emotional factors. The results of a three-year field study of a large technology firm show how top executives who favor an affect neutral task approach can inadvertently activate middle managers' organization-related social identities, such as length of time working for the company (newcomers versus veterans) and language spoken by senior executives (English versus French), generating group-focus emotions. These emotions prompt middle managers—even those elevated to powerful positions by top executives—to support or covertly dismiss a particular strategic initiative even when their immediate personal interests are not directly under threat. This study contributes to the strategy implementation literature by linking senior executives' actions and middle managers' social identities, group-focus emotions, and resulting behaviors to strategy implementation outcomes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Appraisal of the Time Differentials in Adjustment among Children in Laboratory Day Care Centre

Abstract The present study aimed to assess the time differentials among the newly admitted children in the Laboratory Day Care Centre. The study was based upon a sample of 32 (15 male and 17 female) children admitted in April, 2009 & 2010 sessions, as well as their ‘Care Providers (n=3)’ and ‘Parents of the sample children (n=32)’. Observation-cum-Interview method was used for data collection for the study. Based on their non-adjustment reactions, the children were divided into two categories (‘Early Adjusting Children’ and ‘Late Adjusting Children’). This categorization was based on an opinion survey conducted in the five ‘Early Childhood Care Centres’ in Ludhiana City. As per the opinion of the supervisors the 3 weeks time period was kept as the demarcating line for ‘Early and Late Adjusting’ categories of children. Therefore all the children taking more than 3 weeks time for their comfortable adjustment to the Laboratory Day Care Centre were designated as the ‘Late Adjusting Children’. The results of the study highlighted that the girls were taking more time in adjustment as compared to the boys, but the gender differentials within these two categories were found to be statistically non-significant.
Indonesian strategy in reducing Aedes aegypty diseases in ASEAN economic community era

Indonesia is one of the countries that has a very strategic role in the ASEAN region. The state of readiness of Indonesia in ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015 will involve all elements of the society due to very large population. Economically, Indonesia should be able to compete with ASEAN countries, and human resources should also be prepared. On the other hand, shifts and movements of the people between countries will be increased, this could be a threat for the country. However, those who are ready with the human resources, it might be a positive value, otherwise, it might be a weakness for unprepared countries. AEC era is not only economic power that should be concerned, but also health problems that should be a priority. Nowadays, the Aedes aegypti cases are still high in Indonesia. This paper aims to describe the strategies to reduce the disease, which also be a focus of government.