Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Small-scale spatial variation in soil properties within an old-growth European beech forest and two Norway spruce forests

The aim of this study was to investigate species related differences in soil carbon and nitrogen concentration, pH and condensed tannin content in topsoil’s in Norway spruce (Picea abies) European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests. Samples were collected in two Norway spruce sites and one old-growth European beech forest in South-Eastern Norway. Research on spatial distribution and differences in soil properties in beech and spruce has been studied in the temperate zone. However, no comparative studies have investigated differences in secondary compounds in topsoil’s between European beech and Norway spruce forests. This might be of importance as larger tannin structures decompose slower, and are believed to be able to remain in the soil over time and potentially add to the stable carbon pool found in boreal forest soils. Also, in the literary studies done in conjunction with this thesis, no research showing differences in topsoil content of condensed tannins between spruce and beech where to be found. Topsoil samples were collected in old-growth beech forest, a Norway spruce forest growing in an area previously dominated by beech, and in a younger primary Norway spruce forest. The samples were analysed for carbon and nitrogen concentration, C/N ratio, pH and total condensed tannin content. Topsoil samples were collected at spatial intervals of 2 meters, with samples being taken up to 10 meters in all cardinal directions from a centre point. The results suggest that a change from spruce to beech forest will not induce significant changes to the concentrations and distribution of the measured soil properties. Few significant differences in the measured variables were found between the forest sites, and the highest variation was found within forest sites. This indicates that other factors than dominating tree species are more influential for small-scale spatial variations in soil properties. However, the results for spatial distribution of the measured variables does not constitute evidence that the parameters for soil properties would not show temporal variation with a shift towards more beech forest. To conclude further on this, more sampling sites and a larger number of samples would have to be included in the model.
Thrust belts of the southern Central Andes: Along-strike variations in shortening, topography, crustal geometry, and denudation

The Andean fold-and-thrust belts of west-central Argentina (33°S and 36°S), above the normal subduction segment, present important along-strike variations in mean topographic uplift, structural elevation, amount and rate of shortening, and crustal root geometry. To analyze the controlling factors of these latitudinal changes, we compare these parameters and the chronology of deformation along 11 balanced crustal cross sections across the thrust belts between 70°W and 69°W, where the majority of the upper-crustal deformation is concentrated, and reconstruct the Moho geometry along the transects. We propose two models of crustal deformation: a 33°40′S model, where the locus of upper-crustal shortening is aligned with respect to the maximum crustal thickness, and a 35°40′S model, where the upper-crustal shortening is uncoupled from the lower-crustal deformation and thickening. This degree of coupling between brittle upper crust and ductile lower crust deformation has strong influence on mean topographic elevation. In the northern sector of the study area, an initial thick and felsic crust favors the coupling model, while in the southern sector, a thin and mafic lower crust allows the uncoupling model. Our results indicate that interplate dynamics may control the overall pattern of tectonic shortening; however, local variations in mean topographic elevation, deformation styles, and crustal root geometry are not fully explained and are more likely to be due to upper-plate lithospheric strength variations.
Automatic Text Classification System

The goal of text classification is to classify the text documents into a certain number of pre-defined classes. As per demands for text is increased with the evolution of large amount of information available in internet, news, institutes. For this large amount of data we need a text classifier which will help in classifying text documents. In classification there are major issues such as handling large number of features, unstructured text documents, and selecting a machine learning technique suitable for the text classification application. The Automatic Text Classification System solves those problems by giving the text document to a set of pre-defined classes by using machine learning techniques. The appropriate machine learning technique for text classification is k-nearest neighbour. The classification is mainly done on the basis of significant words or features extracted from the text document. It also can be used for creating training documents and for creating databases for various texts.
Design and Synthesis of Sustain-Acting Melatonin Prodrugs

Twelve melatonin amide prodrugs aiming at prolonging the action of melatonin in vivo by improving its half-life were designed and synthesized. Using an 80% human plasma model, it was found that the aliphatic amide derivatives were relatively stable and melatonin release from these compounds was not sufficient with melatonin release percentage. After 4-hour incubation with 80% human plasma, the melatonin release percentage achieved only approximately less than 20%. In contrast, the -succinyl and -glutaroylmelatonin derivatives (compounds 11 and 12, resp.) were found to release melatonin in much higher rates. After 3-hour incubation in 80% human plasma, the melatonin release rates from 11 and 12 were found to be 67.3 and 75.6%, respectively. From these results, the -succinyl and -glutaroylmelatonin derivatives (compounds 11 and 12) could be promising as sustained release prodrugs of melatonin.
OPTIMAL SOLUTION TO ADAPTIVE SUBCARRIER-AND-BIT ALLOCATION IN

Subcarrier-and-bit allocation (SBA) has been extensively investigated in the literature to improve spectral efficiency of multiuser orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) systems. However, in previous studies, only suboptimal solutions were given and only single-class case was considered. In this paper, a unified analysis of adaptive SBA for multiclass multiuser OFDM system is presented. The constrained power optimization is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. The optimal solution to this problem is derived, i.e., the instantaneous total transmit power is minimized with the quality- of-service (QoS) (data rate and bit error rate) of each class guaranteed. The optimized system performance is compared with both the fixed sub- carrier and bit allocation scheme and the rate-adaptive scheme without multiuser diversity. The framework presented in this paper, based on the optimal solution, can be used as a benchmark for future developed heuristic algorithm.
Plant Biotechnology 24, 435–440 (2007)

To examine the capacity for plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis, Japanese soybean cultivars were investigated by 3-step-somatic embryogenesis: 1) induction of somatic embryos (SEs) from immature cotyledons, 2) proliferation of SEs in liquid medium and 3) differentiation of SEs into cotyledon-stage embryos. At each step, properties of the cultures varied among cultivars. Notably, significant differences were observed on 1) efficiencies of SE induction, 2) compactness of individual SEs during proliferation, and 3) yields of differentiated embryos (numbers of cotyledon-stage embryos differentiated from 100 mg globular SEs). We found that the compactness of SEs in liquid medium was very important factor for the recovery of well differentiated embryos. In fact, Yuuzuru and Yumeyutaka which indicated high ratios of compact SEs at proliferation step showed high yields of well differentiated embryos. The abilities of these Japanese cultivars to yield cotyledon-stage embryos were superior or comparable to North American cultivar ‘Jack’, which is used as one of the most preferable genotypes for somatic embryogenesis, indicating their high potentials for plant regeneration.
Capture Aware Channel Access Protocol in Wireless Network

Spatial reuse in wireless networks is limited by the SINR threshold and it might be feasible to capture a packet in the presence of ongoing foreign transmission. This work considers a new capture aware channel access protocol by incorporating global channel state information in the decision making process for the channel access jointly with adaptive power framework. The protocol employs power heterogeneous ad-hoc networks; it assigns different transmission power level to individual nodes based on dynamic observation of the network traffic. It exploits spatial heterogeneity of flows at a given channel allocation and sets up either symmetric or asymmetric carrier sensing which in turn schedules the data packets transmission to maintain adequate service quality and fairness enjoyed by a user. It stands atop capture capable PHY to leverage the channel reuse which is of paramount importance in the design of high capacity ad-hoc networks. Through extensive simulations, the paper demonstrates the efficacy of the new protocol. It delivers high network utilization and also provides fair access to the media.
Accelerated implementation of level set based segmentation

An Open Computing Language implementation of a level set solver for 2D and 3D image segmentation tasks is presented. An adaptive time stepping algorithm is implemented using an optimised parallel reduction kernel to compensate for a loss of algorithmic parallelisation. For a 2D data set (256×256) the execution is accelerated by a factor of 20 in the adaptive case and 100 in the non-adaptive case compared to a cpu implementation, facilitating real time interactive parameter tuning. For a 3D data set (384×397×41) the acceleration factors are 200 and 270 for the adaptive and non-adaptive cases, respectively. Although a single iteration of the adaptive method is slower compared to the non-adaptive scheme, it automatically enforces the Courant,Friedrichs, Lewy condition and reduces the number of user-tuned parameters while safely allowing larger time steps. Open Computing Language optimisations and techniques are discussed. © Austral. Mathematical Soc. 2013.
Estimation of the Possible Power of a Wind Farm

Abstract It seems possible to increase competitiveness of wind power plants by offering grid services (also called ancillary services) and enter the wind power plants into the ancillary market. One of the ancillary services is called reserve power, the differential capacity between the generated power and the available power in the farm. The total amount of energy that a wind farm can potentially generate is called possible power. It is very important for a wind farm owner to have a relatively accurate estimate of the possible power of the wind farm in order to be able to trade the reserve power. In this paper the possible power calculated based on the estimated effective wind speed of a down regulated wind farm (the industry standard) is compared against the calculated possible power based on the algorithm presented in the paper. The latter takes into account the effect of the wakes of down regulated turbines and therefore gives a more accurate measure of the possible power. It is shown that for an interval of wind speeds the difference between these two can increase the uncertainty in the estimate of the possible power of the down regulated wind farm.
A Cooperative Inquiry to Develop Leadership Capabilities

In the past ten years there has been considerable debate on the subject of leadership and management development (Finegold, 1994; Friga, Bettis and Sullivan, 2003). Two of the key debates in the management education literature have been firstly the place of Business Schools in developing leaders and managers (Cornuel, 2005; Marrington and Rowe, 2004; Grey, 2004; Pfeffer and Fong, 2003; Wankel and Fillipini, 2002; Leavitt, 2000) and secondly the continued relevance of the MBA as a pre-eminent source of management education (Mintzberg, 2004a; 2004b; Conolly, 2003; Mintzberg and Gosling, 2002; Mintzberg and Lampel, 2001). In 2001 following input from two cross industry focus groups RMIT University established a graduate certificate post-graduate award program in organisational leadership as a response to the growing questioning of practices in management development and as a response an industry identified need to develop an applied leadership practice program at post graduate level suited to experienced practicing managers. A process of co-operative inquiry (Heron, 1996; Heron and Reason, 2001) was used as both a research approach under critical theory driven action research and as an aid to participants co-researching their insights into leader-manager practice and implementing improvements into that practice. This paper explores the methodology adopted, approaches to action research undertaken and also conclusions drawn from the project, many of which now inform practices in the RMIT MBA Executive program.
Using Non-linear mixed models and artificial neural network in the fitting growth pattern in pears cv. 'Williams' to predict final sizes at harvest.

The diameter of the fruit growth in pear cv. ’Williams’ reflects a sigmoid pattern. Growth patterns make predictions of fruit’s sizes to harvest at some point in the cycle. The mixed nonlinear models is fitted, since are suited for analyzing correlated and modeling the stochastic variability of fruit development.This models have a high prediction ability. Another way to describe it is using an artificial neural network.They are not able to capture the effects of covariates and the variability of the distribution in fruits predictions.
Effects of two sources of Mexican oregano oil on performance, blood profile, carcass variables, and meat of broilers

ABSTRACT The current study was conducted to investigate the effects of Mexican oregano essential oil (MOO) extracts from Lippia berlandieri Schauer (LBS) and Poliomintha longiflora Gray (PLG) on performance, blood profiles, carcass variables, and meat composition of broilers at slaugther. A total of 360 one-day-old Ross broilers were randomly distributed into four dietary treatments with six replicate pens per treatment and 15 birds per pen. The dietary treatments were: a basal diet (control), control + 0.40 g of LBS/kg of [. ]
Third sector involvement in public education: the Israeli case

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to address the involvement of third sector organizations in state public education in Israel, with emphasis on the decision‐making processes affecting the geographic distribution of service provision.Design/methodology/approach – A collective case study approach was used to investigate non‐governmental organization (NGO) procedures for the deployment of the educational services they provide. The study was based on semi‐structured interviews with key personnel and on documents from four NGOs operating in the Israeli public education system.Findings – The article illustrates the extent of third sector organizations' involvement in the Israeli public educational system, in most cases operated with significant governmental funding. The findings reveal two main factors in the NGOs' decision‐making process that affect their operational deployment: the type of financing model they adopted and the nature of their relationship with the Ministry of Education.Practical implic.
Modeling the Causal Effect of World Cocoa Price on Production of Cocoa in Ghana

In this paper, models are developed to explain and forecast the effect of world cocoa price on production of cocoa in Ghana by using regression model with time series errors. The focus of the investigation was to find out whether the world cocoa price can assist in forecasting the future behavior of the cocoa production in Ghana. Annual data from 1961 to 2010 were used in fitting the model while 2011 and 2012 were used as out-of-sample data. Based on the behavior of several model adequacy techniques, the regression model with ARIMA(2,2,0) errors was considered as the 'best' model for the production variable. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), as a forecast accuracy measure, was used to validate the model. Thus, the MAPE of the regression model with ARIMA (2,2,0) errors was 7.97%. However, the conventional 'best' ARIMA model fitted to the production variable indicated an MAPE of 16%. This shows that, the production variable has smaller MAPE, when it was modeled together with world price using regression with ARIMA errors. Hence, regression model with ARIMA (2,2,0) errors is a better statistical technique in forecasting production of cocoa in Ghana than the conventional ARIMA method.
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS: APPLICATION OF A DYNAMIC MODEL

Capital movements, whether in the form of foreign direct investment or foreign portfolio investment are considered to have a positive multiplier effect on the economy. The study contributes to the empirical literature by investigating whether foreign direct investment affects economic growth using Namibia as a test centre. The study made use of vector autoregression method to examine this relationship. A quarterly data covering 1990:Q1 to 2014:Q4 was employed. The results found cointegrating relationships among the four variables that were investigated. The estimated long-run equation also suggests a positive relationship amongst the variables that have been examined in the study. Surprisingly, no evidence of causality was found pertaining to the variables assessed in the study. Moreover, real exchange rate and net foreign direct investment contributed more towards innovations in economic growth during the forecast horizon compared to the openness index. The study concludes by crafting opportunities for further inquiries
All the boys are straight: Heteronormativity in books on fathering and raising boys

Over the past decade a rapidly growing number of books have been published on fathering and raising boys. Whilst these books purport to simply describe boyhood, this paper suggests that in fact they are actively engaged in constructing boyhood, and in particular the gender and sexual identities of boys. Through an analysis of ten such books, this paper demonstrates how they are informed by a range of heteronormative and homophobic assumptions about boys and masculinity. Particular focus is given to 1) constructions of the ‘average boy’, 2) the assumption that such boys are ‘naturally’ attracted to girls, 3) discourses of the ‘sissy’ boy, and 4) accounts of gay boys. The analysis provided suggests that constructions of the first two are reliant upon negative constructions of the latter two. Implications for the ways in which we understand boys, parenting and families are drawn from the findings, and recommendations are made for research agendas that not only respect and include gay boys and their parents, but which celebrate the experiences of non-gender normative, nonheterosexual boys.
Electronic structure of PbSnS3 and PbGeS3 semiconductor compounds with the mixed cation coordination

The self-consistent band structure calculation of PbSnS3 and PbGeS3 ternary compounds with the mixed cation coordination was performed using the ab initio density functional theory method. It has been found that both compounds are indirect-gap semiconductors. The calculated band-gap widths are Egi = 0.75 eV for PbSnS3 and Egi = 1.96 eV for PbGeS3. It was performed the analysis of partial contributions to the total density of electronic states, which allowed to identify the genetic nature of valence and conduction bands. The feature of the structure of occupied energy bands in these compounds is the presence of isolated quasi-core d-band of lead atoms and the contribution of Pb6s-states of lone-electron pair to the top of valence band as well as to the second occupied subband. The electron density maps in the different planes have been analyzed. They clearly demonstrate presence of covalent-ionic bond character within the infinite chains and ribbons with prevailing charge concentration on Ge–S, Sn–S, Pb–S bonds, and a weak van der Waals bond component with participation of lone-electron pair of lead between layers as well as ribbons.
QUANTIFICATION OF THE EFFICIENCY OF RUMEN MICROBIAL PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN STEERS FED GREEN TROPICAL GRASS

MULLIK, M.L. , POPPI, D.P. and S.R. MC LENNAN. 2009. Quantification of the efficiency of rumen microbial protein synthesis in steers fed green tropical grass. JITV 14(2): 110-117. The rate of rumen microbial crude protein (MCP) supply to the intestines is a crucial element in the current rumen models to predict respond of ruminants to a certain diet. Data from tropical pastures are always below predicted results from the existing rumen models. Thus, quantification of the rumen MCP supply from tropical forage will improve predictive rate under tropical feeding conditions. Four Brahman crossbred steers (457 ± 20.1 kg) were used in a metabolism study. Pangola grass (Digitaria erianthe cv. Steudal) was harvested every morning and fed to the animals soon afterward. Parameters measured were EMPS, intake, fractional passage rates, and rumen ammonia concentration. The EMPS was estimated using purine derivative excretion in urine. Mean crude protein and water soluble carbohydrate was 6.3 and 7.4% of dry matter (DM) respectively. Mean DM intake was 1.6% liveweight. Average rumen ammonia concentration was 69 mg/L whilst rumen passage rates were 7.84 and 6.92%/h for fluid and solids respectively. Mean EMPS was only 72 g MCP/kg digestible organic matters. It is concluded that EMPS in steers consuming green pangola grass was at the level below the minimum recommended value for forage diets adopted in the current feeding standards.
PRELIMINARY MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE CALAPPA LOPHOS SPECIES GROUP (DECAPODA:BRACHYURA:CALAPPIDAE)

Abstract The systematics of the Calappa lophos species group is clarified using morphological and molecular data. The phylogeny of some Indo-Pacific species of Calappa is discussed. Two species, C. quadrimaculata Takeda and Shikatani, 1990, and C. guerini (Brito-Capello, 1871), previously synonymised with C. lophos (Herbst, 1782), are shown to be valid species using morphological and molecular data. A new species in the group, C. acutispina, is described from Madagascar. The usefulness of Bayesian inference in elucidating the phylogenetic relationships of some of the species of Calappa based on partial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences is examined.