Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutualisms with the wreckage of an avifauna: the status of bird pollination and fruit- dispersal in New Zealand

Worldwide declines in bird numbers have recently renewed interest in how well bird-plant mutualisms are functioning. In New Zealand, it has been argued that bird pollination was relatively unimportant and bird- pollination failure was unlikely to threaten any New Zealand plants, whereas dispersal mutualisms were widespread and in some cases potentially at risk because of reliance on a single large frugivore, the kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae). Work since 1989, however, has changed that assessment. Smaller individual fruits of most plant species can be dispersed by mid-sized birds such as tui (Prosthemadera novaezelandiae) because both fruits and birds vary in size within a species. Only one species (Beilschmiedia tarairi) has no individual fruits small enough for this to occur. Germination of 19 fleshy-fruited species, including most species with fruits >8 mm diameter, does not depend on birds removing the fruit pulp. The few studies of fruit removal rates mostly (7 out of 10) show good dispersal quantity. So dispersal is less at risk than once thought. In contrast, there is now evidence for widespread pollen limitation in species with ornithophilous flowers. Tests on 10 of the 29 known native ornithophilous-flowered species found that in 8 cases seed production was reduced by at least one-third, and the pollen limitation indices overall were significantly higher than the global average. Birds also frequently visit flowers of many other smaller-flowered native species, and excluding birds significantly reduced seed set in the three species tested. So pollination is more at risk than once thought. Finally, analyses of both species numbers and total woody basal area show that dependence on bird pollination is unexpectedly high. Birds have been recorded visiting the flowers of 85 native species, representing 5% of the total seed-plant flora (compared with 12% of those with fleshy fruit) and 30% of the tree flora (compared with 59% with fleshy fruit). A higher percentage of New Zealand forest basal area has bird-visited flowers (37% of basal area nationally) than fleshy fruit (31%). Thus, bird pollination is more important in New Zealand than was realised, partly because birds visit many flowers that do not have classic "ornithophilous" flower morphology .
Micro-Droplet Flux in Forest and its Contribution to Interception Loss of Rainfall – Theoretical Study and Field

A new approach to explain forest interception was proposed by introducing micro-droplets of crushed raindrops during rainfall. The aerodynamic diffusion and transfer of both vapour and micro-droplets from canopy to upper air were described and calculated, and proposed formulas applied to eight rainfall events at the Okunoi Experimental Station, Tokushima, Japan. Contributions from droplet transfer were 0.9-58.2 times of contributions from vapour transfer, taking a majority portion in total interception loss. Accounting only the vapour transfer or evaporation loss as estimated by Penman equation was not able to account for actual interception loss. The micro-droplet flux component took major portion in the two heavily rained events, and completely made up the interception as happened in October 2004. The droplet flux could accommodate a high interception rate, even when the air was nearly vapour-saturated and vapour flux was zero. This approach provided a new explanation to extraordinarily high interception rates.
Advances in dairy cattle breeding research

This paper selectively reviews breeding objectives, genetic evaluation systems, use of individual genes and the design of breeding programs. Consideration of costs in the breeding objective shows that feed conversion efficiency (FCE) is the most important trait. A simple model of nutrient requirements suggests that FCE is more highly correlated with milk yield in a low nutrition environment than in a high nutrition environment. An international experiment to test this hypothesis could be worthwhile. Mastitis resistance, fertility and longevity are important traits, but as much for their effect on milk income as costs. Research on genetic evaluation systems is focusing on use of test day yields, international evaluations, non-additive variance, non-linear models and the use of individual genes. Models with a non-linear relationship between traits and possibly censored data (e.g. between milk yield and days open) deserve investigation. Individual genes and mapped QTL can be included in genetic evaluations by use of linear models, combined segregation-linkage analysis or finite locus or gene based models. The use of these genes will lead to the selection of young bulls and heifers to breed bulls, thus reducing generation intervals and increasing genetic gain, but with an increase in variability of response or risk. Methods to make selection more robust to errors in parameter estimates, biased data and bad luck are needed.
From general transfer to deep learning as argument for practical aesthetic school subjects?

ABSTRACT This article investigates the empirical ground for transfer thinking about the practical aesthetic school subjects (PAS). We investigate the conceptual framework and methodological possibilities and constraints concerning transfer from the PAS to other domains, and analyse the transfer arguments in arts and crafts and physical education (PE) within the context of the Nordic countries specifically. We find that there is not much research about how educational objectives, content, and teaching and working methods, assessment forms, learning processes and learning outcomes are linked together. Accordingly, the transfer from one school subject to other subjects or domains is challenging to justify. We outline an alternative perspective on transfer in PAS in general, and in arts and crafts and PE specifically that could be investigated more carefully to further the development of a more robust knowledge field.
ASSESSMENT ON KNOWLEDGE REGARDING HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINATION AMONG MAHSA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of undergraduate students of MAHSA University on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire among 350 local undergraduate students recruited by convenience sampling. The survey was conducted in English and consisted of questions on demographic data and 14 questions on knowledge toward HPV vaccination. Verbal consent was obtained from the participants beforehand, and their participation was voluntary and anonymous.Results: The participants have scored below average (6.09±3.39) for knowledge on HPV vaccines with a significant difference in terms of age, gender, and program of the study. Students from medicine, dentistry, and biomedical science tend to have better mean knowledge score (7.39±2.99) with 25% scored 10 and above. The non-health-care students showed insignificant lower mean knowledge score of 4.17±2.06, respectively.Conclusion: This study has demonstrated moderate level HPV vaccine knowledge toward HPV vaccination among university students with majority posed background of health-related knowledge.
Teachers' Burnout: Indicators of Burnout and Investigation of the Indicators in terms of Different Variables

Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Since teaching profession is excessively demanding, requires effective communication, and leads one to suffer from emotional burnout, it is acknowledged as one of the professions with a great likelihood of burnout. The purpose of the present study was to analyze teacher burnout in reference to certain variables. Relational model was used in this study. A total of 163 teachers from various cities participated. Two different data collection tools were used in this study, namely "Personal Information Form" and "Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)". The first one was used to identify the demographics of the participants. The second data collection instrument, MBI, was used to reveal the degree of burnout experienced by participants. The inventory divided into three sub-dimensions: namely emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization. Results indicated that different variables contributed to teachers’ burnout scores in terms of being on high and low groups. For example, while "education level" variable contributed to emotional exhaustion subscale, the variable of socio-economic status of the region where the school is located contributed to depersonalization subscale. Furthermore, there were higher mean ranks for those teachers who worked as an Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) teacher. While expressing their views, the ICT teachers focused on their unhappiness resulting from what they had been experiencing in their discipline. It is evident that the use of technology plays a key role in effective learning at school. ICT teachers can make contributions in this respect. They can guide both other teachers and students for using technology in an effective way. Thus it is worth to bring attention to the fact that preventing burnout of ICT teachers is a precondition for improving the quality of education in schools.
Survey on Student’s Perception of Class Room Environment in an Engineering College

Effective learning is possible if students new learning patterns, evolving education technologies and methodologies are better understood by all stakeholders. The man-machine model for a class-room is proposed and analyzed through a case study. The paper focuses on the student’s perception of current teaching-learning environment and the issues therein. A questionnaire survey (n=178) is done on the students of one of the engineering colleges in the State of Kerala in India. The factor analysis of the worksystem factors indicated three distinct dimensions, i.e., ‘Technology’, ‘General environment’ and ‘Work environment’, and that for outcome measures indicated the following three dimensions, ‘Performance’, ‘Review effort’, and ‘Mental & physical strain’. The case study indicated a weak ‘Technology’ interface, i.e., use of modern IT & Communication facility is low, internet facility is inadequate. In ‘General environment’ dimension heat-stress, glare and audibility is cause for concern. In ‘Work environment’ dimension physical configuration due to furniture arrangement is a cause for concern. In ‘Review effort’ dimension the self-study effort needed is high. Students rating for ‘Performance’ dimension are largely satisfactory, but their ratings for ‘Mental & Physical strain’ dimensions indicate they are not satisfied. This calls for ‘Technology’ improvement by providing stable internet facility and connectivity. The ‘Work environment’ could be improved through ergonomic design of furniture design and its layout, while ‘General environment’ could be improved through better air circulation or air-conditioning. Traditional classrooms with rows of desk facing the teacher and the board do not fulfil present day educational needs and expectations; therefore the available space at colleges requires adaptation to new contexts and roles in education. Human factors such as age, experience, motivation and course factors such as course type, content and scheduling needs to be explored so that the nature and impact on the interactions in teaching-learning environment can be better understood. The causal loops of worksystem factors on outcome measures could be studied through a structural equation modelling. Keywords: Smart class-room, Active learning, Ergonomics, Man-machine interaction, Information technology, Students perception, Factor analysis
Bentonite can decrease ammonia volatilisation losses from poultry litter: laboratory studies

Ammonia volatilisation from manure materials within poultry sheds can adversely affect production, and also represents a loss of fertiliser value from the spent litter. This study sought to compare the ability of alum and bentonite to decrease volatilisation losses of ammonia from spent poultry litter. An in-vessel volatilisation trial with air flushing, ammonia collection, and ammonia analysis was conducted over 64 days to evaluate the mitigation potential of these two materials. Water-saturated spent litter was incubated at 25°C in untreated condition (control) or with three treatments: an industry-accepted rate of alum [4% Al2(SO4)3·18H2O by dry mass of litter dry mass; ALUM], air-dry bentonite (127% by dry mass; BENT), or water-saturated bentonite (once again at 127% by dry mass; SATBENT). A high proportion of the nitrogen contained in the untreated spent litter was volatilised (62%). Bentonite additions were superior to alum additions at retaining spent litter ammonia (nitrogen losses: 15%, SATBENT; 34%, BENT; 54%, ALUM). Where production considerations favour comparable high rates of bentonite addition (e.g. where the litter is to be re-formulated as a fertiliser), this clay has potential to decrease ammonia volatilisation either in-shed or in spent litter stockpiles or formulated products, without the associated detrimental effect of alum on phosphorus availability.
Chitosan Film Acylation and Effects on Biodegradability

Chitosan films were acylated under heterogeneous conditions in methanol with acetic and hexanoic anhydrides and characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, elemental analysis, and multiple internal reflective Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The disappearance of the NH2 vibrational band at 1590 cm-1, the appearance of the amide II band at 1555 cm-1, and the relatively low intensity of the ester band at 1735 cm-1 showed that acylation at the surface was site-selective for the amino (N) functionalities. Furthermore, N-acylation at the surface region appeared complete within 1 h. The acylated chitosan films were fractionated in aqueous acetic acid for compositional analysis. Acetylation of chitosan films for 3 h gave 52% of aqueous acetic acid insoluble chitin (outer film region) and 48% unreacted chitosan. In contrast, 3 h hexanoylation reactions resulted in 99% aqueous acetic acid soluble product. Thus, film N-acetylation was more rapid than N-hexanoylation. Moreove.
Applications of a non-interferometric x-ray phase contrast imaging method with both synchrotron and conventional sources

We have developed a totally incoherent, non-interferometric x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) method. This is based on the edge illumination (EI) concept developed at the ELETTRA synchrotron in Italy in the late `90s. The method was subsequently adapted to the divergent beam generated by a conventional source, by replicating it for every detector line through suitable masks. The method was modelled both with the simplified ray-tracing and with the more rigorous wave-optics approach, and in both cases excellent agreement with the experimental results was found. The wave-optics model enabled assessing the methods' coherence requirements, showing that they are at least an order of magnitude more relaxed than in other methods, without this having negative consequences on the phase sensitivity. Our masks have large pitches (up to 50 times larger than in grating interferometry, for example), which allows for manufacturing through standard lithography, scalability, cost-effectiveness and easiness to align. When applied to a polychromatic and divergent beam generated by a conventional source, the method enables the detection of strong phase effects also with uncollimated, unapertured sources with focal spots of up to 100 μm, compatible with the state-of-the-art in mammography. When used at synchrotrons, it enables a contrast increase of orders of magnitude over other methods. Robust phase retrieval was proven for both coherent and incoherent sources, and additional advantages are compatibility with high x-ray energies and easy implementation of phase sensitivity in two directions simultaneously. This paper briefly summarizes these achievements and reviews some of the key results.
Full Length Research Paper - Nodulation and growth response of Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr. to increasing nitrogen (ammonium) supply under glasshouse conditions

A glasshouse experiment was carried out to study the effect of ammonium-N on the nodulation, growth and N-uptake of Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr. inoculated with an effective Mesorhizobium (S. sesban) strain. Ammonium-N was supplied twice weekly as 100 ml of nutrient solution at concentrations of 0, 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg N/l. The seedlings were grown in pots with sterilized sand substrate and assessed at 5, 7 and 9 weeks after planting (WAP). Nitrogen supply significantly improved nodulation (number of nodules and nodule dry weight/plant) with treatment 100 mg N/l compared with 0 mg N/l at 5 and 7 WAP, thus indicating synergism for the N2-fixation symbiosis. However, with treatments ≥ 200 mg N/l nodulation was either depressed or inhibited. Seedlings treated with 100-400 mg N/l generally exhibited better growth (shoot and root dry weight/plant) and N-uptake than the other treatments (0, 600 and 800 mg N/l). This study has demonstrated that S. sesban seedlings are tolerant to relatively high levels of N, and that treatment with 100 mg N/l (20 mg N per week) is necessary to stimulate an early and effective N2-fixing symbiosis.
Towards Secure Bioinformatics Services

In this paper we show how privacy of genomic sequences can be protected while they are analyzed using Hidden Markov Models (HMM), which is commonly done in bioinformatics to detect certain non-beneficial patterns in the genome. Besides offering strong privacy guarantees, our solution also allows protecting the intellectual property of the parties involved, which makes the solution viable for implementation of secure bioinformatics services. In particular, we show how two mutually mistrusting parties can obliviously run the forward algorithm in a setup where one party knows a HMM and another party knows a genomic string; while the parties learn whether the model fits the genome, they neither have to disclose the parameterization of the model nor the sequence to each other. Despite the huge number of arithmetic operations required to solve the problem, we experimentally show that HMMs with sizes of practical importance can obliviously be evaluated using computational resources typically found in medical laboratories. As a central technical contribution, we give improved protocols for secure and numerically stable computations on non-integer values.
CONVERGENCE ANALYSIS OF EXTENDED KALMAN FILTER IN A NOISY ENVIRONMENT HROUGH DIFFERENCE EQUATIONS

In this paper, the convergence aspects of the Extended Kalman Filter, when used as a deterministic observer for a nonlinear discrete-time systems, are addressed and analyzed. The conditions needed to ensure the boundedness of the error covariances which are related to the observability properties of the nonlinear systems are identified through difference equations. Furthermore, boundedness and stability conditions are provided in a noisy environment systems.
Removal of JEM signal by accurate estimation of initial parameters of chirplet basis functions

The inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) image can be very efiective in target recognition because it provides 2-D image that uses frequency data measured at various observation angles. However, the jet engine modulation (JEM) that can occur in the received signal due to the rotation of the blade in the engine may result in image blurring in cross-range direction. In this paper, we propose an e-cient method of removing JEM signals by using the existing chirplet basis function and an e-cient method to estimate the initial values of the four parameters of the chirplet. Simulations using the measured data provided clear ISAR image of a real Boeing747 aircraft.
Sparse Adaptive Channel Estimation Based on -Norm-Penalized Affine Projection Algorithm

We propose an -norm-penalized affine projection algorithm (LP-APA) for broadband multipath adaptive channel estimations. The proposed LP-APA is realized by incorporating an -norm into the cost function of the conventional affine projection algorithm (APA) to exploit the sparsity property of the broadband wireless multipath channel, by which the convergence speed and steady-state performance of the APA are significantly improved. The implementation of the LP-APA is equivalent to adding a zero attractor to its iterations. The simulation results, which are obtained from a sparse channel estimation, demonstrate that the proposed LP-APA can efficiently improve channel estimation performance in terms of both the convergence speed and steady-state performance when the channel is exactly sparse.
Screening For Antiangiogenesis Activity In Natural Products: A Review

Angiogenesis is a process of new blood vessel development that plays a vital role in embryonic development and numerous pathological conditions including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration (AMD) and neurological disorders such as Parkinson and Alzheimer Disease. Recently a number of agents that inhibit angiogenesis have been approved to treat diseases such as cancer and AMD. The potential use of natural products to target angiogenesis is beginning to be appreciated especial ly their role in chemoprevention. This review will address some of the technical aspects in screening for antiangiogenic activity in natural products.
Optimal vegetation management under multiple-use objectives in the Cross Timbers.

The relatively low productivity of the herbaceous stratum of the oak-hickory forests of North America has prompted land managers to evaluate alternative means of increasing large herbivore production. A mathematical programming model was developed to evaluate alternative vegetation management programs for large herbivore production in the Cross Timbers Region of the Ozark Plateaus. The optimization determined the combination of livestock enterprises, lease-hunting enterprises, and vegetation management practices that maximized discounted net returns over a 15-year period. Results indicated that by integrating both herbicides and prescribed fire into vegetation management programs, sufficient herbivory can be sustained to support an economically viable level of livestock production. Vegetation management programs derived under multiple-enterprise objectives differ significantly from those in conjunction with a single enterprise. Economic returns from cattle production are maximized by applying herbicides that induce large increases in grass production, and thus, allow for significant expansion of the cattle enterprise. Under multiple-enterprise objectives, 2 herbicides and prescribed burning may be integrated effectively to sustain sufficient production of grasses, forbs, and browse to support expanded cattle, Angora goat, and white-tailed deer populations. Economic returns from the land resource can be increased approximately 46% as a result of employing multiple-enterprise management objectives.
New Evidence on US Current Account Sustainability

This paper deals with the sustainability of the US current account using fractional integration. We examine nominal and real exports and imports and their corresponding values deflated by GNP. The results show that only the variables deflated by GNP may contain unit roots, while nominal and real exports and imports are integrated of order d with d>1. In addition, the differences between export and imports are also nonstationary. The possibility of structural breaks is also considered.