Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Exclusion of Grazing Increases Soil Microbial Biomass but Not Diversity in a Temperate Grassland

Restoration of grassland such as exclusion of grazing has been considered to increase aboveground plant diversity and soil fertility. However, knowledge on the effect of long-term exclusion of grazing on soil bacterial community structure and diversity is not well understood. The two sites were selected in the Inner Mongolian grassland, i.e., one fenced off since 1979 (UG79) and the other continually grazed by sheep (FG) all along. Soil microbial biomass was measured using fumigation method and bacterial community structure and diversity were assessed using methods of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and clone library. Results showed that the UG79 soil had significantly higher microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen compared with the FG soil. There was a clear separation in soil bacterial community structure, but not in bacterial diversity between the two sites. Moreover, 55 clones from the UG79 soil and 56 clones from the FG soil were selected and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of all clone sequences indicated that bacterial communities were dominated by the groups of Actinomycetes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, but there were no significant differences in bacterial diversity between the two sites, consistent with the results obtained from DGGE. The results highlighted that although long-term exclusion of grazing increased soil microbial biomass, but it did not harbor higher bacterial diversity compared with freely grazed site.
External economies as a mechanism of agglomeration in EU manufacturing

Productive externalities are significant determinants of agglomeration, not deeply studied at the industry and international level. We analyse the impact on productivity growth of technological externalities, both inter- and intraindustry, national or international, at the industry level for the EU countries and the period 1995–2002. The results confirm the advisability of considering international externalities when countries are taken as regions, whose omission underestimates national spillovers. Together with national endowments and a central geographical position, the growth of productivity is encouraged by national and international specialization as a general result; moreover, it is fuelled by stronger interindustry spillovers and productive diversification, a result more evident for high technology industries, while lower technology industries are more sensitive to the omission of international externalities. Economic integration seems to be relevant, because supranational regions with less friction for goods and factor movements are more likely to take advantage of external economies as a mechanism of productivity growth and agglomeration.
Synthesis , X-ray Crystallographic Studies and 1 Antibacterial Screening of 1-( 5-( 4-Chlorophenyl ) 2 thiazol-2-yl ) hydrazine hydrobromide 3 4

4 Imtiaz Khan, Aliya Ibrar, Muhammad Waqas and Jonathan M. White 5 6 1 Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad-45320, Pakistan 7 2 Bio-21 Institute, School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville-3052, Australia 8 9 10 . 11 ABSTRACT 12 13 The synthesis of 1-(5-(4-chlorophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)hydrazine hydrobromide was achieved in a single step by condensation of 2-bromo-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanone with thiosemicarbazide in absolute ethanol. The structure of the target compound was deduced by modern spectroscopic techniques including FTIR, H and C NMR spectroscopy and unequivocally confirmed by crystallographic data. The title compound crystallized in the orthorhombic space group P 21 2 21 with unit cell parameters a = 6.6861(6) Å, b = 8.9683(12) Å, c = 20.4035(5) Å, α = β = γ = 90°, V = 1223.5(2) Å, Z = 4, Dc = 1.751 mg/m, F(000) = 640 and μ = 8.058 mm. The synthesized compound was also evaluated for antibacterial activity. 14
Optimal Pre-Announced Tax Reforms Under Valuable and Productive Government Spending

This paper analyzes optimal pre-announced capital and labor income tax reforms under valuable and productive government spending. Our baseline optimal reform reveals that these model ingredients result in a reduction of welfare losses that occur when the reform is announced before its implementation. Further, the mere existence of welfare losses from pre-announcement is due to the ability of the government to initially choose very high capital taxes and negative labor taxes. A government that instead chooses optimal long run taxes from the implementation date onwards generates sizable increases of welfare gains from pre-announcing the reform. We show that 4 years pre-announcement of this reform and the baseline optimal reform deliver similar levels of welfare gains. The underlying tax structure of both reforms, however, appears to be very different
A framework for analyzing specific agricultural policy reform

The agricultural sectors of the United States and other developed countries have been subjected to a myriad of policies and regulations that have contributed to unsatisfactory production patterns and resource allocations both within and between countries. Furthermore, such policies have imposed heavy financial burdens on governments that have transferred substantial resources to support the farm sector. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) strives to improve the efficiency of agricultural trade and production patterns globally. It is proposed that GATT will reduce the set of permissible agricultural policy instruments, thereby eliminating some policy options that have contributed to several of the undesired consequences of the past. Used correctly, the feasible set of policies is believed to allow for a gradual down scaling of agriculture's excess supply and to make the sector more flexible and progressive. Ultimately, once the restricted set of policies is introduced, it is expected that a sustainable growth path will be achieved.
Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for reactor stable period induced by positive reactivity using one-point adjoint kinetics equation

In order to better predict the kinetic behavior of a nuclear fission reactor, improvement of delayed neutron parameters is essential. Since it is required to establish a path from the microscopic nuclear data to the macroscopic delayed neutron parameters for the improvement, the present paper identifies important nuclear data for reactor kinetics. Sensitivities of the reactor stable period, which describes reactor kinetic behavior, to microscopic nuclear data such as independent fission yields, decay constants and decay branching ratios are calculated efficiently by using the adjoint kinetics equation. Furthermore, nuclide-wise and nuclear data-wise uncertainties of the reactor stable period are quantified using the variance data given in the nuclear data file, and the nuclear data that require further improvement are identified. The results obtained through the present study are quite helpful, and can be a driving force for further nuclear physics studies.
The effect of topical finasteride in treatment of idiopathic hirsutism

Hirsutism relatively is a common medical problem and an important influence on about 5-10% of women of reproductive age. Fifty five female shares in the study, seventeen of them did not continue the study, therefore we evaluated 38 females, aged 18-52 years old. In our study we compared pre-treatment and post-treatment for the color of the hairs and the hair removal frequency and the pain during hair removal for four groups which are good response group and moderate response group and mild response group and no response group, by subjective evaluation of all the patients noted a diminished rate of hair growth (fewer times needed for shaving) and a decrement in the density of hairs on the chin area and change in color of the hair but there was no significant difference between groups regarding hair color and there were highly significant difference in hair removal frequency before and after treatment (P<0.001) when we used finasteride cream 1% for 3 months. Six months of topically applied finasteride (0.5%) does not effect on number and thickness of facial hirsutism significantly. Despite lack of objective changes, on questioning, most patients in finastride group perceived a decrease in hair growth with time.
Anaerobic biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

english) 6 Zusammenfassung (deutsch) 8 1 General introduction 12 1.1 Aromatic compounds in the environment 12 1.2 Microbial degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons 13 1.3 Anaerobic microbial degradation of heterocyclic compounds 17 1.4 Objectives of this work 17 2 Enzymatic reactions in anaerobic 2-methylnaphthalene degradation pathway 23
Assessment of Bird Diversity as Bioindicators in Two Parks, Kolkata, India

The trees of parks and gardens support many species, the survival of urban-dwelling species mainly bird species. Birds amongst other species provide a wide range of environmental and social functions to cities and urban dwellers. The present study aims to know bird diversity in two parks as bioindicator of automobile air pollution exposure, landscape changes and/or human interactions. The study areas were selected as per heavily-populated neighborhoods, nearby office buildings, nearby roads and continuous vehicular movements, human interactions as visitors, where high levels of human disturbance are common. The study was carried out at 2 sampling stations viz (i) Elliot park and (ii) Agri-horticulture Society. The bird species diversity was studied by qualitative and quantitative assessment. Indices were Species richness, Index of Dominance, Relative abundance, Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index and Evenness Index for birds for all selected sites were calculated using the statistical formulae. The present results as bioindicators bird species clearly indicate that the bird species are very few in numbers in both the parks. When comparison made between both the parks, it was observed less number of bird varieties (16 types) in Elliot park than varieties (9 types) more less in number in Agri-horticulture society. This study is a preliminary assessment of bird diversity but further researches are needed in relation to biochemical and genetic damage study as well as air pollution load by using instruments. In the present study it was concluded that the less numbers of birds and their different diversity indices were found a decreasing trends, though there no attempt has been made on physico-chemical properties of present air pollutants. The less number of varieties of bird species are as tolerant bioindicators, which may be due to the vehicular pollution and/or human interference and/or landscape changes due to nearby neighborhood blocks, office and residential buildings, continuous movement of vehicles etc
Recovery effect of Zingiber officinale on testis tissue after treatment with gentamicin in rats

Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale R., family: Zingiberaceae) is used medicinally and as a culinary spice. Gentamicin is synthetic antibacterial agent antibiotic with a very broad spectrum against microbial pathogens, especially the gram-negative. The aim of this study was to investigate the recovery effect of ginger on testis after treatment with gentamicin in rats. The forty male Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into control (n = 10) and experimental (n = 30) groups. The experimental groups were split into three groups. First group, second experimental group which received 50 mg/kg (IP) gentamicin and one group treated with 100 mg/kg/rat/day of ginger rhizome via gavages daily for 30 days, respectively. However, the control group just received normal saline (IP). On the thirteeth day, after taking biopsy from testis of each group, tissue preparation was performed and analyzed for apoptosis. There was a significant increase in apoptosis in gentamicin groups when compared with other groups (P < 0.05). Gentamicin antibiotic have negative effect on sperm parameters and testis histology in rats. However, these side effects are less seen in the gentamicin group that received 100 mg/kg/rat of ginger. Therefore, it is recommended that usage of ginger with gentamicin has fewer side effects on male fertility. Key words: Apoptosis, gentamicin, Zingiber officinale, testis tissue.
Knowledge Translation: Implementing a Child Obesity Screening and Referral Process

Introduction: The purpose of this practice improvement project (PIP) was to implement a systematic obesity screening and referral process for children ages 3-17 at a county primary care clinic. Method: This descriptive study used the Knowledge to Action Cycle to guide the implementation process. Mixed methods including quantitative data collection and a qualitative survey were used to analyze the process. Results: Of 1,265 visits, BMI percentile was recorded for 874 (69%). Of these 874, 237 (27%) had a BMI≥95%. Forty (17%) children with BMI≥95% were screened for readiness to be referred to a BHC. And of those screened for readiness, only 9 (23%) were ready for a behavioral health intervention, 4 of whom attended an appointment. Barriers listed in the providers’ survey included: limited time and discomfort discussing obesity, and a negative association with a BHC. Discussion: This PIP proved a challenge for the providers. However, valuable lessons were learned regarding barriers to avoid for similar implementation projects in the future. CHILD OBESITY SCREENING AND REFERRAL 3
INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY APPLIED TO POWER ELECTRON DEVICES INVESTIGATION

The aim of this paper is to give a presentation of the principal applications of Infrared Thermography for analysis and testing of electrondevices. Even though experimental characterization could be carried out on almost any electronic devices and circuits, here IR Thermography for investigation of power semiconductor devices is presented. Different examples of functional and failure analysis in both transient and lock-in modes will be reported.
TempoNest: A Bayesian approach to pulsar timing analysis

A new Bayesian software package for the analysis of pulsar timing data is presented in the form of TempoNest which allows for the robust determination of the non-linear pulsar timing solution simultaneously with a range of additional stochastic parameters. This includes both red spin noise and dispersion measure variations using either power law descriptions of the noise, or through a model-independent method that parameterises the power at individual frequencies in the signal. We use TempoNest to show that at noise levels representative of current datasets in the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) and International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) the linear timing model can underestimate the uncertainties of the timing solution by up to an order of magnitude. We also show how to perform Bayesian model selection between different sets of timing model and stochastic parameters, for example, by demonstrating that in the pulsar B1937+21 both the dispersion measure variations and spin noise in the data are optimally modelled by simple power laws. Finally we show that not including the stochastic parameters simultaneously with the timing model can lead to unpredictable variation in the estimated uncertainties, compromising the robustness of the scientific results extracted from such analysis.
The effects of human land use on flow regime and water chemistry of headwater streams in the highlands of Chiapas

We studied the effects of land use changes on flow regime and water chemistry of headwater streams in the highlands of Chiapas, a region in southern Mexico that has experienced high rates of deforestation in the last decades. Samples for water chemistry were collected and discharge was measured between September 2007 and August 2008 at eight streams that differed in the land uses of their riparian and catchment areas, including streams draining protected forested areas. Streams with high forest cover (>70%) in their catchments maintained flow through the year. Streams draining more disturbed catchments exhibited reduced or no flow for 4 − 6 months during the dry season. Nitrate concentrations were lower at streams draining forested catchments while highest concentrations were measured where conventional agriculture covered a high proportion of the catchment and riparian zone. Highest phosphorus concentrations occurred at the catchment where poultry manure was applied as fertilizer. Differences between forest streams and those draining disturbed areas were correlated with the proportion of forest and agriculture in the riparian zone. Variation in stream variables among sampling dates was lower at the forest sites than at the more disturbed study streams. Conversion of forest into agriculture and urban areas is affecting flow regime and increasing nutrient concentrations, although the magnitude of the impacts are influenced by the type of agricultural practices and the alteration of the riparian zone.
Retrieval of near-surface sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) concentrations at a global scale using IASI satellite observations

Abstract. SO2 from volcanic eruptions is now operationally monitored from space in both the ultraviolet (UV) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectral range, but anthropogenic SO2 has almost solely been measured from UV sounders. Indeed, TIR instruments are well known to have a poor sensitivity to the planetary boundary layer (PBL), due to generally low thermal contrast (TC) between the ground and the air above it. Recent studies have demonstrated the capability of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) to measure near-surface SO2 locally, for specific atmospheric conditions. In this work, we develop a retrieval method allowing the inference of SO2 near-surface concentrations from IASI measurements at a global scale. This method consists of two steps. Both are based on the computation of radiance indexes representing the strength of the SO2 ν3 band in IASI spectra. The first step allows the peak altitude of SO2 to be retrieved and near-surface SO2 to be selected. In the second step, 0–4 km columns of SO2 are inferred using a look-up table (LUT) approach. Using this new retrieval method, we obtain the first global distribution of near-surface SO2 from IASI-A, and identify the dominant anthropogenic hotspot sources and volcanic degassing. The 7-year daily time evolution of SO2 columns above two industrial source areas (Beijing in China and Sar Cheshmeh in Iran) is investigated and correlated to the seasonal variations of the parameters that drive the IASI sensitivity to the PBL composition. Apart from TC, we show that humidity is the most important parameter which determines IR sensitivity to near-surface SO2 in the ν3 band. As IASI provides global measurements twice daily, the differences between the retrieved columns for the morning and evening orbits are investigated. This paper finally presents a first intercomparison of the measured 0–4 km columns with an independent iterative retrieval method and with observations of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI).
Going Multinational: What are the Effects on Home-Market Performance?

Abstract This paper compares the home-market performance of German multinational enterprises (MNEs) and national firms, both before and after switching from national to multinational activities. Regarding the former case, our results show that future multinationals outperform domestic firms. When assessing the ex post performance of multinationals, selectivity issues must be taken into account. Applying an endogenous treatment model, it turns out that after switching, both productivity and wage growth are higher at newly founded MNEs. While capital intensities increase compared with those of national firms, employment growth rates are negatively related to switching, suggesting that home and foreign employment are substitutes.
Source attribution and radiative impacts of the Mediterranean summertime ozone maximum: a satellite and model perspective

The Mediterranean troposphere exhibits a marked and localised summertime ozone maximum, with mean boundary layer concentrations exceeding 80 ppbv, which has the potential to strongly impact regional air quality and radiative forcing. The Mediterranean basin is influenced by a range of ozone precursor sources in the summer, including anthropogenic emissions, wildfires and biogenic emissions. In addition, the region can be perturbed by long-range pollution import from Northern Europe, North America and Asia. Understanding contributions from these different sources to Mediterranean ozone is critical for prediction of future European air quality and climate. In this study, we exploit 5 years of tropospheric ozone profile observations from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) satellite instrument to evaluate the summertime Mediterranean ozone maximum. Unlike aircraft observations TES is able to provide multi-annual ozone profile information over the whole of the Mediterranean region. We investigate the ability of a state-of-the-art global 3D chemical transport model (TOMCAT) to represent the observed ozone concentrations, and use the model and Lagrangian air mass trajectories to determine their origins. We quantify contributions from anthropogenic and natural emission sources to the observed ozone enhancements. Our results will allow improved understanding of the large-scale processes controlling air quality and climate in the region of the Mediterranean basin.
Uniform Stability Analysis of Fractional-Order BAM Neural Networks with Delays in the Leakage Terms

A class of fractional-order BAM neural networks with delays in the leakage terms is considered. By using inequality technique and analysis method, several delay-dependent sufficient conditions are established to ensure the uniform stability of such networks. Moreover, the sufficient conditions guaranteeing the existence, uniqueness, and stability of the equilibrium point are also obtained. In addition, three simulation examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Comparative Morphological Studies of the Stifle Menisci in Donkeys, Goats and Dogs

Abstract The present work aims to provide more anatomical information on the stifle joint of the investigated species using computed tomography with gross anatomical cross-sections. The current work analyzed the stifle joint of the pelvic limbs of 12 adult donkeys, goats and dogs of both genders. The medial condyle of the femur was larger than the lateral one in the donkey, while it was smaller and lower than the lateral one in the goat and in the dog. The unsuitable femoral and tibial condyles were adapted by the presence of menisci. In the donkey, the medial meniscus was crescentic in shape, but it was semicircular in the goat, while in the dog, the medial and lateral menisci were C-shaped. In the donkey, the medial meniscus was larger than the lateral one, but in the goat and in the dog, the lateral meniscus was the largest, and more concave and thicker. The lateral meniscus was semicircular in the donkey, but it was shaped like an elongated kidney in the goat. In the goat and in the dog, the central border of two menisci was thin, concave and notched centrally. The meniscal ligaments included cranial and caudal ligaments of the medial and lateral menisci, and meniscofemoral ligament of the lateral meniscus. In the dog, the cranial ligament of the medial meniscus was absent, and the medial meniscus had no bony attachment to the tibia but it attached to the transverse intermeniscal ligament, which connected the cranial horn of the medial meniscus with the cranial ligament of the lateral meniscus. The meniscofemoral ligament connected the caudal pole of the lateral meniscus with the intercondyloid fossa of the femur.