Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic relationships and biogeographical history of the genus Rhinoclemmys Fitzinger, 1835 and the monophyly of the turtle family Geoemydidae (Testudines: Testudinoidea)

Rhinoclemmys is an interesting genus of turtles biogeographically and ecologically, being the only genus of the family Geoemydidae that occurs in the New World and inhabiting a wide range of habitats from aquatic to highly terrestrial. Here we present a molecular phylogeny of Rhinoclemmys using both mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Our results strongly support the monophyletic and subfamilial status of Rhinoclemmys within the monophyletic family Geoemydidae. Within Rhinoclemmys, two clades are strongly supported, i.e. R. annulata + R. pulcherrima and R. areolata + R. punctularia + R. diademata + R. funerea + R. melanosterna, but the positions of R. nasuta and R. rubida are still weakly supported. In terms of the biogeographical history, the results of this study, coupled with palaeontological evidence, corroborate the hypothesis that this group migrated from Asia to the Americas across the Bering Strait during the early Eocene. The radiation of Rhinoclemmys in Central and South America corresponds well with vicariance events, including the emergence of the Sierra Madres of Mexico and the Nuclear Highland, and dispersals across the Panama land bridge. Interestingly, our resulting phylogeny suggests this group invaded South America at least four times and that dispersal of R. nasuta to South America probably took place in the early Miocene before the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama. We finally discuss our phylogenetic results with regard to the monophyly of the family Geoemydidae and in the context of previous morphological analyses. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 153, 751–767.
Socio-psychological factors that influence car preference in undergraduate students: the case of the Czech Republic

AbstractThe present study examined the socio-psychological factors (personality dimensions, motives for car use, and materialistic values) that influence car preference in undergraduate students (N=383). Preferences for particular car types, properties, and brands were studied. The data indicated only a slight correspondence between the personality dimensions of the Big-Five model and car preference. However, individual motives for car use and materialistic values predict preferences for certain car types and even more for car brands. The results demonstrated a clearly defined group of individuals who prefer cars with high performance. These individuals prefer Ger- man cars of “prestigious” brands, such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. For these individuals, affective motives, as well as materialistic values are important cues for car use and preference. These findings are discussed in terms of more sustainable modes of travel and campaigns to promote sustainable travel modes. The potential value shift fr.
Agronomic performance of the Maciel peach with different rootstocks

O porta-enxerto influencia o desempenho agronomico de plantas frutiferas. Porem, em pessegueiro, especialmente para as cultivares produzidas no Brasil, essa relacao nao esta bem elucidada. Por isso, propos-se avaliar o desempenho de oito porta-enxertos ‘Aldrighi’, ‘Capdeboscq’, ‘Flordaguard’, ‘Nemaguard’, ‘Okinawa’, ‘Umezeiro’, ‘Tsukuba’ e ‘Selecao Viamao’ sob pessegueiros da cultivar ‘Maciel’, plantados em 2006, e avaliados nas safras 2014/2015 e 2015/2016. As variaveis avaliadas a campo foram fenologia da floracao, diâmetro de tronco, volume de copa, numero de frutos e produtividade. Nos frutos avaliou-se a massa, o diâmetro, a coloracao, a firmeza de polpa, a concentracao de solidos soluveis totais, a acidez titulavel, a concentracao de compostos fenois totais, de carotenoides totais e a atividade antioxidante. Os porta-enxertos ‘Aldrighi’ e ‘Nemaguard’ anteciparam o inicio da floracao em 2014 e no ano de 2015 os porta-enxertos induziram desuniformidade na floracao dos pessegueiros. O porta-enxerto ‘Umezeiro’ induz menor vigor, diâmetro de tronco e volume de copa. Os porta-enxertos ‘Aldrighi’, ‘Capdeboscq’, ‘Flordaguard’, ‘Nemaguard’ e ‘Tsukuba’ induziram bons indices produtivos. A coloracao dos frutos, firmeza de polpa e a concentracao de solidos soluveis, fenois totais, atividade antioxidante e carotenoides totais foram influenciados pelo porta-enxerto e pela safra.
AMBIENT AIR PARTICULATE MATTER IN LAGOS, NIGERIA: A STUDY USING RECEPTOR MODELING WITH X-RAY FLOURESCENCE ANALYSIS

The need for comprehensive air pollution studies in Lagos cannot be overemphasized in view of the level of industrialization of the city and its nearness to the ocean. Air particulate samples collected with a high-volume air sampler at three locations in Lagos, Nigeria were analyzed by the combination of wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and atomic absorption spectroscopy methods. Elemental concentrations were subjected to factor analysis for source identification and chemical mass balance model was used for source apportionment. Prominent among sources identified with the ranges of their contributions at the sites are: soil 35-54%, marine 26-34%, automobile exhaust 0.3-3.5%, refuse incineration 2-3%, and regional sulphate 2-12%. (Received January 17, 2001; revised August 22, 2001) Bull.Chem.Soc.Ethiop. 2001, 15(2), 97-108
A Framework for Domain-Specific Interface Mapper (DSIM)

Summary Large amount of on-line information resides on the invisible web (deep or hidden web). These web pages are generated dynamically from databases and other data sources hidden from the user, such pages not indexed by a static URL, are generated only when queries are asked via a search interface rendering interface matching a critical problem in many application domains, such as: semantic web, interface integration, data warehouses, e-commerce, etc. Many different matching solutions have been proposed so far. In this paper, a novel framework for interface matching is being proposed. It employs extensible domain-specific Library for quickly identifying regions in the interface repository comprising of important mappings.
Effect of vibrations on the behaviour of a vehicle driver

The article provides a discussion on the results of studies conducted in a road network of both Silesian and Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The goal of the research in question was to establish relationships between vibrations of an automotive vehicle and its driver’s behaviour. For that purpose, the test vehicle was equipped with a linear acceleration recording device and a GPS signal receiver.
A NEW TYPE SW LINAC USED IN INDUSTRIAL CT

A new type S band SW electron linac used in Industrial CT was designed and developed. Energy of electrons can reach 9Mev(pulse current intensity 150mA). The new type on-axis accelerating structure was operated in the π/2 mode and 2856MHz.The designed beam focal spot size is 1~1.5mm(without external focusing system). The calculation of particle dynamics, the result of main parameters’ measurement, and CT imaging test etc are given. defec imag Figure 1: Geometry blur. Figure 2: Defect resolution. So in the design of accelerator, we had to reduce the electron beam transverse size, which is the main method to increase the space resolution in CT imaging. Besides the beam intensity must be big enough so the dose by the electron beam collide the target can satisfy the high energy ICT’s imaging.
Snaps to Connect Coaxial and Microstrip Lines in Wearable Systems

Commercial snaps (clothing fasteners) can be used to connect a coaxial cable to a microstrip line. This is useful in the context of wearable antennas, especially in consumer applications and disposable connections. The measured S-parameters of the transition are presented, and an equivalent circuit and approximate equations are derived for system design purposes. The proposed connection is usable up to 1.5 GHz (10 dB return loss condition), and the frequency range can be extended to 2 GHz if a thinner, more flexible coaxial cable is used.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CALCIUM DEFICIENT HYDROXYAPATITE NANOCRYSTALS

Synthetic nanoscale calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) particles were synthesized using a co-precipitation technique from aqueous solution of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate at pH 8.5 at room temperature. No decomposition of CDHA into other phases was observed till 650°C in air for 1h. The product was evaluated using different techniques such as TEM, XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. The chemical structural analysis of the obtained product was achieved by using X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). After heat treatment at 650°C for 1hour and ageing for 24 h, the product was collected as free flowing white nanopowder with 85% yield.
Use of Employer Branding as a Tool for Attracting and Retaining Talent: Evidence from Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in Botswana

The purpose of this research was to examine how employer branding is used as a tool for attracting and retaining talent in private higher education institutions. Literature shows that employer brand is very important if well implemented and communicated in highlighting an institution as an attractive employment destination, that is, as an employment destination of choice. A structured questionnaire, that employed a five-point Likert scale, from strongly agree to strongly disagree was used as a data collection instrument. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse and interpret data. Results of the study showed that private higher education institutions deploy a number of employer branding strategies to attract and retain talent. Furthermore, results also showed that biographical factors such as age and education are critical issues authorities in PHEIs should look at when designing, implementing and communicating their brands as these have an effect on how talent perceive the PHEIs as attractive workplaces as well as on how long talent will remain as an employee at the institutions. Keywords: Talent, employer branding, private higher education institutions, employer branding strategies
Talking Structure. The Shaping of Organizational Reality in Consulting Conversations

This is the author's final draft of the book chapter published as Weik, E. & Habscheid, S. Talking Structure. The Shaping of Organizational Reality in Consulting Conversations. In: Muller, A.P. & Kieser, A. (eds.), Communication in organizations : structures and practices, (P.Lang©2003), pp.47-64. It is reproduced here with the publisher's permission.
Integrating Ecology and Economics in the Study of Ecosystem Services: Some Lessons Learned

This paper discusses both the opportunities for and the challenges associated with integrating economics and ecology in the study of ecosystem services. We distinguish between integration in positive versus normative analysis. There is rapid growth in positive research that combines the two disciplines to provide insight and better understanding of the bidirectional linkage between economic and ecological systems. This research is a crucial part of addressing growing large-scale environmental challenges. This integration is equally important, but potentially much more difficult, in normative analysis, especially when interdisciplinary groups include individuals with different views regarding appropriate normative criteria. In such cases, reaching consensus can be difficult and slow, even when the practical implications of the different perspectives (i.e., the general policy prescriptions they imply) are the same. We suggest an approach for increasing the scope for collaboration among economists and ecologists in normative analysis.
Future changes in flash flood frequency and intensity of the Tha Di River (Thailand) based on rainfall–runoff modeling and advanced delta change scaling

Abstract. As a consequence of climate change, extreme and flood-causing precipitation events are expected to increase in magnitude and frequency, especially in today's high-precipitation areas. During the north-east monsoon seasons, Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand is flash-flooded every 2.22 years on average. This study investigates frequency and intensity of harmful discharges of the Tha Di River regarding the IPCC emission scenarios A2 and B2. The regional climate model (RCM) PRECIS was transformed using the advanced delta change (ADC) method. The hydrologic response model HBV-Light was calibrated to the catchment and supplied with ADC-scaled daily precipitation and temperature data for 2010–2089. Under the A2 (B2) scenario, the flood threshold exceedance frequency on average increases by 133 % (decreases by 10 %), average flood intensity increases by 3 % (decreases by 2 %) and the annual top five discharge peaks intensities increase by 46 % (decrease by 5 %). Yearly precipitation sums increase by 30 % (10 %) towards the end of the century. The A2 scenario predicts a precipitation increase during the rainy season, which intensifies flood events; while increases projected exclusively for the dry season are not expected to cause floods. Retention volume demand of past events was calculated to be up to 12 × 106 m3. Flood risks are staying at high levels under the B2 scenario or increase dramatically under the A2 scenario. Results show that the RCM scaling process is inflicted with systematic biases but is crucial to investigate small, mountainous catchments. Improvement of scaling techniques should therefore accompany the development towards high-resolution climate models.
Theorising Return Migration: a Revisited Conceptual Approach to Return Migrants

The growing diversit y of migrat ory c at egories (ranging f rom ec onomic migrant s t o ref ugees and asylum seek ers) nec essit at es a dist inc t ion bet ween t he various t ypes of ret urnee. We st ill need t o k now who ret urns when, and why; andwhy some ret urnees appear as ac t ors of c hange, in spec if ic soc ial and inst it ut ional c irc umst anc es at home, whereas ot hers do not. The f irst obj ec t ive of t his paper is t o analyse how ret urn has been dealt wit h by int ernat ional migrat ion t heories, emphasising part ic ularly t he assumpt ions on whic h t hey rest. This t heoret ic al overview is nec essary t o show how ret urn has been def ined and loc at ed in t ime and spac e, andhow t he ret urnee has been depic t ed. The sec ond obj ec t ive is t o t ak e t he various approac hes t o ret urn migrat ion a st ep f urt her by elaborat ing on t he t heoret ic al insight s t hat have been ex t ensively proposed. The c onc ept ual approac h t o ret urnees is t hen revisit ed, t ak ing int o ac c ount a set of dist inguishing c rit eria, i.e. t he ret urnee' s " preparedness " and " resourc e mobilisat ion ".
Comovement: It's Not a Puzzle

A defining feature of business cycles is the comovement of inputs at the sectoral level with aggregate activity. Standard models cannot account for this phenomenon. This paper develops and estimates a two-sector dynamic general equilibrium model that can account for this key regularity. My model incorporates three shocks to the economy: monetary policy shocks, neutral technology shocks, and embodied technology shocks in the capital-producing sector. The estimated model is able to account for the response of the US economy to all three shocks. Using this model, I argue that the key friction underlying sectoral comovement is rigidity in nominal wages.
Chiral-induced self-assembly sphere phase liquid crystal with fast switching time

A fluid self-assembly sphere phase (SP) of liquid crystal induced by chiral dopant is observed in a narrow temperature range between isotropic and blue phase or between isotropic and chiral nematic phase. The SP consists of three-dimensional twist spheres (3-DTSs) and disclinations among 3-DTSs. The temperature range of the SP has been broadened to more than 85 °C by stabilizing the disclinations with amorphous polymer chains. The electro-optical switching time of the polymer-stabilized SP is demonstrated in sub-millisecond with a low switching electric field of 4.4 V μm−1, which is of promising applications in displays, 3-D tunable photonic crystals, and phase modulators.
Assessment of fungitoxicity of phylloplane fungi against Alternaria brassicae causing leaf spot of mustard

In phylloplane, varieties of fungi are presented on the leaf surface, among these fungi were selected for the assessment of their fungitoxicity against Alternaria brassicae causing leaf spot disease of mustard. Colony interaction showed that Trichoderma viride and Aspergillus flavus possesed maximum per cent growth inhibition of A. brassicae. When the effect of volatile and non-volatile metabolites released by phylloplane fungi were observed, it was found that T. viride maximum arrested the hyphal growth of the pathogen. With increasing period of incubation, inhibition of the pathogen decreased while stimulation increased. Effect of foliar spray of metabolites from the test phylloplane fungi on the lesion development was also studied. It was noted that foliar spray before two days of inoculation of the pathogen was more effective. Use of composite mycoflora showed maximum percent inhibition of the lesion development on the leaf surface of host plant.
DOA and Power Estimation by Controlling the Roots of the Antenna Array Polynomial

A new direction-of-arrival (DOA) and power estimation method of unknown number of source signals is proposed. The direction and power of coherent and/or noncoherent signals are estimated by controlling the roots of the array polynomial on the unit circle. The genetic algorithm is used to find the phases of the array polynomial roots that minimize the array output power. The pseudo-spectrum is obtained by phase rotation of the estimated roots, and the real power spectrum is derived from the pseudo-spectrum and the array factor. The results indicate that the direction of arrivals, power of the signals, and number of source signals are estimated from the real power spectrum.
Offline Auto-Tuning of a PID Controller Using Extended Classifier System (XCS) Algorithm

Proportional + Integral + Derivative (PID) controllers are widely used in engineering applications such that more than half of the industrial controllers are PID controllers. There are many methods for tuning the PID parameters in the literature. In this paper an intelligent technique based on eXtended Classifier System (XCS) is presented to tune the PID controller parameters. The PID controller with the gains obtained by the proposed method can robustly control nonlinear multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) plants in any form, such as robot dynamics and so on. The performance of this method is evaluated with Integral Squared Error (ISE) criteria which is one of the most popular optimizing methods for the PID controller parameters. Both methods are used to control the ball position in a magnetic levitation (MagLev) system and the performance of controllers are compared. Matlab Simulink has been used to test, analyze and compare the performance of the two optimization methods in simulations.
Diagnosing the zone of tolerance for hotel services

Purpose – Aims to address the concept of the “zone of tolerance” in judgments of hotel service quality. The present study describes the zone of tolerance for customers’ service expectations and determines the customer satisfaction level in Northern Cyprus hotels – which is a new emerging market as an island destination.Design/methodology/approach – The sample of the study consisted of customers visiting four‐star, five‐star, and resort hotels located in the Gazimagusa and Kyrenia regions of Northern Cyprus in June and July 2004. The questionnaire was based on service expectations and perceptions. As a result of the pilot study with 50 customers, the instrument was reworded for measuring service quality and the zone of tolerance for hotels. This modified instrument became the “HOTELZOT” instrument, which was used to measure customers’ service expectations and service perceptions. Psychometric properties of the scale (such as reliability) were tested, and the dimensionality of the scale was confirmed throug.
Potential of Aqueous and Alcohol Extracts of Quercus infectoria, Linusm usitatissium and Cinnamomum zeylanicium as Antimicrobials and Curing of Antibiotic Resistance in E. coli

Eighty two clinical isolates were collected from Sulaymani hospitals. The isolates show resistance to more than five antibiotics. The ethanol extracts of Quercus infectoria, Linusm usitatissium and Cinnamomum zeylanicium were proved to be the most powerful against E. coli E45 and E62 isolates, than aqueous extracts. The extracts exhibited most of the antibiotics activity against these two isolates irrespective of their antibiotic resistance behaviour. A comparative evaluation of plasmid elimination from E. coli E62 clinical isolate by sub-MIC of plant extracts showed that these extracts could cure plasmids effectively at their respective sub-MIC concentration. Maximum plasmid cured was observed by sub-MIC of ethanol extract of C. zeylanicum at 1100 μg/mL cured two plasmids 15 and 45 kb, followed by sub-MIC of L. usitatissimus extract at 1100 μg/mL was cured 45 kb plasmid and sub-MIC of aqueous and ethan ol of Q. infe ctoria were cured 15 kb plasmid from E62 isolate. Curing of plasmid DNA from E. coli isolate confirmed by determining the loss of resistance markers in cured cultures.
How Much Am I Selling It for? Approaches and Methods of Patents Valuation in Technology Transfer

Patent has assumed a protagonism in the transformation of knowledge and technology to allow some kind of economic exploration. However, researchers have some problems to define the correct value of their patent to sell it to industries or governments. The purpose of this paper is to explore the approaches and methods of patents valuation, especially in technology transfer process between universities-industries. It was made the review and examination cost-based, market-based and income-based approaches and their corresponding methods of patents valuation: Incurred-cost, costing, comparison-based and real options. Patent valuation will be presented to researchers, managers and other actors involved with innovation with the aim of creating at the universities their own valuation model focused on a better technology transfer process within industries, and consequently generate additional profits to the university third mission.
A multilingual speech corpus of North-Germanic languages

The Nordic Dialect Corpus project was initiated by the Scandinavian Dialect Syntax Network (ScanDiaSyn). In order to be able to study the North Germanic (i.e., Nordic) dialects, proper documentation of the dialects was needed. A corpus consisting of natural speech by dialect speakers was developed in order to systematically map and study syntactic variation across the Scandinavian dialect continuum. The corpus was to be comprised of transcribed and tagged speech material linked to audio and video recordings. Further, it was decided that a user-friendly interface should be developed for the corpus, and that it should be available on-line. The corpus is now ready for use, and is described here.
Molecular diversity in 'Candidatus Phytoplasma mali' in Lombardia

Apple proliferation (AP) was first described in Italy in 1950, and occurs in many European pome fruit growing areas. In the last years new epidemics of the disease were reported in northern Italian regions. At least three phytoplasma subtypes have been re- ported in Europe, classified on the basis of the polymorphisms detected in the nitroreductase gene of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma Mali'. This work reports the results of the presence of AP in Lombardia and the characterization of the phytoplasma ribosomal protein subtypes associated with the disease in this region.