Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The simultaneous introduction of the tunicate Styela clava (Herdman, 1881) and the macroalga Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar, 1873, in northern Patagonia

Determining which factors contribute to the establishment and spread of an introduced species is a challenge with substantial management implications, especially when that species is found associated with another introduced species. Here, we report for the first time the presence of two introduced species, the macroalga Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar, 1873 and the clubbed tunicate Styela clava (Herdman, 1881), in San Antonio Bay (northern Patagonia), where apparent facilitation by the tunicate may be contributing to the establishment of the algae. Because S. clava is an ecosystem engineer and acts as a facilitator for the settlement (and further growth) of other species, it may create habitats that are more suitable for U. pinnatifida invasion at locations not yet colonized by the algae.
Acute toxicity and histopathological assessment of methanol extract of Cleome viscosa (Linn.) whole plant.

Cleome viscosa Linn (Cleomaceae) is a medicinal plant used widely in Nigeria for the management of various ailments. This research appraised the toxic potential of the plant with a view to validating or contesting its safety. Acute oral toxicity of the methanolic whole plant extract of Cleome viscosa was evaluated in mice using modified Lorke’s method. Signs accompanying toxicity and possible death of animals were investigated for a period of two weeks to determine the median lethal dose (LD50) of the extract. After two weeks observation period, all the animals in the respective dose groups 10, 100, 1000, 1600, 2900 and 5000 mg/kg were euthanized by cervical dislocation. The weight gained, absolute organ weight, and mean organ-body weight ratios (OBR) were determined and compared with values from those of the control group. The oral median lethal dose of the extract was found to be greater than 5000 mg/kg. There was a significant difference in weight gained on day 7 (P=0.052) among dose groups up to 1000 mg/Kg body weight. There was however, no significant difference in the relative organ weights between treated and control animals except for the Liver (p=0.048). Histopathological analysis showed mild congestion of the pulmonary vessels at dose 1600 mg/kg and above, mild diffuse vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes across all tested dose as well as mild renal cortical congestion especially at high dose. The oral median lethal dose results indicate that the methanol extract of Cleome viscosa whole plant is non- toxic by oral administration at the tested doses. Key words: Cleome viscosa, methanol extract, acute toxicity, histopathology
LANDSAT-BASED LAND COVER CHANGE ANALYSIS IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON'S TIMBER-RESOURCE-DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES

The necessity for the development of repeatable, efficient and accurate monitoring of land cover change is paramount to successful management of our planet’s natural resources. This study provides a generalized framework by which a range of land cover analyses can be accomplished. Through the creation of atmospheric correction and topographic normalization models, and the development of an object-based land cover change rule set, this study explores the accuracy of a range of segmentation parameters and a new principal component analysis (PCA) change detection method. The results suggest that segmentation with a relatively small scale parameter and complete influence of color over shape produced the most accurate classification. Additionally, the PCA change detection method appears to be an effective predictor of change, although further comparative analyses are needed.
The effect of digestate, cattle slurry and mineral fertilization on the winter wheat yield and soil quality parameters.

This study compares the effect of application of digestate, straw, cattle slurry and inorganic fertilizers on crop yield and soil organic matter content. Total organic carbon (C), total organic nitrogen (N), hot water soluble C, microbial biomass C and hydrophobic soil components were evaluated in soil from the field experiment in PragueRuzyně (Orthic Luvisol, clay loam) with winter wheat. All fertilized treatments significantly increased grain yield above the level of non-fertilized control (5.68 t/ha), and the sequence was as follows: digestate (9.88 t/ha) > NPK (9.80 t/ha) > cattle slurry (9.73 t/ha) > digestate + straw (9.35 t/ha). Average organic C content in the soil ranged from 1.668–1.704% and the effect of different fertilization was not significant. The highest increase of microbial biomass C was recorded in digestate + straw (43.2% increase compared to control). Highly significant correlations were found between hydrophobic soil components and hot water soluble C (r = 0.988; P ≥ 0.05) and microbial biomass C (r = 0.964; P ≥ 0.05). Total organic N content ranged from 0.157–0.160% and differences among treatments were insignificant. Fertilization with digestate itself brings an effect in increasing crop yield, but does not improve the level of soil organic matter significantly.
Nonlinear models for crude oil scheduling on ports

In this paper we present a continuous nonlinear programming approach to crude oil scheduling on ports. The main idea is to consider the schedule as a dynamic system which must operate under certain constraints. As the optimal control theory is well-fit for optimizing the operation of dynamic systems, our scheduling problem is modeled as an optimal control problem, where transfer operations are carried out by flows from the ships to the port facilities (tanks). Such flows are mapped as control variables, whilst equipment contents (volume and properties) are mapped as state variables. Yes-No decisions are modeled as complementarity constraints, instead of with the use of discrete variables, allowing a continuous nonlinear model. We illustrate this approach with computational examples, which were solved to local optimality in reasonable computational time.
Human Hair as Adsorbent of Palladium(II) in Solution: A Precursor of Well-Dispersed Size-Controlled Pd Nanoparticles

This work describes, for the first time, the preparation of palladium nanoparticles supported in thermally-treated human hair. Human hair showed to be an efficient adsorbent of Pd in aqueous media, reaching nearly 100% of adsorption from a 100 ppm solution. The thermal treatment of hair containing Pd at 200 °C under nitrogen atmosphere led to the formation of an N, S-containing material presenting 0.5 wt. % of palladium. The material was extensively characterized by elemental analysis (CHN and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP OES)), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies, and by thermogravimetry (TG), thermogravimetry coupled to mass spectrometry (TG-MS), scanning electron miscroscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. It was possible to observe that the surface structure of hair was preserved during thermal treatment, presenting palladium nanoparticles with particle sizes of approximately 4 nm. This material was used as heterogeneous catalyst in a preliminary application in nitrobenzene reduction to aniline in aqueous medium using sodium borohydride.
Requirements and Challenges for Building a National Open Security Lab

Izzat M. Alsmadi Computer Science Department Boise State University Boise, ID 83725, USA izzatalsmadi@boisestate.edu Mohammed N. Al-Kabi Faculty of Sciences and Information Technology Zarqa University, P.O. Box 132222 13132 Zarqa, Jordan. malkabi@zu.edu. jo Emad Abu-Shanab Management Information Systems Department IT & CS Faculty Yarmouk University, 21163 Irbid – Jordan abushanab@yu.edu. jo Abstract The evolution of Internet, networking and security continue through the recent years. Such evolution in those fields or technologies expand significantly their rules and usage in our life. The world is now connected through the Internet not only within computers, laptops, etc. but also within smart phones, tablets, smart devices, etc. The Internet of Things (IoT) envisions that eventually everything around us (i.e. cars, refrigerators, homes, etc.) will be part of the Internet and send/receive information in one way or another. On the other hand, security continues to evolve and intruders of security in networks and users’ private information try always to find new methods and techniques to hack into those resources. As a result investing in security assessment and protection methods become a national priorities for all countries around the world. In this paper, we present a proposal to develop a security open test lab as a national project. We present major requirement and design issues. We present also some of the significant security issues or challenges that should be handled to be able to successfully design and operate such labs.
A virtual model of the retina based on histological data as a tool for evaluation of the visual fields

Background: To settle the fundamentals of a numerical procedure that relates retinal ganglion-cell density and threshold sensitivity in the visual field. The sensitivity of a generated retina and visual pathways to virtual stimuli are simulated, and the conditions required to reproduce glaucoma-type defects both in the optic-nerve head (ONH) and visual fields are explored. Methods: A definition of selected structural elements of the optic pathways is a requisite to a translation of clinical knowledge to computer programs for visual field exploration. The program is able to generate a database of normalized visual fields. The relationship between the number of extant receptive fields and threshold sensitivity is plotted for background sensitivity and corresponding automated perimetry. A solution in two planes to the 3D distribution of axons in the ONH is proposed. Visual fields with induced damage in the optic disc are comparable in pattern and quantity to glaucomatous records. Results: The two-level simulation of the ONH facilitates the analysis of optic-cup/retinal defects. We can generate the virtual optic pathways tailored to the age and morphology of the patient’s eye, and it is possible to reproduce glaucomatous damage by “reverse engineering” engineering. The virtual cortical model renders a quantitative relationship between visual defect and neural damage. Conclusions: A two-level computing of the retina/optic nerve facilitates the analysis of neuroretinal defects and can be incorporated to automatic perimeters to facilitate visual field analysis.
Global amphibian declines: A review

Global biodiversity losses have assumed the status of a crisis and as a part of it, many amphibian populations are declining. It is estimated that the current rate of extinction is greater than any known in the last 100,000 years. Recent studies have shown that nearly one-third of amphibian species are threatened. Amphibians are thought to be indicator species of overall environmental health, and understanding their declines may serve as a model for understanding species declines in general. The present review discusses the present state of knowledge about the complex problem of amphibian declines: the hypotheses which have been propounded, the remedial measures which have been proposed and the future directions for research in this important area. Key words: Biodiversity, amphibian declines, extinction, threatened, indicator species, environmental health, hypotheses.
IPM approach for the management of wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)

This study was conducted to find out the effect of combined application of fluorescent Pseudomonas, spent mushroom compost and the fungicide (Carbendazim 50 % W.P) on Fusarium wilt disease infected tomato plants grown in solarized and non-solarized soil. Results of study revealed that inoculation of fluorescent Pseudomonas and spent mushroom compost have significant effect on the number and weight of tomato fruits per replicate with cost benefit ratio as compared to the control treatment having Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici infection. No significance differences was reported among the various treatments imposed, and highest tomato fruit per plant (8.75 fruits/plant) was reported from the treatment containing only sterilized soil after 150 days of plantation this was followed by treatment containing P. fluorescens (7.35 fruits/plant), spent mushroom compost (7.00 fruits/plant), Carbendazim (7.00 fruits/plant) and spent mushroom compost with Pseudomonas fluorescens (6.90 tomato fruit/plant). Similar trends was reported in case of fruit weight and net return and treatment containing only sterilized soil show highest fruit weight (158.60g), maximum net return (113329 Rs/ha) and incremental cost benefit ratio (1:4.50). While minimum net return (0 Rs/ha) was observed in the treatment containing non sterilized soil and F. oxysporum infection. Hussein Ali Salim * , Iman Sahib Salman and Basheer Nsaif Jasim
The clam Macoma balthica prevents in situ growth of microalgal mats: implications for meiofaunal assemblages

The tellinid clam Macoma balthica (L.), a key member of numerous marine temperate soft-bottom communities, was used in laboratory experiments designed to evaluate its impact on developing microalgal mats and meiobenthic assemblages. Experimental jars (100 ml, 33 cm 2 ) were filled with azoic sediment, seeded with bivalves at various densities, placed in a large outdoor water tank with a constant flow of brackish water and left for 65 d. The bivalves efficiently kept the sedi- ment surface clean of microalgal mats. At the end of the experiment, jars without clams were on aver- age 99% covered by algae, while jars with clams (300 to 4800 ind. m -2 ) had less than 10% cover on average. There was a highly significant positive correlation between algal cover and the number of individuals belonging to the major meiofaunal taxa, i.e. Nematoda (r 2 = 0.61, p < 0.001) and Copepoda (r 2 = 0.79, p < 0.001). In containers with high clam densities (4800 ind. m -2 ), numbers of nematodes were significantly lower than in containers with low clam densities (300 and 600 ind. m -2 ), but no such difference was found for the copepods. Multidimensional scaling ordination indicated 3 distinct sig- nificantly different assemblages (ANOSIM, p < 0.01) of nematodes in jars with clam density of 0, 300 and 4800 ind. m -2 , while assemblage structure of copepods was only significantly different between jars with or without clams. In a separate experiment, we tested if the size of the clam and an initial organic enrichment of the sediment would affect the colonizing meiofauna. The results indicated that small bivalves also effectively prevented algal formation and that the development of meiobenthic communities depended on initial organic matter in the sediment. We concluded that indirect effects of Macoma balthica on the assemblage structure of meiobenthos by hindering development of microalgal mats are much larger than any direct effects.
Secure wireless communication channel by the combination of sphere packing, channel code and space time

This paper shows a new communication system oriented to the future mobile communications, using concepts of security, sphere packing and channel gain. This system accomplishes the compression using sphere packing with support of Cab curves. At the same time, providing security and encrypting the information. Also with the use of code algorithms a high consistency is achieved. Finally, the performance of the system is shown as a function of SER (Symbol Error Rate) and SNR (Signal Noise Rate). In the first results, sphere packing modulation obtains a gain of 3.5 dB's compared with QPSK modulation with a. SER= 10-6.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) How is autoimmunity against citrullinated proteins regulated ?

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Support theorem for the Light-Ray transform of vector fields on Minkowski spaces

We study the Light-Ray transform of integrating vector fields on the Minkowski time-space $\boldsymbol{{\rm R}}^{1+n}$, $n≥ 2$, with the Minkowski metric. We prove a support theorem for vector fields vanishing on an open set of light-like lines. We provide examples to illustrate the application of our results to the inverse problem for the hyperbolic Dirichlet-to-Neumann map.
PERFORMANCE OF INTEREST-FREE ISLAMIC BANKS VIS-À-VIS INTEREST-BASED CONVENTIONAL BANKS OF BAHRAIN

This paper examines the comparative performance of Bahrain’s interest-free Islamic banks and the interest-based conventional commercial banks during the post Gulf War period with respect to (a) profitability, (b) liquidity risk, and (c) credit risk. Nine financial ratios are used in measuring these performances. Applying Student’s t-test to financial ratios for Islamic and conventional commercial banks in Bahrain for the period 1991-2001, the paper concludes that there is no major difference in performance between Islamic and conventional banks with respect to profitability and liquidity. However, the study finds that there exists a significant difference in credit performance.
Sensitivity of Future Ocean Acidification to Carbon Climate Feedbacks

Carbon-climate feedbacks have the potential to significantly impact the future climate by altering atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (Zaehle et al., 2010). By modifying the future atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, the carbon-climate feedbacks will also influence the future trajectory for ocean acidification. Here, we use the CO 2 emissions scenarios from 4 Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) with an Earth System Model to project the future trajectories of ocean acidification with the inclusion of carbon-climate feedbacks. We show that simulated carbon-climate feedbacks can significantly impact the onset of under-saturated aragonite conditions in the Southern and Arctic Oceans, the suitable habitat for tropical coral and the deepwater saturation states. Under higher emission scenarios (RCP8.5 and RCP6.0), the carbon-climate feedbacks advance the onset of under-saturation conditions and the reduction in suitable coral reef habitat by a decade or more. The impact of the carbon-climate feedback is most significant for the medium (RCP4.5) and low emission (RCP2.6) scenarios. For RCP4.5 scenario by 2100, the carbon-climate feedbacks nearly double the area of surface water under-saturated respect to aragonite and reduce by 50 % the surface water suitable for coral reefs. For RCP2.6 scenario by 2100, the carbon-climate feedbacks reduce the area suitable for coral reefs by 40 % and increase the area of under-saturated surface water by 20 %. The high sensitivity of the impact of ocean acidification to the carbon-climate feedbacks in the low to medium emissions scenarios is important because our recent commitments to reduce CO 2 emissions are trying to move us on to such an emissions scenario. The study highlights the need to better characterise the carbon-climate feedbacks to ensure we do not excessively stress the oceans by under-estimating the future impact of ocean acidification.
Accretion discs as regulators of stellar angular momentum evolution in the ONC and Taurus–Auriga

Inlightofrecentsubstantialupdatestospectraltypeestimationsandnewlyestablishedintrinsic colours,effectivetemperatures,andbolometriccorrectionsforpre-mainsequence(PMS)stars, were-addressthetheoryofaccretiondisc-regulatedstellarangularmomentum(AM)evolution. We report on the compilation of a consistent sample of fully convective stars within two of the mostwell-studiedandyoungest,nearbyregionsofstarformation:theOrionnebulaClusterand Taurus–Auriga. We calculate the average specific stellar AM (j� ) assuming solid body rotation, using surface rotation periods gathered from the literature and new estimates of stellar radii and ages. We use published Spitzer IRACfluxes to classify our stars as Class II or Class III and
Consuming Experiences Shift Standards Through Attentional Collapse

In five studies, participants forecasted how much they would enjoy a future experience (e.g., eating potato chips) or had that experience (e.g., ate potato chips). Hedonic forecasts were strongly affected by the presence of a superior alternative (e.g., chocolate) or an inferior alternative (e.g., sardines), but hedonic experiences were unaffected in three studies—experiencers were happy eating potato chips irrespective of the present alternative. In our forth and fifth studies, hedonic experiences were affected by present alternatives only when hedonic experiences required few attentional resources. The results suggest that forecasters underestimate the extent to which hedonic experiences "consume" attention and render alternatives irrelevant.
Macht Zucker krank? Wie viel Zucker macht krank?

Zusammenfassung Zusammenhänge zwischen Zuckerkonsum und dem Risiko chronischer Krankheiten wurde in den letzten Jahren von einer Vielzahl von Studien untersucht. Dabei sind besonders prospektiv angelegte Studien aussagekräftig. Wichtiger Punkt bei der Bewertung kommt dabei der Bedeutung von Zucker in der Ernährung und dem Körpergewicht zu, welches für viele Krankheiten einen Risikofaktor darstellt. Der Konsum zuckergesüßter Getränke führt hier zu einem Gewichtsanstieg. Dazu gibt es überzeugende Evidenz aus Beobachtungsstudien, aber gerade auch aus randomisierten kontrollierten Interventionsstudien. Obwohl diese Zusammenhänge in einer erheblichen Anzahl systematischer Übersichtsarbeiten beurteilt wurden, gibt es eine erhebliche Abweichung in der Interpretation der Studienergebnisse in Abhängigkeit von Interessenkonflikten der Autoren. Der Konsum zuckergesüßter Getränke ist mit einem erhöhten Risiko für Typ-2-Diabetes verbunden. Obwohl initial die meisten Studien aus dem US-amerikanischen Raum stammten, konnte dieser Zusammenhang auch in Europa beobachtet werden. Zudem ist der Konsum zuckergesüßter Getränke auch mit einem erhöhten Risiko für Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen (CVD) verbunden. Eine „sichere“ Menge gibt es prinzipiell nicht – das Risiko dieser Erkrankungen steigt mit höherer Dosis eher stetig an. Es gibt keine deutlichen Anhaltspunkte, dass der Verzehr anderer zuckerreicher Lebensmittel das Risiko chronischer Krankheiten erhöht. Zum Teil gibt es laut der Kohlenhydratleitlinie der DGE Evidenz für einen fehlenden Zusammenhang (z. B. mit der Gesamtmenge der zugeführten Mono- und Disaccharide und dem Diabetesrisiko). Teilweise gibt es keine ausreichende Datengrundlage, die eine Bewertung ermöglichen würde. Überraschend sind zum Teil Ergebnisse von Kohortenstudien, die eine Risikosenkung mit einem relativ hohen Verzehr zuckerreicher Lebensmittel wie Kuchen und Kekse nahelegen. Wahrscheinlich sind derartige Beobachtungen allerdings ein Artefakt von Misreporting der Studienteilnehmer.