Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From carbonate platform to euxinic sea – the collapse of an Early/Middle Devonian reef, Cantabrian Mountains (Spain)

Abstract The Santa Lucía Formation represents the major phase in Devonian reef development of the Cantabrian Zone (Cantabrian Mountains, northwest Spain). In the present study the transition from the carbonate platform deposits of the Santa Lucía Formation to the overlying euxinic basinal deposits of the Huergas Formation is described. These transitional strata are connected to the Basal Choteč Event and represent a condensed sedimentation of micritic dark-grey and black limestones with an upward increase of dark shale intercalations with iron mineralisation surfaces and storm-induced brachiopod coquinas. The transitional beds are grouped into a new unit, the Cabornera Bed, which consists of limestone, limestone-shale and shale facies associations, representing a sediment-starved euxinic offshore area just below the storm wave base. Four stages in reef decline can be recognised: a reef stage, an oxygen-depleted, nutrient-rich stage, a siliciclastic-influx stage and a pelagic-siliciclastic stage. Additional geochemical and geophysical investigations are needed to verify the results presented herein.
The Role of parC , parE , and qnrB Genes in Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates from Urinary Tract Infections

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infectious diseases, imposing great costs on the community. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the most frequent pathogen of UTIs. On the other hand, ciprofloxacin is a wide-spectrum antibiotic, used for the treatment of persistent and recurrent UTIs. Nevertheless, the increasing chromosomal or plasmid resistance of this bacterium has become a major health problem. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of parC, parE, and qnrB genes in ciprofloxacinresistant E. coli isolates from urine samples of patients suffering from UTI. Methods: Midstream urine samples of patients suffering from UTIs, who were referred to Imam Khomeini hospital, Tehran, Iran during May-October 2014, were collected and evaluated for E. coli isolates. All the isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) by the standard disk diffusion method, according to the clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) 2014 guidelines. The role of chromosomal genes, parC and parE, in addition to plasmid gene qnrB, was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and further sequencing. Results: Among 124 patients, 64.5% of UTI cases were positive for E. coli. Based on the AST results, 77.5% of the isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin. The size of PCR bands was 265 bp for parE, 389 bp for parC, and 268 bp for qnrB genes. Also, the frequency of intact genes among ciprofloxacin–resistant isolates was 90.9% for parC, 97.67% for parE, and 0% for qnrB genes. Some mutations were detected in the chromosomal genes after sequence analysis. Conclusions: This study showed the important role of mutated chromosomal resistant genes in comparison with plasmid genes in the emergence of ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli strains.
Size-Related Microsatellite Markers in the Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus intermedius

Eighty individuals of same-aged sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus intermedius), cultured under similar conditions, were grouped into two size groups: 50 large and 30 small. The diameters and heights of the two groups significantly differed (p<0.05). Sixteen microsatellite DNA loci were selected to analyze the genomic DNA of the 80 urchins. There were 46 alleles in the small urchins and 52 in the large. Shannon’s index and Nei’s heterozygosity were 0.74±0.47 and 0.43±0.25, respectively, for the small urchins and 0.76±0.41 and 0.42±0.21 for the large; results of the indices did not significantly differ. Twenty-two alleles displayed significantly different frequencies between groups. General linear model (GLM) analysis showed that 11 alleles significantly correlated with urchin size. The frequencies of 12 genotypes significantly differed between groups. Multiple comparisons of mean diameters and heights between all genotypes of each locus revealed that eight loci correlate with size in sea urchins. Frequency differences, GLM analyses, and multiple comparisons showed that four loci (INST04, INST10, INST15, INST29) significantly correlated with size in sea urchins. Thus, these four loci are possibly genetically associated with size in sea urchins, information that could be useful in selecting for better growth.
The Influence of Adult Attachment on Relationship Quality among Multi-Ethnic Group of Parents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children

This study aimed to explore the influence of adult attachment on relationship quality among parents having children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A correlational research design was used to achieve the research objectives. Sixty eight parents of children with ADHD participated in this study. Two measures were used in this study: the Experience in Close Relationship (ECR) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). The findings indicated that when the anxiety attachment level of the participants was high, the marital satisfaction was low.The findings of this study can make a contribution to those focusing on conflict resolution and marital quality with a deeper understanding on the interpersonal problems in the relationship from attachment theory perspectives. It is suggested that a longitudinal research be conducted in the future with both groups of clinical and community in order to explore how attachment variables can predict relationship adjustment and child adjustment overtime.
Reducing soil moisture measurement scale mismatch to improve surface energy flux estimation

At the so-called hyper-resolution scale (i.e. grid cells of 1 km 2 ) Land Surface Model (LSM) parameters are sometimes calibrated with Eddy-Covariance (EC) data and Point Scale (PS) soil moisture data. However, measurement scales of EC and PS data differ substantially. In our study, we investigated the impact of reducing the scale mismatch between surface 10 energy flux data and soil moisture data by replacing PS soil moisture data with observations derived from Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensors (CRNS) made at larger spatial scales. Five soil-evapotranspiration parameters of the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) were calibrated against PS and CRNS soil moisture data separately. We calibrated the model for twelve sites in the USA representing a range of climatic, soil, and vegetation conditions. The improvement in surface energy partitioning for the two calibration solutions was assessed by comparing to EC data and to a version of JULES runs with 15 default parameter values. We found that simulated surface energy partitioning did not differ substantially between the PS and CRNS calibrations, despite their differences in actual soil moisture observations. We concluded that potential differences due to distinct spatial scales represented by the PS and CRNS soil moisture sensor techniques were substantially undermined by the weak coupling between soil moisture and evapotranspiration within JULES.
Sustaining Student Competitions through Senior Capstone and Knowledge Management Systems

Capstone design courses and student chapter design competitions offer students a variety of opportunities to gain project engineering and management experience. Commonly, student design competitions are supported through associated senior capstone design projects, providing the chapter with the resources necessary to produce a quality product. Within the organization, the capstone design students and student chapter members must be able to coordinate efforts to produce, manage, and transfer knowledge from year to year. Through senior matriculation and transient membership, high turnover rates result in the loss of organizational knowledge for future members. In this paper, the authors present a conceptual model for the creation of an organizational structure that involves active knowledge management through accessible processes and defined responsibilities. By analyzing different management structures, a system will be proposed that addresses the importance of maintaining knowledge and information through the student organization instead of individual members. The proposed knowledge management system will encourage regular use by all members, and provide a framework for future project management.
Can Research Confirm Psychopathological Subtypes and Relationship between Recurrent Mood Disorders and Personality Disorders

The aim of this study is to estimate the frequency of personality disorders in patients with recurrent unipolar or bipolar affective disorders and the possible relationship of the categorical model with two dynamic psychopathological configurations. Forty-eight patients were studied using semi-structured interviews for assessing Axis I and Axis II disorders. We found that approximately 70% of patients had some types of personality disorder according to the DSM-IV TR classification model. The most frequent personality disorders were cluster C dependent personality disorder and cluster B borderline personality disorder. The most common affective disorders were depressive bipolar I subtype disorder and manic bipolar I subtype disorder. The high frequency of personality disorders in patients who are in partial or complete remission of recurrent affective disorders can be explained by a combination of two subtypes of psycho-pathological configurations (the anaclitic or introjective configurations are based on the Blatt model) and neuro-biological interactions.
Application of electron backscatter diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy for characterization of zircon crystallinity Използване на дифракция на обратно отразени електрони и микро- Раманова спектроскопия за характеризиране на кристалност на циркон

Stability and crystallinity of zircon (ZrSiO4) are repeatedly debated themes over the past 20 years, mainly in view of (i) wide application of the mineral in geochronology and geochemistry, and (ii) high potential of its structure for waste actinides immobilization. Micro-Raman spectroscopy in combination with cathode luminescence and backscattered electron imaging technique in SEM are commonly used for characterization of radiation damages (metamictization) of the mineral structure, variations in its chemical composition and phase inhomogeneity (Nasdala et al., 2001). In the present report, the authors make an attempt to combine and compare Raman spectroscopy experiments with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) analysis in SEM for characterization of zircon crystallinity.
Peroxide/Silane Crosslinked Poly(lactic acid) Hybrid Biocomposite Reinforced with Empty Fruit Bunch and Cotton Fibers for Hot-Fill Food Packaging

A biocomposite manufactured from peroxide/silane crosslinked poly(lactic acid) reinforced with hybridized empty fruit bunch (EFB) oil palm and cotton fibers was investigated. Optimization of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and the vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) crosslink system by using the 2k factorial design of experiment (DOE), with k = 2 was preliminary employed. There was no significant effect of the designed parameters, DCP(A) and VTMS(B), on the properties of the biocomposite. Concerning the environmental and economical aspects, the DPC and VTMS ratio was important. A crosslink agent content from 0.5 phr of DCP with 1 phr to 2 phr VTMS was recommended to manufacture a biocomposite with high heat distortion temperature (HDT) at above 100 °C and reasonable flow and mechanical properties. Also, the direct addition of the DCP/VTMS crosslink agent onto the PLA/rubber compound mixture and fed into a twin screw extruder for producing crosslinked PLA/EFB/cotton hybrid biocomposites were the optimized mixing methods. Shorter process line/time, ease of process steps, and reasonable engineering properties were justified. A HDT above 100 °C with a better toughness property of the biocomposite material was obtained. The PLA/PLA and PLA/ENR crosslinks via silane/moisture condensation during the sauna incubation was the prime explanation.
Synchronization of a Class of Memristive Stochastic Bidirectional Associative Memory Neural Networks with Mixed Time-Varying Delays via Sampled-Data Control

The paper addresses the issue of synchronization of memristive bidirectional associative memory neural networks (MBAMNNs) with mixed time-varying delays and stochastic perturbation via a sampled-data controller. First, we propose a new model of MBAMNNs with mixed time-varying delays. In the proposed approach, the mixed delays include time-varying distributed delays and discrete delays. Second, we design a new method of sampled-data control for the stochastic MBAMNNs. Traditional control methods lack the capability of reflecting variable synaptic weights. In this paper, the methods are carefully designed to confirm the synchronization processes are suitable for the feather of the memristor. Third, sufficient criteria guaranteeing the synchronization of the systems are derived based on the derive-response concept. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed mechanism is validated with numerical experiments.
Time-Consistent and Market-Consistent Actuarial Valuations

Recent theoretical results establish that time-consistent valuations (i.e.pricing operators) can be created by backward iteration of one-period valuations. In this paper we investigate the continuous-time limits of well-known actuarial premium principles when such backward iteration procedures are applied. We show that the iterated variance premium principle converges to the non-linear exponential indifference valuation. Furthermore, we show that the iterated standard-deviation principle converges to an expectation under an equivalent martingale measure and that the Cost-of-Capital principle, which is widely used by the insurance industry, converges to the same price as the standard-deviation principle. Finally, we study the converge of market-consistent extensions of these pricing principles.
The Impact Of In-Groups And Out- Groups On Knowledge Sharing In Russia And China

Management researchers have suggested that knowledge sharing has an important role to play in developing competitive advantage for organisations. It could be argued that the need to build advantage is even greater in the transition economies that are increasingly internationally oriented. Yet, it has been suggested that people in transition economies such as Russia and China have a propensity not to share knowledge. We proffer that Russians’ and Chinese’ willingness to share knowledge is highly influenced by group membership. By examining the extent to which group membership influences the processes of knowledge sharing in the Chinese and Russian cultural and institutional environments, we theoretically explore how in-groups and out-groups facilitate and impede knowledge sharing.
Livelihood strategies - Potential of cattle rearing by improved fodder production to increase households income and to decrease soil erosion in rural communities in Northwest Vietnam

With the steadily growing population and the increasing demand on food, more and more forests are converted into farmland. Vulnerable lands on steep slopes or areas prone to desertification processes are overused and polluted by the application of more and more chemicals. According to the FAO (2008), more than 20% of all cultivated land, 30% of all forests and 10% of all grasslands worldwide are already degraded and affect one fourth of the world`s population negatively. Most of the people living in developing countries depend on agriculture. It is therefore obvious that the productivity of their farmland must be maintained in order to ensure their source of food and to combat poverty. Food insecurity has become a fundamental topic in international meetings, a fact which must be taken as an alert how badly research is needed to find better ways for an alternative and sustainable land use. The University of Hohenheim is involved in a longterm research program in Vietnam in the framework of the Uplands Program, which is funded by EnBW Rainforest Foundation. Its aims are to contribute to the conservation of natural resources as well as to improve rural living conditions in remote mountainous areas by transferring know-how and technical innovations. The study site is characterized by very steep slopes on which mainly maize is cultivated. For maize as animal feed is from the economic point of view very attractive to the farmers, subsistence-oriented agriculture is being replaced by market-oriented agriculture. Maize is a very erosion-prone crop, especially in the beginning of the rainy season when the maize plant is still fragile and the soil is not yet covered by vegetative residues. During this period, erosion processes occur quite frequently and deteriorate the ecosystem by sediment translocation to lower areas and siltation of water bodies. This diploma thesis has been accomplished in the framework of subproject C4 “Impact of intensification on land use dynamics and environmental services of tropical mountainous watersheds” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). As the title of this thesis points out, poverty is to be reduced by the implementation of soil conservation techniques in order to maintain the fertility of soil and thus, to raise productivity. Furthermore, the idea is to establish conservation plants that could be used as animal feed in order to promote cattle keeping and thereby to diversify the
Plasmonic Modes of Metamaterial-Based Slot Waveguides

Most metamaterials exhibit pronounced anisotropic properties that are crucial for the understanding of their superior optical behavior, especially when they are integrated into the structure of a plasmonic waveguide. In this paper, we analytically solve the dispersion relation for a slot plasmonic waveguide filled with an anisotropic-stratified metamaterial and reveal that it supports two modes featuring relatively long propagation lengths in the limit of vanishing slot thickness. We classify these modes according to their physical origin and study the variation of their dispersion properties with material parameters.
Genome size in Polystachya (Orchidaceae) and its relationships to epidermal characters.

The pantropical orchid genus Polystachya comprises approximately 230 species and shows variation in ploidy. For ongoing phylogenetic investigations in this genus, a knowledge of ploidy is necessary. We also looked for a correlation between genome size and guard cell length, so that we could estimate ploidy from preserved material and plants containing high levels of mucilage that are difficult to analyse by flow cytometry (FC). For estimates of ploidy, we measured genome size using FC. For investigations of guard cell lengths and densities, tangential cuts and nail varnish impressions were made. Diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid individuals with genome sizes ranging from 0.58 to 1.80 pg (1C-values) were found. Guard cell length ranged from 15 to 39 µm. The minimum guard cell length was greater in polyploids, but diploid species had a large range of guard cell lengths that encompassed the size range found in polyploids. Although previous studies have found that guard cell length can be used to estimate ploidy in cases in which the genome size range is large, this is not applicable to genera with a small genome size, such as Polystachya. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 163, 223–233.
Ultrasound and ionic liquid-enhanced extractive desulfurization of diesel

The current desulfurization technology, hydrodesulfurization (HDS), is energy intensive, uses large quantities of hydrogen, and is ineffective at removing some sulfur compounds. Ionic liquids have been recently shown to perform well as extraction solvents for the removal of sulfur from diesel. However, a major limitation towards their industrial use is the low mass transfer rates that result from their relatively high viscosities. This study investigates the use of ultrasound to overcome this problem. The ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C 2 mim][CH 3 COO]), was used to desulfurize model diesel consisting of dibenzothiophene in hexadecane, in the absence and presence of ultrasound. It was found that sonification can greatly enhance the rate of mass transfer of DBT from diesel to the IL, resulting in a 57% sulfur removal for a 75% decrease in extraction time for batch studies, which results in a reduction in the number of equilibrium stages necessary for a continuous extraction process.
Human factors affecting enterprise architecture acceptance

An enterprise is a complex composition of different entities in context and is defined by its environment, scope, goals, systems, culture, information, processes, technology and by humans. The focus of an enterprise is on its “business” which is context bound. The success of an enterprise is attributable to its ability to manage its business processes, stay economically viable and improve its competitiveness, and therefore enterprises invest significantly in human capital to successfully manage business processes and change. Enterprise architecture (EA) is a foundation strategy implemented to assist enterprises in management of complexity and change. EA is a plan or blueprint of an enterprise’s business operations, information management and technology support. Adoption of EA is costly and usually occurs at executive and management levels. The effect of adopting EA as a strategy, however, filters through to all work levels in an enterprise. Acceptance of EA as a basic strategy, which needs to be followed over time, and the role of EA in an enterprise are often not fully understood by all stakeholders in an enterprise. In this paper, we specifically focus on the human factors during acceptance of EA. This focus develops the contribution this article makes, which is the exploration of human factors affecting acceptance of EA as an enterprise-wide strategy. Keywords—Enterprise Architecture; Enterprise Architecture Acceptance; Human Factors and Enterprise Architecture
Estimating deep water radiance in shallow water: adapting optical bathymetry modelling to shallow river environments

The effect of deep-water radiance on modelling bathymetry in shallow rivers using Lyzenga’s algorithm was investigated. To this end, a new method for estimating deep-water radiance in the absence of deep water is presented. This parameter is necessary for applying Lyzenga’s optical bathymetry model to aerial photographs and other forms of remotely sensed data. The estimation was tested in the Tana river in northern Finland where the variable in question could be measured as well as estimated, and also in one of the Tana’s optically shallow tributaries, where it was necessary to estimate deep-water radiance. The results show that the estimated values are very similar to measured deep-water radiance values in the larger river, but the effect of deep-water radiance in very shallow water seems to be negligible. The new technique described in this paper allows the Lyzenga optical bathymetry model to be employed in clear-water optically-shallow rivers, where deepwater radiance cannot be measured in the field, which is precisely where Lyzenga’s model is able to deliver the highest accuracy. The method also provides a reproducible, unbiased method for estimating deep-water radiance even in water deep enough to digitize it manually from remotely sensed data.