Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predation by Drilling Gastropods and Asteroids Upon Mussels in Rocky Shallow Shores of Southernmost South America: Paleontological Implications

To achieve a better understanding of predation pattern recorded in the fossil record it is essential to study predator-prey interactions in the modern seas. It includes the data collected from the field observations as well as from the experiments in captivity. Such an approach allows recognition of the bioeroders, its description and also provides quantification of these interactions. This work offers a case study of the traces of predation resulting from the predator-prey interactions between three mussels: Mytilus chilensis, Brachidontes purpuratus, and Aulacomya atra; and their five natural enemies: the gastropods Trophon geversianus, Xymenopsis muriciformis, and Acanthina monodon, and the asteroids Cosmasterias lurida and Anasterias antarctica living along the intertidal and/or subtidal rocky shores in Tierra del Fuego. The predatory damage to mussel shells varies according to the predator and prey species and techniques for attacking prey are highly specialized. A. monodon drills a hole in B. purpuratus but uses the outer lip of its shell as a wedge to open the valves of M. chilensis and A. atra. T. geversianus always makes holes, but while it drills the valve walls of M. chilensis, it prefers to drill the valve edges of A. atra and B. purpuratus, with different characteristic patterns. Usually the shells of mussels killed by C. lurida do not suffer from any mechanical damage, but some other shells were crushed or fractured along the margins. Comparatively, time required to successfully attack a prey was shorter in C. lurida (24 hours), followed by A. monodon (36 hours), and longer in T. geversianus (9 to 10 days). Traces of predation are not randomly distributed across size classes of mussel prey, reflecting selectivity for a particular size class. Also, drill holes are usually placed at specific sectors of the shell, indicating site selectivity. These observations offer some paleontological implications for investigating the pattern of predation in fossil record. They show that different patterns of shell damage can be due to different predator species (e.g., wall vs. edge drillings), although the same predator species can leave different marks when consuming different prey (e.g., T. geversianus). Most disconcerting for paleontologists are cases of predation which do not leave any marks on the prey shell detectable in the fossil record (e.g., predation by asteroids), or leave ambiguous marks (A. monodon when preying with the spine). In conclusion, besides the opportunity to identify some traces of predation by drilling gastropods in fossil mussels, this work gives criteria to address predation in some particular paleontological cases that would otherwise be dismissed by researchers.
Direct determination of the air‐sea CO2 gas transfer velocity in Arctic sea ice regions

The Arctic Ocean is an important sink for atmospheric CO2. The impact of decreasing sea ice extent and expanding marginal ice zones on Arctic air‐sea CO2 exchange depends on the rate of gas transfer in the presence of sea ice. Sea ice acts to limit air‐sea gas exchange by reducing contact between air and water but is also hypothesized to enhance gas transfer rates across surrounding open‐water surfaces through physical processes such as increased surface‐ocean turbulence from ice‐water shear and ice‐edge form drag. Here we present the first direct determination of the CO2 air‐sea gas transfer velocity in a wide range of Arctic sea ice conditions. We show that the gas transfer velocity increases near linearly with decreasing sea ice concentration. We also show that previous modeling approaches overestimate gas transfer rates in sea ice regions.
The Implementation of SPC in Malaysian Manufacturing Companies

The importance of quality has been long recognised in the business environment in order to obtain or manufacture higher quality products. In a manufacturing environment, quality improves reliability, increases productivity and customer satisfaction. Quality in manufacturing requires the practices of Statistical Process Control (SPC). This paper addresses the case study on the implementation of SPC in eight manufacturing companies. The case study involves interviews and questionnaire surveys with the company representatives, as well as observations on their environment. This paper focuses on the result of the survey and its primary findings. The information gathered includes company background, applications and general information about SPC in the company, types and characteristics of SPC software and its development, problem and disadvantages of
Evaluating Depression, Anxiety, Sexuality and Quality of Life in Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients

Introduction: Lung cancer (LC) affects psychosexual outcome and quality of life (QoL) of the patients because of short survival period and aggressive treatment modalities. The aim of our study was to investigate anxiety, depression, QoL and sexual satisfaction levels of LC patients. Methods: The data for metastatic LC patients treated with first or second-line chemotherapy were collected by using four forms completed during face-to-face interviews. The forms consist of socio-demographic characteristics, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS) and European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Questionnaires Quality of Life-C30 (EORTCQoL-C30). Results: Forty-four LC patients were participated in this study. The total Beck scores of patients for anxiety and depression were very high (15.60 ± 12.30 and 16.02 ± 11.39; respectively). When we evaluated GRISS scores of our metastatic LC patients with respect to their anxiety or depression levels, we could not find any statistical significance. In the metastatic LC patients whose anxiety and depression scores were high, physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning of EORTC-QLQ-C30 was found statistically significantly low. Statistical significance in terms of role functioning was only found in the patients with high anxiety scores. Conclusion: Metastatic LC patients had high anxiety and depression levels, decreased sexual satisfaction and impaired QoL.
Fear and Trust: How Risk Perceptions of Avian Influenza Affect the Demand for Chicken

This article quantifies the impact of H7N9 bird flu on chicken demand and consumer willingness to pay (WTP) in China. The surveys were administered to the same group of respondents in April 2012 and 2013. In 2012 we asked generic questions regarding food safety in chilled chicken without any mentioning of bird flu and in 2013 in the midst of the outbreak we resurveyed the group again. Since these respondents were surveyed both times (before and after the bird flu outbreak), the data formed a “natural experiment”. We measure risk perception, fear and trust against actual reduction in consumption and stated change in WTP for safe chicken between 2012 and 2013. Through a survey conducted in each year on the same Chinese urban consumers, we are able to construct a Marshallian-Hicksian elasticity measure signifying the relative welfare loss from a food risk. Furthermore, we found that: (1) like fear, the impact of distrust (especially the distrust in government) was negative for consumption; (2) macro fear of H7N9’s spreading, and distrust in government enhanced the deviation of consumption and WTP; (3) stronger consumer heterogeneity in consumption existed in cities with higher number of incidences; (4) the sheer mentioning of H7N9 is more important and negative than whether it was associated with a risk-perception reducing or risk-perception elevating message given to consumers; and (5) unlike what the conventional theory would predict that upon the rising of a specific risk factor, demand will drop and WTP for safter products will increase, while consumption of chicken never increased after the emergence of H7N9 in 2013, WTP for safer chicken did not increase either relative to generic risks associated with consuming chicken in 2012.
Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema ( CPFE ) : does the type of emphysema predict the type of fibrosis ?

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Molecular detection of Phytophthora Capsici from Chilli (Capsicum annum L.) and its response to selected growth media and vegetable extracts

The present study was conducted to evaluate selected culture media for rapid multiplication of P. capsici and its invitro control through the use of phytobiocides. Another aspect of this research was to detect the fungus in diseased plant material by molecular method. Significant differences (P0.05) were observed among the three culture media i.e. Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), Corn Meal Agar (CMA) and Water Agar (WA) for radial colony growth, sporangial production/germination and biomass production of P. capsici. PDA proved to be the best medium in having maximum colony growth, the highest biomass production and 95% spore germination in the least possible time. Among the five different phytobiocides having tested, extracts from garlic, cabbage and peppermint retarded the mycelial growth while those from onion and radish stimulated the pathogen development. P. capsici was successfully detected through PCR in symptomatic and asymptomatic albeit diseased plant tissues when 595bp fragment of fungal genome was amplified by P. capsici specific primers.
An efficient nonstandard numerical method with positivity preserving property

Classical explicit finite difference schemes are unsuitable for the solution of the famous Black-Scholes partial differential equation, since they impose severe restrictions on the time step. Furthermore, they may produce spurious oscillations in the solution. We propose a new scheme that is free of spurious oscillations and guarantees the positivity of the solution for arbitrary stepsizes. The proposed method is constructed based on a nonstandard discretization of the spatial derivatives and is applicable to Black-Scholes equation in the presence of discontinues initial conditions.
Analysis of Nutrient Content and Physicochemical Properties of Newly Developed Sweet Lime Peel Vinegar and Sweet Lime Fruit–Peel Combo Vinegar

The fruit peels are very rich in bioactive compounds which can be used as an antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. The current researches on the fruit peels are following a trend to identify an efficient way to extract the bioactive compounds having antioxidant and antimicrobial properties from the fruit peels, to use it for better health development. The nutrient analysis of sweet lime peel vinegar and sweet lime fruit-peel combo vinegar revealed that iron, folate, total polyphenols and flavonoids concentration were higher in sweet lime peel vinegar than the sweet lime fruit-peel combo vinegar.Viscosity, Density, refractive index and acid value of the sweet lime peel vinegar was 521cps, 1.08, 1.33, 85.15 respectively and sweet lime fruit-peel was 545 cps, 1.04, 1.33, and 224.5 respectively. The formulated sweet lime fruit-peel vinegar was incorporated into twenty dishes to increase the nutrient content, to benefit general health and to treat specific conditions like diabetes mellitus, cardio vascular diseases and obesity.
Beyond the global financial crisis: challenges facing venture capitalists operating in an emerging economy such as Nigeria

Objectives: The study investigates the challenges faced by venture capitalists (VCs) when operating in an emerging market, as well as problems in dealing with the entrepreneurs themselves. This is to gain a deeper understanding of the environmental and governmental policy factors that are hindering the growth of the industry in Nigeria. Prior Work: In light of the recent global financial downturn where people are being made redundant, many could see it as an opportunity to start up their own business. However, the smooth operation of the finance escalator has proved difficult to achieve under recent financial conditions (North et al. 2013; Gill 2010; Mason et al 2010; NESTA 2009. Moreover, in an emerging economy, small business owners are more likely to secure funding for their new business venture from traditional sources rather than venture capital (VC) since they do not know much about it (Gupta and Sapienza, 2001). Jiang et al. (2014) argue that although the role of VCs is well documented in western developed economies, limited attention has been paid to it by SMEs in emerging markets. Approach: The data was collected using qualitative method involving interviews with 4 VCs who operate in Nigeria, 5 entrepreneurs who were not able to secure venture capital (VC) funding for their ventures and a government minister and a member of staff as key informants. Results: The results show that VCs who operate in Nigeria face challenges which are unique to an emerging economy. The findings suggest that people do not fully understand what VCs look for in a business, the benefits they bring to a business, how they work and the time it takes to get things done from a bureaucratic and legal perspective. Implications: The implication of the study is that the Nigerian government should take steps to improve the country’s VC industry by setting up of a VC fund for technology-based starts-ups. The government should also meet with the heads of the major financial houses in Nigeria in an effort to create a positive public relation campaign to highlight the benefits VCs bring to businesses. This will help significantly towards the development of the industry in Nigeria. Value: This study makes contribution to the growing body of literature on venture capital and the effect of global financial crisis. A better understanding of the decision making process of deal structuring will help VCs to make better decisions regarding investments and stages of funding. Understanding how VCs decide when and where to invest, might benefit entrepreneurs and SMEs with respect to attracting VC as well as increasing the likelihood of receiving higher levels of funding, because a higher level of financing gives them a bigger level of flexibility (Payne et al. (2009).
Species identification of Ommastrephes bartramii, Dosidicus gigas, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis and Illex argentinus (Ommastrephidae) using beak morphological variables

Four oceanic squid species, Ommastrephes bartramii, Dosidicus gigas, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis and Illex argentinus , not only support important commercial fisheries, but also play a vital role in their marine ecosystems. It is therefore important to identify them in the analyses of their predators’ stomach contents as this can yield critical information on the trophic dynamics of ecosystems. Hard beaks of the four species frequently found in their predators’ stomachs can be used to identify them. In this study, to remove the effect of size differences among individuals, measurements of upper and lower beaks were standardized with an allometric model. A discriminant analysis was carried out to compare morphological differences among the four species and between the sexes for each species. The upper rostral width and upper rostral length showed the greatest interspecific variation in the beak morphological variables of the four Ommastrephidae. The linear discriminant functions of beak morphological variables were developed for the four Ommastraphidae, which resulted in a rate of correct species classification of over 97%. Sexual dimorphism was also found in the beak morphology of O. bartramii and I. argentinus . This study suggests that morphological variables can be used to reliably classify Ommastrephidae at genus level, which can help identify the specie in the stomachs of cephalopod predators. This helps to improve the understanding of the role cephalopods play in their marine ecosystems.
VARIOUS FUZZY MODELING TECHNIQUES AND FUZZY CONTROLLER DESIGN FOR NONLINEAR SYSTEM

Complex nonlinear systems can be represented by Takagi–Sugeno (TS) fuzzy systems with each local model. In this paper, we discuss the TS fuzzy modeling methods with linear and bilinear local models. This paper describes how to obtain a fuzzy bilinear model for a class of nonlinear systems. Also a nonlinear time delay System is represented with fuzzy blending of local linear models. A fuzzy state feedback controller is designed to stabilize such systems. A simulation example is given to verify the designed controller.
The American Intrusive L

L'A. compare l'evolution historique de la prononciation de l'anglais dialectal americain qui introduit un l dans certains mots et de l'anglais dialectal britannique qui introduit un r dans ces memes mots. L'A. montre que les processus de vocalisation, de liaison, de fusion, d'intrusion et de generalisation sont lies hierarchiquement et dans cet ordre, a la fois pour l et pour r dans tous les dialectes anglais
A simultaneous Bregman projection methods for solving mixed split equality problems and fixed point problems in p-uniformly convex and uniformly smooth Banach spaces

In this article, a simultaneous Bregman projection scheme is introduced to approximate a common element of the set of fixed points of left Bregman strongly nonexpansive mapping and the set of solutions of mixed split equality problems in p(p > 2)uniformly convex and uniformly smooth Banach spaces. We obtain the weak convergence theorem of the sequences generated by our scheme under some appropriate conditions. Furthermore, we apply our iterative algorithms to the split feasibility problem. Finally, several numerical results are shown to confirm the feasibility of the proposed methods. Our result presented in the article are new and improve and extend some recent corresponding results. c ©2017 All rights reserved.
HIV prevalence among Nepalese migrant workers working in Nepal and Indian cities.

Several studies have shown an association between mobility and HIV infection. In this study we examined the prevalence of HIV infection among migrant workers working in Nepal and Indian cities. A representative sample of 316 migrant men (210 internal migrants and 106 external migrants) were interviewed and tested for HIV infection during September 2001 to June 2003. HIV prevalence among migrants within Nepal was 2.3% as compared to 8.5% among migrants to India. 60% of migrants within Nepal and 85% of migrants to India have visited female sex workers. 75% of migrants within Nepal used condom while visiting female sex workers in comparision to only 10% of migrants to India. We also found limited access to HIV information service for migrant workers to India as compared to migrants within Nepal. Considering the high HIV prevalence and risky behaviours regarding HIV/AIDS among external migrants as compared to internal migrants comprehensive HIV prevention programme is necessary for migrant workers going to work in India before they migrate. (authors)
A multilingual system for cyberbullying detection: Arabic content detection using machine learning

With the abundance of Internet and electronic devices bullying has moved its place from schools and backyards into cyberspace; to be now known as Cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is affecting a lot of children around the world, especially Arab countries. Thus, concerns from cyberbullying are rising. A lot of research is ongoing with the purpose of diminishing cyberbullying. The current research efforts are focused around detection and mitigation of cyberbullying. Previously, researches dealt with the psychological effects of cyberbullying on the victim and the predator. A lot of research work proposed solutions for detecting cyberbullying in English language and a few more languages, but none till now covered cyberbullying in Arabic language. Several techniques contribute in cyberbullying detection, mainly Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). This journal extends on a previous paper to elaborate on a solution for detecting and stopping cyberbul-lying. It first presents a thorough survey for the previous work done in cyberbullying detection. Then a solution that focuses on detecting cyberbullying in Arabic content is displayed and assessed.
Decision support tools to improve the effectiveness of hazardous fuel reduction treatments in the New Jersey Pine Barrens

Our goal is to assist the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and federal wildland fire managers in the New Jersey Pine Barrens evaluate where and when to conduct hazardous fuel reduction treatments. We used remotely sensed LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging System) data and field sampling to estimate fuel loads and consumption during prescribed fire treatments. This information was integrated with data on prescribed fire treatments conducted by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service over the last 15 years to produce and interpret maps of current fuel loads. Forest productivity measurements and models were then used to estimate rates of fuel accumulation through time. We could then calculate return intervals for desired fuel load conditions. Through formal workshops and frequent discussions with state and federal fire managers, our results enhance the ability of these agencies to make key decisions regarding the effectiveness and longevity of hazardous fuels treatments.
Predicting the Onset of Australian Winter Rainfall by Nonlinear Classification

Abstract A method for predicting the timing of winter rains is presented, making no assumptions about the functional form of any relationships that may exist. Ideas built on classification and regression trees and machine learning are used to develop robust predictive rules. These methods are applied in a case study to predict the timing of winter rain in five farming towns in the southwest of Western Australia. The variables used to construct the model are mean monthly sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over a 72-cell grid in the Indian Ocean, Perth monthly mean sea level pressure (MSLP), and monthly values of the Southern Oscillation index (SOI). A predictive model is constructed from data over the period 1949–99. This model correctly classifies the onset of the winter rains approximately 80% of the time with SST variables proving to be the most important in deriving the predictions. Further analysis indicates a change point in the mid-1970s, a well-known phenomenon in the region. The prediction rates are .