Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of Gunnera tinctoria (Molina) Mirbel invasions on soil seed bank communities

Aims In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the impact of invasive alien plant species on the soil seed bank. Soil seed banks play an important role in determining the composition and dynamics of the vegetation through time. Therefore, an ability to form a persistent seed bank and/or a capacity to alter the structure of the seed bank of invaded communities could be important factors in determining the success of many alien plant species. In this study, we report on a detailed assessment of the characteristics of the seed bank community associated with the herbaceous plant invader, Gunnera tinctoria, a newly emerging and potentially globally significant invasive plant species. This species, native to South America, is invasive in a range of wet habitats in Europe, Australasia and the USA. Methods A comprehensive assessment of the seed bank of invaded and comparable uninvaded areas was made at two points in time (May and October), at three sites in western Ireland. The seedling emergence approach was used to assess the structure (diversity, dominance and abundance) of the soil seed bank. Differences between invaded and uninvaded seed bank communities were investigated at the spatial scales of site, plot and depth. Important Findings Gunnera tinctoria formed a large persistent seed bank at the study sites. Approximately 30 000 seedlings per square metre emerged from soils collected from invaded areas, of which 30% were found in deep soil layers. Seedlings of this invader represented 53–86% of the total number of seedlings associated with invaded areas. Both the transient and the more persistent component of the seed bank of invaded communities were significantly less diverse and abundant than those of uninvaded areas, and were characterized by higher dominance, even when seedlings of the invader were not included in the analysis. The seed bank of invaded areas was largely composed of seeds of agricultural weeds in addition to those of the invader. These results suggest that G. tinctoria has the capacity to profoundly alter the seed bank of invaded communities. These results have direct relevance for the development of control and management strategies, for this and other comparable invasive species, which should account for both quantitative and qualitative alterations in the seed bank community. Our study also suggests that control measures that result in disturbance of areas colonized by G. tinctoria could promote the germination of undesirable weeds.
Planetary distance law and resonance

The relation between the planetary distance law and the resonant structures in the solar system and in the satellite systems is shown, in that, the resonance relation has been expressed in terms of Roche’s (Bode’s) constant defined in the text. This brings forth a coherent, elegant and unified picture of the formation and structure of the solar system and the satellite systems. The Roche’s (Bode’s) constant is seen to play a central role in this unified picture, in that, it also appears to govern the resonance phenomenon in the systems
What determines the growth of services sector in Pakistan? A comparison of ARDL bound testing and time varying parametric estimation with general to specific approach

This empirical study followed time varying parametric approach (Kalman Filter) and auto regression distributed lag (ARDL) with general to specific approach to find out relevant macroeconomic determinants of Pakistan’s services sector’s growth. To our best of knowledge, no author has made such study that employed these estimation techniques to find out determinants of services sector growth in Pakistan while employing general to specific approach. Current study bridges this gap. Annual data was taken from World Development Indicators (2014) during period 1976-2014. Main findings of the study are that rolling regression estimates of explanatory variables justify the use of Kalman filtering approach. Results show that inflation has negative effect on services sector output growth in case of TVP approach. This result does match with ARDL results. Net foreign direct investment has positive and significant effect on services sector output growth in both techniques of estimation. Gross national expenditures with positive effect are the relevant significant determinants of services sector output growth at five percent significance level in case of TVP approach while relationship was insignificant in case of ARDL estimation. Impact of remittances received on services sector growth is negative in case of time varying parametric approach. This result is different from ARDL results where relationship is positive and significant at five percent level of significance. All the one step ahead state vectors confirmed the stability of models in case of time varying parametric approach. Cumulative sum of recursive residuals (CUSUM) and cumulative sum of recursive residuals square (CUSUMQ) also confirmed the stability of results of auto regression distributed lag. Based on these empirical findings, we conclude that government should focus on service sector growth augmenting factors while formulating any policy relevant to the concerned sector.
Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies of the Adsorption of Crystal Violet onto Used Black Tea Leaves

This study presents the kinetic and thermodynamic investigation of the adsorption of crystal violet (CV) on used black tea leaves (UBTL) from aqueous solution to evaluate the feasibility of the process. The effects of concentration, solution pH and temperature on adsorption kinetics were carried out in batch process. Kinetic studies have shown that the adsorption data partially follow simple first order, second order and pseudo second order kinetic equations for different initial concentrations at pH 2.0. The equilibrium amount adsorbed, equilibrium concentration and rate constant were calculated from better fitted pseudo second order kinetic plots for different initial concentrations. The equilibrium amount adsorbed (200 mg/g at 30 o C) increased with the increase of temperature, indicated endothermic nature of the adsorption. The apparent activation energy of adsorption was determined from Arrhenius plot using pseudo second order rate constant and the value, Ea = 83.1 kJ/mol, revealed the process is chemisorption. Thermodynamic parameters: DHo, DGo and DSo, were determined from the equilibrium adsorption constant and the results obtained confirmed that the adsorption process was feasible, less spontaneous and endothermic. The equilibrium amount adsorbed was found to be increased with increase of solution pH from 2.0 to 6.0 indicating electrostatic interaction between cationic CV with anionic surface of UBTL dominated at higher pH due to the low zero point charge of pH of UBTL.
Konsep Ideal Protein ( Asam amino ) Fokus Pada Ternak Ayam Pedaging ( review artikel ) ( Ideal protein ( amino acids ) concept focused on broiler )

Accurate estimation of the amino acid requirement is very importance for diet formulation in growing animals such as broiler. Inadequate formulation of dietary amino acids will impair protein utilization and increase the total nitrogen output to the environment. Amino acids requirement of animals changes due to dietary, sex, and genetic and environmental factors. To address all potential combinations of factors with doseresponse experiments is almost impossible. Thus the ideal protein concept provides a simple and effective approach to solve this problem. Based on this concept, the requirement of indespinsible amino acids can be determined. For this concept, lysine has been used as the reference amino acid to calculate other indispensable amino acids due to several considerations. This paper will review more detailed about protein concept based on amino acid profile by using broiler as sampel review.
Perceptual Enhancements for Novel Displays

Novel display technologies give us the chance to enjoy content with additional degrees of realism. These advantages do not always come easily, however. Changing the technologies used in our display systems creates new challenges for content creation, post-production and distribution. In this thesis, we examine two special cases of novel display: stereoscopic 3D and high dynamic range. In each case, the richness of the natural world needs to be compressed for effective reproduction. Our goal is to understand the requirements for optimal presentation on these displays and leverage this knowledge to generate practical systems that can be used to operate on high-quality content in professional ﬁlm production pipelines. Special emphasis is placed on perceptual techniques both as a means of modeling the response of the human visual system to stimuli presented by novel display technologies as well as being employed to validate that the goals of the designed methods are reached successfully. We begin by focusing our attention on 3D displays. Existing 3D technology is limited in the amount of depth that can be shown without discomfort or visual artifacts, but when addressed this limitation can produce an unnatural sensation of ﬂatness. Three main contributions to stereoscopic display are presented in this thesis. First, perceptual measurements of the pervasive cardboard-ing artifact are performed. The perceptual thresholds found in this step can be useful for content creators and computational methods that seek to avoid cardboarding. Second, a stereo-to-multiview conversion system is presented with the aim of producing content
Geology, Morphotectonics And Geophysical Interpretation Of Wadi Garara Graben, East Aswan Egypt, Using Landsat Images

In the southern Eastern Desert of Egypt, A NW- SE oriented structural graben extends from north of Aswan to the Red Sea coast with a length of about 400 km and an average width of 30 km. The area has significant potential for development as it may be provided with water from surface and subsurface sources and is the site of prospection for petroleum. The present paper is an attempt to understand the structural evolution and genetic development of the geomorphologic features of the area and constructing presently a new geomorphological map at a scale 1: 250 000 using Landsat ETM images and field checks. Available geological maps and the produced geomorphological map are digitized by using the ARC-GIS software. The same program is also used to produce a 3D DEM for surface and subsurface features. Based on new interpretations of aeromagnetic and radiometric data, the subsurface features of the basement cover were illustrated on a 3D map. Geological- geomorphological profiles have been constructed in different directions in the area to identify present and ancient geomorphologic features. The place and shape of subsurface deep seated NW-SE trending faults have been determined. The faults, which generated the graben have downthrows in the order of 900 m to 5800 m. The surface and subsurface observations delineate the dominant downthrow of about 3750 m. Three E-W subsurface faults have been detected under Nubia sandstone, one of them, displaying a downthrow of about 845 m, cuts through the basement rocks. Key wrods:
The Utility of Remifentanil Compared with Nitroglycerin for Deliberate Hypotensive Anaesthesia throughout Tympanoplasty. Randomized and Observer-Blinded Clinical Trial

Background: The purpose of this randomized observer-blinded clinical trial was to evaluate the utility of remifentanil compared with nitroglycerin for deliberate hypotensive anaesthesia throughout tympanoplasty. Methods: Patients planned for elective typanoplasty under general anaesthesia were allocated to receive either intravenous infusion of nitroglycerin 2-5 μg/kg/min (group NTG), or remifentanil 0.2-0.5 μg /kg/min (group REMI). The primary outcome measures were to keep up MAP between 60 and 70 mmHg with ideal vision of operative site. Results: Both studied agents induced deliberate hypotensive anaesthesia and achieved ideal vision of the surgical site by decreasing bleeding, but optimum vision was provided at reasonable hypotension (MAP 70-75) in group REMI however similar situation was provided at MAP 65–69 mmHg in group NTG. Conclusion: Remifentanil and nitroglycerin are safe, efficient and might be advisable for deliberate hypotensive anaesthesia throughout tympanoplasty. However, remifentanil was superior as it provided optimum vision of the surgical site through decreasing intra operative bleeding with reasonable reduction in MAP, and mild tachycardia throughout tympanoplasty.
Previous Research on Characters across Media

This essay develops a method for the analysis of video game characters based on a theoretical understanding of their medium-specific representation and the mental processes involved in their intersubjective construction by video game players. We propose to distinguish, first, between narration, simulation, and communication as three modes of representation particularly salient for contemporary video games and the characters they represent, second, between narrative, ludic, and social experience as three ways in which players perceive video game characters and their representations, and, third, between three dimensions of video game characters as ‘intersubjective constructs’, which usually are to be analyzed not only as fictional beings with certain diegetic properties but also as game pieces with certain ludic properties and, in those cases in which they function as avatars in the social space of a multiplayer game, as representations of other players. Having established these basic distinctions, we proceed to analyze their realization and interrelation by reference to the character of Martin Walker from the third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line (Yager Development 2012), the highly customizable player-controlled characters from the role-playing game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda 2011), and the complex multidimensional characters in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare 2011-2014).
An Approximation Scheme for Semilinear Parabolic PDEs with Convex and Coercive Hamiltonians

We propose an approximation scheme for a class of semilinear parabolic equations that are convex and coercive in their gradients. Such equations arise often in pricing and portfolio management in incomplete markets and, more broadly, are directly connected to the representation of solutions to backward stochastic differential equations. The proposed scheme is based on splitting the equation in two parts, the first corresponding to a linear parabolic equation and the second to a Hamilton-Jacobi equation. The solutions of these two equations are approximated using, respectively, the Feynman-Kac and the Hopf-Lax formulae. We establish the convergence of the scheme and determine the convergence rate, combining Krylov's shaking coefficients technique and Barles-Jakobsen's optimal switching approximation.
Platform Pricing at Sportcard Conventions ∗

We identify several testable predictions from the theoretical literature on the economics of two-sided markets. We provide among the first reduced-form empirical tests of this literature in a new data set on sportscard conventions in the United States in the early to mid 1990’s. These conventions are a two-sided market since convention organizers must set admission and table fees to attract consumers and dealers. Some basic predictions are well borne out in the data. ∗We thank Mark Armstrong, John List and seminar participants at the conference on the Future of Academic Communication at the University of Michigan for advice and comments. David Rapson, Haizhen Lin, Supatcha Mahathaleng and Lauren Moon provided excellent research assistance. All errors are our own.
Multidimensional Upwinding. Part I. The Method of Transport for Solving the Euler Equations

The aim of this paper is to show a new approach towards the discretization of multidimensional conservation laws. The idea of transport associated with the solution of a scalar equation is used for the convective part of the compressible Euler equations. A multidimensional wave structure is derived to model the acoustic part of this non-linear system, that allows infinitely many propagation directions in the numerical method. This provides the basic knowledge to construct a numerical method that does not rely on Riemann solvers. A more general definition of the waves, together with the concept of consistency, enables the design of a number of effective, genuinely multidimensional, methods.
Genotyping of human killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes in Japanese patients with psoriatic arthritis, generalized pustular psoriasis or psoriasis vulgaris

The interaction of HLA-C with killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on natural killer cells and some natural killer-T cells together with a strong association between HLA (human leukocyte antigen), especially HLA-Cw*06, and psoriasis indicates that this is an immune-mediated disorder. The association between KIRs and psoriatic arthritis (PA) and generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) was investigated by typing 14 KIR genes from Japanese patients with GPP, PA or psoriasis vulgaris (PV) using PCR. Frequencies of KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL5, which was in linkage disequilibrium with KIR2DS1, were significantly increased in PV cases when compared with controls. We report an increase in KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL5 in Japanese patients with GPP and PV. The KIR haplotype (KIR2DS1+2DS2+2DS3) in PA cases occurred more frequently than in GPP and PV cases. Thus, KIR2DS1 may be a common factor in susceptibility to psoriasis, although the variation in the frequencies of HLA-C and KIRs in cases of PV, GPP, and PA indicates that other genetic factors are also involved.
Numerical simulation of electric characteristics of deep submicron silicon-on-insulator MOS transistor

Today submicron silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFET structures are widely used in different electronic components and also can be used as sensing elements in some applications. The development of devices based on the structures with specified characteristics is impossible without computer simulation of their electric properties. The latter is not a trivial task since many complicated physical processes and effects must be taken into account. In current study ensemble Monte Carlo simulation of electron and hole transport in deep submicron n-channel SOI MOSFET with 100 nm channel length is performed. The aim of the study is investigation of the influence of interband impact ionization process on the device characteristics and determination of the transistor operation modes when impact ionization process starts to make an appreciable influence on the device functioning. Determination of the modes is very important for adequate and accurate modeling of different devices on the basis of SOI MOSFET structures. Main focus thereby is maid on the comparison of the use of two models of impact ionization process treatment with respect to their influence on the transistor current-voltage characteristics. The first model is based on the frequently used Keldysh approach and the other one utilizes the results obtained via numerical calculations of silicon band structure. It is shown that the use of Keldysh impact ionization model leads to much faster growth of the drain current and provides earlier avalanche breakdown for the SOI MOSFET. It is concluded that the choice between the two considered impact ionization models may be critical for simulation of the device electric characteristics.
Same Time Same Place: Do MALL Classrooms Exist?.

This paper seeks to help clarify whether Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) is primarily an independent self-study activity or whether MALL classrooms exist. The research hypothesised that a large number of users frequently using specific MALL apps, at the same time and in the same city location, may indicate the existence of MALL classrooms. The research makes use of big data, in the form of Google Analytics data, collected from two EFL learning mobile apps. The data was gathered over a five month period, in 2015, from more than 6,000 cities worldwide. The research, in doing so, opens a sociological window into the world of MALL, providing a sample of actual user behaviour. The results strongly suggest that independent study is almost certainly the main form of MALL activity. However, the research also concludes that MALL classroom-driven activity may exist in some cities.
How Have Europeans Grown so Tall?

Increases in human stature are seen as a key indicator of improvement in the average health of populations. The literature associates stature with a variety of socioeconomic variables, and much of the focus is on the nineteenth century and on the last 50 years. In this paper I present and analyse a new dataset for the average height of adult male cohorts, from the mid-nineteenth century to 1980, in fifteen European countries. In little more than a century average height increased by 11cm--representing a dramatic improvement in health. Interestingly, there was a distinct acceleration in the period spanning the two World Wars and the Great Depression. I examine the influence of socioeconomic variables on height through the two key channels: nutrition and the disease environment. The evidence suggests that the most important single cause of increasing height was the improving disease environment as reflected by the fall in infant mortality. Rising income and education and falling family size had more modest effects. Improvements in health care are hard to identify and the effects of the welfare state spending seem to have been small.
HRM research in China: looking back and looking forward

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the field of human resource management (HRM) in China, with insights drawn from recent times to several millennia earlier, with a view to informing the further work that needs to be done to better understand managing people in China.Design/methodology/approach – The authors examined Chinese ancient texts related to people management and drew on reviews of HRM research in China since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 till current times, to draw lessons for HRM in China today and for the future.Findings – The 2,500 year gap that separates the literatures studied as part of this review cannot hide the striking similarities between the conceptual views about the importance of people and their management in the two periods. Yet, there remains a lack of empirical studies of the Chinese style of HRM practices. The majority of recent research in the field of HRM in China is focussed on comparison between HRM practices in va.