Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paleoclimate Implications from Stable Isotope Analysis of Sedimentary Organic Carbon and Vertebrate Fossils from the Cedar Mountain Formation, UT, U.S.A.

Oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of fossilized vertebrate teeth and bone were analyzed to determine isotopic values of vertebrate faunal diet from the early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah. Results for δO of PO4 (δ 18Op) (Suarez et al., 2014) from the same data set have been compared to the δO of CO3 (δ 18Oc) portion of teeth and turtle shell to determine if diagenetic alteration of the isotopes has occurred by plotting the line of best fit equation that models the relationship between unaltered δ18OP and δ 18OC of modern mammals from Iacumin et al., 1996. Results indicate slight diagenesis of some specimens has occurred. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) estimates, using the equations from Kohn (2010) and Diefendorf et al., (2010), were determined for each sampled stratigraphic member using carbon isotopic values derived from vertebrate faunal diet estimations from bioapatite, based on the observation that δ 13 C of modern C3 plants increases with decreasing MAP (Kohn, 2010; and others). Values indicate a prolonged period of semi-arid to arid climate in the Ruby Ranch and Yellow Cat members of the CMF likely caused by a rain-shadow (Suarez et al., 2014) on the eastern, leeward side of the uplifting Sevier Fold and Thrust belt (SFTB). The upper Mussentuchit Member becomes much more humid as the Western Interior foreland basin, continues to subside, eventually becoming inundated by the Western Interior Seaway. The basal Cretaceous CMF sits unconformably atop the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation, with a hiatus of ~20 Ma (Kirkland and Madsen, 2006). Chemostratigraphic curves of the basal Yellow Cat member (YCM) were constructed using δ 13 C of bulk organics of sediment, and δ 13 C and δ 18 O of inorganic carbonate of sediment in an attempt to correlate with the early Cretaceous chemostratigraphic record. Correlating positive and negative carbon isotope excursions (PCIEs and NCIEs) from the YCM to stratigraphically well-constrained marine sections lends evidence for an age determination of the basal CMF. Correlations indicate the YCM to be Barremian to Aptian (~130-120 Ma) in age and detect several distinct CIEs of this period, specifically the B5B8 excursions of the Barremian and the A1-C5 excursions of the Aptian.
The Relationship between Structural Dimensions of Personality and School Life in Adolescence

In this cross-sectional study, we analyse the relationship between personality, which was operationalized in the PSY-5 dimensions of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) and the way students live their lives at school, expressed through indicators of achievement, integration, and overall satisfaction. A total of 351 students, aged 14-18 years, participated in the study. The instruments were the Portuguese version of the MMPI-A and the School Life Questionnaire. Results show a pattern of significant relationships between personality traits and school life, being Disconstraint and Introversion the personality dimensions that stood out mostly in the explanation of school life variables results. Results are analysed considering the importance of personality for the development of more or less adaptive pathways in adolescence.
Effects of food availability on sediment reworking in Abra ovata and A. nitida

We used a new experimental approach involving thin aquaria, luminophores, time lapse photography and image analysis to assess sediment reworking in 2 closely related bivalves, Abra ovata and A. nitida. The method proved efficient based on the highly significant correlation between the concentrations of luminophores assessed using image analysis and direct counting of sediment slices. A. ovata and A. nitida exhibited different sediment reworking behaviours. A. ovata remained immobile within the sediment and transferred luminophores within the sediment through its siphonal activity, which resulted in the creation of typical inverse conical structures. A. nitida moved within the sediment and reworked a thinner sediment layer. Both A. ovata and A. nitida were characterised as biodiffusers. Biodiffusion coefficients (D b ) were maximal at intermediate food concentration in A. ovata and at high food concentration in A. nitida. This new approach allowed assessment of the effects of spatial scale and vertical grid size on the computation of D b . In both species D b decreased with spatial scale up to 3.750 cm and then remained constant. It is suggested that this pattern partly resulted from heterogeneity linked to: (1) the mode of sediment reworking (A. ovata) and (2) the relative proportion of reworked sediment surface (A. nitida). Vertical grid size > 0.250 cm resulted in a significant overestimation of D b in A. nitida, due to the low thickness of the sediment layer reworked by this species. The implications of these results on the main characteristics (duration, spatial scale, vertical grid size) of classical luminophore experiments are discussed.
Snag Characteristics and Cavity-Nesting Birds in the Unmanaged Post-Fire North- eastern Canadian Boreal Forest

We studied the availability and characteristics of snags and their use by cavity-nesting birds in the northeastern part of the Canadian boreal forest. We built up two long-term (> 200 years) chronosequences following time since the last fire in the unmanaged boreal forest of northeastern Quebec, one in the balsam fir-white birch domain (southern region) and one in the spruce-mosses domain (northern region). We then sampled and characterized snags and live trees in 30 stands from each of these two chronosequences. We also looked for nest cavities on all sampled snags, performed bird inventories by point counts, and calculated tree mortality rate from permanent sample plots. Results show that mortality rates follow a U-shaped pattern, with more snags of large diameter (> 20 cm DBH) in young ( 200 years) forests. In the latter, we also found more nest cavities than in any other age classes. Although abundance of primary cavity nesters (excavating species) did not vary among age classes, secondary cavity nesters (using cavities already available) tend to be more numerous in older forests. Our results highlight the capacity for young and old-growth forests to provide quality habitat for species that are dependent on large snags. Proper forest management should maintain a mosaic of different age forest stands, including snags, to promote biodiversity and provide important resources for resident bird species.
Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies for ante- and post-mortem detection of PrPSc in sheep.

Scrapie is a disease that affects sheep and goats and is characterized by the accumulation of an abnormal isoform (PrPSc) of the cellular prion protein, PrPC, in the central nervous system (CNS) and in lymphoid tissues. Detection of PrPSc in these tissues can be attempted by a variety of techniques, including immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting (WB), for which a wide range of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies are commercially available. The objective of this study was to test and compare the efficacy of monoclonal antibodiesF89/160.1. 5, F99/97.6. 1, and P4 and polyclonal antibodies M52 and R486 in the detection of PrPSc in lymphoid and CNS tissue samples by using IHC. Positive and negative control samples of sheep brain and tonsils were provided by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA, UK). The IHC examination of CNS samples with both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies confirmed the granular deposition of PrPSc in the neurons of the positive control tissues. However, while the monoclonal antibodies did not produce positive reactions in the negative controls, the polyclonal antibodies showed some non-specific staining. The testing of positive control tonsil samples with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies identified positive control-specific reactions, whereas the negative control tissues were IHC-negative with all antibodies, although P4 and the polyclonal antibodies produced some background staining. In summary, although the polyclonal antibodies may be more accessible, their use is not advisable because of possible false positive reactions. The polyclonal antibody M52 was able to identify PrPC in brain and spleen samples by WB but other lymphoid tissues were negative.
EFFECT OF PROBIOTICS, ORGANIC ACIDS OR THEIR MIX ON THE GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF STARTING COCKERELS

Two hundred and eighty eight 3 weeks old cockerels (127.9±6.5 g) were randomly assigned to 7 treatments for a 42 days feeding trial. A basal diet (whithout additives) was formulated (maize, soybean meal, groundnut cake and wheat bran). Probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevisae and S. boulardii) was added to the basal diet at the expense of wheat bran at 0, 0.05 and 0.1% in diets I, II and III. Organic acids (formic and propionic) replaced the wheat bran at 0, 0.2 and 0.4% in diets I, IV and V. A mix of probiotics+acidifier replaced the wheat bran at 0.0+0.0, 0.05+0.2, and 0.1+0.4% in diets I, VI and VII. Increasing feed additive did not affect to final body weight, body weight gain, protein efficiency ratio and feed/gain ratio of starting chicken. Aditives at lower or upper levels of inclusion exert no influence on most performance criteria except on feed intake which was higher in birds fed a mix of probiotics and organic acids on diets VI and VII. Final body weight was highest on diet VI (711) and lowest on diet I (661), while feed/gain ratio was highest on diet VII (4.1) and lowest on diet III (3.8).
Water saving through smarter irrigation in Australian dairy farming: Use of intelligent irrigation controller and wireless sensor network

Precise control of irrigation water for improving water use is critical for sustainability of irrigated farming systems under Australia's present water crisis scenario. Border-check irrigation is the predominant method of irrigating dairy pastures, which is the single largest water user in the country. As a classical practice of border-check irrigation, cut-off of the water supply is determined when the waterfront reaches two third of the irrigation bay. In these practices, irrigation requirement may not have fulfilled or there may be increased deep percolation and/or water logging, which lead to lower economic water and pasture productivity. In order to address these issues, a sensor based border-check irrigation system (Real Time Intelligent Irrigation Controller - ARTIIC) has been developed that includes a real time feedback control. The system consists of a wireless sensor and actuation network, a central host/user interface, which collects stores and displays real time information, and central control system software. ARTIIC, which analyses data and reports in real time, plays a dual role scheduling and monitoring irrigation events. ARTIIC has two main components Automated Real Time Controller (ARTC) and Intelligent Irrigation Controller (IIC). A wireless sensor network (WSN) comprised of probes/sensors was installed in a trial dairy farm located in Dookie, Northern Victoria, Australia, to capture and store data in real time into a SQL Server database at a set uniform time interval. This paper describes the core component, Intelligent Irrigation Controller (IIC) of ARTIIC, which uses and analyses data downloaded by the WSN. IIC can make event based unsupervised estimation of irrigation parameters and runoff using a kinematic wave model, based on a linear infiltration model and the Manning Equation followed by unsupervised estimation of optimal time to cut-off, which is then passed to ARTIIC. Unsupervised features of IIC is capable of facilitating automation in the real time control environment. The new irrigation control of IIC is currently under evaluation at the trial farm in Dookie, and initial results indicate up to 43% (average 38%) water saving over conventional irrigation control methodologies. In this paper authors are focusing on IIC, which is the core model that facilitates the irrigation control.
The Practice of Principle, JULES L. COLEMAN. Oxford University Press, 2001, xx+226 pages.

If one were to create a compilation CD containing the necessary works of jurisprudence, Jules Coleman’s recently published magnum opus, The Practice of Principle, might follow H. L. A. Hart’s The Concept of Law and Ronald Dworkin’s Law’s Empire on the disc. Coleman’s book is relatively short (226 pages) and relatively difficult. But, to understand the arguments and, as important, Coleman’s explications of the core debates, is to come to the edge of modern jurisprudence. If Coleman were to set aside philosophy in favor of the full-time pursuit of his musical interests, it could truthfully be said that as his swan song he had produced a comprehensive work that effectively addresses the full range of issues that have occupied contemporary jurisprudence over the course of his career. This is not to say that Coleman is likely to rest content with his current position. One of the hallmarks of his oeuvre, and one of the reasons his theory has evolved rapidly over the years, has been Coleman’s facility for adaptively revising his account in light of the high quality peer critique his work has engendered. Coleman says good philosophy is like the blues and he is riffing (pp. ix–x). Coleman expands the argument he developed in the Clarendon Lectures on Law presented at Oxford University in the fall of 1998. Coleman gave three lectures, each of which became a part of the book: part I concerns the nexus of tort law and jurisprudence, part II defends inclusive legal positivism, and part III discusses general methodological issues in jurisprudence. I will focus on part I, as it is most directly germane to this journal’s purview, given that Coleman’s foil in this discussion is the economic analysis of law. The first section will set out Coleman’s arguments against the economic approach and their relevance to his own approach. The second section will then critically examine one core aspect of Coleman’s theory. Coleman incorporates by reference his previously developed corrective justice account of the institution of tort law
Mental computation with rational numbers: Students’ mental representations

We construct mental representations of the world that surround us, which we use to understand reality and make inferences. These mental representations reflect our mathematical and real world knowledge, and both are essential to perform mental computation and to relate numbers and operations. The aim of this study is to analyze students’ mental representations underlying their mental computation strategies with rational numbers. Using a design research approach, we undertook two cycles of experimentation involving two teachers and 39 grade 6 students. The results suggest that students’ mental computation strategies are mostly based on numerical relationships where descriptive representations play an important role. School contexts and daily life experience, where students’ are involved when learning about numbers and operations, seem to be key promoters of mental representations.
ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CARDIOSPERMUM CANESCENS WALL. (SAPINDACEAE)- A WILD EDIBLE PLANT FROM WESTERN GHATS

Objective: Cardiospermum canescens is used in various ayurvedic medicines in India. Method: Methanolic extract of C. canescens studied for various DPPH, ABTS and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. Results: The result of DPPH activity showed that the extract at the dose of 50µg/ml has exhibited 82.33±0.43 inhibition with an IC50 value of 18.58±0.07mg/ml. The highest ABTS scavenging activity was showed 923.41±0.25 trolox equivalence in µMol/g extract at the dose of 50µg/ml extract, and hydroxyl radical scavenging effect of the extract at the concentration of 50µg/ml was found to be 79.20%. Conclusion: The findings indicated promising antioxidant activity of crude extract of C. canescens and needs further exploration for their effective use in both modern and traditional system of medicines.
Electromagnetic instability and anomalous resistivity in a magnetic neutral sheet

An electromagnetic instability in a magnetic neutral sheet is investigated by means of a two‐and‐one‐half dimensional (21/2‐D) semi‐implicit particle simulation code. Electromagnetic waves are excited slowly in a field null region after saturation of the lower hybrid drift waves excited in an early time on both sides of the neutral sheet. This instability is found to be a new instability, independent of the lower hybrid drift instability. Examination of its characteristic properties indicates that the new instability is highly related to the meandering motions of ions in the neutral sheet. The growth of the instability gives rise to anomalous resistivity in the neutral sheet current.
The Relationship between Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Vocabulary Proficiency of English Language Learners

The current study was carried out to examine L2 learners’ VLS use habits and the relationship of VLS with their vocabulary proficiency levels. In addition, language learners’ beliefs about VLS in terms of usefulness were also studied to understand L2 learners’ VLS use habits more deeply. To examine these matters, a descriptive research design was employed. The participants included 252 preparatory students from different proficiency groups (Upper-Intermediate, Intermediate, Pre-Intermediate, Beginner) at Gaziantep University Higher School of Foreign Languages. To collect the related data, they were given “Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire” and “Vocabulary Levels Test”. The data analyses were conducted by descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study showed that the participants used a wide range of VLS, and there was an overlap between their beliefs about VLS in terms of usefulness and how often they used them to a large extent. Secondly, Memory Strategies correlated positively with the participants’ academic and general vocabulary proficiency levels. However, there were also some differences among the proficiency groups about which specific VLS are correlated with their vocabulary proficiency levels. As to the regression analysis results, none of the VLS predicted participants’ vocabulary proficiency levels.
Study of Radiation Effects on Upland Cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L . ) Pollen Grain Irradiated by 60 Co-γ Ray

This paper studied the effects of Co-γ ray on the pollen grains of upland cotton. The irradiation effects on pollen grains were tested in terms of the ultrastructural changes in the exine and interior of pollen grains, their germination rate, the single primer amplification reaction polymorphism of ovule developed after the pistils were pollinated by the pollen grains which had been irradiated with Co-γ ray, and the law of genetic variation of their M1, M2 progeny. The results showed that Co-γ ray had no effects on the exine wall of the pollen grains. The interior structure of pollen grain were destroyed significiantly. The interior wall became thin and irregular, and part of it concavitied to the inner. The endoplasmic reticulum depolymerized. The amount and the density of pollen grain inclusions increased. The number of pollen tubes in style decreased by 38%, compared with the control group (natural pollen grain). The single primer amplification reaction polymorphism of ovule increased. The germination percentage of M1 progeny was decreased by 41.03%. And with the cotton plants of M1 progeny, the length of taproot, longest lateral root, average lateral root, the number of lateral root, and the height of seedling decreased by 22.24%,18.93%,11.80%,28.02%,23.05%, respectively, compared with the control group. The percentage of sterility plants was 56.7%. The coefficients of variations of boll number, lint percentage, perimeter of stem, seed index, fruit branch number, longissimus fruit branch and plant height increased by 103.206%, 74.588%、75.96%、69.83%、33.25% and 29.624%, 11.843%, respectively. , compared with the control group. With the cotton plants of M2 progeny, the percentage of sterility plants was 56.7%. And the coefficients of variations of boll number, seed cotton yield, fruit branch number, plant height, boll height, and lint percentage increased by 21.944%, 16.261%, 3.827%, 3.986%, 7.25% and 0.497%, respectively. , compared with the control group. The coefficients of variations and change range of agronomic traits in M2 progeny were less than them in M1 progeny.
ROS-inducing potential, influence of different porogens and in vitro degradation of poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)-based material

Porous, poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) materials were prepared by physicochemical solvent/non-sol- vent method with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizer and with silicone oil, paraffin, hydrogen peroxide or sodium chloride as a porogen. The obtained PLGA particles without porogens are non-agglomerated, uniform and with particle size on the submicron scale. The formation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured spectrophotometri- cally using a fluorescent probe, 2,7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) and it is shown that PLGA nanospheres are not inducers of intracellular formation. Porous PLGA scaffolds obtained in the experiment with sodium chloride as porogen and water as solvent of the porogen had apparently uniform pore morphology with spheroidal pore in shape and well con- trolled three-dimensional interconnected network. PLGA scaffolds are highly porous with similar porosity values. The degradation of PLGA nanoparticles and PLGA porous materials were studied in phosphate buffered saline as a degradation medium. The samples were characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), X-ray difractometry, Zeta potential measure- ments, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Ultraviolet Spectroscopy (UV).
Syndrome decoding for Hermite codes with a Groebner-basis algorithm

In this paper we give a new approach to syndrome decoding for AGcodes. Our algorithm is as concrete and elementary as possible. For this reason, we restrict ourselves to Hermite codes, and model our approach as much as possible on the well-known case of decoding with the euclidean algorithm for Reed{Solomon codes. A new feature of our approach is that we may decode beyond the minimal distance.
A statistical analysis of sounding derived indices and parameters for extreme and non-extreme thunderstorm events over Cyprus

Abstract. The main purpose of this study is to provide a simple statistical analysis of several stability indices and parameters for extreme and non-extreme thunderstorm events during the period 1997 to 2001 in Cyprus. For this study, radiosonde data from Athalassa station (35°1´ N, 33°4´ E) were analyzed during the aforementioned period. The stability indices and parameters set under study are the K index, the Total Totals (TT) index, the Convective Available Potential Energy related parameters such as Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), Downdraft CAPE (DCAPE) and the Convective Inhibition (CIN), the Vorticity Generator Parameter (VGP), the Bulk Richardson Number (BRN), the BRN Shear and the Storm Relative Helicity (SRH). An event is categorized as extreme, if primarily, CAPE was non zero and secondary, if values of both the K and the TotalTotals (TT) indices exceeded 26.9 and 50, respectively. The cases with positive CAPE but lower values of the other indices, were identified as non-extreme. By calculating the median, the lower and upper limits, as well as the lower and upper quartiles of the values of these indices, the main characteristics of their distribution were determined.
Wonderland – An Experience Based Approach to Learning

Sabine Mueller, Associate Professor Entrepreneurship, Burgundy School of Business Dijon, 29 Rue Sambin, 21000 Dijon, France Karen Williams Middleton, Associate Professor Entrepreneurship, Chalmers University of Technology, Vera Sanbergs Allé 8, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden Helle Neergaard, Professor Entrepreneurship, Aarhus University, Bartholinsallé 10, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark Richard Tunstall, Lecturer in Enterprise, Leeds University Business School, The University of Leeds. Leeds. LS2 9NG. United Kingdom.