Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A review of the influence of root-associating fungi and root exudates on the success of invasive plants

Plant-fungal interactions are essential for understanding the distribution and abundance of plants species. Recently, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) partners of non-indigenous invasive plants have been hypothesized to be a critical factor influencing the invasion processes. AMF are known to improve nutrient and moisture uptake, as well as disrupt parasitic and pathogenic microbes in the host plant. Such benefits may enable invaders to establish significant and persistent populations in environments previously dominated by natives. Coupling these findings with studies on invader pathogen-disrupting root exudates is not well documented in the literature describing plant invasion strategies. The interaction effects of altered AMF associations and the impact of invader root exudates would be more relevant than understanding the AMF dynamics or the phytochemistry of successful invaders in isolation, particularly given that AMF and root exudates can have a similar role in pathogen control but function quite differently. One means to achieve this goal is to assess these strategies concurrently by characterizing both the general (mostly pathogens or commensals) and AM-specific fungal colonization patterns found in field collected root samples of successful invaders, native plants growing within dense patches of invaders, and native plants growing separately from invaders. In this review I examine the emerging evidence of the ways in which AMF-plant interactions and the production of defensive root exudates provide pathways to invasive plant establishment and expansion, and conclude that interaction studies must be pursued to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of successful plant invasion.
The effect on biological performance and faecal microbiology of feeding finishing pigs on liquid diets fermented with lactic bacteria

Thirty-two Hermitage-Seaborough, Hybrid pigs, were allocated at 16 weeks of age to a ran- domized block design with four treatments and four replicates. Pigs were fed to scale (ca. 0.85 ad libitum) one of the four dietary treatments, namely; non-fermented liquid feed (NFLF) or liquid feed fermented for 24h at 30°C with either Lactobacillus salivarius (FLF-SAL), Pediococcus acidilactici (Bactocell™) (FLF-BAC), or a mixture of Pediococcus acidilactici, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactococcus lactis, and Lactobacillus plantarum (Stabisil™) (FLF-STAB). Treatment did not significant- ly affect average daily live weight gain or food conversion ratio. The coliform population in faecal samples from pigs fed FLF-SAL was significantly lower (1.44±0.422 log 10 CFU ml -1 ; P 100mMol) were needed to be bactericidal (Beal et al., 2002; Brooks, 2005). Unfortunately, natural fermentations have produced unpredictable results on commercial units. In a recent study (Beal et al., 2005), only 3% (9 of 300) of fermentations of wheat and barley produced more than 75 mmol lactic acid kg -1 after 24 h fermentation. Thus natu- ral fermentations, which rely on the indigenous flora present on grains, cannot be relied upon to produce bactericidal levels of lactic acid. More predictable fermentation can be achieved by inoculating liquid feed with lactic acid bac- teria (LAB) that produce lactic acid rapidly and have a high terminal lactic acid concentration. Beal, Niven and Brooks (unpublished data) have identified a number of LAB species capable of produc- ing 180-230 mmol kg -1
Propeller blade signatures in the wavelet domain

An in-flight airframe vibration data sample taken from a propeller driven cargo aircraft is viewed in the wavelet and frequency domains, with an emphasis on propeller blade activity. Close examination in the wavelet domain reveals a mechanism by which this activity is shared between adjacent resolution levels, with subsequent wavelet packet decomposition demonstrating alternatives with fewer basis functions.
Financial Valuation and Risk Management Working Paper No . 776 The Term Structure of Variance Swaps , Risk Premia and the Expectation Hypothesis

We study the term structure of variance swaps, which are popular volatility derivative contracts. A model-free analysis reveals a significant jump risk component embedded in variance swaps. The variance risk premium is negative and has a downward sloping term structure. Variance risk premia due to negative jumps present similar features in quiet times but have an upward sloping term structure in turbulent times. This suggests that shortterm variance risk premia mainly reflect investors’ fear of a market crash. Theoretically, the Expectation Hypothesis does not hold, but biases and ine ciencies are modest for short time horizons. A simple trading strategy with variance swaps generates significant returns.
Plant species diversity in the traditional homegardens of Meitei community: a case study from Barak Valley, Assam.

A survey of plant species in the traditional homegardens of Meitei community was conducted in Rajubari village of Cachar district in Barak Valley (southern Assam), in northeast India. A total of 92 species (38 trees, 10 shrubs, and 44 herbs) were enumerated from 36 homegardens. Meitei homegardens, locally called Ingkhol , also varied widely in size, shape, and composition. Food products, firewood, medicinal plants, ornamentals, and some cash income are obtained from these gardens. The tree legume, Parkia timoriana (locally yongchak ) is a characteristic feature of the Meitei homegardens. Intensification of betel nut ( Areca catechu ) production has been observed in some gardens. Many of the traditional crops grown in the Meitei homegardens have a role in the conservation and maintenance of living ‘heirlooms’ and such practices need to be strengthened. The baseline data generated suggest that traditional homegarden is a site for biodiversity management and conservation by the Meitei community.
University of Huddersfield Repository A Simulated peer-assessment approach to improve students’ performance in numerical problemsolving questions in high school biology

Dr Fraser Scott obtained his PhD in drug design from the University of Strathclyde in 2012 under the direction of Prof. Colin Suckling. He subsequently trained as a teacher of chemistry, also at the University of Strathclyde, and currently teaches at a Scottish high school. His research interests lie in the area of student difficulties in mathematics and how these impinge on performance in the sciences. Basic mathematical fluency is a prerequisite for success in a wide array of areas in biology and it has been noted that many students are deficient in this skill. In this paper, the use of a simulated peer-assessment activity is investigated as a method to improve performance in numerical problem solving questions in high school biology. Additionally, the benefits of using simulated , rather than real, student’s answers in peer-assessment is discussed. The study involved a small cohort of students who carried out a simulated peer-assessment as a classroom activity and their improvement in performance and attitude towards the activity was measured. The results demonstrate that a simulated peer-assessment activity is suitable as a replacement for standard peer-assessment and that students’ attitudes favour the simulated approach.
EGOVERNMENT: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE OF GOVERNMENT DIGITISATION

In the last five years, the new waves in Information and Communication Technologiestogether with the increase of mobile technologies have developed new possibilities for thecollaboration between the governments and the citizens. Year by year, the governments are usinghuge quantities of ICT especially based on Internet and on mobile devices, to improve the quality ofservices between government agencies and companies, citizens, or government agencies from othercountries.In a period of financial crisis we have less and less time at disposition. The new possibilities offeredby Information and Communication Technologies give government chances to rethink strategiesand ways of working providing services for citizens and businesses. In this world in a continuouschanging, the state must recognize the importance of fulfilling the new needs and expectations ofthe citizens in opposition with the reality of reduced budgets.While the literature is not as robust as we would like to see, many articles are talking only aboutpositive impact of eGovernment and less on difficulties or misconceptions, especially in financialcrisis period.
A compartmental CFD-PBM model of high shear wet granulation

The conventional, geometrically lumped description of the physical processes inside a high shear granulator is not reliable for process design and scale-up. In this study, a compartmental Population Balance Model (PBM) with spatial dependence is developed and validated in two lab-scale high shear granulation processes using a 1.9L MiPro granulator and 4L DIOSNA granulator. The compartmental structure is built using a heuristic approach based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, which includes the overall flow pattern, velocity and solids concentration. The constant volume Monte Carlo approach is implemented to solve the multi-compartment population balance equations. Different spatial dependent mechanisms are included in the compartmental PBM to describe granule growth. It is concluded that for both cases (low and high liquid content), the adjustment of parameters (e.g. layering, coalescence and breakage rate) can provide a quantitative prediction of the granulation process.
Simulation Algorithm Developed to Investigate the Effects of Various Rotor Faults in Cage Rotor Induction Machines

Rotor faults on cage-rotor induction machines can occur during normal operation due to design and manufacturing defects, misoperation, misapplication, lack of preventive maintenance and so on. In this paper the rotor faults are detected by investigating the spectrum of the flux linkage of the stator windings. A diagnostic method to detect how serious the rotor damage is has been proposed and developed. The simulation algorithm has been written in MATLAB using a modular construction based on a flowchart.
Are bio-telemetric devices a drag? Effects of external tags on the diving behaviour of great cormorants

Externally attached remote-sensing devices used to study animals in their environment are a possible source of disturbance, notably in terms of drag, for diving species. The aim of the present study was to assess the possible effect of device-induced drag on the diving performance of great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo. Based on wind-tunnel measurements, we assessed the effect of device size on drag and derived a formula to predict how drag changes as a function of both swim speed and device cross-sectional area. Tests on captive cormorants indicated that drag had an effect on the energy expenditure (using dynamic body acceleration as a proxy) during the dive. Wind tunnel-derived drag metrics were combined with data from the literature to construct a model predicting the power consumption of diving cormorants according to device size. Applying the model to dive data from 6 free-living great cormorants (recorded using implanted time-depth recorders) indicated that a device constituting only ca. 3% of the bird’s cross-sectional area could cause a 1.7% increase in power consumption when swimming. However, if a bird maintains constant power underwater, e.g. by decreasing foraging speed with increasing drag, this would result in a 7.1% reduction in the distance travelled during the bottom (active hunting) phase of the dive. Device-related increases in drag are also likely to reduce the maximum speeds achievable by these pursuit predators. The present study highlights the interaction between both drag coefficient and swim speed for diving animals with externally attached devices.
Offset between stellar spiral arms and gas arms of the Milky Way

Spiral arms shown by different components may not be spatially coincident, which can constrain formation mechanisms of spiral structure in a galaxy. We reassess the spiral arm tangency directions in the Milky Way through identifying the bump features in the longitude plots of survey data for infrared stars, radio recombination lines (RRLs), star formation sites, CO, high density regions in clouds, and HI. The bump peaks are taken as indications for arm tangencies, which are close to the real density peaks near the spiral arm tangency point but often have $\sim$ 1$^\circ$ offset to the interior of spiral arms. The arm tangencies identified from the longitudes plots for RRLs, HII regions, methanol masers, CO, high density gas regions, and HI gas appear nearly the same Galactic longitude, and therefore there is no obvious offset for spiral arms traced by different gas components. However, we find obvious displacements of 1.3$^\circ-$ 5.8$^\circ$ between gaseous bump peaks from the directions of the maximum density of old stars near the tangencies of the Scutum-Centaurus Arm, the northern part of the Near 3 kpc Arm, and maybe also the Sagittarius Arm. The offsets between the density peaks of gas and old stars for spiral arms are comparable with the arm widths, which is consistent with expectations for quasi-stationary density wave in our Galaxy.
Determinants for Profitability of E- Commerce Operations of Companies in the Communication Sector in Nairobi County, Kenya

Selling and buying through electronic media is one of the fastest growing methods of trading worldwide. Organizations are engaging in Business to business (B2B) trading where companies trade and exchange information using the World Wide Web. Organizations and consumers are transacting through Business to consumer (B2C) or Consumer to Consumer (C2C) where companies deal directly with customers through electronic media. This study sought to determine the effect of e-commerce on business profitability in the communication sector. The population of the study was 218 firms as listed by CCK. The data was gathered using a questionnaire and this analyzed using a combination of descriptive, inferential and relational statistics. The findings of the study indicate that e-commerce leads to an increase in turnover and customers which ultimately leads to an increase in profitability. Further the studies pointed out that focus on having an online presence, online lead generation and online sales led to increased business profitability. This information is useful to both the Government and businesses keen on adopting e-commerce. The study further recommends faster adoption of 4G networks and also laying of sea cables to make internet charges competitive and affordable to both businesses and consumers.
Neural PID Control Strategy for Networked Process Control

A new method with a two-layer hierarchy is presented based on a neural proportional-integral-derivative (PID) iterative learning method over the communication network for the closed-loop automatic tuning of a PID controller. It can enhance the performance of the well-known simple PID feedback control loop in the local field when real networked process control applied to systems with uncertain factors, such as external disturbance or randomly delayed measurements. The proposed PID iterative learning method is implemented by backpropagation neural networks whose weights are updated via minimizing tracking error entropy of closed-loop systems. The convergence in the mean square sense is analysed for closed-loop networked control systems. To demonstrate the potential applications of the proposed strategies, a pressure-tank experiment is provided to show the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed design method in network process control systems.
The risk of self-protection: the role of bank bailout guarantees in channelling sovereign credit risk internationally

This paper investigates the role of banks’ foreign asset holdings in transmitting credit risk internationally. Foreign exposure in risky assets might severely affect the solvability of credit institutions. Credit risk, in turn, transfers from banks to public accounts as a consequence of implicit or explicit bailout guarantees to distressed banking systems. This paper articulates this mechanism with a simple model where governments choose to fill banks' capital gaps to self-protect from the severe economic consequence of a banking sector default. Referring to the existing literature on the determinants of sovereign yield spreads in the second part of the paper, I present empirical evidence of the link between banks’ foreign claims and countries' credit risk. Results for the eurozone identify banks' foreign exposure as a major determinant of sovereign default probability. Also, governments' vulnerability to credit risk spill over decreases with banks' capitalisation and sovereigns' fiscal soundness.
Metagenomic methods for the identification of active micro-organisms and genes in biodegradation processes

Isolated microorganisms constitute only a minor fraction of the global microbial diversity, which may comprise millions of species. This chapter discusses some cautionary guidelines that should be followed in the attempts to link phylogeny with function. The simplest and most commonly used approach to identify organisms involved in biodegradation is to isolate microbial strains capable of utilizing the target substrate, xenobiotics, or pollutant as a sole C/N source. Sequence-dependent approaches to identify genes are largely limited by an a priori knowledge of gene(s) mediating the biodegradation processes but have proven invaluable for an understanding of the key enzymes in these metabolic pathways. The majority of control in prokaryotes is thought to occur at the transcriptional level, so the presence of an mRNA is strong evidence for the expression of that gene product. Methods for amplifying genes requiring only one gene-specific primer impose less sequence-dependent bias than standard two-primer PCR amplification procedures. These PCR-based strategies have been used for the recovery of the up- or downstream regions flanking a single PCR primer for the recovery of full-length genes. The minimum number of clones that need to be screened in order to find a gene of interest in the metagenomic library increases with the presence of eukaryotic DNA (a eukaryotic genome is 3 to 140,000 Mbp compared to prokaryotic organisms of 0.6 to 9.5 Mbp). In summary, metagenomic techniques have begun to address both the identity of active organisms and their gene products that mediate biodegradation.
Genetic transformation of Eucalyptus camaldulensis by agrobalistic method

Eucalyptus stands in the setting of worldwide forestry due to its adaptability, rapid growth, production of high-quality and low cost of wood pulp fibers. The eucalyptus convetional breeding is impaired mainlly by the long life cycle making the genetic transformation systems an important tool for this purpose. However, this system requires in vitro eficient protocols for plant induction, regeneration and seletion, that allow to obtain transgenic plants from the transformed cell groups. The aim of this work was to evaluate the callus formation and to optimize the leaves and callus genetic transformation protocol by using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens system. Concerning callus formation, two different culture media were evaluated: MS medium supplemented with auxin, cytokinin (M1) and the MS medium with reduced nitrogen concentration and supplemented with auxin, cytokinin coconut water (M2). To establish the leave genetic transformation, those were exposed to agrobiolistics technique (gene gun), to tissue injury, and A. tumesfasciens EHA 105 contening the vetor pCambia 3301 (35S::GUS::NOS), for gene transference and to establish the callus transformation thoses were exposed only to A. tumefasciens. For both experiments, the influence of different infection periods was evaluated. The M2 medium provided the best values for callus sizea and fresh and dry weight. The leaves genetic transformation using the agrobiolistics technique was effective, the gus gene transient expression could be observed. No significant differences were obtained in the infection periods (4, 6 and 8 minutes). The callus genetic transformation with A. tumefaciens also promotend the gus gene transient expression on the callus co-cultiveted for 15 e 30 minutes. The transformed callus was transfered to a regeneration and selection medium and transformed plants were obtained.
Production and Usage of Self-Reducing Pellets in Blast Furnace Using Coal Fuel

An estimation of the reduction process was given in the chemical reserve zone of the blast furnace. It is shown that the presence of finely ground solid fuel in pellets provides the development of complex reduction in this zone and reduces the level of direct reduction due to metalizing. The results of the investigation of metallurgical properties of self-reducing pellets and the results of blast furnace smelting are given. The estimation of usage effectiveness of self-reducing pellets during pulverized coal fuel injection is provided
AMM15: a new high-resolution NEMO configuration for operational simulation of the European north-west shelf

Abstract. This paper describes the next-generation ocean forecast model for the European north-west shelf, which will become the basis of operational forecasts in 2018. This new system will provide a step change in resolution and therefore our ability to represent small-scale processes. The new model has a resolution of 1.5 km compared with a grid spacing of 7 km in the current operational system. AMM15 (Atlantic Margin Model, 1.5 km) is introduced as a new regional configuration of NEMO v3.6. Here we describe the technical details behind this configuration, with modifications appropriate for the new high-resolution domain. Results from a 30-year non-assimilative run using the AMM15 domain demonstrate the ability of this model to represent the mean state and variability of the region. Overall, there is an improvement in the representation of the mean state across the region, suggesting similar improvements may be seen in the future operational system. However, the reduction in seasonal bias is greater off-shelf than on-shelf. In the North Sea, biases are largely unchanged. Since there has been no change to the vertical resolution or parameterization schemes, performance improvements are not expected in regions where stratification is dominated by vertical processes rather than advection. This highlights the fact that increased horizontal resolution will not lead to domain-wide improvements. Further work is needed to target bias reduction across the north-west shelf region.
TOURISM AND THE ECONOMY IN TOURISTIC COUNTRIES LIKE GREECE

This paper presents an attempt to extend the evaluation process of the structural characteristics of the Greek tourist market and their outcome, especially with regards to the pricing policy of hotel services. Under this framework, we use a combinational analysis of factors of the Finance Theory. Techniques used in financial analysis, empirical results produced by previous research work undertaken in the area of international tourist demand, as well as current discoveries in the structure of Greek tourist market, aim at the extraction of useful conclusions, both for the Greek tourist industry and for tourist policy planning.