Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-term measurement of CO2 release from the aboveground parts of a hinoki forest tree in relation to air temperature

Nighttime respiration of the aboveground parts of a 12-year-old (as of 1986) hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa (Sieb. et Zucc.) Endl. ) tree growing in the field was continuously measured over a three-year period, using an open gas exchange system which tracked ambient air temperature. The respiration rate in any month was described as an exponential function of air temperature. Daily respiration rate was lower in winter when the tree was dormant than in the summer. The daily respiration rate rose rapidly in spring to a maximum in June-July, decreased abruptly in autumn, and then decreased gradually to a minimum in January-February. The Qte for nighttime respiration was inversely related to air temperature. The highest Qla (2 3.0) was observed in January when the monthly mean nighttime air temperature was around 4.0 “C. The lowest Qla (~1.5) was observed in August when the monthly mean nighttime air temperature was about 23 “C. A Qla value of about 2.0 was observed in May and June when monthly mean nighttime air temperature ranged from 15 to 20 “C.
Social behavior and feeding ability of two phenotypes of Gasterosteus aculeatus in relation to their spatial and trophic segregation in a temperate lake

Significant differences in morphology, behavior, spatial distribution, and feeding habits were found between limnetic and benthic forms of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a small British Columbia lake. The social behavior and feeding ability of each form were studied experimentally to provide a basis for determining the mechanisms of spatial and trophic segregation observed in the lake. The hypothesis that the benthic form was solitary, aggressive, and attracted to lake-bottom cover, and the limnetic form was gregarious, nonaggressive, and attracted to lake-surface cover was supported by the laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the hypothesis that the limnetic form could feed more successfully on zooplankton, and the benthic form on macrobenthos was supported by the experiments. The benthic form spent significantly more time in search of food in lake-bottom cover than did the limnetic form. It is suggested that the two forms of stickleback had undergone extensive adaptations to very.
Towards a unified theory of toxic behavior in video games

PurposeToxic behavior in multiplayer video games diminishes the potential revenue of gaming companies by spreading a bad mood, negatively affecting game play, and subsequently leading to the churn of players. However, research investigating why toxic behavior occurs is still scarce. To address this issue, this study disjunctively tests three different theoretical approaches (social cognitive theory, theory of planned behavior, and online disinhibition effect) to explain toxic behavior and propose a unified theory of toxic behavior.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 320 respondents participated in a questionnaire study. This study analyzes the data with covariance-based statistics (i.e. regression analysis and structural equation modelling), and the approach is twofold. First, the hypotheses of three theories are disjunctively tested. Second, a unified theory of toxic behavior is proposed.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that online disinhibition best explains toxic behavior, whereby toxic behavior victimization, attitude, and behavioral control also play an important role.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study offer an opportunity to better understand a contemporary and especially meaningful form of negative behavior online.Practical implicationsTo maintain revenue and popularity, the computer game industry can use the findings of this study to prevent and better address toxic behavior and its negative consequences.Originality/valueToxic behavior among video game players is a relatively new and unexplored phenomenon; therefore, this study makes a valuable contribution to the research field by testing the explanatory power of three theoretical approaches and proposing a unified theory of toxic behavior.
Ecological Speciation in Mimetic Butterflies

ABSTRACT There has been a recent revival of interest in the role of ecology in speciation. The wing patterns of Heliconius butterflies are signals to predators as well as mates, and can cause strong reproductive isolation between populations. Reproductive isolation has been studied in some detail between the sympatric species Heliconius melpomene and Heliconius cydno, and in reviewing this work I show that habitat isolation and color pattern preference are by far the most important factors causing speciation. The surprising observation that genes for mate preference and color pattern are genetically associated implies divergence in sympatry or resulting from sexual selection. Color pattern is therefore an example of an ecological trait that contributes to speciation through pleiotropic effects on mate choice, although phylogenetic evidence shows that it is only one of many factors responsible for speciation in mimetic butterflies.
Rapid-response recorders reveal interplay between marine physics and seabird behaviour

In the marine environment, the distribution of primary producers and higher trophic levels is strongly dictated by the physical characteristics of the water column. Typically, life concen- trates in regions where there are strong horizontal or vertical gradients in temperature or density ('frontal regions'). Top predators, such as diving mammals and birds, target fronts and their associ- ated high biomass of prey. Until now, the study of the interaction between diving predators and the physical environment has been hindered by the lack of adequate instrumentation. The response times of the available animal-borne temperature-depth recorders have been too slow to accurately measure the external environment where the animals are foraging. This limitation has been over- come by the development of a lightweight, rapidly responding temperature-depth logger. The instru- ment was successfully deployed on 2 diving seabird species (the common guillemot Uria aalge and the European shag Phalacrocorax (Stictocarbo) aristotelis) in the North Sea. A method for correcting temperature data for the time lag in the response of the temperature sensor is presented. The find- ings show the potential of this technology in 2 important ways: in providing unparalleled information on the interaction between predators and the marine environment, and as a low-cost method of obtaining high-quality oceanographic data.
Implementation of Lesson Study in the Accounting Department for a Financial Management Course

This action research aimed to see how the Lesson Study implemented in Vocational Higher Education. It was designed to be carried out in 2 cycles, while each cycle includes planning (plan), implementation (do) and reflection (see). Lesson Study (LS) was an alternative guide for the lecturer to teach professionally through collaborative and ongoing activities. The principle of collaboration would facilitate lecturers to build effective and efficient learning communities. Financial Management course was chosen as the courses implementing Lesson Study. The research was conducted from August 2019 until October 2019. This course was offered to students of Diploma 4 semester 5 or the third years of the Accounting Department of the Politeknik Negeri Padang. The scope of this course included a study of financial management concepts, calculating and reporting cost calculations and producing cost information which was covering concepts of corporate financial activities and applied the theoretical concepts of financial activity in corporate decision making and analyzing financial statements. Based on the results of research conducted in the first cycle and second cycle there was an increase in the performance of lecturers in carrying out lectures and gave a very good impact. Students were enthusiastic to learn through Lesson Study.
Growth, maturation, diet and distribution of saithe (Pollachius virens) in Faroese waters (NE Atlantic)

Abstract Saithe (Pollachius virens) in Faroese waters is a stock that is very important for the Faroese economy. Previous studies have provided information on juvenile saithe, but only sporadic information on the general biology of adult saithe is available in the published literature. Here, we present the basic biology of Faroe saithe based on data from Faroese groundfish surveys. Spawning appears presently to occur earlier in the year than in the early twentieth century, and the main spawning seems to occur on the eastern part of the Faroe Plateau. There is a gradual movement of saithe into deeper water with increasing size, which may well reflect a shift in diet with age. Together with changes associated with maturation, this may explain the change observed in the growth pattern around the age of 4 years. The diet of adult Faroe saithe is dominated by young blue whiting in August, whereas Norway pout, sandeel and blue whiting are equally important in March, but the stomach fullness is substantially higher in summer.
Subterranean biodiversity in the Serra da Bodoquena karst area, Paraguay river basin, Mato Grosso do Sul, Southwestern Brazil

We present herein a synthesis of faunistic data from caves in the Serra da Bodoquena karst area, middle Paraguay River basin, Mato Grosso do Sul State. Those include phreatic, submerged and dry caves. Emphasis is given to troglobites (exclusively subterranean species), potentially threatened due to their morphological, physiological and behavioral specializations, associated to generally small distributions. The Bodoquena karst area distinguishes as a spot of high diversity of troglobites, such as trichomycterid and heptapterid catfishes, aquatic planarians and gastropods, arachnids (Eusarcus opilionids, ctenid spiders), Polydesmida diplopods, several collembolans, some insects, and Peracarida crustaceans, which include interesting phylogenetic relicts as spelaeogriphaceans. Four geographic compartments corresponding to microbasins, seemingly with biogeographic importance for the subterranean fauna, are recognized. Phreatobic troglobites (Trichomycterus catfishes, aquatic peracarids, planarians) distribute widely across these compartments and some well beyond (the spelaeogriphacean Potiicoara brasiliensis reaches Mato Grosso state), while those living in base-level streams (Rhamdia and Ancistrus catfishes) and the terrestrial ones, that live in the vadose (aerated zone) are generally restricted to one compartment. Many subterranean ecosystems in Mato Grosso do Sul are endangered by several threats described here and urgent actions for effective protection are required to guarantee a sustainable use of the land and the karst aquifers.
Qigong, Philosophical Reading, and the Cultivation of Attention: Chinese Contemplative Body Practices and Slow Philosophy

ABSTRACT Qigong practices are contemplative body practices and meditation techniques that emerge from Chinese philosophical, medical, and martial traditions. This paper argues that qigong is a kind of embodied philosophical activity that is analogous to the ‘slow philosophy’ called for by Michelle Boulous Walker. Four features of Walker’s slow philosophy are highlighted: (i) careful slowness, (ii) repetition, (iii) openness to the transformation of one’s propositional attitudes and one’s virtues, and (iv) a blurring of boundaries between philosophy and non-philosophy. A particular qigong practice is then examined as a case study: Hunyuan Qigong (Hùnyuán qìgōng 混元氣功), a qigong form taught by the Chen-style taijiquan master Feng Zhiqiang 馮志強 (1928–2012) that involves the practitioner moving her body through multiple series of broadly circular movements. It is argued that qigong practices are examples of philosophical activity analogous to slow philosophical reading, that slow philosophical reading and qigong practice can be mutually illuminating and can help us better understand what doing philosophy is, and that qigong can transform us both by changing our philosophically significant propositional attitudes and by providing means of cultivating virtues related to attention.
A dynamic state variable model of mate desertion in Cooper's hawks

In a 4-yr study of the reproductive strategies of Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) nesting in north-central New Mexico, >50% of the females deserted during the fledgling-dependence period and did not renest. A dynamic state variable model was developed to study the females' brood-rearing strategies. In this model a strategy consisted of combinations of staying at the nest, hunting, and deserting. The modeling assumptions were: a female's strategy during brood rearing maximizes her reproductive fitness, defined as the weighted average of the expected probability of survival of her current offspring and her expected future reproduction; and the reproductive fitness function depends on the physical condition of the female and nestlings, the risks to the nestlings associated with each strategy, and the male's foraging capabilities. The model predictions were compared to the observations of female strategies in Cooper's Hawks. The best match between observations and predictions (84-96%) was obtained when the nestlings' survival and the female's future reproductive potential were equally weighted during the nestling stage, but weighted in favor of the female's reproductive potential during the fledgling stage. A sensitivity analysis showed that the model predictions corresponded well with the observations of staying and hunting. However, those combinations of parameter valuesmore » that reflected conditions with the least pressure to desert missed 70-85% of the desertions. The sensitivity analysis also indicated that a key factor influencing the female's choise of strategy was the interaction between the threat to her future reproduction due to her poor physical condition and the nestlings' risk of death from predation and exposure. The agreement of model predictions and observed strategies supported the modeling assumptions. Dynamic state variable modeling is an excellent tool for studying mate desertion. 54 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs. « less
Action Permissibility Prediction in Autonomous Driving through Deep Reinforcement Learning

This paper proposes a new nature based on deep deterministic policy gradient for deep reinforcement learning in continuous state and action space, which can greatly accelerate the emergence of artificial intelligence training and solving problem: state-action permissibility. The proposed method is integrated into the latest DDPG algorithm to guide its training and is applied to solve the lane keeping (steering control) problem in autonomous driving or automatic driving. Finally, the TORCS which is the open racing car simulator simulation software builds various simulation environments, including different tracks to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm. The results show that the proposed method can significantly speed up the algorithm training speed of the lane keeping task.
Product diversification decisions considering quality reliability and self-competition in a global supply chain

Abstract Sourcing overseas enables customers to experience high-quality products, especially for those in the developing countries/regions. This induces many brand-owners to decide product diversification by selling both imported products (high quality reliability) and local products (low quality reliability), although product self-competition occurs and may result in system profit loss. In this paper, we consider a global supply chain comprising of a brand-owner, a local supplier, and an overseas supplier to investigate the brand-owner’s strategic decisions of product diversification when the quality levels of both the imported product and the local product are not always reliable. We identify three interactive effects regarding the wholesale prices, the order quantities, and the quality levels. Interestingly, we find that, when the quality reliability of the imported product is in a moderate range, the brand-owner is only incentivized to decide product diversification given intense self-competition. We also find that the brand-owner’s total demand size of the products is first decreasing then increasing in the competition intensity.
Effects of measurement errors on an individual tree-based growth projection system

Systematic and random measurement errors were placed on the input variables of a distance-independent individual tree-based growth and mortality projection model to study how sensitive the system was to measurement error. The study was conducted in three parts. First, the effects of systematic measurement errors on individual model components of the growth projection were investigated. Second, systematic errors were placed on the input variables of the growth projection system and the performance of the overall system was observed. Third, a Monte Carlo study was performed to examine the effects of random measurement errors of varying magnitude on the projection system estimates. Overall, the projection system was most sensitive to measurement errors in site index. Measurement errors in diameter at breast height were only critical when projecting basal area, but were not critical when projecting number of trees. The system was insensitive to errors in crown ratio.
Late-onset personality disorder: a condition still steeped in ignorance

SUMMARY Personality disorder is likely to be common in late life, but our ignorance is such that, at present, we can only speculate about its frequency and importance. The only firm evidence we have is that antisocial personality features tend to be attenuated in older age and obsessional and detached features accentuated. Differentiating personality change following organic disease from personality disorder requires more attention as it is important for good clinical management.
Generalizing forest regeneration models: the dependence of propagule availability on disturbance history and stand size

We summarize three existing conceptual frameworks for forest regeneration in northeastern North America and suggest that none consider both a range of disturbance characteristics and a range of forest conditions at the time of disturbance. We offer a more general conceptual model, within which the existing models can be seen as special cases. We propose that the abundance of characteristic seed–bank, pioneer species, such as Prunuspensylvanica L.f. and Rubus spp. (often Rubusallegheniensis T.C. Porter, Rubushispidus L., or Rubusodoratus L.), is dependent on propagule availability, which in turn is determined by forest age and size. Specifically, following disturbance, large tracts of forest and older forests (ca. >125 years) are predicted to have very low densities of the above pioneers. As a result, population, community, and ecosystem parameters may be substantially different in the regenerating forest than in the familiar cases of regeneration in secondary forests. Indeed, the presettlement forest of m.
Review of Infrastructure Development and Its Financing in India

Abstract Infrastructure is one of the most crucial pillars of productivity in any economy. Pushing infrastructure development and particularly organizing funds for infrastructure projects have been the biggest challenge in developing nations. The present study was taken up to review the infrastructure development and its financing in India. The study intended to (1) study the infrastructure development in India in the 11th and 12th Five Year Plan, (2) examine the sources used for infrastructure financing in India, (3) assess the actions taken by government to facilitate infrastructure financing and (4) propose measures to augment infrastructure financing to overcome infrastructure deficit in the country. It was found that though Government of India and Reserve Bank of India have taken several initiatives to facilitate infrastructure financing, there still exists a vast gap between supply side and the demand side. Some of the recommendations given in the paper include the need to evolve innovative business models and mitigate administrative glitches to ensure larger private participation; exploit the untapped potential of diaspora; revisit the statutory liquidity ratio norms for banks; evolve the municipal bond market; boost regional integration and improved connectivity through creation of corridors between sub-continental regions, which would not only bridge the finance gap but also the knowledge gap, etc.
First record of the Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis (Actinopterygii: Pleuronectiformes: Soleidae) from the Mediterranean coast of Israel

The Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858, was recorded for the first time from the southeastern Mediterranean near Tel-Aviv, Israel on 17 May 2013. This eastern Atlantic species is rare in the western Mediterranean, but now also documented from the southeastern Mediterranean.
A method for building software credibility metric system based on credible evidence

In order to comprehensively measuring software credibility, a method for establishing credibility metric system is proposed in this paper. The method first determine the structure of the metric system, analysis the relationship between the established credibility evidence structure and the metric system structure. On the basis of correlation analyses result, a reasonable metric system construction method is established.
Determination of Phylloquinone and Menaquinones in Food

Fluctuations in international normalized ratio values are often ascribed to dietary changes in vitamin K intake. Here we present a database with vitamin K<sub>1</sub> and K<sub>2</sub> contents of a wide variety of food items. K<sub>1</sub> was mainly present in green vegetables and plant margarins, K<sub>2</sub> in meat, liver, butter, egg yolk, natto, cheese and curd cheese. To investigate the effect of the food matrix on vitamin K bioavailability, 6 healthy male volunteers consumed either a detergent-solubilized K<sub>1</sub> (3.5 µmol) or a meal consisting 400 g of spinach (3.5 µmol K<sub>1</sub>) and 200 g of natto (3.1 µmol K<sub>2</sub>). The absorption of pure K<sub>1</sub> was faster than that of food-bound K vitamins (serum peak values at 4 h vs. 6 h after ingestion). Moreover, circulating K<sub>2</sub> concentrations after the consumption of natto were about 10 times higher than those of K<sub>1</sub> after eating spinach. It is concluded that the contribution of K<sub>2</sub> vitamins (menaquinones) to the human vitamin K status is presently underestimated, and that their potential interference with oral anticoagulant treatment needs to be investigated.