Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agricultural intensity and landscape structure: Influences on the macroinvertebrate assemblages of small streams in northern Germany

—The present study aimed to relate aquatic macroinvertebrate community composition to agricultural intensity and landscape structure. A total of 360 streams were investigated within the Aller river basin in northern Germany. The study area is typical of central German arable agricultural regions, but the small streams were of low dilution potential. These streams were characterized for abiotic parameters (including modeled potential for diffuse inputs from agricultural sources) and macroinvertebrate communities, with data collected over a 17‐year period. Spray drift potential did not correlate with community composition. In contrast, the relative index of runoff potential (RP) was negatively correlated with various measures of taxonomic richness and abundance. Community composition also was correlated with environmental parameters, including stream width, clay content of sediment, and presence of dead wood in sediment. The abundance of sensitive species decreased significantly during the main period of agrochemical use at sites of high RP but completely recovered by the following spring. Long‐term decreased taxonomic richness and a shift to ecologically robust species also were observed at sites of high RP. The results suggest that long‐term alterations in community measures probably were associated with factors related to runoff input. Nevertheless, the community composition remained reasonably rich and even. Landscape structure also appeared to influence community structure. Abundance of sensitive species remained significantly enhanced, even at sites of high RP, when forested reaches were present in upstream reaches. These probably provided a source of organisms for downstream recolonization and amelioration of effects at high RP.
Curricular Effectiveness in Moral/Values Education: A Review of Research

Abstract Research on the curriculum effectiveness of moral/values education approaches was reviewed. Two approaches (values clarification and moral development) were identified as having sufficient completed research to warrant examination. A total of 59 studies were reviewed, 33 focusing on values clarification and 26 with moral development as the focus. The research on values clarification indicated that little or no confidence is warranted regarding its potential curricular effectiveness. On the other hand, the research base for the moral development approach indicated that cautious optimism is appropriate. Finally, suggestions were offered for future research on these two approaches.
The Inferior Colliculus: A Center for Convergence of Ascending and Descending Auditory Information

A major goal in auditory research is to understand completely how we hear, the physiology of the human auditory system and to identify the causes and treatments for hearing impairment. By understanding all the elements of the ‘auditory scaffold’ we will begin to achieve these important goals. The inferior colliculus (IC) occupies a strategic position in the central auditory system and may be considered a central hub or an interface between the lower auditory pathway, the auditory cortex and motor systems. The IC is the site for termination of the ascending fibers of the lateral lemniscus and also receives a heavy innervation from the auditory cortex. Furthermore, the IC receives crossed projections from its counterpart and possesses a dense network of local connections. Thus, the IC is the main site of auditory integration at the midbrain level. Anatomical and physiological experiments demonstrate that the IC is involved in a great diversity of functional roles in the auditory system, and that most of the interesting auditory features might already be extracted from incoming sounds by this midbrain nucleus.
Mouse tracking: measuring and predicting users' experience of web-based content

Previous studies have used mouse tracking as a tool to measure usability of webpages, user attention and search relevance. In this paper, we go beyond measurement of user behavior to prediction of the resulting user experience from mouse patterns alone. Specifically, we identify mouse markers that can predict user frustration and reading struggles at reasonably high accuracy. We believe that mouse-based prediction of user experience is an important advance, and could potentially offer a scalable way to infer user experience on the web. In addition, we demonstrate that mouse tracking could be used for applications such as evaluating content layout and content noticeability; we apply this in particular to advertisements. More generally, it could be used to infer user attention in complex webpages containing images, text and varied content, including how attention patterns vary with page layout and user distraction.
Aminoalkyl Ether Antihistamines

The previous chapter dealt with a variety of drugs that can trace their origins to the screening of synthetic dyes for chemotherapeutic activity. Even more drugs have been discovered through the screening of other synthetic compounds. Screening has been used both to discover drug prototypes and to find improved analogues of other compounds that exhibit useful activity but require enhancement in some manner. Examples of the latter process can be found throughout this book, but the present chapter is concerned solely with the discovery of drug prototypes through screening and their subsequent development to provide therapeutic agents.
When Do Painters Make Their Best Work?

This Research Note proposes that modern art painters make their best works at the optimal moment in their lives, a moment that could then be associated with the Divine proportion (the Fibonacci phi). An analysis of 189 highest-priced works by as many modern art painters, comparing the moment of creation with their life span of these artists, yielded the remarkable result that the estimated fraction is 0.6198, which indeed is only 0.0018 away from the divine fraction.
Why Have We Ignored “The Distribution of Benefits from College Instruction”?

The authors have been concerned about the fact that many economics education researchers concentrate on aggregate scores when attempting to measure the impact of various experimental approaches. Noting that the effect of an innovation might be positive for some students and negative for others, they argue that the members of an experimental group should not be treated as if they were all equal in skills and abilities. Then they suggest disaggregation procedures and give the results of their own analyses of various subgroups of students who were exposed to computer-assisted instruction. Their findings lend support to those who favor disaggregated analyses.
Clinical Phenomenology and Mortality in Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Background/Aim: Despite existing diagnostic criteria for Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS), clinical manifestations vary greatly. We examined the clinical course and mortality of patients diagnosed with CBS. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with CBS. We collected demographic and clinical information and medical burden scores. Kaplan-Meier mortality curves were compared using log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis and hazard ratio (HR). Mortality was compared to expected mortality from Minnesota population. Results: Seventy-seven patients with CBS had a mean age of 79.5 (standard deviation ± 13.0) and were predominantly Caucasian (97%) and female (73%). In all, 20 (26%) subsequently developed a dementia syndrome, most often Lewy body. A total of 46 (60%) deaths occurred with an average follow-up time of 33.0 months. Characteristics associated with mortality included older age (75-84 [HR 3.34, P = .029], >85 [HR 4.58, P = .007]) and renal disease (HR 3.39 with 95% confidence interval 1.31-8.80, P = .012). Medical burden scores were not associated with overall mortality. Mortality was high compared to Minnesota population (P < .0001). Conclusions: A large proportion of patients with CBS developed dementia, and there was a high mortality rate associated with older age and renal disease. Medical burden was not associated with mortality.
Improving College Performance and Retention the Easy Way : Unpacking the ACT Exam

Improving college performance and retention can be difficult. We propose a simple and low-cost change in the way colleges use the ACT exam in their admission decisions that can greatly increase their ability to identify students at a high risk of under-performing and dropping out. Specifically, we show that only two of the four sub tests of the ACT, English and Mathematics, can effectively predict outcomes in college. This result is robust across various samples, specifications and outcome measures. We demonstrate that by eliminating the noise associated with the two non-predictive sub tests, student-college matches can be significantly improved. *
Ethnic jokes and social function in Hawai'i

Humor functions äs a displacement ofthe violence and aggression which are pari ofthe human instinct. This applies also to the function ofethnic humor in multi-ethnic society. To transform ethnic traits into stereotype laughter is to mitigate thefriction and tension among ethnic groups. Hawai'i is one of the most successful societies where various ethnic groups coexist and yet maintain süperb ethnic relations. Ethnic humor is considered to play an important role in the reduction of conflicts between different ethnic group in Hawai'i. Ethnic humor is used to lubricate localpeople's everyday communication in Hawai'i's multi-ethnic society in accordance with a matrix of specific and unspoken rules. The rules are: (1) be able to teil jokes concerning one's own ethnicity (self-duplicating), (2) be able to laugh at jokes concerning one's own ethnicity, (3) know the realm of stereotypes authorized by the ethnic groups presented, and stay within those boundaries, and (4) jokes must identify ethnic traits with respect and understanding. A survey was distributed by the author and 604 valid responses were collectedfrom local people. The results confirm the general acceptance and positive functioning of ethnic humor in Hawai'i äs a means to coexistence among diverse ethnicities. Among the various types of jokes and humor, ethnic humor is remarkable in that it requires participants to possess some preconceived understanding of ethnic characteristics or traits before the humor can be appreciated. Ethnic humor has strong connections with life style, physical and cultural characteristics, historical background, religious belief, social and economic conditions, äs well äs purported characteristics of the Humor 13-1 (2000), 41-57 0933-1719/00/0013-0041 © Walter de Gruyter
Snapshot Distances to Type Ia Supernovae: All in “One” Night's Work

We present an empirical method that measures the distance to a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) with a precision of ~10% from a single night's data. This method measures the supernova's age and luminosity/light-curve parameter from a spectrum and the extinction and distance from an apparent magnitude and color. We are able to verify the precision of this method from error propagation calculations, Monte Carlo simulations of well-sampled SNe Ia, and the Hubble diagram of sparsely observed supernovae. With the reduction in telescope time needed, this method is 3-4 times more efficient for measuring cosmological parameters than conventional light-curve-based distance estimates.
Political parties and democracy: The ambiguous crisis

This study reviews the case for the often-claimed crisis of party in established democracies, and argues that such a contention rests at least in part on ambiguous evidence. Consequently, there is an urgent need for research that provides a better understanding of citizen attitudes towards democratic institutions and processes. An interesting example of such research can be found in work recently conducted on citizens in the United States, which suggests a combination of political disengagement and cynicism towards parties and political elites. If this disturbing pattern were to be found across other democracies, its causes would clearly demand investigation: it is suggested here that the nature of the contemporary mass media is a factor with obvious potential for explaining such developments.
Evolutionary Dynamics of rDNA Clusters in Chromosomes of Five Clam Species Belonging to the Family Veneridae (Mollusca, Bivalvia)

The chromosomal changes accompanying bivalve evolution are an area about which few reports have been published. To improve our understanding on chromosome evolution in Veneridae, ribosomal RNA gene clusters were mapped by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to chromosomes of five species of venerid clams (Venerupis corrugata, Ruditapes philippinarum, Ruditapes decussatus, Dosinia exoleta, and Venus verrucosa). The results were anchored to the most comprehensive molecular phylogenetic tree currently available for Veneridae. While a single major rDNA cluster was found in each of the five species, the number of 5S rDNA clusters showed high interspecies variation. Major rDNA was either subterminal to the short arms or intercalary to the long arms of metacentric or submetacentric chromosomes, whereas minor rDNA signals showed higher variability. Major and minor rDNAs map to different chromosome pairs in all species, but in R. decussatus one of the minor rDNA gene clusters and the major rDNA cluster were located in the same position on a single chromosome pair. This interspersion of both sequences was confirmed by fiber FISH. Telomeric signals appeared at both ends of every chromosome in all species. FISH mapping data are discussed in relation to the molecular phylogenetic trees currently available for Veneridae.
Bilateral Vestibular Deficiency: Quality of Life and Economic Implications.

IMPORTANCE Bilateral vestibular deficiency (BVD) causes chronic imbalance and unsteady vision and greatly increases the risk of falls; however, its effects on quality of life and economic impact are not well defined. OBJECTIVE To quantify disease-specific and health-related quality of life, health care utilization, and economic impact on individuals with BVD in comparison with those with unilateral vestibular deficiency (UVD). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional survey study of patients with BVD or UVD and healthy controls at an academic medical center. Vestibular dysfunction was diagnosed by means of caloric nystagmography. INTERVENTIONS Survey questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Health status was measured using the Dizziness Handicap Index (DHI) and Health Utility Index Mark 3 (HUI3). Economic burden was estimated using participant responses to questions on disease-specific health care utilization and lost productivity. RESULTS Fifteen patients with BVD, 22 with UVD, and 23 healthy controls participated. In comparison with patients with UVD and controls, patients with BVD had significantly worse DHI (P < .001) and HUI3 scores. Statistically significant between-group differences were observed for overall HUI3 score (P < .001) and for specific attributes including vision, hearing, ambulation, emotion, and pain (P < .001 for all). Generalized linear model analysis of clinical variables associated with HUI3 scores after adjustment for other variables (including sex, race, education, age, and frequency of dizziness-related outpatient clinic visits) showed that the presence of UVD (P < .001) or BVD (P < .001), increased dizziness-related emergency room visits (P = .002), and increased dizziness-related missed work days (P < .001) were independently associated with worse HUI3 scores. Patients with BVD and UVD incurred estimated mean (range) annual economic burdens of $13,019 ($0-$48,830) and $3531 ($0-$48,442) per patient, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Bilateral vestibular deficiency significantly decreases quality of life and imposes substantial economic burdens on individuals and society. These results underscore the limits of adaptation and compensation in BVD. Furthermore, they quantify the potential benefits of prosthetic restoration of vestibular function both to these individuals and to society.
Adult Interactions and Child Engagement

The purposes of this study were to investigate how engagement varied as a function of concurrent adult interactions (e.g., individual versus group orientation, type of teacher interaction) and pre-existing states (e.g., age, ratings of typical engagement). Eleven child care teachers and 63 children were videotaped in 93 naturally occurring child care situations. Two teacher interaction categories, elaborations and information giving, were associated with participatory engagement, attention, and low engagement. Interaction behaviors that were responsive without providing direction and those that were directive without responding to children were not associated with engagement. Individually targeted interactions produced more engagement than did group-targeted interactions. Chronological age, developmental age, and ratings of persistence did not statistically significantly affect engagement.
Dividends, Total Cash Flow to Shareholders, and Predictive Return Regressions

This paper provides new evidence on the predictive power of dividend yields for U.S. aggregate stock returns. Following Miller and Modigliani, we construct a measure of the dividend yield that includes all cash flows to shareholders. We show that this alternative cash-flow yield has strong and stable predictive power for returns, and appears robust to a battery of tests that have been proposed in recent critiques of the predictability literature.
Bone Age Determination in a Paediatric Population as an Indicator of Nutritional Status

The United Mission to Nepal Tansen Project is in the hill country, 300 km West of Kathmandu. This 40-year-old service centre's major emphasis has been on clinical and community medicine and education. Agronomy, forestry, water resources development, adult literacy, etc., have also been part of the project's outreach. We had long noted that the children of all of the various tribal groups in the area are small for their age as compared with children in developed countries. Fracture care X-rays were examined to reveal delay in ossification and in physeal closure. Using the standards found in the Radiographic Atlas of Skeletal Development of the Hand and Wrist, we quantified this apparent delay by determining the bone age of all patients presenting at the hospital with upper limb injuries requiring X-ray. The collection of data was limited to 100 days and to those under the age of 21. Two hundred and nineteen patients' data were analysed. We found that bone maturation delay was very common and often severe. The average bone age among the 219 was 28% below chronological age. That is, 60% of all fell two standard deviations below the norm: i.e. two-thirds of all 9 year olds had the expected skeletal development of 6 year olds in Boston, USA. Dental age was also analysed using deciduous tooth shedding and tooth eruption patterns. Dental age retardation averaged 21%, but a larger per cent had normal eruption dates. Other physical and sociological data were included in a questionnaire completed for each patient. Among the variables examined, poverty alone appeared to be the major mover. We believe that national small stature is a result of lifelong community dietary inadequacy.
The dual nature of extraversion: A replication

Abstract A replication of a study by Eysenck & Eysenck confirms their finding that Extraversion items from the M.P.I, and elsewhere produce two clusters when factor analysed. The common characteristics of the clusters are sociability and impulsiveness respectively. A method of testing Eysenck & Eysenck's factor interpretation of their results is suggested.
Psychometric Characteristics of Self-Anchored Scales in Clinical Application

This article describes a psychometric study of the performance of a self-anchored scale for measuring the level of depression in a clinical setting. The self-anchored scale has been advocated for use in clinical and experimental settings as an all purpose measurement procedure capable of measuring almost any construct. The results of this studv demonstrate that self-anchored scales peculiar to specific individuals in an outpatient psychotherapy setting, can provide data with validity comparable to that provided by standardized self-report scales with outstanding psychometric characteristics.
Network-Based Multicomputers: A Practical Supercomputer Architecture

Multicomputers built around a general network are an attractive architecture for a wide class of applications. The architecture provides many benefits compared with special-purpose approaches, including heterogeneity, reuse of application and system code, and sharing of resources. The architecture also poses new challenges to both computer system implementers and users. First, traditional local-area networks do not have enough bandwidth and create a communication bottleneck, thus seriously limiting the set of applications that can be run effectively. Second, programmers have to deal with large bodies of code distributed over a variety of architectures, and work in an environment where both the network and nodes are shared with other users. Our experience in the Nectar project shows that it is possible to overcome these problems. We show how networks based on high-speed crossbar switches and efficient protocol implementations can support high bandwidth and low latency communication while still enjoying the flexibility of general networks, and we use three applications to demonstrate that network-based multicomputers are a practical architecture. We also show how the network traffic generated by this new class of applications poses severe requirements for networks.
The Gustatory Neural Response Function

With few exceptions, afferent neurons in the various sensory systems respond to wide ranges of stimuli. In those sensory systems for which the stimulus dimensions are understood, the response functions of these neurons may be described; they are usually simple functions with one maximum, although many variations exist. In the chemical senses, the stimulus dimensions are not known, and thus the neural response functions of these neurons have never been described. The present paper presents methods to determine these response functions and the stimulus dimensions for the chemical senses. A tentative response function for taste is developed, and preliminary steps are taken toward disclosing the stimulus dimensions.
Exploiting rank deficiency for MR image reconstruction from multiple partial K-space scans

In Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) the acquired K-space data is corrupted by white Gaussian noise or by motion artifacts. In order to reduce the effects of these factors, it is a common practice to take multiple scans of the K-space. Noise/motion artifacts are reduced by averaging the K-space scans. For fully scanned K-space data, the image is obtained from this averaged K-space by applying the inverse Fourier transform. However, sampling the full K-space is time consuming. To reduce the scan-time smart reconstruction algorithms are employed obtain the MR image partial K-space scans. Generally Compressed Sensing (CS) based techniques are used to this end. In this work, we will show how the image can be reconstructed from multiple partial K-space scans by nuclear norm minimization. The reconstruction accuracy from our proposed method is the same as CS based techniques but is about ten times faster.