Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
We are what we Consume: The Influence of Food Consumption on Impulsive Choice

Consumers’ impulsive choices have traditionally been attributed either to contextual factors, such as product attributes and store environment, or to individual personality traits. In this article, the authors find that type of food consumed can also influence impulsive choice. Specifically, food that enhances the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin can reduce impulsive choice. To test the hypotheses on the influence of serotonin on postconsumption impulsive choice, the authors collected data on the eve of Thanksgiving. The occasion of Thanksgiving dinner provides a naturalistic setting in which people consume a tryptophan-rich meal (tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin). The authors replicate these findings and obtain converging evidence in a lab setting in which they give some participants a tryptophan-rich beverage and observe their postconsumption impulsive choices.
An efficient algorithm for determining the dispersion characteristics of single-mode optical fibers

An efficient algorithm is proposed for calculating the dispersion characteristics of optical fibers with radially arbitrary refractive-index profiles. It is based on a variational finite-element formulation. Formulas for the derivatives of the normalized propagation constant w with respect to the normalized frequency V up to the second order are derived by using a reaction formula. These formulas contain the modal field psi and its derivative d psi /dV. Two variational problems are then formed and solved as matrix equations by using the finite-element method. The first one is a conventional eigenvalue problem with eigen-solution (w, psi ) and dominates the computing time. The second one is a direct problem for d psi /dV and can be solved by a few simple matrix manipulations. The proposed algorithm turns out to be a rapidly convergent one and careful arrangement results in saving for both storing memory and computing time. >
Brain-machine interfaces for rehabilitation in stroke : A review

BACKGROUND: Motor paralysis after stroke has devastating consequences for the patients, families and caregivers. Although therapies have improved in the recent years, traditional rehabilitation still fails in patients with severe paralysis. Brain-machine interfaces (BMI) have emerged as a promising tool to guide motor rehabilitation interventions as they can be applied to patients with no residual movement. OBJECTIVE: This paper reviews the efficiency of BMI technologies to facilitate neuroplasticity and motor recovery after stroke. METHODS: We provide an overview of the existing rehabilitation therapies for stroke, the rationale behind the use of BMIs for motor rehabilitation, the current state of the art and the results achieved so far with BMI-based interventions, as well as the future perspectives of neural-machine interfaces. RESULTS: Since the first pilot study by Buch and colleagues in 2008, several controlled clinical studies have been conducted, demonstrating the efficacy of BMIs to facilitate functional recovery in completely paralyzed stroke patients with noninvasive technologies such as the electroencephalogram (EEG). CONCLUSIONS: Despite encouraging results, motor rehabilitation based on BMIs is still in a preliminary stage, and further improvements are required to boost its efficacy. Invasive and hybrid approaches are promising and might set the stage for the next generation of stroke rehabilitation therapies.
Morphological and molecular taxonomy of Dendrolimus sibiricus Chetverikov stat.rev. and allied lappet moths (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae), with description of a new species.

The populations of the well-known forest pest, Dendrolimus sibiricus Chetverikov, 1908 stat.rev., were sampled in the European foothills of the Ural Mountains, Russia. D. sibiricus is a species distinct from the Japanese taxon D. superans (Butler, 1877). Another taxon from the Southern Urals, taxonomically close to D. pini (Linnaeus), is described here as D. kilmez sp.n. The synthetic female pheromones prepared for D. pini and D. sibiricus attracted equally well all three taxa present, and thus cannot be used to identify these species. The Ural populations of D. sibiricus show differences in external appearance, and as already in the 1840s Eversmann indicated that the species had caused local forest damage, D. sibiricus must be a long-established species in the Ural area. Thus, natural spreading westward of the pest is not to be expected. The five Dendrolimus species of the northern Palaearctic and the male genitalia are illustrated, and the distinguishing characters are listed. Two Matsumura lectotypes are designated.
Protective role of bark extract of Bridelia retusa Spreng on CCl4 induced histological toxicity in mice.

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the protective role of bark extracts of Bridelia retusa S. on the liver and kidney after CCl4 intoxication. The bark of Bridelia retusa S. was powdered and subjected to sequential extraction based on polarity using solvents such as petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol and distilled water. The extract was filtered, concentrated, dried and stored in refrigerator until further use. Oral suspensions containing 25 and 50 mg/kg body weight of ethanolic and aqueous extracts were administered for 5 days to carbon tetrachloride treated female mice. The protective role of ethanolic and aqueous stem bark extracts of Bridelia retusa S. were investigated on histological profiles of liver and kidney. The effect of 50 mg of ethanolic extract was visible by reduced CCL4 induced toxicity on the histology of liver and kidney which were restored to that of normal better than aqueous extract wherein steatosis and dilation of central vein caused by CCl4 was reduced and normalized hepatocytes. Hence, the present study indicates that both the extracts possessed amelioration of histological changes in the liver and kidney of CCl4 intoxicated mice though ethanolic extract showed better recovery in dose dependent manner.
An integrated dynamic modeling framework for investigating the impact of climate change and variability on irrigated agriculture

Many hydrologic systems are likely to be affected by climate change. This is of particular importance given that agricultural production systems are inextricably linked to the hydrologic systems they rely upon. Although irrigation is often employed as a method to dampen the effect of short‐term variation in climatic inputs to agricultural production, sources of irrigation water are not immune to long‐term climatic change. Irrigation water use decisions are most often made at the farm level. It is at this scale that the economic and social impacts of climate change will be manifest. This paper presents an integrated stochastic dynamic modeling framework that can be used to investigate the viability of irrigated farms under alternative climate change scenarios. The framework is applied to a theoretical farm in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia, under four potential future climate scenarios. It is found that neglecting interannual variability in climatic inputs to agriculture consistently underestimates the reduction in farm viability caused by climate change and that multiyear sequences of climate states strongly influence estimates of farm profitability.
Particle Size's Effect of Application Forage Processing Technology on Consumption Efficiency, Palatability and Digestibility of Local Goat

Livestock's digestible feed ability is affected by the physical and chemical quality of the feed given. Study feed processing application on a local goat feed particle size needs to be done for efficiency of feeding patterns. This study aimed to evaluate the best forage particle size on efficiency consumption, palatability and digestibility of the local goat. The experimental method was done with randomized completely block design with 3x2x3 factorial. Goats are grouped by weight, the first factor is the form of feed (fresh, dried) with particle feed size of 3 - 5 - > 7 cm as the second factor. The results showed that particle size of > 7 cm gives the optimal feed consumption and palatability. Dry and organic materials digestibility provided the best on the particle size of 3 cm. Forms of dry feed has a positive correlation with consumption, palatability and digestibility of feed. Conclusion of the study recommended dried forage given to the local goats with a particle size of 3 cm is able to provide efficiency in consumption and palatability of the feed with the most excellent digestibility.
Recruitment advantage of large seeds is greater in shaded habitats

Abstract Large seeds are assumed to have higher probability of successful recruitment than small seeds. This is because larger seeds give rise to larger seedlings and larger seedlings better withstand environmental hazards like deep shade and drought. Biotic and abiotic limitations to seedling growth and survival, and conversely availability of safe sites for recruitment, vary along environmental gradients and between habitat types. Thus, the value to plant species of possessing large seeds may differ between plant communities. We analyzed the relationship between seed mass and per-seed recruitment success (seedlings established per number of seeds produced) along an environmental gradient from open grassland to closed-canopy forest using data collected by Uuno Perttula in southern Finland in 1934. We found that larger seeds have greater recruitment success relative to smaller seeds in all investigated communities. However, the recruitment success of large seeds relative to small seeds strongly increased from grassland and open forest to closed-canopy forest. Of the measured environmental variables, canopy closure most strongly explained this increase. This indicates a strong direct effect of deep shade on seedling survival in natural plant communities. Additional explanatory power was associated with soil moisture. Litter cover, moss cover, and soil pH did not contribute to explaining the variation in relative recruitment success of larger seeds. Thus, the advantage of large seeds in recruitment success is pronounced in deeply shaded forest but may be insignificant in open vegetation. Nomenclature: Tutin et al., 1964–1980.
Hydrolysis of Organic Phosphate Forms by Phosphatases and Phytase Producing Fungi of Arid and Semi Arid Soils of India

2 Abstract: Phytase and phosphatase producing fungi were isolated from the soil's of arid and semi arid regions of India and tested for their ability to hydrolyze two important organic P compounds: phytin and glycerophosphate. The identified organisms belong to the four genera: Aspergillus, Penicillium, Pseudeurotium and Trichoderma. A significant negative correlation (r =-0.386, n = 28, p<0.05) was observed between the development of fungal mats and the pH of the media. The extracellular phosphatases (E) released by different fungi were less than that released intracellularly (I), but the trend was reversed in case of phytase production. The E:I ratio of different fungi ranged from 0.45-0.61 for acid phosphatase, 0.41-0.54 for alkaline phosphatase and 44.9-71.9 for phytase. The efficiency of hydrolysis of different organic P compounds by different fungi varied from 0.98-3.54 µg min g for phytin to 1.82-5.89 µg min g for glycerophosphate. The -1 -1 -1 -1
Mothering at a distance and disclosure of maternal HIV to children in Kingston, Jamaica

Abstract Existing guidelines (WHO, 2011) advise caretakers and professionals to disclose children’s and their caretakers’ HIV status to children, despite a lack of evidence concerning the potential implications in resource-constrained settings. Our research uses feminist Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the experiences of HIV positive mothers in Kingston, Jamaica, focusing on their lived experiences of talking to their children about maternal HIV. This paper will focus on the concept of mothering at a distance and how this presents additional challenges for HIV positive mothers who are trying to establish emotional closeness in relation to talking to their children about their HIV. Using Hochschild’s concept of emotion work and examples from the interviews, we highlight the difficult contexts informing women’s decisions when negotiating discussions about their HIV. Women may choose full, partial or differential disclosure or children may be told their mother’s HIV status by others. Disclosure policy, we argue, reflects Anglo-Northern constructions of the family and parenting which may not adequately reflect the experiences of poor urban mothers in low and middle income countries. We argue that policy needs to recognise culturally-specific family formations, which, in Jamaica includes absent fathers, mothering at a distance and mothering non-biological children. This article reflects on the experiences of an under-researched group, poor urban Jamaican women practising mothering at a distance, using a novel methodological approach (IPA) to bring into relief unique insights into their lived experiences and will contribute to the global policy and research literature on HIV disclosure.
Relationships between Pacific and Atlantic ocean sea surface temperatures and U.S. streamflow variability

An evaluation of Pacific and Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and continental U.S. streamflow was performed to identify coupled regions of SST and continental U.S. streamflow variability. Both SSTs and streamflow displayed temporal variability when applying the singular value decomposition (SVD) statistical method. Initially, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using the entire period of record (i.e., all years from 1951 to 2002). This was followed by an interdecadal‐temporal evaluation for the Pacific (Atlantic) Ocean based on the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)). Finally, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using detrended SST and streamflow data. A lead time approach was assessed in which the previous year's spring‐summer season Pacific Ocean (Atlantic Ocean) SSTs were evaluated with the current water year continental U.S. streamflow. During the cold phase of the PDO, Pacific Ocean SSTs influenced streamflow regions (southeast, northwest, southwest, and northeast United States) most often associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), while during the warm phase of the PDO, Pacific Ocean SSTs influenced non‐ENSO streamflow regions (Upper Colorado River basin and middle Atlantic United States). ENSO and the PDO were identified by the Pacific Ocean SST SVD first temporal expansion series as climatic influences for the PDO cold phase, PDO warm phase, and the all years analysis. Additionally, the phase of the AMO resulted in continental U.S. streamflow variability when evaluating Atlantic Ocean SSTs. During the cold phase of the AMO, Atlantic Ocean SSTs influenced middle Atlantic and central U.S. streamflow, while during the warm phase of the AMO, Atlantic Ocean SSTs influenced upper Mississippi River basin, peninsular Florida, and northwest U.S. streamflow. The AMO signal was identified in the Atlantic Ocean SST SVD first temporal expansion series. Applying SVD, first temporal expansions series were developed for Pacific and Atlantic Ocean SSTs and continental U.S. streamflow. The first temporal expansion series of SSTs and streamflow were strongly correlated, which could result in improved streamflow predictability.
Changes in marriage practices among the Bafumbira of Western Uganda

This paper examines changes in marriage practices of the Bafumbira, an ethnic group in Western Uganda. The paper uses data obtained from primary data that included focus group discussions (FGDs) in Kisoro District and Kampala City and compliments it with secondary data. It shows that some marriage practices threatened by modernization through formal education, migration and urbanization are still very relevant to the society. These include: “pulling”; parents’ involvement in choosing marriage partners; abstinence before marriage; using traditional items in payment of bride price and rare divorce rates. The paper also recommends that practices like early marriage and polygamy be discouraged.
AVIAN GENITALIA

which scientists are immersed. I experienced an example of this a few years ago, when Bob Montgomerie and I were searching the literature for information on the intromittent organs of birds. Our plan was to write a review of the subject and to examine the question of why most birds lacked something that seemed so fundamental to reproduction (Briskie and Montgomerie 1997). It soon became clear that the material we required was incomplete and fragmentary. For example, it was well known that male waterfowl (family Anatidae) possessed an intromittent organ, but we could find no information on the closely related screamers (family Anhimidae). Eventually, we dug up an anatomical description of one screamer species from the last century. The work was marvelously detailed and beautifully illustrated, with all of the features of the plumage, skeleton, muscles, and digestive organs presented. But when it came to the genitalia, the relevant regions of the figures and descriptions were mysteriously blank! Victorian sensibilities apparently prevented a discussion of such unmentionables, even among the scientific establishment. It took a trip to a private aviary in England to examine the cloaca of a live bird before we could settle the matter (yes, screamers have a penis). Such prudishness may seem comical today, but it is only in the last few years that evolutionary biologists have taken more than a passing interest in the genitalia of birds. This renewed interest stems from a general upsurge in studies of sexual selection and a desire to un-
Lymphocytic thyroiditis: a correlation of cytological grades with clinical, biochemical and ultrasound findings

Background: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis sometimes referred to as goitrous thyroiditis is a synonym of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis. Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) is one of the most common cause of goiter and hypothyroidism, it is found most commonly in middle aged and young female, but can also occur in other age groups, including children. Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis can be graded based on cytomorphology. In this study an attempt has been made to correlate the grades with clinical findings, biochemical levels and ultrasonography findings. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted on 309 patients in the Department of Pathology, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam. The various parameters like patient’s clinical presentation, biochemical levels and thyroid ultrasound were studied. Fine needle aspiration of thyroid gland and grading of thyroiditis was done on smears. The grades were correlated with above parameters and the correlation indices were evaluated statistically. Chi-square tests were used for statistical correlation and p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Most of the patients were females (297, 96.11%) who commonly presented with a diffuse goiter (263, 85.11%). Asymptomatic cases (193, 62.46%) and elevated TSH (194, 62.78%) were common. Most of the cases had grade I/II disease (299, 96.76%) by cytology. Conclusion: FNAC is a simple, safe and cost effective procedure and is a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool in diagnosing chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Cytological grading of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis helps in assessing the severity of the disease and can predict the thyroid functional status. A combined approach of cytological grading of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis along with ultrasonography and biochemical levels can detect subclinical hypothyroid states and provide a guide to therapy.
Contrasting biogeochemistry of six trace metals during the rise and decay of a spring phytoplankton bloom in San Francisco Bay

The spring 2003 phytoplankton bloom in South San Francisco Bay (South Bay) affected the cycling of Mn, Co, Zn, Ni, and Pb, but not Cu. We followed this diatom bloom for 2 months, capturing a peak in chlorophyll a (Chl a) of >150 µg L−1 and then an increase in dissolved organic carbon of >400 µmol L−1 as phytoplankton decomposed. To determine how the stages of the bloom affected metal concentrations, we used principal component analysis to reduce our 15 water chemistry variables into a bloom factor, a sorbent factor, and a decay factor. Increasing values of the bloom factor, which was a composite of dissolved oxygen, Chl a, and other variables, significantly accounted for reductions in dissolved Mn, Ni, and Pb. We attributed those declines to microbial oxidation, phytoplankton uptake, and sorption onto phytoplankton, respectively. In contrast, dissolved Cu concentrations were not explained by either the bloom or decay factors, consistent with previous studies showing its strong organic complexation and limited bioavailability in South Bay. The decay factor significantly accounted for increases in dissolved Mn, Co, Zn, and Pb. Decomposing bloom material presumably caused suboxic conditions in surface sediments, resulting in release of metals to overlying waters during reductive dissolution of Mn and Fe (hydr)oxides. These alterations in metal cycling during a nutrient‐enriched bloom were evidence of eutrophication. Annually, phytoplankton productivity has the potential to affect metal retention in the estuary; in 2003, 75% of Ni discharged into lower South Bay by wastewater treatment plants was cycled through phytoplankton.
A reassessment of frequency and vocabulary size in L2 vocabulary teaching1

The high-frequency vocabulary of English has traditionally been thought to consist of the 2,000 most frequent word families, and low-frequency vocabulary as that beyond the 10,000 frequency level. This paper argues that these boundaries should be reassessed on pedagogic grounds. Based on a number of perspectives (including frequency and acquisition studies, the amount of vocabulary necessary for English usage, the range of graded readers, and dictionary defining vocabulary), we argue that high-frequency English vocabulary should include the most frequent 3,000 word families. We also propose that the low-frequency vocabulary boundary should be lowered to the 9,000 level, on the basis that 8–9,000 word families are sufficient to provide the lexical resources necessary to be able to read a wide range of authentic texts (Nation 2006). We label the vocabulary between high-frequency (3,000) and low-frequency (9,000+) as mid-frequency vocabulary. We illustrate the necessity of mid-frequency vocabulary for proficient language use, and make some initial suggestions for research addressing the pedagogical challenge raised by mid-frequency vocabulary.
The Effect of Auditory Fatigue on Reaction Time in Normal Hearing Listeners

vi Chapter I: Introduction 1 Chapter II: Methods 10 Chapter III: Results 15 Chapter IV: Discussion 19 Discussion 19 Reaction time in quiet 20 Was the thirty minute listening enough to introduce fatigue? 22 Limitations of the current study 23 Conclusions 24 References 25 Appendix A: IRB approval and consent form 31 Appendix B: List of nonsense syllables used in this study 34
Asset Pricing Model Conditional on Up and Down Market for Emerging Market: The Case of Pakistan

This study tests the validity of asset pricing model conditional on up and down market for emerging market of Pakistan. The results indicate that when emerging market undergoes negative market excess return, basic capital asset pricing model is inaccurate to predict stock returns. Although the conditional asset pricing model accurately predicts the risk-return trade off with beta as sole determinant of stock returns when there is up market, however yet it is significantly variant during down market where significant impact of residuals is evinced on stock returns. The market excess returns of up and down markets are also found asymmetric.