Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical Review of the Literature: Does phonological awareness predict oral reading in individuals with Down syndrome?

This critical review examined whether phonological awareness predicts oral reading in individuals with Down syndrome in six studies. Study designs included: one single-group pre-post test research study, two single- group post-test only research studies, and three case-control research studies. Overall, the evidence suggests that phonological awareness does not predict oral reading in individuals with Down syndrome. The results were not strong enough to suggest clinicians to use phonological awareness skills to teach oral reading to individuals with Down syndrome. Further research is needed in this area.
The Effects of Macrophage Polarity on Influenza Virus Replication and Innate Immune Responses

Different pathways of macrophage differentiation and activation lead to diverse macrophage phenotypes including expression of cell surface molecules, cytokine secretion and transcription profiles. Here we investigated in vitro the impact of inflammatory or anti-inflammatory polarization of human primary macrophages on their susceptibility to Influenza A virus infection and characterised innate immune responses in infected cells. M2 M-CSF+IL4 macrophages showed greater susceptibility to influenza A infection than M1 GM-CSF+interferon (IFN)γ macrophages.
The wild plants used as traditional medicines by indigenous people of Manokwari, West Papua

Lense O.2012. The wild plants used as traditional medicines by indigenous people of Manokwari, West Papua.Biodiversitas13:98-106. The aims of the research were to identify the main plant species which are used as traditional medicines by native people in Manokwari District,WestPapua Province and also t o describe the method of preparation and uses of some of the medicinal plants . This research wasconductedin seven sub-regencies, ie. Manokwari, Ransiki, Kebar, Wasior, Mimyambouw, Merdey and Anggi -Sururey sub-District. Information recorded including methods of diagnosis and treatment of diseases ,tribal name of a plant they used for treating disease (s), part of the plant used ,preparation and mode of application ,andwhether the plant is used alone or in combination with other plants. Results indicate that the indigenous people in Manokwari Districthave been using at least 99 plant species (93 genera and 59 families) as sources of medicines. Most of these traditional medicinal plants are commonly gathered from the local tropical rainforest communities.At least40 kind of sickness and injuries such as malaria, fever, and wounds can be treated by using traditional medicinal plants from ManokwariDistrict.Reserach also found that all parts of plantsused, but leaf extracts are the most common part of the plant used for treating medical condition .
Larger aftershocks happen farther away: Nonseparability of magnitude and spatial distributions of aftershocks

Aftershocks may be driven by stress concentrations left by the main shock rupture or by elastic stress transfer to adjacent fault sections or strands. Aftershocks that occur within the initial rupture may be limited in size, because the scale of the stress concentrations should be smaller than the primary rupture itself. On the other hand, aftershocks that occur on adjacent fault segments outside the primary rupture may have no such size limitation. Here we use high‐precision double‐difference relocated earthquake catalogs to demonstrate that larger aftershocks occur farther away than smaller aftershocks, when measured from the centroid of early aftershock activity—a proxy for the initial rupture. Aftershocks as large as or larger than the initiating event nucleate almost exclusively in the outer regions of the aftershock zone. This observation is interpreted as a signature of elastic rebound in the earthquake catalog and can be used to improve forecasting of large aftershocks.
CHARACTERIZATION OF CHEMICALLY SYNTHESIZED Mn DOPED ZnS NANOPARTICLES

Nanoparticles of undoped and manganese doped zinc sulphide (Zn1-xMnxS, where x = 0.00, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.10) were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. Structural characterization of as synthesized semiconductor nanoparticles were performed by X ray diffraction pattern (XRD) while optical characterization were done by UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy. XRD pattern showed that the synthesized Mn doped ZnS nanoparticles have cubic structure with 3-4 nm average crystallite size. Optical absorption measurements indicated red shift in the absorption band edge upon Mn doping. Direct allowed band gap of undoped and Mn- doped ZnS nanoparticles measured by UVVIS spectro-photometer were 2.95 to 2.85 eV at 400 o C.
Development of trade blocs in an era of globalization: Proximity still matters

This article describes the development of international trade blocs world wide from the 1950s till 2010. We updated the data on international trade flows and introduced a new trade bloc variable based on the intramax hierarchical clustering technique, which defines trade blocs on actual trade intensities and not - as was preciously done - by traditional geographic and political factors: such as the division into a triad of economic regions based on North America, the European Union and Japan. Nevertheless, the results of intramax hierarchical clustering indicate that actual trade flows are very much influenced by geographical and political factors; after all, proximity matters. To explain how mechanism of globalization changed trade patterns over the last half century and how - in the end - proximity is one of the most explanatory variables - we furthermore apply multivariate analysis with gravity-model based variables aims to explain which geographical, political and cultural factors do contribute to the (importance of) proximity in trade partners. In addition we also apply GIS to analyze patterns and proximity issues.
Life cycles and growth rates of two morphotypes of Cystodytes (Ascidiacea) in the western Mediterranean

The reproductive cycles, growth and survival of the 2 most abundant color morphs (blue and purple) of the colonial ascidian Cystodytes occurring in the western Mediterranean were studied over a period of 20 mo. Previous reports have assigned the 2 morphotypes to the nominal species C. dellechiajei. A seasonal pattern emerged, in which larval release occurred in late spring and sum- mer, followed by a period of active growth. Significant differences between morphotypes were also detected: the cycles of both reproduction and growth rates of the purple morph lagged 1 to 2 mo behind those of the blue morph. Within morphotypes, the time course of reproductive activity and growth rates also displayed a temporal lag that suggests partitioning of resources to either reproduc- tion or growth. In particular, the growth rates of the 2 morphotypes peaked when reproductive activ- ity was at its lowest. There were no significant differences in mortality between these forms, and in both cases a significant negative correlation was found between mortality and size. In the blue morph, maximal growth rate was negatively correlated with size, whilst no significant relationship between growth rate and size was detected in the purple morph. There were no significant differ- ences in growth between colonies of the purple morph that were in contact with the toxic sponge Crambe crambe and those that were not. The differences found in the reproductive cycles of these 2 morphotypes match previously reported genetic and chemical divergences.
Masculinities in student politics: Gendered discourses of struggle and liberation at the University of Limpopo

The article examines the role of discourses of struggle and liberation in the performance of gender in student politics at the University of Limpopo. Moving from an understanding of how discourses of masculinity intertwine with the discourses of student activism and the struggle against apartheid, the article analyses the elections held for the Students’ Representatives Council (SRC) at Turfloop Campus in October 2006. It is argued that male student politicians draw on struggle history and revocations of African traditionalism in ways that keep them at the centre of student politics, while female students are kept on the margins as a muted group. The article aims to show how male and female students position themselves as gendered beings in the realm of student politics; and how, in the process, discourses of gender and the struggle translate into social practice. The analysis shows that it is not fruitful to view discourses of gender in isolation from other discourses. Rather, the reading of the student elections points to the need for a careful examination of how discourses of gender are entangled in broader discourses of hegemony at the political level; and not least how organisations and individual actors engage with these discourses.
Mountain-Shaped Coupler for Ultra Wideband Applications

This paper demonstrates a novel mountain- shaped design for a compact 3-dB coupler operating at ultra-wideband (UWB) frequencies from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. The proposed design was accomplished using multilayer technology in which the structure is formed by three layers of conductors interleaved by a layer of sub- strate between each conductor layer. Simulation was car- ried out using CST Microwave Studio; the result was then compared with results from rectangular and star-shaped couplers that implemented the same technique. The results obtained show that the proposed new coupler has better performance compared to both rectangular and star- shaped coupler designs in terms of return loss, isolation, and phase difference. The coupler was fabricated and measured; the measurement results satisfactorily agree with the simulation results.
Oceanic control of sea level rise patterns along the East Coast of the United States

Along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. from Florida to Maine, sea level rise (SLR) shows notable patterns and significant deviation from the global mean, which have been attributed to land subsidence. Consistent with several recent studies, we analyze various observation and modeling data, and find that ocean dynamics is also an important factor in explaining these coastal SLR patterns. Despite a southward shift since the 1990s, an overall northward shift of the Gulf Stream during the twentieth century contributed to the faster SLR in the Mid‐Atlantic region (North Carolina to New Jersey). In response to the 21st century climatic forcing, the rise (fall) of the dynamic sea level north (south) of Cape Hatteras is mainly induced by the significant decline of ocean density contrast across the Gulf Stream. This baroclinic process is the likely cause of the recent switch of the coastal SLR to a pattern with faster (slower) rates north (south) of Cape Hatteras.
Cold maceration and the quality of Žilavka wine

Controlling skin contact conditions is vital to obtain high quality white wines and it has become a standard procedure in many white wine- production areas. The aim of this work was to investigate the changes in composition and sensory properties of Žilavka wines obtained with different cold skin contact time. Results indicate that cold maceration positively influence the quality of Žilavka wines. The results pointed out significant increase in dry extract, ash, total phenol and decrease in tartaric acid content in Žilavka wines obtained by 10 or 20 hours cold maceration period. Best organoleptic quality of Žilavka wines was obtained by cold maceration at 10 °C during 20 hours period.
Superresolution Interferometric Imaging with Sparse Modeling Using Total Squared Variation: Application to Imaging the Black Hole Shadow

We propose a new imaging technique for interferometry using sparse modeling, utilizing two regularization terms: the ℓ1-norm and a new function named total squared variation (TSV) of the brightness distribution. First, we demonstrate that our technique may achieve a superresolution of ∼30% compared with the traditional CLEAN beam size using synthetic observations of two point sources. Second, we present simulated observations of three physically motivated static models of Sgr A* with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) to show the performance of proposed techniques in greater detail. Remarkably, in both the image and gradient domains, the optimal beam size minimizing root-mean-squared errors is ≲10% of the traditional CLEAN beam size for ℓ1+TSV regularization, and non-convolved reconstructed images have smaller errors than beam-convolved reconstructed images. This indicates that TSV is well matched to the expected physical properties of the astronomical images and the traditional post-processing technique of Gaussian convolution in interferometric imaging may not be required. We also propose a feature-extraction method to detect circular features from the image of a black hole shadow and use it to evaluate the performance of the image reconstruction. With this method and reconstructed images, the EHT can constrain the radius of the black hole shadow with an accuracy of ∼10%–20% in present simulations for Sgr A*, suggesting that the EHT would be able to provide useful independent measurements of the mass of the supermassive black holes in Sgr A* and also another primary target, M87.
Microanalysis of leaves of Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt. under saline conditions

Water deficit and salinity are the sources of abiotic stress that impose more limits on the utilization of plant resources. In the Chenopodiaceae family, the species of the genus Atriplex possess adaptations that provide them with advantages in saline environments. In Mexico, this genus is considered an important ecological resource; however, there is little information on its physiology. With the aim of contributing to the knowledge of the adaptations of this genus, 30-day seedlings of A. canescens were subjected to salinity for 12, 24 and 48 hours, and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The images showed that the surface of the leaves had abundant trichomes with vacuoles of 10-70 µm, which both promote and delimit the formation of crystals. Microanalysis suggests that these vacuoles store water and ions in an orderly fashion; the most abundant ions are Cl - , Na + and K + . Magnesium was the only element present at all exposure times, suggesting its importance for the function of the gland. Cl - and K + were detected after 12 hours of exposure; however, the concentration of K + decreased after 48 hours and was gradually replaced by Na + .
Effects of Increase in Body Mass Index Category during Pregnancy on Pregnancy Outcome

هديكچ همدقم : نزو ييرگ ط ي رادراب ي نکمم ازـفا هـب رـجنم تسا ي صخاـش ش ندب هدوت ي (BMI) هک دوش دراد ناـکما ازـفا اـب ي ـط ضراوـع ش ي يرادراب دوش هارهم . زا نآ اج ا رد هک ي تروص هعلاطم نونکات نار سررب فده اب هعلاطم نيا ،هتفرگن يرثأت ي ازـفا ي هدوـت صخاـش ش ندب ي ط رد ي يرادراب رب تسا هتفرگ مانجا يرادراب تشونرس . ور و داوم ش اه : ط ي ي عطقم هعلاطم ک ي ) Cross-sectional ( ط ي لاس 1385 1384 يور 1805 رادراب نماخ ي ولق ک ، ندـب هدوـت صخاش ي و ادـتبا اهتنا ي رادراب ي و ندب هدوت صخاش هورگ ي رب سـقت ساـسا ي م دـنب ي درگ صخشم درادناتسا ي د . ازفا ي ندب هدوت صخاش ش ي تروص هب توافت ب ين ندب هدوت صخاش ي لوا ي خاش و ه ندب هدوت ص ي از نامز يم هبـسامح نا درگ ي د . غت طابترا يري ندب هدوت صخاش هورگ ي رادراب تشونرس اب ،ي زورـب لماش هرـپ يسـپملاآا موزورکاـم ، ي د ، ي رادراـب تـبا ي اـب نومزآ زا هدافتسا اه ي رامآ ي کي سنايراو هفرط ) ANOVA ( اـک و ي – رئوکسا (Chi-square) سررب دروم ي تفرگ رارق . اتن ي ج : نيا رد ،هعلاطم ازفا مدع ي ندـب هدوت صخاش هورگ رد ش ي تشادن دوجو . 207 رفن ) 4 / 11 دصرد ( ي هورگ ک ، 759 رفن ) 42 دـصرد ( و هورگ ود 839 رفن ) 5 / 46 دصرد ( ـب ي هورـگ ود زا ش ، ازـفا ي رد ش دنتشاد يندب هدوت صخاش . دارفا لکرد ، ازفا ي هورگ ش ، هدوت صخاش يندب I م اـب ـي ـب ناز ي ش رـت ي عوـقو زا هرـپ ـپملاآا يس ) 000 / 0 p< ( ، موزورکاــ م ي ) 012 / 0 p< ( ، نوخراشــ ف يرادراــ ب ) 05 / 0 p< ( و د ي تــ با رادراب ي ) 000 / 0 p< ( هارهم دوب . تن ي هج گ ير ي : ازفا ي هورگ رد ش دنب ي يندـب هدوـت صخاش ازـفا اـب ي ش رطخ ياه يرادراب تسا هارهم .
Abundance of root nodules on common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris

Legumes such as common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. are climate-smart protein sources which can be part of sustainable agriculture and eating habits to increase the resilience in our food system. Common bean cultivation in Sweden is expanding to new and larger areas where common bean has not been grown before, and it is currently unclear whether farmers should be recommend to inoculate with efficient rhizobia when sowing common bean on fields where the crop has not been grown before. To evaluate the need for inoculation, this study has examined root nodulation of common bean plants cultivated on fields with and without a recent history of common bean cultivation. Farmer’s fields on the two Swedish islands Oland and Gotland were used for the investigations and a farmer survey was conducted to collect information about the fields. Soil pH, root nodules and plant biomass were measured at pod fill and pods as well as residual plant biomass were measured at full maturity. There was a clear difference in presence of root nodules between the two types of fields. Both root nodule abundance and proportion of active root nodules per plant with root nodules were significantly higher on fields with a recent history of common bean cultivation than on fields where common bean was not cultivated for at least 20 years. However, neither aboveground biomass weight at pod fill, nor pod weight at maturity were significantly correlated with number of root nodules or proportion of active root nodule. These results emphasize the importance of giving recommendations to inoculate common bean seeds with the right species of rhizobium bacteria before sowing, when cultivating common bean on a field for the first time. An additional recommendation might be to decrease the amount of nitrogen fertilization of common bean, since common bean plants grew well even with a very low abundance of root nodules and where many of them were inactive, indicating that soils contained enough plant-available nitrogen for plant growth without help of nitrogen fixation. However, further investigations are needed before to give firm recommendations on reduced nitrogen fertilization of common bean.
Adaptive tests of qualitative hypotheses

We propose a test of a qualitative hypothesis on the mean of a n -Gaussian vector. The testing procedure is available when the variance of the observations is unknown and does not depend on any prior information on the alternative. The properties of the test are non-asymptotic. For testing positivity or monotonicity, we establish separation rates with respect to the Euclidean distance, over subsets of which are related to Holderian balls in functional spaces. We provide a simulation study in order to evaluate the procedure when the purpose is to test monotonicity in a functional regression model and to check the robustness of the procedure to non-Gaussian errors.
A general template to configure multi-criteria problems in Ubiquitous GDSS

This work is part-funded by ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) within project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028980 (PTDC/EEISII/1386/2012) and by National Funds through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) with the Joao Carneiro PhD grant with the reference SFRH/BD/89697/2012.
Physiological and Chemical Studies on the Bioconversion of Glycyrrhizin by Aspergillus niger NRRL595

Glycyrrhizin (GL), the well-known sweet saponin of licorice, has been used as a food-additive and as a medicine. Its aglycone, glycyrrhetic acid (GA) showed antiinflamatory, antiulcer and antiviral properties. GA is now produced form GL by acid hydrolysis. However, it is difficult to obtain GA in a good yield by using this method, because many by-products are also produced. Screening of different microorganisms (13 bacteria, 2 yeasts and 23 fungi) for production of GA from GL revealed that Aspergillus niger NRRL 595 produced the highest yield of GA. The bioconversion of GL by A. niger NRRL 595 for 96 h, followed by isolation and purification of the transformation products led to the separation of two conversion products, namely: GA and 3-oxo-GA. Confirmation of the identity of these products was established by determination of their Rf values, m.p., and IR, UV, MS and NMR spectra. The conditions for cultivation of this fungus with the maximum hydrolytic activity for the maximum yield of GA were investigated. Based on the results, A. niger NRRL 595 was cultivated with a medium composed of 1.75 % GL, 0.5 % glucose, 0.8 % corn steep liquor at pH 6.5 at 32 °C for 96 h. The cultivation of fungal cells under the latter conditions afforded GA and 3-oxo-GA in a yield of 65 % and 22 %, respectively.
Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of Er3+:Y2SiO5 using a Josephson bifurcation amplifier: Observation of hyperfine and quadrupole structures

We performed magnetic field and frequency tunable electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of an Er$^{3+}$ doped Y$_2$SiO$_5$ crystal by observing the change in flux induced on a direct current-superconducting quantum interference device (dc-SQUID) loop of a tunable Josephson bifurcation amplifer. The observed spectra show multiple transitions which agree well with the simulated energy levels, taking into account the hyperfine and quadrupole interactions of $^{167}$Er. The sensing volume is about 0.15 pl, and our inferred measurement sensitivity (limited by external flux noise) is approximately $1.5\times10^4$ electron spins for a 1 s measurement. The sensitivity value is two orders of magnitude better than similar schemes using dc-SQUID switching readout.
Transcendental Meditation, Reiki and Yoga: Suffering, Ritual and Self-Transformation

The paper explores three practices of eastern spirituality taken up by westerners for apparently secular purposes. As an 'emic' account that proceeds inductively from the author's experience, it shows how each of these practices is an attempt to change the meaning of suffering through the creative medium of ritual. Rituals are often used as initiations from one form of subjectivity to another. Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, and Reiki are undertaken as means of self-transformation. They may be adopted as 'magical' ways of achieving personal aims, but they also have the potential to take practitioners beyond the ego towards 'sacred' understandings or 'otherness'. The sacred (or 'spiritual'), however, is not necessarily 'the good'. The paper considers the effects of these practices. Do they become forms of self-mastery and power for the individual ego or do they hold out the promise of a more ethical self (in Lévinas's sense of 'ethics')? In other words, do they help resolve the problem of suffering through creating a more communicative body and a self-for-others?