Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvement of Symmetrical Gait Index in People with Chronic Stroke

Objective: To compare the effect of the forward and the backward partial body weight support (PBWS) treadmill training on gait symmetrical index (SI) in people with chronic stroke. Methods: Twenty people with chronic stroke were allocated into two groups; the forward (n = 10) and the backward (n = 10) PBWS treadmill training groups. Participants in both groups were matched by age range and severity score assessing by the Brunnstrom stage. They received the training program for 80 minutes over at least 2 sessions per week for 12 sessions. The program consisted of 60 minutes of the conventional physical therapy treatment and 20 minutes of the treadmill training (backward or forward). Gait SI variables were assessed and were compared within and between groups. Results: For within group comparisons, the forward PBWS treadmill training showed significant differences of the step length symmetry ( p -value = 0.009) and the single support time symmetry ( p -value = 0.037) between pre- and post-training. Whereas, no significant difference of any gait SI variables was found between pre- and post-training in the backward PBWS treadmill training group. In between groups comparison, participants in the forward PBWS treadmill training group showed greater walking improvement than those of the backward PBWS treadmill training group in step length symmetry ( p -value=0.019). While, participants in the backward PBWS treadmill training group showed greater improvement than those of the forward PBWS treadmill training group in the step time symmetry ( p -value = 0.049). Conclusions: After 12 sessions of training, the forward PBWS treadmill training group showed significant improvement in the step length symmetry and the single support time symmetry. Whereas, the backward PBWS treadmill training group show no significant improvement in all gait SI. When compare difference between groups, the forward PBWS treadmill training group showed greater improvement than those of the backward PBWS treadmill training group in the step length symmetry. Whereas, the backward PBWS treadmill training group showed greater improvement than those of the forward PBWS treadmill training group in the step time symmetry. Keywords : Stroke, Forward walking, Backward walking, Treadmill training with partial body weight support, Gait asymmetry
Content of lead, cadmium, and mercury in the liver and kidneys of silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in relation to age and reproduction disorders.

Lead, cadmium, and mercury were estimated in the liver and kidneys of 30 silver foxes from one fur fox farm. The animals were divided into three groups according to their age and developing reproduction disorders. Cd and Pb were determined by GFAAS with Zeeman correction, whereas Hg by cold vapour technique. Serum levels for Hg and Cd were below minimum detection limit of the method, while Pb accounted ×(n=30)=0.149±0.1145 µg mL -1 . The liver and kidneys contained: 0.378±0.2002 and 0.274±0.1006 µg g -1 of Pb (wet weights); 0.253±0.2836 and 0.288±0.1656 µg g -1 of Cd, and 0.257±0.3403 and 0.600±1.1112 µg g -1 of Hg, respectively. Coefficients of variation, CV%(n=30)) from 11.3% to 304.9% were recorded. Pb content in the serum and liver increased with age; however, that trend was not observed in the case of Cd and Hg. The data within every groups were characterised by wide statistical dispersion; Hg level differed in three magnitude order. The means significantly differed from medians, the most for Hg in kidneys; ×(n=10)=0.871±1.4952 µg g -1 versus µ1/2=0.0220 µg g -1 in group of one-year-old foxes. The highest contents found in the individual animals, Hg>3.4 µg g -1 in the liver and kidneys or Cd>1 µg g -1 in the liver, were considered toxic for health status of the flock, reproductive disorders including.
Investigation of Culverts According to Fish-Passage and Geometric Design of Forest Road

This study was conducted to investigate and compare the existence cross drainage with its standards in forest regions of Savad kooh, Iran. Research was done according to the importance of the planning issue of technical structures in forest roads based on wildlife habitat. In order to assess the characteristics of considered ravine different analysis was respectively carried out to achieve flow direction, flow length, cumulate center and flow rate. The Roadeng software, which has been produced for road construction project, was used to design existent road, streams and culvert in our study area. In this software the level of water depth in culvert is determined with combination of topographic layers, ravine properties (length, direction, flow intensity and catchment area) and status of culvert installation. A result of investigations in study area showed that skew of mounted culverts is not accordance to flow direction. So that, when the culverts causes to skew water flow from its main route it can be a barrier against aquatic migration. In this study the culvert had suitable status in viewpoint of gradient and water level (suitable depth for fish passage). So that, this issue causes to even level flow and balance along culvert. According to the results of this study it can be concluded that the correct installation of culverts in forest roads need accurate scientific studies in field of road engineering, forest and fishing.
EXPLORING EDUCATIONAL EFFICIENCY DIVERGENCES ACROSS SPANISH REGIONS IN PISA 2006

Recently published results from the PISA 2006 Report show the existence of significant differences in performance scores among students from different Spanish regions participating in this evaluation. The aim of this paper is to use the information provided by this dataset in order to identify the causes of those divergences after controlling for educational inputs and environmental variables. For this purpose, we explicitly consider that education is a multi-input multi-output production process subject to inefficient behaviours, which can be identified at student level using a parametric stochastic distance function approach. Our findings suggest that La Rioja and Castile-Leon are the most efficient regions in Spain while Andalusia, Catalonia and the group composed of the regions that do not participate in the PISA with an extended sample are the worst. In addition, we conclude that most divergences in efficiency are attributable to students who are immigrants or repeating some course. In contras, other factors such as class size or the type of school ownership do not seem to account for differences in students’ performance.
Gender Differences in Leadership Styles as a Function of Leader and Subordinates' Sex and Type of Organization

The main purpose of this study is to investigate gender differences in leadership styles and in organizational outcome variables, together with the influence of organizational/contextual variables on leadership styles in female and male participants in Spain. The sample comprised 226 participants (35 leaders and 191 subordinates) belonging to 35 work teams. The general findings show that only 2 of the 10 tested leadership styles are different for female and male leaders. Specifically, subordinates rate female leaders as more autocratic and negotiating than men, and this evaluation varies according to the subordinates’ sex. We also found that some differences in the rating of female and male leaders depend on whether the organization is stereotypically feminine or masculine. In spite of the progress in the last few years, statistics clearly show that the presence of women in managerial positions is still far from equaling that of men. This increases progressively the highest when going up in the hierarchy of the organizational pyramid. In 2009, women accounted for an average of just 3% of the presidents of the largest companies in each of the European Union States members and less than 11% of board members (European Commission, 2010). The term “glass ceiling” was coined at the end of the 1980s to describe the existence of a set of invisible barriers that impede many qualified women from reaching positions of responsibility in organizations (Morrison, White, & Van Velsor, 1987).
Genotoxic Effect of Atrazine, Arsenic, Cadmium and Nitrate, Individually and in Mixtures at Maximum Contaminant Levels on mammalian Breast Cell Lines

There is strong evidence that hormonally active agents (HAAs) such as Atrazine (ATZ), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As) and Nitrate (NO 3 ) have both estrogenic activity and carcinogenic potential. Atrazine has clastogenic effects and may also act as tumor promoter as it induces the aromatase enzyme. Arsenic and Cadmium have been implicated in the etiology of skin, lung, prostate and liver cancers. Nitrate in drinking water has been found to increase the risk of bladder cancer. This study examined the genotoxicity of the aforementioned HAAs alone and in mixtures using mammalian breast cell lines, MCF-7 and MCF-10A, which are estrogen receptorpositive (ER+) and estrogen receptor-negative (ER-), respectively. To study the clastogenic potential by whole cell and flow karyotype damage, cells were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of ATZ, Cd, As and NO 3 for 4 and 7 days. Results indicated that all treatments induced whole cell clastogenicity in MCF-7 cells; except Cd and NO3 after 4 and 7 days as well as the 10% quaternary As mixture after 1 week. In MCF-10A cells, all treatments except the 10% mixture induced whole cell clastogenicity after 4 days, where flow karyotype damage was detected in all treatments except for the 10% mixture after 1 week. Estrogen caused whole cell damage but not flow karyotype damage in MCF-7. On the other hand, estrogen caused flow karyotype damage and not whole cell damage in MCF-10A cells, suggesting that estrogen receptor modulated the genotoxicity of estrogen. Cd caused flow karyotype damage but not whole cell damage in MCF-7 indicating that Cd’s gentoxicity is not related to its estrogenic activity. Keywords: HAAs, clastogenicity, flow-karyotype, genotoxicity, MCF-7, MCF-10A
Information technology and total factor productivity

This paper employs the manufacturing firm-level data of Taiwan to explore the issue of whether information technology investment brings about the Solow productivity paradox. In order to take into account the improvement of product quality caused by information technology investment, a hedonic price index is used to deflate the information technology variable. Besides the general specification of Cobb-Douglas production function, this paper considers the impact of information technology on total factor productivity, capital and labor productivity through substitution by applying a non-neutral production function.
Irruptive prey dynamics following the groundfish collapse in the Northwest Atlantic: an illusion?

The collapse of Northwest Atlantic groundfish in the early 1990s yielded a “natural experiment” within which to explore responses of ecosystems to a major perturbation. The “Pelagic Outburst” hypothesis was developed to explain an up to 900% increase in the abundance of small-bodied forage fishes and macroinvertebrates following this collapse and a subsequent trophic cascade extending across four trophic levels. Recently, this theory has been challenged and an alternative “Suprabenthic Habitat Occupation” (SHO) hypothesis has been advanced; it proposes the prey outburst associated with the forage fish component was an illusion created by changes in the vertical distribution of small pelagic fishes after the cod collapse in favour of a more bottom-oriented distribution that increased their vulnerability to bottom trawls. We evaluated the SHO hypothesis as it applied to the relationship between changes in the biomass of cod and the vertical distribution of herring and sand lance, the major small pelagic species of the Scotian Shelf ecosystem off eastern Nova Scotia. Contrary to predictions of the SHO hypothesis our initial conclusion that a pelagic outburst occurred in that ecosystem was confirmed and we found no evidence of a predator effect on vertical distributions of these species. We also explored the acoustic survey design and execution that generated the data that form the cornerstone of the SHO hypothesis, and the coherence between the behaviour depicted in these data and catch rates in the surface-oriented purse-seine fishery for herring operating at the time of these surveys. In combination, the results of our re-analysis of the population dynamics and behaviour of herring on the eastern Scotian Shelf, lead us to conclude that the SHO hypothesis, at least as it relates to the post-cod collapse dynamics of the affected Northwest Atlantic ecosystems, is not supported.
Distribution of major elements in Atlantic surface sediments (36°N–49°S): Imprint of terrigenous input and continental weathering

Numerous studies use major element concentrations measured on continental margin sediments to reconstruct terrestrial climate variations. The choice and interpretation of climate proxies however differ from site to site. Here we map the concentrations of major elements (Ca, Fe, Al, Si, Ti, K) in Atlantic surface sediments (36°N–49°S) to assess the factors influencing the geochemistry of Atlantic hemipelagic sediments and the potential of elemental ratios to reconstruct different terrestrial climate regimes. High concentrations of terrigenous elements and low Ca concentrations along the African and South American margins reflect the dominance of terrigenous input in these regions. Single element concentrations and elemental ratios including Ca (e.g., Fe/Ca) are too sensitive to dilution effects (enhanced biological productivity, carbonate dissolution) to allow reliable reconstructions of terrestrial climate. Other elemental ratios reflect the composition of terrigenous material and mirror the climatic conditions within the continental catchment areas. The Atlantic distribution of Ti/Al supports its use as a proxy for eolian versus fluvial input in regions of dust deposition that are not affected by the input of mafic rock material. The spatial distributions of Al/Si and Fe/K reflect the relative input of intensively weathered material from humid regions versus slightly weathered particles from drier areas. High biogenic opal input however influences the Al/Si ratio. Fe/K is sensitive to the input of mafic material and the topography of Andean river drainage basins. Both ratios are suitable to reconstruct African and South American climatic zones characterized by different intensities of chemical weathering in well‐understood environmental settings.
Improving ecosystmem function: Facilitating restoration of degraded biocrusts using mixed culture inoculation

OF THE THESIS Improving Ecosystem Function: Facilitating Restoration of Degraded Biocrusts Using Mixed Culture Inoculation by Sharon Muczynski Master of Science in Biology with a Concentration in Ecology San Diego State University, 2014 In arid and semiarid ecosystems where physiological constraints prevent most vascular plant establishment, the biological soil crust (biocrust) community is ecologically critical. The key to the survival of biocrust is the versatility and adaptability of cyanobacteria and green algae. The organismal construct of the biocrust community is especially vulnerable to compressional forces, and is slow to recover without assistance. Given the importance of biocrusts to so many aspects of healthy ecosytem function, it would be advantageous if land managers prioritized restoring damaged biocrusts. Coastal sage scrub (CSS) is a unique and imperiled valuable habitat and is nearly unmatched in the biodiversity of unique plants and animals. Recent work in biocrust restoration finds that assisted restoration speeds recovery of functionality in biocrusts. At present, studies of biocrust restoration in CSS habitat do not exist. This study examines the feasibility of isolating and culturing a mix of endemic CSS cyanobacteria and green algae to inoculate native CSS soil, thereby facilitating recovery of disturbed biological soil crusts. It further looks at markers for culture growth, chlorophyll a, extractable polysaccharides, and stability, to gauge whether inoculation and growth of the culture have increased soil function. Growth of the mixed culture and increases in functionality are compared between autoclaved soil inoculations and native soil inoculations to determine the extent that native crust organisms can regrow without inoculation, and how the inoculum interacts with the native microbial community. A putative novel genus and species of cyanobacteria related to Leptolyngbya was isolated and tentatively included in the genus, Trichotorquatus. The mixed culture included a green algae, possibly a species of Trebouxia. Mixed inoculum added to native soil significantly increased chorophyll a levels and soil stability, and increased extractable polysaccharides after just two months, demonstrating recovery of function. Autoclaving soil reduced increases in functionality indicating the importance of the intact soil community for growth. It may be possible in the future to restore biocrust in CSS using mixed culture inoculation.
Modelling and Simulation of Momentum, Heat, and Mass Transfer in a Deep-Bed Grain Dryer

Abstract This article concerns the modelling and simulation of a deep-bed grain dryer in a large diameter-column. Two-dimensional (2D) models of deep-bed grain dryers were built by considering simultaneously momentum, heat, and mass transfer in the drying phase together with coupled heat and mass balance in the grain phase. The dynamic equations are solved numerically by using finite difference method. The momentum equations are applied to simulate pressure drop and velocity field of the drying air across the bed. The mass and heat balance in the two phases determine the profile of temperature and moisture content in both phases. Further, drying rate curves for various temperature of inlet drying gas together with moisture content of grain were simulated. The simulated profiles are in close agreement with experimental data.
Amalgamation of Scanning paths and Modified Hill Cipher for Secure Steganography

In the era of modern technology, secured exchange of information is of high priority. Security is needed to exchange range of data from military intelligence to personal information. Therefore, it is important to develop methods to exchange this information through insecure channels without being compromised. In this paper a new method is proposed to hide information in a gray scale image. The secret data is encrypted using a modified version of Hill cipher algorithm. The encrypted data is then embedded in the cover image. The method used is LSB substitution. In this paper, various methods of scanning patterns have been proposed that can be used embed the secret image inside a cover image. Scanning patterns are the patterns of accessing the pixels in the image. The scanning patterns used in this paper are raster horizontal, raster vertical, snake horizontal, snake vertical, Z horizontal and Z vertical.
The effect of internal control and anti-fraud awareness on fraud prevention (A survey on inter-governmental organizations)

The objectives of this research are to analyze the effect of internal control and anti-fraud awareness on the fraud prevention in inter-governmental organization. Fraud prevention is devoted in the procurement process. This study used internal control and anti-fraud awareness as independent variable, while fraud prevention as the dependent variable. In addition, it also used a convenience sampling for collecting the data. The sample of the data was taken using questionnaires which were distributed to Indonesian Staff who had been involved or they had participated in the procurement process. The total number of the sample was 58 respondents. Furthermore, the data were analyzed by means of multiple regressions. The results showed that internal control and anti-fraud awareness have significant effects on fraud prevention. It indicates that the action of doing fraud can be prevented by establishing a good internal control and increasing anti-fraud awareness to all parties in the organization.
Laser cladding and wear testing of nickel base hardfacing materials influence of process parameters

In fast neutron reactors, some parts can be subjected to displacements between each other (as movable parts for example). On these parts, the contact areas usually need a hardfacing coating. The standard hardfacing alloy is a cobalt-base alloy (for example Stellite®6). Unfortunately, in the primary coolant circuit and on wear conditions, cobalt can be released. Under neutron flux, the stable 59Co can be transmuted into 60Co by radioactive capture of neutrons and, therefore, can contaminate the primary circuit. Therefore, it is desired to replace this cobalt based hardfacing alloy by a cobalt-free one. Previous presentations have shown the potential interest of some nickel base materials as Colmonoy® alloy. In parallel, laser cladding has been identified as a deposition process that could increase the performances of the hardfacing materials compared to the standard process (Plasma Transferred Arc Welding). In all the study, the base material is the stainless steel 316LN. In the first section of this artic.
A Gendered Assessment of the ‘‘Threat of Victimization’’: Examining Gender Differences in Fear of Crime, Perceived Risk, Avoidance, and Defensive Behaviors

Rader has called for a change in how researchers study fear of crime, suggesting that fear of crime, perceptions of risk, and experiences with victimization are interrelated dimensions of the larger ‘‘threat of victimization’’ concept. In this study, the authors examine how each independent dimension affects additional theoretical dimensions of the ‘‘threat of victimization’’ and how these relationships vary by gender. Using data from residents of Kentucky, the authors estimate a series of multivariate linear and logistic regression models. The findings presented here suggest that gender differences do exist in the components of the threat of victimization and that many of the relationships in the Rader model are multifaceted, including the relationship between perceived risk, fear of crime, and avoidance and defensive behaviors. Implications of these findings for future research regarding predictors of the threat of victimization are discussed.
Breeding for culinary and nutritional quality of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in intercropping systems with maize (Zea mays L.)

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is widely intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.) in the North of Spain. Breeding beans for multiple cropping systems is important for the development of a productive and sustainable agriculture, and is mainly oriented to minimize intercrop competition and to stabilize complementarity with maize. Most agricultural research on intercropping to date has focused on the agronomic and overall yield effects of the different species, but characters related with socio-economic and food quality aspects are also important. The effect of intercropping beans with maize on food seed quality traits was studied for thirty-five bush bean varieties under different environments in Galicia (Northwestern Spain). Parameters determining Asturian (Northern Spain) white bean commercial and culinary quality have also been evaluated in fifteen accessions. There are significant differences between varieties in the selected cropping systems (sole crop, intercrop with field maize and intercrop with sweet maize) for dry and soaked seed weight, coat proportion, crude protein, crude fat and moisture. Different white bean accessions have been chosen according to their culinary quality. Under these environmental conditions it appears that intercropping systems with sweet maize give higher returns than sole cropping system. It is also suggested that the culinary and nutritional quality potential of some white bean accessions could be the base material in a breeding programme the objectives of which are to develop varieties giving seeds with high food quality.