Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological variability of leaves of Sorbus domestica L. in Croatia

The paper studies the morphological variability of the service tree populations in the continental and Mediterranean regions of Croatia. The inter- and intra-population variability, as well as eco-geographic population differentiation, was established on the basis of eight measured morphological characteristics of two types of leaflets (lateral and terminal) and two derived ratios, using descriptive and multivariate statistical methods. The conducted research established a high variability of morphological characteristics. In comparison with lateral leaflets, terminal leaflets showed a higher degree of variability for the majority of the studied variables. The differences between the trees within populations, as well as the differences between populations, were confirmed for all studied characteristics. The study also confirmed a trend of population variations according to the eco-geographic principle. Populations from climatically different and geographically distant habitats, in other words from the Mediterranean and the continental region, differed in the majority of studied characteristics. In addition to the established pattern of ecotypical variability between the continental and the Mediterranean regions, the clinal variability with regard to altitude and mean annual temperature was also confirmed. Small, although statistically significant clinal variability with regard to the longitude was recorded for two measured characteristics. The conducted study provided insights into the variability of the service tree populations in Croatia, which is a basis for further research that should be implemented in order to produce guidelines for the breeding and conservation of genetic resources of this rare and endangered noble hardwood species.
The effect of Exercise Training on Disability due to Low Back Pain in Pregnant Women referred to the Health Centers of Karaj, Iran

Background: Since back pain is the most common pregnancy-related symptom, this study aimed to determine the effect of exercise training on disability due to Low Back Pain (LBP) in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: In this interventional study 120 pregnant women referring to the health centers in Karaj, were randomly assigned into two intervention (n = 60) and control (n = 60) groups, respectively. The demographic questions and standardized Quebec questionnaire were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS software ver. 21 and appropriate statistical tests. Results: Totally 120 pregnant women (60 participants in each group) took part in this study. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of disability due to low back pain before the intervention (P > 05). However, after intervention, the disability score in intervention group was less than the control group significantly (1.4 ± 0.86 in intervention group compared to 2.23 ± 1.12 in control group with P < 0.0001). Conclusion: This study showed that exercise training intervention could reduce disability due to low back pain in pregnant women in third trimester of their pregnancy.
Speed and structure of turbulent fronts in pipe flow

Using extensive direct numerical simulations, the dynamics of laminar–turbulent fronts in pipe flow is investigated for Reynolds numbers between $Re=2000$ and 5500. We here investigate the physical distinction between the fronts of weak and strong slugs both by analysing the turbulent kinetic energy budget and by comparing the downstream front motion to the advection speed of bulk turbulent structures. Our study shows that weak downstream fronts travel slower than turbulent structures in the bulk and correspond to decaying turbulence at the front. At $Re\simeq 2900$ the downstream front speed becomes faster than the advection speed, marking the onset of strong fronts. In contrast to weak fronts, turbulent eddies are generated at strong fronts by feeding on the downstream laminar flow. Our study also suggests that temporal fluctuations of production and dissipation at the downstream laminar–turbulent front drive the dynamical switches between the two types of front observed up to $Re\simeq 3200$ .
Host tree specificity and seed germination of Dendrobium aphyllum (Roxb.) C.E.C. Fisch. in Sri Lanka

Tree species can be considered as hosts for many epiphytes and the orchids, as epiphytes, display a biased distribution among hosts. It is possible that the barks of these hosts have some chemical and physical characteristics that influence the seed germination of orchids. The dependence on symbiotic fungi for seed germination is also a crucial factor for orchid distribution. Dendrobium aphyllum is an orchid species with restricted distribution in the sub - montane region of Sri Lanka. The aims of this study were (1) to determine the host tree specificity of the epiphytic D. aphyllum using physical and chemical bark characteristics of the host, (2) to isolate and identify the symbiotic fungi in D. aphyllum roots and (3) to determine the effect of tree bark extracts on symbiotic seed germination of D . aphyllum. Methanol, dichloromethane, hexane and water were used to extract the chemical compounds in tree barks. Aqueous and organic bark extracts of non host species ( Erythrina sp ., Erythrina berteroana, Eurya accuminata, Semecarpus marginata, Symplocaceae cochinchinensis ) inhibited the seed germination of D. aphyllum. However, the effect of host tree species ( Eurya ceylanica, Actinodaphne stenophylla, Eurya sp . , Antidesma zeylanicum, Citrus maxima, Semecarpus nigra-viridis and two Syzygium spp . ) on seed germination fluctuated with the concentration of host bark extracts. The physical characteristics of bark such as texture, peeling behaviour and thickness showed a positive correlation with the host tree specificity of D. aphyllum . Symbiotic fungus Rhizoctonia sp. was isolated as the associate in D. aphyllum roots. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v42i1. 6682 J.Natn. Sci.Foundation Sri Lanka 2014 42 (1): 71-86
Het meten van spontane en uitgelokte confabulaties: De Nijmegen-Venray Confabulatie Lijst-20 (NVCL-20)

Confabuleren kan voorkomen na hersenletsel, bijvoorbeeld bij patienten met frontale laesies of patienten met het korsakovsyndroom (KS). Vaak wordt er een onderscheid gemaakt tussen twee vormen van confabulatiegedrag: uitgelokt en spontaan. Op dit moment bestaan er alleen instrumenten die uitgelokte confabulaties meten, zoals de Dalla Barba Confabulatie Batterij (DBCB) en de Uitgelokte Confabulatie Test (UCT). In de huidige studie is een observatieschaal ontwikkeld en gevalideerd, die beide confabulatievormen inventariseert: de Nijmegen-Venray Confabulatie Lijst-20 (NVCL-20). Verpleegkundigen vulden de observatieschaal in voor 28 korsakovpatienten en 24 controlepatienten met cognitieve stoornissen door alcoholgebruik, maar geen korsakovsyndroom (ALC). De NVCL-20 heeft een goede interne consistentie en interbeoordelaarsbetrouwbaarheid. Ook werden voor de KS-groep meer confabulaties geobserveerd door middel van de NVCL-20 dan voor de controlegroep. KS-patienten met hoge confabulatiescores op de NVCL-20 hadden ook hoge confabulatiescores op de UCT, wat de concurrente validiteit van de NVCL-20 bevestigt. De NVCL-20 is makkelijk te gebruiken in de klinische praktijk en lijkt een waardevolle toevoeging aan bestaande confabulatie-instrumenten, aangezien dit het eerste instrument is waarmee, naast uitgelokt confabuleren, ook spontaan confabuleren op een gestandaardiseerde manier gekwantificeerd kan worden. *Dit artikel is een bewerking van de Engelstalige versie uit 2015, verschenen als: Rensen, Y.C. M. , Oosterman, J.M. , Van Damme, J.E. , Griekspoor, S.I. A. , Wester, A.J., Kopelman, M.D., Kessels, R.P.C. (2015). Assessment of confabulation in patients with alchol-related cognitive disorders: The Nijmegen-Venray Confabulation List (NVCL-20). The Clinial Neuropsychologist. doi. 10.1080/13854046.2015. 1084377.
Determinants of Corporate Disclosure in Financial Statements: Evidence from Vietnamese Listed Firms

Using data of listed firms on Hochiminh Stock Exchange, the study examines determinants of corporate disclosure in financial statements. In line with the literature, the findingsshow that firm size, the use of financial leverage and the presence of supervision board have a positive influence on corporate disclosure. Furthermore, auditing firm (whether a Big4 or not) also plays an important role in the degree of information disclosure by firms.Contradicting to the literature, however state ownership and the proportion of non-executive members in director board show a negative relation to corporate disclosure level. These counter factscanbe explained by real situations of Vietnam over the studied period. Finally, the concurrent role between chair of director board and managing director reduces corporate disclosure degree, as predicted by the agency theory.
The determinants of external private equity financing in agricultural production businesses

This study investigates the determinants that influence a firm’s decision to use external private equity in agriculture. The use of external equity as a funding source in agriculture has increased since 1990; however, the literature addressing this phenomenon is limited. The asset specificity approach (Williamson 1988) offers insightful contributions to understand the choice of financial mechanisms. Specifically, financial structure is related to asset specificity, the extent to which assets are redeployable to alternative uses, a particularly important attribute in agricultural production. I construct an international dataset of companies that receive external private equity finance to test the determinants of using external equity finance. Results show that the attributes of the assets involved in agriculture are important determinants of financing choices.
The influence of perceived social norms on the relationship of perceptions of sexual intent and commitment of sexual aggression

This study experimentally investigates the influence of different norms regarding the acceptability of sexual coercion, over-perceptions of sexual intentions in casual interactions with women, as well as an interaction of these factors on self-reported likelihood to engage in sexual assault. Results of a logistic regression showed significantly increased odds of reporting likelihood to engage in sexual assault when male college students were exposed to rape-conducive normative messages and also perceived high sexual intentions in a woman. Implications and limitations of this research are discussed.
The metacognitive monitoring and study decisions of incremental theorists

The present study investigated incremental theorists’ metacognitive monitoring and study behaviours during a word-pair learning task. Sixty-five participants (38 female; aged 18-64 years, M = 33.92, SD = 14.40) studied English-Spanish word-pairs of differing difficulty (easy, moderate and difficult) and made judgments of learning (JOLs). Participants selected half of the word-pairs for restudy, before completing an initial cued-recall test to demonstrate the accuracy of their JOLs and study decisions. They then completed a restudy phase, incorporating a within-in subjects honour/dishonour manipulation, to assess the optimality of their study decisions. A final cued-recall test was administered, followed by Dweck’s (1999) Theories of Intelligence Scale. Endorsing more incremental views of intelligence was marginally associated with poorer calibration for difficult word-pairs, (r = .235, p = .062), and was negatively associated with metacognitive accuracy for easy word-pairs during the study choice phase (r = -.260, p = .036). No further impairments were evident for the other difficulty-levels of these statistics, nor on over-confidence, under-confidence or resolution. Participants’ study choices reflected a Discrepancy Reduction approach, and in general, did not appear to be optimal. Future research is required to further clarify these findings in reference to a larger entity theorist comparison group.
Models for the Assessment of Treatment Improvement: The Ideal and the Feasible

Research partially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad y fondos FEDER, grants MTM2014-56235-C2-1-P and MTM2014-56235-C2-2, and by Consejeria de Educacion de la Junta de Castilla y Leon, grant VA212U13.
Physicality in Hybrid Products - The Role of Physicality when Data, Services and New Social Meanings Merge

This paper explores the role of the physical components in interactive devices, when data, networks, services and new social meanings merge into Hybrid Products. The methods used are a literature review with product design as a point of departure and an experiment with investigative prototyping. It is claimed, by giving examples, that the “dedicatedness” of a hybrid product has value for the user as long as the product has a sufficient amount of flexibility incorporated. It is also argued that physicality is good at narratives and emotions, two important elements in making data useful and graspable for humans. For new products, successful implementation of physicality is achieved, when the tangible interface becomes an embodied and native part of the product.
Good vibrations: Rhythms and plasticity in neural correlates of value in rat orbitofrontal cortex

Het verstoren van een bepaalde receptor heeft invloed op de manier waarop het rattenbrein informatie verwerkt die van belang is voor het nemen van beslissingen. In de orbitofrontale schors in de hersenen van ratten zijn neuronen actief waarvan de activiteit samenhangt met de waarde die bepaalde stimuli in de omgeving voorspellen. Marijn van Wingerden toont aan dat deze waardecodering bij ratten verandert gedurende het aanleren van associaties tussen geurstimuli en beloningen. Bovendien blijkt uit Van Wingerdens onderzoek dat de neuronen ritmisch actief zijn ten opzichte van langzame (theta-) en snelle (gamma-) golfbewegingen in een EEG (Electro-Encephalogram), gemeten in de orbitofrontale schors van ratten. Onderling hangen de theta- en gammaritmes ook samen. Hoe beter die samenhang, hoe succesvoller de beslissingen van de ratten, laat Van Wingerden zien. Het nemen van slechte beslissingen is een belangrijk kenmerk van verschillende psychische aandoeningen, zoals verslaving, obsessief-compulsieve stoornis (OCD) en schizofrenie. Het beter begrijpen van de neurale basis van slechte en goede beslissingen kan bijdragen aan een beter begrip van deze ziektebeelden.
Potential for bias in 21st century semiempirical sea level projections

We examine the limitations of a semiempirical model characterized by a sea level projection of 73 cm with RCP4.5 scenario by 2100. Calibrating the model with data to 1990 and then simulating the period 1993–2009 produces sea level in close agreement with acceleration in sea level rise observed by satellite altimetry. Nonradiative forcing contributors, such as long-term adjustment of Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets since Last Glacial Maximum, abyssal ocean warming, and terrestrial water storage, may bias model calibration which, if corrected for, tend to reduce median sea level projections at 2100 by 2–10 cm, though this is within the confidence interval. We apply the semiempirical approach to simulate individual contributions from thermal expansion and small glacier melting. Steric sea level projections agree within 3 cm of output from process-based climate models. In contrast, semiempirical simulation of melting from glaciers is 26 cm, which is twice large as estimates from some process-based models; however, all process models lack simulation of calving, which likely accounts for 50% of small glacier mass loss worldwide. Furthermore, we suggest that changes in surface mass balance and dynamics of Greenland ice sheet made contributions to the sea level rise in the early 20th century and therefore are included within the semiempirical model calibration period and hence are included in semiempirical sea level projections by 2100. Antarctic response is probably absent from semiempirical models, which will lead to a underestimate in sea level rise if, as is probable, Antarctica loses mass by 2100.
Firms Entry, Oligopolistic Competition and Labor Market Dynamics

Using U.S. quarterly data we provide VAR evidence showing that a positive productivity shock leads to a persistent decrease in the unemployment rate and in the price markup, together with an increase in aggregate profits. In response to the shock the labor share of income decreases on impact and overshoots its long run trend before reverting to equilibrium. To address these facts, we propose a model where Cournot competition and firms' entry in the goods market interact with search and matching frictions in the labor market. The price markup countercyclicality delivered by our model is a key factor to jointly account for the empirical facts we documented.
Thinning in artificially regenerated young beech stands

Abstract Although beech stands are usually regenerated naturally, an area of up to 5,000 ha year−1 is artificially regenerated by beech in the Czech Republic annually. Unfortunately, these stands often showed insufficient stand density and, consequently, lower quality of stems. Therefore, thinning methods developed for naturally regenerated beech stands are applicable with difficulties. The paper evaluates the data from two thinning experiments established in young artificially regenerated beech stands located in different growing conditions. In both experiments, thinning resulted in the lower amount of salvage cut in following years. Positive effect of thinning on periodic stand basal area increment and on periodic diameter increment of dominant trees was found in the beech stand located at middle elevations. On the other hand, thinning effects in mountain conditions were negligible. Thinning focusing on future stand quality cannot be commonly applied in artificially regenerated beech stands because of their worse initial quality and lower density. However, these stands show good growth and response to thinning, hence their management can be focused on maximising beech wood production.
Moral exclusion and the justification of u.s. Counterterrorism strategy: Bush, obama, and the terrorist enemy figure

Author(s): Pilecki, A; Muro, JM; Hammack, PL; Clemons, CM | Abstract: We analyzed speeches made by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to reveal how each president justified post-9/11 U.S. counterterrorism policy. Our analysis revealed that both Bush and Obama delegitimized terrorists by distinguishing them from other legitimate political categories, by emphasizing the morally condemnable and apolitically motivated form of violence they inflict. This vilification facilitated the portrayal of terrorism as a problem transcending national interest. U.S. counterterrorism strategies were thus justified as a necessary and rational solution to the scope and severity of the terrorist threat. This study illustrates how the "complex discursive accomplishment" of moral exclusion (Tileagǎ, 2007) emerges within presidential rhetoric to frame the relations among groups and legitimizing particular actions, namely, harsh antiterror measures (e.g., indefinite detention, preemptive war, and torture). Our study also illustrates the similarities between how Bush and Obama have talked about terrorism, thus indicating the overall naturalization of a "war on terrorism" discourse following the 9/11 attacks. © 2014 American Psychological Association.
Preparation of Magnetic Carboxymethylchitosan Nanoparticles for Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions

The remediation of metal and heavy metal contaminants from water ecosystems is a long-standing problem in the field of water management. The development of efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly natural polymer-based adsorbents is reported here. Magnetic chitosan (CS) and carboxymethylchitosan (CMC) nanocomposites have been synthesized by a simple one-step chemical coprecipitation method. The nanoparticles were assessed for the removal of Pb2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ ions from aqueous solution. Kinetic and thermodynamic models were used to describe and understand the adsorption process of the ions onto the nanomaterials. The interactions between the ions and the biopolymer-based composites are reversible, which means that the nanoparticles can be regenerated in weakly acidic or EDTA containing solution without losing their activity and stability for water cleanup applications.
Perceived Relationship between Corporate Capital Structure and Firm Value in Nigeria

This study examined the empirical effects of corporate capital structure (financial leverage) on the market value of a selection of firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Both primary and secondary data were obtained for analysis employing both descriptive and inferential statistics for analysis. A sample size of 150 respondents and 90 firms were selected for both primary data and secondary data respectively. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the primary data, while Chi-Square was used to draw inference of perceived relationship between capital structure and firm value. The results of the study suggested that a positively significant relationship exists between a firm’s choice of capital structure and its market value in Nigeria. The study suggested that listed firms in Nigeria should strategically plan and manage their capital structure in order to maximize their market values.
Investigating First‐Stage Exchange Rate Pass‐Through: Sectoral and Macro Evidence from Euro Area Countries

In this paper, we evaluate the first-stage pass-through, namely the responsiveness of import prices to the exchange rate changes, for a sample of euro area (EA) countries. Our study aims to shed further light on the role of microeconomic factors vs. macroeconomic factors in influencing the extent of the exchange rate pass-through (ERPT). As a first step, we conduct a sectoral analysis using disaggregated import prices data. We find a much higher degree of pass-through for more homogeneous goods and commodities, such as oil and raw materials, than for highly differentiated manufactured products, such as machinery and transport equipment. Our results confirm that cross-country differences in pass-through rates may be due to divergences in the product composition of imports. The higher share of imports from sectors with lower degrees of pass-through, the lower ERPT for an economy will be. In a next step, we investigate for the impact of some macroeconomics factors or common events experienced by EA members on the extent of pass-through. Using the System Generalized Method of Moments within a dynamic panel-data model, our estimates indicate that decline of import-price sensitivity to the exchange rate is not significant since the introduction of the single currency. Our findings suggest instead that the weakness of the euro during the first three years of the monetary union significantly raised the extent of the ERPT. This outcome could explain why the sensitivity of import prices has not fallen since 1999. We also point out a significant role played by the inflation in the Eurozone, as the responsiveness of import prices to exchange rate fluctuations tends to decline in a low and more stable inflation environment. Overall, our findings support the view that the extent of pass-through is comprised of both macro- and microeconomic aspects that policymakers should take into account.