Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diversity of phyllotaxis in land plants in reference to the shoot apical meristem structure

Regularity and periodicity in the arrangements of organs in all groups of land plants raise questions about the mechanisms underlying phyllotactic pattern formation. The initiation of the lateral organs (leaves, flowers, etc.), and thus, their spatio-temporal positioning, occurs in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and is related to the structure and organogenic activity of the meristem. In this review, we present some aspects of the diversity and stability of phyllotactic patterns in the major lineages of land plants, from bryophytes to angiosperms, in which SAM structures differ significantly. In addition, we discuss some of the possible mechanisms involved in the formation of the recurring arrangement of the lateral organs.
Impact of changes in natural ultraviolet radiation on pigment composition, physiological and morphological characteristics of the Antarctic moss, Grimmia antarctici

The impact of ambient ultraviolet (UV)‐B radiation on the endemic bryophyte, Grimmia antarctici, was studied over 14 months in East Antarctica. Over recent decades, Antarctic plants have been exposed to the largest relative increase in UV‐B exposure as a result of ozone depletion. We investigated the effect of reduced UV and visible radiation on the pigment concentrations, surface reflectance and physiological and morphological parameters of this moss. Plexiglass screens were used to provide both reduced UV levels (77%) and a 50% decrease in total radiation. The screen combinations were used to separate UV photoprotective from visible photoprotective strategies, because these bryophytes are growing in relatively high light environments compared with many mosses. G. antarctici was affected negatively by ambient levels of UV radiation. Chlorophyll content was significantly lower in plants grown under near‐ambient UV, while the relative proportions of photoprotective carotenoids, especially β‐carotene and zeaxanthin, increased. However, no evidence for the accumulation of UV‐B‐absorbing pigments in response to UV radiation was observed. Although photosynthetic rates were not affected, there was evidence of UV effects on morphology. Plants that were shaded showed fewer treatment responses and these were similar to the natural variation observed between moss growing on exposed microtopographical ridges and in more sheltered valleys within the turf. Given that other Antarctic bryophytes possess UV‐B‐absorbing pigments which should offer better protection under ambient UV‐B radiation, these findings suggest that G. antarctici may be disadvantaged in some settings under a climate with continuing high levels of springtime UV‐B radiation.
Effect of Genotype and Periodic Pruning on Storage Root Yield and Yield Components of Some Cassava Genotypes Under Rain-Fed Conditions In Ghana

Cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) is cultivated primarily for its starchy roots which provide a staple for millions of people in the tropics. The foliage contains high levels of protein which can be harvested for human and animal feed. Twenty five cassava genotypes were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications to investigate their tolerance to periodic pruning with respect to effect on root yield and yield components. The cassava plants were periodically pruned starting from three months after planting and at three months intervals until root harvest at 12 months after planting. Storage root yields ranged between 8.3 – 26.2 t/ha and 28.9–85.5 t/ha for the pruned plants and the control respectively. The pruned plants produced average root yield of 14.7 t/ha compared with 51.5 t/ha from the control. Though periodic pruning resulted in significant reduction in all components measured, genetic variations were observed in the level of reduction. Observed root yield reduction ranged between 40–80%. Five genotypes; 96/1642, Afisiafi, Esambankye, Agbelifia and Bankyehemaa, recorded storage root yield reduction of less than 50% of their respective controls. Starch content and mean storage root weight were also significantly reduced by periodic pruning. The significant genetic variations in the reduction of these traits indicated different levels of tolerance which can be exploited in further studies to identify ideal cassava genotypes for dual purpose utilization for foliage and root production.
Venous Thromboembolism: A Case-Control Study of Patients in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF PATIENTS IN THE NEUROSCIENCE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT Rachel H. Wolfson, Mark D. Siegel. Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. However, despite ample research into VTE in hospitalized subpopulations, critically ill patients with primary neurological disorders have been insufficiently studied. We hypothesized that there is a high incidence of VTE in the NICU despite a high thromboprophylaxis rate and that this population would carry a unique set of risk factors. Our goal was to identify those patients at higher risk for VTE who may then be served by more aggressive screening and thromboprophylaxis. We performed a retrospective chart review and case-control study of patients admitted to the NICU of a major urban hospital for three or more days, between 2001 and 2005. The two groups were matched, 2:1 (two controls per case), based on year of hospital discharge and presence of surgical intervention. The incidence of VTE in the NICU was 9.5% (125 of 1,318 patients), despite an overall thromboprophylaxis rate of 97.6%. 55% of DVTs were in the upper and 45% in the lower extremity. 48 PE patients had PE. Univariate analysis utilizing p<0.05 as a statistical threshold revealed 12 factors associated with VTE. These factors were entered into a multivariable analysis logistic regression, which yielded 5 factors that remained independently with VTE: higher rates were associated with use of a centralvenous catheter (OR:2.5, CI: 1.4 – 4.6, p=0.003), arteriovenous malformation (OR:4.9, CI: 1.2 – 20.1, p=0.026), prior VTE (OR:5.6, 1.4 – 22.4, p=0.014), and mechanical ventilation (OR:2.1, CI: 1.1 – 4.2, p=0.036). VTE prophylaxis was protective (OR:0.8, CI: 0.0 – 0.9, p=0.043). In conclusion, VTE remains common among NICU patients despite a high rate of prophylaxis. Several factors appear to be associated with VTE in this population. Future studies are needed to validate the association between these factors and VTE and to determine if more aggressive surveillance and prophylaxis can decrease the frequency and complications associated with VTE.
Merging Multiple Intelligences with Dialogic-based Portfolio Assessment to Expedite Iranian EFL Learners ’ Higher order thinking Skills

Controversy has not been yet resolved among second language researchers as how to enhance higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in EFL contexts. Responding to the growing need to fos ter thinking skills, many foreign language educators have recent ly attempted to investigate the effect of diverse teaching strategi es on HOTS. Yet, few studies have focused on the infusion of Gardner’s t heory of Multiple Intelligences (MI), dialogic teaching, and portfoli o assessment in improving HOTS. Thus, the present study aimed to ex plore the impact of multiple intelligences-oriented dialogicbased portfolio assessment on the higher-order thinking skills of f orty Iranian EFL learners studying at Jehad Daneshgahi Institute--Ka raj Branch. The participants in two intact classes were assigned to a control or dialogic-based portfolio assessment (DBPA) group an d an experimental or MI-oriented dialogic-based portfolio assessment (MIDBPA) group. In the experimental group, the participants’ MI was initially measured through Christison’s (1998) MI checklist to group learners with the same strong intelligence in one group. The multivariate analysis of ANOVA (MANOVA) indicated t he superiority of MIDBPA group over the control group in the use of HOTS. The findings highlight the virtue of MI-based materials, even in dialogic-based learning environments, in enhanci ng HOTS. Pedagogical implications are discussed and recommen dations for further research are suggested.
Valid theory-testing meta-analyses further question the negative state relief model of helping.

Cialdini and Fultz (1990) questioned the validity of our method (Carlson & Miller, 1987) and objected to three of our reported tests of their negative state relief (NSR) model of mood-induced increments to helpfulness. In response, we present substantial evidence that the use of judges to define variables is a common tool in psychology and, when used within meta-analyses, consistently meets the relevant criteria of convergent and discriminant trait validity as well as construct validity
Toxicity of ammonia to turbot juveniles : 1. effects on survival, growth and food utilisation

Long-term effects of constant exogenous ammonia concentrations were investigated in two different batches of turbot juveniles (53 and 73 g) under controlled environmental and feeding conditions. Over the 84-day experiments, ambient un-ionized ammonia (UIA-N, NH3) concentrations were steady (coefficient of variation, 12-16 %) and water pH range was 7.88-7.99. Survival was maximum up to 0.33 mg.l(-1) UIA-N and at 0.73, 50 % mortalities were observed on day 52 (73 g) or day 77 (53 g). No-growth concentration was 0.73 mg.l(-1) UIA-N in the two groups and the 84-day lowest-observable-effect concentration range 0.14-0.33 mg.l(-1). In the most tolerant group (53 g), the 84-day no-observable-effect concentration was 0.14 mg.l(-1) UIA-N. The estimated 28-day efficient concentration that gave 50 % of the specific growth rate of controls ranged from 0.60 to 0.75 mg.l(-1) UIA-N. Specific growth rate to ambient ammonia concentration patterns were different in the two groups for the lowest concentrations (0.14-0.34) and similar to food intake to ammonia pattern. Food efficiency was negatively correlated to ambient ammonia concentration, with major changes in food conversion ratio, and protein utilisation observed above 0.33-0.70 mg.l(-1) UIA-N. The main change in body composition was an increase in water content in all ammonia-exposed fish. A significant increase in urea-N excretion rate was also observed over 0.33 mg.l(-1) UIA-N. Thresholds for growth were affected by exposure duration. Turbot juveniles growth capacity may be depressed by usual ambient ammonia concentrations under intensive farming conditions.
Investigation on Mechanical properties between of composite made of Poplar and Alder sawdust and high density Polyethylene

In this research, the effect of wood species and particle size on mechanical properties of wood plastic composites (WPC) made of Poplar (Populus alba) and Alder (Alnus glutinosa) sawdust and high density polyethylene (HDPE) were investigated. Wood plastic composite (WPC) were made with 30% HDPE in a batch process at 185˚C, at two particle sizes of 40 mesh and 80 mesh. Maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) was used as a coupling agent. MOE, MOR, maximum tensile strength (MTS) increased with increasing particle size. There were significant differences in wood plastic composites produced from different wood species
Sphingolipid in Lung Cancer Pathogenesis and Therapy

Recent genomic research has ranked sphingolipid metabolism as the top dysregulated pathways in lung cancer, demonstrating that these lipids and their metabolic enzymes play key roles in lung cancer pathogenesis. Hence, sphingolipid metabolism has become a forefront in lung cancer research. However, the function of the diverse sphingolipids and their metabolic enzymes and the underlying mechanism in lung cancer are still unclear. In this chapter, we will focus on ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), the best characterized sphingolipids so far, to summarize the most recent studies and highlight the essential role of sphingolipids in lung cancer pathology, and treatment.
Do Corporate Taxes Reduce Productivity and Investment at the Firm Level?: Cross-Country Evidence from the Amadeus Dataset

This paper uses a stratified sample of firms across OECD economies over the period 1996-2004 to analyse the effects of corporate taxes on productivity and investment. Applying a differences-in-differences estimation strategy which exploits differential effects of corporate taxes on firms with different profitability, it is found that corporate taxes have a negative effect on productivity at the firm level. The effect is negative across firms of different size and age classes except for the small and young, which may be attributable to the relatively low profitability of small and young firms. The negative effect of corporate taxes is particularly pronounced for firms that are catching up with the technological frontier. In the investment analysis, the results suggest that corporate taxes reduce investment through an increase in the user cost of capital. This may partly explain the negative productivity effects of corporate taxes if new capital goods embody technological change. Les impots sur le revenu des societes reduisent-ils la productivite et l'investissement des firmes? Ce papier utilise un echantillon stratifie de firmes issues des pays de l’OCDE sur la periode 1996-2004 pour analyser les effets de l’imposition des societes sur la productivite et l’investissement. En appliquant une strategie d’estimation par differences-en-differences qui exploite des effets differentiels de l’imposition sur des firmes avec de differents niveaux de profitabilite, il s’avere que les impots sur le revenu des societes ont un effet negatif sur la productivite des firmes. L’effet est negatif pour les firmes de toutes classes d’emploi et d’âge excepte pour les firmes a la fois petites et jeunes, ce qui peut etre attribuable a la profitabilite relativement faible des firmes a la fois petites et jeunes. L’effet negatif de l’imposition est particulierement fort pour les firmes qui sont en train de s’approcher a la frontiere technologique. L’analyse de l’investissement indique que l’imposition des societes reduit l’investissement par une augmentation du cout du capital. Ceci expliquerait une partie des effets negatifs sur la productivite si les nouveaux biens de capital incorporent le progres technologique.
Changes of nutritional status of coastal plants Hydrocotyle vulgaris and Aster tripolium at elevated soil salinity

Th e aim of the present paper was to examine the eff ect of increased substrate NaCl on concentration of nutrients in tissues of two coastal marsh plants Hydrocotyle vulgaris and Aster tripolium. Increased substrate salinity due to watering with NaCl solution led to accumulation of both Na and Cl ions in tissues of both species studied. In H. vulgaris leaf blade and leaf petiole tissues both Na and Cl concentrations were saturated. In contrast there was an increase of Na and Cl concentration in both leaf and root tissues of A. tripolium with increasing substrate concentration. N and P concentrations were diff erentially aff ected by increasing substrate NaCl. While both minerals increased in tissues of H. vulgaris, for A. tripolium concentration of N decreased and that of P increased in roots. Th e eff ect of NaCl on S concentration was species-specifi c – it increased in leaf petioles and stolons of H. vulgaris and decreased in both leaves and roots of A. tripolium. Th e most pronounced stimulation of mineral concentration by NaCl was found for Mn. Increase in Cu concentration was characteristic for all tissues of both species while Fe concentration increased in A. tripolium and leaf tissues of H. vulgaris. In conclusion, possible adaptive responses leading to maintenance of an optimal supply of mineral nutrients in conditions of high Na and Cl concentrations in cells can be seen.
Constraints on volumes and patterns of asthenospheric melt from the space‐time distribution of seamounts

Although partial melt in the asthenosphere is important geodynamically, geophysical constraints on its abundance remain ambiguous. We use a database of seamounts detected using satellite altimetry to constrain the temporal history of erupted asthenospheric melt. We find that intraplate volcanism on young seafloor (<60 Ma) equates to a ~20 m thick layer spread across the seafloor. If these seamounts tap partial melt within a ~20 km thick layer beneath the ridge flanks, they indicate extraction of an average melt fraction of ~0.1%. If they source thinner layers or more laterally restricted domains, larger melt fractions are required. Increased seamount volumes for older lithosphere suggest either more active ridge flank volcanism during the Cretaceous or additional recent melt eruption on older seafloor. Pacific basin age constraints suggest that both processes are important. Our results indicate that small volumes of partial melt may be prevalent in the upper asthenosphere across ocean basins.
Perception of purpose and parental involvement in competitive youth sport

background Because of the various demanding investments, parents develop various expectations regarding their children’s sport experience. The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to determine whether there is a discrepancy between parents and athletes in terms of perception of purpose for engaging in youth sport, and (b) to explore whether the reported discrepancies impact parental involvement.
Linearly polarized gluons and axial charge fluctuations in the glasma

We calculate of the one- and two-point correlation functions of the energy density and the divergence of the Chern-Simons current in the nonequilibrium Glasma state formed in a high-energy nuclear collision. We show that the latter depends on the difference of the total and linearly polarized gluon transverse momentum distributions. Since the divergence of the Chern-Simons current provides the source of axial charge, we infer information about the statistical properties of axial charge production at early times. We further develop a simple phenomenological model to characterize axial charge distributions in terms of distributions of the energy density.
Customer Satisfaction and Switching Behavior in Saudi Islamic Banks: An Exploratory Study

Investigating Islamic banks customer satisfaction and switching behaviour is imperative for the Islamic banking industry because it could assist in explaining the level of relationship between Islamic banks and their customers. Accordingly, the present study is aimed at examining customer satisfaction and switching behaviour of Islamic banks’ customers for the case of Saudi Arabia. Data for this study is obtained through survey method that involves the distribution of questionnaire to about 216 Islamic banks’ customers in Saudi Arabia. Importance and performance analysis (IPA) method is employed to achieve the objective of this study. The finding of this study indicated that, internet banking, shariah compliance, confidentiality, bank’s type, accuracy of bank statement, new technology adoption, and frontline friendliness dimensions fall under the quadrant of “keep up the good work” with high level of performance and importance. In contrast, the attributes that are located in quadrant called “concentrate here” are ATM location, clarity in giving explanation, promptness in giving response, staff understanding on Islamic contracts, staffhandling complaints and parking area. © 2013 IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance.
The Benchmarking Practices of the Economically Freest Countries in Europe and the World

Abstract In our increasingly globalised economy, global competitiveness of countries and the means to measure it gain increasing significance. One of the ways to measure global competitiveness is by comparing an extent of the economic freedom that a country has, which also can, as surveys show, largely explain differences in living standards across the world. Seeing as how European economy is similar to most of the Western world capitalist economies in the sense that it has, for a number of reasons, very different economic policy traditions than many countries in other parts of the world, we may approach this topic from a European perspective; consequently, we can see that the main hypothesis of the work can be confirmed, and it is possible, for reasons based in economic or national image nature, to discern which is the freest of world economies by adopting the benchmarking practices of the continent. Nevertheless, the other hypothesis of the work does not fulfill itself, meaning that by adopting taxing policies of some of the wealthiest European Union economies it is not possible anymore to reach the result of the freest economy, both in the world and particularly Europe. Looking at the components and scores of the Index of Economic Freedom, it becomes apparent that the inclusion of government share components in its methodology is very controversial, similarly as the labour freedom component and even monetary freedom, albeit in lesser extent.
Understanding Students' Perceptions to Improve Teaching of Mathematics

This study applies the Galbraith and Haines (1998) scale to identify students’ attributes that are relevant where mathematics and computing interact. Hence, the aim of this work is tofind the structure of the underlying latent variables that would allow teachers to understand students’ perception of mathematics and computers. The study was carried out at the “Telebachillerato Los Volcanes” and the “Telebachillerato Las Bajadas” in Veracruz, Mexico. A Telebachillerato is an educational approach based mostly on the television to disseminate the contents of the local curriculum of high-school level. The sample comprised 200 college students, and the statistical method was a factor analysis with an extracted principal component. The results give evidence to assert that mathematics confidence, mathematics motivation, computer confidence, computer motivation, computermathematics interaction, and mathematics engagement, help to understandhigh-school students’ attitudes toward mathematics and technology.
Internet Acceptance and Use Model in Ethiopian Agriculture Education and Research: the case of two Universities

Many studies proposed models of ICT acceptance and use in order to better predict and explain users’ behavior to account for the changing technologies. Hence, a question is whether models of technology use and acceptance that have been developed and used in the developed world can be applied to explain Internet acceptance and use by Agriculture staff of two Universities in Ethiopia. To this end, this study applied the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A survey was administered to 293 agricultural faculties in Haramaya and Jimma University. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The result of the model indicated that the model variables explained over 59% of the variance in education and 29% variance in research. As a result, the study underlined the importance of designing intervention in the study area to support academic and research works of the staff. Key word: Technology acceptance model, Ethiopian higher education, internet, Africa.