Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence Of Shaded Conditions On Development Of Asteraceae Species Native to Kansas

to the heterogeneity of habitats, all plants are exposed to at least some degree of shade during their lifetime. Reduced light intensity, drops in R:FR ratio, and limited blue light are cues for plants to perceive competition; the shade avoidance syndrome (SAS) is common for grassland species while shade tolerance (ST) is common for forest species when competition is perceived. SAS is characterized by elongation of stems and petioles, reduced branches, decreased leaf area, decreased shoot biomass, and increased number of ramets. ST is characterized by little elongation of stems and petioles, high chlorophyll content and high chlorophyll a/b ratio in leaves, low root-shoot ratio, and thinner leaves. In this study, germination of six native Asteraceae species was tested against 10%, 50%, and 100% of natural light in a greenhouse. Measurements of growth and reproduction were made in two species under the same light conditions. Shaded conditions decreased germinabilities of seeds in all species that were tested. Increased light conditions resulted in increased growth for both species. When exposed to shaded conditions, both species displayed several traits that are related with shade tolerance modifications such as little elongation of stems and petioles, higher specific leaf area, higher chlorophyll a/b ratio, reduced leaf area and root/shoot biomass, and fewer and thinner leaves. In summary, plants displayed unexpected strategies and a high resilience to grow and develop under shaded conditions.
What makes a responsible leader?-An empirical analysis of how personality characteristics affect leadership behaviour

This master’s thesis contributes to the ongoing discussion on responsible leadership and its antecedents by empirically analysing the relationship between various traits and responsible leadership effectiveness. In a quantitative experimental research study, the participants (62 men and 32 women) first filled out an online survey assessing their gender, age, and major field of study as well as their score in the personality dimensions honesty-humility, openness to experience, empathic concern, perspective taking, and holism. Afterwards, their second-to-fourth digit ratio was measured, and men had the option of providing a saliva sample which was used to determine their testosterone level. Finally, the participants’ performance in the leadership roles professional, facilitator, citizen, idea-provider, and total was assessed with a think-aloud protocol. By performing a multiple linear regression analysis, I found that empathic concern positively influences the roles facilitator and total, holism the role citizen, and perspective taking the role idea-provider. I also found that men and psychology students are less likely to perform well in the role idea-provider and that openness to experience negatively affects facilitator.
Micropropagation of Krawan ( A momum krervanh Pierre ex Gagnep )

Krawan, one of the common spices and medicinal plants of Thailand, is conventionally propagated by vegetative means. The technique of micropropagation could be used as a possible means to overcome the problem of shortage of planting materials. Excised and surface disinfested axillary buds were cultured on plant growth regulator-free Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium prior to culturing on MS, half-macro nutrient MS, half-nitrogen MS and Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) media. The highest rate of multiplication was obtained from MS medium. When 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% v/v coconut water (CW) were added, it was found that 5% CW was the best for shoot growth and development, i.e. shoot number, as well as fresh and dry weights. The effects of 0, 2 and 4 mg/l imazalil (IMA) were simultaneously studied in combination with 0, 0.1, and 0.5 mg/l 6-benzyladenine (BA) or thidiazuron (TDZ). The best media for shoot growth and development was the one with 2 mg/l IMA and 0.5 mg/l TDZ. Rooting was accomplished with a relative ease using a Plant Growth Regulator (PGR)-free MS medium. The in vitro rooted plantlets could be established in the soil with more than 90 percent success after transfer to ex vitro.
Decoding attentional load in visual perception: a signal processing approach

Previous research has established that visual perception tasks high in attentional load (or ‘perceptual load’, defined operationally to include either a larger number of items or a greater perceptual processing demand) result in reduced perceptual sensitivity and cortical response for visual stimuli outside the focus of attention. However, there are three challenges facing the load theory of attention today. The first is to describe a neural mechanism by which load-induced perceptual deficits are explained; the second is to clarify the concept of perceptual load and develop a method for estimating the load induced by a visual task a priori, without recourse to measures of secondary perceptual effects; and the third is to extend the study of attentional load to natural, real-world, visual tasks. In this thesis we employ signal processing and machine learning approaches to address these challenges. In Chapters 3 and 4 it is shown that high perceptual load degrades the perception of orientation by modulating the tuning curves of neural populations in early visual cortex. The combination of tuning curve modulations reported is unique to perceptual load, inducing broadened tuning as well as reductions in tuning amplitude and overall neural activity, and so provides a novel low-level mechanism for behaviourally relevant failures of vision such as inattentional blindness. In Chapter 5, a predictive model of perceptual load during the task of driving is produced. The high variation in perceptual demands during real-world driving allow the construction of a direct fine-scale mapping between high-resolution natural imagery, captured from a driver's point-of-view, and induced perceptual load. The model therefore constitutes the first system able to produce a priori estimates of load directly from visual characteristics of a natural task, extending research into the antecedents of perceptual load beyond the realm of austere laboratory displays. Taken together, the findings of this thesis represent major theoretical advances into both the causes and effects of high perceptual load.
Master Thesis in Economics and Business Financial Economics Equity Volatility Targeting Strategy Smoothing the Volatility of Volatility

This paper builds on the work of Moreira and Muir (2016). Their investment strategy takes less risk when volatility is relatively high and more risk when volatility is relatively low. The contribution to the literature of this paper is that this investment strategy is tested for individual stocks as well as jointly for the constituents of the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. Several different volatility and multivariate volatility models will be used to forecast the (co)variance (matrix). This strategy has an enormous theoretical potential for outperformance. However, this paper documents that in practice scaling the market exposure based on the level of risk generally does not outperform the buy-and-hold strategy in terms of alphas and Sharpe ratios.
Numerical investigation of the heat transfer in an annulus cylindrical space

e width of the magnetic gap, m; Cp specific heat with constant pressure, J/Kg C°; h coefficient of heat transfer by convection, w/m 2 C°; K kinetic energy turbulent; L lenght of rotor, m; V axial speed of fluid, m/s; w angular velocity, rd/s; Nu Nusselt Number; Pr Prandtl Number; Ta Taylor Number; (Ta)m Taylor Number modified; re interior radius of stator, m; ri exterior radius of rotor, m; λ thermal conductivity, w/mC°; ν kinematic viscosity, m 2 /s
Genistein modulates gene activity in psoriatic patients

Despite the impressive advancements in the treatment of psoriasis over the past two decades, there is still a need for further improvement. As previously shown in the literature, genistein (5,7-dihydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)chromen-4-one), naturally occurring plant compound displays multidirectional action, also in relation to alleviating psoriasis symptoms. In this work we focused our attention on genistein impact on expression of genes when treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis patients. Testing the effects of this isoflavone on transcript levels in both skin specimens and peripheral blood cells of four psoriatic subjects, we found that this compound modulated activities of genes coding for anti-psoriatic members and anti-inflammatory mediators of inflammation. It impairs the activity of certain genes which are overexpressed in psoriasis, while stimulating the expression of other transcripts that are repressed in dermatosis.
Genetic diversity and differentiation of coexisting populations of Quercus robur L.and Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl.

Pedunculate and sessile oaks (Quercus robur L.; Q. petraea [Matt] Liebl.) often coexist in mixed forest stands. However, species-specific investigations and forest management actions in such populations require reliable methods of identification of the species status of individuals. We investigated genetic diversity and species differentiation of adult and naturally established seedling cohorts in a mixed forest stand composed of Q. robur and Q. petraea, located in the Jamy Nature Reserve in north-central Poland. Using nineteen nuclear microsatellite loci and a model-based clustering approach as a tool for species delineation, we efficiently identified 105 and 60 adults, as well as 191 and 456 seedlings of pedunculate and sessile oaks, respectively. While the adult trees of both species were randomly distributed throughout the sample plot, the seedlings demonstrated significant spatial clustering, which was particularly evident for Q. petraea. The two oak species exhibited similar levels of genetic diversity in adult and offspring cohorts. Inbreeding was found to be low and significant only at the stage of seedlings. The estimates of effective population size were higher for Q. robur than Q. petraea, despite the overall greater reproductive success of the later one. There was a significant level of differentiation between the studied oak species, as measured by Fst coefficient (0.084 – adults; 0.099 – seedlings). The results on genetic diversity and species differentiation obtained in the studied indigenous near-natural stand of Q. robur and Q. petraea could be considered as a reference for other population genetic studies of oaks.
THE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF THE NORTH-EAST REGION OF ROMANIA . MYTH OR REALITY ?

Tourism development strategies play an increasingly important role, representing parts of those documents that aim to socio-economic development, undertaken at local, zonal, county, regional, or national level. Frequently, tourism is viewed as one the best solutions for economic recovery, but without a detailed and realistic analysis of what territory offers from this point of view, this new trend for resolving the economic dysfunctions remains at a mirage level. The North-East Development Region of Romania, the fifth less developed region of the European Union, with a GDP per capita (in purchasing power standard) that amounted to only 34% of the EU-28 average in 2013, rushes to come with a tourism development strategy relying on “relief and environmental factors, diversity and beauty of landscape, cultural heritage”, strengthening the specific offers relying especially on mountain, cultural, and religious tourism. The present study uses multiple research methods (quantitative and qualitative analysis, synthesis, graphical and cartographical representation of data, comparison) in order to establish the reliability of the concerned document and to provide solid arguments for the type of tourism that has the largest premises of affirmation in each county of the North-East Region of Romania.
Emotional Labor as a Mediator for the Structural Relationship between Emotional Job Demands, Teaching Satisfaction and Performance: The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to test the structural model of emotional job demands, teaching satisfaction and the performance of teachers with the mediatory role of emotional labor and the moderator role of emotional intelligence. Method: The participants were 432 (227 first set and 205 second set) teachers of Qazvin which were chosen through stratified random sampling. All of them completed the emotional labor and teaching satisfaction questionnaire of Yin and the performance questionnaire of Paterson. Data were tested through the modeling of structural equations. Findings showed that the measurement model for the emotional labor is valid with three markers of surface action, deep action and natural expression of
Corruption and its causes . A quantitative analysis of corruption using proxy datasets

A The purpose of this paper is to evaluate popular academic theories believed to cause corruption through quantitative dataset proxies. In undertaking the exercise, the author examines various (and often competing) schools of thought on the topic, while showcasing the challenges that burden the objective study of corruption in a global context. The paper obtains a list of sixteen (16) variables extrapolated from academic literature; each (independent) variable is tied to a proxy dataset. The variables are first analysed through univariate statistics, before being subjected to bivariate correlation analysis against the (dependent) variable of corruption (itself tied to a proxy dataset, the Corruption Perception Index). The methodology employed in the analysis involves a standard mixture of statistical techniques—descriptive statistics & charts, logarithmic normalisation, Q-Q plotting, distribution curve overlays, etc.—as well as regression techniques aimed at the analysis of possible associations. The process uncovers data limitations for at least three variables (monitoring institutions, monotheistic religion, and campaign expenditure limits), while also revealing an unexpected (negative) relationship between corruption and national levels of debt. Several variables believed to impact corruption levels are confirmed, showing that rule of law, violence and instability, and national wealth all exert a strong impact on levels of corruption; other variables exhibit smaller-thanexpected associations (e.g. freedom of the press). The paper outlines future research avenues (multicollinearity analysis coupled with a robust stepwise regression model) that would generate valuable insights into global corruption trends that can then be scaled-down to accommodate local idiosyncrasies.
Intestinal protozoan infections in stunting and diarrheic native turkey poults ( Meleagris galopavo ) in Iran

Sixty cases of oneto seven-week old stunted diarrheic native turkey poults from the native turkey-raising provinces of Iran were examined for the presence of intestinal protozoan infections. Forty-seven cases out of 60 had one or more intestinal parasites. Based on fecal, histological, and transmission electron microscopic examinations, Cryptosporidium spp. , Hexamita sp.p, Cochlosoma sp.p, Coccidia spp. , Chilomastix spp. , and Trichomonas spp. were identified. The protozoan infections were associated with diarrhea and unthriftiness.
Loop Quantum Gravity: Four Recent Advances and a Dozen Frequently Asked Questions

As per organizers' request, my talk at the 11th Marcel Grossmann Conference consisted of two parts. In the first, I illustrated recent advances in loop quantum gravity through examples. In the second, I presented an overall assessment of the status of the program by addressing some frequently asked questions. This account is addressed primarily to researchers outside the loop quantum gravity community.
A facile and rapid method for green synthesis of Silver Myco nanoparticles using endophytic

The Myco silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are synthesized through bio-reduction reaction of silver nitrate by cell-free filtrate of endophytic fungi, which act as both reducing and capping agent. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was confirmed through UV-VIS spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Energy Dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX) was used to study the structure, morphology, shape, and composition of synthesized nanoparticles. The efficacy of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was tested against the pathogenic bacterial strains such as K. pneumonia, A. Baumannii, P. mirabilis, S. Typhimurium, P. aeruginosa and E. Coli. The myco silver nano particles treatment significantly reduced the growth of all the bacterial species tested in this study. The results suggested that myco nanoparticles can be utilized as an alternative to antibiotics or to break antimicrobial resistance.
Hierarchical Multi-Task Learning for Healthy Drink Classification

Recent advances in deep convolutional neural networks have enabled convenient diet tracking exploiting photos captured with smartphone cameras. However, most of the current diet tracking apps focus on recognizing solid foods while omitting drinks despite their negative impacts on our health when consumed without moderation. After an extensive analysis of drink images, we found that such an absence is due to the following challenges that conventional convolutional neural networks trained under the single-task learning framework cannot easily handle. First, drinks are amorphous. Second, visual cues of the drinks are often occluded and distorted by their container properties. Third, ingredients are inconspicuous because they often blend into the drink. In this work, we present a healthy drink classifier trained under a hierarchical multi-task learning framework composed of a shared residual network with hierarchically shared convolutional layers between similar tasks and task-specific fully-connected layers. The proposed structure includes two main tasks, namely sugar level classification and alcoholic drink recognition, and six auxiliary tasks, such as classification and recognition of drink name, drink type, branding logo, container transparency, container shape, and container material. We also curated a drink dataset, Drink101, composed of 101 different drinks including 11,445 images overall. Our experimental results demonstrate improved classification precision compared to single-task learning and baseline multi-task learning approaches.
Liveweight gain , efficiency of feed utilization and digestibility of nitrogen and amino acids in the smali intestine

Polish Merino małe lambs, average initial weight 16 kg, in 3 groups of 10, werefed to 38-40 kg liveweight on diets with 18,7 MJ/kg D M gross energy and 17 (H), 14 (M) and 10 % (L) crude protein. Six małe lambs of about 40 kg body weight, with simple duodenal and ileal cannulae were fed in a Latin sąuare design on diets of similar composition but containing C r 2 0 3 and pelleted. Average daily gain in groups H , M , and L was 188, 180 and 159 g; intake per kg gain was : of metabolizable energy 53.7; 52.2 and 50.4 MJ, of crude protein 824, 660 and 595 g, respectively. Ammonia N content in duodenal digesta was on diet L less than on diets H and M (P<0.05). Apparent digestibility of total N in the smali intestine was on diets H and M 68.1%, on diet L 65.4%, the difference being significant (P^0.05). Absorption of essential amino acids was greatest of Met and Lys and least of Thr, regardless of diet. Decreasing the content of crude protein in diets for Polish Merino małe lambs to 14%, at 18.7 MJ gross energy per kg D M , did not reduce the amount of amino acids absorbed in the smali intestine and improved protein utilization.
SOCIOECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF SAVINGS IN PAKISTAN

Due to close relationship of savings to economic growth, poverty, income inequality the analysis of the savings behavior becomes very important in development economics. The present study has analyzed the saving behavior of Pakistan for the period 19732013. It has been found that age dependency, foreign savings and inflation have a negative and significant relationships with all the three type of savings (i.e. national, public and private), while economic growth and financial sector development enhances savings in Pakistan. The study finds that interest rate has an insignificant impact on nationals and private savings. However, in the case of public savings the impact is positive and significant. As far as the role of taxes is concerned, it has been found that taxes discourage private savings while the impact on public savings is positive.
Unemployment in Greek Cypriot Families : Psychosocial Impact , Coping Strategies , and Grassroots-level Solutions

The recession of the Cyprus economy began in 2009 and culminated in the island experiencing the third highest unemployment rate in the European Union in the years 2013, 2014, and 2015 (Statista, 2015). To sketch out the profile of the Greek Cypriot unemployed, determine the psychosocial impact of unemployment, and identify risk and protective factors germane to this context, a telephone survey was conducted with 120 Greek Cypriot unemployed adults (a response rate of 72%). It was further hypothesised that long-term unemployment has more pervasive destructive psychosocial effects on both the unemployed and their families and that the latter effects are exacerbated by poverty and mitigated by social support and religiosity. A last focus of the study was to generate grassroots-level solutions to the problem of unemployment with implications for social policy development. Findings partially support the research hypotheses and provide insight into various government, legal, church, and society-level interventions that may help deflate the problem. Implications for knowledge development, future research, and social policy are discussed.
Multisensor Retrieval of Atmospheric Properties

A new method, Multisensor Retrieval of Atmospheric Properties (MRAP), is presented for deriving vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters throughout the troposphere. MRAP integrates measurements from multiple, diverse, remote sensing, and in situ instruments, the combination of which provides better capabilities than any instrument alone. Since remote sensors can deliver measurements automatically and continuously with high time resolution, MRAP provides better coverage than traditional rawinsondes. MRAP's design is flexible, being capable of incorporating measurements from different instruments in order to take advantage of new or developing advanced sensor technology. Furthermore, new or alternative atmospheric parameters for a variety of applications may be easily added as products of MRAP. A combination of passive radiometric, active radar, and in situ observations provide the best temperature and humidity profile measurements. Therefore, MRAP starts with a traditional, radiometer-based, physical re.