Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Persuading women against gender violence 1 Persuading Women Against Gender Violence. Effect of Similarity with the Protagonist on Identification and Risk-Perception

This study focuses on analysis of the factors that can increase the persuasive effectiveness of information campaigns using narratives. An experiment was carried out in which similarity with the protagonist was manipulated in a video about a victim of gender violence. In one condition the protagonist was said to be Spanish (high similarity), and in the other version she was said to be Argentinian (low similarity). In both cases the protagonist was portrayed as living in Madrid (Spain). The participants (75 Spanish women) then filled out a questionnaire that included measures about emotional impact, identification with the protagonist, and risk perception regarding becoming a victim of abuse. Results showed that similarity with the protagonist has an indirect influence on risk perception through negative emotions and identification.
Democrat or Republican? Using Political Stereotypes as a Bias Discussion Exercise

This innovative practice paper explains a classroom leadership exercise that asks students to identify anonymous people as either Democrats or Republicans based only on brief descriptions. Students are challenged to explore the reasons behind the identifications they make, specifically confronting the trigger words that lead them to assign a political affiliation. In doing so, the exercise leads students to recognize preconceived notions that are largely based on general stereotypes. Although the exercise is based in political party identity, it is designed as a springboard into powerful classroom discussions about broader issues of bias and prejudice.
Effects of visual blur on microsaccades during visual exploration

Microsaccades shift the image on the fovea and counteract visual fading. They also serve as an optimal sampling strategy while viewing complex visual scenes. Microsaccade production relies on the amount of retinal error or acuity demand of a visual task. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of blur induced by uncorrected refractive error on visual search. Eye movements were recorded in fourteen healthy subjects with uncorrected and corrected refractive error while they performed a) visual fixation b) blankscene viewing c) visual search (spot the difference) tasks. Microsaccades, saccades, correctly identified differences and reaction times were analyzed. The frequency of microsaccades and correctly identified differences were lower in the uncorrected refractive error during visual search. No similar change in microsaccades was seen during blank-scene viewing and gaze holding tasks. These findings suggest that visual blur, hence the precision of an image on the fovea, has an important role in calibrating the amplitude of microsaccades during visual scanning.
Seasonal variation in the biomass, quantity and quality of agar from Gelidiella acerosa (Forsskal) Feldmann et Hamel (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) from the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, India

The Gulf of Mannar on the southeast coast of India, which has recently been declared as biosphere reserve, is the main harvesting place of Gelidiella acerosa for the Indian agar industry. The biomass harvested from natural stocks was estimated to be over 10 000 tonnes dry weight (DW) in the last two decades and is a serious cause of concern on long term sustainability of this valuable resource from this region. The present study reports the seasonal variation in the biomass and agar yield and quality from G. acerosa in four different habitats such as Rameswaram (rocky intertidal), Ervadi (lower intertidal), Sethukarai (subtidal) and Krusadai Island (lagoon reef area). A maximum biomass of 260 ± 26 g DW m−2 was recorded from Ervadi, whereas Sethukarai showed the highest percentage cover (69.83 ± 4.83%) and density (208.20 ± 30.16 plants m−2). Biomass, percentage cover and density were lowest in Rameswaram and significantly lower (P < 0.001) than the other three stations. A single peak in biomass was observed with autumn maxima in Ervadi and Rameswaram and southwest monsoon maxima in Sethukarai and Krusaidai Island. Length of G. acerosa was maximum (9.65 ± 0.25 cm) in Ervadi and the branch index value was maximum (24.70 ± 4.01 br−1 g−1 DW) for Rameswaram. Agar yield (37.24 ± 7.59%) and gel strength (448.66 ± 6.50 g/cm2) were higher in Sethukarai plants. The agar yields attained a peak in the northeast monsoon and decreased in summer, whereas a reverse trend was observed for gel strength. Evidently, agar yield showed a strong negative correlation with gel strength (P < 0.0001) and gelling (P < 0.0001) and melting temperatures (P < 0.01). The single annual peak in biomass observed in the present study, as compared with two peaks reported earlier, are attributed to the continuous overharvesting that would have had an effect on the overall annual biomass production. The findings of this study reveal that a single harvest during the autumn months (January to March) could yield optimum biomass with moderate agar and that would be the best for sustainable usage and conservation of this resource from this region.
White matter tractography using fast marching method in diffusion tensor image

The technique of tracking white matter fiber in human brains based on diffusion tensor imaging is widely developed in research areas recently. The reconstruction of the white matter fiber allows us to investigate anatomical connections between brain regions and provides more information for the underlying functional networks in human brain. However, the problem arises when solving the brunching and crossing conditions. In this study, we provide a modified fast marching fiber tractography algorithm to reconstruct the white matter fibers in human brain. Our results showed that, with our method, the brunching and crossing fibers were detected and the discretization errors were improved
UTILISING THE DESIGN FREEDOMS OF RAPID MANUFACTURING TO OPTIMISE STRUCTURAL AND ACOUSTICAL INTERACTIONS OF ‘BRASS’ MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

The feasibility of the production of end use ‘brass’ musical instruments using Rapid Manufacturing (RM) is discussed with an emphasis on optimising the structural resonance through stiffening structures. The method is based upon a coupling between the air-column and structure when their resonant frequencies approach each other, which accentuates the players’ lip to wall coupling effect. The degree of wall vibration and the frequencies at which it occurs can be controlled by variation of the structure’s stiffness and the design freedoms allowed by RM enable greater control of this. Initial results of the structures and their performance are presented.
The effects of forest clearing and regeneration on the fauna of Wivenhoe Park, south-east Queensland

The effects on terrestrial fauna of clearing, fragmentation and regeneration of eucalypt forest and woodland were investigated in a former cattle-grazing area of south-east Queensland. The abundance of species and higher taxa was compared among four major habitat types: interior of relatively mature forest, interior of earlier stages of regenerating forest, cleared pasture, and abrupt edges between the forest and cleared land. The regenerating sites were several decades old and consisted mainly of Eucalyptus saplings 3n6 m high, with a grassy understorey. Numbers of pitfall-trapped invertebrate orders were significantly higher in forest interior and forest edge than in cleared or regenerating sites; numbers of coleopterans were significantly higher in forest interior sites than in cleared or regenerating sites; and numbers of isopterans were significantly higher in both forest interior and forest edge sites than in cleared sites. Total abundance of native non-flying mammals was significantly higher in forest interior than elsewhere. Other vertebrates apart from birds were detected in numbers too low for analysis. Cleared sites supported significantly lower numbers of avian species and Orders, and of total birds, than any other habitat in winter, with a similar but non-significant trend in summer. Forest interior sites showed a significantly higher abundance of several avian species than any other habitat, but noisy miners and Torresian crows were significantly more abundant in edge sites than in forest interior sites. Sites of low regeneration were chiefly utilised by birds characteristic of forest edge. Many decades of regeneration would appear to be necessary before many forest-dependant species are adequately supported in these areas.
Desempenho de clones de seringueira da série IAC 300 na região do planalto de São Paulo

The present paper shows the results of the selection of IAC 300 serial promising clones of rubber tree (Hevea spp.) for the plateau region of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Eighteen clones were selected from a population of 70 clones resulted of controlled pollination, all evaluated in a small scale trial. The trial was laid out in randomized block design with three replications following the 7.0 m x 3.0 m spacing at the Experimental Station of Pindorama. The clones RRIM 600 and GT 1 were used as control. Regarding to yield, eight and ten clones showed superiority to RRIM 600 and GT 1, respectively. All the selected clones showed to be vigorous regarding to the girth by the panel opening. Seven clones showed high resistance, seven with moderate resistance, and two were susceptible to the anthracnose panel canker. A complementary evaluation in large scale trials is to evaluate, besides yielding, other secondary characters, with the purpose of future recommendations in large scale for Sao Paulo State.
Spatial patterns of distribution of meiofaunal and nematode assemblages in the Huvadhoo lagoon (Maldives, Indian Ocean)

Huvadhoo Atoll is a little-known and generally uncontaminated atoll of the southern Maldives, although the human pressure is increasing. This study represents the first attempt to characterize the meiofaunal and nematode assemblages of its lagoon both from a taxonomic and functional point of view. The nematode assemblage was made up of a total of 131 genera in 33 families. Desmodoridae, Chromadoridae and Xyalidae represented the richest and most abundant families, followed in terms of abundance by Selachinematidae and Comesomatidae. The nematode richness was overall higher than that reported in the previous studies carried out in the Central part of the archipelago. The diversity patterns revealed higher values than those reported for the back-reefs platforms, so confirming the positive influence of the water depth on the biodiversity of the nematode assemblage. The statistical analysis highlighted a significant taxonomic difference of the assemblages between the stations characterized by fine and medium-coarse sands, respectively, in line with the auto-ecological preferences of the taxa detected. The use of some nematode descriptors for assessing the ecological quality status (EQS) of the lagoon has revealed a slight disturbance in the station close to Viligili, one of the most urbanized islands. However, the summarization of all the descriptors used allows the highlighting of the good EQS of the Huvadhoo lagoon. Thus, the results of this study may be taken as the starting point for the future monitoring of the potential and real impact of the anthropogenic activity on the area over time.
The Jesuits and Chinese Science

Based on the historical context of the Jesuit mission to China from 1580, this paper examines the role of knowledge diffusion in scientific production. To facilitate their China mission, the Jesuits introduced European sciences to Chinese cultural elites—the Confucian literati. This stimulated the literati toward scientific research. In places where the Jesuits diffused European sciences, the number of Chinese scientific works increased significantly. But this effect disappeared after the Pope dismissed the Jesuit mission in 1773. The finding questions the conventional wisdom that the Confucian literati of imperial China disparaged science, and demonstrates the importance of opening to knowledge flow in scientific progress.
FDI and Manufacturing Growth: Bound Test and ARDL Approach

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) toward manufacturing value added growth in the context of developing economies like Pakistan. The study used annual data for the period 1972-2017. By applying the cointegration method known as "bounds test" and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to find both long term and short-term effect of FDI on manufacturing value added growth. Meanwhile the foreign direct investment and exports has also shown a significant impact on MAU in long run and short run. In addition, long run estimates show that foreign direct investment, employment and exports positively influence the Pakistan‟s manufacturing value added growth, while market size also significantly affect with negative sign of coefficient value and the employment insignificantly affect with positive sign. Our results suggest that Pakistan should consider appropriate positive policies regarding foreign direct investment, employment and exports to achieve high and stable manufacturing sector growth in the future. This paper contributes to the area of FDI and manufacturing sector growth by critically analyzing and synthesizing existing theory and research on FDI and manufacturing sector growth and with the help of advance technology and
The H1N1 Factor and Inverse Correlation Between Death Rates Due to COVID-19 and Influenza-Pneumonia

In an earlier study, we had observed an inverse correlation between death rates due to COVID-19 and influenza, suggesting cross-immunity We examine virus surveillance data further to identify the key subtype of influenza virus that seems to give such crossimmunity This is identified as the H1N1 strain and we show that a country where this strain was recently dominant has much lower COVID-19 mortality rates It is possible to argue that many countries which already have a high burden of influenza and pneumonia-related deaths, may have a substantial fraction of the population immune to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and hence experience lower mortality rates at the peak typical of exponentially growing epidemics This has implication on policies appropriate for managing the epidemic © 2020, Indian Academy of Sciences
The Prevalence and Determinants of Freezing of Gait Among Iranian Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

1. Dept. of Neurology, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2. Dept. of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 3. Dept. of Neurology, Mostafa Khomeini Hospital, School of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran 4. Neuromuscular Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
VALUING RISK REDUCTIONS USING DIFFERENT VALUATION METHODS Valuing Pathogenic Risk: Methods, Skill, & Rationality

Constrained budgets and increased fiscal accountability prevent a policymaker from reducing all foodborne risk to all individuals. Deciding which risks to reduce and by how much requires evaluation of each new or revised regulation. Comparability of value across all sectors of the economy requires that policymakers rank regulatory alternatives in terms of a common unit. Arguably, the most common denominator is money, or monetary equivalence. Risk valuation systematically evaluates each regulation by estimating the monetary value—both benefits and costs—of a reduction in risk from unsafe food.
Dingo interactions with exotic mesopredators: spatiotemporal dynamics in an Australian arid-zone study

Abstract Context. Apex predators occupy the top level of the trophic cascade and often perform regulatory functions in many ecosystems. Their removal has been shown to increase herbivore and mesopredator populations, and ultimately reduce species diversity. In Australia, it has been proposed that the apex predator, the dingo (Canis dingo), has the potential to act as a biological control agent for two introduced mesopredators, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the feral cat (Felis catus). Understanding the mechanisms of interaction among the three species may assist in determining the effectiveness of the dingo as a control agent and the potential benefits to lower-order species. Aims. To test the hypotheses that feral cats and foxes attempt to both temporally avoid dingoes and spatially avoid areas of high dingo use. Methods. Static and dynamic interaction methodologies based on global positioning system (GPS) telemetry data were applied to test temporal and spatial interactions between the two mesopredators (n = 15) and a dingo pair (n = 2). The experimental behavioural study was conducted in a 37-km2 fenced enclosure located in arid South Australia. Key results. The dynamic interaction analysis detected neither attraction nor avoidance between dingoes and cats or foxes at short temporal scales. There was no suggestion of delayed interactions, indicating that dingoes were not actively hunting mesopredators on the basis of olfactory signalling. However, static interaction analysis suggested that, although broad home ranges of cats and foxes overlapped with dingoes, core home ranges were mutually exclusive. This was despite similar habitat preferences among species. Conclusions. We found that avoidance patterns were not apparent when testing interactions at short temporal intervals, but were manifested at larger spatial scales. Results support previous work that suggested that dingoes kill mesopredators opportunistically rather than through active hunting. Implications. Core home ranges of dingoes may provide refuge areas for small mammals and reptiles, and ultimately benefit threatened prey species by creating mesopredator-free space. However, the potential high temporal variation in core home-range positioning and small size of mutually exclusive areas suggested that further work is required to determine whether these areas provide meaningful sanctuaries for threatened prey.
THE DYNAMICS OF PROBIOTICS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND IMMUNE RESPONSE IN BROILERS

The research work was conducted on "Hubbard Isa Starbro" broilers to evaluate the dynamics of probiotics relating to live weight gain, carcass yield, weight of cut up meat parts and immune response. Day old broiler chicks were divided into four groups as group A (Vaccinated probiotics fed group), B (Nonvaccinated probiotics fed group), C (Vaccinated conventional fed group) and D (Nonvaccinate d conventional fed group). Groups C and D were taken as control birds fed with commercial ration and groups A and B as experimental birds were fed with commercial ration with the addition of 2gm probiotics (Protexin ® of age. A significantly (p<0.01) higher breast weight in broiler chicks fed with the probiotics was observed on the 4 and 6 week of age. Analogously a significantly (p<0.05) higher breast portion weight was found in th th experimental birds as compared to control ones during 2 week of age. (c) The antibody production was nd found significantly (p<0.01) higher in experimental birds as compared to control ones. Significant differences were also observed in the weight of spleen and bursa due to probiotics supplementation. The results of the study thus revealed that probiotics supplementation promoted significant influence on live weight gain, high carcass yield, prominent cut up meat parts and immune response.
ANÁLISE EPIDEMIOLÓGICA DOS ACIDENTES OFÍDICOS NO MUNICÍPIO DE TERESÓPOLIS-RJ NO PERÍODO DE 2007 A 2010

Com o objetivo de determinar a epidemiologia e fluxo de informação de notificação dos acidentes ofídicos no município de Teresópolis (RJ), foi realizado um estudo descritivo, quantitativo e retrospectivo. Os dados foram coletados por meio de consulta ao banco de dados SINAN NET e das fichas individuais de investigação para notificação de acidentes por animais peçonhentos do SINAN, emitidas pelo Hospital das Clínicas de Teresópolis Costantino Ottaviano no período de 01/2007 – 12/2010. Foram analisadas 121 fichas individuais de investigação do município enquanto no SINAN estão registrados 104 casos, indicando uma subnotificação de 14,4%. O gênero Bothrops aparece como responsável pela maioria dos acidentes atendidos com 81,8% dos casos, apresentando sazonalidade maior nos meses entre outubro e março (72,7%), com predominância de acidentados do sexo masculino (78,5%), idade variando entre 20 e 59 anos (80,2%) e maior acometimento dos membros inferiores (68,8%). Concluiu-se que existem falhas no preenchimento das fichas individuais de investigação e falta de sintonia entre o sistema de coleta de dados e o sistema SINAN NET, apesar deste ser de extrema importância para a informação sobre acidentes com animais peçonhentos.
The Reduction of the Impacts in the Contract Management for Government Construction Projects

This article is the analysis of the guidelines for reducing the impacts of the government’s construction contract management by synthesizing the factors of the delay of the construction projects. The quantitative methodology was used for conducting the field data collection with the three sample groups: government officer, contractor and consultant groups. The severity index was used in order to reduce the impacts. The factors sequence 1, 2, 4 and 5 need improvements in terms of procurement and in the initiation step of project. The factors sequence 3 is about stakeholders requiring occupational standards for reducing conflicts in all construction processes. The management must be systematic. So that, in the management should start from the initiation step of the project such as planning, documentation preparation, stakeholder coordination, and compliance with construction and other relevant laws.
Facilitating Large-scale Collaboration Through Effective Mechanism Design: An Economic Examination of Resource Allocation in Collaboratories

In many disciplines success depends on access to scarce resources, such as unique instruments. Research on computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) has contributed to the development of technologies, such as collaboratories, that broaden access to scarce scientiﬁc and engineering resources. While broader access is often applauded, little attention has been focused on the problem of equitable and eﬃcient resource allocation in the face of increased demand created through collaboratory use. This paper, then, applies concepts from the economic discipline of mechanism design to compare diﬀerent resource allocation schemes (RAD, Vick-ery, and knapsack) within a hypothetical collaboratory. Experimental results show that knapsack achieves a more eq-uitable distribution of resources than RAD or Vickery, but that RAD and Vickery are both more eﬃcient than knap-sack. The ﬁndings highlight the need for systematic exploration of allocation mechanisms within collaboratories, where simple optimization (e.g., knapsack) is likely to produce a sub-optimal match of resources to needs. More generally, the ﬁndings illustrate the utility of economic approaches in understanding issues that emerge in large-scale collaborations, such as entire scientiﬁc and engineering communities, that have not typically been the subject of CSCW research.