Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant Diversity Along the Urban–Rural Gradient and Its Relationship with Urbanization Degree in Shanghai, China

Urbanization is one of the major causes for plant diversity loss at the local and regional scale. However, how plant species distribute along the urban–rural gradient and what the relationship between urbanization degree and plant diversity is, is not very clear. In this paper, 134 sample sites along two 18 km width transects that run across the urban center of Shanghai were investigated. We quantified the spatial patterns of plant diversity along the urban–rural gradient and measured the relationship between plant diversity and urbanization degree, which was calculated using a land use land cover map derived from high spatial resolution aerial photos. We recorded 526 vascular plant species in 134 plots, 57.8% of which are exotic plant species. Six spatial distribution patterns of species richness were identified for different plant taxa along the rural to urban gradient. The native plant species richness showed no significant relationship to urbanization degree. The richness of the all plants, woody plants and perennial herbs presented significant positive relationship with urbanization degree, while the richness of annual herbs, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Heip evenness all exhibited a negative relationship to urbanization degree. Urbanization could significantly influence plant diversity in Shanghai. Our findings can provide insights to understand the mechanism of urbanization effects on plant diversity, as well as plant diversity conservation in urban areas.
Molecular Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Ginseng Germplasm in RDA-Genebank: Implications for Breeding and Conservation

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), commonly known as Korean or Asian ginseng, is a perennial herb native to Korea and China. There has been limited research effort to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of ginseng germplasm because of its growth habits. In the present study, genetic diversity and population structure of ginseng germplasm conserved in the National Agrobiodiversity Center (NAC) of South Korea were analyzed to provide basic data for future preservation and breeding of ginseng genetic resources. Seventeen simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 1109 ginseng accessions. Among 1109 ginseng accessions, 1042 (94.0%) accessions were landraces and 66 (6.0%) accessions were breeding lines (61 accessions, 5.5%) or cultivars (5 accessions, 0.5%). SSR markers revealed 56 different alleles with an average of 3.29 alleles per locus. The average gene diversity was 0.49. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 91% of allelic diversity was attributed to individual accessions within clusters while only 9% was distributed among clusters. Using discriminant analysis of principal components, 12 clusters were detected in 1109 ginseng accessions. The results of this study provide molecular evidence for the narrow genetic base of ginseng germplasm in NAC. For the broad understanding and efficient use of ginseng germplasm, it is necessary to analyze functional factors and to evaluate morphological traits.
Strawberry cultivation along with Lohakat (Xylia dolabriformis) tree as agroforestry system

A field experiment was conducted at the Agroforestry Farm of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during the period from July 2012 to April 2013 with the aim of evaluating the growth performance of strawberry (Fragaria anaanassa) grown as intercrop with five years old Lohakat (Xylia dolabriformis) trees. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Different distances from tree base viz. 0-0.5m, 0.5-1.0m and 1.0-1.5m were treatments of this study. There is a control treatments i.e., without tree condition or open field. The individual plot size was 6m x 2m and each plot contains two lohakat tree maintain 3m distance from one to another. In this study growth and yield of strawberry was observed as fruit production purpose. Growth and yield of strawberry in association with Lohakat tree was remarkably decreased with decreasing distance towards the tree base and the variation was very wide near the Lohakat tree base compare to open field condition. The result showed that morphological characteristics viz. plant height, no. of leaves per plant, leaf size, leaf area (cm), number of flower per plant, number of fruit per plant, fruit length (cm), fruit girth (cm), fruit weight (g) of strawberry was less vigorous near the Lohakat tree base. Highest number of flower per plant (52.87), fruit per plant (31.13) and percent fruit setting (58.885) was in open field condition which were almost identical in 1.0-1.5m distance area (51.83, 30.45 and 58.75%) and lowest value was recorded in 0-0.5m distance area (26.08, 12.03 and 46.13%) from tree base. Maturity period of strawberry fruit decreased with decreasing distance from tree base and average maturity period was 18.0 days and it ranges from 13-25 days. Strawberry fruit harvest starts from the month of December but it was optimum in January and after that it continued upto March with reducing rate. Individual fruit weight was highest in open field condition (17.81g) followed by 1.0-1.5m (17.53g), 0.5-1.0m (11.8g) and 0-0.5m (7.45g) distance area from Lohakat tree base. Yield of fruit was highest in open field condition 33.00t/ha which was 3.73, 56.35 and 83.84% lower in 1.0-1.5m, 0.5-1.0m and 0-0.5m distance area from Lohakat tree base, respectively.
Listening comprehension strategies and learning styles in foreign language education

This study reports preliminary findings regarding the relationship between listening comprehension strategy use and learning style in an English-as-a-foreignlanguage milieu in Taiwan. Its main aim was to improve understanding of how two listeners, one from an upperand one from a lower-intermediate level, employed strategies to tackle language problems in the course of task completion. Data gathered between November and December 2007 from the qualitative verbal report methods of think-aloud protocols and post-listening interviews were analysed based on O’Malley et al. (1989) and Vandergrift (1997b). Results revealed differences in strategy use across listening comprehension abilities in that the more proficient listener had a wider range of strategy use and interacted with both metacognitive strategies (i.e., comprehension monitoring and directed attention) and cognitive strategies (e.g., linguistic inferencing and personal elaboration) to facilitate effective comprehension or to make coherent meaning of a spoken text. On the other hand, the less-thanproficient listener had a limited knowledge of strategy deployment and mainly employed bottom-up cognitive strategies, such as repetition and translation, and misinterpreted what was heard. In addition, the learning style of the participants was examined by means of a questionnaire survey (derived from Willing 1993 and Nunan 1996). Both listeners preferred Type 2 authority-oriented learning; but nonetheless, compared with the less effective listener, the more proficient listener demonstrated a flexible learning style in modifying her conscious behaviour to achieve global understanding of an aural text. Hence, the findings from the study suggest that strategy-based instruction is needed to increase students’ conscious learning and further to help them transfer learnt strategies to a variety of situations outside the classroom.
Contributions of the Biofilm Matrix to Candida Pathogenesis

In healthcare settings, Candida spp. cause invasive disease with high mortality. The overwhelming majority of cases are associated with the use of critically-needed medical devices, such as vascular catheters. On the surface of these indwelling materials, Candida forms resilient, adherent biofilm communities. A hallmark characteristic of this process is the production of an extracellular matrix, which promotes fungal adhesion and provides protection from external threats. In this review, we highlight the medical relevance of device-associated Candida biofilms and draw attention to the process of Candida-biofilm-matrix production. We provide an update on the current understanding of how biofilm extracellular matrix contributes to pathogenicity, particularly through its roles in the promoting antifungal drug tolerance and immune evasion.
Failure of 2-Pyridinecarboxylic Acid, an Inhibitor of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate Oxidase, as a Universal Flower Care Agent to Extend the Vase Life of Cut Carnation Flowers

2-Pyridinecarboxylic acid (2-PCA) acts as an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana by binding to the active site of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase. In this study, we examined the action of 2-PCA in comparison with the action of 3-PCA, a recently discovered stimulator of flower opening, in cut flowers of the spray-type carnation cultivars, ‘Light Pink Barbara (LPB)’, ‘Carnet’, ‘Collin’, and ‘Zulia’. With ‘LPB’ flowers, 2-PCA at 0.5–5 mM did not prolong the vase life, whereas 3-PCA at 5 mM did so. With the other three cultivars, 3-PCA generally promoted flower opening of all the cultivars. On the other hand, the action of 2-PCA on flower opening and senescence varied with the carnation cultivar and time of harvest, resulting in a shortened, unchanged or lengthened vase life of the flowers. 2-PCA also caused severe bending of flower stems in all cultivars, which lowered the display value of the flowers. The present results showed that 2PCA is not likely to be a useful flower care agent in carnation flowers.
Coarse-Grain Modelling of Lipid Bilayers: A Literature Review

Particle-based computer simulation is a powerful tool to study the behaviour of membranes at molecular resolution. Atomic-level models have been employed for decades now, and have given an understanding of many membrane phenomena. However, these studies are computationally very expensive, for an enormous amount of calculation has to be performed to model the interactions between all atoms in the system. This problem can be tackled by adopting simplified, “coarse-grain” descriptions, in which the number of interacting particles is significantly reduced. In this review, we summarize and discuss the most representative work reported in the literature concerning coarse-grain computer models of lipid bilayers. Every model is analysed in terms of the force-field employed, parameterization procedure, and predictive power in relation to the corresponding experimental observables. We also highlight general advantages and drawbacks of the coarse-grain approach with respect to the traditional atomic-level methodology. 185 http://www.beilstein-institut.de/bozen2006/proceedings/Orsi/Orsi.pdf Bozen 2006, May 15 – 19, 2006, Bozen, Italy Beilstein-Institut
Major depressive episode among university students in Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Depression is the leading cause of disability around the world, and it has been increasingly affecting young people. This study evaluates the prevalence and factors associated with major depression in university students, with emphasis on the influence of the academic field, chosen study area and the environment they are inserted. METHODS A census of students who entered the university in the first semester of 2017 was held at a university in Southern Brazil. The outcome of major depressive episode was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, considered when the individual had five or more depressive symptoms for at least one week. Its prevalence was estimated, and the associated factors were examined by the hierarchical multivariable analysis using the Poisson regression model. RESULTS A total of 32% (95% confidence interval 29.9–34.2) of university students presented a major depressive episode, and the problem was more frequent among women (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.59); people aged 21 to 23 years (PR = 1.24); those with a family history of depression (PR = 1.27); minorities’ sexual orientation (homosexuals, PR = 1.64, and bisexuals, PR = 1.69); who lived with friends or colleagues (PR = 1.36); students in the area of applied social and human sciences (PR = 1.28), and linguistics, language and literature, and art (PR = 1.25). The worst academic performance (PR = 2.61), alcohol abuse (PR = 1.25), and illicit drug use (PR = 1.30) were also positively associated with major depressive episode. CONCLUSION In addition to individual, family, and behavioral aspects, already described as risk factors for major depressive episodes in the general population, academic aspects also influence the occurrence of depression among university students. Considering the high prevalence of major depressive episode and its negative impact on health, public and institutional policies are necessary to focus on students’ mental health promotion and care.
Comparative Study of the Functional and Clinical Outcomes of Two Different Rotator Cuff Repair Techniques: Suture Anchor versus Transosseous Sharc-FT

Amac: Bu calismada, rotator manset yirtiklarinda sutur ankor ve transosseoz sharc-FT fiksasyon seceneklerinin mini-acik onariminin fonksiyonel ve klinik sonuclarini karsilastirmayi amacladik. Gerec ve Yontemler: Ocak 2010 - Temmuz 2016 arasinda Duzce Universitesi Hastanesi Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji Kliniginde ve Duzce Devlet Hastanesi Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji Kliniginde Ocak 2010 - Temmuz 2016 tarihleri arasinda 60 hasta ameliyat edildi. 30 hasta sutur ankor (grup 1) ile tamir edilen ve 30 Transosseoz Sharc -FT® (grup 2) ile ameliyat edilen hastalar karsilastirildi. Preoperatif ve postoperatif omuz hareket acikligi, VAS skoru, Constant omuz skoru, Oxford omuz skoru ve Q-DASH omuz skoru grup 1 ve 2 hastada degerlendirildi. Bulgular: Katilimcilarin %62’si erkek, %38'si kadindi. Gruplara gore cinsiyet dagilimi homojendi (P=0,426). Deneklerin yas ortalamasi 57,35 ± 8,69 (41-78) idi. Gruplar arasinda yas ortalamasi acisindan anlamli fark yoktu (P=0,232). Post-hoc testine gore, ameliyat sonrasi Constant skoru Grup 2'de Grup 1'den anlamli olarak yuksek bulundu (P<0,001). Sonuc: Transosseoz Sharc-FT fiksasyon malzemesi ile rotator manset onariminin, sutur ankor’a gore siki stabilite sagladigi ve ustun fonksiyonel, radyolojik ve agri skorlarina sahip oldugu sonucuna vardik. Ayrica, erken rehabilitasyonun Transosseoz Sharc-FT kullanilarak diger tespit seceneklerine gore rotator manset onarimi geciren hastalar icin bir avantaj oldugu sonucuna vardik.
Real-Time Shading with Phong BRDF Model Phong BRDF Modeli ile Gerçek Zamanlı Işıklandırma

In this paper, we propose a novel real-time Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) shading interface for creating isotropic BRDFs in image-based lighting. Our proposed BRDF shading interface allows users to generate new BRDFs by tweaking parameters of underlying BRDF model, which is Phong BRDF model. The implementation of our BRDF shading interface utilizes programmable graphics hardware through Shadertoy, and it provides a real-time visualization of the material on an object in environment lighting.
Effect of yoga on Free radical and Antioxidant status in Healthy Adults

Background: Yoga is an ancient Indian philosophy, Yoga has shown to improve various physiological and biochemical parameters when practiced regularly. However whether yoga improves the free radical and antioxidant status in individuals is largely unknown. The aim of present study was to assess the free radical and antioxidant status in healthy adult males. Methods: This study was conducted in Mamata Medical College and Hospial, Khammam on 30 healthy adult male volunteers denoted as Group I they received 12 weeks of yoga training under guidance of cer fied Yoga teacher. Another 30 adult males were taken as control and designated as Group II they did not receive any training they followed their regular routine work. Samples were obtained from both groups for comparison. Results: the mean values for Malodialdehyde (MDA) nmol% in Group I prior to undergoing training were 253.12 ± 21.74 and Group II were 252.8 ± 26.5 the Post training values for MDA levels in Group I recorded were 314.16 ± 36.84 and Group II were 271.70 ± 25.08 the p values for MDA were found to be significant. whereas the uric acid mg% mean values in Group I pre yoga readings were 4.60 ± 1.52 and post yoga training were 6.76 ± 2.66 and Group II pre were 4.34 ± 0.85 and post were 4.55 ± 1.06 the p value was not significant. Conclusion: Regular yoga training can decrease free radical formation and increase antioxidant system and yoga should be considered one of the therapeutic methods for relieving stress and over all well being of the individual.
What is driving declines of montane endemic amphibians? New insights from Mount Bamboutos, Cameroon

Abstract Amphibians on African mountains are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, disease and climate change. In particular, there have been recent reports of declines of montane endemic frogs in Cameroon. Mount Bamboutos, although home to numerous species of endemic amphibians, has no official protection and its amphibian populations have so far not been studied quantitatively. We surveyed frog assemblages on this mountain along a gradient of forest modification over a 2-year period. Through visual encounter surveys stratified across forest and farmland, we found that threatened montane amphibian species are closely associated with forested areas, particularly the Critically Endangered Leptodactylodon axillaris and Endangered Leptodactylodon perreti, Astylosternus ranoides and Cardioglossa oreas. Using the updated inventory of amphibians, which includes species with broader ranges across Africa, we found 69% of amphibian species on Mount Bamboutos to be threatened. We did not record several species present in historical records, which suggests they may have disappeared from this mountain, including Cardioglossa pulchra, Phrynobatrachus steindachneri, Phrynobatrachus werneri, Sclerophrys villiersi, Werneria bambutensis and Wolterstorffina mirei. The pattern of change detected in the amphibian community is consistent with declines on other mountains in the country, with a loss of Phrynobatrachus, Werneria and Cardioglossa spp. , but persistence of Astylosternus, Arthroleptis and Leptodacty-lodon. The observed relationships of land-use patterns and amphibian diversity suggest that ongoing land-use changes could extirpate the remaining montane endemic frog species, particularly L. axillaris and L. perreti. Preserving a network of connected forest patches is therefore critical to save the endemic amphibians of Mount Bamboutos.
“Employee Attitude towards Organisational Commitment: A Literature Survey”

Every Organisation that employs people come from a diverse background for a common purpose of fulfilling the goals of the organisation and also commit themselves to work towards achieving the objectives of the organisation. This paper reviews the studies conducted to establish the relationship between Employee Attitude and their Commitment towards the Organisation in meeting the requirements and following their policies and principles. The objectives of the paper is to understand the relationship between Employee Attitudes and Commitment towards the organisation and to find out if there is any significant impact of employee attitude towards their commitment to the organisation leading to increased loyalty. The paper also tries find out whether the employees’ attitudes leads to job satisfaction which will result in organisational commitment. The reviews of various researches clearly indicate that organisational commitment is the outcome of employees’ attitudes which has led to job satisfaction. A satisfied employee remains in the firm even if he has to face challenges like no rise in the pay, not so comfortable working environment or no high position in the organisation. It is not only the remuneration and perquisites that make an employee committed to the organisation, but also the attitudes that determine the commitment towards the organisation.
The Origin(s) of Cell: Some Radical New Hypotheses

The central mechanism of biological evolution, variation-selection-inheritance (VSI), is one of the most universal mechanisms known. Much of our understanding of VSI, however, has been dominated by the Neo-Darwinian Modern Synthesis with a rather narrow understanding of what constitutes variation, selection, and inheritance. This unduly narrow understanding of VSI might have been a key cause behind our failure to adequately explain some critical puzzles in biological evolution, from the origin of the first cell to the origin of the eukaryotes, the puzzling biology of metabolism, apoptosis, aging, and cancer in metazoan. I broaden our understanding of VSI, in a spirit that is somewhat similar to several recent contributions and then extend this broadened view of VSI to its “natural” starting point: the origin of the First Universal Cell Ancestor (FUCA). I advance three principal arguments. First, survival comes before replication. Before the coming of reproducer and replicator, there must be survivors, to paraphrase Szathmary and Maynard Smith (1997). Second, natural selection, especially the non-Darwinian kind, can operate without replication or even metabolism, as long as different molecules, complexes, and vesicles have differential survival rate within a system. Third, merger and acquisition, via breaking-and-re-encapsulation, endocytosis, endosymbiosis, and processes similar to them, had been a far more powerful force of variation and selection in the pre-Darwinian period of evolution that led to LUCA and long before eukaryogenesis. Endosymbiosis therefore had been a far more foundational force than even Lynn Margulis and many of her supporters have appreciated. Our thesis thus goes beyond Woese’s emphasis of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and actually subsumes HGT with Margulis’ emphasis of endosymbiosis. Combing these three new perspectives with other perspectives and evidence sheds important new light upon the origin of FUCA, the singular water-shedding moment in the evolution of life.
Low- Frequency Dielectric Dispersion and Impedance Spectroscopy of Lead-Free Na0.5 Bi0.5 Tio3 (Nbt) based Ferroelectric Ceramic

Lead–containing ferroelectric materials such as Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) and PZTbased [1,2] multi component ceramics have been widely used as sensors, actuators and ultrasonic transducers in various electronic devices because of their excellent piezoelectric properties. However, PbO vaporization problems during the sintering process and treatment of Pb containing products cause crucial environment pollution. Recently, much more attention has been paid to the investigation of lead free piezoelectric materials for the replacement of the lead containing ferroelectrics [3].
Unilateral Tax Policy in the Open Economy

This paper examines the effects of a unilateral reform of the redistribution policy in an economy open to international trade. We set up a general equilibrium trade model with heterogeneous agents allowing for country asymmetries. We show that under international trade compared to autarky, a unilateral tax increase leads to a less pronounced decline in aggregate real income in the reforming country, while income inequality is reduced to a larger extent for sufficiently small initial tax rates. We highlight as a key mechanism a tax-induced reduction in the market size of the reforming country relative to its trading partner, resulting in a firm selection effect towards exporting. From the perspective of a non-reforming trading partner, the unilateral redistribution policy reform resembles a unilateral increase in trade costs leading to a deterioration of terms-of-trade and a decline in both aggregate real income and inequality.