Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Who Perceives? Who Thinks? Anchoring Free Reports of Perception and Thought in Narratives

This paper reports the results of four experiments that investigate how readers determine the perspective holder for free reports in narratives. Free reports can be interpreted as descriptions of someone’s perceptions or thoughts. I tested the effect of the following factors on how free reports are anchored: narration type (first-person vs. third-person), local prominence (whether or not a character has just been explicitly mentioned as a perceiver or thinker), global prominence (whether a character is the discourse topic), and type of free report (perception vs. thought). The findings suggest that readers tend to ascribe free reports to the locally prominent character and are more likely to do so in third-person narratives compared to first-person ones. Speaker preference is in general strong when there are multiple locally prominent characters. In that case, the globally prominent character is more likely to be preferred as an anchor for free thought reports in third-person stories. Overall, free thought reports were not found to be different from free perception reports. Based on the present findings, the following anchoring hierarchy is hypothesised: locally prominent character > narrator > globally prominent character, where the most plausible anchor is the character mentioned to be the experiencer of an event.
A hyper‐arid environment shapes an inverse pattern of the fast–slow plant economics spectrum for above‐, but not below‐ground resource acquisition strategies

The fast–slow plant economics spectrum predicts that because of evolutionary and biophysical constraints, different plant organs must be coordinated to converge in a unique ecological strategy within a continuum that shifts from fast to slow resource acquisition and conservation. Therefore, along a gradient of aridity, taxa with different strategies will be expected to be successful because selection pressures for slow resource acquisition become stronger as the environment becomes drier. In extremely arid and seasonal environments, however, a slow strategy may become disadvantageous because slow traits are costly to maintain. Additionally, as the availability of water decreases, selection pressures increase, reducing the variation in ecological strategies. Using shrub assemblages along an aridity gradient in the Atacama Desert, we test the hypothesis that selection pressures imposed by hyper‐aridity act simultaneously on the variation and coordination of trait attributes, leading to an inverse pattern in the fast–slow plant economics spectrum, where strategies shift from slow to fast as the environment becomes drier. We established 20–22 plots at each of four sites along the gradient to estimate plant community structure and functional variation. For all species recorded, we quantified a set of leaf, stem, and root traits. Results revealed an inverse pattern of the fast–slow economics spectrum for leaf and stem traits, but not for root traits; that is, as aridity further increased, above‐ground traits exhibited a shift from a slow to a fast strategy with some level of coordination. Below‐ground traits, however, did not shift accordingly with our prediction, rather they showed more complex pattern of shift and coordination with above‐ground traits along the gradient. We also found that trait variation showed an idiosyncratic pattern of variation along the gradient, indicating that ecological strategies are driven by local processes within sites. Synthesis. Our results increase our understanding of the fast–slow plant economics spectrum by showing that environmental gradients, as well as local process can simultaneously shape different below‐ and above‐ground resource acquisition strategies in extremely poor resource environments.
Hydrological Effects of Urban Green Space on Stormwater Runoff Reduction in Luohe, China

This paper reveals the role of urban green space (UGS) in regulating runoff and hence on urban hydrological balance. The modeling software i-Tree Hydro was used to quantify the effects of UGS on surface runoff regulation and canopy interception capacity in four simulated land-cover scenarios. The results showed that the existing UGS could mitigate 15,871,900 m3 volume of runoff (accounting for 9.85% of total runoff) and intercept approximately 9.69% of total rainfall by the vegetation canopy. UGS in midterm goal and final goal scenarios could retain about 10.74% and 10.89% of total rainfall that falls onto the canopy layer, respectively. The existing UGS in the Luohe urban area had a positive but limited contribution in runoff regulation, with similar responses in future scenarios with increased UGS coverage. UGS rainfall interception volume changed seasonally along with changing leaf area index (LAI) and precipitation, and the interception efficiency was distinctly different under various rain intensities and durations. The UGS had a relatively high interception performance under light and long duration rain events but performed poorly under heavy and short rain events due to limited surface storage capacities. Our study will assist urban planners and policy-makers regarding UGS size and functionality in future planning in Luohe, particularly regarding future runoff management and Sponge City projects.
Unraveling Crop Residue Harvest Effects on Soil Organic Carbon

93 The ASA-CSSA-SSSA sponsored workshop, “Crop Residues for Advanced Biofuels: Exploring Soil Carbon Effects” that is being highlighted by this special section, was prompted by a June 2016 letter to then ASA President Paul Fixen from Ron Alverson, a South Dakota farmer/corn grain ethanol investor. Mr. Alverson was seeking ASA support for a letter he was preparing for the California Air Resources Board (CARB), asking if corn grain and stover derived ethanol deserved different Low Carbon Fuel Standard and carbon intensity (CI) values. Currently, the CI value of cellulosic ethanol from corn stover is 21.6 g CO2 MJ –1 while the average Midwest corn grain ethanol CI value is ~75 g CO2 MJ–1. The CI values have economic consequences in the California transportation fuel market, with January 2018 Low Carbon Fuel Standard CO2 prices averaging US$107 Mg–1. Furthermore, cellulosic-based fuels are still required under federal regulations and have a high (D7) renewable identification number value. Mr. Alverson’s argument was that although removing corn stover could provide shortterm economic gains for farmers, doing so may decrease long-term, sustainable crop production if soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks are depleted. Unraveling Crop Residue Harvest Effects on Soil Organic Carbon
Which Aspects of Hydrological Regime in Mid-Latitude Montane Basins Are Affected by Climate Change?

This study analyzed the long-term alterations in runoff regime, seasonality and variability in headwater montane basins in Central Europe in response to the manifestations of climate change. We tested the common hypotheses on climate change effects on surface runoff dynamics in the Central Europe region, assuming that (i) recent climate warming will result in shifts in the seasonality of runoff, (ii) the runoff balance will remain without significant changes and (iii) that higher variability in runoff can be expected. The analyses were done on eight montane catchments in four mid-latitude mountain ranges in Central Europe, based on the uninterrupted time series of daily discharge observations from 1952 to 2018. We used 33 indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA), 34 indicators of environmental flow components, the baseflow index, the calculation of surplus and deficit volumes and the frequency of peak and low flows. Homogeneity testing using Buishand, Pettitt and SNHT tests was applied to test the response of the hydrological alteration indicators to climate warming. We have proved the significant shifts in runoff seasonality, coinciding with the timing of the air temperature rise, marked by earlier snowmelt, followed by a decline in spring flows and a prolonged period of low flows. There was detected a rise in the baseflow index across the mountain ranges. Unlike the common hypotheses, the expected rise of runoff variability and frequency of peak flows was not demonstrated. However, we have identified a significant change of the flood hydrographs, tending to steeper shape with shorter recessing limbs as a sign of rising inner dynamics of flood events in montane catchments.
A second record of the recently described Brachycephalus albolineatus Bornschein, Ribeiro, Blackburn, Stanley & Pie, 2016 (Anura, Brachycephalidae)

When Brachycephalus albolineatus was described, it was known only from its type locality in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Here we provide a new record for the species. Collected specimens were identified in comparison with the type series. We collected 7 specimens in Morro do Garrafão, municipality of Corupá, state of Santa Catarina, at 500–530 m above sea level, in December 2016. The new record is 22 km away from the type locality and also extends the altitudinal distribution of the species, which was previously between 790–835 m above sea level.
Effect of Solanum melongena peel extract in the treatment of arsenic-induced Bowen’s disease

The aim of this study was to see the effectiveness of Solanum melongena peel extract in the treatment of arsenic-induced Bowen’s disease. In total 8 patients of arsenic-induced Bowen’s disease were selected from the two arsenic-endemic areas. The peel extract containing ointment was provided to each patient and instructed him/her to apply twice daily on the site of the lesion for 12 weeks. The measurement of the lesion size as well as photograph were collected both before and at the end of the study. The mean (± SD) diameter of the lesion was 3.8 ± 1.9 cm which reduced to 2.5 ± 1.7 cm (reduction 34%). The result was statistically significant.
PfK13-independent determinants of susceptibility of African Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin and partner drugs in vitro

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is currently the most effective treatment strategy against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. There have been reports from Southeast Asia of parasite resistance to artemisinin and its derivatives, and there are fears that resistance to this class of drugs will spread to Africa. Artemisinin resistance is recognised by a relatively slow parasite clearance rate in patients receiving an ACT or artemisinin. In-vitro or ex-vivo methods are conventionally used to determine the EC50 value – the effective concentration of drug that inhibits parasite growth by 50% for parasite lines in the laboratory. To date, there have been no consistent correlations between the estimated in-vivo half-life of P. falciparum treated with artemisinin in-vivo and in-vitro EC50 estimates from standard 48hr artemisinin susceptibility assays. This study investigates alternative methods of assaying artemisinin resistance by in vitro exposure to dihydroartemisin (DHA) - the major metabolite of all artemisinins. DHA has a short half-life (1-2hr) in-vivo and so short drug pulses were applied to parasites in an effort to better mimic in-vivo conditions. A 6hr drug pulse assay and a standard 48hr assay were used to observe any differences that may exist in EC50 values among field isolates from Kenya (HL1204), Ghana (HL1210) and Nigeria (HL1212). In all three isolates tested, the mean DHA EC50 values for the 6hr pulse assays were higher than estimates from standard 48hr assays. This trend was seen as an elevated EC50 value in the dose response curve, allowing discrimination of DHA EC50 6hr values among the isolates. Field isolates from Ghana (6 fold higher than 3D7 lab strain) and Nigeria (3.4 fold higher) showed elevated mean DHA EC50 6hr value compared to that from Kenya (1.7 fold higher than 3D7). When this assay was applied to parasites from Cambodia with known PfK13- determined artemisinin resistance, an elevated EC50 value in the 6hr pulse assay was again observed, but discrimination between Cambodian resistant and sensitive isolates was not achieved. We present results from a new DHA in vitro susceptibility assay format we have devised to overcome this problem. Experiments suggest this format can identify both PfK13- dependent Asian phenotypes and PfK13-independent phenotypes in African parasites. 6 Susceptibility to partner drugs lumefantrine and piperaquine was assessed with standard 48hr assays for all isolates. The genetic basis of the susceptibility phenotypes observed was explored by whole genome sequencing for each African isolate. Mutations present in 11 genes of interests for drug resistance loci were identified. As these isolates are multiclonal, all haplotypes present in selected genes of interests for every isolate were described. Implications of this work for continuing studies of parasite susceptibility of ACT in Africa are considered. This includes a new method that can be used to monitor and control the spread of drug resistance on the African continent.
MYCORRHIZATION STIMULANT IN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATED WITH PHOSPHATE FERTILIZATION IN OXISOLS

ABSTRACT The use of stimulants in the establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi has great potential in contributing to P uptake by plants. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of isoflavonoid formononetin as mycorrhization stimulant on soybean associated with phosphate fertilizer in Oxisols with intermediate (OPi) and low (OPl) phosphorus availability, in the Cerrado region of Piauí. The experiment in each soil consisted of randomized blocks design in a 4×4 factorial scheme, with four replications. The treatments comprised of four phosphorus doses (0, 26.66, 40 and 80 kg ha-1 P2O5), and four isoflavonoid formononetin doses (0, 0.5, 0.9 and 1.8 g kg-1 soybean seeds). The variables evaluated were soybean growth, yield, nodulation and mycorrhizal colonization rate. With the exception of mycorrhizal colonization rate in OPi, plant height and number of pods per plant in OPl, the other variables were not affected by the application of isoflavonoid formononetin, in both soils. Yield linearly increased with increase in the phosphorus doses in OPl, and presented agronomic efficiency of ~15 kg ha-1 grain for each kg ha-1 P2O5 applied to the soil.
Effects of Two Approaches to Rhythmic Dictation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two listening strategies on rhythmic dictation scores. In a within-subjects design, 54 undergraduate music majors completed two-measure rhythmic dictations under each of three conditions: (a) no prescribed approach, (b) required listening before writing, and (c) required writing while listening. The first condition gauged participants’ baseline preference for the approach of the second or third condition. Repeated-measures t tests revealed a significant difference in test scores between the second and third conditions but no significant difference as a function of participants’ preferred strategy. Results suggest that some amount of simultaneous sketching may be helpful to students as they take dictation of rhythms, a common task in aural skills development both in and of itself and as a first phase of melodic dictation. Aural skills instructors should consider the potential benefits of sketching as an anchoring activity during dictation and discuss strategies explicitly with students. Helping high school and college students see how and why various strategies for dictation may be appropriate for particular task parameters can help them integrate component skills of listening, comprehension, and notation most effectively.
Distant Blocking of Celestial Lines of Communications Using Electromagnetic Pulse

The potentially imminent and existential threat from a nuclear electromagnetic pulse are arguably inflated, voiced to garner attention to the true issue, that today’s microelectronics are incredibly vulnerable to electromagnetic damage caused by sudden voltage spikes from the electromagnetic pollution. Additionally, a nuclear electromagnetic pulse does not need to be detonated in outer space to cause signification disruption to communications systems’ data and information flow across the celestial domain. High altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) detonations do not need to occur in outer space to have wide ranging effects; in describing electromagnetic pulses, the high-altitude moniker is tied to any detonation above nineteen miles (thirty point-five kilometers). High altitude electromagnetic pulse detonations ranging from fifty to one hundred kilometers can project wave effects into outer space and affect spacecraft through both direct damage (contemporary views regarding electromagnetic pulse) and radiation-induced torques on the solar arrays, misaligning satellite antennas and sensors. If an actor – state or otherwise – wished to compete or contest another along the congested celestial lines of communications (CLOCs), it can be done at great distance from the affected entity by use of a high altitude electromagnetic pulse on the ‘far side’ of the orbit. Additionally, the historic maritime tactic of blockade has applicability in space; yesterday’s ships are today’s gamma ray damage to microelectronics. Furthermore, the employment of a nuclear weapon-delivered high-altitude electromagnetic pulse remains a treaty violation, for those who are a party to. However, greater jurisprudence study is lacking regarding this matter, and the accompanying concern of transboundary harm as it relates to territorial sovereignty. In summary, an actor can contest another’s use of the celestial lines of communications by detonating a nuclear weapon, at high-altitude but within the atmosphere (i.e., below one hundred kilometers), and within the lateral boundaries of their sovereign territory and associated territorial waters, and allow wave’s effects to radiate widely to interrupt operations and possibly inflict permanent damage, all without being in violation of treaty or customary law. This manuscript substantiates the prequel baseline for follow-on research on mitigation of the deleterious effects on communication system circuits in attempts to void the blockage on celestial lines of communications, and the sequel is briefly introduced with a short description of the state-of-the-art research.
Distributed Plasticity Drives Visual Habituation Learning in Larval Zebrafish

Habituation is a simple form of learning, where animals learn to reduce their responses to repeated innocuous stimuli. While habituation is simple in concept, its exact implementation in the vertebrate brain is not clear. It could occur via a single plasticity event at a singular site in the circuit, or alternatively via more complex strategies that combine multiple mechanisms at various processing stages and sites. Here, we use a visual habituation assay in larval zebrafish, where larvae habituate to sudden reductions in illumination (dark flashes). We find that 8 different components of this response habituate, including the probability of executing a response, its latency, and measures of its magnitude. Through behavioural analyses, we find that habituation of these different behavioural components occurs independently of each other and at different locations in the circuit. Further, we use genetic and pharmacological manipulations to show that habituation of different behavioural components are molecularly distinct. These results are consistent with a model by which visual habituation originates from the combination of multiple independent processes, which each act to adapt specific components of behaviour. This may allow animals to more specifically habituate behaviour based on stimulus context or internal state.
Culture transformation by stealth: Leveraging incremental change to revamp the curriculum

Abstract Introduction Reshaping an existing education program from traditional structures and processes into competency-based medical education (CBME) is formidable. Emory University School of Medicine applied organizational change theory to introduce CBME into an established MD program by employing ‘sustainable innovation’, which introduces change incrementally. Methods Implementation of CBME began with the identification of core institutional values. Using the sustainable innovation approach, the first change was adoption of new program outcomes and student performance expectations. There were few changes that occurred to the structure of required courses and clerkships. This intentional approach allowed stakeholders to familiarize themselves with CBME prior to full implementation. Results Existing assessment processes remained intact while the faculty was trained for innovative assessment uses. For example, the assessment process was augmented by tagging all exam items using a controlled taxonomy and students’ performance was linked longitudinally. Using sustainable innovation allowed time for data collection and evaluation throughout the implementation of CBME. Discussion Representing student achievement according to competencies, rather than as letter grades, is perceived as revolutionary by many stakeholders. Employing sustainable, incremental innovation facilitated stakeholder buy-in to the underlying principles of CBME. Fostering a new organizational culture will be the ‘rate-limiting factor’ for full implementation of CBME.
Omnipresent yet elusive: Teachers’ views on contexts for teaching algorithms in secondary education

ABSTRACT Background and Context Although context-based teaching and learning has been investigated extensively in science education, little is known regarding the use of contexts for teaching CS in secondary education. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of contexts suitable for teaching algorithms and to investigate teachers’ considerations regarding those contexts. Method This study examines teachers’ practices and reasoning concerning the use of contexts and is based on explorative, empirical research. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven CS teachers and analyzed qualitatively. Findings The results of this study reveal several characteristics of effective contexts for teaching algorithms and show teachers’ ambitions to address the variation within the student population when selecting contexts that advance students’ algorithmic thinking. Implications The found characteristics may serve as recommendation for designing contexts. Development of teacher education and professionalization activities may benefit from the discussion of teachers’ motives and concerns.
Loss of TLE3 promotes the mitochondrial program in beige adipocytes and improves glucose metabolism

Prolonged cold exposure stimulates the recruitment of beige adipocytes within white adipose tissue. Beige adipocytes depend on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to drive thermogenesis. The transcriptional mechanisms that promote remodeling in adipose tissue are not well understood. Here we demonstrate that the transcriptional coregulator TLE3 is induced with aging and inhibits mitochondrial gene expression in beige adipocytes. Conditional deletion of TLE3 in adipocytes prevents age- and diet-induced weight gain by promoting mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and increasing energy expenditure, thereby improving glucose control. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and deep sequencing we found that TLE3 occupies distal enhancers in proximity to nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes and that many of these enhancers are also enriched for EBF transcription factors. TLE3 interacts with EBF2 and blocks its ability to promote the thermogenic transcriptional program. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that TLE3 mediates age-dependent beige adipose thermogenic decline through inhibition of EBF2 transcriptional activity. Inhibition of TLE3 may provide a novel therapeutic approach for obesity and diabetes.