Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stereotypes vs. Reality: shame and coping strategies applied by healthy subjects and multiple sclerosis patients – preliminary research

Purpose: The aim of the paper was to check the level of disease-related shame shown by people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) as compared to healthy people who activated the stereotype in relation to themselves in view of a disease that is chronic, incurable and leading to disability. Additionally, verification of the differences identified between both groups in terms of applied strategies of coping with shame and the correlation between the frequency of employing them and the level of shame shown by the MS patients was conducted. Methods: The research study involved 60 people, including 30 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis and 30 healthy subjects. The tools applied were the Questionnaire for Measuring Disease-Related Guilt and Shame (hereinafter: “the Questionnaire”) and the Compass of Shame Scale (CoSS, Version 5). Results: It was found that there was no difference between the disease-related shame levels shown by the MS patients and the healthy subjects. The healthy subjects and the MS patients did not differ in terms of employing the strategies of coping with shame, such as avoidance, self-blame and blaming others; nevertheless, the MS patients in comparison to the healthy subjects were less likely to apply withdrawal. It was found that in the MS patient group, the level of disease-related shame was positively correlated with triggering withdrawal and self-blame as the strategies of coping with the shame. Conclusions: The findings of the study are important in everyday medical and psychological practice, in prevention and psychotherapy of shame and its pathological effects that negatively affect the psychosocial functioning of patients.
FRACTAL ASPECTS OF THE ITERATION OF z →Λz(1‐ z) FOR COMPLEX Λ AND z

Chapter foreword concerning the illustrations, especially the “missing specks” of Figure 1 (2003). As described in Chapter C1, this paper boasts many “firsts” and was instrumental in reviving the theory of iteration. The many new observations it contains concern the set in the μ-plane for which A. Douady and J.H. Hubbard soon proposed the term “Mandelbrot set. ” Each observation was stated as a mathematical conjecture or became the source of one. Thus, the figures in this paper played a fundamental historical role.
Preliminary Study of Skull Polymorphims of Tupaia glis in Peninsular Malaysia by using MorphoJ

A Global geographic fragmentation has caused the diversity of animals and plants worldwide, mostly to the population of small mammals. In Malaysia, there a lot of natural barriers that can separate the population of small mammals including common treeshrew,Tupaia glis. In this studey, the polymorphism of ninety (90) Tupaia glis in Peninsular Malaysia is carried out by comparing the skulls of the species from different states by using Morphol analysis. This is carried out to know the landmark of the species and the shape changes.
Extrinsic and intrinsic factors determine the eruptive dynamics of Brandt's voles Microtus brandti in Inner Mongolia, China

Brandt's voles (Microtus brandti) are small native mammals that inhabit the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China. The species is considered a pest, particularly during population outbreaks, which have increased in frequency since 1970 from 1 every 7 years to 1 every 3 to 5 years. Using historical records taken between 1948 and 1998, we found that there was significant correlation between years for which the monthly averages of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) were consistently high, and years in which outbreaks occurred. Also there was a tendency for outbreaks not to occur in years with precipitation above or below average. For some years at some sites, annual or biannual estimates are available for the density of Brandt's vole populations. We found that the seasonal rate of increase over the non-breeding season from autumn to spring was negatively correlated with the density in autumn. The rate of increase over the breeding season from spring to autumn was independent of the density in spring but instead, reflects the species' preference for habitat with short, sparse grass; populations do not persist in highly degraded grasslands or in tall, dense grassland. The link between outbreaks and climatic indices, and the numerical response of Brandt's voles to particular habitat characteristics, suggest that current grazing intensity tends to maintain grass at low height in years with average precipitation. The substantial increase in livestock numbers over the last 50 years appears to have increased the number of years when the balance of grazing and plant growth favours high rates of increase in Brandt's vole populations, and hence, there has been an increase in the frequency of outbreaks.
Computational Studies of Stability, Reactivity and Degradation Properties of Ephedrine; a Stimulant and Precursor of Illicit Drugs

Some of the most important properties of ephedrine (EPH) molecule, related to its stability, reactivity and degradation have been computationally addressed in this work. The study has been performed based on the combination of classical and quantum-mechanical calculations to yield the lowest energy conformer. Furthermore, the most important intramolecular noncovalent interactions have been identified and their influence on the structural features have been analyzed. Energy and distribution of the frontier molecular orbitals have been analyzed in order to address the stability and charge transfer properties. The average local ionization energy descriptor has been used in order to identify the molecular sites that are sensitive towards the electrophilic attacks. Bond dissociation energies for hydrogen abstraction have been calculated in order to identify the sites of EPH sensitive towards the autoxidation mechanism. Interactions of EPH have been also investigated using the molecular dynamics simulations and calculations of radial distribution functions.
Evaluation of Fresh Mushroom Compost in a Field Corn Production System

Abstract Commercial mushroom producers are continually looking for new substrate raw material sources and pathways to dispose of mushroom compost (formerly called “spent mushroom substrate”) after crop completion. A relatively new material used in the mushroom industry is corn stover, but supplies are somewhat limited. Corn farmers are often reluctant to remove stover from fields because of nutrient loss and possible soil erosion due to reduced soil protection, however, mushroom compost may be a potential substitute for stover. This field study evaluated the potential to improve corn crop yield and soil quality through stover removal coupled with the soil surface application of fresh mushroom compost. Stover was removed in amounts of 0, 70, and 100% and replaced with fresh mushroom compost at rates of 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 tons per acre to find an optimal rate for both, and to provide a rationale to replace stover with mushroom compost in order to generate additional income for corn farmers, and increase substrate component availability and mushroom compost disposal alternatives, to the mushroom industry. The results showed that corn stover removal did not influence corn yield, but an increase in corn yield trend was observed with the application of an increasing amounts ≥ 20 tons fresh mushroom compost per acre. Analysis of soil parameters, at 0-2 inch and 2-8 inch rootzone depths, at the start of the field study compared to approximately one year later were mostly inconclusive. Of note, the addition of ≥ 5 tons fresh mushroom compost per acre resulted in an increase in soil pH at 0-2 inch depth.
Systems to predict the energy and protein requirements of laying fowl

There are several empirical formulae that describe input and output relationships in egg production, but their applicability is restricted to specific genetic, nutritional and environmental conditions. Simplistic regression relationships are not an adequate basis for the optimization of complex, dynamic and highly interactive production systems. Mechanistic and dynamic models that describe causes and interactions between input and output relations are required. In order to evaluate nutritional requirements and to predict bird responses to the concomitant influences of the internal and external factors, the development of such models seems currently to be the most profound challenge in poultry science. This paper reviews current empirical systems for predicting nutrient requirements for egg production and discusses the advantages of incorporating mechanistic and dynamic elements.
Extending the Learning Technology Acceptance Model of WeChat by Adding New Psychological Constructs

Abstract The extended constructs of technology acceptance model (TAM) have rarely been linked to psychological influence factors. This study complements for the missing link in literature through structural equation modeling and a nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test based on the data obtained from a large-scale questionnaire survey. It is concluded that (a) conformity behavior can be integrated into the TAM to establish a fit model in WeChat use in language learning at the significance level . 05, (b) self-esteem can be integrated into the TAM to establish a fit model in WeChat use in language learning at the significance level . 05, and (c) there are no significant gender differences in the extended constructs in the TAM in WeChat use in language learning at the significance level . 05. Future research may extend the constructs further in psychology in order to complement for missing links in current literature. It is also promising to establish a sociocultural TAM with respect to mobile device acceptance in both western and eastern contexts.
Dynamism and context‐dependency in diversification of the megadiverse plant genus Solanum (Solanaceae)

Explosive radiations—substantial increases in net species diversification—have been considered one of the most intriguing diversification patterns across the Tree of Life, but the subsequent change, movement, and extinction of the constituent lineages make radiations hard to discern or understand as geological time passes. We used the megadiverse angiosperm genus Solanum L. (Solanaceae), with ca. 1200 currently accepted species distributed worldwide in a wide array of habitats, to explore these patterns on a global scale. We synthesized phylogenetic and distributional data for this ongoing radiation to show how dispersal events and past climatic changes have interacted to shape diversification. We find that, despite the vast diversity of Solanum lineages in the Neotropics, lineages in the Old World are diversifying more rapidly. This recent increase in diversification coincides with a long‐distance dispersal event from the Neotropics to regions where major climatic changes were taking place. Two separate groups of Solanum have migrated and established in Australia, but only the arid‐adapted lineages underwent significant increases in diversification rate, as they were able to adapt to the continent's long‐term climatic trend towards seasonally dry and arid biomes (a pattern observed in the diversification of other arid‐adapted groups). Our findings provide a clear example of how successful colonization of new areas and niches can—but does not always—drive explosive diversifications.
A sub-centennial-scale optically stimulated luminescence chronostratigraphy and late Holocene flood history from a temperate river confluence

River confluences can be metastable and contain valuable geological records of catchment response to decadal- to millennial-scale environmental change. However, in alluvial reaches, flood stratigraphies are particularly hard to date using 14C. In this paper, we use a novel combination of optically stimulated luminescence and multiproxy sedimentological analyses to provide a flood record for the confluence of the Rivers Severn and Teme (United Kingdom) over the past two millennia, which we compare with independent European climate records. The results show that by ca. 2000 yr B.P., the Severn-Teme confluence had stabilized and overbank alluviation had commenced. Initially, this occurred from moderately high flood magnitudes between ca. 2000 and 1800 yr B.P. (50 BCE–150 CE), but was followed from 1800 to 1600 yr B.P. (150–350 CE) by fine alluvial deposition and decreased flood intensity. From 1600 to 1400 yr B.P. (350–550 CE), the accumulation rate increased, with evidence of large flood events associated with the climatic deterioration of the Dark Age Cold Period. Following a period of reduced flood activity after ca. 1400 yr B.P. (ca. 550 CE), larger flood events and increase in accumulation rate once again became more prevalent from ca. 850 yr B.P. (ca. 1100 CE), coincident with the start of the Medieval Climate Anomaly, a period associated with warmer, wetter conditions and increased land-use intensity. This state persisted until ca. 450 yr B.P. (ca. 1500 CE), after which increased flood magnitudes can be associated with climatic variations during the Little Ice Age. We demonstrate that from the combination of high-resolution dating techniques and multiple analytical parameters, distinctive phases of relative flood magnitude versus flood duration can be determined to a detailed chronological precision beyond that possible from 14C dating. This permits the identification of the regional factors behind floodplain sedimentation, which we correlate with the intensification of land-use and climatic drivers over the last two millennia.
Culture-Induced Abnormalities in Tautog

Abstract We compared external and internal morphometrics of tautog Tautoga onitis reared by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant Marine Finfish Hatchery with wild fish collected in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Twenty-five length-standardized external morphometrics differed statistically between cultured (N = 5; standard length [SL] 93–152 mm) and wild caught (N = 5; 108–170 mm SL) fish based on a size-corrected discriminant analysis (canonical correlate 1 > 0.99, P 0.99, P < 0.001 for both tests) between wild (N = 9; 117–442 mm SL) and cultured fish (N = 10; 125–275 mm SL). The lower pharyngeal jaws of cultured individuals were similar to those of wild fish in their surface area and tooth density but were distorted and exhibited irregular tooth placement. Cultured tautogs also exhibited a foreshortening of the head super.
Temporal and Nutritional Influences on the Response to Elevated CO2 in Selected British Grasses

Abstract To investigate the duration of the CO 2 response and its interaction with mineral nutrition, CO 2 -enrichment experiments were performed on four British grasses of differing ecology and functional type: Arrhenatherum elatius (L.) Beauv. , Festuca ovina L. , Festuca rubra L. and Poa annua L. Naturally-lit, glasshouse cabinets were used, with a non-limiting water supply and a daytime mean temperature of 18 °C. Two CO 2 treatments were maintained at nominal concentrations of 350 and 700 vpm and were combined factorially with two levels of balanced mineral nutrition at conductivities of 0·1 and 1 mS cm -1 . Harvests took place at planting-out, and at 16, 37 and 58 d thereafter. Fitted curves were used to derive instantaneous values of total dry weight, relative growth rate (RGR), shoot weight fraction (SWF) and unit shoot rate (USR) for all combinations of species, CO 2 level, nutrient level and time of harvesting. At the higher nutrient level there was a reasonably close agreement with previous estimates of the CO 2 response in the four species. The response, if any, most often arose from an increase in USR being accompanied by a less than proportionate decline in SWF. Responses were sustained throughout the period studied. At the lower nutrient level, all species showed a CO 2 response initially, but this declined at a rate which was inversely related to the CO 2 -responsiveness of the species at the higher nutrient level. The underlying ontogenetic drift appeared to be markedly towards adjustment in SWF and away from that of USR. However, this drift was retarded, suspended or even reversed by low-nutrient conditions and/or by high CO 2 responsiveness in the species itself.
The Effects of Perceived Quality of Augmented Reality in Mobile Commerce - An Application of the Information Systems Success Model

Augmented reality (AR) enables consumers to browse and try products virtually by providing additional information and functionality to mobile shopping. Retailers continue to develop AR technology to engage consumers and enhance their digital shopping experiences. However, despite the growing interest in this technology, consumers rarely rely on AR due to the quality of its content. This study applies an information systems success model to examine the antecedents that influence the adoption of mobile technology, specifically focusing on consumers’ perception of AR quality and its effect on perceived diagnosticity and consumer satisfaction when using AR technology. Moreover, the study examines how perceived diagnosticity and satisfaction influence loyalty. The study participants were 283 shoppers in Korea who have previously experienced mobile shopping, with data collected through an online survey. The results show that when using AR, (1) the consumer’s perceptions of information quality and visual quality positively influence perceived diagnosticity and satisfaction, (2) perceived diagnosticity positively influences satisfaction and (3) satisfaction positively influences loyalty. These results have practical implications for mobile retailers seeking to develop effective product presentation strategies using innovative technologies.
Engaging Learners in Online Video Lectures with Dynamically Scaffolding Conversational Agents

Online education creates new opportunities for learners, which has led to sharply increasing enrollment in the last few years. Despite these benefits, past research shows that the lack of individual interaction with educators creates low learner engagement that leads to high attrition rates, which remains a major challenge in the field. Dynamically scaffolding conversational agents built into online video lectures promise to address this problem by individually interacting with learners, similar to educators’ scaffolding behavior. These agents are equipped with recent natural language processing capabilities, cre-ating human-like conversations that help learners to be more engaged in the learning process. To test our hypothesis, we built a dynamically scaffolding conversational agent named Sara and compared it with an often-implemented static conversational agent built into two online video lectures. We deployed a lab experiment with 182 learners. The neurophysiological measurements revealed that Sara significantly improved learner engagement partly explained by differences in learners’ perceptions in the way they experienced the interaction. This study connects to already existing conversational agent studies in online education and highlights the importance of including dynamically scaffolding conversational agent in online video lectures to address the problem of low learner engagement in online education.
Biomass Heterosis and Combining Ability in Interspecific and Intraspecific Matings of Grain Amaranths

To develop a practical foundation for breeding higher-yielding grain amaranths (Amaranthus spp.), 32 amaranth accessions from the World Germplasm Collection were hybridized to produce 87 F 1 's, which were subsequently evaluated for biomass heterosis and combining ability in three factorial mating designs
Vegetation structure and environmental conditions of forest edges in Panama.

SUMMARY (1) Micro-environmental conditions, vegetation structure and tree mortality in five forest edges ten months to twelve years old were studied in the tropical premontane wet forest of Panama. (2) Along transects from clearings to the interior of the forest, the greatest change in temperature and relative humidity occurred between 2 5 and 15 m into the forest. The forest canopy was most open at the clearing-forest border. At the most recently cleared site, this open canopy extended farther into the forest edge than at sites where clearing took place earlier. (3) Density and basal area of trees ( < 10 cm diameter at 1 3 m high) were twice as great at the forest edges compared with the interior of forests at the sites where the boundaries were created five to twelve years previously. (4) Floristic composition was unchanged along transects from the forest boundaries to the interior of forests and light-demanding species were not more abundant at forest edges compared with the forest interior. (5) The edge: interior ratio of trees that died after the edges were created was 14: 1. (6) Beyond 15-25 m into the forest, neither environmental conditions nor the forest structure and tree mortality were influenced by proximity to the forest boundary. Between 0 and 15 m, however, vegetation structure changed with both distance from the forest boundary and time elapsed since clearing. This study indicates the ecological significance of edge vegetation as a buffer protecting forest vegetation from conditions in adjacent clearings.
Use of the luciferin‐luciferase assay of ATP for measuring the bacterial growth: Application to Escherichia coli

The relative constancy of ATP content per unit of dry biomass in different microorganisms enables to use the specific, sensitive and quick luciferin-luciferase method for ATP assay for indirect quantitation of microbial biomass by measuring the ATP content in biomass samples.The aim of this work was to investigate the feasibility of using the ATP concentration for the monitoring of the growth of Escherichia coli K 12 W 3350 in different cultivation conditions. Statistically significant high correlation coefficients (r > 0.9) between the ATP content (ATP/ml) and the other growth characteristics examined showed that the ATP content of the culture is as suitable characteristic as the optical density of the culture, total cell number per ml or total cell volume per ml for the monitoring of the growth of E.coliin batch culture in mineral medium with glucose at different growth temperatures (27–42 °C) as well as in fed-batch culture.
Origin of aeolian dust emitted from the Tarim Basin based on the ESR signal intensity and crystallinity index of quartz: the recycling system of fine detrital material within the basin

Abstract The Tarim Basin is the major source of aeolian dust in the northern hemisphere. Glacial activity in the mountains, transportation by rivers and homogenization by wind are believed to be responsible for dust production within the basin. However, the major source(s) and homogenization process(es) are not clear. Moreover, provenance studies on fine fractions have never been conducted. Here, we measured electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity and the crystallinity index of quartz in fine (< 16 μm) and coarse (> 64 μm) fractions of river sediments, dry lake sediments and mountain loess to examine the process(es) that produce aeolian dust. The result suggests that the coarse fraction of the river sediment was derived from the bedrock in the drainage area. The ESR signal intensity and crystallinity index of the fine fraction of river sediments from the Tian Shan Mountains and mountainous rivers in the westernmost Kunlun and Pamir mountains are also similar to the coarse fraction, suggesting the same sources. However, the ESR signal intensity and crystallinity index of the fine fraction of river sediments from the Kunlun Mountains are different from the coarse fraction and converge towards values close to the average for the fine fraction of river sediments and mountain loess. Convergence of the ESR and crystallinity index values for the fine fraction of river sediments from the Kunlun Mountains can be explained by contamination of the river sediments by aeolian dust. The convergent values resulted from the homogenization of fine detrital material by repeated recycling within the basin.