Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and Initial Validation of a New Procedure for Evaluating Adequacy of Effort Given During Neuropsychological Testing: The Letter Memory Test

The authors report on results from a new procedure for evaluating adequacy of effort given during neuropsychological testing. The letter memory test (LMT) is a computer-administered, 45-item, forced-choice recognition task that uses consonant letters as stimuli and manipulates face difficulty level along 2 dimensions: number of letters to be remembered and number of choices amongst which the target stimulus must be identified. In 3 studies that included either analogue or known groups designs, the LMT discriminated poorly motivated from well-motivated groups at a moderately high level of accuracy, which was comparable to that of the Digit Memory Test and superior to that of the 21-Item Test. The internal consistency reliability of the LMT was also high.
Influence of an exotic and a native crayfish species on a littoral benthic community

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of the introduced signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and the native noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) on a benthic food web. We mimicked the habitat of a pond littoral in 4.5-m 2 plastic pools stocked with natural densities of macrophytes, invertebrates and either signal crayfish, noble crayfish, or kept as crayfish free controls. After two summer months, all invertebrates and macrophytes were collected from each pool, and periphyton was sampled on one substratum exposed and two substrata not exposed to crayfish grazing. Samples for stabile isotope analysis of benthos were collected in pools with noble crayfish. 15 N ratios showed that crayfish were top consumers, and 13 C ratios indicated that they received most of their carbon from invertebrates, but less from primary producers. Crayfish did not affect the biomass of predatory invertebrates, dominated by active swimmers among Heteroptera and Coleoptera, but had a strong impact on grazers dominated by thin-shelled Lymmaea snails. Hard-shelled Bithynia snails were also reduced in numbers, but the largest of these snails were consumed less than thin-shelled Lymmaea snails. The reduced biomass of snails had an indirect positive effect on periphyton biomass on all three substrata. Crayfish grazed selectively on macrophytes and reduced the biomass of Chara, whereas Elodea was less affected. The exotic signal crayfish had, overall, a stronger impact on the biomass of macrophytes and grazers than the native noble crayfish. The results indicate that crayfish may structure food webs through consumption from many food levels. The short-term influence of crayfish on other trophic levels depends on crayfish feeding efficiency, food preferences and species-specific consumption rates.
Varietal differences and heritability for rutin content in common buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum Moench

Buckwheat is considered to be one of the useful sources of rutin in food. To analyze the varietal differences and heritability for the rutin content in seed and leaf in common buckwheat, twenty seven cultivars and strains introduced from the major countries where buckwheat is cultivated were tested. Plant materials were grown in 1992 and 1993 in a randomized block design with two replications each year in the Experimental Field of Shinshu University. Rutin content in seed and leaf was determined by high performance liquid chromatography, and the main characters were also observed. The mean values of the rutin content showed a wide range of variation. The seed rutin content of the tetraploid cultivars of Japan was higher than that of the diploid ones. However, there was no significant difference between the ploidy level for leaf.
An experimental study of the motion of concentrated suspensions in two-dimensional channel flow. Part 1. Monodisperse systems

A modified laser-Doppler velocimetry method is utilized to measure fully developed particle velocity and concentration profiles, as well as the mean-square amplitudes of velocity fluctuations (i.e. one component of the so-called particle temperature), for concentrated monodisperse suspensions across the narrow gap of a rectangular channel. A stable index-of-refraction match of the suspending and particulate phases in conjunction with short-focal-length focusing optics has enabled data acquisition up to particle volume fractions of 0.50. In general, the particle concentration distributions possess a maximum near the channel centreline and a minimum at the channel walls. Coupled to these concentration distributions were blunted velocity profiles, and particle velocity fluctuation distributions that had a sharp maximum at gap positions approximately 80% of the way from the channel axis towards the walls. The particle velocity distributions were consistent with the absence of slip between particles and the suspending fluid. The experimental data were compared with theoretical predictions from the diffusive flux model (Leighton & Acrivos 1987; Phillips et al. 1992), a model due to Mills & Snabre (1995), and the suspensions balance model (McTigue & Jenkins 1992; Nott & Brady 1994). The influence of bulk particle concentration, suspension volumetric flow rate, and ratio of channel gap width to particle diameter on the fully developed profiles was qualitatively consistent with the theoretical predictions from all three models. For the diffusive flux and suspension balance models, we used both literature values for model parameters, and values obtained from a best fit to our entire set of experimental data. Overall, the Mills & Snabre and suspension balance models were found to provide a better quantitative fit to the experimental data than the diffusive flux model.
The Effects of Social Desirability and Faking on Personality and Integrity Assessment for Personnel Selection

A review of the extant literature and new empirical research suggests that social desirability is not much of a concern in personality and integrity testing for personnel selection. In particular, based on meta-analytically derived evidence, it appears that social desirability influences do not destroy the convergent and discriminant validity of the Big Five dimensions of personality (Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness). We also present new empirical evidence regarding gender and age differences in socially desirable re- sponding. Although social desirability predicts a number of important work variables such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and supervisor ratings of training success, social desirability does not seem to be a predictor of overall job performance and is only very weakly related to specific dimensions of job performance such as technical proficiency (r = -.07) and personal discipline ( r = .05). Large sample investi.
National Parks: The American Experience

Praise for the second, revised edition: "Runte's book is must reading for all those who share his love for and commitment to the national park ideal.Certain to be a standard work for years to come. The many black-and-white photographs are a welcome inclusion to this thoughtful, intelligent history. " - "Bloomsbury Review". "While Runte makes valiant attempts at objectivity, his passion for parks shines through this interesting treatise. The passion, plus the scholarly analysis, make it a valuable book for all concerned with federal lands and especially the foresters and other resource managers who manage and legislate our national parks. " - "Journal of Forestry". "Remains the best book on national parks. Breaking away from the traditional political history of the National Park Service, Runte generates new understanding of the changing perceptions of environmentalism. " - "New Mexico Historical Review". "Essential reading for the student who has an interest in conserving natural ecosystems. " - "Journal of Applied Ecology". "An excellent record of our history, our follies, confusions, political constraints, and our very few successes in environmental planning. " - "Science Books and Films". This third edition includes a new essay on recent environmental issues and concerns, especially as they center on Yellowstone National Park. Alfred Runte, a Seattle-based environmental historian, is the author of "Yosemite: The Embattled Wilderness" (Nebraska 1990).
Brief Approach of Plant-Insect Herbivores Physiological Interactions

In natural ecosystems there is a complex and continuous interaction between plants and insects. Usualy all these organisms have evolved a balance co- existense or biological equilibrum at the natural habitats. Generally, living organisms that grown from all aboveground and belowground plant parts, either plants or animals permanently are exposed to physiologically interactions, both in the case of the normal conditions of live and particularly, in the case of biotic and abiotic stress factors impact. Here, there is reviewed recent literature as regard as plants hormonal signaling and transcriptional responses to insect herbivores attack. Also, the purpose of this overview is to provide recent findings regarding inducible resistance and transgenic resistance approaches from both agronomic and ecological perspective.
Modélisation moléculaire : vers un nouvel outil d'aide à la conception multimédia

Le multimedia, nouvelle technologie de l'information et de la communication, ne cesse de se developper. Si l'offre et la demande de documents plurisensoriels interactifs -utilisant le multimedia - croit, la production, dans l'ensemble, ne repond pas vraiment aux attentes des usagers. Ceci est du notamment a la jeunesse de cette technologie qui induit une absence de methodes de travail et d'outils adaptes au cycle de vie du document plurisensoriel interactif. Visant a apporter des solutions pour ameliorer la situation actuelle, le travail presente dans ce memoire propose un outil d'aide a la conception de documents plurisensoriels interactifs. Le principe de la conception moleculaire traduit chaque composante du document en une entite autonome interagissant avec tous les autres elements du systeme (y compris le lecteur). Ces entites peuvent induire des evenements modifiant, le cas echeant, la teneur de certaines donnees, en fonction de conjonctures particulieres : les conjonctures definissent la situation, c'est-a-dire l'etat du systeme. La modelisation par formalisme moleculaire de scenarii de documents existants (documents cinematographiques et de realite virtuelle), puis la conception et la realisation d'un document original s'appuyant sur le modele presente, ont permis de montrer son interet dans le contexte general de la production de documents plurisensoriels interactifs. Son apport principal reside dans une prise en compte accrue des modalites de l'interaction, qu'elle soit physique, intellectuelle ou psychologique, entre le document et son utilisateur. Les processus communicationnels sont ainsi privilegies, en depit des choix techniques qui n'interviennent que dans un deuxieme temps.
Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) On and East of the Grand Bank

Exploratory fishing with surface gillnets on the Grand Bank and eastward of the Bank over oceanic depths in May of 1979and 1980 revealed the presence of Atlantic salmon (Sa/rna safar L.) at most stations where surface temperatures ranged from 3.8° to 7.5° C. These temperatures were more prevalent in the oceanic area and salmon were found in greater abundance there than on the Grand Bank. Of 341 salmon which were caught, 169 were tagged and released after scales were taken for ageing. Information on tagging locations of three salmon which were caught with tags attached and the distribution of recaptures of 12 salmon from the offshore tagging indicated that the offshore population consisted of migrants from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine rivers. The sea-age composition of the catch and the gonad condition of the sampled catch indicated that some of the salmon were maturing to spawn as grilse which had spent only one winter at sea. Apart from their capture in coastal fisheries, this is the first record of grilse being caught in offshore areas of the Northwest Atlantic. Analysis of sea-surface temperature charts for 1978-83 indicated that favorable conditions (4° to 8° C water) persist for salmon in January and April, implying that the eastern and southern Grand Bank region may represent not only the route by which maturing salmon migrate from the Labrador Sea to their home rivers in eastern Canada and northeastern United States but also a major feeding and overwintering area. Comparison of catch rates of salmon from commercial and research fishing off West Greenland and in the Irminger Sea with those of the Grand Bank region implies that the feeding population east of the Grand Bank was quite large in 1980.
Zróżnicowanie banków nasion w naturalnie i antropogenicznie przekształconych zbiorowiskach leśnych [Diversity of soil seed banks in natural and man-modified forest communities]

The objective of the study was to reveal diversity in species composition and size of soil seed banks derived from forest communities undergoing different intensity of human impact as well as to show the seed bank strategy as an adaptation of species to many kinds of disturbances occurring in natural deciduous forests. On the basis of the study of soil seed bank in natural, stabilised deciduous forest communities in Bialowieza National Park and taking into account data from literature it was found that: (1) Densities of seed banks of fertile, undisturbed deciduous forest vary from three to eight thousand seeds per one m 2 . The majority of these seeds (60–80%)come from the herb layer. Persistance of such banks do not exceed a few years. Species which are dominant in seed bank of such forest are characterized by mean light requirements. The impulses which break their secondary dormancy are slight disturbances in the herb layer. (2) Species structure of seed bank derived from such forest does not reflect floristic composition of the herb layer because this layer is dominated by species whose survival strategy is connected with vegetative propagation. (3) In seed banks of even very stable forest communities there are species which are absent from the herb layer of the forest. The species need light gaps in trees canopy for establishment. They are very light demanding and persistent in soil. Percentage of these species in soil seed banks grows with the intensity of human impact on forest communities. These species dominate also in seed banks of relatively natural forests but small and surrounded by meadows and fields. Seedlings of these species occur spontanously during the first phase of regeneration of forest gaps. After the canopy close-up, the species disappear from cover vegetation but their numerous and very persistant seeds wait in soil seed bank for the next disturbance.
The nodDABC Genes of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii Confer Root-Hair Curling Ability to a Diverse Range of Soil Bacteria and the Ability to Induce Novel Root Swellings on Beans

Cloned DNA fragments coding for the nodDABC genes of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii strain ANU843 were introduced into Rhizobium strains possessing Sym plasmid deletions. These strains were able to: (a) synthesise four butanol-soluble Nod metabolites; (b) affect the normal growth pattern of plant root hairs of a wide range of host and non-host legumes; and (c) induce many root outgrowths on Phaseolus plants. The four Nod metabolites produced by these strains were labelled by supplying cultures with 14C-acetate in the presence of a flavonoid inducer of nod gene expression. In contrast, more than ten Nod metabolites were synthesised by wild-type strains or constructed strains containing the full complement of R. leguminosarum biovar. trifolii nodulation and host specific nodulation genes. Strain ANU845 containing nodDABC did not induce infection threads or nodule initiation sites but distorted and curled cells in plant root hairs. However strain ANU845 induced root outgrowths on beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) that appeared to result from a proliferation of the epidermal tissue. Transfer of plasmids bearing nodDABC to various Gram-negative bacteria, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Lignobacter sp. , Azospirillum brasilense and Escherichia coli, and different non-nodulating mutant rhizobia conferred on these strains the ability to cause root-hair curling and distortions. Several strains induced root-hair curling on clover and a range of other non-host legumes. We suggest that the expression of nodDABC in a range of soil bacteria may extend or alter the effects of these soil bacteria on the roots of host plants.
Inducible direct plant defense against insect herbivores.

Plants respond to insect herbivory with responses broadly known as direct defenses, indirect defenses, and tolerance. Direct defenses include all plant traits that affect susceptibility of host plants by themselves. Overall categories of direct plant defenses against insect herbivores include limiting food supply, reducing nutrient value, reducing preference, disrupting physical structures, and inhibiting chemical pathways of the attacking insect. Major known defense chemicals include plant secondary metabolites, protein inhibitors of insect digestive enzymes, proteases, lectins, amino acid deaminases and oxidases. Multiple factors with additive or even synergistic impact are usually involved in defense against a specific insect species, and factors of major importance to one insect species may only be of secondary importance or not effective at all against another insect species. Extensive qualitative and quantitative high throughput analyses of temporal and spatial variations in gene expression, protein level and activity, and metabolite concentration will accelerate not only the understanding of the overall mechanisms of direct defense, but also accelerate the identification of specific targets for enhancement of plant resistance for agriculture.
Mechanical properties of kenaf bast fiber reinforced epoxy matrix composite panels

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), a stalk-like plant, provides a bast fiber that was utilized in a nonwoven mat form and embedded into an epoxy resin matrix. Plaques with three different fiber volume fractions were made by hand lay-up using 3, 4 and 10 layers ofnonwoven mat. Coupons were cut from these plaques and tested for impact and tensile strength. The random kenaf fiber mat did not reinforce the tensile strength characteristics 40MPa (5.8 ksi) or the impact strength 0.50 J/cm (0.937 lbs/in) of the epoxy matrix. Percent elongation and the Young's Modulus were calculated from the data. The strength and elongation values were compared to the fiber volume fraction of the respective test plaques. Results showed that kenaf bast fibers serve as a good filler for thermoset composites due to the fiber 's high yield strengths. Kenaf fibers possess such advantages as being inexpensive, biodegradable, and environmentally safe while serving as a renewable resource.
Bacterial Adherence in the Mouth

Studies of the adherence of bacteria indigenous to the human mouth have contributed greatly to our understanding of oral bacterial ecology. Bacterial adhesion to teeth and oral epithelial surfaces seems to be indispensable for the formation of dental plaque and for the persistent colonization of mucosal surfaces. The strength of adhesion to various oral surfaces differs widely among oral bacteria and is a major reason for their different intraoral localization. Considerable evidence suggests that the adhesion of different bacteria to the acquired pellicle on teeth or to mucosal surfaces as well as the adhesive processes involved in plaque accumulation entail different, specific interactions that are mediated by receptors on the bacterial cell surface, on the oral surfaces, and on plaque matrix components. Some of these interactions may involve lectin-like binding. Knowledge of the mechanisms by which suspected odontopathogens such as Streptococcus mutans and certain Actinomyces species may adhere to oral surfaces has been discussed. Successful methods for interfering with bacterial adhesion to human oral surfaces have not been developed yet.
A probability model of steel corrosion in concrete

Competition between chloride and hydroxyl ions in portland cement concrete sometimes results in corrosion of embedded steel if oxygen is available for cathodic reaction. This article describes a Monte Carlo probability model that simulates the competing corrosion and passivation reactions as functions of Cl - /OH ratio and oxygen availability. Probabilities of corrosion predicted by the model agree well with those determined by tests of bare steel rods in high-pH solutions containing oxygen bubbles. Reduced oxygen availability is predicted to increase the Cl - /OH ratio at threshold of corrosion. Threshold ratios from 0.66 to 1.4 are suggested for most reinforced concrete.
Behaviour of Myxine glutinosa L. in natural habitat investigation of the mud biotope by a suction technique

Abstract Mud hillocks of the shallow (30 m) Myxine biotope in Ulvikpollen, Hardanger, have been investigated. A suction pipe driven by compressed air from a ship was used in connection with a working stage at the bottom. The animals in their natural habitat exhibit quicker and more varied responses than when observed in aquaria. A specimen of Myxine swam four times as fast as the hitherto reported maximum speed observed in the sea. On the other hand it seems that the perception of the presence of food blocks most of their innate releasing mechanisms. Swimming does not appear to be so strictly thigmo-tactical as earlier considered.
Engineering of Osteoblasts for Bone Replacement: How to Test for Acquisition and Maintenance of a Proper Phenotype

Osteoblasts may be engineered from stem cells derived from various sources, like blood marrow (mesenchymal stem cells = MSCs) or adipose tissue (adipose derived stem cells = ADSCs), but also from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Such osteoblasts are normally characterized using various criteria selected from parameters, like osteoblast specific marker genes (e.g. transcription factors = TFs, components related to BMPand Wnt-mediated signaling), matrix structural proteins (e.g. collagens, osteopontin, osteomodulin), secreted enzymes (e.g. alkaline phosphatase, metalloproteinases), and other specific markers like osteocalcin [1].