Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Organic, Inorganic and Biofertilizers on Crop Yield and N, P and K Uptake under Rainfed Maize-Wheat Cropping System

Rain fed agriculture contributes 58% of global food basket and constitutes 66% of the net sown area in India. Site specific nutrient management has received considerable attention due to potential benefits of increasing input use efficiency, improving economic margins of crop production and reducing environmental risks. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of spatial variability of soil properties is becoming increasingly essential in agriculture as soil properties vary from field to a large region scale and are influenced by geology, topography climate as well. The Kandi belt consisting of sub mountainous area of Jammu region arising from Punjab plains with gentle International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 04 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane on Vanadium, Molybdenum, and Tungsten Oxides

The effect of cation identity on oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) pathways was examined using two-dimensional VOx, MoOx, and WOx structures supported on ZrO2. The similar kinetic rate expressions obtained on MoOx and VOx catalysts confirmed that oxidative dehydrogenation of propane occurs via similar pathways, which involve rate-determining C−H bond activation steps using lattice oxygen atoms. The activation energies for propane dehydrogenation and for propene combustion increase in the sequence VOx/ZrO2 < MoOx/ZrO2 < WOx/ZrO2; the corresponding reaction rates decrease in this sequence, suggesting that turnover rates reflect C−H bond cleavage activation energies, which are in turn influenced by the reducibility of these metal oxides. Propane ODH activation energies are higher than for propene combustion. This leads to an increase in maximum alkene yields and in the ratio of rate constants for propane ODH and propene combustion as temperature increases. This difference in activation energy (48−61 kJ/mol) be.
MSVM-RFE: extensions of SVM-RFE for multiclass gene selection on DNA microarray data

MOTIVATION Given the thousands of genes and the small number of samples, gene selection has emerged as an important research problem in microarray data analysis. Support Vector Machine-Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE) is one of a group of recently described algorithms which represent the stat-of-the-art for gene selection. Just like SVM itself, SVM-RFE was originally designed to solve binary gene selection problems. Several groups have extended SVM-RFE to solve multiclass problems using one-versus-all techniques. However, the genes selected from one binary gene selection problem may reduce the classification performance in other binary problems. RESULTS In the present study, we propose a family of four extensions to SVM-RFE (called MSVM-RFE) to solve the multiclass gene selection problem, based on different frameworks of multiclass SVMs. By simultaneously considering all classes during the gene selection stages, our proposed extensions identify genes leading to more accurate classification.
Binding Gestures: a customary norm regarding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

ABSTRACT In March of 2017, officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security publicly acknowledged a proposed policy of forced separation of unauthorized migrant children from their parents. Conceived as a deterrent to other families that might yet contemplate crossing the U.S. southern border, the proposal sought to formalize and expand on similar practices of deterrence already implemented on a more ad hoc basis. By way of a brief examination of the internal logics and implications of deterrence thinking in this context and more broadly, fundamental incompatibilities with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are revealed. Although the U.S. has not ratified the Convention, I argue that it is nonetheless beholden to a robust and binding customary norm of international law obliging all states to respect its key provisions, including rights that would prohibit the separation of children from their parents as a preemptive measure to deter unauthorized migration.
Time scale matters: genetic analysis does not support adaptation-by-time as the mechanism for adaptive seasonal declines in kokanee reproductive life span

Seasonal declines of fitness-related traits are often attributed to environmental effects or individual-level decisions about reproductive timing and effort, but genetic variation may also play a role. In populations of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), seasonal declines in reproductive life span have been attributed to adaptation-by-time, in which divergent selection for different traits occurs among reproductively isolated temporal components of a population. We evaluated this hypothesis in kokanee (freshwater obligate Oncorhynchus nerka) by testing for temporal genetic structure in neutral and circadian-linked loci. We detected no genetic differences in presumably neutral loci among kokanee with different arrival and maturation dates within a spawning season. Similarly, we detected no temporal genetic structure in OtsClock1b, Omy1009uw, or OmyFbxw11, candidate loci associated with circadian function. The genetic evidence from this study and others indicates a lack of support for adaptation-by-time as an important evolutionary mechanism underlying seasonal declines in reproductive life span and a need for greater consideration of other mechanisms such as time-dependent, adaptive adjustment of reproductive effort.
The distribution of the zeros of random trigonometric polynomials

We study the asymptotic distribution of the number $Z_{N}$ of zeros of random trigonometric polynomials of degree $N$ as $N\rightarrow\infty$. It is known that as $N$ grows to infinity, the expected number of the zeros is asymptotic to $\frac{2}{\sqrt{3}}\cdot N$. The asymptotic form of the variance was predicted by Bogomolny, Bohigas and Leboeuf to be $cN$ for some $c>0$. We prove that $\frac{Z_{N}-{\Bbb E} Z_{N}}{\sqrt{cN}}$ converges to the standard Gaussian. In addition, we find that the analogous result is applicable for the number of zeros in short intervals.
Severe hip displacement reduces health-related quality of life in children with cerebral palsy

Background and purpose — Hip displacement is common in children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) and can cause problems such as pain, contractures, and nursing difficulties. Caregiver priorities and child health index of life with disabilities (CPCHILD) is a recently developed measure of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children with severe CP. The associations between CPCHILD scores and hip displacement have not been investigated. We explored the effect of hip displacement on HRQL. Patients and methods — 67 children were recruited from the population-based Norwegian CP register. Mean age was 9 (7–12) years. There were 40 boys. Gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) distribution was 12 level III, 17 level IV, and 38 level V. Hip displacement was assessed by radiographic migration percentage (MP). The criterion for hip displacement was MP of the worst hip of ≥40%. Primary caregivers responded to 5 of the 6 domains of the CPCHILD questionnaire. Results — Hip displacement was found in 18 children and it was significantly associated with lower scores on the CPCHILD domains 3 (Comfort and Emotions) and 5 (Health), but not with domains 1 (Activities of Daily Living/Personal Care), 2 (Positioning, Transfer, and Mobility), and 6 (Overall Quality of Life). GMFCS level V was a significant predictor of low scores in all the domains. Interpretation — For the assessment of HRQL in children with severe CP and hip problems, we propose a modified and simplified version of the CPCHILD consisting of 14 of 37 questions. This would reduce the responders’ burden and probably increase the response rate in clinical studies without losing important information.
The role of banks in financing small and medium firms

Up to a few years ago, economic theory did not pay any attention to the topic of firm financing. This situation has changed in recent years thanks to the development of a theorical approach that has applied the conclusions of information economics to the analysis of the working of the financial markets. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the fact that the asymmetric information approach does not constitute the only theoretical framework which gives prominence to the issue of firm financing; a meaningful theory could be elaborated on the basis of the works of Keynes and Schumpeter. The aim of this paper is to highlight the most significant differences between these two approaches.
Scale validation in applied health research: tutorial for a 6-step R-based psychometrics protocol

ABSTRACT Background: Applied health science research commonly measures concepts via multiple-item tools (scales), such as self-reported questionnaires or observation checklists. They are usually validated in more detail in separate psychometric studies or very cursorily in substantive studies. However, methodologists advise that, as validity is a property of the inferences based on measurement in a context, psychometric analyses should be performed in substantive studies as well. Until recently, performing comprehensive psychometrics required expert knowledge of different, often proprietary, software. The increasing availability of statistical techniques in the R environment now makes it possible to integrate such analyses in applied research. Methods: In this tutorial, I introduce a 6-step protocol which allows detailed diagnosis of core psychometric properties (e.g. structural validity, internal consistency) for scales with binary and ordinal response options aiming to measure differences in degree or quantity, the most common in applied research. The protocol includes investigations of (1) item distributions and summary statistics, item properties via (2) non-parametric and (3) parametric item response theory, (4) scale structure using factor analysis, (5) reliability via classical test theory, and (6) calculation and description of global scores. I illustrate the procedure on a measure of self-reported disability, the 24-item Sickness Impact Profile Roland Scale (RM-SIP), administered in a survey of 222 chronic pain sufferers. An R Markdown script is provided that generates reproducible reports. Results: In this sample, 15 of 24 RM-SIP items formed a unidimensional ordinal scale with good homogeneity (H = 0.43) and reliability (α = .86[.84–.89]; ω = .87[.85–.88]). The two versions were highly correlated (r = .96), and regression models predicting RM-SIP disability produced comparable results. Conclusions: The example analysis illustrates how psychometric properties may be assessed in substantive studies and identify avenues for measure improvement. Applied researchers can adapt this script to perform and communicate these analyses as part of questionnaire validation and substantive studies.
Multivariate variability monitoring using EWMA control charts based on squared deviation of observations from target

Recent research works have shown that control statistics based on squared deviation of observations from target have the ability to monitor variability in both univariate and multivariate processes. In the current research, the properties of the control statistic St that has been proposed by Huwang et al. (J. Quality Technology 2007; 39:258–278) are first reviewed and three new St‐based multivariate schemes are then presented. Extensive simulation experiments are performed to compare the performances of the proposed schemes with those of the multivariate exponentially weighted mean squared deviation (MEWMS) and the L1‐norm distance of the MEWMS deviation from its expected value (MEWMSL1) charts. The results show that one of the proposed schemes outperforms the others in detecting shifts in correlation coefficients and another has the best general performance among the compared charts in detecting shifts in which at least one of the variances changes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Refusing the Performance: Disrupting Popular Discourses Surrounding Latino Male Teachers and the Possibility of Disidentification

Popular discourses surrounding male teachers of color can serve to reify confining and problematic notions of masculinity in schools. Taking a critical approach to the study of gender and race, this article highlights the ways schools reproduce specifically Latino male identity through the cultural expectations of Latino male educators, as well as the gender performance of Latino male teachers themselves. Through an ethnographic case study of a middle school Latino boys’ program in the San Francisco Bay Area, I explore the ways one Latino male teacher navigates cultural pressures surrounding the enactment of Latino masculinity. This study uncovers the ways the scarcity of Latino male educators creates a pressure to perform specified notions of masculinity; particularly that of the domineering, hypermasculine disciplinarian. Furthermore, this study looks at embodied resistance to dominant discourses of Latino masculinity through deviant gendered performances, locating the body as a key site of struggle.
Brazilian Green Propolis Inhibits Inflammatory Angiogenesis in a Murine Sponge Model

Angiogenesis and inflammation are persistent features of several pathological conditions. Propolis, a sticky material that honeybees collect from living plants, has been reported to have multiple biological effects including anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplasic activities. Here, we investigated the effects of water extract of green propolis (WEP) on angiogenesis, inflammatory cell accumulation and endogenous production of cytokines in sponge implants of mice over a 14-day period. Blood vessel formation as assessed by hemoglobin content and by morphometric analysis of the implants was reduced by WEP (500 mg kg−1 orally) compared to the untreated group. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increased progressively in the treated group but decreased after Day 10 in the control group. Accumulation of neutrophils and macrophages was determined by measuring myeloperoxidase (MPO) and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities, respectively. Neutrophil accumulation was unaffected by propolis, but NAG activity was reduced by the treatment at Day 14. The levels TGF-β1 intra-implant increased progressively in both groups but were higher (40%) at Day 14 in the control implants. The pro-inflammatory levels of TNF-α peaked at Day 7 in the control implants, and at Day 14 in the propolis-treated group. Our results indicate that the anti-inflammatory/anti-angiogenic effects of propolis are associated with cytokine modulation.
Intervention studies of cotton steaming to reduce biological effects of cotton dust

Merchant, J. A. , Lumsden, J. C. , Kilburn, K. H. , O'Fallon, W. M. , Copeland, K. , Germino, V. H. , McKenzie, W. N. , Baucom, D. , Currin, P., and Stilman, J. (1974). British Journal of Industrial Medicine,31, 261-274. Intervention studies of cotton steaming to reduce biological effects of cotton dust. Previous exposure chamber studies had suggested that steaming cotton could reduce significantly the levels and the biological effects of cotton dust. Therefore an intervention study using a high capacity steamer was designed to test the effectiveness of this process in a single cotton mill. The mill population was surveyed and dust sampling was completed prior to intervention with steamed cotton. A panel of 62 byssinotics and heavily exposed workers was selected to serve as a test panel while steamed cotton was introduced to the mill. Following the introduction of adequately steamed cotton the mean Monday decrement in forced expired volume in one second among panel members was significantly reduced to half that observed during control trials. Dust levels were also significantly reduced in the initial opening and picking processes but increased significantly in later processes. Re-evaluation of the mill population by work area suggested some improvement in expiratory flow per milligram of dust exposure but a progression in symptoms of byssinosis and bronchitis in later mill processes. It is suggested that steaming may have resulted in removal of some bronchoconstricting property of cotton dust, but that binding of fine dust to the fibre may also occur, resulting in delayed release of fine dust particles. The implications of these observations on environmental control are discussed.
Adapting the acoustic model of a speech recognizer for varied proficiency non-native spontaneous speech using read speech with language-specific pronunciation difficulty

This paper presents a novel approach to acoustic model adaptation of a recognizer for non-native spontaneous speech in the context of recognizing candidates’ responses in a test of spoken English. Instead of collecting and then transcribing spontaneous speech data, a read speech corpus is created where non-native speakers of English read English sentences of different degrees of pronunciation difficulty with respect to their native language. The motivation for this approach is (1) to save time and cost associated with transcribing spontaneous speech, and (2) to allow for a targeted training of the recognizer, focusing particularly on those phoneme environments which are difficult to pronounce correctly by non-native speakers and hence have a higher likelihood of being misrecognized. As a criterion for selecting the sentences to be read, we develop a novel score, the “phonetic challenge score”, consisting of a measure for native language-specific difficulties described in the second-language acquisition literature and also of a statistical measure based on the cross-entropy between phoneme sequences of the native language and English. We collected about 23,000 read sentences from 200 speakers in four language groups: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. We used this data for acoustic model adaptation of a spontaneous speech recognizer and compared recognition performance between the unadapted baseline and the system after adaptation on a held-out set from the English test responses data set. The results show that using this targeted read speech material for acoustic model adaptation does reduce the word error rate significantly for two of four language groups of the spontaneous speech test set, while changes of the two other language groups are not significant. Insdex Terms: acoustic model adaptation, non-native spontaneous speech, cross-lingual phonetic difficulty
Competitive Performance Experiences of Show Jumping Riders, Rider-horse Interaction, and Temporal Dynamics of Riders’ Psychobiosocial States

Polackova, Andrea. 2018. Competitive Performance Experiences of Show Jumping Riders, Rider-horse Interaction, and Temporal Dynamics of Riders’ Psychobiosocial States. Master’s Thesis in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. University of Jyväskylä. 65 p. The aims of this qualitative research were to explore performance-related experiences of show jumping riders in the most successful/unsuccessful performances, their perception of the horse and rider-horse interaction, and temporal dynamics of their states in an actual competition. Six experienced females show jumping riders were interviewed about their previous most successful and unsuccessful performances. Based on the interviews, profiles with the individually generated states and their intensity were created for each rider. Subsequently, participants assessed dimensions of the profiles during an actual competition. Through an inductive content analysis of interviews, a hierarchical coding scheme describing the riders’ experiences and perception of the rider-horse interaction was identified. Furthermore, potentially important factors related to the performance were highlighted. The higher-order themes from the scheme were related to the context, riders’ feelings and thoughts, and riders’ perception of the horse and rider-horse interaction. Furthermore, a deductive content analysis of the participants’ descriptors from the best and worst performances profiles revealed all eight modalities of psychobiosocial states. The analysis of states intensity across cognitive, motivational, volitional, bodily, motor-behavior, operational, communicative, and pleasant modalities showed the higher intensity of functional descriptors and lower intensity for the dysfunctional descriptors before the successful performances. In contrast, across these modalities, high intensities for dysfunctional descriptors and low for functional descriptors were observed before poor performances. The states from affective unpleasant modality (both functional and dysfunctional) indicated lower intensity before the best performances and higher intensity in the worst performances. The temporal dynamics of states in a current contest showed interindividual and intraindividual variability in intensity dimension and content of the states. Analysis of intensity changes of the states before, during, and after the actual good performances indicated an increase in the intensity of the affective pleasant-helpful states before the performances. During the performances, cognitive pleasant-helpful feelings intensity was decreased. Finally, after the performances, a decrease in intensity for the affective unpleasant-unhelpful, cognitive pleasant-helpful, cognitive unpleasant-unhelpful, and motivational and volitional modalities were more frequent. Results of the study offer a deeper insight into the equestrian athletes’ experiences in the competitions and may help practitioners working with the riders to better understand them and develop more tailored interventions.
Measuring the roughness of random paths by increment ratios

A statistic based on increment ratios (IR) and related to zero crossings of increment sequence is defined and studied for measuring the roughness of random paths. The main advantages of this statistic are robustness to smooth additive and multiplicative trends and applicability to infinite variance processes. The existence of the IR statistic limit (called the IR-roughness below) is closely related to the existence of a tangent process. Three particular cases where the IR-roughness exists and is explicitly computed are considered. Firstly, for a diffusion process with smooth diffusion and drift coefficients, the IR-roughness coincides with the IR-roughness of a Brownian motion and its convergence rate is obtained. Secondly, the case of rough Gaussian processes is studied in detail under general assumptions which do not require stationarity conditions. Thirdly, the IR-roughness of a Levy process with $\alpha-$stable tangent process is established and can be used to estimate the fractional parameter $\alpha \in (0,2)$ following a central limit theorem.
Physio@Home: Exploring Visual Guidance and Feedback Techniques for Physiotherapy Exercises

Physiotherapy patients exercising at home alone are at risk of re-injury since they do not have corrective guidance from a therapist. To explore solutions to this problem, we designed Physio@Home, a prototype that guides people through prerecorded physiotherapy exercises using real-time visual guides and multi-camera views. Our design addresses several aspects of corrective guidance, including: plane and range of movement, joint positions and angles, and extent of movement. We evaluated our design, com-paring how closely people could follow exercise movements under various feedback conditions. Participants were most accurate when using our visual guide and multi-views. We provide suggestions for exercise guidance systems drawn from qualitative findings on visual feedback complexity.