Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of Porosity and Density of Calcarenite Rocks from P-Wave Velocity Measurements

Petrophysical proprieties such as porosity, density, permeability and saturation have a marked impact on acoustic proprieties of rocks. Hence, there has been recently a strong incentive to use new geophysical techniques to invert such properties from seismic or sonic measurements for rocks characterization. The P-wave velocity, which is non-destructtive and easy method to apply in both field and laboratory conditions, has increasingly been conducted to determine the geotechnical properties of rock materials. The P-wave velocity of a rock is closely related to the intact rock properties, and been measuring the velocity in rock masses describes the rock structure and texture. The present work deals with the use of a simple and non-destructive technique, ultrasonic velocity, to predict the porosity and density of calcarenite rocks that are characteristic in historical monument. The ultrasonic test is based on measuring the propagation time of a P-wave in the longitudinal direction. Good correlations between P-wave velocity, porosity and density were found, which indicated them as an appropriate technique for estimating the porosity and density.
Leisure, Organised Sport and Antisocial Behaviour an Examination of Youth’s Involvement in Leisure, Organised Sports and its Effect on Antisocial Behaviour

Over the last ten years national strategies and policies placed youth at the forefront of their developments. Particular attention has been placed on antisocial behaviour and the appropriate punishments and rehabilitation methods. Programmes have been developed with the objective to deter antisocial behaviours with little empirical support to justify them. This study aims to determine whether youthâ? Ts involvement in leisure and sport has any effect on their involvement in antisocial or delinquent behaviour. This is mainly achieved through the quantitative research method of a survey. Sixty-five people aged between 14-20 years old from two contrasting educational institutions in Dublin were surveyed. The survey was designed based on other surveys conducted in this field of study. The research found that males were more likely to be involved in antisocial and delinquent behaviour than females. The research also found that participantâ? Ts who were involvement in organised sports were less likely to be involved in antisocial behaviour compared to participantâ? Ts who were not involved in organised sports. Further research in this area of study is recommended in order to improve current programmes and to develop new programmes.
Demands, appraisal, coping and outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate relationships among cognitive appraisal of work demands, coping, positive and negative affect, and job satisfaction using structural equation modeling (SEM). Gender differences are also examined.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 659 registered veterinarians respond to a postal survey investigating appraisal, coping, and outcomes in the context of work‐related stressors. Veterinarians are selected as the study group due to the high reported rates of stress within the profession.Findings – The hypothesized model is a good fit to the data. Patterns of appraisal and coping are evident which meant that a potentially stressful work demand could result in positive rather than negative outcomes. The more a demand is seen as a challenge the more use is made of task‐focused coping and the less use is made of avoidance, with higher levels of positive affect and job satisfaction. In contrast, threat appraisals are associated with more avoidance, more negati.
Randomized Clinical Trial of the Women’s Lifestyle Physical Activity Program for African-American Women

Purpose: To compare the effects of a physical activity (PA) intervention of group meetings versus group meetings supplemented by personal calls or automated calls on the adoption and maintenance of PA and on weight stability among African-American women. Design: Randomized clinical trial with three conditions randomly assigned across six sites. Setting: Health settings in predominately African-American communities. Subjects: There were 288 women, aged 40 to 65, without major signs/symptoms of pulmonary/cardiovascular disease. Intervention: Six group meetings delivered over 48 weeks with either 11 personal motivational calls, 11 automated motivational messages, or no calls between meetings. Measures: Measures included PA (questionnaires, accelerometer, aerobic fitness), weight, and body composition at baseline, 24 weeks, and 48 weeks. Analysis: Analysis of variance and mixed models. Results: Retention was 90% at 48 weeks. Adherence to PA increased significantly (p < .001) for questionnaire (d = .56, 128 min/wk), accelerometer (d = .37, 830 steps/d), and aerobic fitness (d = .41, 7 steps/2 min) at 24 weeks and was maintained at 48 weeks (p < .001), with no differences across conditions. Weight and body composition showed no significant changes over the course of the study. Conclusion: Group meetings are a powerful intervention for increasing PA and preventing weight gain and may not need to be supplemented with telephone calls, which add costs and complexity.
Gender and the Career Choice Process: The Role of Biased Self‐Assessments1

This article develops a supply‐side mechanism about how cultural beliefs about gender differentially influence the early career‐relevant decisions of men and women. Cultural beliefs about gender are argued to bias individuals' perceptions of their competence at various career‐relevant tasks, controlling for actual ability. To the extent that individuals then act on gender‐differentiated perceptions when making career decisions, cultural beliefs about gender channel men and women in substantially different career directions. The hypotheses are evaluated by considering how gendered beliefs about mathematics impact individuals' assessments of their own mathematical competence, which, in turn, leads to gender differences in decisions to persist on a path toward a career in science, math, or engineering.
Prevalence, Pathogenesis, Antibiotic Susceptibility Profiles, and In-vitro Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants Against Aeromonas Isolates from Stool Samples of Patients in the Venda Region of South Africa

The prevalence, pathogenic indices, such as haemolytic and haemagglutinating activities, antibiograms, and in-vitro activities of local medicinal plants against Aeromonas isolates in Vhembe district of Limpopo province, South Africa, were studied using standard microbiological methods. In total, 309 diarrhoeic stool samples were collected from patients attending five health centres in the region during December 2004–May 2005. Aeromonas species were identified using the API 20E system. The haemagglutinating and haemolytic activities of isolates on human, sheep, pig and chicken red blood cells were investigated. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the isolates to several antibiotics and in-vitro activity of local medicinal plants were also ascertained using previously-reported schemes. Results showed that 104 (33.6%) of the 309 samples were positive for Aeromonas species, of which 89 (85.6%) were Aeromonas hydrophila, 12 (11.5%) A. sobria, and three (2.9%) A. caviae. All strains of A. hydrophila and A. caviae produced haemolysis on sheep blood, while eight of the 12 A. sobria strains were haemolytic on sheep blood. The haemolytic activities of the isolates were variable on other red blood cells tested. High level of resistance was observed to amoxicillin and ampicillin, followed by cefuroxime (79%), chloramphenicol (74%), and erythromycin (65%). The carbapenems were the most active drugs with only 7% resistance to meropenem and 11% to imipenem. About 12% of the isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin. The extracts of three of seven medicinal plants tested showed inhibitory activity against all Aeromonas isolates; these included acetone and hexane extracts of Pterocarpus angolensis, Syzygium cordatum, and Zornia milneana. The results suggest a high prevalence of Aeromonas species in the region. The isolates demonstrated multiple resistant profiles to different antibiotics tested. Some local medicinal plants were inhibitory to Aeromonas isolates, indicating a potential role in the management of Aeromonas-related infections. Structural elucidation of the active components may pave the way for the discovery of candidate templates for eventual drug design. Most isolates possessed important virulence characteristics based on their haemolytic and haemagglutinating ability. However, the genetic characterization of the isolates will further confirm their pathogenicity and the origin of multiple antibiotic resistance.
Depth of glandular crypts and its involvement in squamous intraepithelial cervical neoplasia submitted to large loop excision of transformation zone (LLETZ).

BACKGROUND The authors aimed to confirm the depth of six mm in order to achieve an optimal eradication of the lesion. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a retrospective observational study of 94 cervical surgical pieces from women aged 17 to 22 years with a cyto-colpo-histopathological diagnosis of high-grade squamous cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN II and/or CIN III) submitted to large loop excision of transformation zone (LLETZ). The glandular crypts and margins, both exposed or not to CIN, were assessed. The compromise and the maximum depth of the glandular crypts were noticed. RESULTS After LLETZ, 23 (24.47%) cases presented a neoplasic impairment of endocervical margin and ten (10.64%) of the ectocervical margin. The largest noticed crypt measured 4.500 mm and the shortest 0.100 mm, with an average of 2.148 mm. CONCLUSIONS Squamous CIN more frequently show the exposure of surgical margins to LLETZ. The deeper location of glandular crypts in the cases studied was 4.500 mm, while the largest neoplastic extension was 3.000 mm.The therapeutic method depends on this knowledge.
Variceal bleeding in primary biliary cirrhosis patients: a subgroup with improved prognosis and a model to predict survival after first bleeding

Background Varices are a late complication in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, patients without clinical jaundice do bleed from varices; whether their prognosis differs is unknown. Aim Evaluate PBC patients, particularly those with bilirubin ≤34 μmol/l at the time of bleeding. Patients/results One hundred and two variceal bleeders were present (median, follow-up 20.5 months, range 0–180), who at diagnosis had: pruritus (51%), fatigue (32%) and 23 (22.5%) variceal bleeding. Histologically advanced disease was present in 96 of 100 patients (stage 3: 14 and stage 4: 82); 83 died, 24 within 6 weeks of first bleeding. At the time of bleeding, 26 patients had bilirubin ≤34 μmol/l. In this group, 24 patients were stage 4, in 13 bleeding was the first presentation of PBC and they were older (59.4 vs. 55.4 years, P=0.09), had lower alkaline phosphatase (491.5 vs. 510, P=0.03) but similar albumin values, surviving a median 61 versus 12 months, compared with the 76 patients with bilirubin >34 μmol/l (P=0.001, log rank test). Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for independent predictors of mortality after bleeding were: age 1.02 (1–1.05), log10 bilirubin 4.64 (2.56–8.41), ascites 2.13 (1.29–3.51) and hepatic encephalopathy 2.72 (1.56–4.74). Conclusion Variceal bleeding complicates histologically advanced PBC. A distinct subgroup with near normal bilirubin and lower alkaline phosphatase first presents with variceal bleeding in 50% of cases and has a better prognosis than jaundiced PBC variceal bleeders.
HQ replication: a hybrid quorum protocol for byzantine fault tolerance

There are currently two approaches to providing Byzantine-fault-tolerant state machine replication: a replica-based approach, e.g., BFT, that uses communication between replicas to agree on a proposed ordering of requests, and a quorum-based approach, such as Q/U, in which clients contact replicas directly to optimistically execute operations. Both approaches have shortcomings: the quadratic cost of inter-replica communication is un-necessary when there is no contention, and Q/U requires a large number of replicas and performs poorly under contention. We present HQ, a hybrid Byzantine-fault-tolerant state machine replication protocol that overcomes these problems. HQ employs a lightweight quorum-based protocol when there is no contention, but uses BFT to resolve contention when it arises. Furthermore, HQ uses only 3f + 1 replicas to tolerate f faults, providing optimal resilience to node failures. We implemented a prototype of HQ, and we compare its performance to BFT and Q/U analytically and experimentally. Additionally, in this work we use a new implementation of BFT designed to scale as the number of faults increases. Our results show that both HQ and our new implementation of BFT scale as f increases; additionally our hybrid approach of using BFT to handle contention works well.
Using Formative Assessment Results to Predict Student Achievement on High Stakes Tests

Lisa W. Smith. USING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT RESULTS TO PREDICT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON HIGH STAKES TESTS. (Under the direction of Dr. Karen Parker) School of Education, Liberty University, March, 2008. The purpose of this study was to examine whether comprehensive post formative assessments can accurately predict student academic achievement on AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) indicators as measured by standardized criterion-referenced tests. The primary participant populations for this study were sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students enrolled in a middle school in north Georgia from 2004-2007. Over 2,900 student assessments were used to conduct the statistical research and variables such as gender, race, and socio-economic levels were not disaggregated in the data collection compilation. The data sources included the first quarter, second quarter, and third quarter post formative assessments which are administered every nine-week grading period in the school system. The findings indicated that various grade levels exhibited a higher predictability factor with certain quarterly assessments than others. Likewise, unit gains on post assessments demonstrated a statistically significant indicator for academic achievement on high stake standardized assessments.
In situ carcinoma of the vocal cords

Eighty‐one patients with preinvasive carcinoma of the vocal cord, seen over a thirteen year period, were reviewed histologically and analyzed for response to treatment. Sixty‐seven cases were clinically T1 and fourteen cases T2 (by virtue of extension of disease beyond the vocal cord). All patients had mobile cords. Histological criteria for in situ carcinoma and the spectrum of microscopic patterns are presented. Sixty‐nine patients were treated by external beam radiotherapy—the remainder by a variety of surgical procedures. Five and ten year actuarial, recurrence‐free rates 83% and 75%, respectively for the group treated by irradiation. No difference in local control was observed when analyzed for: 1) dose response, 2) initial extent of disease, 3) treatment plan, or 4) histologic diagnosis. Analysis of failures reveals that 15/17 patients with local failure were salvaged, eleven of these patients requiring laryngectomy. Time to appearance of recurrence ranged from seven to one hundred and seven months.
The amygdala's response to face and emotional information and potential category-specific modulation of temporal cortex as a function of emotion

The amygdala has been implicated in the processing of emotion and animacy information and to be responsive to novelty. However, the way in which these functions interact is poorly understood. Subjects (N = 30) viewed threatening or neutral images that could be either animate (facial expressions) or inanimate (objects) in the context of a dot probe task. The amygdala showed responses to both emotional and animacy information, but no emotion by stimulus-type interaction; i.e., emotional face and object stimuli, when matched for arousal and valence, generate comparable amygdala activity relative to neutral face and object stimuli. Additionally, a habituation effect was not seen in amygdala; however, increased amygdala activity was observed for incongruent relative to congruent negative trials in second vs. first exposures. Furthermore, medial fusiform gyrus showed increased response to inanimate stimuli, while superior temporal sulcus showed increased response to animate stimuli. Greater functional connectivity between bilateral amygdala and medial fusiform gyrus was observed to negative vs. neutral objects, but not to fearful vs. neutral faces. The current data suggest that the amygdala is responsive to animate and emotional stimuli. Additionally, these data suggest that the interaction between the various functions of the amygdala may need to be considered simultaneously to fully understand how they interact. Moreover, they suggest category-specific modulation of medial fusiform cortex as a function of emotion.
Cognitive predictors of everyday functioning in older adults: results from the ACTIVE Cognitive Intervention Trial.

OBJECTIVE The present study sought to predict changes in everyday functioning using cognitive tests. METHODS Data from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly trial were used to examine the extent to which competence in different cognitive domains--memory, inductive reasoning, processing speed, and global mental status--predicts prospectively measured everyday functioning among older adults. Coefficients of determination for baseline levels and trajectories of everyday functioning were estimated using parallel process latent growth models. RESULTS Each cognitive domain independently predicts a significant proportion of the variance in baseline and trajectory change of everyday functioning, with inductive reasoning explaining the most variance (R2 = .175) in baseline functioning and memory explaining the most variance (R2 = .057) in changes in everyday functioning. DISCUSSION Inductive reasoning is an important determinant of current everyday functioning in community-dwelling older adults, suggesting that successful performance in daily tasks is critically dependent on executive cognitive function. On the other hand, baseline memory function is more important in determining change over time in everyday functioning, suggesting that some participants with low baseline memory function may reflect a subgroup with incipient progressive neurologic disease.
Women's work, 1840-1940

This pamphlet attempts to survey women’s work in Great Britain in the century 1840–1940. This first chapter raises some of the general questions, problems and characteristics of women’s work in the period; the second examines in more detail women’s paid full-time work; the third chapter looks at some of the social and economic aspects of married women’s work both paid and unpaid; and the last chapter considers changes in women’s working conditions and status and the roles of government, employers and unions.
Effects of Direct Instruction and Strategy Modeling on Upper-Primary Students’ Writing Development

Strategy-focused instruction is one of the most effective approaches to improve writing skills. It aims to teach developing writers strategies that give them executive control over their writing processes. Programs under this kind of instruction tend to have multiple components that include direct instruction, modeling and scaffolded practice. This multi-component nature has two drawbacks: it makes implementation challenging due to the amount of time and training required to perform each stage, and it is difficult to determine the underlying mechanisms that contribute to its effectiveness. To unpack why strategy-focused instruction is effective, we explored the specific effects of two key components: direct teaching of writing strategies and modeling of strategy use. Six classes (133 students) of upper-primary education were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions, in which students received instruction aimed at developing effective strategies for planning and drafting, or control group with no strategy instruction: Direct Instruction (N = 46), Modeling (N = 45), and Control (N = 42). Writing performance was assessed before the intervention and immediately after the intervention with two tasks, one collaborative and the other one individual to explore whether differential effects resulted from students writing alone or in pairs. Writing performance was assessed through reader-based and text-based measures of text quality. Results at post-test showed similar improvement in both intervention conditions, relatively to controls, in all measures and in both the collaborative and the individual task. No statistically significant differences were observed between experimental conditions. These findings suggest that both components, direct teaching and modeling, are equally effective in improving writing skills in upper primary students, and these effects are present even after a short training.
Mechanisms for convection triggering by cold pools

Cold pools are fundamental ingredients of deep convection. They contribute to organizing the subcloud layer and are considered key elements in triggering convective cells. It was long known that this could happen mechanically, through lifting by the cold pools' fronts. More recently, it has been suggested that convection could also be triggered thermodynamically, by accumulation of moisture around the edges of cold pools. A method based on Lagrangian tracking is here proposed to disentangle the signatures of both forcings and quantify their importance in a given environment. Results from a simulation of radiative‐convective equilibrium over the ocean show that parcels reach their level of free convection through a combination of both forcings, each being dominant at different stages of the ascent. Mechanical forcing is an important player in lifting parcels from the surface, whereas thermodynamic forcing reduces the inhibition encountered by parcels before they reach their level of free convection.
A Note on the Stable One-Equation Coupling of Finite and Boundary Elements

In a recent paper [SIAM J. Numer. Anal. , 47 (2009), pp. 3451-3463] Sayas proved the stability of the Johnson-Nedelec coupling of finite and boundary element methods on polygonal interfaces when the direct boundary integral equation with single and double layer integral operators is used only. In this note we present two alternative proofs of this result for general Lipschitz interfaces. In particular, we prove an ellipticity estimate of the coupled bilinear form. Hence, we can use standard arguments to derive stability and error estimates for the Galerkin discretization for all pairs of finite and boundary element trial spaces.