Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DURABILITY OF FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER IN BRIDGE CONCRETE DECK

The use of embedded reinforcement in concrete provides economical and durable composite material for bridge deck. Steel is the most used reinforcement for bridge concrete deck. The alkalinity of capillary pores in concrete as the product of cement hydration produces the passive film shielding and protecting the steel from corrosion. However, bridge deck is the exposed structure that is vulnerable to the aggressive substances such as chloride and carbon dioxide. The presences of these two substances are well known will disturb the stability of the passive film and subsequently the steel will start to corrode. In order to mitigate the bridge concrete deck deterioration due to the corrosion of steel reinforcement, fiber reinforced polymer is currently introduced as promising alternative reinforcement. Fiber reinforced polymer is corrosion resistance material that its application as reinforcement will bear bridge concrete deck with longer service-live. Because of its new application, the long term durability of fiber reinforced polymer embedded in concrete and its impact to the structural integrity is still on concern. In this paper, the state of the art of current study on the durability of fiber reinforced polymer as reinforcement for bridge concrete deck and where it should go will be discussed.
Coupling GeoEnvironmental Research & Education : Examples from the Technological Educational Institute of Crete

This work presents a coupling between research and education using as a teaching tool the undergraduate research projects which are being carried out at the Laboratory of Geophysics and Seismology of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Greece. Laboratory of Geophysics and Seismology covers a wide area of expertise and being fully equipped provides high level of knowledge to undergraduate students, making them capable of measuring, analyzing and processing geophysical data, getting them ready for applying to many seismological, geophysical, geological and geotechnical job opportunities. Moreover, the Laboratory of Geophysics and Seismology offer to the student the tools to support civil protection services. Furthermore, the students gain research experience since the scientific results of some of the undergraduate research projects are accepted for publication in journals and are presented in scientific conferences. Key-Words: -Education, undergraduate research projects, geophysics, seismology.
Methodological Issues for the IAT 1 Understanding and Using the Implicit Association Test : II . Method Variables and Construct Validity

The Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) assesses relative strengths of four associations involving two pairs of contrasted concepts (e.g., male-female and family-career). Four studies analyzed data from 11 Web IATs, averaging 12,000 respondents per dataset, supporting the following conclusions: (a) sorting IAT trials into subsets does not yield conceptually distinct measures; (b) valid IAT measures can be produced using as few as two items to represent each concept; (c) varied order of administering IAT and explicit (self-report) measures did not alter psychometric properties of either type of measure or their observed intercorrelation; and (d) a known extraneous effect of order of IAT task blocks was sharply reduced by using extra practice trials. Together, these analyses provide additional construct validation for the IAT and suggest practical guidelines to users of the tool.
EFFICACY OF ADVANCE ORGANIZERS STRATEGIES ON CHEMISTRY STUDENT'S COGNITIVE ACHIEVEMENTS IN REDOX REACTION CONCEPT

This study adopted a re-test, pre-test control group, quasi-experimental design in a 3x2 factorial matrix to investigate the efficacy of advance organizers strategies on chemistry students' cognitive achievements in redox reaction concept. A total of two hundred and twenty (220) senior secondary two (SS2) chemistry students (118 males and 102 females) purposively selected from three out of six public co-educational senior secondary schools that met sampling criteria in Obio/Akpor education zone, Rivers State, Nigeria constituted three non-equivalent intact classes that participate in the study. A Redox Reaction Concept Achievement Test (RRCAT) instrument with Kuder-Richardson's reliability co-efficient of 0.90 was used to obtain data. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and percentages) and inferential statistics (ANCOVA and Scheffe's post hoc analysis) were used for data analysis at 0.05 alpha level. The findings established that graphics advance organizers strategy consistently produced the highest levels of achievement gain and was therefore found to be most efficacious in promoting meaningful understanding and enhancing higher cognitive achievements in redox reaction concept at all levels of the cognitive domain among the three strategies compared. Gender did not significantly influence the achievement of students in redox reaction concept. It was recommended among others those chemistry teachers and educators should adopt graphics and textual advance organizers strategies as purposeful and efficient instructional strategies and resources in teaching redox reaction so that students could reap the full benefits of active classroom involvement.
New Test for Contagion

The paper develops an easy-to-apply test for contagion. The new test takes into account all the main challenges contagion tests face; that of endogeneity, distinguishing interdependencies from contagion, and heteroskedasticity. To address these challenges the testing is conducted in the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) framework where we assume the reduced form errors follow a mixed-normal distribution. The framework enables us to apply a recently developed SVAR model identication method with no need to restrict any of the instantaneous linkages between the variables. We apply our test to the eurozone government bond data. The sample period is the years 2009{2010 and, so, coincides with the beginning of the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone. Evidence of contagion is found. Especially, it appears that the contagion eects were quite complex without any single source country of contagion.
Suitability of a subcuticular permanent marking technique for scorpions

Abstract The primary impediment of long term, high-resolution, ecological studies of scorpions is the difficulty of marking individuals for monitoring and recapture. I tested the use of Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) as a permanent subcuticular tagging technique in the striped bark scorpion Centruroides vittatus (Say 1821). Mortality and prey capture rates of tagged scorpions did not significantly differ from untagged controls. Tag readability was high and comparable to published studies on other arthropod groups. Animals molted (3 treated, 7 control) and gave birth (1 treated, 2 control) successfully. I recommend VIE tagging as a viable solution to what was a major impediment to the proliferation of fine-scale ecological and population-level field research in C. vittatus and similar arthropods.
Evaluation of computerised reading-assistance systems for reading Japanese texts - from a linguistic point of view

For second-language learners to effectively and efficiently gather information from online texts in their target language, a well-designed computerised system to assist their reading is essential. While many articles and websites which introduce electronic second-language learning tools exist, evaluation of their functions in relation to the theories and empirical evidence revealed in research studies is still scarce. Due to the lack of information, second-language educators tend to leave learners to their own devices in choosing learning tools, which leads to ineffective and inefficient reading. The main aim of this article is to contribute to the development of a framework for evaluating computerised learning-assistance tools, by, as a case study, evaluating computerised reading-assistance systems for second-language readers of Japanese from a linguistic perspective. Firstly, criteria were defined through identifying crucial aspects of reading by reviewing reading-related literature. Two main criteria were information useful for reading comprehension (lexical coverage and accuracy of definitions) and information for the development of reading ability for future reading (explanations about content words, function words, kanji and components, structural and idiomatic information). The results of the evaluation revealed the strengths and weaknesses of different reading-assistance systems. This article then discusses implications for further research.
Nonlinear Difference-in-Differences and Difference-inDifference-in-Differences with Placebo and Surrogate Outcomes

Difference-in-differences (DiD) and difference-in-difference-in-differences (DiDiD) allow for the correction of unmeasured confounding. However, these techniques require that the same variable be measured prior to treatment or on units for which the treatment could have had no effect. Athey and Imbens (2006) provides a quantile-based DiD approach which Sofer et al. (2016) extends to allow the use of placebo (negative) outcomes in lieu of pre-treatment measurements. We extend these approaches in three ways. First, we demonstrate the use of placebo outcomes in the DiD context for the estimation of the average treatment effect on the controls. Second, we show that surrogate outcomes can be used in an analogous but reverse manner to placebo outcomes. Third, we show that these quantile-based techniques can be implemented in the DiDiD context. We apply these methods to a study of whether exposure to candidate debates affected Nepalese citizens’ sense of political efficacy. ∗Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Emory University, 327 Tarbutton Hall, 1555 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322. aglynn@emory.edu †Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan, 5700 Haven Hall, 505 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. nichino@umich.edu Prepared for presentation at PolMeth XXXV at Brigham Young University, July 18–21, 2018.
Amyloidosis of the mammary gland ( the breast )

Amyloidosis of the breast (AMB) is rare. Various internet search data bases were used to search for literature on amyloidosis of the breast. Amyloidosis refers to extra-cellular deposition of amorphous congophilic protein within tissues most commonly with structure types AL and AA. Patients’ ages have ranged between 43 and 86 years. Predisposing systemic diseases include systemic amyloidosis, rheumatoid arthritis, myeloma and walden strom’s macroglobulinemia. AMBs present with tender or non-tender palpable firm mass, generalized tenderness, peau d'orange or may be clinically asymptomatic, incidental breast screening radiological findings. Mammography may reveal clusters of micro-calcification whether the patient has a breast lump or not. Macroscopically AMB may appear as a gray-white, opalescent firm mass which is 5 cm or less. Microscopically AMB can appear as amorphous eosinophilic deposits in fat, stroma or vessels or have caused ductal atrophy, form rings around individual fat cells, or have associated multinucleated giant cell reaction or osseous metaplasia. The cytological findings include: amorphous acellular material with scattered plasma cells; lymphocytes; stromal cell; and epithelial cells. If limited to the breast AMB can be successfully treated with excisional biopsy. AMB has sometimes coexisted with carcinoma of the breast. We would conclude that the clinical course of AMB tends to be benign.
SOFA-HDVRz Design , Cloning , and In Vitro Cleavage Assays Bioinformatic analysis

Prostate cancer remains the single most prevalent cancer in men. Standard therapies are still limited and include androgen ablation that initially causes tumor regression. However, tumor cells eventually relapse and develop into a hormone-refractory prostate cancer. One of the current challenges in this disease is to define new therapeutic targets, which have been virtually unchanged in the past 30 years. Recent studies have suggested that the family of enzymes known as the proprotein convertases (PCs) is involved in various types of cancers and their progression. The present study examined PC expression in prostate cancer and validates one PC, namely PACE4, as a target. The evidence includes the observed high expression of PACE4 in all different clinical stages of human prostate tumor tissues. Gene silencing studies targeting PACE4 in the DU145 prostate cancer cell line produced cells (cell line 4-2) with slower proliferation rates, reduced clonogenic activity, and inability to grow as xenografts in nude mice. Gene expression and proteomic profiling of the 4-2 cell line reveals an increased expression of known cancerrelated genes (e.g., GJA1, CD44, IGFBP6) that are downregulated in prostate cancer. Similarly, cancer genes whose expression is decreased in the 4-2 cell line were upregulated in prostate cancer (e.g., MUC1, IL6). The direct role of PACE4 in prostate cancer is most likely through the upregulated processing of growth factors or through the aberrant processing of growth factors leading to sustained cancer progression, suggesting that PACE4 holds a central role in prostate cancer. Translational Oncology (2011) 4, 157–172 culté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12 Ave. inistère du Développement Économique de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation (to R.D.), nale de la Recherche (to I.F.) and scholarships from Natural Sciences and Engineering du Québec (to F.D.). R.D. is a member of the Centre de Recherche Clinique EtienneW2 and are available online at www.transonc. com. ouse, France. 158 PACE4 in Prostate Cancer D'Anjou et al. Translational Oncology Vol. 4, No. 3, 201
Seasonality and range of fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) host plants in orchards in Niayes and the Thiès Plateau (Senegal)

Introduction . Senegal produces up to 150,000 t of fruit, of which 60,000 t are mangoes. Fruit production is important for the Niayes region, where 60% of total production is of mangoes, with citrus production coming next at 24%. Mango losses have become more substantial since the arrival of Bactrocera invadens in Senegal. The pest population increases in the mango ripening period, but little is known about its secondary hosts. Materials and methods . Fruits of cultivated and wild plants were collected regularly from April to December 2008 inside and around 19 orchards in eleven localities in the Niayes and Thies areas in Senegal. The samples were monitored to identify any fruit flies present so that a list of host plants could be compiled. For mango, the study focused on establishing the influence of certain parameters such as the variety, the fruit size, the color, the flowering pattern and the physiological levels of infestation due to B. invadens and Ceratitis cosyra . Orchards were classified either as traditional (many mango varieties and many fruit species grown together in a stand) or intensive (fields of monovarietal mango trees), according to their composition and how they were managed. Results and discussion . A total of 663.2 kg of fruit, including those of 24 mango varieties, 13 citrus species with five lime varieties, two orange varieties and four pomelo varieties along with other cultivated and wild plants, were sampled both as fallen fruit and from the trees. Traditional orchards were more infested than the modern ones. B. invadens was significantly dominant over the other flies emerging such as C. cosyra , C. capitata , C. punctata , C. bremii, Bactrocera cucurbitae , Capparimyia bipustulata , Carpomyia sp. and Dacus sp. B. invadens was found on the 24 varieties of Mangifera indica , the 13 citrus species, and the other cultivated plants and wild plants sampled. Some host plants supported a relatively high level of fruit flies before the mango ripening period. Mangifera indica was infested principally by B. invadens and C. cosyra . C. cosyra was significantly present on the first fruit trees to flower, mostly in early varieties, while B. invadens infested all the varieties whatever the fruit development stage, the color, or the flowering pattern. Conclusion . Because of the host plants' diversity and varieties the traditional orchards were more infested than the modern ones. The management of this pest needs an Integrated Pest Management system based on a back-to-basics study of the infesting fruit flies, existing parasitoids and their hosts.
Morphological and molecular identification of sea cucumber species Holothuria scabra, Stichopus horrens and Stichopus ocellatus from Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia.

The abundance of sea cucumbers (Phylum Echinodermata: Class Holothuroidea) in Malaysian waters has been gradually declining in past decades. Due to the lack of recent studies on the status of sea cucumber populations in Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia, this study was conducted. This study aimed to identify the species of a timun laut morphospecies i.e. Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra and two gamat morphospecies i.e. Stichopus horrens and Stichopus ocellatus that were collected from Limau Limawan based on ossicle shapes and non-protein-coding 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences. A number of five main ossicle shapes were microscopically identified without microscopic size measurement i.e. rod, plate, rosette, button and table. However, a number of ossicle shapes for S. horrens and S. ocellatus recorded in the previous studies were not observed in this study and this could be due to the body deformation of the specimens. Interestingly, five specimens of H. scabra exhibited additional ossicle shapes other than the smooth button and the table. Despite the absence of common ossicles and the presence of additional ossicle shapes, 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences analysed using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool programme for Nucleotide (blastn) resulted in the species identification of the specimens of morphospecies H. scabra and S. horrens as H. scabra and S. horrens; however, the specimen of morphospecies S. ocellatus was identified only up to the genus level i.e. genus Stichopus, showing the lack of 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences of S. ocellatus in the GenBank until 15 September, 2016. In total, 31 partial sequences of 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene were registered with the GenBank (Accession No.: KX913672-KX913702). The findings also suggested that species identification based on 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene sequence Kamarul Rahim Kamarudin, Maryam Mohamed Rehan and Nur Aliah Bahaman 162 Pertanika J. Trop. Agric. Sci. 40 (1) 162 172 (2017) showed better inference than the ossicle shape identification. In summary, the three morphospecies were morphologically and genetically verified as H. scabra, S. horrens and S. ocellatus. Despite the fact that more specimens and more molecular techniques are required to generate better conclusive outcomes, the current findings give better insight into the importance of morphological and molecular approaches and the present status of the timun laut species and gamat species in Kudat.
Single Pulse, Single Crystal Laser-Induced Nucleation of Potassium Chloride

The nonphotochemical laser-induced nucleation of aqueous supersaturated solutions of potassium chloride is demonstrated. We have observed that a single, 7 ns pulse of near-infrared (1064 nm) laser light can be used to grow a single crystal of potassium chloride. The experimental results are analyzed using a model in which nucleation is enhanced through the isotropic electronic polarization of subcritical crystal nuclei by laser radiation and the associated reduction in free energy of the nuclei. Classical nucleation theory is used to calculate the fraction of subcritical nuclei, initially in zero field, which become supercritical in the laser field; this fraction is correlated with the crystallization yield and is shown to successfully describe the dependences of the experimentally observed yields upon laser power and supersaturation. The experimental results are analyzed to obtain a phenomenological value of the crystal−solution interfacial tension, γ = 2.19 ± 0.03 mJ m−2.
Innovation Capital and Firm Performance: To Explore the Deferral Effect and the Revisited Measurement

This paper analyzes the relationship, from 2000 to 2009, between corporate governance, innovation capital, and management performance in Taiwanese companies containing research and development (R & D) departments. For the analysis, panel data regression was used, which incorporated the random effect, while two-stage regressions were used to test the relationship. As is known, innovation capital is related to management performance and has a deferral effect. In this study, a new variable was chosen to express the concept of innovation capital and take advantage of the instrument variables of corporate governance, thereby supporting our hypothesis. Similar results are also obtained using a two-stage regression, which also incorporated the instrument variables of corporate governance. The results demonstrate that innovation capital has different outcomes, especially because independent directors have an influence on both innovation capital and management performance. Thus, through crosssectional analysis, we suggest a new variable to estimate market performance, with measures of structural capital requiring redesign. Organizational capital was also found to have an influence on
Frame Works: Using Metaphor in Theory and Practice in Information Literacy.

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education generated a large amount of discourse during its development and adoption. All of this discourse is rich in metaphoric language that can be used as a tool for critical reflection on teaching and learning, information literacy, and the nature and role of theory in the practice of teaching librarians. This article explores the metaphoric entailments of the Framework as a way to deepen our understandings and practices of information literacy.
Assessing EFL Student Progress in Critical Thinking with the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test.

Recent trends in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) have emphasized the importance of promoting thinking as an integral part of English language pedagogy; however, empirical research has not established that training in thinking skills can be combined effectively with EFL/ESL instruction. In this study, the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test was used to assess progress in critical thinking after a year of intensive academic English instruction for 36 Japanese students enrolled in a private two-year women's junior college in Oaska, Japan. A control group received only content-based intensive English instruction, while the treatment group received additional training in critical thinking. The treatment group scored significantly higher on the test ("p" =0.000). The results imply that critical thinking skills can indeed be taught as part of academic EFL/ESL instruction. (Contains 3 tables and 26 references.) (Author/SLD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** Assessing EFL Student Progress 1 Running Head: Assessing EFL Student Critical Thinking U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office f Educational Research and Improvement EDUQATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY igiev 86 I)) -D790,-a)sevt) TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) ' Assessing EFL Student Progress in Critical Thinking With the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test Bruce W. Davidson Hokusei Gakuen University Rodney L. Dunham