Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Business Education Students’ Opinion on the Benefits and Challenges of E-Assessment in Universities in Edo State

The study examined the Business Education students’ opinion on the benefits and challenges of E-assessment in Universities in Edo State. Two research questions were raised to guide the study. The descriptive survey research design was adopted in the study. The population was made up of 226 (100 and 200 level) Business Education students from the two public universities offering Business Education in Edo State. The entire population of the students was used. The structured questionnaire titled: Benefits And Challenges Of E-assessment Questionnaire (BACOEQ) with 14 items was developed by the researchers and was structured in a 4-point Likert scale: Strongly Agreed (4), Agreed (3), Disagreed (2) and Strongly Disagreed (1). The instrument was validated by the experts in the field and the Cronbach’s Alpha was used in obtaining a reliability coefficient of 0.88. The researcher was able to retrieve 178 copies of the questionnaires from the respondents and they were subjected to further statistical analysis using Mean and Standard Deviation. The Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used for this purpose. The findings of the study revealed the following: the E-assessment is relevant in assessing the Business Education students in the public universities in Edo State and there are numerous challenges facing the E-assessment such as poor funding, inadequate infrastructure and facilities. Based on the findings, a major recommendation advanced was that institutions of higher learning should consciously and actively utilize modern computer technologies in assessing and monitoring the progress of their students. Keywords: E-assessment, Paper-Pencil Test, Computer and Business Education DOI : 10.7176/JESD/10-10-04 Publication date :May 31 st 2019
Segmenting Hand-Drawn Strokes

Segmenting Hand-Drawn Strokes. (May 2010) Aaron David Wolin, B.S., Harvey Mudd College Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Tracy Hammond Pen-based interfaces utilize sketch recognition so users can create and interact with complex, graphical systems via drawn input. In order for people to freely draw within these systems, users’ drawing styles should not be constrained. The low-level techniques involved with sketch recognition must then be perfected, because poor low-level accuracy can impair a user’s interaction experience. Corner finding, also known as stroke segmentation, is one of the first steps to free-form sketch recognition. Corner finding breaks a drawn stroke into a set of primitive symbols such as lines, arcs, and circles, so that the original stroke data can be transformed into a more machine-friendly format. By working with sketched primitives, drawn objects can then be described in a visual language, noting what primitive shapes have been drawn and the shapes’ geometric relationships to each other. We present three new corner finding techniques that improve segmentation accuracy. Our first technique, MergeCF, is a multi-primitive segmenter that splits drawn strokes into primitive lines and arcs. MergeCF eliminates extraneous primitives by merging them with their neighboring segments. Our second technique, ShortStraw, works with polyline-only data. Polyline segments are important since many domains use simple polyline symbols formed with squares, triangles, and arrows. Our ShortStraw algorithm is simple to implement, yet more powerful than previous polyline work in the corner finding literature. Lastly, we demonstrate how a combination technique can be used to pull the best corner finding results from multiple segmen-
Drug substitution therapy: Success and limitations of the methadone and buphrenorphine maintenance programmes

Due to the severity of its drug problem, the Malaysian Government has allocated significant resources to rehabilitate drug addicts, which includes institutional drug rehabilitation and community care, all of which are mandated by the law for drug abusers charged under Section 6 (1) APD. In 2005, the government approved opiate maintenance therapies. However it was observed that in the early stages of the DST practice, there were various reports of substitute abuses in several parts of the country. Incidences of injecting subutex cocktail and oral consumption of subutex with benzodiazepines such as dormicum have been highlighted in the local press; including the expose by the participants of the programme on the availability of these substitute drugs on the streets, have tainted the practice of DST in the country. The aim of this research to study the current DST practice in Malaysia, and the compliance to the DST protocol by the medical doctors involved in the DST; determine if there are positive outcomes of the DST among those following the programme; and to determine if there are any incidences of abuses among those involved in the programme.The study utilizes a cross-sectional survey designed to gather data from the practicing medical officers and drug dependents who have participated in the DST programme.Data was collected through several approaches; firstly via a structured interview conducted on a sample of participating general practitioners in Kedah, Perlis,Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor who practiced DST. The interviews, among others will ascertain (i) if GPs adhered to the prescribed maintenance protocols set forth by MOH (ii) the number of clients/patients under the DST (iii) psychosocial intervention and (iv record keeping.Data was also collected through structured interviews with drug dependents who accessed the GPs for buprenorphine or methadone maintenance therapy in hospitals.This is to ascertain (i) reasons for using DST (ii) past drug and treatment history (iii) dosage and length of time under DST (iv) familial and social support (v) dependency and possible abuse or misuse of the substitute drugs.Participants of the DST answer a Drug Profile Questionnaire, the Severity of Dependency Scale, ICD-10 Symptoms Checklist for Mental Disorders (Psychoactive substance use syndrome) and The Addiction Severity Index-Lite.More than 50% of the respondents reported benefits of the therapy; however incidences of non-adherence among the GPs were also identified. More importantly, almost half of the respondents reported abusing the substitute therapy by injecting and mixing them with other substances.
Melatonin as an ergogenic aid

The possible ways in which a substance or technique can be regarded as “ergogenic” are first listed, and then a systematic account of the evidence that melatonin fulfils the requirements of such roles is undertaken. There is no evidence to indicate that the soporific and hypothermic effects of melatonin cause a decrease in physical performance, though its ability to decrease alertness and cognitive performance has been well established. The hypothermic effects of melatonin might, on the other hand, increase physical performance in two ways. First, they might allow more exercise to be performed before a “critical” temperature that causes the central nervous system to inhibit physical activity is reached. Second, the cutaneous vasodilatation produced by melatonin might promote heat loss during steady-state exercise and so guard against the rise of core temperature. Evidence for either of these roles is currently inadequate and insufficient for a confident judgement to be made. When the role of melatonin in promoting recovery from exercise is addressed, again, the data are too sparse and have often been obtained upon animals rather than humans. This is especially so with respect to the notion that melatonin might change favourably the metabolic responses to exercise. The general conclusion is that the case for/against melatonin as having a substantial ergogenic role has still to be made, and that far more evidence will be required before this can be done conclusively.
MODELING RECRUITMENT/DERECRUITMENT PHENOMENA IN THE INJURED MOUSE LUNG

Recruitment and derecruitment (R/D) of airways is known to significantly influence mechanical properties of the respiratory system during artificial ventilation, particularly in states of lung injury. The prevailing view of this phenomenon treats airway R/D as a static function of pressure. Recent experimental and clinical data suggests that this is not the case, but rather that R/D is an inherently dynamic process. In order to quantitatively assess the dynamics of lung recruitment during mechanical ventilation we extended a mathematical model by Bates and Irvin (9) for the purpose of fitting experimental data. The model of the lung consists of a parallel network of flow pathways with identical resistive and elastic elements. Each pathway is allowed to be either open, whereby it accumulates flow and decreases overall lung stiffness, or closed, increasing lung elastance and not participating in ventilation. The pathways are characterized by unique critical closing and opening pressures, and opening and closing velocities, each chosen from probability distribution functions. The rate of transition between an open and closed state depends on the magnitude difference between the pressure in the respiratory system and each unit’s critical pressure times the airway’s opening or closing velocity constant. Since the exact form of the pressure dependence governing recruitment and derecruitment remains unknown we explored four model variants to predict how opening or closing behavior is altered in injury. The lung model was coupled with a computational model of a mechanical ventilator in order to simulate elastance changes following deep inflation (DI) at three levels of Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP). Elastance measurements came from healthy or lung injured mice at 4, 14, 24 or 48 hours following intratracheal instillation of saline (control) or hydrochloric acid (injury). The Nelder and Mead simplex optimization method was used to minimize error between model variants and average experimental elastance for each condition. By comparing the residual error of the fits for each model, we have demonstrated that only one variant was able to recreate both the transient response to deep inflations and the response to static PEEP. In fitting the best model to data from individual mice we obtained estimates for parameters governing opening and closing behavior. Statistics and model sensitivity were determined for each parameter in every experimental condition. Comparison of parameter values between groups revealed a significant increase in closing and opening pressures from health to injury, which worsened with increasing injury severity. The progressive increase in critical pressures as injury worsens implicates surfactant deactivation as the likely cause of increased propensity for airway closing during acute lung injury.
Competitively-Issued Convertible Bank Notes in a Theory of Finance: Earl Thompson Meets Fischer Black

Abstract In this paper, I show the validity of and the relationship between two previously unrelated claims in monetary theory. The first claim, made by Earl Thompson, is that privately-issued bank notes pay a positive rate of return in a competitive equilibrium. The second claim, made by Fischer Black, is that it is possible to have a gold standard in which the gold reserves of the central bank are near zero. I show that both of these claims are correct under the assumption of complete markets and perfect commitment. The link between these claims is the Black-Scholes equation applied to convertible bank notes. In commodity-based monetary systems, bank notes are perpetual American options. I extend the model to consider the implications of a lack of commitment on the part of the bank and incomplete markets. I show that both arguments break down when banks lack commitment to redemption or markets are incomplete. I conclude with implications for macroeconomic theory.
Analysis of correlation between defecation posture and risk of urinary tract infections among adolescent populations

Objective: To assess the correlation between defecation posture and risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) rates among a representative adolescent sample in Malaysia Methods: The study was conducted between February 2015 and September 2015 using Google forms. A total of 568 enrolled and 551 participated in the study. The online questionnaire was divided into three sections viz., informed consent info; demographic details; knowledge and attitude analysis. The form was circulated online to obtain the responses. Results: The mean age of study participants was 23.99 ΁ 6.04 years. Majority of the study population used western type of toilet and felt comfortable with it. In the public context (movie halls, shopping malls etc.), most of the study participants preferred to use Indian/squatting type of toilet to avoid bodily contact with the toilet bowl. The study population was Malaysian. The respondents normally defecated at least once a day and normally took <10 min to defecate. About 38.8% of the respondents who were having sharing accommodation were not sure about the frequency of toilet cleaning. Totally, 10.7% of the study participants had previous history of UTIs, with the average duration of infection being around 5 days to 3 weeks. Conclusion: Defecation is an important physiological event and many of the study participants required more education on normal physiological methods of defecation postures. Appropriate education is required to improve the personal health and reducing the risk of acquiring UTIs.
Avaliação da rotulagem, caracterização química, físico-química e reológica de néctares de uva comercializados na cidade de Fortaleza – CE Evaluation of labels, chemical, physical and chemical rheology of grape nectar sold in the city of...

No Brasil, ha diferentes tipos de bebidas de frutas, dentre elas pode-se citar o suco e o nectar, que, de acordo com a legislacao brasileira diferem entre si na quantidade de polpa de fruta que e adicionada em cada formulacao, sendo o nectar a bebida com menor proporcao de polpa de fruta. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar diferentes marcas comerciais de nectar de uva quanto as caracteristicas de rotulagem, propriedades quimicas, fisico- quimicas e reologicas. O estudo foi realizado com dezesseis amostras de nectares de uva de diferentes marcas, sendo doze “tradicionais” e quatro “lights”, as quais foram obtidas em supermercados da cidade de Fortaleza, Ceara. Foram realizadas analises de pH, solidos soluveis, acidez titulavel, relacao solidos soluveis/acidez titulavel, acucares totais e redutores e acido ascorbico. Apesar de 15% das amostras nao apresentarem a denominacao de venda do produto e 57% nao continham o conteudo liquido e o lote de fabricacao descritos no rotulo, pode-se afi rmar, que de um modo geral, os parâmetros analisados estao de acordo com o exigido pela legislacao brasileira quanto a rotulagem e as caracteristicas quimicas e fisico-quimicas. Quanto as caracteristicas reologicas, os nectares de uva classifi cam-se como fl uidos newtonianos.
STAKEHOLDERS’ INVOLVEMENT IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: THE MINING SECTOR IN TANZANI

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects that do not involve communities where they are based stand a greater chance of either failing from reaching their objectives or being rejected by their intended beneficiaries. Community involvement is not just about being nice; it is a central pillar in the business of CSR. Some external secondary stakeholders in Tanzania are rejecting or ignoring local CSR projects affecting them, which raises a question of whether they have been consulted at all in the relevant decision making. Using the experience of communities in the area of the Geita Gold Mine (GGM) in Tanzania and stakeholder theory, this qualitative study analyses the relationship between CSR and involvement of non-consumer stakeholders in decision making processes and their outcomes. The study used a combination of questionnaires, interviews with key informants, and focus groups to obtain information, opinions and perceptions of company administrators, business people, government actors and local community members so as to fill analytical gap between claims on CSR success stories made by companies and the experience of people on the ground. The study found out that key leaders in the local communities who were neglected in the CSR decision making process were led to view the projects as redundant or irrelevant. The study recommends that for an autonomous, robust and sustainable CSR project, a company needs to be inclusive, by integrating local key representatives at every stage of the CSR project’s life. In addition, the study recommends that for CSR projects to be genuinely appreciated, and to meet the goals it sets with communities as the beneficiaries of transformation, the CSR projects need to be monitored carefully and audited regularly. Key words : Corporate social responsibility, stakeholder theory, mining, management, business ethics.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) its Disorders and Diagnostic Research

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory disease that influences myelin, a substance that makes up the film (called the myelin sheath) that wraps around nerve filaments (axons). Myelinated axons are regularly called white matter. Specialists have invested decades attempting to comprehend why a few individuals get MS and others don't, and why a few people with MS have indications that advance quickly while others don't. How does the ailment start? Why is the course of MS so not the same as individual to individual? Is there anything we can do to counteract it? Will it be cured?
Keusahawanan sosial sebagai satu pendekatan inovatif ke arahtransformasi sosial masyarakat: kajian kes di Malaysia

Mutakhir ini konsep keusahawanan telah diperluaskan skop aplikasinya kepada konteks yang melibatkan pencapaian matlamat sosial dan bukan-untung. Ciri utama yang membentuk konsep dan ciri keusahawanan seperti inovatif, proaktif, dan pengambilan risiko diperhitungkan mampu menyumbang kepada pencapaian aspirasi sosial dan bukanuntung. Justeru keusahawanan sosial merupakan aplikasi prinsip keusahawanan konvensional yang bertujuan mencapai objektif sosial. Makalah ini telah ditulis dengan tujuan untuk memberi huraian mengenai keusahawanan sosial seperti yang wujud dan sedia diamalkan dalam beberapa konteks di Malaysia berdasarkan tipologi aktiviti keusahawanan sosial. Terdapat empat (4) petak atau kuandran yang dihasilkan daripada dua (2) dimensi, iaitu misi organisasi dan impak. Kuadran satu (1) dan kuadran (4) merujuk kepada aplikasi yang menepati keusahawanan sosial, manakala kuadran dua (2) dan tiga (3) cenderung kepada konsep keusahawanan konvensional. Kuadran satu dikenali sebagai perusahaan bertujuan sosial (social purpose venture) manakala kuadran 4 disebut sebagai enterprising non-profits. Maklumat mengenai modus operasi entiti dalam pemerhatian pula diperolehi daripada sumber sekunder iaitu seperti tersiar dalam media. Berdasarkan penelitian ke atas modus operasi dan sifat kuadran terlibat, didapati keusahawanan sosial wujud dalam aplikasi bentuk Kuadran 1 dan 4. Keusahawanan sosial telah menghasilkan output inovatif yang menyokong kepada pencapaian matlamat sosial disasarkan. Di samping itu, kemampuan melaksanakan keusahawanan sosial memerlukan kepada input seperti usahawan filantrofis, kemahiran praktikal, kaedah penggembelingan sumber kewangan, jaringan sosial dan kekuatan mengorganisasi.
Distribution of prothrombin G20210A, factor V Leiden, and MTHFR C677T mutations in the middle Black Sea area (Tokat) of Turkey

To determine the distribution frequencies of prothrombin (factor II) G20210A, factor V Leiden, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T mutations in Tokat Province and the middle Black Sea area of Turkey. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 243 patients who presented to our center with thrombosis and other complaints. Written permission from patients was obtained. DNA was isolated from the blood samples of these patients. Mutation analyses were conducted using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The data were subjected to statistical analyses. Results: According to the results of the study, factor V Leiden was detected in 37 patients, prothrombin G20210A was detected in 5 patients, and MTHFR C677T was detected in 146 patients. On the other hand, 79 patients carried none of these mutations. Conclusion: Factor V Leiden mutation was detected at a rate of 15.2%, which is much higher than the average in Turkey. The G20210A mutation rate in the prothrombin gene was determined as 2.1%. The MTHFR C677T mutation incidence was quite high (60%). The homozygous mutation rate was higher in diagnoses involving thrombosis, while the heterozygous mutation rate was higher in other diagnoses.
Jakość życia pacjentów z dyskopatią odcinka lędźwiowo-krzyżowego kręgosłupa

Background. The lumbar-sacral discopathy is a growing problem in developed countries. Low back pain affects the efficiency of functional impairment, and thus reduces the quality of life. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life for patients with lumbar-sacral discopathy. Material and methods. We studied 40 patients hospitalised in the Departament of Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology University Hospital in Cracow. To collect the data visual analogue scale (VAS), the Oswestry Questionnaire, the Roland and Morris Questionnaire and a questionnaire were used, required for characterization of the target group. Results. The study group was dominated by pain at the level of medium (82%) and very strong (15%). Highly significant correlation was found between age of respondents and the degree of pain. Over half of respondents had a moderate degree of disability, 27% – serious degree of disability. Quality of life is examined as moderately reduced (45%), large (37%) and very high (12%). It was found a correlation between the degree of disability and quality of life. Conclusions. Patients suffering from lumbar-sacral discopathy have reduced quality of life and functional impairment. Pain and disability reduced their quality of life. Age significantly affects the degree of pain. (PNN2012;1(3):92-96)
The Short Readings Project: A CALL reading activity utilizing vocabulary recycling

In 2003 multimedia-based English Trailers (www.english-trailers.com) joined the vast array of web sites dedicated to language learning enabling students, either autonomously or in a CALL classroom, to study English via movie commercials. To assist students in comprehending 10 trailers found on the site, the authors created the Short Readings Project: a CALL activity that utilizes recycling to pre-teach 112 vocabulary items found in the trailers via a series of 15 short readings. After completing the readings and accompanying vocabulary comprehension checks, and viewing the 10 trailers, students are exposed to all target vocabulary a minimum of 6 times. This paper discusses the pedagogical foundations of this project by examining the existing literature on L2 learning strategies pertaining to reading and vocabulary comprehension, and the effects of repeated exposure of vocabulary in a reading context. Then, the methodology and use of the Short Readings Project is delineated, along with the results of a recent testing phase that demonstrated a significant increase in score for the 119 participants in the study.
The Silent World of Doctor and Patient

Reading is a hobby to open the knowledge windows. Besides, it can provide the inspiration and spirit to face this life. By this way, concomitant with the technology development, many companies serve the e-book or book in soft file. The system of this book of course will be much easier. No worry to forget bringing the the silent world of doctor and patient book. You can open the device and get the book by on-line.