Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HAZARD MITIGATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA BY STUDIES OF SEISMIC SOURCE AND GROUND ACCELERATION

Central America is a region that has been prone to numerous destructive earthquakes, like the 1972 Managua earthquake, the 1976 Guatemala earthquake and the 1986 San Salvador earthquake among others. Thus, observations of complex faulting of Central American earthquakes have inspired us to investigate rupture processes of earthquakes in that region. E.g., the earthquakes, September 02, 1992, Mw=7. 6, Nicaragua, and the October 18, 1992, Mw=7.1, Colombia, events are notable examples. Thus we are studying source processess of major Central American earthquakes that have occurred during the time of the digital worldwide networks. In order to obtain rupture information we use data from both teleseismic as well as local/regional distances. The techniques we use at telsesimic distances include modelling of the source-time function by inversion of body waves as well as using a empiricial Green's function approach. From the obtained source time function of the 1992 Colombia earthquake we find that on one third of the fault the slip is 70% larger than the average.
A ‘ Stages of Change ’ Approach to Helping Patients Change Behavior

GRETCHEN L. ZIMMERMAN, PSY.D. , is an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio. She is also a faculty member in the Dayton Community Family Practice Residency Program. She received a doctorate in psychology at Wright State University School of Professional Psychology in Dayton. Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio
Improving Students' Ability in Writing Hortatory Exposition Texts by Using Process-Genre Based Approach with YouTube Videos as the Media

This research is aimed at finding out how Process-Genre Based Approach strategy with YouTube Videos as the media are employed to improve the students’ ability in writing hortatory exposition texts. This study uses collaborative classroom action research design following the procedures namely planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The procedures of carrying out the strategy are: (1) relating several issues/ cases to the students’ background knowledge and introducing the generic structures and linguistic features of hortatory exposition text as the BKoF stage, (2) analyzing the generic structure and the language features used in the text and getting model on how to write a hortatory exposition text by using the YouTube Video as the MoT stage, (3) writing a hortatory exposition text collaboratively in a small group and in pairs through process writing as the JCoT stage, and (4) writing a hortatory exposition text individually as the ICoT stage. The result shows that the use of Process-Genre Based Approach and YouTube Videos can improve the students’ ability in writing hortatory exposition texts. The percentage of the students achieving the score above the minimum passing grade (70) had improved from only 15.8% (3 out of 19 students) in the preliminary study to 100% (22 students) in the Cycle 1. Besides, the score of each aspect; content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics also improved
Morphometric analysis of brain structures in MRI

Medical computer vision is a novel research discipline based on the application of computer vision methods to data sets acquired via medical imaging techniques. This work focuses on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data sets, particularly in studies of schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis. Research on these diseases is challenged by the lack of appropriate morphometric tools to accurately quantify lesion growth, assess the effectiveness of a drug treatment, or investigate anatomical information believed to be evidence of schizophrenia. Thus, most hypotheses involving these conditions remain unproven.This thesis contributes towards the development of such morphometric techniques. A framework combining several tools is established, allowing for compensation of bias fields, boundary detection by modelling partial volume effects (PVE), and a combined statistical and geometrical segmentation method. Most importantly, it also allows for the computation of confidence bounds in the location of the object being segmented by bounding PVE voxels. Bounds obtained in such fashion encompass a significant percentage of the volume of the object (typically 20-60%). A statistical model of the intensities contained in PVE voxels is used to provide insight into the contents of PVE voxels and further narrow confidence bounds. This not only permits a reduction by an order of magnitude in the width of the confidence intervals, but also establishes a statistical mechanism to obtain probability distributions on shape descriptors (e.g. volume), instead of just a raw magnitude or a set of confidence bounds. A challenging clinical study is performed using these tools: to investigate differences in asymmetry of the temporal horns in schizophrenia. This study is of high clinical relevance. The results show that our tools are sufficiently accurate for studies of this kind, thus providing clinicians, for the first time, with the means to corroborate unproven hypotheses or reliably assess patient evolution.
Nitinol Inferior Vena Cava Filter : Initial Clinical Experience Work in Progress ’ 99

99 The Simon nitinol filter for percutaneous interruption of the vena cava to prevent pulmonary embolism is currently undergoing a multicenter clinical trial. Preliminary clinical results are reported as work in progress. The results in 44 patients at two centers are analyzed in detail, and major events are reported from 103 patients in 17 centers in the United States during a 10-month penod. The filter was successfully inserted via the femoral or jugular route in all patients through a 9-F catheter. The placement procedure was easy and without significant complications. Follow-up studies included plain radiography, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and clinical evaluation. No filter migration or perforation occurred among the 103 patients. Symptomatic occlusions occurred in 7%-9%, comparable to other series, and some asymptomatic occlusions were detected with MR imaging only. The implications of occlusion of the filter are discussed.
The Impact of Carbon Taxes on Market Structure : Evidence from British Columbia ’ s Retail Gasoline Industry

As shown by Buchanan (1969), the efficient tax on a monopoly is lower than on a competitive industry (due to market power of the monopolist). I build on this idea by showing that, in oligopoly markets, the market power problem is exacerbated in the long-run, and I estimate short-run and long-run changes in British Columbia’s retail gasoline industry resulting from the implementation of a carbon tax. First, I use a theoretical model to illustrate the direct effect (in the short-run) and the market-structure effect (in the long-run) of a tax. The direct effect is an increase in marginal cost that is partially passed-through to consumers. The market-structure effect is a reduction in the number of firms due to lower margins following the tax, which in turn further increases price. Second, I use panel data on retail and wholesale prices, retail margins, and the number of gasoline stations to empirically estimate the short-run and long-run impacts of a carbon tax. My empirical results are consistent with theory, and suggest that incomplete passthrough of the tax caused some stations to exit resulting in even greater long-run price increases.
ASSESSING THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF LARGE-SCALE SHOTCRETE PANELS

The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR), Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD), is continuing its HighEnergy High-Displacement (HEHD) testing of field-scale shotcrete panels. A test program was developed to determine the relationship between applied force, displacement, and energy for both unreinforced and reinforced shotcrete panels. Reinforcement options consisted of synthetic macro-fibers, sprayed polyurea liners, chain-link fence, welded-wire mesh, and combinations of these products. During testing, photogrammetry was used to measure the geometric changes of the panels, including volume changes and panel cracking. These measurements were correlated with the load and displacement data, allowing visual observation to be related to the applied force and displacement. The test results provide a comparison of the mechanical performance of the various panel types and can be used by the practicing engineer to evaluate installed support based on visual observation of cracking and deformation. Visual assessment of the loading cycle and strength capacity of shotcrete in underground excavations will improve mine safety by providing a means to quantify the stability of installed shotcrete support.
TUMORIGENESIS AND NEOPLASTIC PROGRESSION The Potent Oncogene NPM-ALK Mediates Malignant Transformation of Normal Human CD 4 D T Lymphocytes

opyright a 2013 American Society for Inve ublished by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved ttp://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.ajpath. 2013.08. 030 With this study we have demonstrated that in vitro transduction of normal human CD4þ T lymphocytes with NPM-ALK results in their malignant transformation. The transformed cells become immortalized and display morphology and immunophenotype characteristic of patient-derived anaplastic large-cell lymphomas. These unique features, which are strictly dependent on NPM-ALK activity and expression, include perpetual cell growth, proliferation, and survival; activation of the key signal transduction pathways STAT3 and mTORC1; and expression of CD30 (the hallmark of anaplastic large-cell lymphoma) and of immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 and cell-surface protein PD-L1/CD274. Implantation of NPM-ALKetransformed CD4þ T lymphocytes into immunodeficient mice resulted in formation of tumors indistinguishable from patients’ anaplastic large-cell lymphomas. Our findings demonstrate that the key aspects of human carcinogenesis closely recapitulating the features of the native tumors can be faithfully reproduced in vitro when an appropriate oncogene is used to transform its natural target cells; this in turn points to the fundamental role in malignant cell transformation of potent oncogenes expressed in the relevant target cells. Such transformed cells should permit study of the early stages of carcinogenesis, and in particular the initial oncogeneehost cell interactions. This experimental design could also be useful for studies of the effects of early therapeutic intervention and likely also the mechanisms of malignant progression. (Am J Pathol 2013, 183: 1971e1980; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2013.08.030)
Diurnal Patterns of Photosynthesis and Water Relations for Four Orchard-Grown Pomegranate ( Prunica granatum L.) Cultivars

Long-term drought, coupled with tighter regulations on limited water resources have caused growers to seek drought tolerant cultivars of common tree crops in California. Yet information on pomegranate physiology is lacking, even though it is grown throughout the world in various climates. The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of time of day and cultivar on pomegranate photosynthesis and water relations, and calculate values for water-use efficiency, defined as photosynthetic carbon gain divided by water lost during transpira- tion. The study utilized four field-grown cultivars in their fourth year of growth (‘Eversweet,’ ‘Haku Botan,’ ‘Parfianka,’ and ‘Wonderful’), in Riverside, California. Variables analyzed included photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, instantaneous water-use efficiency, intrinsic water-use efficiency, and pre-dawn and midday water potential. Differences were detected for time of day, with higher rates of assimilation, transpiration, and stomatal conductance in morning. Intrinsic water-use efficiency was higher in the afternoon compared to the morning. There were also differences among cultivars for stomatal conductance and transpiration during the morning but not during the afternoon, with ‘Eversweet’ having significantly lower rates of stomatal conductance and transpiration than ‘Parfianka’: other cultivars were intermediate. These results further our understanding of how pomegranate cultivars function on a physiological level during different times of the day, and suggest that efficiency of production can be improved through cultivar selection.
Information Literacy Programmes Conducted by the Universities in Sri Lanka

Information literacy has been defined as gaining the necessary skills required to access, process and present information for learning, research, problem solving and career development. The information literacy concept spreads across a vast span from user education programmes to knowledge extension or wisdom achievement. Mainly, information literacy skills are based on library skills and information technology skills. This paper discusses the value of information literacy programmes conducted by the universities in Sri Lanka in order to achieve the higher level of learning in the university sector; with special reference to Sri Lankan universities, with the focus on Outcome Space. The outcome space information literacy framework runs through Information sources, Information Technology, Information Control, Information Processing, Knowledge construction, Knowledge Extension and Wisdom as explained by Christine Bruce. Further the paper elucidates the information literacy initiatives commenced by the libraries of the University of Colombo, University of Kelaniya, University of Moratuwa, University of Sri Jayewardenapura and National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS). The survey results reveal that the information literacy programmes initiated by the university libraries and the Institute, range from user orientation to the credit based programmes. All the university libraries that were chosen for this study had commenced some sort of information literacy programme. But most of the programmes are at the lower level of the outcome space. Two university libraries and the Institute had made an attempt to initiate outcome space information literacy programmes. Keywords: Information Literacy; Information skills; University Education; University Libraries doi: 10.4038/jula.v14i1. 2688 Journal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka . Vol.14 (Issue 1). 2010 61-75
Emailing the Boss: Cultural Implications of Media Choice

This paper applies Media Richness Theory and Social Influence Theory in different countries where the significance of media is uniquely shaped by the culture. In particular, we focus on whether Media Richness Theory and Social Influence Theory hold for communication between subordinates and supervisors in different cultures. To test this hypothesis, a comparative cross-cultural field study with knowledge workers (n=120) in the telecommunication industry in the United States and South Korea was conducted. This study demonstrates that country, task equivocality, and communication direction are the factors that affect individuals' media choice. Communication direction was found to be the strongest factor influencing media choice for Korean employees, whereas task equivocality was the dominant factor influencing media choice for US employees. This study also demonstrates the influence of national culture on media choice among US and Korean employees. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.
Institutions and the quality of education

Institutions and the quality of education Jieun Hong Department of economics The Graduate School Seoul National University This paper investigates a channel through which government and institutions affect educational system using PISA dataset. Fixed effects model is utilized. Educational production functions are set for each proxy for institutional quality such as democracy, governance effectiveness, and control of corruption. Interaction term between some of school factors and institutional factors are included to investigate indirect influence of government and institutions on educational system. This study finds that financial support from government and school autonomy over budget related decisions are the channel factors that this paper tries to investigate. According to the results, letting government have more power on deciding educational contents related policies acts as a positive role on students’ performance, regardless of the level of institutions. However, implication in the case of financial problem is opposite. As the level of democracy and effective governance of societies increase, allowing schools to have autonomy to formulate school budget and decide the usage of it is better for the quality of education than concentrating budget decision power on government.
Diagnostic efficacy of urine dipstick in detecting chronic kidney disease

Background: Proponents of routine urine dipstick screening to identify patients at risk for ESRD in the primary care setting have argued that urine dipsticks are inexpensive, low risk, acceptable to patients, and now, more accurate. Proponents believe that urine dipstick screening has the potential to improve outcomes for people with early disease and increase awareness of CKD. Most primary care physicians agree that populations who are at high risk for CKD should be tested and appropriately treated to decrease complications of ESRD. However, proponents of mass screening may not appreciate the challenges, limitations, and potential harms of screening. Urine dipstick testing does not meet all of the criteria for a good screening test. The aim of the study: To elucidate the diagnostic efficacy of the urine dipstick in detecting chronic kidney disease by assessing its validity as a screening test for detecting CKD. Materials and methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 287 subjects aged 20 years and above residing in the P.K. Garden area of Chennai during November 2018 to January 2019. Subjects were interviewed with a questionnaire and blood samples were collected to estimate serum creatinine and a urine sample was collected to estimate the proteinuria using urine S. Thirumavalavan, Noormohamed, Balaji S.M. , R Vijaya Kumar. Diagnostic efficacy of urine dipstick in detecting chronic kidney disease. IAIM, 2019; 6(3): 137-142. Page 138 dipstick. eGFR was calculated using CKD – EPI equation and CKD was diagnosed using KDOQI CKD guidelines. Results: The prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (<60 ml/min eGFR) in the study group was 10.45%. The Area under Curve (AUC) of the ROC curve for urine dipstick in detecting CKD was 0.948 (0.900 – 0.996) and the 2+ proteinuria was closest to the ideal test point. When proteinuria criteria set at dipstick 2+ or more, the sensitivity was 83.33% and specificity was 98.36%, positive predictive value was 83.33% and κ coefficient of agreement of proteinuria with CKD was 0.81. Conclusion: The urine dipstick test can be used as an effective screening tool in detecting CKD in primary care level. Non Communicable Diseases screening at primary health care level should include the screening of proteinuria using urine dipstick especially for people with risk factors like Diabetes and Hypertension.
Genome sizes and genomic guanine+cytosine (GC) contents of the Czech vascular flora with new estimates for 1700 species

Obsah DNA v somatických, nereplikovaných jadrech buněk (velikost genomu) a bazove složeni DNA (GC obsah) jsou zakladni genomicke parametry, ktere lze měřit pomoci průtokove cytometrie. Velikost genomu, a tedy i ploidni uroveň mohou ovlivňovat cetne vlastnosti rostlin, a proto se uvaději v modernich biologických florach a databazich biologických vlastnosti druhů. Velikost genomu se dosud měři převažně pro biosystematicke ucely a navzdory velkemu rozvoji průtokove cytometrie v Ceske republice tato informace pro mnohe druhy ceske květeny chybi. Biologický význam GC obsahu je oproti významu velikosti genomu zatim meně jasný, navic se měři obtižněji, a proto jej nezname u velke větsiny druhů. V teto praci přinasime měřeni obou genomických parametrů pro větsinu cevnatých rostlin ceske květeny. Celkem jsme naměřili nově velikosti genomu a genomický GC obsah pro 1908 vzorků 1700 druhů. Velikost genomu je zde poprve uvedena pro vice než 1000 druhů a obsah GC bazi poprve pro vice než 1500 druhů, což vice než zdvojnasobuje množstvi dosud znamých udajů o obsahu GC bazi u cevnatých rostlin. Spolu s dřive uveřejněnými udaji ziskanými v nasi laboratoři na stejných přistrojich a stejnou metodikou jsou tak tyto udaje dostupne pro 1910 druhů ceske květeny (~83 % soucasne flory bez apomiktů, přechodně zavlecných a vyhynulých druhů). Tyto udaje jsou uspořadany do tabulky a doplněny udaji o poctu chromozomů, ploidni urovni a vypoctene monoploidni velikosti genomu. V clanku přinasime popisnou analýzu tohoto datoveho souboru a diskutujeme o některých cytogeograficky pozoruhodných poznatcich. Tento přehled představuje největsi a nejuplnějsi soubor genomických dat pro květenu jednoho statu. Zde prezentovane výsledky tvoři zaklad karyologicke casti ceske databaze druhových vlastnosti Pladias (www.pladias.cz) a budou využity pro analýzy evoluce a biologickeho významu obou měřených genomických parametrů.
Loop mediated isothermal amplification : an innovative gene amplification technique for plant diseases

Nowadays, molecular diagnostic methods of plant pathogens evolved in a fast way, the use of rapid and easy to use detection method is fundamental to prevent pathogens cross border and spread to enhance food quality and security. Real – Time Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) is a novel molecular detection method that specifically detects genomic DNA by using a set of six oligonucleotide primers specific to different regions of a target gene and Bacillus stearothermophilus (Bst) DNA polymerase protein. This method has been recently modified to be use as a RT-LAMP and then widely applied in many fields for on-site detection and ability to be used in cross border control of plant health, such as quarantine disease diagnosis. The application of rapid and simple DNA extraction method (10 min at 65°C) shortened the detection assay to less than one hour. During the period 2015–2017 are tested in Albania more than 100 samples for: Xylella fastidiosa in olive trees, Flavescence doree in vineyards. Olive samples were taken in Vlora, Durrës, Saranda, etc. All the samples have been negative. Samples for the Flavescence doree have been taken in Lezhë, Vlorë, Durrës in Albania and Istria in Croatia. The samples from Albania resulted negative while the samples from Croatia (17 samples) were 53% positive. Every procedure has been confirmed with positive and negative controls to use diagnostic kit denominated Xylella Screen Glow & FD from Enbiotech s.r. l. , Italy. RT-LAMP method is more sensitive than convectional and RT PCR, advantage of LAMP is the isothermal reaction condition, hereby LAMP is affordable because of no need to have expensive thermal cycler. Although recommended reagent storage temperature is 20oC, reagents can be stored at environment temperature. Hereby there is no need to have cold chain for reagent distribution. The results indicate that the RT-LAMP assay is extremely rapid, cost-effective, highly sensitive and specific and has potential application in plant pathology surveillance. This new method is widely used nowadays by many laboratories and is recognized by EPPO as a standard method for some pathogens. Test performance study is being developed today in the circles of European scientists.