Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SUSTAINED AND TRANSIENT MECHANISMS IN THE STEADY-STATE VISUAL EVOKED POTENTIAL: ONSET PRESENTATION COMPARED TO PATTERN REVERSAL

Summary-I. There are many reports of a region of reduced amplitude in the spatial frequency characteristics of the occipital evoked potential generated by contrast reversing sinusoidal gratings. This effect is especially common at medium spatial frequencies and therefore shows as a notch in the mean amplitude vs spatial frequency function. 2. In this report we test the idea that the region of reduced amplitude responses may be due to cancellation of signals dominated by transient and sustained mechanisms. 3. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) elicited by 8 Hz contrast reversal are compared with those obtained using on-off stimulation at 8 and 16 Hz. Psychophysical contrast thresholds are obtained for these stimuli and the data indicate that 8 Hz contrast reversal is an effective stimulus for both transient and sustained mechanisms, whereas 16 Hz on-off is a poor stimulus for transient mechanisms. 4. The VEP data for these two conditions support this view; a principal component analysis of the VEP amplitude data shows that two statistically independent sources contribute to the 8 Hz contrast-reversal response and that the 16 Hz on-off response is derived from a single source. 5. The obtained factors exhibit spatial tuning as described for sustained and transient mechanisms. As reported previously, it is shown that for many, but not all subjects, the 8 Hz contrast-reversing stimulus leads to a pronounced notch in the mean amplitude vs spatial frequency response function indicative of the suspected interaction of sustained and transient channels. 6. In general, the 16 Hz on-off response does not show the notch, reflecting the activity of a single channel. It is of practical interest that the 16 Hz on-off VEP data exhibit high interindividual reliability and that their spatial tuning characteristics match those of the contrast sensitivity function. These properties suggest that for objective measurement of psychophysical thresholds on-off stimulation at 16 Hz is likely to yield more reliable data than contrast reversal.
The effect of simple topography on seismic waves: Implications for the accelerations recorded at Pacoima Dam, San Fernando Valley, California

A precise analysis of the influence of topographic and geological effects on the significant ground motions recorded near Pacoima Dam during the San Fernando, California, earthquake of February 9, 1971, is an immensely complicated task. Calculations for simple models give results that suggest the following general conclusions: (1) the topography should have influenced the recorded ground motion, and (2) this influence seems to be an amplification of the higher-frequency accelerations by as much as 50 per cent, but is relatively unimportant at the lower frequencies (which control the maximum particle velocities).
Biosorption of Fluoride from Synthetic and Ground Water Using Chlorella vulgaris Immobilized in Calcium Alginate Beads in an Upflow Packed Bed Column

The potential of immobilized Chlorella vulgaris to remove fluoride from synthetic and real ground water samples in a fixed bed was investigated. The effect of important kinetic parameters including column bed height, feed flow rate and influent fluoride concentration of solution on fluoride removal was studied. Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, and BDST models were used to analyze the experimental data and understand the influence on biosorption performance. The models’ predictions were in good agreement with the experimental data for all the process parameters studied, indicating that the models were suitable for fixed-bed column design. Fluoride adsorption was reversible. Desorption of fluoride ions was accomplished by pumping 0.1 N HCl solution. The reusability of adsorbent was studied by subjecting column to repeated cycles of fluoride adsorption and desorption. The suitability of immobilized C. vulgaris adsorbent for fluoride removal from ground water samples of Pavagada taluk, Tumakuru district was studied in the packed column.
Equity in Education in Europe

This technical brief provides a literature review on equity in education in Europe. It updates a report produced for the European Commission in 2006 and provides insights into the research and policies that have been undertaken during the last decade. Its focus is on early childhood and care, primary and secondary education and on the different aspects related to equity in education that have surfaced during the last years. Therefore, this brief includes a broader set of topics concerning equity in education, such as regional asymmetries, gender inequality and immigrantsâ€™ integration. In this brief, equity "is viewed as the extent to which individuals can take advantage of education and training, in terms of opportunities, access, treatment and outcomes" (European Commission 2006, p. 2). Achieving equity in education is a particularly important policy priority, as the evolution, causes and consequences of social, educational and economic inequalities have been a hotly debated and controversial issue given the recent economic crisis in Europe. For these reasons, this brief provides an overview of recent evidence-based research and policy measures, which can inform future policy initiatives in Europe aimed at increasing equity in early childhood, primary and secondary education. In sum, the evidence reviewed indicates that, taking a life-cycle approach to education, equity has to be achieved at the earliest education stages. In other words, the provision of equitable and quality early childhood education and care needs to be a priority in any equity considerations. Furthermore, the quality of teachers plays a prominent role in achieving high and equitable educational results. The results for achieving equity through school choice depend heavily on its specific contextual implementation. Current indicators suggest that there are large differences in educational equity between and within EU Member States. Similarly, distinguishing among gender and immigrantsâ€™ status reveals significant gaps among various subpopulations, and these specific gaps have to be considered in future policies. The briefâ€™s concluding message is that â€˜one size fits allâ€™ policies do not appropriately address the needs of diverse learners in different countries. Policies have to be tailored to specific contexts and populations. Just importing policies from other countries without further analysis may not work â€“ the particular local contexts and stakeholders have always to be taken into account. Still, giving more priority to early childhood education and care and improving teacher quality in schools are certainly initiatives that contribute to achieving higher equity levels. However, more research and data are a necessary requirement to enhance future research-based policy actions.
Prevalence, Risk Factors and Women's Attitude towards Female Sexual Dysfunction in Upper Egypt: Hospital based study

Objective: to investigate the prevalence and possible risk factors that may cause FSD in Upper Egypt women and to study their attitude towards their sexual dysfunction. Study design: a cross sectional hospital based study setting: Assiut University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt Materials and methods: We included consecutive healthy sexually active Egyptian women aged between 18 and 55 years who had visited the hospital for routine check-up, women accompanying other patients and non medical female hospital staff. We used the Arabic version of the Female Sexual Function Index (Ar-FSFI) in the interview to evaluate the sexual functions or problems during the last month. The cut-off score used to indicate sexual dysfunction was 28.1. Results: a total of 583 healthy sexually active married females were approached, of whom 500 (85.8%) accepted to participate in the study. About 339 women (67.8%) had sexual dysfunction. The total mean FSFI score for women with sexual dysfunction was 16.73±7.50 compared to 31.31±1.43 for women without sexual dysfunction (p<0.001). FSD was significantly more common in older (p=0.000), less educated women (p=0.000), house wives (p=0.000) and women who live in rural communities (p=0.009). Logistic regression using the risk factors for the presence of FSD was performed. Age, residence, level of education, menopause, number of children, duration of marriage and the use of contraception were statistically significant risk factors that may predict the presence of FSD in participating women. Conclusions: The reported high prevalence of FSD indicates that sexual dysfunction is an important public health problem in Upper Egypt that has not been investigated. It highlights the need to establish sexual disorders clinics in our environment and to improve physicians’ awareness and competency in FSD. INTRODUCTION Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a common health concern. It is manifested by difficulties getting aroused, lubricated, or having an orgasm despite adequate stimulation[1, 2]. According to the published epidemiological studies, the prevalence of FSD is ranging from 19% to 63%, and increases up to 93% in certain age groups[38]. However, it remains a taboo subject in many countries including Egypt[9, 10]. Cultural and religious values, poor sexual education, and feelings of embarrassment reduce women's chances of getting help[11]. Female sexual function may be affected by several interpersonal, psychological, physiological, medical, social, and cultural factors[3]. Studies have shown that FSD might have a negative impact on women's sense of well
Position of the Bakery Enterprises in the Czech Republic According to Detailed Specification of the Businesses

Bakery industry is one of the key sectors within the production of food products; however, there is a decrease of staff and lack of interest in studying or doing business in this branch, which is consistent with below‑average wage. Very low labour productivity associated with labour intensity and a low economic performance of the industry is also characteristic. This article aims to identify whether those unfavourably evolving characteristics are common to the entire industry, or relate only to specific types of businesses and if they differ significantly among these companies. The existence of companies with similar characteristics will be verified based on cluster analysis which will define the key players on the Czech market with bakery and confectionery products. The results show that there were statistically significant differences in most of the evaluated indicators among the companies producing bakery when we classify the companies according to their size, ownership and use of grant funds. According to the cluster analysis, two key players that represent a threat for other groups of companies were identified on the market. In the risk there is mainly a group of micro and small enterprises with family ownership, whose economic position is weak, even if it represents the largest category. Therefore, more attention should be paid to this group of enterprises and focus on their development and access to finance for the development of their business.
Implementation of an interactive matching scheme for the Kapchinskij-Vladimirskij equations in the WARP code

The WARP code is a robust electrostatic particle-in-cell simulation package used to model charged particle beams with strong space-charge forces. A fundamental operation associated with seeding detailed simulations of a beam transport channel is to generate initial conditions where the beam distribution is matched to the structure of a periodic focusing lattice. This is done by solving for periodic, matched solutions to a coupled set of ODEs called the Kapchinskij-Vladimirskij (KV) envelope equations, which describe the evolution of low-order beam moments subject to applied lattice focusing, space-charge defocusing, and thermal defocusing forces. Recently, an iterative numerical method was developed (Lund, Chilton, and Lee, Efficient computation of matched solutions to the KV envelope equations for periodic focusing lattices, Physical Review Special Topics-Accelerators and Beams 9, 064201 2006) to generate matching conditions in a highly flexible, convergent, and fail-safe manner. This method is extended and implemented in the WARP code as a Python package to vastly ease the setup of detailed simulations. In particular, the Python package accommodates any linear applied lattice focusing functions without skew coupling, and a more general set of beam parameter specifications than its predecessor. Lattice strength iteration tools were added to facilitate the implementation of problems with specific applied focusing strengths.
Meningkatkan Keterampilan Komunikasi Peserta Didik melalui Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Jigsaw

This study aims to overcome the lack of communication skills of students in social studies activities such as asking and expressing opinions. The study was conducted in Al Qalam Depok Islamic Junior High School in the even semester of the academic year 2015/2016. The method used in this research is Classroom Action Research which refers to the design pattern of Kemmis and Mc. Taggart. The results showed that there was a significant improvement in communication skills after learning in three cycles were performed. In addition, there is an increase in learning outcomes of students. The conclusion of this research is the use of Jigsaw type cooperative learning model can improve the communication skills of learners.
Is independent creation likely to happen in pop music?

In this study we try to address the question of whether independent (re-)creations are likely to happen in pop music. The interest in this topic stems from the fact that the claim of an “independent creation” is a common defence strategy in copyright infringement lawsuits. We conducted a main experiment in which subjects were asked to invent short, “catchy” pop melodies to a given backing track over a very common chord sequence (I VI IV V). Additionally, we incorporated 5 melodies from hit songs over the same chords in a comparable tempo. The collected melodies were examined for similarities, between participants’ melodies and hit songs on the one hand, and between participants’ songs on the other. In each case at least two melody pairs with high similarity were found. A deeper analysis of these cases revealed that indeed independent (re-)creations might have taken place.
Off-label drug in the newborn

The lack of specific drugs and labelling recommendations for the neonatal population is a long-standing problem throughout the world. With the introduction of the Paediatric Regulation in 2007, in Europe tangible steps have been made to increase clinical research in children, but only a limited number of clinical trials included neonates that remain therapeutic orphans. This leads to a widespread use of medicines outside the terms indicated in the product license (off-label as regards dose, route of administration, indication, age group) or in an unlicensed manner (formulations modified, extemporaneous preparations, imported medicines, chemicals used as drugs). This use, often made on the basis of a consolidated clinical experience in absence of other authorized options, does not imply that a drug is contraindicated or disapproved, but simply means that insufficient data are available to grant approval status and the risks and benefits of using a drug in a particular situation have not been examined. Given the importance that neonatal population not be denied of drugs that are clearly beneficial, an updated overview of the worldwide situation of off-label and unlicensed drug use in the newborn will be presented, by analyzing also the impact of recent legislative initiatives and the well recognized problems (increased risk of ineffective or toxic treatments, adverse drug reactions and medication errors). Proceedings of the 10 th International Workshop on Neonatology · Cagliari (Italy) · October 22 nd -25 th , 2014 · The last ten years, the next ten years in Neonatology Guest Editors: Vassilios Fanos, Michele Mussap, Gavino Faa, Apostolos Papageorgiou
Investigation on quality and management of wheat seed in Bogra and Naogaon

The quality of wheat seed samples of 11 varieties viz. Akbar, Kanchan, Barkat, Sonalika , Paban, Prodip, Satapdi, BARI gom 25, BARI gom 26, BARI gom 27 and BARI gom 28 from 7 different Upazillas of Bogra and 5 different Upazillas of Naogaon were tested and categorized into six components viz. Grade-0 (72 to 86.7%), Grade-1 (2.9 to 7.5%), Grade-2 (2.1 to 6.0%), Grade-3 (1.7 to 4.5%), Grade-4 (2.4 to 8.4%) and Grade-5 (1.5 to 7.6%). The highest percentage of Grade-0 seeds (86.7%) was recorded in wheat variety of BARI gom 28 and the lowest percentage of Grade-0 seeds (72%) was recorded in variety Kanchan. The moisture content of the seed samples ranged from 10.22 to 13.81%, where the highest percentage of moisture content was found in wheat variety of Kanchan and the lowest in wheat variety of BARI gom 28. The 1000-seed weight ranged from 40.00 to 42.85 g where significantly highest weight was recorded in wheat variety of Sonalika followed by BARI gom 27 and the lowest in BARI gom 28. Health test by Blotter method resulted eight different seed borne fungi belonging to six genera viz. Bipolaris sorokiniana ( 0.5 to 30.5%), Alternaria tenuis ( 0.5 to 25%), Fusarium moniliforme ( 0.0 to 33.5%), Fusarium oxysporum ( 2.7 to 53%), Curvularia lunata ( 0.0 to 5.5% ), Aspergillus niger ( 0.0 to 18.5%) and Penicillium spp. (0.0 to 1.5%). Out of 11 samples tested germination of seeds ranged from 98.0 to 73.5%. Wheat seeds of variety Kanchan was treated with plant extracts, BAU-Biofungicide and chemical fungicides (Bavistin, Tilt and Provex) while the highest (11%) incidence of Bipolaris sorokiniana was recorded in untreated control and the lowest (0.0%) in seed treatment with BAU-Biofungicide followed by seed treatment with Provax and Tilt. Seed germination ranged from 56.0 to 98.0% where the highest (98.0%) and lowest (56.0%) germination was recorded in case of seed treatment with BAU-Biofungicide and Tilt. BAU-Biofungicide increased 41.75% vigor index over untreated control. Progressive Agriculture 27 (2): 101-109, 2016
Evaluating the Anti-Leech Effects of Methanolic Extracts of Peganum harmala L. and Olea europaea L. on Limnatis nilotica

Leeches had several complications such as pain, itching, inflammation, severe anemia, short-term bleeding, hypersensitivity, and anaphylactic reactions in their hosts. Harmal Peganum harmala L. is used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent and it has antibacterial activity. Olive Olea europaea L. has antibacterial, anti-viral, hypoglycemic and the relaxation of blood vessels properties. Antioxidant properties of olive also had been reported. This study was carried out to detect the effects of methanolic extracts of P. harmala L. and O. europaea L. on L. nilotica immature form. In 2011, 55 immature leeches collected from the southern area of Ilam province were prepared. The methanolic extract of O. europaea L and P. harmala L. were compared with levamisole as the control drug. Distilled water was evaluated as the placebo group which investigated L. nilotica using anti-leech assay. Then extract and drugs were added and their effects were screened for 720 min and time to paralyze, kill and death of each leech was recorded. The results showed that olive methanolic extractions (600 and 300mg) could kill the leeches in an average time of 145±77.57 and171±33.28 min, respectively. An average death time for levamisole was found to be 15±7.49 min. The highest effectiveness was found for levamisole at dose 300 mg. Methanol extracts of the Harmal (300 and 600 μg/m) and springs water showed no anti-leech. In sum, olive plant could use for anti Limnatis nilotica expenditure.
Effect of fertilizer dose on the performance of spring cereals

In country like Pakistan where population is growing at an alarming rate, food shortage is the top challenge for researchers. To contribute to this effort, field trials entitled “Effect of fertilizer dose on the performance of spring cereals” were conducted at Cereal Crops Research Institute Pirsabak Nowshehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan during 2010-2011. The experiment was laid out in RCB design with split plot arrangement replicated three times, with plot size 5X1.8m, having 6 rows 30cm apart. Fertilizer doses were allotted to main while cereal species were allotted to subplots. Fertilizer dose, cereal species and their interaction had significantly affected cereal performance. Application of 60:30:30 and 120:60:60 (N:P:K kg ha -1 ) significantly affected plant height and phenology of cereals than no NPK. Application of 60:30:30 and 120:60:60 produced 55% and 62% more grain yield respectively than no NPK. Wheat, triticale and oat phenology was significantly delayed, oat and triticale produced taller plants than wheat and barley. Triticale yield was significantly higher than barley, wheat and oat. In case of interactions triticale with 120:60:60 NPK took more days to heading (131) and physiological maturity (168), while barley took less days to heading (109) and physiological maturity with no NPK. Significantly taller plants were produced by oat (129 cm) at 120:60:60 while barley produced dwarf plants (73cm) with no NPK. In case of grain yield, triticale produced more yield (5275 kg ha -1 ) with 60:30:30 while oat gave lowest yield (2433 kg ha -1 ) with no NPK. It is concluded that triticale and barley performed well on less fertile soil than wheat and oat. For optimum production, 60:30:30 and 120:60:60 (N: P: K kg ha -1 ) are recommended for barley/triticale and wheat/oat respectively, in conditions similar to
A Transnational and Intergenerational Account of Value Preference Patterns: Revisiting Needs-gratification and Post-materialist Theories

The socio-political values predominant in a particular society will reflect the correspondent needs of that society, and these needs can include factors other than material acquisition. In contrast to needs-gratification theory (Maslow, 1970), and postmaterialist theory (Inglehart, 1971), this paper discusses agency in terms of relational autonomy (Oshana, 2006), as it pertains to power. I argue that a) personal and national economic affluence or security may not be sufficient to describe social ecology nor fully describe the ways that power can influence values, b) individual and collective relational power is utilitarian and essential, c) fulfillment of material and social needs can be directed by relational as well as material values, d) relational values can be just as common in impoverished or subordinated nations as they are in affluent or empowered nations, and e) values such as justice or egalitarianism may be more commonly held, and more strongly so, among people living under worse social ecologies and economic conditions. A conceptual analysis, a new measure of cross-level relational power, and a survey study of adult convenience samples in 7 nations (N=685) provide preliminary evidence supporting these hypotheses. Implications for theories of socio-political values and hierarchy are discussed.