Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictive Value of Non-Invasive Blood Ammonia Level for the Presence of Oesophageal Varices in Egyptian Patients With Liver Cirrhosis

AIM: Although recent guidelines recommend screening of cirrhotic patients by upper endoscopy for oesophageal varices prediction, Non-invasive parameters are needed due to high endoscopy cost and burden on endoscopic units particularly in poor countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of using ammonia blood level as potential non-invasive predictor of oesophageal varices in cirrhotic patients. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 150 Egyptian participants. Patients were categorized as group I which included 100 with oesophageal varices and group II included 30 patients without varices. There were 20 healthy control participants served as a control group (group III). All patients underwent for full clinical and laboratory workup, abdominal ultrasound and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Venous ammonia blood levels were calculated for all the contributors of this study. Results: The mean ammonia level was higher in group I (88.29±42.82 µmol/L) than in group II (82.77±49.76 µmol/L) with no statistical significant difference between the two groups (p=0.34). Ammonia level in group III was 73.37±30.36 µmol/L with no statistical significant difference with the other groups (p>0.05). In group I; ammonia level is positively correlated with the splenic vein diameter with r = 0.22 (p=0.026) but did not correlate with the grade of oesophageal varices r =0.031 (p-value=0.762). In multivariate analysis; ammonia combined with platelets, Age, PT and PC shared in a significant prediction model (I) for esophageal varices grading (p=0.002). Prediction model (II) including portal and splenic veins diameters and the liver size was developed (p=0.016). Conclusion: Non-invasive means could be used to monitor cirrhotic patients and consider treatment. Ammonia level can not be used alone but its use within a significant prediction model can help restricting the use of endoscopic screening in patients with a high probability of esophageal varices.
Optimized helper data scheme for biometric verification under zero leakage constraint

In biometric verication, special measures are needed to prevent that a dishon- est verier can steal privacy-sensitive information about the prover from the template database. We introduce an improved version of the zero leakage quan- tization scheme, which optimizes detection performance in terms of the false rejection ratio. Our scheme ensures zero leakage, that is, zero mutual informa- tion between auxiliary verication data and the protected enrolled secret and guarantees a uniformly distributed secret. Moreover, our solution replaces the helper data in the template database by a user specic threshold and eliminates the pre-distortion in the verication phase, which allows very rapid verication algorithms. Although the false rejection rate was only reduced by 20% for well correlated biometric features, it can be shown that this particular scheme achieves optimal detection under our requirements.
Assessing Issues in Achieving the Goals of Teacher Education in State Owned Tertiary Institutions in Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States, Nigeria

The study assessed issues in achieving the goals of teacher education in state owned tertiary institutions in Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States, Nigeria. Three research questions were raised and three null hypotheses were formulated for the study at 0.05 level of significance. The researcher adopted a survey research design for the study and the population of the study consisted of 1,219 comprising of all academic staff (teaching staff) in the State owned Tertiary Institutions that run teacher education programme in Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States, Nigeria. 20% of the population was used as the sample size which yielded a sample of 244 using the systematic random sampling technique. A 5-point likert scale questionnaire tagged “Assessing Issues in Achieving Teacher Education Goals Questionnaire (AIATEGQ)” which consist of 15 items was used to collect data for the study. Mean was employed in answering the three research questions, while the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to test the three null hypotheses. It was found out that lack of access to continuous training on the job and inadequate incentives for academic staff have negative impact in achieving the goals of teacher education. Therefore, it was recommended that in order for the goals of teacher education to be achieved, tertiary institutions in Nigeria should be provided with adequate facilities, equipments, consumable materials, instructional materials; provision of in service training for her teaching staff. Keywords: Assessing Issues, Achieving, & Teacher Education Goals
Teaching Mathematics in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) World: The Use of Concrete-Representational-Abstract Instructional Strategy.

This paper presents the teaching of mathematics in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world with the use of concrete – representational – abstract instructional strategy (CRAIS). The CRAIS involves active participation of students in learning. The study adopted the pretest-posttest, control group, quasi experimental design. 191 senior secondary II students from four public schools purposively selected from two local government areas in Ibadan municipality were randomly grouped into one experimental and one control group. The experimental group was exposed to CRAIS and the control to modified conventional teaching strategy for 6 weeks. Instrument used was Students’ Mathematics Achievement Test (r = 0.83). Two instructional guides on CRAIS and modified conventional teaching strategy were also used. Data were subjected to analysis of covariance. It was found out that the performance of the students taught with CRAIS improved significantly. Therefore, the teachers of mathematics should learn the use of CRAIS for effective teaching of mathematics.
Nitrous Oxide Emission from an Agricultural Soil Fertilized with Liquid Swine Waste or Constituents

Large scale swine production facilities that land-apply liquid waste are rapidly expanding in the southeastern USA. This study evaluated controls on N 2 O emission in a Goldsboro loamy sand (fine-loamy thermic, aquic Typic Paleudult) receiving field in North Carolina that was planted to winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Two experiments were conducted in April-May 1997 where field plots were fertilized with liquid swine waste, individual chemical constituents of waste (NH 4 , available C), NO 3 , or deionized water. Temporal changes in N 2 O efflux and soil physicochemical properties were assessed over 8 and 11 d. , Treatments that included N (75-165 kg ha -1 ) showed N 2 O fluxes exceeding 4000 μg N 2 O-N m -2 h -1 within 1 d of fertilization, but emissions declined to prefertilization values (∼10-25 μg N 2 O-N m -2 h within a few days as soils drained. Treatments that did not include N (deionized water, glucose) showed no increase in N 2 O emission over unfertilized controls. Time-integrated N 2 O emission was significantly lower for plots amended with swine waste (8.5 mg N 2 O-N m -2 ) compared with plots comparably fertilized with NH 4 -N plus glucose-C (20.8 mg N 2 O-N m 2 ), suggesting that some component of the waste adversely affected the microbial N cycling community. The immediate increase in N 2 O emission following fertilization and accumulation of NO 3 -N without lag indicated that repeated fertilization throughout the growing season maintained active and responsive nitrifying and denitrifying communities. Percentage fertilizer loss to N 2 O to the point where fluxes had returned to prefertilization values was low, < 1.0%. However, simulated rainfall gave pulsed N 2 O emission from denitrification of accumulated NO 3 - -N, indicating that further emissions will occur with an increase in soil moisture.
Household food expenditures at home and away from home in Turkey

Turkey has experienced important sociodemographic and economic changes shaping food markets with the resultant significant changes on the consumers’ away from home and at home food consumptions. We analyze the effects of socio-demographic and economic factors of expenditures on food away from home (FAFH) and food at home food (FAH) for both urban and rural households. The study is based on the 2009 Turkish Household Expenditure Survey data and we model the food expenditure patterns using the multivariate sample selection approach. The empirical results suggest that urban households tend to spend more on FAFH than FAH as income increases, while the reverse is true for rural households. Other socio- demographic factors of households show varying impacts on FAFH and FAH between the two household groups.
Explaining Volatility Smiles of Equity Options with Capital Structure Models

We investigate the behavior of prices of equity options in the Corporate Securities Framework suggested by Ammann and Genser (2004) where equity is the residual claim of a stochastic EBIT. Option prices are obtained by two numerical methods: (i) Approximation of the EBITprocess by a trinomial lattice and calculation of all securities by backward induction. (ii) Evaluation of the risk-neutrally expected value of the equity option at maturity by direct numerical integration. Economically, the current state of the firm with respect to bankruptcy and the capital structure influence to a large extent the particular risk-neutral equity (return) distribution at option maturity and the level and slope of implicit Black and Scholes (1973)-volatilities as a function of strike prices. Additionally, we oppose the tradition of relating equity return moments to implied volatilities. This connection might be misleading
Dielectric characterization of powdery substances using an indirectly coupled open-ended coaxial cavity resonator

The main objective of this thesis was to research and develop a sensitive characterization method for dielectric powdery substances which could be utilized in various industrial and research fields. With modern electromagnetic simulation tools and the presented experimental measurements, the characterization of dielectric powders using an indirectly coupled open-ended coaxial cavity resonator operating in TEM mode at 4.5 GHz was found to have potential. The modelling and the experimental measurement results of commonly used dielectric powders revealed that, from the nine classical mixing rules, it was possible to derive reliable inclusion permittivity values when using the properties of the perturbed resonator and the Bruggeman symmetric and the Looyenga mixing theories. In addition, the determination accuracy of the inclusion permittivity was found to be greatly improved with the correction factor included into the previously presented permittivity equation of the quarter wave coaxial resonator. Determination of the dielectric losses was found to be reliable when using the differences between the perturbed and unperturbed resonator and the general mixing model equation. The sensitivity of the characterization method was researched with both humidity exposed and surfactant treated modified SiO2, Al2O3 and ZrO2 powders. Experimental results showed that the effect of adsorbed water on the particles was most pronounced when measuring the dielectric losses of the inclusions. Furthermore, a clear correlation with the theory of the general mixing model was found. Thus, in addition to the changed dielectric properties between dry and humidity exposed powders, it was also possible to determine the moisture content with reasonable accuracy. This correlated well with the traditional, mass based, determination. Stearic acid coating of the particles induced only a small change in inclusion permittivity but a notable change in dielectric losses. Unlike the cases with the larger particle sized SiO2 and Al2O3, the dielectric loss of ZrO2 inclusions, with stearic acid coating, was decreased significantly from 6.2 × 10-3 to 3.8 × 10-3. When characterizing magnesium and calcium titanate composite powders, with CaTiO3 molar ratios of 0.0, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.1, the method was found to have good sensitivity and accuracy. Additions of CaTiO3 exhibited a clear increase in net inclusion permittivities from 13.4 up to 14.9 and in dielectric loss tangents from 7.1 × 10-3 up to 8.5 × 10-3. In addition, a good correlation was found in the theoretical determination of the CaTiO3 molar ratios using the resonator measurement results and the general mixing model. The characterization method was proved to be capable of measuring the dielectric properties and detecting even very slight changes in the powders. Thus, the method could be utilized in various types of powdery material characterization, for example, in the analysis and quality control of different composite powders.
Reluctance to Lend and Its Spatial Differences in Japan fs Lost Decade: What Can We Learn from It?

This paper aims to elucidate whether supply side factors played a crucial role in causing the greluctance to lend h in Japan in the 1990s. We estimate loan supply and demand functions using prefectural panel data and calculate their shifts. Our analysis reveals that the demand side played an equal or greater role, even in the context of the historical financial crisis in Japan during the period 1997-2000, and that the reluctance to lend was severer in the urban prefectures. These findings suggest that countermeasures in the banking sector that uniformly influence all regions may not achieve the expected recovery.
Vortex formation in a two-dimensional Bose gas

We discuss the stability of a homogeneous two-dimensional Bose gas at finite temperature against the formation of isolated vortices. We consider a patch of several healing lengths in size and compute its free energy using the Euclidean formalism. Since we deal with an open system, which is able to exchange particles and angular momentum with the rest of the condensate, we use the symmetry-breaking (as opposed to the particle number conserving) formalism, and include configurations with all values of angular momenta in the partition function. At finite temperature, there appear sphaleron configurations associated with isolated vortices. The contribution from these configurations to the free energy is computed in the dilute gas approximation. We show that the Euclidean action of linearized perturbations of a vortex is not positive definite. As a consequence the free energy of the 2D Bose gas acquires an imaginary part. This signals the instability of the gas. This instability may be identified with the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition.
Cytokines profile of mice infected by high and low virulences of Indonesian T. evansi isolates

Surra in livestock is caused by Trypanosoma evansi, a homoflagella blood protozoa that circulate in extracellular. This disease is widespread in Asia, Africa, South and Central America. According to the immunological aspect, the severity of surra in livestock and mice which infected by trypanosoma is associated with an inflammatory response. On the other hand, the survival time of mice depends on the regulation of Th1 synthesis and proinflammatory cytokines such as IFN-γ and TNF-α. The aim of this study was to observe the responses of proinflammatory cytokines IFN γ, TNF-α and anti-inflammatory IL-10 which result from interaction with parasites. This information is needed for improvements in the management of prevention of Surra in animals. A total of 30 mice were divided into 3 groups. The group was infected with a low virulency T. evansi (Pml287); high virulence (Bang87) respectively and one group was not infected as control. Mice sera were collected in every 4 days for cytokine measurement using an Enzyme Link-Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The result showed a difference response of proinflammatory and antiinflammation cytokine profile between the infected mice by isolates Bang 87 and Pml 287. Early deaths in mice infected by Bang 87 isolate were suspected as a result of the response of systemic inflammation syndromes characterized by elevated IFN-γ levels that were not adequately compensated by anti-inflammatory. Anemia contributes to the cause of death in mice that support multiple organ failures (multiple organ disfunction).
An Investigation of the Goshen County, Wyoming, Tornadic Supercell of 5 June 2009 Using EnKF Assimilation of Mobile Mesonet and Radar Observations Collected during VORTEX2. Part I: Experiment Design and Verification of the EnKF Analyses

AbstractHigh-resolution Doppler radar velocities and in situ surface observations collected in a tornadic supercell on 5 June 2009 during the second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) are assimilated into a simulated convective storm using an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF). A series of EnKF experiments using a 1-km horizontal model grid spacing demonstrates the sensitivity of the cold pool and kinematic structure of the storm to the assimilation of these observations and to different model microphysics parameterizations. An experiment is performed using a finer grid spacing (500 m) and the most optimal data assimilation and model configurations from the sensitivity tests to produce a realistically evolving storm. Analyses from this experiment are verified against dual-Doppler and in situ observations and are evaluated for their potential to confidently evaluate mesocyclone-scale processes in the storm using trajectory analysis and calculations of Lagrangian vorticity .
Validity of a Multi-Sensor Armband for Estimating Energy Expenditure during Eighteen Different Activities

Purpose: To examine the validity of an armband physical activity monitor in estimating energy expenditure (EE) over a wide range of physical activities. Methods: 68 participants (mean age=39.5 ± 13.0 yrs) performed one of three routines consisting of six activities (approximately 10 min each) while wearing the armband and the Cosmed K4b2 portable metabolic unit. Routine 1 (n=25) involved indoor home-based activities, routine 2 (n=22) involved miscellaneous activities, and routine 3 (n=21) involved outdoor aerobic activities. Results: Mean differences between the EE values in METs (criterion minus estimated) are as follows. Routine 1: watching TV (−0.1), reading (−0.1), laundry (0.1), ironing (−1.3), light cleaning (−0.4), and aerobics (0.4). Routine 2: driving (−0.6), Frisbee golf (−0.9), grass trimming (−0.5), gardening (−1.5), moving dirt with a wheelbarrow (−0.1), loading and unloading boxes (0.1); Routine 3: sidewalk walking (−1.0), track walking (−0.8), walking with a bag (−0.6), tennis (1.6), track running (2.2), and road running (2.1). The armband significantly overestimated EE during several light-to-moderate intensity activities such as driving (by 74%), ironing (by 70%), gardening (by 55%), light cleaning (by 15%), Frisbee golf (by 24%), and sidewalk walking (by 26%) (P<0.05). The arm band significantly underestimated high intensity activities including tennis (by 20%), and track or road running (by 20%). Conclusion: Although the armband provided mean EE estimates within 16% of the criterion for nine of the 18 activities, predictions for several activities were significantly different from the criterion. The armband prediction algorithms could be refined to increase the accuracy of EE estimations.
Exploring the Role of Trust in the Deal–Making Process for Early–Stage Technology Ventures

The deal–making process requires entrepreneurial actors to create and maintain wide networks of weak ties while simultaneously developing stronger collaborative ties that will enable opportunities to be realized. We currently lack an adequate account of how these activities are integrated by deal–makers under conditions of risk and uncertainty. In an empirical study of deal making in early–stage technology ventures, we find that deal–makers rely on different forms of trust in the early and later phases. Based on this study, we develop a process model and propositions on the role of trust in integrating strong and weak ties in deal making.
Modeling Interactions and Shoaling of Solitary Waves Using a Hybrid Finite Volume and Finite Difference Solver

This paper presents a mixed finite volume and finite difference solver with results showing the solitary wave interactions and shoaling process by solving a set of conservative forms of Boussinesq equations. A second order accurate finite volume scheme is applied to the conservative terms of the governing equations while up to the second order finite difference formulations are used to discretize the dispersive source terms with higher order derivatives. The limiters and surface gradient method are implemented in the model to remove the unwanted spurious oscillations and preserve the still water condition without introducing errors at the interfaces. The performance of the present numerical solver is tested with results of head on collisions and shoaling of solitary waves compared against those from finite element models that were developed based on fully nonlinear weakly dispersive and weakly nonlinear weakly dispersive forms of the Boussinesq equations as well as analytical solutions and experimental observations.
Monetary Reward and Teachers’ Performance in Selected Public Secondary Schools in Kano State

This is a conceptual study that intends to examine the relationship between monetary reward and teachers’ performance in Some Selected Kano State public secondary schools. Secondary schools are the bridge between primary education and higher institutions in Nigeria. The need for students to acquire more knowledge and skills beyond primary level in Nigeria has become imperative and hence the need for secondary school education. Therefore, teachers performance is of utmost concern since improvement of teachers’ performance can lead to effective performance of students and the education sector at large. The study is going to be quantitative and will adopt survey research design. Cluster sampling technique will be used to obtain responses from the sample of 375 teachers. Regression analysis will be used for Data analysis through SPSS version 17. Keywords : Monetary reward, Performance, Teachers, Motivation
AN ANALYTICAL MODEL FOR WATER PROFILE CALCULATIONS IN FREE SURFACE FLOWS THROUGH ROCKFILLS

In this study, an analytical model to resolve the water profiles equation of free surface flows through riprap has been developed. This model is based on Stephenson's relation to determine the head loss for different flow states in order to see its ability to reproduce the water profiles. This analytical model has been applied to experimental series realized in a rectangular channel built at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT) in collaboration with engineering consultants of the firm MECATER and in partnership with the INP Toulouse. MECATER is interested in these flows within the framework of a project with the nickel company SLN of ERAMET group in New Caledonia, concerning the protection of mining sterols against water flows at high mountains.
The Macroeconomic Determinants of Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions and Greenfield Investments

When a company decides to invest abroad, it can do it through the establishment of a new firm (greenfield investment) or by the purchase of an already existing firm. Although there is a vast empirical literature on the macroeconomic determinants of aggregate FDI, there are just a few studies examining the location-specific determinants of each entry mode. The aim of this study is to extend the previous work by Globerman and Shapiro (2005) through the analysis of panel data of 53 countries over the period 1996-2006, in order to identify the potential location-specific determinants of both M&A and greenfields. We have found evidence that there is a group of mode-encompassing variables which are common to all entry modes (such as economy’s size, openness, governance and human development index) and mode-specific variables. Investor’s protection and cultural variables seem to play an important role in the explanation of M&A and greenfields, respectively.