Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardio-metabolic risk factors and metabolic syndrome: A study of the prevalence and level of awareness of related risk factors among school teachers in Ogbomoso, South West Nigeria

Background: The overall health of school teachers is closely related to the performance of children in school and life generally.Objectives: This study aimed to describe the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome among school teachers in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.Methods: Two hundred secondary school teachers were randomly selected from all the secondary schools in the two local Governments in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Relevant laboratory investigations and electrocardiography were performed. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the Joint Scientific Statement on Harmonising the Metabolic Syndrome Criteria.Results: Metabolic syndrome (MS) was identified among 44(22.0%) of study participants. It was more common among females 33(28.2%) compared to males 11(13.3%) [p = 0.002]. The prevalence of some cardiovascular risk factors were as follows: visceral obesity 108(54.0%), low HDL 105(52.5%), hypertension 58 (29.0%), BP > 130/85 mmHg, 76(38.0%), impaired fasting blood glucose 49(24.5%) and hypertriglyceridaemia 14(7.0%). Only a small fraction (39; 19.5%) demonstrated good level of knowledge about the cardiovascular risk factors.Conclusion: Cardiovascular risk factors were common among school teachers in Ogbomoso, south-west Nigeria in addition to a low level of awareness and poor control of the risk factors.
Prospective Primary Teachers' Beliefs about Mathematics

Concerns about the negative mathematical beliefs of prospective primary teachers have arisen from evidence that such beliefs detrimentally impact future teaching practices. The aim of this study was to explore factors contributing to the effectiveness of a mathematics content-focused intervention designed to nurture positive mathematical beliefs. Utilising interviews, concept mapping, workshop observations and document analysis, shifts in the mathematical beliefs of prospective primary teachers were revealed. The role of the mathematics education tutors was critical in contributing to the development of positive beliefs. In particular, their abilities to develop a positive rapport with prospective teachers and to create learning environments conducive to increased understanding of mathematics concepts were most influential. Implications for primary mathematics teacher education courses are addressed.
Improvement Postharvest Quality of Cut Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria hybrida ) by Stem-End Splitting and Ethanol

For the improvement the postharvest longevity of cut alstroemeria (Al stroemeria hybrida L.), a factorial experiment was carried out based on RCD with 2 factors of stem end splitting at two levels (5 cm splitting and without splitting) and ethanol at five levels (0, 1, 2, 4 and 6%), 10 treatments, 3 replications and 30 plots. In this experiment, the estimated traits included vase life, water absorbtion, fresh weight, dry matter percent, ethylene, petal anthocyanin, electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation (MDA). ANOVA showed significant differences among treatments for vase life, water absorbtion, dry matter percent and electrolyte leakage at the 5% probability level and for other traits at the 1% probability level. Results showed that different treatments improved vase life as compared to control and maximum vase life of 19.77 days was achieved under the treatment of ethanol 1% + with 5 cm splitting compared to control (11.09 days).
Global patterns of macroinvertebrate production in marine benthic habitats

Using data published in 15 major marine ecology journals (from 1970 to 1999), we examined global patterns of marine benthic macroinvertebrate production and its distribution among feeding guilds and taxonomic groups and physical variables such as substratum type, water depth and temperature. Our database contains 547 production datasets, from 147 studies including 207 taxa, assessed by classical methods (cohort and size-based methods), from 170 sites (77°50'S to 69°35'N; 0 to 930 m depth). In general, higher values of production to biomass (P/B) ratios were observed in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere. High values of P/B ratios were observed in mid-latitudinal zones while low values of P/B ratios were observed in high (80 to 60°S) and low latitudinal zones (40°S to 20°N). Highest production was observed on hard substrata, for filter feeders and for mollusc (e.g. bivalves) species. Highest P/B ratios were observed on algae (or high organic substrata), omnivores and predators, and arthropods (e.g. amphipods). Regression models explained a significant percentage of the amount of variance of benthic production (92%) and P/B ratios (50 to 86%). Production and P/B ratios were negatively related to water depth and positively related to water temperature, but these abiotic variables did not greatly improve the predictability of production by biotic variables (e.g. life span, mean body mass). Biotic variables were more important than environmental variables in explaining observed variations in production and P/B ratios. For the latter, life span explained most (45 to 83%) of the variation of the models.
The effect of knowledge transfer and manufacturing capabilities among local manufacturers in northern region of Malaysia

Due to uncertain of current economic situation, manufacturers must revise their ways to survive in their business.Manufacturing capability assumes that firms are more effective than their rivals at deploying resources.It is suggested that better performing firms are more likely to address multiple manufacturing capabilities simultaneously.In developing countries, manufacturing capabilities is a new concept. There is lack of awareness on the importance of upstream manufacturing capabilities such as product development and design.Through the email survey, a total of 89 companies representing various industries had responded. The hypotheses involved were tested using correlation and regression techniques.The results of the study support all the hypotheses.This paper provides an analysis on the relationship between knowledge transfer and manufacturing capabilities among local manufacturers in Malaysian Northern Region.
Studies in Business and Economics-108-Studies in Business and Economics OVERVIEW OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE THEORY

The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review on two major theories of capital structure; pecking order theory and static-trade off theory in regard with achieving an optimal capital structure. Researchers believed bankruptcy costs, transactions costs, agency conflicts, adverse selection and taxes has been attribute as major explanations of the corporate used of debt financing which has been used as an argument in both theory. To date there is no consensus on the existing of optimal capital structure. However over the past four decades, the ability of the economists to explain the determinants of optimal capital structure has progressed significantly. In this paper, based on the review of past literature it is suggested that the determinants of capital structure is vary among firms depending on its characteristics.
Factors Related to Substantial Pain in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients

Purpose: Pain is the most common and influential symptom in cancer patients. Few studies concerning pain intensity in the terminally ill cancer patients have been done. This study aimed to identify factors related with more than moderate pain. Methods: This study used secondary data of 162 terminal cancer inpatien ts at the palliative ward of six training hospitals in Korea. Physician-assessed pain assessment was by 10 point numeric rating scale. Substantial pain was defined more than moderate intensity by the Korean National Guideline for cancer pain. The Korean version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inve ntory was self-administered to assess symptoms. Survival prediction was estimated by the attending physicians at the time of admission. Results: Less than six weeks of predicted survival and more than numeric rating of six for worst drowsiness in the previous 24 h were significantly related to substantial pain (P=0.012 and P=0.046, respectively). The dose of opioid analgesics was positively related to substantial pain (P=0.004). Conclusion: Factors positively related to substantial pain were less than six weeks of predicted survival and considerable drow siness. Careful monitoring and active preparation for pain are required in terminal cancer patients having those factors. (Korean J Hosp Palliat Care 2011;14:197-203)Key Words: Cancer pain, Predicted survival, DrowsinessINTRODUCTIONSurvival rates and life expectancies of cancer patients have increased with advances in modern medicine. One consequence has been an increase in the numbers of terminally-ill cancer patients. The symptoms occur together in most cancer patients (1). Especially cancer pain has the top priority to be controlled among the various symptoms (2), because the pain is the most distressing debilitating one (3). Despite the abundant research on cancer pain, cancer pain still is a major problem; its prevalence was calculated to be as high as 64% in a meta-analysis (2). The World Health Organization pain ladder is used globally; appropriate drugs and dosages following WHO ladder recommendation could be adequately relieved cancer pain about 70∼90% of patients (4). Nevertheless, cancer pain remains challenging issue for the physicians to manage and factors related to cancer pain need further investigation (5). For other health issues, identification and preferential management of those at high-risk has been proven to be prudent, both in terms of patient care and allocation of limited medical resources. A similar strategy seems germane for those experiencing cancer related pain. The simplest and most reliable assessment tool of pain is patient self-assessmen t using a 10-point numerical rating scale (NRS) (6). Substantial pain is defined as more than moderate pain (7). Moderate pain is usually 4∼6 on the NRS, however, in South Korea, national guidelines for cancer pain define moderate pain 5 or
Musculoskeletal disorders associated to dentists work activities in Brazilian primary health care

Objetivos: Verifi car la prevalencia de los trastornos musculoesqueléticos asociados con el trabajo (TMEAT) de los dentistas de la red de atención primaria de salud en Recife, Brasil. Material y Métodos: Se utilizó el Cuestionario nórdico de síntomas musculoesqueléticos con el objetivo de identifi car la presencia de dolor, incomodidad o latencia en diferentes áreas del cuerpo. Resultados: El 97,3% de los entrevistados mencionaron los síntomas musculoesqueléticos asociados con la práctica de la Odontología. El Cuello (56,75%); el puño / manos / dedos (54.06%); los hombros (51.35%) y la región lumbar (48,65%) fueron los lugares más afectados. Al medir la asociación entre TMEAT y las “5” variables extraprofesionales estudiadas, solo la actividad física se asoció con síntomas en la región de puño / manos / dedos (p <0,05). Conclusiones: se observó un alta prevalencia de TMEAT en dentistas de Recife. La práctica de actividad física regular demostró ser un posible factor de protección para las lesiones puño / manos / dedos.
When Is Sticky Information More Information

This paper uses sectoral data to study survey‐based balance indices designed to capture changes in the business cycle in real time. The empirical framework recognizes that when answering survey questions regarding their firm's output, respondents potentially rely on infrequently updated information. The analysis then suggests that their answers reflect notable information lags, on the order of 7-super-1/2 months on average. Moreover, information stickiness implies that noisy output fluctuations will be attenuated in survey answers and, consequently, helps explain why balance indices successfully track business cycles. Conversely, in an environment populated by fully informed identical firms, as in the standard RBC framework, for example, balance indices instead become degenerate. Finally, information regarding changes in aggregate output tends to be sectorally concentrated. The paper, therefore, illustrates how this feature of the data may be relevant for the construction of balance indices.
Retailer Compliance as a Predictor of Youth Smoking Participation and Consumption

Ninety per cent of smokers report having their first whole cigarette before the age of 19. Thus, it is important to have policies such as youth access laws which may prevent youth from becoming future smokers. In Canada, the Tobacco Act prohibits retailers from furnishing tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18. For such laws to be effective, however, it is important that retailers comply with them. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of retailer compliance on youth smoking behaviour. Data on individual smoking behaviour in conjunction with provincial retailer compliance rates and cigarette prices for the years 1999-2005 were employed to examine the effects of retailer compliance on youth smoking participation and consumption. Both price and retailer compliance were significant predictors of smoking participation. Price elasticity of demand for the overall sample was estimated to be -0.54. Our results which are consistent with previous research indicate that retailer compliance must be considered when examining the effects of youth access laws. This research confirmed that youth access laws can be an important component of a successful public policy approach to youth smoking prevention.
How Do Hunter-Gatherer Children Learn Social and Gender Norms? A Meta-Ethnographic Review

Forager societies tend to value egalitarianism, cooperative autonomy, and sharing. Furthermore, foragers exhibit a strong gendered division of labor. However, few studies have employed a cross-cultural approach to understand how forager children learn social and gender norms. To address this gap, we perform a meta-ethnography, which allows for the systematic extraction, synthesis, and comparison of quantitative and qualitative publications. In all, 77 publications met our inclusion criteria. These suggest that sharing is actively taught in infancy. In early childhood, children transition to the playgroup, signifying their increased autonomy. Cooperative behaviors are learned through play. At the end of middle childhood, children self-segregate into same-sex groups and begin to perform gender-specific tasks. We find evidence that foragers actively teach children social norms, and that, with sedentarization, teaching, through direct instruction and task assignment, replaces imitation in learning gendered behaviors. We also find evidence that child-to-child transmission is an important way children learn cultural norms, and that noninterference might be a way autonomy is taught. These findings can add to the debate on teaching and learning within forager populations.
Generation of morphotectonic fabric on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge flanks, 28° to 29°N: Implications for the limits of tectonic deformation and abyssal hill formation

High‐resolution multibeam bathymetry is used to analyze the morphotectonic fabric of a 35,000‐km2 zone of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge crest between 28° and 29°N. Interpolated isochrons at 1 Myr intervals derived from a kinematic reconstruction provide a temporal framework for the structural analysis. The axial valley within the survey area is offset by three non‐transform discontinuities dividing the axis into en echelon segments. The flanks display a predominantly ridge‐parallel fabric of elongate abyssal hills crosscut by several discordant zones. Throughout the zone faulting is the predominant factor in generating the morphotectonic fabric. Analysis of fault scarp distribution places the limit of active tectonic deformation between 2 and 3 Ma (25 to 35 km on either side of the spreading axis). Fault scarp relief on the ridge flanks varies with a period of approximately 2 Myr which corresponds to the wavelength of abyssal hills within the area. We propose an interpretation in which abyssal hill formation occurs periodically (∼2 Myr) within the ridge mountains as the lithosphere transitions from the dynamic supported regime near the axis to the isostatic regime of the flanks at ∼2–3 Ma (∼25–35 km from the axis).
Influence of local stress concentrations on the crack propagation in complex welded components

While a long stable crack propagation phase was observed during experiments of complex welded components, very conservative assessments of the fatigue life were achieved in the past. The difference was explained by the stress gradient occurring over the plate thickness. This paper deals with numerical crack propagation simulations which were performed for different geometrical variants. The variants differ related to global geometry, boundary conditions and weld shape. The analyses aim to investigate how the crack propagation is altered if the structural configuration gets more complex. In conclusion, the stress gradient over the plate thickness, the apparent plate thickness and the notch effect slows down the crack propagation rate if the same stress value being effective for fatigue appears at the weld toe. Thereby, the load-carrying grade of the weld, the weld flank angle and the geometrical configuration have an impact on both the notch effect and the local stress concentration.
Spring and summer and wool growth pasture feeding and ewe reproduction

Effects of pasture feeding level during lactation and over summer on ewe wool growth and ovulation rate were assessed in 1983-84 and 1984-85. Two levels of pasture feeding (lactation high and lactation low) from parturition to weaning (10 weeks) produced 8 to 10 kg liveweight difference in ewe liveweight at weaning. Groups (n = 40) were offered pasture allowances of 0.8, 1, 1.4, 2 or 5 kg DM/ewe/day from weaning until after the third synchronzied oestrus in April. Ewes on the lower allowances tended to reach a stable liveweight and those on 5 kg DM/ewe/day gained throughout. Other groups were offered low allowances during summer and then 5 kg DM/ewe/day after the first recorded oestrus. Mean dates for synchronised oestrus were 2 March, 19 March and 5 April. Ovulation rate increased by 0.15 corpora-lutes-/ewe ovulating at each successive oestrus, and increased by 0.047 corpora lutes/ewe ovulating for each kg increase in liveweight at oestrus. These effects accounted for 77% of the variation in ovulation rate between treatments across years. The effects of flushing, lactation or summer liveweight change were small and generally non-significant. Lactation feeding affected wool growth during lactation as well and had carryover effects through the summer when lactation low ewes grew 10% less wool irrespective of the level of summer feeding.
Turkish Prospective Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs and Perceived Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding the Use of Origami in Mathematics Education.

Background:The purpose of this study was to investigate beliefs and perceived self-efficacy beliefs of Turkish prospective elementary mathematics teachers in using origami in mathematics education and gender differences in their beliefs and perceived self-efficacy beliefs.Materials and methods:Data for the current study was collected via Origami in Mathematics Education Belief Scale (OMEBS) and Origami in Mathematics Education Self-Efficacy Scale (OMESS). Results:Descriptive analysis results indicated that prospective mathematics teachers strongly believe that origami is beneficial and effective to be used in mathematics education. However, their perceived self-efficacy beliefs are at little higher than moderate level. Lastly, independent sample t-test results revealed that female teacher candidates have significantly higher beliefs and perceived self-efficacy beliefs in using origami in mathematics education when compared with male teacher candidates.Conclusions:Prospective mathematics teachers' positive beliefs regarding the use of origami in mathematics education were not supported with their perceived self-efficacy belief levels. Therefore, it is possible to claim that prospective mathematics teachers need further support to successfully implement origami-based mathematics lessons.
Substrate quality alters the microbial mineralization of added substrate and soil organic carbon

The rate and extent of decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) is dependent, among other factors, on substrate chemistry and microbial dynamics. Our objectives were to understand the influence of substrate chemistry on microbial decomposition of carbon (C), and to use model fitting to quantify differences in pool sizes and mineralization rates. We conducted an incubation experiment for 270 days using four uniformly labeled 14 C substrates (glucose, starch, cinnamic acid and stearic acid) on four different soils (a temperate Mollisol, a tropical Ultisol, a sub-arctic Andisol, and an arctic Gelisol). The 14 C labeling enabled us to separate CO 2 respired from added substrates and from native SOC. Microbial gene copy numbers were quantified at days 4, 30 and 270 using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Substrate C respiration was always higher for glucose than other substrates. Soils with cinnamic and stearic acid lost more native SOC than glucose- and starch-amended soils. Cinnamic and stearic acid amendments also exhibited higher fungal gene copy numbers at the end of incubation compared to unamended soils. We found that 270 days were sufficient to model the decomposition of simple substrates (glucose and starch) with three pools, but were insufficient for more complex substrates (cinnamic and stearic acid) and native SOC. This study reveals that substrate quality exerts considerable control on the microbial decomposition of newly added and native SOC, and demonstrates the need for multi-year incubation experiments to constrain decomposition parameters for the most recalcitrant fractions of SOC and complex substrates.
DEVELOPMENT OF ENZYME-LINKAGE IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY AGAINST TYPE B OF CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin (BoNTs) is one of the causes of economic loss in the livestockindustry. This economic loss would be as a direct result when animals poisoned by BoNTs or indirectlywhen the livestock products are contaminated by BoNTs, which end up with the products are banned byauthority. Therefore a routine surveillance of BoNTs in the farm and in livestock product processingindustry is urgently needed. One of the most relatively quick and accurate methods to perform a routinedetection of the presence of BoNTs is enzyme-linkage immunosorbant assay (ELISA). In this article wedescribe the results of the development of ELISA, using polyclonal antibodies against BoNTs-Bproduced locally. Antibodies were generated from six Balb/c mice with standard immunologicalmethods. Mice were immunized three times for a period of 8 weeks with a commercial type BClostridium botulinum toxoid at a dose of 100 ng per mouse per injection. The resulting antibody waspurified by a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation 50% (w/v) technique and a protein Acolumn method. The results of this preliminary study indicated that the developed ELISA methodcapable of detecting type B Clostridium botulinum toxin up to 1.0 ng/ml.