Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relationship among Teachers' Problem Solving Abilities, Student's Learning Styles and Students' Achievement in Biology

This research work was carried out to find out the extent of relationship among teachers’ problem solving abilities, students, learning styles, and students’ achievement in Biology. The research survey design was adopted in the study. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) randomly selected senior secondary school II (SS II) Biology students and ten (10) biology teachers from the five (5) selected schools in Lagos Mainland local government area of Lagos State served as the subjects of the study. Data were analysed using simple regression analysis, statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) such as mean, percentage, t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Outcomes of the findings from the study include:  The relationship between teachers’ problem solving abilities and students academic achievement in biology is positive and significant.  The relationship between students’ learning styles and their academic achievement in biology is positive and significant.  The effect of teachers’ problem solving abilities, students, learning styles on students’ academic performance in biology are positive and significant.  Based on these, it was concluded that teachers’ problem solving abilities and students’ learning styles have significant effects on the student’s achievement in biology.
An Empirical Cross-Section Analysis of Stock Returns on the Chinese A-Share Stock Market

This study applied the Fama-French three-factor model (1993) and CAPM to examine A-shares in Chinese equity market from 1996 to 2005. The authors find a positive relation between book-to-market ratio and stock excess returns, and negative between size and stock excess returns. The results demonstrate that the Fama-French three-factor model is more accurate in predicting stock excess returns than the CAPM. The size effect is stronger than that of the book-to-market ratio (BTM). The results also suggest that stock profitability is related to size and BTM ratio in China’s stock market.
Challenges of Sustainable Construction: A Study of Educational Buildings in Nigeria

Buildings are essential facilities in the delivery of quality education in any nation. Providing not just buildings but sustainable ones is necessary, since educational buildings are meant to serve both the present generation, and generations to come. However, bold statements as to the poor sustainability nature of construction projects in most developing countries around the world have been made by researchers. This study therefore assessed the challenges of sustainable construction (SC) and the possible measures for mitigating the issue of poor sustainability in the Nigerian construction industry (NCI). Survey design was employed and questionnaire was administered on construction participants in selected higher institutions. Data gathered were analyzed using percentage, mean score, Kruskal-Walis H-test, and factor analysis. The study revealed that the significant challenges of SC are majorly construction related, sustainability awareness and knowledge related, finance related, and government related. To improve on the sustainability of construction projects, then strict government policy on SC, and jettisoning the traditional method of construction for innovative sustainability oriented methods, is necessary. The implication of this finding is that, the method and process of operations within the NCI does not favor the attainment of SC. Therefore, if sustainability is to be achieved, a review of construction activities and processes within the industry is necessary.
Outdoor sound propagation modeling in realistic environments: Application of coupled parabolic and atmospheric models

Predicting long-range sound propagation over a nonurban site with complex propagation media requires the knowledge of micrometeorological fields in the lower part of the atmospheric boundary layer, and more precisely its characteristics varying in both space and time with respect to local (“small-scale”) and average (“long-term”) conditions, respectively. Thus in this study, a mean-wind wide-angle parabolic equation (MW-WAPE) code is coupled with a dedicated micrometeorological code (SUBMESO) which simulates wind and temperature fields over moderately complex terrain with high resolution. Its output data are used as input data for the MW-WAPE code, which can also deal with different boundary conditions, such as the introduction of impedance jumps, thin screens or complex topography. Both codes are presented in the present paper. Comparisons between numerical predictions, and experimental data are also presented and discussed. Finally, we present an example of such a coupling method (MW-WAPE/SUBMESO) for t.
Play behaviour and multi-year juvenile survival in free-ranging brown bears, Ursus arctos

Background: Previous analysis suggests that brown bear play behaviour can enhance first-year survival. Question: Can play behaviour enhance multi-year survival? Organisms: Young brown bears (Ursus arctos). Times and places: 1985‐1994, Pack Creek, Admiralty Island, Alaska, USA. Method of analysis: Regression models and diagnostics; principal components analysis. Conclusions: Young bears that played more were more likely to survive to independence. This association did not result solely from condition, litter size, salmon availability, or maternal characteristics.
Aspects of intimate terrorism : A test of Johnson's typology in a Dutch online sample

F rom an epidemiological perspective, intimate partner violence (IPV) can be defined as an act carried out with the (perceived) intention of physically hurting another person through verbal aggression, physical aggression, and/or sexual coercion and stalking perpetrated by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, boyfriend or girlfriend, or date in their lifetime (Straus, 1979; between family feminist investigators, both research approaches investigate different of IPV using different populations and research designs Family violence researchers use representative community-based samples find men at least one act of physical aggression Archer, Feminist perspective researchers predominately use qualitative data in agency samples, such as hospital emergency rooms, and police and In this study, aspects of intimate terrorism (IT) were examined in a subsample ( n = 320) derived from
Varieties of Bricolage and the Process of Entrepreneurship

We offer a theoretical account of how two types of bricolage influence the entrepreneurial process. The first type involves social relationships or physical or functional assets, and thus pertains to an entrepreneurʼs external resources used in the instantiation of operations of a new venture. The second type pertains to an entrepreneurʼs internal resources‐experiences, credentials, knowledge, and certifications‐which the entrepreneur appropriates, assembles, modifies and deploys in the presentation of a narrative about the entrepreneurial process. We argue that both types of bricolage are essential to the success of a venturing attempt.
Prediction of clinical depression in adolescents using facial image analaysis

This study investigates the possibility of using facial images to determine if a non-depressed person is likely to develop clinical depression within the next 1-2 years. The prediction method uses a typical classification approach of training and testing. Class models were determined using image data from adolescents who were either at risk or not at risk of depression. The risk factor was confirmed through 2 years of follow-up data collection. Two feature extraction approaches were compared; the eigenface (PCA) features and the fisherface (PCA+LDA) feature. The nearest neighbor (NN) classification was implemented using person independent and person dependent approaches. Best results were with the fisherface (PCA+LDA) method, providing prediction accuracy of 51% with the person independent approach and 61% when using a person dependent approach.
Investigating the development of Chinese oral explanation and justification in Singapore primary students

Abstract Explanation and justification require cognitive ability which selects and organises relevant information in a logical way, and linguistic ability which enables speakers to encode the information with linguistic knowledge. This study aims to investigate the development of Chinese oral explanation and justification in Singapore primary students. The study comprised 36 participants ranging from six-year-old to 11-year-old. They were learning Chinese as a second language. A series of questions were designed to elicit explanations and justifications based on a story. Explanation and justification were analysed on length of discourse, frequency of connectives, types of explanation and types of justification. The results showed that, from a linguistic perspective, as age increased, the frequency of connectives and length of discourse increased first then decreased. This suggests that linguistic measures are not sufficient in revealing the development. From a cognitive perspective, the older participants produced more effective explanations of event-related causal relationships than the younger participants in regard to explanation. With regard to justification, the older participants integrated and analysed the information in the story to justify opinions, while the younger participants relied mainly on familiar information, such as moral principles. The results demonstrate that the development of Chinese oral explanation and justification in primary students is reflected on cognitive dimensions.
Effects of temperature, pressure, and carrier gases on the performance of an aerosol particle mass analyser

Abstract. Effective density is a crucial parameter used to predict the transport behaviour and fate of particles in the atmosphere, and to measure instruments used ultimately in the human respiratory tract (Ristimäki et al., 2002). The aerosol particle mass analyser (APM) was first proposed by Ehara et al. (1996) and is used to determine the effective density of aerosol particles. A compact design (Kanomax APM-3601) was subsequently developed by Tajima et al. (2013). Recently, a growing number of field studies have reported application of the APM, and experimental schemes using the differential mobility analyser alongside the APM have been adopted extensively. However, environmental conditions such as ambient pressure and temperature vary with the experimental location, and this could affect the performance of the APM. Gas viscosity and Cunningham slip factors are parameters associated with temperature and pressure and are included in the APM's classification performance parameter: λ. In this study, the effects of temperature and pressure were analysed through theoretical calculation, and the influence of varying carrier gas was experimentally evaluated. The transfer function and APM operational region were further calculated and discussed to examine their applicability. Based on the theoretical analysis of the APM's operational region, the mass detection limits are changed with the properties of carrier gases under a chosen λ value. Moreover, the detection limit can be lowered when the pressure is reduced, which implies that performance may be affected during field study. In experimental evaluation, air, oxygen, and carbon dioxide were selected to atomize aerosols in the laboratory with the aim of evaluating the effect of gas viscosity on the APM's performance. Using monodisperse polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres with nominal diameters of 50 and 100 nm, the classification performance of the APM was slightly varied with carrier gases, while the classification accuracy was consistently within 10 %.
The Risk-Taking Channel of Monetary Policy in the USA: Evidence from Micro-Level Data

There is a growing consensus that a prolonged period of low interest rates can exert a negative impact on financial stability through the risk-taking incentives of banks. Using micro-level datasets from the US banking sector, this paper finds evidence of a highly significant negative relationship between monetary policy rates and bank-risk taking. This finding remains robust across various specifications, sub-periods and subsamples, thereby confirming the presence of an active risk-taking channel of monetary policy since the 1990s. The results, therefore, support the new responsibilities of the Fed on macro-prudential supervision to monitor systemic risks.
Rotor tip stall from a designer's perspective

The operating range of a compressor is the most critical aspect to consider when dealing with new designs. Two distinct routes to compressor stall are known in literature: modal-stall that occurs near the peak of the overall characteristic and spike-stall that initiates on the negatively-sloped part of the characteristic curve. Modal type stall can be taken into account from the very beginning during the design process. The basic mechanisms that drive the phenomena are essentially 2D in nature and there are well-established and experimentally validated design criteria available. Unfortunately this statement no longer applies when dealing with spike-type stall. This short length-scale instability is related to a three-dimensional breakdown of the flow that appears at rotor tip. Since when firstly observed, much effort has been expended trying to understand the flow features underlying this abrupt stall. Nevertheless, a well-established and validated design criterion is still missing. This paper deals with the topic from a designer’s perspective. A discussion which tries to highlight the design variables affecting the spike-stall is presented in the first part of the paper. Then CFD results on core stages of an heavy-duty axial compressor are discussed. The aim is to derive useful considerations for the designer work and discuss which design actions are more effective to successfully complete a spike-stall safe design.
Post-traumatic growth, hope, and depression in elderly cancer patients

Post-traumatic growth (PTG), depression, and hope have not been adequately studied among elderly cancer patients living in Middle East countries. The aim of the study was to assess these constructs in elderly cancer patients and examine whether depression and hope contributed to variations in PTG among these patients. A sample of 142 Iranian elderly people with Azari ethnicity (55 female, 87 male), with average age of 68.4, diagnosed with cancer who admitted to oncology wards and cancer clinics of Hospital were participated in the study. Study tools included demographic details questionnaire, “posttraumatic growth inventory”, Herth Hope Index (HHI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Data were analyzed using SPSS-22 software. The means and standard deviations of the PTG, BDI, and HHI scores for all participants were 70.27 ± 12.43, 12.1 ± 6.5, and 34.63 ± 3.13, respectively. The results showed that PTG was negatively correlated with depression (r = −0.60, p < 0.001), and positively correlated with hope (r = 0.50, p < 0.001). All dimensions of the PTG were significantly correlated with total BDI and HHI scores. Depression and hope correlated with some of the variance of PTG in the Iranian elderly patients with cancer. Offering counseling programs and delivering appropriate levels of nursing care may help decrease patients’ depression and increase their hope.
Evolution of Early Pleistocene fluvial systems in central Poland prior to the first ice sheet advance – a case study from the Bełchatów lignite mine

Abstract Deposits formed between the Neogene/Pleistocene transition and into the Early Pleistocene have been studied, mainly on the basis of drillings and at rare, small outcrops in the lowland part of Polish territory. At the Bełchatów lignite mine (Kleszczów Graben, central Poland), one of the largest opencast pits in Europe, strata of this age have long been exposed in extensive outcrops. The present paper is based on our field studies and laboratory analyses, as well as on research data presented by other authors. For that reason, it can be seen as an overview of current knowledge of lowermost Pleistocene deposits at Bełchatów, where exploitation of the Quaternary overburden has just been completed. The results of cartographic work, sedimentological, mineralogical and palynological analyses as well as assessment of sand grain morphology have been considered. All of these studies have allowed the distinction of three Lower Pleistocene series, i.e., the Łękińsko, Faustynów and Krzaki series. These were laid down in fluvial environments between the end of the Pliocene up to the advance of the first Scandinavian ice sheet on central Poland. The following environmental features have been interpreted: phases of river incision and aggradation, changes of river channel patterns, source sediments for alluvia, rates of aeolian supply to rivers and roles of fluvial systems in morphological and geological development of the area. The two older series studied, i.e., Łękińsko and Faustynów, share common characteristics. They were formed by sinuous rivers in boreal forest and open forest environments. The Neogene substratum was the source of the alluvium. The younger series (Krzaki) formed mainly in a braided river setting, under conditions of progressive climatic cooling. Over time, a gradual increase of aeolian supply to the fluvial system can be noted; initially, silt and sand were laid down, followed by sand only during cold desert conditions. These fluvio-periglacial conditions are identified in the foreground of the advance of the oldest ice sheet into this part of central Poland. The series studied have been compared with other fluvial successions which accumulated in the Kleszczów Graben during subsequent glaciations so as to document general changes in fluvial systems as reactions to climatic evolution. Thus, a palaeoenvironmental scenario has emerged which could be considered to be characteristic of central Poland during the Early Pleistocene.
Domestic and international visitor expenditure and growth in the Christchurch economy

The city of Christchurch is the main gateway to New Zealand’s South Island and attracts a significant number of tourists every year. In 2010 and 2011, significant damage to the city’s building stock and infrastructure occurred as a result of two successive earthquakes. Consequently, Christchurch’s tourist arrivals and associated tourist spending declined significantly. However, the rebuilding efforts since 2011 and the re-opening of tourist facilities and infrastructure have led to a steady increase in visitor arrivals and expenditure. This paper investigates whether tourism expenditure as well as the prevailing exchange rate influence local gross domestic product for the city of Christchurch. We separate domestic and international expenditure analysis into two different vector auto-regression models followed by causality analysis to determine the direction of relationships between these three variables. Our results show that increased domestic and international visitor spending is followed by a measurable and significant increase of local GDP. Exchange rates have a small but non-significant impact on international tourist spending. We conclude that stimulating tourism is an essential element to achieve substantial economic growth in Christchurch.
“Leader member exchange, gender, and influence tactics. A test on multnational companies in Malaysia”

Building upon the “social exchange theory” notion (Blau, 1964; Emerson, 1962), this paper hypothesized the direct impact of leader-member exchange on supervisors’ use of downward influence tactics. Leader-member exchange (LMX) and influence tactics were conceptualized as 2and 3-dimensional constructs, respectively. One hundred and fifty-eight Malaysian managers and executives working in large scale multinational companies voluntarily participated in this study. Two dimensions of LMX, namely loyalty and affect, have direct relationships with soft influence tactics, whereas the moderating hypotheses were not found to have any significant impact on the dependent variables. The findings suggested that leader-member exchange would have moderate impact on supervisors’ use of influence tactics on their subordinates. Implications of the findings, potential limitations of the study, and directions for future research were discussed further.
Teachers’ Experience in Curriculum Implementation: An Investigation on English Language Teaching in Vocational Colleges in Malaysia

This qualitative research aimed to explore teachers’ experience in the implementation of the new English language curriculum in Malaysian vocational colleges. The research’s focus is on English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers’ perceptions on the new English language curriculum and its implementation, ESL teachers’ strategies in implementing the new English language curriculum, and the problems and challenges that they face in implementing the new English language curriculum. A full qualitative research paradigm was employed using a phenomenology design, where 6 ESL teachers from Negeri Sembilan participated to share their insights on the research topic. The research used purposive sampling method, and the participants were selected based on research location. The research instrument used to collect the data was a semi-structured interview administered via Facebook video call and recorded with Callnote application software. This approach was chosen for its feasibility and cost-saving nature. Research findings show that ESL teachers are receptive of the curriculum change and most of them understand the new curriculum well. They have positive feelings towards it despite acknowledging negative curriculum aspects, having curriculum concerns and dealing with problems and challenges. Teachers recommended for proper training and support in order to improve the teaching and learning process in ESL classroom. The implications of the research findings have been outlined and highlighted, followed by several suggestions for the stakeholders involved, including ESL teachers, policymakers, training division, and vocational college administrators.
Investigating the Effects of Vestibular Stimulation on Balance Performance in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study

Background: Centre of pressure displacement is an indicator of postural control. Children with cerebral palsy have poor postural control. One common intervention to enhance their balance is vestibular stimulation. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of vestibular stimulation on COP parameters in children with cerebral palsy (3-10 years old). Methods: This study was a randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial. Twenty children with cerebral palsy received vestibular stimulation, two sessions per week with a course of twelve sessions, based on vestibular stimulation protocol including antero­posterior, lateral, ascending – descending movements and spinning. One cerebral palsy group experienced current and conventional occupational therapy while the other received a period of vestibular stimulation during treatment. Force plate outcome measures were center of pressure displacement parameters as well as velocity, area, displacement in X and Y axes. Results : According to Mann-Whitney U test, means in post-tests in two groups with both conditions of eyes open and closed were significant in velocity parameter (eyes open P= 0.036; eyes closed P = 0.021) while Area parameter, COP displacement in X axis (Rang fore after), COP displacement in Y axis (Rang side way) were not significant (P>0.05). Wilcoxon Test showed significant difference in the velocity parameter; eyes open (P=0.012) and eyes closed (P =0.018). Conclusion: Children who received vestibular stimulation are able to change and control COP displacement faster (according to changes in velocity parameters). So we suggest rehabilitation team members especially occupational therapist to apply vestibular stimulation during their treatment.