Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A quantitative study of the correlative second harmonic and linear scattering from metallic and inorganic nano particles

In recent years there is fast growing interest to find efficient second harmonic generation (SHG) nanoemitters. Such nanoparticles can be used as bio markers, nanosources, nanodetectors and more. The fundamental properties leading to SHG within a bulk of a noncentrosymmetric material are well known. However, the parameters affecting the SHG response of nano particles and the manner in which it changes when a particles size decreases much below the illumination wavelength, is still not known. The origin of the appearance of SHG radiation from nanoparticles composed of centrosymmetric matter is also still on debate. In this work we study the relationship between the linear and nonlinearresponse of light scattering particles. The questions addressed in this work are: how does the shape and size influence the SHG efficiency of these particles and whether the source of the SHG is their bulk or their surface. Further questions are, in which manner does the plasmon resonance or a hot spot influence the SHG yield of a particle. We present ultra sensitive confocal measurements of a large number of particles. In the experiment we combine the simultaneous detection of interferometric linear backscattering with nonlinear SHG back scattering, while rotating the polarization. Measuring a large number of particles while maintaining the accuracy and information richness gained by single particle microscopy allowed to investigate the statistical distributions of their signals and also to consider the differences between them. Compared to ensemble experiments which yield only an average value it becomes possible to separate between the environmental and intrinsic properties that influence a particles SHG yield. Unlike typical single particle experiments it also allows to determine how characteristic the results obtained from a specific particle are. Moreover, combining polarization measurements, allows to pinpoint the various factors which influence the intrinsic yield of an individual particle. Therefore, the fundamental intrinsic source of their SHG can be further revealed. To support our measurements, a lithographic sample marking method was developed. It provided a fast and reliable way to locate identify and measure each of the individual nanoparticles with different optical setups or an electron microscope at any given later time. The challenges in this study came from its quantitative character. Accounting for the large number of parameters that influence the signal of each particle during long measuring times is demanding. In order to compare the response of individual particles we considered: their form, orientation, nano environment, illuminationpolarization and the illuminationintensity they were exposed to at each point in time. All of these particle specific parameters have to be accounted for separately for their evaluation. This required to automate the monitoring, controlling and measuring system and also
Intensive ESL Programmes in Quebec Primary Schools

This paper is a report on a study designed to investigate the second language development of francophone children in experimental intensive ESL programmes in Quebec primary schools. Classroom interaction patterns and learners' contact with and attitudes toward English were also investigated. Learners in the intensive programmes were compared with learners in regular ESL programmes at the same grade level, as well as with learners who had received a comparable number of hours of instruction spread over a longer period of time. The results indicated that the intensive programme learners outperformed both comparison groups on tests of listening and reading comprehension and in oral fluency. In addition, although both regular and intensive programme learners were found to have very little contact with English prior to instruction, the intensive programme learners indicated somewhat greater contact after instruction. They also held more positive attitudes toward English than did the regular programme learners.
Against the odds? – A study of educational attainment and labour market position of the second-generation ethnic minority members in the UK

Much research in the UK has shown a close relationship between family position and educational attainment. Yet, this association seems to apply to whites rather than to children from ethnic minority backgrounds who are usually found to outperform whites in spite of their poorer family situation. The classical theories do not give an adequate account of this apparent mismatch as they were designed for the general population. I propose a thesis of ‘reinvigorated ambition’ to try to explain the second-generation drive for success. Drawing data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, I show that multiple disadvantages faced by ethnic minorities in the labour market give pervasive signals to the second generation that they have to aim higher and work harder in order not to fall too low in their life trajectory. The educational success of children from ethnic minority heritages can thus be seen as a determined effort to shield off cumulative discrimination in the labour market and in wider society.
Does Privatization Increase Firm Performance in Nigeria?: An Empirical Investigation

This paper examined the validity of the efficacy of privatization by investigating not only whether privatization has improved financial (profitability) performance of firms but also whether such improvement has impact on the operational efficiency of privatized firms for the period 1990-2001 in Nigeria. Using a panel data for a sample of 20 privatized firms obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Securities and Exchange Commission, the result showed an increase in all the profitability ratios after privatization. However, only the return on assets and return on sales were significant in explaining the difference between pre- and post-privatization performance of firms in Nigeria. The result of the operational efficiency showed a significant increase in the mean (median) values of sale efficiency and income efficiency. Interestingly, while output (real sales) and employee income of firms significantly increased after privatization, the number of employees decreased insignificantly after privatization. The paper concluded that privatization in Nigeria has worked in the sense that it improves the financial and operational efficiency performance of firms.
Paleoecological Investigation of the Effect of Rainbow Trout Predation on Zooplankton Body Size and Community Composition

Stocking fish for sport may induce food web cascades that impact the trophic state of lakes. Here, the practice of stocking rainbow trout into a Twin Cities metropolitan area lake (Square Lake) was examined to see if changes have occurred in the lake’s zooplankton community that could explain its declining water quality. Rainbow trout are size-selective predators that consume large-bodied herbivorous zooplankton (i.e., ​Daphnia pulicaria​) and therefore may cause decreased phytoplankton grazing pressure and more eutrophic conditions. A paleoecological study was performed that compared the sediment record of Square Lake to that of a reference lake (Big Carnelian Lake) that has never been stocked with rainbow trout. The primary focus of this study was to use exoskeletal remains (​Bosmina​ headshields and ​Daphnia post-abdominal claws) and resting eggs (​Daphnia​ ephippia) to determine if changes in the abundances of multiple zooplankton species and the body size of ​Daphnia​ species have changed from pre-European settlement dates to 1981 onwards, due to the initiation of the trout stocking program. We found that for both proxies (post-abdominal claws and ephippia), ​D. pulicaria mean body size decreased significantly in Square Lake during the post-stocking years (after 1981), but the body size of ​D. mendotae​ did not decrease. No significant changes in ​D. pulicaria body size were seen in either lake before 1981. A shift in species composition from larger-bodied D. pulicaria​ to smaller-bodied ​D. mendotae ​after 1981 was not seen until late (~ 2010) in the sediment record. In addition to these findings, data on human population size and land development in the lakes’ watersheds were used to understand changes in the sediment and zooplankton community composition. For both lakes, it was found that since pre-European settlement to 1981 the sediment composition has become increasingly dominated by clastic and organic materials, and that the zooplankton populations have shifted in dominance from ​Bosmina to ​Daphnia​. Differences in fish stocking practices of each lake appeared to have caused opposite changes in the mean body size of their ​D.pulicaria ​populations. The rainbow trout stocking in Square Lake has caused the mean body size to decrease, while the stocking of walleye into Big Carnelian Lake seems to have caused it to increase.
Correlation Between the Mosque and Traditional House Architecture in Kudus, Indonesia

The spread of Islam and the rise of the cigarette industry that began in the nineteenth century are two factors that influence the transformation of mosque and traditional houses in the old city center of Kudus. This study aims to find out how the correlation between the architecture of the mosque Menara Kudus and traditional houses in the city of Kudus. The object of the study is first, the mosque Menara Kudus, and secondly, the traditional house around the mosque, which is type of single and type of series. The method used is a combination of historical documentary and architectural descriptive with survey technique. The analysis should be viewed within the framework of Javanese culture. The results of the study show that in general the traditional house architecture has no significant correlation with the architecture of mosque Menara Kudus, but it has more significant correlation with traditional Javanese house architecture.
Brand-Specific Tastes for Quality

This paper develops a model of nonlinear pricing with competition. The novel element is that each consumer's willingness to pay for quality is private information and is allowed to differ across brands. The consumer's preferences are represented by a multidimensional type containing the marginal value of quality for different products. Buyers with high willingness to pay for quality also display strong preferences for particular brands, and require higher discounts in order to switch away from their favorite product. Therefore, competition is fiercer for buyers with lower tastes for quality, and hence more elastic demands. This is in sharp contrast to earlier models in which competition is fiercer for higher-taste, more valuable buyers. In equilibrium, firms either compete intensively for the entire market (providing strictly positive rents to all consumers) or shut down the least profitable segment of the market. Quality levels are distorted downwards for all buyers, except for those with the highest type. The number of competing firms and the degree of correlation across brand preferences enhance the efficiency of the allocation.
Prevalence of Denture Stomatitis Among Complete Denture Wearers in Aljouf

ABSTRACT Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of denture stomatitis and study the associated factors in complete denture wearers among residence of Aljouf Region, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods Two hundred fifty-six complete denture wearers participated in this cross- sectional study. Patients were recruited from Outpatient clinics, College of Dentistry, Aljouf University. Associated factors such as age, gender, income, level of education, denture-wearing at night, Length of denture use, frequency and method of denture cleaning were studied. All data were obtained by intra-oral examination. Bivariate correlation (Spearman Rho), crosstabs descriptive analysis and frequency analysis were performed. The prevalence rate of denture stomatitis was determined and the associated factors were statistically analyzed. Results The prevalence of denture stomatitis was 23.4 % (60 patients). There was a statistically significant relationship between the prevalence of denture stomatitis with age, Level of education, Length of denture use, denture wearing at night, frequency and method of denture cleaning (p 0.05) Conclusions The presence of denture stomatitis in complete denture wearers was strongly related to patient age, level of education, denture wearing at night, frequency and method of denture cleaning.
Economic Justification of Advanced Manufacturing Technology

The paper presents an overview of economic justification of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) projects. The economic justification approach is first of all put into context of other commonly used justification approaches and their advantages as well as disadvantages have been summarized there. Thereafter the focus is solely on financial and accounting methods utilized by managers in order to decide about the economic feasibility of AMT projects. The respective results of two surveys carried out in the Czech Republic have been compared with outcomes of two analogical surveys that were realized earlier in the UK an the USA. Major differences found in the various financial methods utilization, their perceived importance within the relevant decision making processes as well as the likely consequences of some anomalies have been discussed there as well.
Perceptions and Use of Herbal Remedies among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Murang’a North District, Kenya

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with a world wide distribution. Use of herbal remedies has been on increase with World Health Organization estimating that 80 percent of the world’s population presently uses some form of herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. Objectives of this study were therefore to determine the perceptions people with diabetes mellitus have towards herbal remedies, to determine the extent to which they use herbal remedies and also to establish whether there is any association between the perceptions people have on herbal remedies and use of herbal remedies. The study was carried out in Murang’a District, in Mathioya and Kangema Constituencies where five community health units were purposively selected to participate in the study based on their level of establishment in community health strategy. Data was collected using interview schedules. SPSS was used for data analysis. Significant findings from this study were: a significant number of the respondents (15%) were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus when already admitted in the wards prior to which period they had no idea that they were diabetic, over 86% of those interviewed were given information on diabetes management on diagnosis and they attend hospital clinics for follow-up regularly and therefore this means that the reason for seeking alternative modes of treatment is not due to lack of information on diabetes but due to other reasons, 12.4% of those interviewed admitted using herbal remedies as part of their management of diabetes. Recommendations made following the study were: the government of Kenya through Ministry of Health should encourage rigorous screening of clients and population in general for diabetes to ensure diabetes is diagnosed early and put under appropriate management and that the government of Kenya through Ministry of Health should put up a campaign educating diabetic patients on the potential dangers associated with combining herbal remedies with contemporary medicines due to their interactions.
Kefir Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis of Epithelial Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cells

Kefir is a fermented milk product, to which many health benefits have been attributed. These include anti‐microbial, anti‐inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and metabolic benefits. Most importantly, many studies have proven that kefir may have anti‐cancerous potential. The current study aims at examining the effect of this probiotic on colorectal cancer cells, in vitro. Kefir's anti‐cancer potential was tested on Caco‐2 and HT‐29, colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines, through cytotoxicity, proliferation, and apoptotic assays. Kefir's cytotoxicity was assessed by determining the percentage viability of cells, using the Trypan Blue Exclusion method. After determining the IC50, the effect of various concentrations of kefir on the proliferation of Caco‐2 and HT‐29 cells was determined. Using WST‐1 cell proliferation assay, kefir was shown to be anti‐proliferative to the cells in a dose and time dependent manner. Through flow cytometry, kefir was also shown to induce cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, which was assumed to be an apoptotic effect. This was then confirmed by Cell Death Elisa Plus kit, which showed that apoptosis increased with increasing kefir concentration. Western Blot analysis demonstrated that kefir induces the overexpression of Bax, while repressing Bcl‐2.
Deterministic ground-motion scenarios for engineering applications: the case of thessaloniki, Greece.

Abstract In this article we present a deterministic study to estimate seismic ground motions expected in urban areas located near active faults. The purpose was to generate bedrock synthetic time series to be used as seismic input into site effects evaluation analysis and loss estimates for the urban area and infrastructures of Thessaloniki (Northern Greece). Two simulation techniques (a full wave method to generate low-frequency seismograms, ∼1 Hz) were used to compute time series associated with four different reference earthquakes having magnitudes from 5.9 to 6.5 and located within 30 km of Thessaloniki. The propagation medium and different source parameters were tested through the modeling of the 1978 Thessaloniki earthquake ( M 6.5). Moreover two different nucleation points were considered for each fault in order to introduce additional variability in the ground-motion estimates. Between the two cases, the quasi-unilateral rupture propagation toward the city produces both higher median peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity (PGV) values and higher variability than bilateral ones. Conversely, the low-frequency ground motion, that is, peak ground displacement (PGD), is slightly influenced by the position of the nucleation point, and its variability is related to the final slip distribution on the faults of the reference earthquakes and to the location of the sites with respect to the nodal planes of the radiation pattern. To validate our deterministic shaking scenarios, we verified that the synthetic peak ground motions (PGA and PGV) and spectral ordinates are within one standard deviation of several ground-motion prediction equations valid for the region. At specific sites we combined the low- and high-frequency synthetics to obtain broadband time series that cover the entire frequency band of engineering interest (0–25 Hz). The use of synthetic seismograms instead of empirical equations in the hazard estimates provides a complete evaluation of the expected ground motions both in frequency and time domains, including predictions at short distances from the fault (0–10 km) and at periods larger than 2–3 sec.
Effect of the deposition time on optical and electrical properties of semiconductor ZnS thin films prepared by chemical bath deposition

Semiconductor ZnS thin films have been deposited by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) on a glass substrate at 80 °C with different deposition time (4, 6 and 8 h). The films have been further studied in order to determine the change in optical and electrical properties as a function of deposition time. The film thicknesses have been calculated between 210–1375 nm by using gravimetrical analysis. The optical properties of ZnS thin films have been determined by transmittance (% T ) and absorbance ( A ) measurements by UV-Vis spectroscopy operated wavelength range between 300 and 1100 nm at room temperature. The optical transmittance values of ZnS thin films in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum have been found to be between 51–90%. The calculations indicate that the refractive index ( n ) in the visible region is between 1.40 and 2.45. The optical band gaps ( E g ) of thin films have been calculated between 3.61–3.88 eV while the band edge sharpness values ( B ) are varied between 6.95×10 9 –8.96×10 10 eV/cm 2 . The specific resistivity values (ρ) of the films are found to be between 1.08×10 5 –1.01×10 6 Ω·cm and exhibit an n -type conductivity by Hall measurement.
The determinants of board size and composition: Evidence from Taiwan banks

Using panel data on banks publicly listed in Taiwan over 1997 to 2008, this paper examines the determinants of board size and composition in an environment where most banks have concentrated ownership and investor protection is weak. The result shows that board size and composition reflect the bank-specific and ownership characteristics. First, bank size and bank age are the key determinants of banks’ board size. Besides, board independence increase with the controlling shareholders’ ownership, but decrease with the ownership of outside directors. However, board size and structure are both not sensitive to the benefits and costs of monitoring and advising. Thus, contrary to the finding of US unregulated firms with disperse ownership, our results are not supportive of the view that banks structure boards in an efficient response to their operating environment. Key words: Board size, board composition, ownership.
Stroke and Dementia in Atrial Fibrillation

1.1 Incidence and prevalence Atrial fibrillation (AF) and its consequences are today’s main epidemiologic concerns. Two most important population based studies, the Framingham Study and the Rotterdam Study, report a lifetime risk of developing AF as one in four people after the age of 40 years. This is opposed to breast cancer which affects one in eight women, or heart failure affecting every fifth individual. (Lloyd-Jones et al., 2004, Mattace-Raso et al., 2006) With aging population, both AF prevalence and incidence are also increasing. (Lakatta & Levy, 2003b) AF represents the most common, highly prevalent cardiac arrhythmia which is the strongest risk factor for ischemic stroke, currently affecting 4,5 to 6 million Europeans and 2,3 to 5,1 million Americans. The prevalence of AF ranges from 2,5% in individuals over 40 yrs of age, 6% in those older than 65, to 12-16% in those over 75 yrs. (Lloyd-Jones et al., 2004; Stewart et al., 2002; Wolf et al., 1991; Kannnel et al., 2008; Miyasaka et al., 2006) AF affects more than 1% of the population in total, and 70% of AF patients are aged between 65 and 85 yrs. (Phillips et al., 1990) This number is expected to double in the next 30 years. (Miyasaka et al., 2006; Savelieva & Camm, 2001; Go et al., 2008).