Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Explicit and Implicit Instruction in English Refusals

This study compares the effects of explicit and implicit instruction in the use of English refusals.Sixty-two participants from two intact groups participated.Thirty-three were in an explicit instruction group(EIG) and 29 in an implicit instruction group(IIG). The teaching targets were refusals to four types of acts:invitations,suggestions,offers and requests,and involved three kinds of status(high,equal and low) in familiar relationships.Pretests and posttests were used to obtain the scores,and the instrument used for testing was a written Discourse Completion Test(DCT). A t-test and effect size were used for analyzing quantitative data.The classification of the responses of the written DCT was adopted for analyzing qualitative data.The quantitative results show that explicit instruction was better than implicit instruction for teaching English refusals.Qualitatively,for teaching refusals to invitations and requests,explicit teaching was better than implicit teaching;for teaching refusals to offers and suggestions there was no difference between the two kinds of instruction;but teaching refusals to offers was effective,and no effect could be found in teaching refusals to suggestions.As to amount of information,strategy choices,and level of formality,the performance of the EIG was better than that of the IIG.
Growth Responses and Nitrogen Uptake by Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata L.), a Halophytic Plant Species, under Salt Stress, Using the 15N Technique

Various saltgrass clones were studied hydroponically, using Hoagland solution, in a greenhouse to evaluate their DM weights and nitrogen uptake under control and salt stress conditions. Treatments included control (no added salt) and plants grown under NaCl salinity. Twelve clones were grown with 4 replications of each treatment in a RCB design trial. Ammonium sulfate, 5.3%15N was used to enrich the plants by adding 5 mg 15N as 22.931 mg (15NH4)2SO4, per liter of the culture solution per day. Plant shoots were harvested weekly, oven-dried at 65°C, and DM weights were recorded. At the last harvest, plant roots were also harvested, oven-dried at 65°C, and DM weights were determined. Harvested plant materials were analyzed for total-N and 15N contents. The results showed non-significant differences in shoot DM weights and total-N and 15N concentrations and contents in salinized plants compared with the controls. Total-N and 15N concentrations of the roots were higher than that of the shoots under either control or saline condition. Overall, due to the high degree of salt tolerance of saltgrass, the results showed generally no difference in nitrogen uptake by most of the clones under salt stress compared with the control plants.
The sensitivity of Australian animals to 1080 poison. II. Marsupial and eutherian carnivores

Eutherian carnivores tested were more sensitive to 1080 poison than marsupial carnivores. Both groups of animals displayed similar symptoms but there was wide intra- and interspecific variation in the time to onset, the sequence of occurrence and duration of the symptoms. The risks that individual carnivores face from primary and secondary poisoning have been assessed. Theoretically, dingoes probably face the greatest risk amongst the species studied, followed by members of the smaller dasyurids and feral cats. Members of the larger dasyurids and long-nosed bandicoots probably face the least risk. Factors likely to influence the actual effect of 1080-poisoning campaigns on carnivore populations are discussed.
Executive Compensation, Earnings Management and Over Investment in Malaysia

The study investigates the inter-relationship between executive compensation, earnings management and over investment. Using a sample of 196 Malaysian public listed firms, the findings show a positive endogenous relationship between executive compensation and over investment. Measuring equity compensation in incentive ratio, for each percent of over investment, one percent improvement in share prices will increase 23% of executive directors' equity value. Over investment, however, leads to a decline in executive directors' equity value in large shareholders controlled firms. In addition, one percent of over investment can explain 12% of earnings management. Nevertheless, earnings management does not explain executive directors' compensation. In summary, aligning over-investment with executive compensation schemes has implied that the existing compensation is insufficient for executive directors to align their interest with the objective to maximise shareholders' value.
Sensitivity of the current Antarctic surface mass balance to sea surface conditions using MAR

Abstract. Estimates for the recent period and projections of the Antarctic surface mass balance (SMB) often rely on high-resolution polar-oriented regional climate models (RCMs). However, RCMs require large-scale boundary forcing fields prescribed by reanalyses or general circulation models (GCMs). Since the recent variability of sea surface conditions (SSCs, namely sea ice concentration, SIC, and sea surface temperature, SST) over the Southern Ocean is not reproduced by most GCMs from the 5th phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), RCMs are then subject to potential biases. We investigate here the direct sensitivity of the Antarctic SMB to SSC perturbations around the Antarctic. With the RCM “Modèle Atmosphérique Régional” (MAR), different sensitivity experiments are performed over 1979–2015 by modifying the ERA-Interim SSCs with (i) homogeneous perturbations and (ii) mean anomalies estimated from all CMIP5 models and two extreme ones, while atmospheric lateral boundary conditions remained unchanged. Results show increased (decreased) precipitation due to perturbations inducing warmer, i.e. higher SST and lower SIC (colder, i.e. lower SST and higher SIC), SSCs than ERA-Interim, significantly affecting the SMB of coastal areas, as precipitation is mainly related to cyclones that do not penetrate far into the continent. At the continental scale, significant SMB anomalies (i.e greater than the interannual variability) are found for the largest combined SST/SIC perturbations. This is notably due to moisture anomalies above the ocean, reaching sufficiently high atmospheric levels to influence accumulation rates further inland. Sensitivity experiments with warmer SSCs based on the CMIP5 biases reveal integrated SMB anomalies (+5 % to +13 %) over the present climate (1979–2015) in the lower range of the SMB increase projected for the end of the 21st century.
Wear particle di!usion and tissue di!erentiation in TKA implant "brous interfaces

In the context of mechanical loosening, we studied the hypothesis that wear-particle migration in the "brous membrane under tibial plateaus after total knee arthroplasty can be explained by the pumping e! ects of the interstitial #uid in the tissue. Further, as a secondary objective we investigated the possibility that interface-tissue di! erentiation is in#uenced by interstitial #uid #ow and strain, as mechanical e! ects of interface motions. For comparative reasons, we analyzed a previously published simpli"ed twodimensional "nite-element model, this time assuming biphasic tissue properties. We wanted to determine hydrostatic pressure and #ow velocities in the#uid phase, in addition to stresses and strains, for time-dependent loading of the plateau. We found that #uid#ow in the interface was extremely slow, except in the periphery. Hence, loosening due to particle-induced bone resorption appears improbable. The results, however, do support the idea that particles migrate with #uid #ow, when such #ow occurs. Where "brous tissue tends to be prominent in reality, the #uid is repeatedly extruded and reabsorbed in the model. Where these values are low, "brocartilage is commonly found. When material properties were varied to subsequently represent "brocartilage and two stages of mineralization, the strains and #uid velocities is reduced. Fluid pressure, however, did not change. Our results refute the hypothesis that wear particles are pumped through the interface tissue below a TKA but support the hypothesis that interface tissue type and loosening processes are in#uenced by mechanical tissue variables such as tissue strain and interstitial #uid velocity. ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
ocial skills and problem behaviors as mediators of the relationship etween behavioral self-regulation and academic achievement

Early behavioral self-regulation is an important predictor of the skills children need to be successful in school. However, little is known about the mechanism(s) through which self-regulation affects academic achievement. The current study investigates the possibility that two aspects of children’s social functioning, social skills and problem behaviors, mediate the relationship between preschool self-regulation and literacy and math achievement. Additionally, we investigated whether the meditational processes differed for boys and girls. We expected that better self-regulation would help children to interact well with others (social skills) and minimize impulsive or aggressive (problem) behaviors. Positive interactions with others and few problem behaviors were expected to relate to gains in achievement as learning takes place within a social context. Preschool-aged children (n = 118) were tested with direct measures of self-regulation, literacy, and math. Teachers reported on children’s social skills and problem behaviors. Using a structural equation modeling approach (SEM) for mediation analysis, social skills and problem behaviors were found to mediate the relationship between self-regulation and growth in literacy across the preschool year, but not math. Findings suggest that the mediational process was similar for boys and girls. These findings indicate that a child’s social skills and problem behaviors are part of the mechanism through which behavioral self-regulation affects growth in literacy. Self-regulation may be important not just because of the way that it relates directly to academic achievement but also because of the ways in which it promotes or inhibits children’s interactions with others.
Adiabatic and nonadiabatic nanofocusing of plasmons by tapered gap plasmon waveguides

Adiabatic and nonadiabatic nanofocusing of plasmons in tapered gap plasmon waveguides is analyzed using the finite-difference time-domain algorithm. Optimal adaptors between two different subwavelength waveguides and conditions for maximal local field enhancement are determined, investigated, and explained on the basis of dissipative and reflective losses in the taper. Nanofocusing of plasmons into a gap of ∼1nm width with more than 20 times increase in the plasmon energy density is demonstrated in a silver-vacuum taper of ∼1μm long. Comparison with the approximate theory based on the geometrical optics approximation is conducted.
Development and evaluation of a novel slide flocculation test using rat liver tissue homogenate as antibody binding surface for onchocerciasis screening

The need to have a screening tool for onchocerciasis control to compliment parasitological and molecular diagnosis has remained an important goal. A novel Onchocerca volvulus slide flocculation test (Ov-SFT) was developed using tissue homogenates from rat organs (kidney, liver, heart, spleen, muscle, brain, lungs and testes). Liver followed by spleen and then kidney tissue homogenates performed better than others. Flocculation reactions were performed with antigens extracted from female adult worms of O. volvulus using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and sera from confirmed onchocerciasis infected patients. Negative and assay controls included non-infected serum and phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Results were subjectively graded as no reaction, 0 or negative. Positive reactions were rated 1 to 5 for low, moderate, medium, high and very high flocculation. The grading corresponded to titre levels ranging from 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32. The liver homogenate had the highest titre of 1/16 (4) followed by that of the kidney 1/8 (3) and heart 1/4 (2) flocculation reaction. The liver homogenate was validated as binding surface for Ov-SFT for screening field samples. Serum was added undiluted to SDS-extract at 1:40 dilution. Result showed that 33 (50.8%) of the sera samples (n= 65) from onchocerciasis endemic communities receiving ivermectin treatment tested positive. Intensity of antibody reactivity were at 1/2, 1 (1.54%); 1/4, 4 (6.15%); 1/8, 6 (9.23%); 1/16, 9 (13.85%) and 1/32, 13 (20%) dilutions. Three out of the five malaria positive cases were Ov-SFT sero-positive compared to 9 (63.5%) of the 14 malaria negative. There is potential field and point of care application of this test for surveillance and monitoring of onchocerciasis. The possibility of using it with other parasitic and bacterial diseases control is discussed.
Effects of NaCl on protein profiles of tetraploid and hexaploid wheat species and their diploid wild progenitors

The soluble proteins extracted from the first leaf tissues of cultivated tetraploid ( Triticum durum Desf., genome AB) and hexaploid (T. aestivum L., genome ABD) wheat species and their diploid wild progenitors [T. monococcum L. (A), Aegilops speltoides Tausch (B), and Aegilops tauschii Cosson ( D)] exposed to 100 mmol/l NaCl stress were separated by two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis. There was no newly synthesized protein in the NaCl treatment compared to the control treatment in all species. However, protein profiles showed some differences among species. Most of these proteins had acidic character; their isoelectric point (pI = pH − acidity of proteins) ranged between 5.1–6.9 and low-mol weight (LMW) between 20.3–30.6 kDa. Salt stress caused some proteins to increase or decrease. In the same MW and pI, 11 LMW and 3 intermediate-mol weight (IMW, 34.8–35.4 kDa) pro teins increased and/or decreased in amounts were common between at least two species. The remarkable changes in Ae. speltoides were detected as decreases or losses in protein profiles. As a result of salt stress, all the remarkable changes in T. durum were detected as the increases in proteins. However, some proteins increased in T. aestivum, T. monococcum and Ae. tauschii. It is suggested that an increase in the amount of the proteins may lead to an increase in the tolerance mechanisms towards NaCl salinity of wheat species which has A and/or genome(s).
THE EFFECT OF LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE ON ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIVENESS: FINDINGS FROM A LITHUANIAN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATION

The paper investigates the impact of the quality of the relationships between leader and followers or leader-member exchange (LMX) on five dimensions of organizational innovativeness such as product, market, process, behaviour and strategy. The empirical findings were obtained by a survey (n=757) in a public sector organization in Lithuania, where autocratic relationships between leader and followers may be still a tendency due to socio-historical reasons. The findings of a series of regression analysis indicate that, in general, LMX has a comapratively low although statistically significant explanatory power, but for behaviour innovativeness. Regression analysis of the split sample to test the relation between a perceived low, medium and high quality of relationships between leader and followers has yielded no consistent difference in the effect of differentiated LMX levels on organizational innovativeness.
Attitudes towards psychiatry of undergraduate medical students at Bayero University, Nigeria

Background . This study determined and compared responses of 5th- and 6th (final)-year medical students on their attitudes to psychiatry as a profession. Also elicited were their choices of area of future medical specialisation. Method . A prospective and cross-sectional study using an adapted 27-item self-administered questionnaire to obtain responses from 91 5th- and 6th-year medical students at Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. Results. More than 60% of the students’ first choices for future specialisation were surgery, obstetrics/gynaecology or internal medicine. Psychiatry was the first preference for less than 2%. More than 75% of the students’ views on the overall merits and efficacy of psychiatry were positive, although they felt that psychiatry had low prestige and status as a profession. In addition, the same proportion considered that psychiatry was scientific, making advances in the treatment of major mental disorders, and helpful in liaison practice. More than 50% stated that psychiatry would not be their choice of last resort for residency education and the same proportion felt that friends and fellow students rather than family members would discourage them from specialising in psychiatry. More than 50% would feel uncomfortable with mentally ill patients, felt that psychiatry would not be financially rewarding, and did not think that psychiatrists abuse their legal power to hospitalise patients. Attitudes of the two groups of students to psychiatry as a profession were not significantly different (p>0.05). Conclusion. A clinical clerkship in psychiatry did not influence the students’ choice of future specialisation.
Gaseous mercury emissions from natural sources in Canadian landscapes

[1] Field measurements of mercury air-surface exchange from natural settings were made in various Canadian landscapes. Soil and water samples were analyzed for mercury concentrations, and air-surface exchange fluxes from these substrates were determined using dynamic chamber, micrometeorological, or modeling methods. Environmental variables, including air and soil/water temperature, solar radiation, humidity, and wind speed, were monitored concurrently with the air-surface exchange to better understand the processes affecting the environmental cycling of mercury. Average mercury fluxes from aquatic landscapes ranged from 0.0 to 5.0 ng m−2 h−1 with total mercury concentration in water ranging from 0.3 to 6.5 ng L−1. A significant correlation (R2 = 0.47) was found between gaseous Hg fluxes and total Hg concentration in water. Mean gaseous Hg fluxes from forest soils varied from −0.4 to 2.2 ng m−2 h−1, while those from agricultural fields ranged from 1.1 to 2.9 ng m−2 h−1. Non-mineralized bedrock, sand, and till sites yielded fluxes ranging from −0.03 to 5.9 ng m−2 h−1. Mean fluxes from mercuriferous geological substrates at various locations were large compared to non-mercuriferous sites, ranging from 9.1 to 1760 ng m−2 h−1, and represent natural emissions. The corresponding total mercury substrate concentrations ranged from 0.360 to 180 ppm. A significant correlation (R2 = 0.66) was found between Hg fluxes and total Hg concentrations in mineralized and non-mineralized substrates. These gaseous Hg flux measurements represent a significant contribution to understanding natural mercury cycling, but there are still insufficient data and knowledge of processes to properly scale up fluxes from natural sources in Canada.
Central bank behaviour before and after the great recession

Before the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) central bank independence was a popular topic among those who favoured price stability. A conservative central banker, without being influenced by the economic policies of the government, can maintain as its primary priority the maintenance of price stability. The response of central bankers to the GFC seems to indicate a very different approach to macroeconomic targeting. In this paper we present empirical results using the Engel Granger cointegration technique for five countries and the results show that persistent cointegration of series from 2000 until 2006-2007 did not continue in the latter part of the sample period. These results are indicative of significant changes in central bank behaviour.
Assessment of herd size and structure of the savanah muturu on free range in relation to genetic improvement in the Benue trough of Nigeria.

The study was conducted in five local government areas of Benue state, Nigeria; to asses herd size and herd structure of the savanah muturu in relation to genetic improvement. A field study of the Savanah muturu herds were conducted. The mean herd sizes of the savanah muturu were 3.00 ± 0.43, 3.60 ± 0.73, 6.00 ± 2.00, 4.27 ± 0.67, 3.00 ± 2.00. In all the populations, the number of heifers and breeding bulls were low. The number of breeding females were equally low, calf crop were low and there were no heifers for replacement in all the herds. It is evident that allelic drift through random sampling will reduce heterozygosity in these populations. Fertility and other fitness related traits would also be reduced in these populations. Genetic improvement through selection would be practically impossible in these populations, as selection intensities would be too low to exert any improvement on deserve alleles and genotypes.
Heart transplantation: a history lesson of Lazarus

One of the notable advances in modern day medicine is organ transplantation. None more so than the heart. A complex interaction between physiology, surgery and immunology that spanned decades, involving the hard work of many pioneers in their fields. We revisit the contributions of the pioneers as well as marvel at the paradigm shifts in medicine that have made heart transplantation safe and reproducible with in excess of 3000 transplants done yearly today.
Effects of supplemental recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) and cooling with misters and fans on renal function in relation to regulation of body fluids in different stages of lactation in crossbred Holstein cattle.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of supplemental recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) and cooling with misters and fans on renal function in relation to regulation of body fluids in different stages of lactation in crossbred Holstein cattle. Ten, 87.5% crossbred Holstein cattle were divided into two groups of 5 animals each, housing in a normal shaded barn (NS) and in a shaded barn with a mister-fans cooling system (MF). The experiment in each group was divided into 3 phases, early- (Day 75 postpartum), mid- (Day 135 postpartum), and late stage of lactation (Day 195 postpartum). The pre-treatment study was conducted on the starting day of each stage of lactation and the treatment study was performed after the end of the pre-treatment, during which the animal was injected with 500 mg of rbST (POSILAC) every 14 days for three times. During the study, ambient temperature at the hottest period daily in the MF barn was significantly lower, while relative humidity was higher than that of the NS barn. The temperature humidity index (THI) in both barns ranged from 79-85 throughout the periods of study. Cows in the MF barn showed a lower rectal temperature and respiration rate as compared with cows in the NS barn. The effect of rbST administration increased both rectal temperature and respiration rates of cows housed in either the NS or MF barn. Milk yield significantly increased in cows treated with rbST in all stages of lactation. Increases in mammary blood flow, accompanied by increases of total body water (TBW), extracellular fluid (ECF), blood volume (BV) and plasma volume (PV), were observed in both groups of cows receiving rbST in all stages of lactation. No alterations of renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate were observed in cows receiving rbST, but decreases in urinary excretion and fractional excretion of sodium, potassium and chloride ions appeared to correlate with reduction in the rate of urine flow and osmolar clearance during rbST administration. These results suggest that the effect of rbST supplementation to cows housed either in NS or MF barns on body fluid volume expansion is attributable to changes in the rate of electrolyte excretion by the kidney. The increased availability of renal tubular reabsorption of sodium, potassium and chloride ions during rbST treatment was a major factor in retaining body water through its colligative properties in exerting formation of an osmotic force mechanism.