Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stability of soil aggregates in Latosols and Cambisols via standard method and sonification

The results of determining the stability of aggregates in water are sometimes contrasting, and do not permit a definition of the energy level or force involved in this analysis. The objective of this study was to compare two methods to determine the geometric mean diameter (GMD) and the percentage of aggregates > 2 mm in Latosol and Cambisol submitted to management under coffee. To conduct this study we collected soil blocks with preserved structure at the following depths, having gypsum as the soil surface reference: Hilled layer (soil above the gypsum layer) and depths of 0.0-0.20 m and 0.20-0.40 m below the gypsum line, with three repetitions, in two soil classes: Latosol and Cambisol. The aggregate stability was determined via wet sieving (standard method) and sonification. For the sonification, 5 g of aggregate were subjected to increasing levels of ultrasonic energy, 2.2, 6.4, 12.8 and 25.5 J mL-1. After sonification at each energy level, samples were passed through the same set of sieves used in the standard method. Geometric mean diameter of the aggregates and the percentage of aggregates > 2 mm was calculated. The data were submitted to variance analysis and the averages were compared by the Scott-Knott test (p 2.0 mm were higher when these aggregation indices were determined by the standard method, and sonification demonstrated a difference in depth regarding aggregate stability, the 0.20 to 0.40 m depth being more susceptible to breakdown. sonification methods S15 and S30, which respectively correspond to ultrasonic energy levels 6.4 and 12.8 J mL-1, were more sensitive in detecting differences in depth in the GMD aggregation index of the soil used. Key words: Ultrasonic energy, wet sieving, aggregation.
Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Momordica charantia from Turkey

Momordica charantia L. has long been regarded as a food and medicinal plant. Although it is not a native plant in Turkey, it is frequently used in folk medicine, especially in west and southwest parts of Anatolia. In the present study, unripe/ripe seed and fruit ethanol extracts of M. charantia from Turkey were screened for their potential antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The antimicrobial activities of the extract were determined against four gram positive bacteria, seven gram negative bacteria, and one yeast with disc diffusion and microdilution broth methods. The extracts were also tested in vitro against four different fish pathogens. The unripe fruit extract was the most active against the tested microorganisms in the study with higher inhibition zones and lower minimal bactericidal or fungicidal activities (MBC or MFC) than the other extracts. Antioxidant capacity of the extracts was investigated by different assay, namely, total antioxidant activity, free radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay), iron (III) and cupric ion reduction assay. The total phenolic content was only determined from ripe fruit and seed extracts as 23.45 and 9.36 mg GAE/g, respectively. The results show that the ripe fruit extract has the strongest antioxidant capacity compared with other extracts. The findings indicate the potential use of unripe fruit and ripe fruit extracts as biopreservatives as they demonstrated high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, respectively.
BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERÚ Dedollarization and financial robustness

This paper evaluates the qualitative and quantitative implications of financial dedollarization of firms’ liabilities on real aggregates in a small open economy model. We extend the standard Cespedes, Chang, and Velasco (2004) model by allowing entrepreneurs borrow in both foreign and domestic currency so as to finance firms’ capital needs. A real depreciation reduces the value of firms’ net worth whenever there is a currency mismatch in their balance sheets. Under flexible exchange rates, a lower degree of dollarization lessens the negative impact on output and investment, since there is a smaller increase in the cost of external borrowing. The quantitative results show that the balance sheet channel accounts for about 70 percent of the output and investment drop in Peru following the Russian Crisis, and a reduction in debt dollarization would have reduced output drop in 0.9 percentage points of GDP.
Mating frequency in Apis mellifera iberiensis queens

Summary Honey bees exhibit high levels of polyandry. This mating behaviour provides high levels of genetic diversity within the colonies which increases colony productivity, queen fitness and resistance to diseases. We investigated the mating frequency in two Iberian populations of Apis mellifera iberiensis, one from northern Spain inhabiting the Cantabrian Mountains and showing west European (M) mitochondrial haplotypes, the other located in south-eastern Spain close to the Mediterranean Sea and bearing African (A) mitochondrial DNA. Queens of the northern apiaries mated with 8–25 drones (average 15.73 ± 4.58), those of the south-eastern with 10–29 drones (average 18.92 ± 5.07), a difference that was significant (p = 0.036). Genetic relatedness among workers was 0.30 ± 0.02 in both populations. It is discussed whether climatic conditions and genetic background may influence honey bee queen mating behaviour.
Self and Group Initiated Professional Development Pursuits of EFL Teachers

ABSTRACT Teachers’ quality plays a paramount role in the improvement of education quality. One of the ways to ensure high quality teachers is through effective continuous professional development for teachers. This present study is aimed to explore how EFL teachers develop their professionalism, particularly in terms of pedagogical and professional competencies. This research involved seven outstanding English teachers teaching at junior and senior high schools from two different areas covering one municipality and a district in Cirebon. The result showed that there are two main themes of professional development pursuits of the outstanding teachers comprising of self-initiated or individual and group professional development activities. ABSTRAK Kualitas guru berperan penting dalam menjaga kualitas pendidikan. Salah satu cara memastikan guru untuk tetap berkualitas adalah melalui aktivitas pengembangan profesionalisme yang efektif bagi guru. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi bagaimana aktivitas guru bahasa Inggris mengembangkan profesionalisme mereka terutama dalam hal kompetensi pedagogis dan profesional. Penelitian ini melibatkan tujuh guru bahasa Inggris luar biasa yang mengajar di tingkat SMP dan SMA dari dua wilayah yang berbeda yang mencakup satu kotamadya dan sebuah kabupaten di Cirebon. Hasil penelitiannya menunjukkan bahwa ada dua pola utama aktivitas pengembangan profesional dari guru bahasa Inggris yang terdiri dari kelompok sendiri / individu, dan kelompok. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa guru bahasa Inggris dapat melakukan kegiatan profesinya yang diinisiasi sendiri dan kelompok untuk mempertahankan profesionalisme mereka sebagai guru. How to Cite : Priajana, N. (2017). Self and Group Initiated Professional Development Pursuits of EFL Teachers. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 4 (1), 31-48 doi:10.15408/ijee.v4i1. 6597.
Challenges of Teaching English Language in a Multilingual Setting: An Investigation at Government Girls Secondary Schools of Quetta, Baluchistan, Pakistan

Baluchistan is a multi-linguistic and multi-ethnic province of Pakistan. In this region, the inhabitants for communication purpose speak a number of local languages such as Baluchi, Brahvi, Pashto, Saraiki, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi and Persian. Students who attend the government schools speak these languages. This study aimed to explore the challenges faced by the secondary school female teachers while teaching the English language in their multilingual classrooms. The purposive sampling was used and 10 government secondary school female teachers participated in the study. The data was collected through a semi-structured interview protocol and classroom observation checklist. The data was analyzed by using thematic analyses technique. The findings of the study revealed a number of challenges. Teaching English language in a multilingual context is an enormous challenge for the English teachers due to linguistic diversity in the classrooms. The students in the multilingual classrooms lack confidence to use English language because they hesitate to commit mistakes. The curriculum may be inappropriate for helping students to improve their English proficiency. In the multilingual classrooms code-switching is commonly used by the teachers to instruct the students. The study suggests that; the teachers may be trained to cope with the challenges they face in their multilingual classrooms.
Physical Activity, Sitting Time, and Risk of Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and Other Myeloid Malignancies

Introduction: There is limited research on associations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sitting with risk of myeloid neoplasms (MN) or MN subtypes. We examined these associations in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort. Methods: Among 109,030 cancer-free participants (mean age 69.2, SD 6.1 years) in 1999, 409 were identified as having been diagnosed with a MN [n = 155 acute myeloid leukemia (AML), n = 154 myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), n = 100 other ML] through June 2013. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations of MVPA (MET-h/wk) and sitting (h/d) with risk of all MN, myeloid leukemia only, MDS, and AML. Results: Compared with insufficient MVPA [>0–<7.5 metabolic equivalent hours/week (MET)-h/wk], the HR (95% CI) for meeting physical activity guidelines (7.5–<15 MET-h/wk MVPA) and risk of MN was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.56–0.98) and for doubling guidelines (15–<22.5 MET-h/wk) was 0.75 (0.53–1.07); however, there was no statistically significant association for higher MVPA (22.5+ MET-h/wk, HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.73–1.20). Similarly, meeting/doubling guidelines was associated with lower risk of MDS (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.35–0.92/HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.27–0.98), but there was no association for 22.5+ MET-h/wk (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.63–1.37). MVPA was not associated with risk of myeloid leukemia or AML. Sitting time was not associated with risk of any outcome. Conclusions: These results suggest that there may be a nonlinear association between MVPA and risk of MDS and possibly other MN. Impact: Further studies are needed to better understand the dose–response relationships between MVPA and risk of MDS, a highly fatal and understudied cancer.
Dynamic time window mechanism for time synchronous VEP-based BCIs—Performance evaluation with a dictionary-supported BCI speller employing SSVEP and c-VEP

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) based on visual evoked potentials (VEPs) allow high communication speeds and accuracies. The fastest speeds can be achieved if targets are identified in a synchronous way (i.e., after a pre-set time period the system will produce a command output). The duration a target needs to be fixated on until the system classifies an output command affects the overall system performance. Hence, extracting a data window dedicated for the classification is of critical importance for VEP-based BCIs. Secondly, unintentional fixation on a target could easily lead to its selection. For the practical usability of BCI applications it is desirable to distinguish between intentional and unintentional fixations. This can be achieved by using threshold-based target identification methods. The study explores personalized dynamic classification time windows for threshold-based time synchronous VEP BCIs. The proposed techniques were tested employing the SSVEP and the c-VEP paradigm. Spelling performance was evaluated using an 8-target dictionary-supported BCI utilizing an n-gram word prediction model. The performance of twelve healthy participants was assessed with the information transfer rate (ITR) and accuracy. All participants completed sentence spelling tasks, reaching average accuracies of 94% and 96.3% for the c-VEP and the SSVEP paradigm, respectively. Average ITRs around 57 bpm were achieved for both paradigms.
Stress-related Psychological Disorders Among Surgical Care Nurses in Latvia

Background: The subject of stress related psychological disorders is considered to be one of the most critical problems in the 21st century. Latvia’s social-economic situation is stressful and a lot of nurses still need to work more than one shift. There are no complete studies about surgical care nurses and operating room nurses burnout, depression, anxiety and compassion fatigue situation in Latvia. Aim and Objectives: Research aim was to find out burnout, depression, compassion fatigue and anxiety presence among surgical care and operating room nurses practicing in Latvia. Methods/Study Design: The research instruments were State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL R-V) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Maslach Burnout Inventory helped to assess of three burnout components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and rank of personal success for surgical care nurses and operating room nurses. Results/Findings: The participants of the study were 118 surgical care nurses and operating room nurses from several hospitals in Latvia. All participants were women, age range - from 26 till 56 years, with work experience in surgical ward or operating room. The averages for Beck Depression Inventory was 11,96 (±8,93), averages for Professional Quality of Life Scale Compassion Satisfaction subscale was 38,83 (±6,60), for Burnout subscale was 23,40 (±6,75), for Secondary Traumatic Stress subscale was 19,86 (±6,57) averages for State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for state anxiety subscale was 48,39 (±10,61), and for trait subscale was 45,81 (±9,35). Averages for Maslach Burnot Inventory by subscales were for Emotional Exhaustion subscale - 23,49 (±10,82), for Depersonalization subscale was 6,65 (±5,36) and for rank of personal success subscale - 36,73 (±6,97). Study limitations: This study has such limitations as relatively small number of participants and use of some tools not standardized in Latvia. Conclusion: Results of the research indicate burnout presence among surgical care nurses and operating room nurses, as well as indicate levels of anxiety, compassion fatigue and depression.
The effect of high‐fat diet on the morphological properties of the forelimb musculature in hypertrophic myostatin null mice

Obesity is a worldwide nutritional disorder affecting body performance, including skeletal muscle. Inhibition of myostatin not only increases the muscle mass but also it reduces body fat accumulation. We examined the effect of high‐fat diet on the phenotypic properties of forelimb muscles from myostatin null mice. Male wild‐type and myostatin null mice were fed on either a normal diet or a high‐fat diet (45% fat) for 10 weeks. Musculus triceps brachii Caput longum; M. triceps brachii Caput laterale; M. triceps brachii Caput mediale; M. extensor carpi ulnaris and M. flexor carpi ulnaris were processed for fiber type composition using immunohistochemistry and morphometric analysis. Although the muscle mass revealed no change under a high‐fat diet, there were morphometric alterations in the absence of myostatin. We show that high‐fat diet reduces the cross‐sectional area of the fast (IIB and IIX) fibers in M. triceps brachii Caput longum and M. triceps brachii Caput laterale of both genotypes. In contrast, increases of fast fiber areas were observed in both M. extensor carpi ulnaris of wild‐type and M. flexor carpi ulnaris of myostatin null mice. Meanwhile, a high‐fat diet increased the area of the fast IIA fibers in wild‐type mice; myostatin null mice display a muscle‐dependent alteration in the area of the same fiber type. The combined high‐fat diet and myostatin deletion shows no effect on the area of slow type I fibers. Although a high‐fat diet causes a reduction in the area of the peripheral IIB fibers in both genotypes, only myostatin null mice show an increase in the area of the central IIB fibers. We provide evidence that a high‐fat diet induces a muscle‐dependent fast to slow myofiber shift in the absence of myostatin. The data suggest that the morphological alterations of muscle fibers under a combined high‐fat diet and myostatin deletion reflect a functional adaptation of the muscle to utilize the high energy intake.
Development of a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic pediatric brain model for prediction of cerebrospinal fluid drug concentrations and the influence of meningitis

Different pediatric physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models have been described incorporating developmental changes that influence plasma drug concentrations. Drug disposition into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is also subject to age-related variation and can be further influenced by brain diseases affecting blood-brain barrier integrity, like meningitis. Here, we developed a generic pediatric brain PBPK model to predict CSF concentrations of drugs that undergo passive transfer, including age-appropriate parameters. The model was validated for the analgesics paracetamol, ibuprofen, flurbiprofen and naproxen, and for a pediatric meningitis population by empirical optimization of the blood-brain barrier penetration of the antibiotic meropenem. Plasma and CSF drug concentrations derived from the literature were used to perform visual predictive checks and to calculate ratios between simulated and observed area under the concentration curves (AUCs) in order to evaluate model performance. Model-simulated concentrations were comparable to observed data over a broad age range (3 months–15 years postnatal age) for all drugs investigated. The ratios between observed and simulated AUCs (AUCo/AUCp) were within 2-fold difference both in plasma (range 0.92–1.09) and in CSF (range 0.64–1.23) indicating acceptable model performance. The model was also able to describe disease-mediated changes in neonates and young children (<3m postnatal age) related to meningitis and sepsis (range AUCo/AUCp plasma: 1.64–1.66, range AUCo/AUCp CSF: 1.43–1.73). Our model provides a new computational tool to predict CSF drug concentrations in children with and without meningitis and can be used as a template model for other compounds that passively enter the CNS.
Knowledge Attitude and Practices Related on Prevention of Mosquito Borne Diseases and Sanitation Conditions in a Salvadoran Urban Community

Introduction: In El Salvador Mosquito Borne Diseases (MBDs) is a serious public health problem due to produce morbidity and mortality. They produce a high economic loss, which contributes to the collapse of the public health system. Over the years, the Salvadoran public health system has invested large amounts of resources to minimize the problem through campaigns against MBDs. Despite this, the population is still affected by diseases such as dengue, and more recently chikungunya and zika outbreaks. The aim of this study is to evaluate sanitation conditions variables and identify knowledge, attitudes, practices related to the prevention of MBDs. Methods: A cross-sectional survey about sanitation conditions and knowledge, attitudes and practices on prevention of MBDs of inhabitant’s ≥ 15 years from an urban community of a municipality with the highest number of cases reported in 2015. Results: Majority of respondents (98.2%) had direct supply of drinking water; however 96.4% of respondents were agreed that they had an inconsistent water supply. Regarding MBDs prevention respondents showed high acceptable knowledge (76.8%), high favorable attitude (92.1%) and an acceptable implementation of practices toward prevention reproduction of mosquitoes (58.5%) and a poor implementation of practices to prevent mosquito bites (38.3%). Conclusions: The findings revealed high acceptable knowledge about MBDs and a high favorable attitude regarding to prevent them, but also revealed a scarce implementation of prevention practices. The generalized storage of water on non-covered barrels because the inconsistent water supplies, can be source of proliferation of mosquitoes and therefore increases the risk of transmission of MBDs. High population density of the community can magnify this risk. It is necessary to enhance education to promote better implementation of practices using the most common media together with the local health workers.
Does Corporate Governance Influences Corporate Financial Performance? Empirical Evidences for the Companies Listed on US Markets

The purpose of the present paper is that of researching the relationship between corporate governance and financial performance, on a sample of 51 companies, mainly from the technology area, listed at NASDAQ and component of the Dow Jones index, during the period 2000-2013. The financial performance has been proxied through return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), return on the invested capital (ROIC), and Tobin’s Q ratio (Q). As variables for the corporate governance there have been considered: the characteristics of the board of directors (independence, size, Advisory Committees, and gender diversity); the shareholder structure (the shares of institutional investors and those of CEO); the characteristics of CEO (tenure, age, and duality); the remuneration of CEO (base salary, bonuses, packages with stocks). The estimation techniques used in the empirical analysis have been multivariate regression models based on the method of generalized least squares (GLS), the correction of standard errors for heteroskedasticity using the method of White, and the fixed-effects (FE). The results obtained have highlighted a mixed influence of the corporate governance variables on financial performance (board size, share of women on the boards, the independence of the board), the relationships being influenced also by the perception of the stakeholders. We concluded a positive relationship between ROE and the remuneration of CEO in bonuses, as well as a negative relationship between Tobin’s Q ratio and the remuneration of CEO through stocks at the company they manage. The paper highlights, as novelty, elements from behavioral finance in the economic interpretation of the results, following their explanation also from the human nature perspective.
Melatonin Nanoparticles Adsorbed to Polyethylene Glycol Microspheres as Activators of Human Colostrum Macrophages

The effectiveness of hormones associated with polymeric matrices has amplified the possibility of obtaining new drugs to activate the immune system. Melatonin has been reported as an important immunomodulatory agent that can improve many cell activation processes. It is possible that the association of melatonin with polymers could influence its effects on cellular function. Thus, this study verified the adsorption of the hormone melatonin to polyethylene glycol (PEG) microspheres and analyzed its ability to modulate the functional activity of human colostrum phagocytes. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analyses revealed that melatonin was able to adsorb to the PEG microspheres. This system increased the release of superoxide and intracellular calcium. There was an increase of phagocytic and microbicidal activity by colostrum phagocytes when in the presence of melatonin adsorbed to PEG microspheres. The modified delivery of melatonin adsorbed to PEG microspheres may be an additional mechanism for its microbicidal activity and represents an important potential treatment for gastrointestinal infections of newborns.