Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HOW ICT ADOPTION COULD AFFECT INDONESIAN SMEs ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Currently, the using of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the industry is growing fast. Nevertheless, Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia do not follow these conditions in sense of using the ICT . The influencing factor of ICT adoption is identified as internal and external factors. Accordingly, the objective of the study is to exploit the ICT adoption among Indonesian SMEs to affect the better organizational performance. The previous studies involve conceptual model of the combination between Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory, The Technology-Organization-Environment (TEO) theory, and Iocovou’s framework. The survey method for 100 SMEs selected conveniently in Indonesia, thus the data obtained is analysed using SEM/SmartPLS program. The study has exogenous variable including technology, organization, management characteristic, and environment. The endogen variable is ICT adoption and organizational performance both operational and final overall performance. The research result found that ICT use was predicted by characteristic of management and technology, additionally operational and final performance in Indonesian SMEs were predicted by ICT uses. Suggestions and further study is also presented at the end of this paper.
RELATIVE EFFECT OF WEED MULCH TYPES ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND YIELD OF YAM IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Adeniyan, B.O. , Ojeniyi, S.O. and Awodun, M.A. 2008. Relative Effect of Weed Mulch Types on Soil Properties and Yield of Yam in Southwest Nigeria. J . Soil . Nature. 2(3): 01-05 The experiment was conducted in the two locations namely Akure and Obaile in Southwest Nigeria during 2006 to study the relative effect of Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia), siam weed (Chromolaena odorata), elephant grass (Pennisetum purpurem), guinea grass (Panicum maximum) and no-mulch on soil physical and chemical properties and yam tuber yield. There was a control treatment and the mulches were applied at 10tha. Mexican sunflower and siam weed significantly influenced soil physical properties. Relative to the control, all mulches increased yam establishment and tuber weight significantly (P>0.05). Except for guinea grass mulch, the mulches also increased tuber length significantly. Mexican sunflower and siam weed increased tuber weight by 57%, while guinea grass and elephant grass mulch increased it by 29%. Considering all soil and plant parameters, Mexican sunflower and siam weed were most effective as mulch for yam.
Modulation of Radiation Induced Biochemical Changes in Testis of Swiss Albino Mice by Amaranthus paniculatus Linn

Increasing use of nuclear radiations for human welfare necessitates a new, safe and cost effective radioprotector not only for personnels charged with the responsibility of testing or working with radiations in laboratories, but also for the general public inhabiting in the uricirity of nuclear reactors. Keeping this view, this study has been undertaken to find out the possible radioprotective potential of the Amaranthus paniculatus(AE) as its leaves have high content of carotenoids, proteins, minerals, vitamin C and high level of nutritionally critical amino acids lysine and methionine. For experimental study, healthy Swiss albino male mice were selected from an inbred colony and divided in four groups. Group first (normal) did not receive any treatment. Group second was orally supplemented AE once daily at the dose of 600 mg/kg.b. wt for 15 consecutive days. Group third (control) received distilled water orally equivalent to AE for 15 days then exposed to 5 Gy of gamma radiation. Group fourth (experimental) was administered orally AE for 15 consecutive days once daily and exposed to single dose of 5 Gy of gamma radiation. Mice were sacrificed at different autopsy intervals viz. 1,3,7,15 and 30 days and testis was removed for various biochemical estimations viz. LPO, protein, cholesterol and glycogen. Radiation induced augmentation in lipid peroxidation, cholesterol was significantly ameliorated by AE extract and deficit produced in protein content by radiation was checked. Amaranthus extract pretreatment hence renders protection against various biochemical changes in mice testis.
PREPARATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF FLAT SHEET MICRO / NANOPOROUS MEMBRANES USING POLYSULFONE BLEND WITH PVP / PEG AND CHITOSAN / CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

In this research, novel asymmetric polysulfone (PSF) membranes were prepared from chitosan/chitosan nanoparticles and PSF/Polyethylene glycol (PEG)/Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) system via immersion precipitation. The variation in pore size and surface morphology of the prepared membranes were studied by Field Emissive Scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and contact angle measuring instrument. The contact angle measurements demonstrated that hydrophilicity of the PSF membranes was significantly enhanced by addition of chitosan nanoparticles than PVP/PEG, in the casting solution and the improved pore size were confirmed through FESEM studies. These surface modified membranes with better pore morphologies can be used for biomedical applications like hemodialysis.
Lipid peroxidation in female dogs bearing mammary gland carcinomas

Oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules, such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, by increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of malignant tumors. ROS can be produced during carcinogenesis by infiltrating macrophages and neutrophils during immune activation and/or tumoral necrosis or due to tumor hypoxia and reperfusion (Halliwell, 2007). ROS primary targets are the polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes, causing lipid peroxidation, whose products can induce nuclear damage and consequently mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Thus, it is suggested that the generation of ROS may be considered as both a consequence and a cause of the carcinogenic process. An easily performed biomarker of lipid peroxidation includes the determination of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Several human studies have demonstrated that plasma and/or tissue levels of TBARS are increased in association with harmful life-style conditions (Nielsen et al., 1997) and several types of cancers including breast cancer (Preedy, 2014). In dogs, studies are scarce and controversial. While Kumaraguruparan et al. (2005) observed higher TBARS levels in bitches bearing mammary adenocarcinomas relative to healthy females, other studies involving dogs with lymphomas (Winter et al., 2009) and mammary neoplasms (Szczubial et al., 2004) did not show significant differences compared to control animals. One problematic feature in these oncological studies that try to link lipid peroxidation and carcinogenesis in dogs refers to the fact that they often include animals bearing heterogeneous tumors within the experimental
Formation and migration of point defects in tungsten carbide: Unveiling the sluggish bulk self-diffusivity of WC

The formation and migration of point defects in α-WC was investigated using density functional theory atomic simulations. The material exhibits extremely limited deviation from stoichiometry and only at high temperatures and for carbon deficient conditions (WC1-x). Bulk self-diffusivity was found to be remarkably slow (∼1014 cm2/s at 2400 °C) and strongly anisotropic, with basal diffusivity 3–4 orders of magnitude faster than c-axis diffusivity. Our findings help re-interpret previous experimental observations, which were deemed anomalous due to the surprisingly low diffusivity. At equilibrium, the self-diffusivity is dominated by C vacancies, with C interstitials and W defects providing negligible contribution to the total diffusivity. However, under irradiation conditions, interstitial diffusion is predicted to dominate owing to the higher mobility of interstitials once formed ( = E C ( ) 1.19 eV m i vs = E V ( ) 3.48 eV m C ). Such diffusion also exhibits strong anisotropy. This may be exploited by means of texture engineering to control the swelling of WC components exposed to radiation fields.
Interlaminar fatigue crack growth in carbon fiber reinforced composites

Characterizing interlaminar fatigue delamination in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix (CFRP) composites is important due to rising use of these materials in primary structures [1]. In many applications CFRP composite elements are subject to cyclic or intermittent loads which can initiate and promote delaminations even if initial defects cannot be detected with nondestructive testing [2]. For designing CFRP structures understanding fatigue delamination initiation and growth is hence crucial [2–4]. Published standards, test results and research in cyclic fatigue delamination are summarized in, e.g., [5, 6].
Biodecolourisation of Textile Dye Effluent Using Chitosan

The major problem in textile industries is the effluent treatment particularly the removal of dyes. Polymer adsorbents are widely tried in the removal of dyes from industrial effluents. Chitosan, a biopolymer derived from chitin is most abundantly present in the exoskeleton of crustaceans including prawns, shrimps, lobsters and crabs. In the present study, efficiency of chitosan as a biosorbent in the treatment of textile dye effluent has been analyzed. It has been found that chitosan is very effective in biodecolourisation of textile dye effluent collected from the local dyeing units. It has also reduced the physico-chemical parameters to the permissible limits. The results have been confirmed using HPLC and statistical analysis. From the present study it is found that chitosan isolated from the chitin of prawn shell waste is very effective in terms of biodecolourisation of textile dye effluent as well as cost.
Hedging in postgraduate student theses : A cross-cultural corpus study

This study focuses on the way Iranian and British postgraduate students of applied linguistics hedge their propositions in the discussion section of their dissertations. 83 theses by British and Iranian postgraduates were analyzed for hedge marker categories and their individual types. The results showed that modal auxiliaries are the most frequently used in the corpus. Epistemic verbs of can, would, and may were the most frequently used ones for both groups of writers. However, Iranian writers used ‘can’ significantly more than English postgraduates. English postgraduates on the other hand used ‘would’ significantly more. Further, English writers also used more instances of copulas other than ‘be’ and probability adverbials. The Iranian postgraduates in our study seemed to lack full access to a complete repertoire of hedges in comparison with their English counterparts.
Effect of flooding depth and pretilachlor rate on emergence and growth of three rice weeds : junglerice ( Echinochloa colona ) , smallflower umbrella sedge ( Cyperus difformis ) , and ludwigia ( Ludwigia hyssopifolia )

The effects of intermittent flooding and pretilachlor rates on emergence and early growth of three common weeds of lowland rice were assessed in a screenhouse study. These species were junglerice (Echinochloa colona), smallflower umbrella sedge (Cyperus difformis), and ludwigia (Ludwigia hyssopifolia). The weeds were treated with pretilachlor at 0.075 to 0.3 kg a.i. ha -1 at 3 d after seeding, and subjected to alternate flooding (0, 2, 4, and 6 cm water depth) and draining that commenced 2 d after herbicide treatment. Intermittent flooding to 6 cm decreased the emergence of all three weed species. Smallflower umbrella sedge growth was not affected by flooding alone, but was completely suppressed by pretilachlor application. Growth of junglerice was reduced more by pretilachlor when application was followed by flooding. Our results suggest that emergence and seedling growth of these three weeds can be suppressed with pretilachlor and, further, the effect was increased when combined with flooding. Pretilachlor appears to be a useful management option on tropical lowland rice farms and particularly for the control of junglerice, for which farmers can combine an appropriate application rate with subsequent flooding of fields.
Quantification of trait preference by farmers for post rainy sorghum and pearl millet using conjoint analysis

Conjoint analysis technique was used to quantify the varietal attributes preferred by farmers, for two important dry land crops, i.e., post rainy season sorghum and pearl millet. The attributes considered include grain yield, fodder palatability, crop duration, grain size, grain shape and grain color. The data for the study was generated using a structured questionnaire administered on farm households in Sholapur district of Maharashtra for post rainy season sorghum and Jodhpur district of Rajasthan for pearl millet. The utility index developed in this study provides a framework for evaluating farmers’ preferences for improved seed of sorghum and pearl millet.
DETERMINANTS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SENIOR H IGH SCHOOL ( SHS ) STUDENTS IN THE ASHANTI MAMPONG MUNICIPALITY OF GHANA

The major thrust of this study was to establish the determinants of academic performance among SHS Students in the Ashanti Mampong Municipality of Ghana. Descriptive and correlational research designs were used and the data were collected through questionnaires. The sample size was therefore 571 students via a multi-stage sampling procedure. The findings of the study revealed parental involvement, parents’ academic ambition for their children, peer influence, the child’s academic ambition and the child’s effort as the correlates of academic performance. The findings also established parental involvements, sex of the child, the child’s academic ambition and the child’s effort as the main determinants of academic performance. The findings however did not confirm the null hypothesis so it was rejected. On the basis of these findings, it was recommended that educational authorities should encourage parents to instill high academic ambition in their children and also parents should be told to monitor and assess the kind of friends that their children keep.
Geotechnical Site Characterization Using Surface Waves

ARTICLE HISTORY Received: 05 Apr 2017 Revised: 15 Apr 2017 Accepted: 25 Apr 2017 Available online: 10 Jun 2017 ABSTRACT Soil behaviour under cyclic loading or dynamic conditions is of interest for a wide range of problems, from foundation vibrations to site response during earthquake. Geotechnical investigation normally requires in situ strength, stiffness and permeability of the ground. Stiffness measurements are critical in the case of buildings, tunnels, excavations etc., so that ground movement before and after construction can be calculated. In this regard both laboratory and in situ tests have a great importance. Laboratory techniques include resonant column test, ultrasonic pulse test, cyclic simple shear test, cyclic triaxle compression test, cyclic torsional simple shear test. Field measurements of shear wave velocity include continuous surface wave system (CSWS), crosshole test (CHT), down-hole test (DHT), suspension logging, seismic reflection, seismic refraction and spectral analysis of seismic waves (SASW). The objective of the present study is to conduct CSWS test at different locations on IIT Kharagpur campus and find out shear modulus and shear wave velocity profile of respective sites. SASW tests are also conducted for comparing the results obtained from CSWS tests. Shear-wave velocity and shear modulus profiles obtained, using the CSWS, showed reasonably good correlations with profiles determined using the SASW method.
The impact of fortify flat bread with Arabic gum ( Sengalia Senegal ) on chronic renal failure in experimental rats

This research aims to study the effect of preparation flat fortified bread (FFB) by replacing 25% and 50% of Arabic gum (AGM) on the chemical composition of the product (FFB) and its effectiveness on potassium bromate (KBrO3) (100 mg / kg of weight Body) that caused renal toxicity in albino male rats through nutritional indicators, some chemical and biological analyzes of liver and kidney function, antioxidant enzymes and histology of kidney, in rats used in the experiment. Thirty rats (Sprague Dawley Strain) weighing (130 ±150g) were randomly divided into five groups, each consisting of six rats classified (n=6), the first group was kept as negative control group (G1)-ve, while the other four groups were injected with KBrO3 to induce toxicity in various experimental rats. One of those groups was fed on basal diet only and served as positive control group (G2) +ve. The third group (G3) was fed on basal diet and treated with flat bread FB (100% WF) control, the fourth and fifth (G4&G5) groups were fed on basal diet containing FFB with AGM (25% & 50%) respectively. Results revealed that rats consumed FFB with AGM (25% & 50%) showed significantly increased in FER and weight gain compared with positive group, biochemical analysis data indicated that a significantly decrease at p˂ 0.05 in blood lipids profile (TC, TG and LDL), while significantly increased at p˂ 0.05 in liver function (ALT and AST), and kidney function (protein, uric acid and creatinine) compared to positive group +ve. The previous results were also supported by microscopic examination of the renal tissues of groups infected with renal inflammation and treated with bread supported by different percentages of Arabic gum (25% and 50%).
Association Of Complementary Feeding Practices And Nutritional Status Of Children 6-23 Months Of Age Among Maasai Community In Narok South Sub-County , Kenya

Complementary feeding is the process starting when breast milk can no longer sufficiently meet the required nutritional for infants, and therefore introduction of other foods and liquids are needed, along with breast milk (WHO, 2002). Complementary feeding generally begins at 6 months and goes up to 24 months of age, even though breastfeeding Abstract: Background: Successful complementary feeding practices during infancy and young childhood are known to be key in securing effective, long-term nutritional well-being. It is recommended that feeding a child on complementary starts from the age of six months with dietary diversity and minimum feeding frequency. This is in addition to breast milk. Studies show a link between feeding practices of children and their nutrition status. There is limited information on the feeding practices and nutritional status of children 6-23 months of age among the Maasai community of Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study design was adopted. A total sample of 400 mothers and children were selected using simple random sampling. anthropometric data was collected using mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes, weighing scale and height or length measuring board. Their corresponding deviation scores (z-scores) was calculated with reference to the cut off points recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006. ENA for SMART, 2011 software was used to analyze anthropometric data. Quantitative data analyzed using statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. Statistical significance was set at p value less than 0.05. The data collected was summarized into descriptive statistics of mode and percentages for variables such as complementary feeding practices. Inferential statistics used include: ChiSquare-test for categorical or nominal data such as associations between variables. T-test and ANOVA was used for continuous data to test for significant differences and association between independent variables such as complementary feeding practices. Results: The prevalence of malnutrition measured by stunting, wasting and underweight among the children was 47.3%, 19.8% and 37.8% respectively. Comparison of the prevalence of malnutrition between the boys and girls revealed that stunting and underweight was significantly higher in the girls (stunting, 67.3%; underweight, 44.1%) compared to the boys (stunting, 26.8%; underweight, 31.3%), (χ 2 = 65.995, p = 0.000 for stunting and χ 2 =6.913, p = 0.009 in the case of underweight). On the other hand a bigger proportion of the boys had low weight – forheight (38.9%) compared with the girls (1.0%), χ 2 =90.614, p = 0.000). Conclusions: The findings will be useful in identifying and bridging gaps in complementary feeding practices among the Maasai community and other communities.
WAVE DISPERSION IN DRY SAND BY EXPERIMENTAL , ANALYTICAL AND NUMERICAL METHODS

The dispersion of longitudinal and shear elastic waves propagating in dry sand cylindrical specimens is studied by experimental, analytical and numerical methods. Wave propagation in the specimen is studied experimentally with the aid of a triaxial cell system equipped with pairs of piezoelectric ceramic elements for the generation and reception of longitudinal and shear waves. Two different models taking into account the microstructural properties of dry sand, a gradient elastic and an elastic porous model, are also employed to study wave dispersion analytically. The same problem is also studied by the boundary element method in the frequency domain in conjunction with the iterative effective medium approximation on the assumption that dry sand is a porous medium with equally sized spherical pores. The results of all methods are critically compared and discussed.
Growth of Hydroxyapatite on Sericin Coated and Non-Sericin Coated Silk Fibers using Simulated Body Fluid

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) was grown on sericin coated silk fibers and non-sericin coated silk fibers using simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 C and two concentrations of 1.0standard SBF and 1.5standard SBF. The results showed that, for both concentrations of SBF, HAp grown on sericin coated silk fibers is more than that on non-sericin coated silk fibers. This indicates that sericin on the silk fiber plays an important role on the growth of HAp on the silk fibers. Moreover, the particle size of HAp grown in 1.5SBF concentration is smaller than that in 1.0SBF concentration.
Asymptotic inference of nearly nonstationary complex-valued AR ( 1 ) processes

In this paper nearly nonstationary complex-valued AR(1) processes (in other words, models with characteristic root near the unit circle) are studied. Our main aim is to clarify the relation between the discrete and continuous time models. First we give some convergence results related to the random step functions defined by the help of the discrete models. As a consequence, we obtain weak convergence of the least-squares estimator of the parameter in the discrete models to the maximum likelihood estimator of the parameter of the connected continuous time model. The above results will be used to solve similar problems for nearly nonstationary (real-valued) AR(p) processes in a forthcoming paper.