Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mothers of young children with special health care needs : maternal well-being and engagement in work

This thesis reports research focused on the well-being and employment experiences of mothers who have a child with special health care needs. Data are drawn from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). This is a public access database. The thesis uses the social ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner (1984) and the work of Zubrick et al. (2000) on human and social capital to inform the conceptual framework developed for the research. Four studies are reported. LSAC has a nationally representative sample of Australian children and their families. The study is tracking the development of 10,000 children, with data collected every two years, from 2004 to 2018. This thesis uses data from the Kindergarten Cohort of LSAC. The 4,983 children in the Kindergarten Cohort were aged 4 years at recruitment into the study in 2004. The analyses in this thesis use child and family data from Wave 1 (2004) and Wave 2 (2006) for a subsample of the children who are identified as having special health needs. This identification is based on a short screening questionnaire included in the Parent 1 Interview at each wave of the data collection. It is the children who are identified as having special health care needs which can be broadly defined as chronic health conditions or developmental difficulties. However, it is the well-being and employment experiences of the mothers of these children that are the primary focus in three of the four studies reported in this thesis.
Alcoholism Prevention/Treatment and Native American Youth: A Community Approach

This paper addresses prevention, education and treatment approaches for combatting problems of alcohol abuse with American Indian children, adolescents and their families. Community involvement is emphasized. Included are primary prevention interventions which promote alternative activities to drinking while emphasizing positive feelings of self-esteem and identity. Also recommended are secondary prevention alcoholism programs which provide information regarding alcohol while encouraging responsible decision-making regarding drinking behaviors. Additional suggestions identify resources which can be made available to Indian youth who are developing problem-drinking behaviors. A task group approach is recommended for identifying problem-drinking behaviors in specific communities and developing viable programs to address these needs.
Characterisation of Land Degraded Sites for Restoration Along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway , Chikun L . G . A . of Kaduna State Nigeria

This study characterized sites of degraded land along Kaduna-Abuja expressway in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State for the purpose of planning for the restoration of such sites. Aerial photographs, satellite imagery, topographical sheets and ground data were used. Also examined were types and sizes of degraded sites, distance from major roads and existing land use and cover on an area of 800km2 (40km/20km) in a GIS environment using on screen digitization classification scheme as well as both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The results revealed four on-going types of degradations in the area namely; soil erosion at 14 sites, excavation of top soil (42), deforestation (75) and loss of biodiversity (91); while on the basis of size, very small (< 0.5ha; 59 occurrences), small (0.51 – 1ha; 28), medium (1.1 – 1.5ha; 21), large (1.51 – 2ha; 18) and very large (> 2ha; 96) respectively. These are scattered all over the study area and are mostly lands that are not used for any economic and ecological purposes. The correlation revealed an inverse relationship of -0.7 between the distances of degraded sites from the expressway and the frequency of occurrence. The characterization shows that degraded sites are located randomly, but are closer to major roads. The main agents of degradation are the removal of top soil and indiscriminate wood harvest. It is therefore proposed that restoration should start from areas adjacent to major roads, targeting unused land, stopping soil loss and providing a better approach to wood harvest which can be achieved through agroforestry system of agriculture.
A Self‐Regulating Equilibrium Magnetopause Model With Applications to Saturn

We describe a new method of constructing an equilibrium magnetopause surface based on the pressure balance between external and internal pressure sources. Details are given for every step of the procedure, including the initial pressure balance condition (which determines magnetopause morphology), the related underlying assumptions, and the final optimized magnetopause surface. Our method produces a final equilibrium magnetopause surface that satisfies the local balance between the solar wind dynamic pressure and planetary magnetic pressure with an error no greater than 1%. We also discuss the contribution of hot plasma pressure and equatorial ring currents and their effects on magnetopause morphology. For each optimized magnetopause boundary, we give coefficients for fitted polynomial approximations to allow simple and accurate reproductions for practical applications. We specifically discuss the potential application to the modeling of Saturn's magnetopause and describe how the equilibrium magnetopause model can be used to estimate the compressibility of the boundary.
Training Needs of Mushroom (Agaricus biosporus) Farmers in Oyo state, Nigeria

The study examined the training needs of mushroom farmers and other factors hindering its production in Oyo State. Multi stage sampling procedure was used to select 143 mushroom farmers and data collected through interview schedule were analyzed using percentage, Chi-squared and correlation statistics at 0.05 probability level. Results showed that almost all (94.4%) were knowledgeable about mushroom production and 64.3% had high knowledge of mushroom benefits. Major constraint faced by the mushroom farmers was poor sales (72.7%). Trainings were needed in mixing/exposure period of substrate (42.9%), absolute infection free (91.4%), chemical preservation (88.8%), and quick freezing (71.8%). On the aggregate, the majority (63.6%) of the farmers have high training needs. There was a significant relationship between farmers’ educational level (x 2 =9.347), monthly income (x 2 =19.184), scale of production (x 2 =34.493), constraint (r=-0.452) and their training needs. A significant negative relationship was observed between knowledge (r= -0.362) of mushroom farmers, benefits derived (r= -0.200) and their training needs. Farmers require high level of trainings in mushroom production. Therefore, research institute and government should further intensify effort in sensitization and training of farmers on mushroom production so as to aid its increased production. Key words : Mushroom production, training needs, mushroom benefits
Regional Moisture Budget and Land‐Atmosphere Coupling Over the U.S. Southern Great Plains Inferred From the ARM Long‐Term Observations

Ten‐year warm‐season (May–August) observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are used to examine the large‐scale atmospheric moisture budget and the strength of land‐atmosphere coupling. Atmospheric moisture budget components, computed from the ARM variational analysis data, are compared between different wet/dry scenarios and convection regimes. Consistent with previous studies, large‐scale moisture flux convergence dominates the SGP regional moisture budget on the daily time scale, but surface evaporation does play a more prominent role on late‐afternoon deep convection days. Moreover, the relationship between moisture flux convergence and precipitation increases significantly from dry year to wet years. The land‐atmosphere coupling strength is quantified for local convective events within the “Local L‐A Coupling Process Chain” (Santanello et al., 2018, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS‐D‐17‐0001.1). The impact of land surface on the evolution of planetary boundary layer is highly dependent on the vegetation leaf area index. A significantly larger surface sensible heat flux is found over the SGP forest region in midsummer, which is accompanied by a much higher planetary boundary layer development and a large increase in shallow cumulus cloud fraction. The significant relationship between afternoon precipitation and surface turbulent flux only exists in the northeast part of the ARM SGP site, which is mainly covered by grassland/pasture.
Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Child Well-Being: A Burning Issue

The Growing Up in Ireland study allow us to examine whether smoking conveys an increased risk for behavioral problems when we take account of these social factors. Importantly, the study collected information on the mother’s level of smoking in pregnancy and this provides us with an important additional tool with which to corroborate the causal relationship between exposure to cigarette smoke in the womb and behavioral problems at age 9. If the strength of the relationship between smoking and behavioral problems increases with the level of maternal smoking, this is more persuasive than a simple association. In a paper recently published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Cathal McCrory and Richard Layte (McCrory & Layte 2012) did just this. They showed that the risk of the child being reported by his/her teacher as having conduct, attention or hyperactivity problems at age 9 was significantly related to whether the mother smoked during pregnancy and, moreover, that the risk increased with the number of cigarettes smoked during pregnancy.
Failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles in soils with cohesive and cohesionless properties

Abstract The present work develops a theoretical model based on a rational mechanical model and the failure mechanism of anchor piles in the seabed, by which the failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles under inclined loading can be predicted in the soils with both cohesive and cohesionless properties. Experimental and numerical results are employed to validate the theoretical predictions. Parametric studies are performed to investigate the effects of different parameters on the failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles, to demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the theoretical model and to gain further knowledge of the anchor properties. An analytical method is also proposed to evaluate the optimal position of the attachment point of anchor piles, and confirmed by relevant studies in either cohesive or cohesionless soils. Highlights A novel theoretical model is proposed to analyze the failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles. The model is applied to inclined loading and to soils with both cohesive and cohesionless properties. Efficiency and applicability of the model are validated through comparative and parametric studies. A simple expression is proposed to predict the optimal position of the attachment point for anchor piles.
Effect of a Serious Educational Game on Academic and Affective Outcomes for Statistics Instruction

The overuse of lecture-based approaches for instruction in university courses may have limited student access to knowledge, particularly the transfer of complex concepts, such as central limit theorem in statistics. This study seeks to contribute to empirical research regarding the effectiveness of serious educational games (SEGs) to increase undergraduates’ conceptual understanding and affective interest in statistics. An experimental design was used to test the efficacy of an SEG, Deadly Distribution, which simulates a real-world context to learn and interact with statistics concepts, compared to traditional notes and homework problems, as supplements to instruction in addition to class lectures. Students who played the game had similar increases in academic growth of conceptual knowledge as students who studied traditional course material. Furthermore, this treatment group had a significant increase in affective outcomes compared to the control group. These findings extend the current literature, which is mixed and sparse, on the effectiveness of SEGs in the undergraduate classroom. In an undergraduate introductory statistics course, an SEG might be an effective substitute for traditional study time of course materials outside of class to increase their affect toward the subject matter and produce similar gains for students who might not otherwise study.
Distinct impact of the Pacific multi‐decadal oscillation on precipitation in Northeast China during April in different Pacific multi‐decadal oscillation phases

The impact of the Pacific multi‐decadal oscillation (PMO) on precipitation in April during the sowing season in Northeast China (NEC) was analysed. According to the results, there was a significant inter‐decadal change in the relationship between the PMO in December of the previous year and the precipitation in NEC in April of the following year during different PMO phases. Before 1980, when the PMO was in a negative phase, there was no significant correlation between the PMO and NEC April precipitation. After 1980, when the PMO changed to a positive phase, the relationship between the two variables became significant. Based on further analysis, the main reason for this relationship is that as the PMO changes from a negative phase to a positive phase, the northern North Pacific warms, and the north–south temperature gradient in the mid‐ to high latitudes of the North Pacific decreases, which weakens the mid‐ to high‐level westerlies, thus increasing the impact of North Pacific water vapour transport on the April precipitation in NEC. When the PMO changes from a negative phase to a positive phase, the increased sea surface temperature (SST) significantly strengthens the Aleutian low (AL), which can enhance the Alaska warm current and further increase the sea temperature in the PMO region. This air–sea interaction forms a positive feedback that maintains the SST signal from December of the previous year to April of the following year, which affects the circulation and water vapour conditions of NEC and ultimately affects NEC April precipitation. This positive feedback mechanism was further verified in the ECHAM5 model. When the positive anomalous SST appeared in the PMO region, as in the observations after 1980, the AL was significantly enhanced, which in turn affected the SST enhancement.
Soluble calcium and sulphate excesses related to stress in Pinus contorta on peat amendments of reclaimed landscapes in the boreal oil sands region

The objective of this study was to evaluate impacts of three peat soil amendments containing variable amounts of soluble calcium and sulphateS on soil quality and Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine) growth in a terrestrial boreal ecosystem. A 13-year old stand of lodgepole pine displayed various symptoms and degrees of nutrient deficiency on a reclaimed tailings sand dyke at an oil sands mining operation in northeastern Alberta, Canada and were representative of three unique peat-mineral soil amendments applied to a tailings pond slope in 1992. The poorest growth occurred on soil from a deep mesic peat deposit underlain by marl, the intermediate growth on a peat-mineral mix of shallow, fibric origin, and the best growth on soil of moist upland forest floor origin, with a cover of moss and litterfall. Transects were established in each of the three zones of variable pine performance to survey the vegetation and soil characteristics. Soil samples were analysed for salinity and soluble cations, reaction, and available nutrients in early fall, 2005. Soil moisture profiles to 160 cm were collected at each survey location during the 2006 growing season. Results indicated a negative relationship among pine performance with increasing soluble calcium and available sulphate-S. These relationships were stronger than indicators typically linked to poor peat amendment quality. Calcium and sulphate were the main contributors to electrical conductivity, and were also associated with elevated CaCO3 eq.
Deep-sea emergence of red tree corals (Primnoa pacifica) in Southeast Alaska glacial fjords

— Red tree corals ( Primnoa pacifica ) were found thriving in shallow-water areas of 2 large glacial fjord systems in Southeast Alaska during scuba surveys. Corals were found at depths as shallow as 9 m in Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, in 2004 and 2005 and as shallow as 6 m in Tracy and Endicott arms, Holkham Bay, in 2006. These observations represent a depth range extension for the spe-cies—red tree corals typically occur at depths greater than 130 m in the Gulf of Alaska and elsewhere where they form extensive thickets. The red tree coral is an important pioneer species in the primary succession of recently deglaciated habitats. The emergence of red tree corals in shallow-water areas of these glacial fjords likely occurs because year-round oceanographic conditions (low temperature, higher than normal surface salinity, and low ambient light levels) are similar to those found in their more typical depth range. Glacier Bay was formed beginning in 1794 by rapid glacial retreat, and a deglaciation record has been me-ticulously documented during the past 130 years. This record provides a chronosequence that we used to study the succession of red tree corals into the bay and it presented an opportunity to evaluate the accuracy of a method previously used to age the corals. In situ access to shallow-water populations provided an in-valuable opportunity to examine reproductive and recruitment processes and genetic connectivity of the most important coral species in the North Pacific Ocean. The information from these examinations provides important insights into the ability of this species to recover from disturbance and to colonize protected areas established to mitigate the effects of human activities. for at to of
East‐West Differential Underthrusting of the Indian Lithospheric Plate Beneath Central Tibet Revealed by Imaging VP/VS

Although numerous research studies have already provided basic information on deeper lithospheric structure under Tibet, the northernmost edge and the geometry of the northward underthrusting of the Indian mantle lithosphere are yet to be understood. The P wave to S wave velocity ratio (VP/VS) can provide more insight into the mantle physical state than either VP or VS alone, owing to their different sensitivities to partial melting, temperature, and composition. High VP/VS usually indicates that partial melting exists in the upper mantle, while anomalously low VP/VS in the upper mantle reflects the enrichment of orthopyroxene in the subduction zone mantle wedge. Using teleseismic records of 164 broadband stations deployed in central Tibet, we obtained a high‐resolution velocity ratio image of the upper mantle. A striking difference is seen between western and eastern Tibet. A distinct high VP/VS zone exists at relatively a shallow depth (<200 km) to the west of the Yadong‐Gulu Rift, while the eastern part exhibits a shallow region (south of the Bangong‐Nujiang suture in the depth range of 120–160 km) with abnormally low VP/VS. Moreover, there are high VP/VS areas existing below 270‐km depth, and it appears further east at depth of 340 km than that at depth of 270 km. We propose that this difference reflects different geometries of the underthrusting Indian mantle lithosphere from west to east. Slab tearing under eastern Tibet and lithospheric delamination under western Tibet are likely good candidates to explain the observation.
Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Tracks in CMIP5 Models: Statistical Assessment Using a Model-Independent Detection and Tracking Scheme

Past studies have shown that tropical cyclone (TC) projection results can be sensitive to different types of TC tracking schemes, and that the relative adjustments of detection criteria to accommodate different models may not necessarily provide a consistent platform for comparison of projection results. Here, future climate projections of TC activity in the western North Pacific basin (WNP, defined from 0°–50°N and 100°E–180°) are assessed with a model-independent detection and tracking scheme. This scheme is applied to models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) forced under the historical and representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) conditions. TC tracks from the observed records and independent models are analyzed simultaneously with a curve-clustering algorithm, allowing observed and model tracks to be projected onto the same set of clusters (k = 9). Four of the nine clusters were projected to undergo significant changes in TC frequency. Straight-moving TCs in the South China Sea were projected to significantly decrease. Projected increases in TC frequency were found poleward of 20°N and east of 160°E, consistent with changes in ascending motion, as well as vertical wind shear and relative humidity respectively. Projections of TC track exposure indicated significant reductions for southern China and the Philippines and significant increases for the Korean peninsula and Japan, although very few model TCs reached the latter subtropical regions in comparison to the observations. The use of a fundamentally different detection methodology that overcomes the detector/tracker bias gives increased certainty to projections as best as low-resolution simulations can offer.
Radioisotope and Metal Concentrations in Borehole Water Samples of Umuahia and Umudike, Nigeria

The study examined metal and radioisotope concentrations in boreholes water samples collected from the neighbouring towns of in Umuahia and Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. Triplicate samples were collected from seventeen functional boreholes and were analyzed with standard methods for physicochemical parameters. Metal concentrations were analyzed with Graphite furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) while radioisotopes were determined with gamma ray spectrometry. Results showed that mean values for conductivity, total solids, total dissolved solids, hardness and nitrates were lower than recommended values by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON). However, mean values for pH (range: 3.05±0.11 – 4.51±0.08) were in the acidic region and outside the recommended values. Mean metal concentrations had ranges of: calcium 1.255±0.037 – 1.967±0.078 mg/L; magnesium 0.286±0.057 – 0.608±0.094 mg/L; sodium 0.030±0.005 – 0.102±0.029 mg/L; iron 0.012±0.001 – 0.019±0.004 mg/L; cadmium 0.001±0.000 – 0.011±0.003 mg/L and lead (Pb) 0.077±0.005 – 0.198±0.040 mg/L. The mean concentrations of calcium, sodium, magnesium and iron were all below the NSDWQ limits. However, while mean cadmium concentrations exceeded SON limits in 13 locations, mean lead concentrations were above the limits set by WHO and SON in the samples from all the boreholes. The mean activity concentrations K-40, U-238 and Th-232 had ranges of below detection limit (BDL) – 21.94±2.50 Bq/L; BDL – 7.85 ±1.80 Bq/L and BDL – 5.76 ±0.53 respectively. The SON maximum level for radionuclides in water is 0.1 Bq/L while the WHO limits for U-238 and Th-232 are 10 and 1 Bq/L respectively. The activity concentrations of U-238 were below the WHO limits but the limits were exceeded for Th-232 in water samples from eight locations. The NSDWQ limits were exceeded in samples from most of the locations for K-40. Keywords : Metals, radioisotopes, water, Umuahia, Umudike,