Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the Physico-chemical Parameters and Quality of Water of the New Calabar-Bonny River, Porthacourt, Nigeria

The physico-chemical characters of the New Calabar-Bonny River were investigated for two years to determine its water quality for aquaculture production and human domestic uses. Three stations were chosen to check for the variations in the selected waters parameters. pH, Temperature, salinity, Dissolved oxygen, Alkalinity, Conductivity and Turbidity were analysed monthly from June 2011 to May 2013 using standard method s and procedures. The ranges obtained were found to be comparable to other Nigerian and African Reservoirs. Mean values obtained were: temperature 28.62±0.62C, 28.37±0.7C, 28.41±0.57C, pH 6.36±0.34, 6.19±38, 2.27±0.74, salinity 11.50±7.71 /oo, 12.15±5.24 /oo, 0.58±0.94 /oo, and dissolved oxygen 6.88±0.51mg/l, 6.92±0.58mg/l, 6.88±0.63mg/l for stations 1, station 2 and station 3 respectively. There was significant difference in salinity level between the three stations, revealing that station 1 is a salt water area, station 2 is brackish/tidal and station 3 is predominantly fresh water. Alkalinity had a mean of 12.61 ± 1.19mg/l. Station 2 recorded the highest alkalinity level (13.60 ± 8.86mg/l) while station 3 recorded the lowest (10.93 ± 10.37 mg/l). Station 1 had the highest mean TDS concentration (10128.2 ± 9069.11 ppm) while station 3 had the lowest mean TDS concentration (2732.90 ± 2644.01 ppm). Mean conductivity was 3752.74 ± 257. 58μs/cm. An annual mean of Turbidity 9.81 ± 3.74 NTU was recorded. Station 3 recorded the lowest mean turbidity of 5.12 ± 3.55 NTU while station 1 recorded the highest mean turbidity of 14.29 ± 8.76 NTU. Turbidity was low in the dry season and high in the rainy season. This study concludes that the physico-chemical parameters of water of the New Calabar-Bonny River meet the recommended and obtainable state of the aquaculture production and for human consumption. [Agbugui, M. O. and Deekae, S.N. Assessment of the Physico-chemical Parameters and Quality of Water of the New Calabar-Bonny River, Porthacourt, Nigeria. Cancer Biology 2014;4(1):1-9]. (ISSN: 2150-1041): (ISSN: 2150-105X (online). http://www.cancerbio. net. 1
Unconventional Information Processing Systems , Novel Hardware : A Tour d ’ Horizon

This report provides a wide-angle survey on computational paradigms which have a possible bearing on the development of unconventional computational substrates and hardware devices. Such unconvential substrates and devices have some properties that alienate them from the classical Turing model of computation. Among other challenging characteristics, they are non-digital, unclocked, low-precision, exhibit static and dynamic parameter drift, and may have limited lifetime. Such properties are shared with biological computing systems – brains, but not only brains – , so this survey includes ideas and insights from neuroscience and the natural computing field.
New word detection in audio-indexing

For an audio indexing system that uses a speech recognizer with a fixed vocabulary to be practical, one needs the ability to detect out of vocabulary or new words at query time. We present a fast, vocabulary independent algorithm for spotting words in speech. The algorithm consists of a preprocessing stage and a coarse to detailed search strategy for spotting a word/phone sequence in speech. The preprocessing method provides a phone level representation of the speech that can be searched efficiently. The coarse search, consisting of phone-ngram matching, identifies regions of speech as putative word hits. The detailed acoustic match is then conducted only at the putative hits identified in the coarse match. This gives us the desired speed in wordspotting.
Transmission of Xylella fastidiosa by Carneocephala fulgida , and its survival in Bermuda grass ( Cynodon dactylon )

The ability of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) to retain the bacteria, Xylella fastidiosa, can influence the spread Pierce's disease (P.D.). The fate of strains of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa that causes Pierce's disease of grapevines was investigated in Bermuda grass. The P.D. strain, STL, was first mechanically inoculated into Bermuda grass, and was recovered at 1 week, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks after inoculation in the inoculated node only. Following STL, 4 other strains of X. fastidiosa (Mederios, SJV, Comm Creek, Preston) were recovered after mechanical inoculation at 3 weeks after inoculation. Three of these strains were recovered again after 6 weeks (Comm Creek, Mederios, Preston). Again detection only occurred in the inoculated node. Insect transmission efficiency of X. fastidiosa, by the RHSS (Carneocephala fulgida) was also investigated. Seven groups of RHSS' out of 40 groups successfully transmitted the bacterium from infected grape to healthy grape. The seven groups of RHSS had to ability to retain the bacterium after feeding on Bermuda grass.
Multiagent learning and empirical methods

Many algorithms exist for learning how to act in a repeated game and most have theoretical guarantees associated with their behaviour. However, there are few experimental results about the empirical performance of these algorithms, which is important for any practical application of this work. Most of the empirical claims in the literature to date have been based on small experiments, and this has hampered the development of multiagent learning (MAL) algorithms with good performance properties. In order to rectify this problem, we have developed a suite of tools for running multiagent experiments called the Multiagent Learning Testbed (MALT). These tools are designed to facilitate running larger and more comprehensive experiments by removing the need to code one-off experimental apparatus. MALT also provides a number of public implementations of MAL algorithms— hopefully eliminating or reducing differences between algorithm implementations and increasing the reproducibility of results. Using this test-suite, we ran an experiment that is unprecedented in terms of the number of MAL algorithms used and the number of game instances generated. The results of this experiment were analyzed by using a variety of performance metrics—including reward, maxmin distance, regret, and several types of convergence. Our investigation also draws upon a number of empirical analysis methods. Through this analysis we found some surprising results: the most surprising observation was that a very simple algorithm—one that was intended for single-agent reinforcement problems and not multiagent learning—performed better empirically than more complicated and recent MAL algorithms.
The Study of Rural Infrastructural Facilities in Kajuru Area , Kaduna State of Nigeria : A Spatial Analysis for Planning

The importance of rural infrastructure has long been recognized as crucial to promoting economic growth and development. This is obvious considering its wide range of influence on increased productivity, generation of income and improved quality of life. However, this role depends largely on the extent to which the infrastructures are adequately provided, distributed over space and maintained particularly in the rural communities. The objective of the study is to examine the spatial distribution, the condition and maintenance of the rural infrastructural facilities in Kajuru area, Kaduna State of Nigeria. Primary data was collected from field observation, inventory of the infrastructure and administration of questionnaire. Some one hundred and sixty five samples were collected through a purposive sampling technique. Descriptive statistics such as mean, averages and percentages was adopted to summarize the data into tabular forms. Also, standardized (Z-score) analytical technique was employed to depict spatial variation in the rural infrastructural facilities. The study showed that five districts were privileged and some eleven districts wre under-privileged. K/maga has more than average share of (16.18), followed by Kufana (13.71), Idon (5.44), Kalla (3.68) and Iri (0.83) in that order of performance. Kyamar (-10.8) seemed to be the most disadvantaged among the districts, followed by U/Aku (7.81), Kajuru (-6.52), Sunka (-5.51), D/Gaiya (-3.97), Rimau (-3.69), Dawaki (-2.28) and the least underprivileged was Iburu district with a score of (-0.6). On the basis of the findings, one recommends among other things that community development strategy should be strengthened such that community embarking upon infrastructural projects such as road construction, building of schools, health centres and water supply should be given financial and technical assistance by the government and by so doing, communities shall become partners in progress with government in economic growth and development of rural areas.
Effects of integrating cultural tactics into the management of the balsam twig aphid Mindarus abietinus Koch ( Aphididae : Homoptera ) in balsam fir Christmas tree plantations

The balsam twig aphid Mindarus abietinus Koch causes needle distortion and/or loss on balsam fir Christmas trees. Insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers are used in the management of the trees with little monitoring of their effects upon the aphids. A complete randomized block split-plot design incorporating whole plot treatments (19-19-19 fertilizer/mowing, 19-19-19 fertilizer/Simazine herbicide, white Dutch clover intercrop and no treatment) with subplot treatments (Imidacloprid, Diazinon, Azadirachtin and no treatment) was used to determine treatment effects upon numbers of aphids and their natural enemies. Numbers of aphids and aphidinfested shoots were low on all treatments (<12 aphids/ subplot) although fertilized treated plots had slightly higher numbers of aphids. Diazinon treated subplots had significantly lower, albeit marginally, mean numbers of aphids/subplot. All treatments and their interactions had little effect upon proportions of infested shoots and resulting undamaged shoots (>80% undamaged). Numbers of predators were too low too detect significant effects of treatments.
Effect of Level of Phosphorus and Mulching on Growth and Yield of Tomato ( Lycopersicon lycopersicum L . )

1 Scientific Officer, Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur 1701, Bangladesh 2 Post Graduate Student, Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh 3 Professor, Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh 4 Scientific Officer, Plant Pathology Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur 1701, Bangladesh 5 Senior Scientific Officer, Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training on Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Do Heterogeneous Beliefs and Rare Events Explain The Household Leverage Cycle ?

We study whether a model with heterogeneous beliefs and rare-event risk can explain the household leverage cycle. We analyze and quantify the effects of beliefs dispersion and rare-event risk on household leverage and household debt pricing in a dynamic general equilibrium model. Heterogeneous beliefs drive households to borrow, and, thus, in an incomplete market subject to rare-event risk, default endogenously occurs in equilibrium. We find that the model can simultaneously account for both financial asset prices and leverages by households and financial institutions. Our results demonstrate that heterogeneous beliefs and rare-event risk are major drivers of the household leverage cycle. JEL Codes: E43, E44, G11, G12.
A Case Study on the Informational Role of Futures Markets : Can Weather Futures Forecast Electricity Consumption ?

I would like to thank Professor Alison Hagy and the students of Econ 198S and 199S for their support and feedback for this study. EcoTeach and the Undergraduate Research Support (URS) Office at Duke provided funds for the purchase of the futures pricing data, without which, the study would not have been possible. Most of all, I would like to thank Professor Edward Tower, my thesis advisor for his constant guidance, understanding and encouragement throughout the course of this study.
Survival Outcomes for Patients With Indeterminate 18 FDG-PET Scan for Extrahepatic Disease Before Liver Resection for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate overall survival (OS) and cancer recurrence for patients with indeterminate positron emission tomography (PET) scan for extrahepatic disease (EHD) before liver resection (LR) for colorectal liver metastases (CLMs). Summary of Background Data: Indeterminate EHD as determined by PET imaging indicates a probability of extrahepatic malignancy and potentially excludes patients from undergoing LR for CLM. Methods: In a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from February 2006 to December 2014, OS for patients with indeterminate EHD on FDG-PET scan before LR for CLM was performed using standard survival analysis methods, including Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox proportional hazard models for multivariate analyses. Postoperative imaging was used as reference to evaluate the association between indeterminate EHD and recurrence. Results: Of 267 patients with PET scans before LR, 197 patients had no EHD and 70 patients had indeterminate EHD. Median follow-up was 33 months. The estimated 5-year OS was 60.8% versus 59.4% for indeterminate and absent EHD, respectively (P 1⁄4 0.625). Disease-free survival was comparable between both groups (P 1⁄4 0.975) and overall recurrence was 57.1% and 59.5% for indeterminate and absent EHD, respectively (P 1⁄4 0.742). About 16.9% of recurrence was associated with the site of indeterminate EHD, with 80% of associated recurrence occurring in the thorax. Conclusions: The site of indeterminate EHD appears to have a predictive value for recurrence, with indeterminate EHD in the thorax having a higher probability of malignancy. The evidence in this report supports the critical evaluation of PET scan results and that patients are not denied potential
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTION

Ohio’s public schools have made an enormous investment in educational technology. Many of the barriers to using computers to support student learning identified in earlier studies have been removed or reduced. Nevertheless, examples of schoolwide technology integration in elementary settings are rare. The study used Fullan’s (1991, 2001) change theory as a framework for examining the implementation of instructional technology in five elementary schools in one school district in Ohio. One of the five schools was studied in more depth than the other four. The research questions focused specifically on four change factors—Need, Clarity, Complexity, and Quality
Impact of loneliness in the elderly in health care: a cross-sectional study in an urban region of Portugal

Background. loneliness is a subjective, complex and multi-dimensional feeling, having a significant impact on mental health. it is related to intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Objectives. the aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of loneliness in elderly patients in medical care. Material and methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study of a sample of 150 participants, aged ≥ 65 years, interviewed by a structured questionnaire, including the university of California los angeles loneliness scale (uCla-ls), for assessment of loneliness. other variables included socio-demographic characterisation and family dysfunction. total medication prescription and polymedication were used to assess the medical care assistance profile. logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Results. the prevalence of moderate to severe loneliness was 36% (95% Ci: 28.3–44.2%), higher with ageing, without differences between gender. the greatest impact in loneliness occurred in the presence of family dysfunction, income dissatisfaction, living alone and ageing. Being married/in a non-marital partnership and maintaining professional activity appeared as protective factors. the perception of loneliness was related with polymedication, with higher levels of loneliness matching with higher polymedication. Conclusions. loneliness is common in the geriatric population and interferes significantly with health care; thus, it can be considered a determinant of health. incorporating this factor into clinical decision reasoning is crucial for better health care.
Dissertation Metavinculin

Metavinculin is a muscle-specific splice variant of the ubiquitously expressed cytoskeletal adaptor protein vinculin. Both proteins are thought to be co-expressed in all muscle types where they co-localize to microfilament-associated adhesion sites. It has been shown that a metavinculin-specific insertion of 68 amino acids alters the biochemical properties of the five-helix bundle in the tail domain. Here, we demonstrate that the metavinculin-specific helix H10 plays an important role for protein stability of the tail domain, since a point mutation in this helix, R975W, which is associated with the occurrence of dilated cardiomyopathy in man, further decreases thermal stability of the metavinculin tail domain. In striated muscle progenitor cells (myoblasts), both, metavinculin and the R975W mutant show significantly reduced, albeit distinctive residency and exchange rates in adhesion sites as compared to vinculin. In contrast to previous studies, we show that metavinculin is localized in a muscle fiber type-dependent fashion to the costameres of striated muscle, reflecting the individual metabolic and physiological status of a given muscle fiber. Metavinculin expression is highest in fast, glycolytic muscle fibers and virtually absent in M. diaphragmaticus, a skeletal muscle entirely lacking fast, glycolytic fibers. In summary, our data suggest that metavinculin enrichment in attachment sites of muscle cells leads to higher mechanical stability of adhesion complexes allowing for greater shear force resistance. 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Negotiating the transition to secondary school

A long-standing feature of the Scottish education system has been the transfer of most children at about the age of 11 from a smaller primary school to a larger secondary school with a different type of class organization and curriculum. This study surveyed children in the Glasgow area nearing the end of primary education and those just beginning their secondary education regarding their experiences with the transition to secondary school. Survey findings were supplemented with information obtained through a small number of focus group discussions and data obtained from teachers and school records. Findings suggested that most children coped well with the move and were positive about preparation programs. There were indications that more children of minority ethnic backgrounds than white children encountered more difficulties and disappointments in their adjustment to secondary school. Primary school teachers' predictions about how well individual students would manage the social and environmental aspects of the transition corresponded well with the actual experiences that the child later reported. Education policy and school practice implications include making slight modiffcations to existing transition preparation programs, paying additional attention to transition problems as secondary students adjust to their new placement, and giving particular attention to assisting pupils of minority ethnic backgrounds. (KB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Negotiating the Transition to . 0 Secondary School. SCRE Spotlight 89. Catherine Graham Malcolm Hill The SCRE Centre University of Glasgow
BRAND MARKETING VIA FACEBOOK : AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MARKETING MIX , CONSUMER-BASED BRAND EQUITY , AND PURCHASE INTENTION IN THE FITNESS INDUSTRY

Social media platforms such as Facebook are often considered a marketing tool for businesses to communicate with consumers and potential customers (Gummerus, Liljander, Weman, & Pihlstrom, 2012). Unlike traditional media, social media provides distinct advantages for service-related businesses through the ability to foster direct communication with large amounts of consumers (Wallace, Wilson, & Miloch, 2011). The widespread usage of social media is convincing as research has indicated that nearly 75% of Internet users in the United States use social media (Bruhn, Schoenmueller, & Schäfer, 2012) with as many as two billion users worldwide (Barker, Barker, Bormann, & Neher, 2017). To that end, social media such as Facebook provides a unique and strategic means for organizations such as fitness clubs to cultivate relationships with consumers and build a strong consumer base.
Integration of construction control and pile setup into load and resistance factor design of piles

Regionally developed Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) recommendations for bridge pile designs are enhanced by integrating the construction control capability of dynamic analysis methods and the recently developed pile setup quantification method in the calibration process. Using a high quality, electronic Pile LOad Test (PILOT) database and 10 recently completed full-scale pile tests, resistance factors were developed using a reliability theory for a locally calibrated static analysis method and two dynamic analysis methods: the Wave Equation Analysis Program (WEAP) and the CAse Pile Wave Analysis Program (CAPWAP). Pile design efficiency was improved by minimizing the discrepancy between design and field pile resistances through a proposed probability-based construction control method. The efficiency of bridge foundations was further increased by incorporating the economic advantages of pile setup into the LRFD recommendations. Compared with recommendations made by Paikowsky et al. (2004), Canadian Engineering Society (2006) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (2003), regionally-calibrated resistance factors were improved. & 2014 The Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Pattern of Gynaecological Malignancies in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Gynaecological malignancies are the second most common cancer of females after cancer breast. Gynaecological malignancies contribute significantly to cancer burden and have a higher rate of mortality and morbidity. Carcinoma cervix is the commonest gynaecological malignancy in developing countries while in developed countries, ovarian cancer is the commonest. Comprehensive statistics on gynecologic malignancies reported from Bangladesh are deficient. This study was performed to ascertain the profile of gynecologic cancers reported at our center regarding demography, the frequency of involvement at various sites, clinical presentation, incidence, histologic subtypes and stage at presentation. Methods: This is a retrospective study where the records of the Departments of Gynecology and Pathology at Enam Medical College & Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh were retrospectively reviewed to identify all cases of Gynecologic malignancies and to determine the pattern of gynaecological malignancies identified between January 2015 and December, 2018. Results: Cervical cancer (53%) was the most common gynaecological malignancy, followed by ovarian cancer (29%), uterine cancer (8%), vulvar cancer (5%) and gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (GTN 5%). In the case of cervical and ovarian cancer the most common age group was 41 - 50 years and gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (GTN). The majority of patients presented at the ages of 31 - 40 years while uterine cancer presented in the elderly (>60 years). Among the patients studied 88% were multiparous. Of the cervical cancer cases, 96.22% was squamous cell carcinoma and commonest presenting complains were contact bleeding (33.96%) and excessive and irregular menstruation (26.41%). Among ovarian tumor cases 69% had epithelial while 31% had non-epithelial cancer and predo&