Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A mid-IR study of Hickson compact groups - I. Probing the effects of environment in galaxy interactions

Hickson compact groups (HCGs) are among the densest galaxy environments of the local universe. To examine the effects of the environment on the infrared properties of these systems, we present an analysis of Spitzer and ISO mid-infrared imaging, as well as of deep ground-based near-infrared imaging of 14 HCGs containing a total of 69 galaxies. Based on mid-infrared color diagnostics we identify the galaxies that appear to host an active nucleus, while using a suite of templates, and fit the complete infrared spectral energy distribution for each group member. We compare our estimates of galaxy mass, star formation rate, total infrared luminosities, and specific star formation rates (sSFR) for our HCG sample to samples of isolated galaxies and interacting pairs and find that overall there is no discernible difference among them. However, HCGs that can be considered as dynamically “old” host late-type galaxies with a slightly lower sSFR than the one found in dynamically “young” groups. This could be attributed to multiple past interactions among the galaxies in old groups, that have led to the build up of their stellar mass. It is also consistent with our prediction of the presence of diffuse cold dust in the intergalactic medium of 9 of the dynamically “old” groups.
Histological techniques for quality control of meat and meat products Ã¢ÂÂ Amini-review.

Histological examination of meat and meat products allows for direct identification and differentiation of individual components. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of the results of the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of meat and meat products on the basis of histological analysis. Such an analysis allows quality control of meat and meat products through content determination, detection of unauthorized (animal or plant) tissue, verification of labeling (histomorphometric analysis), the specificity of the animal source of the raw material, the assessment of tenderness, the detection and evaluation of mechanically separated meat, the detection of parasite, the prediction of the quality of the meat subjected to freezing and the defrosting, evaluation of the impact of post-slaughter manipulations on quality, detection of muscle degeneration, evaluation of certain methods of treatment or preservation of meat and meat products. On the basis of this evidence, histological techniques can be a simple, fast, economical, decisive and conclusive tool for quality control of such foodstuffs.
Periodontitis and Cardiovasculardisease: Association and Risk

Periodontitis has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.Two internet databases were selected in search of appropriate papers for the study purpose: i)the National Library of Medicine,Washington DC,USA (MEDLINE-PubMed) and ii) HINARI Access to Research in Health Program,World Health Organization,Geneva,Switzerland.Both databases were searched from 1985 to 2009.In the past decades, there has been renewed interest in the old hypothesis that infections increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.Atherosclerosis has a major inflammatory component and the main underlying pathological pathway for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Periodontal pathogens may be involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and subsequent coronary heart disease.Periodontal pathogenPorphyromonasgingivalis caused atherosclerosis in experimental animals and have been found in human atherosclerotic lesions.The nature of association is unclear because both periodontitis and CVD share a host of risk factors.Epidemiological studies, mainly observational studies (case-control,cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies) are usually the first to generate association data between exposure and adverse health outcomes. Clinical trials with statistically significant positive outcomes are easy to interpret and indicate that the tested intervention is effective in favorably altering the adverse health outcomes.Available evidences suggest that having periodontitis contributes to the total infection and inflammation burden and may contribute to cardiovascular events in susceptible subjects.The impact of periodontal therapy must be further investigated. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/cdcj.v10i1. 13829 City Dent. Coll. J Volume-10, Number-1, January-2013
Why is child malnutrition lower in urban than rural areas

"While ample evidence documents that urban children generally have better nutritional status than their rural counterparts, recent research suggests that urban malnutrition is on the rise. The environment, choices, and opportunities of urbanites differ greatly from those of rural dwellers' from employment conditions to social and family networks to access to health care and other services. Given these differences, understanding the relative importance of the various determinants of child malnutrition in urban and rural areas and especially whether they differ is key to designing context-relevant, effective program and policy responses for stemming malnutrition. This study uses Demographic and Health Survey data from 36 developing countries to address the question of whether the socioeconomic determinants of child nutritional status differ across urban and rural areas. The purpose is to answer the broader question of why child malnutrition rates are lower in urban areas. The socioeconomic determinants examined are women's education, women's status, access to safe water and sanitation, and household economic status. The analysis finds little evidence of differences in the nature of the socioeconomic determinants or in the strength of their associations with child nutritional status across urban and rural areas. As expected, however, it documents marked differences in the levels of these determinants in favor of urban areas. Large gaps in favor of urban areas are also found in the levels of key proximate determinants of child nutritional status, especially maternal prenatal and birthing care, quality of complementary feeding, and immunization of children. The conclusion is that better nutritional status of urban children is probably due to the cumulative effect of a series of more favorable socioeconomic conditions, which, in turn, seems to lead to better caring practices for children and their mothers. Given that the nature of the determinants of child nutritional status is largely the same across urban and rural areas, the same program and policy framework can be used to stem malnutrition in both. Efforts to alleviate the most critical socioeconomic constraints specific to the different environments should continue to be prioritized. " Authors' Abstract
A new functional dairy product containing an optimized mixture of Lactococcus bacteria, kefir and brewer's yeasts

Functional dairy products (FDP), especially those with probiotic properties, became very popular the last decade, due to both their health-promoting properties. Our studies aimed the elaboration of a new prototype of a FDP, based on a complex mixture of microorganisms with synergistic action. Meanwhile, we aimed to valorise the bioactive potential of brewer's yeast, as a nutritional complement beside the lactobacilli (Lactococcus) and kefir yeast in the FDP. By two steps experiments we elaborated different functional dairy product (FDP) variants based on mixtures of Lactococcus bacteria, kefir and brewer yeasts, in different ratios in order to obtain an optimized composition. The physical-chemical parameters to qualify these products were pH, total acidity and syneresis factor, their modifications during incubation and shelf life did not vary significantly, but the presence of the brewer yeast brought added-value to the final product and determined the less acidic pHs than for typical yogurt.
Efficacy and safety of bacterial lysates in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and exacerbation

Objective: This study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the preventive effect of bacterial lysates (Broncho-Vaxom, OM-85 BV) on acute exacerbation in patients with COPD or chronic bronchitis in China. Methods: 428 patients recruited from 13 centers were randomly allocated into BV or placebo. 384 patients completed the study (192 in OM-85 BV group and 192 in the placebo group). Patients received medications for 10 days per month during 3 months with a 10-week follow-up. Results: This study revealed that the proportion of patients with recurrent exacerbation in OM-85 BV group was significantly lower than that in placebo group within 12-week treatment period (23.4% vs. 33.3%, p 0.05). Conclusions: OM-85 BV significantly reduced the rate of recurrent exacerbations in patients with chronic bronchitis or COPD in therapy period. It also significantly reduced the frequency of exacerbations in individual patients in active therapy period and decreased the usage of antibiotics, with a good safety profile.
Dead Poet&Apos;S Property - How Does Copyright Influence Price?

This article exploits a differential increase in copyright under the UK Copyright Act of 1814 - in favor of books by dead authors – to examine the influence of longer copyrights on price. Difference-in-differences analyses, which compare changes in the price of books by dead and living authors, indicate a substantial increase in price in response to an extension in copyright length. By comparison, placebo regressions for books by dead authors that did not benefit from the extension indicate no differential increase. Historical evidence suggests that longer copyrights increase price by improving publishers’ ability to practice intertemporal price discrimination.
Nonparametric Estimation of Dark Matter Distributions

There have been recent advances in the nonparametric estimation of the distribution of dark matter in nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies. This work uses Jeans’ Equations to relate the distribution of (total) matter to velocity dispersions. The estimation of velocity dispersions is facilitated by observing certain shape restrictions, stronger that convexity in the isotropic case, that follow from Jeans’ Equations. This work is reviewed, modified slightly, and extended to include some anisotropy.
Effects of Dielectric Substrate on Polarization Conversion Using Coupled Metasurfaces With and Without Tunneling

Dielectric substrates are technologically necessary components of various microwave and optical structures and devices, and may strongly affect their performance. For metasurfaces composed of subwavelength resonators, placing dielectric components in the proximity of resonators can lead to strong modification of subwavelength resonances and related transmission regimes. We focus on the effects exerted by material and geometrical parameters of such a dielectric substrate on linear-to-linear polarization conversion that appears in quasiplanar structures containing two coupled metasurfaces and enabling chirality. It is shown that spectral locations of the polarization conversion resonances and transmission efficiency at these resonances are strongly sensitive to the substrate parameters, whereas the ability of polarization conversion and related asymmetry of transmission can be preserved in wide ranges of parameter variation. The effects of a substrate are considered in detail for the mechanisms with and without tunneling, indicating a route to compact designs of quasiplanar structures for singleand multiband polarization conversion.
Musculoskeletal Pain and Mental Agony Reacting to Ergonomic Risks in the Thai Informal Working Environment

Objectives: The study aims to focus on the ergonomic risks on mental agony and musculoskeletal pain (MSP) as well as discuss the potential solutions for minimizing the negative consequences of occupational risks among Thai informal workers. Methods: The analysis sample comprised of 805 informal workers in Thailand. Research instruments were consisted of an interview questionnaire and the ergonomic checklist. Results: MSP location was highest distributed to upper back (86.8%). Only 11.2% and 2.9% of the participants had no sign of anxiety and burnout. Poor work methods were identified as the most frequently exposed ergonomic risk. Burnout, anxiety, and workstation design were the significant risks impacting the severity of MSP. Physical environmental was the significant risk for anxiety, while physical environment and work methods were the significant risks for burnout. Conclusions: Interdisciplinary assessments and multi-level/sector approaches should be taken into account in planning the community health services for preventing occupational risks and MSP.
Assessing the effects of agroforestry practices on biological control potential in kale (Brassica oleracea acephala) plantations in Western Kenya

Agricultural intensification and extension at the expense of forests are known to have a negative impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), agriculture provides livelihoods for most of the population and forestry is an important additional income. Agroforestry practices may help to compensate for loss of biodiversity. Pests are an important constraint to agricultural production and their biological control is affected by environmental degradation. Management practices such as alteration of the field micro-environment and increases in landscape complexity can be efficient non-chemical methods for reducing pest damage. In this study, I examine how the implementation of agroforestry influences biological control in kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) plantations in Western Kenya. Twenty fields, either shaded or open, were selected at four settlements in the Trans-Nzoia district of Kenya. Landscape complexity was defined as the percentage of wooded vegetation within a 50 m radius. Pesticide use, mulching practices and the amount of rainfall were recorded as additional explanatory variables. Predation was assessed by (1) egg removal rates, (2) bird exclusion, and (3) predation marks on plasticine caterpillars. Activity density of ground-dwelling predators was assessed with pitfall traps and foliage-dwelling pests and predators were counted on the plants. Aphid parasitism rates were also estimated by counting live aphids and aphid mummies. The effect of shade and landscape complexity, pesticide use, mulching and rainfall was tested by running generalized linear models and selecting the best models based on Akaike Information Criterion adjusted for small sample-sizes. Presence of shade-trees at the local field level was found to be effective in reducing population of both surveyed pests and in increasing aphid parasitism rates and caterpillar predation by birds. Neither the proportion of wooded vegetation in the landscape nor the interaction between local shade and landscape scale tree cover were retained as significant explanatory variables. However, pesticides negatively influenced aphid abundances, predator abundances and egg removal rates while positively influencing caterpillar populations. I conclude that in kale agro-forestry systems of Western Kenya, local management of shade is effective in increasing biological control of pests, but I found no evidence that the proportion of trees in the landscape is important. This can be explained by the small-scale of the analysis and should be investigated with larger scale and stronger differences between agroforestry versus conventional systems. The negative effect of pesticides is also important to note and should be further investigated in order to improve the sustainability of farming practices.
Motivation in the Learning of Mathematics

This study focuses on students’ motivation in solving mathematical problems. Objectives of the study are to (i) identify students’ level of effort, self efficacy and worry in solving mathematical problems based on gender, current cumulative grade point average (CGPA)and year of study; (ii) students’ level of motivation in solving mathematical problems based on gender, current cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and year of study; and (iii)establish relationship between levels of motivation and students’ mathematics achievement. The subscales used in the measurement of motivation are effort, self-efficacy, and worry. Data was gathered through a descriptive survey using questionnaires. Overall, students’ motivations was found to be high and majority of the respondents were in the high level for effort but were only moderate for self efficacy. Significant difference was established in overall motivation scores between the female and male respondents, but not for the subscales effort, self-efficacy and worry. Respondents with higher CGPA obtained higher overall scores for motivation. Significant positive correlations were established between effort, self-efficacy, and overall motivation with students’ overall academic achievement. Likewise, significant positive correlations were established between effort, self-efficacy, worry, and overall motivation with students’ average mathematics achievement.
In vivo hypoglycemic and alloxan induced antidiabetic activity of Xeromphis uliginosa Retz

Xeromphis uliginosa Retz. is an indigenous plant of Bangladesh. Traditionally this plant is used to treat many diseases. In order to explore the medicinal quality of this plant systematically, the crude methanol extract of roots was screened for antidiabetic activity in rats model. The antidiabetic action was determined by using oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and alloxan induced antidiabetic test. In OGTT, both doses (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) of methanol extract reduced the blood glucose significantly (p < 0.05) after 1 h on administration and continued to remain lower up to 3 h. However, the extract significantly (p < 0.05) attenuated the blood glucose level in diabetic rats at a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight which was comparable to the standard drug used (glibenclamide). Key words: Xeromphis uliginosa, antidiabetic, blood glucose.
Teenage pregnancy and female educational underachievement: A prospective study of a New Zealand birth cohort.

This paper examines the relationship between teenage pregnancy and educational underachievement in a cohort of 520 young women studied from birth to 21 years. Results showed that young women who became pregnant by the age of 18 years were at increased risk of poor achievement in the national School Certificate examinations of leaving school without qualifications and of failing to complete their sixth-form year at high school. In addition pregnant teenagers had lower rates of participation in tertiary education and training than their nonpregnant peers. Subsequent analyses showed that the links between teenage pregnancy and tertiary education participation were largely noncausal and reflected the earlier academic ability behavior and family circumstances of young women who became pregnant. In contrast antecedent child and family factors only partially explained associations between teenage pregnancy and high school participation and achievement. After adjustment for these factors significant associations remained between teenage pregnancy and educational achievement at high school. An examination of the diverse life histories of young women who became pregnant revealed that for the majority of young women pregnancy occurred after they had left school before finishing. These findings suggest that rates of teenage pregnancy might be elevated among young women who leave school early rather than rates of early school leaving being elevated among young women who become pregnant during their teenage years. (authors)
Does student engagement vary among colleges within a university

Amrinder Kaur DOES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT VARY AMONG COLLEGES WITHIN A UNIVERSITY 2006/07 Dr. Roberta Dihoff Masters of Arts in School Psychology The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between student engagement and different colleges within a university. Research has asserted that student engagement is closely related to student learning and that student engagement varies from institution to institution depending on various factors. However, there has been minimal research on student engagement among colleges within the same university. A sample of 120 undergraduate college students (20 from each of the six colleges) was recruited from Rowan University to complete the National Survey of Student Engagement in four different areas: Level of academic challenge, Active and collaborative learning, Studentfaculty interaction and Enriching educational experiences. Four one-way ANOVAs revealed that a significant relationship existed between the level of student engagement and the student's college. Specifically, significance for student engagement was found in the area of Educational enriching experiences.
Ownership Structure and Dividend Policy in non-Financial Company

This study aims to analyze the influence of ownership structure on dividend policy in non- financial companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period of 2009-2013. The theoretical framework applied to analyze this research model is the theory of agency that is based on the existence of agency correlation, as the result of the separation of ownership and management performed by the manager. Tested ownership structure covers to largest shareholders, institutional shareholders and individual shareholders. Hypothesis testing is conducted by using a multiple regression models with a sample of 149 observations of non-financial companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period of 2009-2013 that have a constant profit during that period. The study provides empirical evidence consisting of: (1) largest shareholders are positively correlated and significant on dividend policy, (2) institutional shareholders are positively correlated and significant on dividend policy, (3) individual shareholders are negatively correlated and significant on dividend policy, (4) ratios, such as return of assets, firm size, and firm age, have significant effect on dividend policy.
Remembering The End: Dostoevsky As Prophet To Modernity

Dostoevsky was one of those writers of the nineteenth century who came to be regarded by many readers in the following century as a prophet. How does he remain prophetic for us now, in the early twenty-first century? Remembering the End explores and assesses Dostoevsky's critique of modernity, with particular focus on the Grand Inquisitor (in The Brothers Karamazov), where his prophetic vision finds its most intense expression. The authors write to elucidate the spiritual realism of Dostoevsky's biblically charged literary art, and to show how it can help us to remember who we are in this modern/postmodern moment in which--as individuals and members of communities--we are required to make critical choices about the meaning of justice, history, truth and happiness. The book will be of interest to readers in comparative literature, ethics, political theory, philosophy, religious studies and theology.
Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty

Preface ix About the Authors xv PART ONE ESTABLISHING THE CONTEXT 1 1 Collaborative Learning: Coming to Terms with the Term 3 2 The Case for Collaborative Learning 14 PART TWO IMPLEMENTING COLLABORATIVE LEARNING 35 3 Designing the Learning Task 39 4 Orienting Students 58 5 Forming Groups 76 6 Facilitating Student Collaboration 90 7 Grading and Evaluating Collaborative Learning 101 8 Avoiding and Resolving Common Problems 118 PART THREE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES 137 9 Techniques for Discussion 151 10 Techniques for Reciprocal Teaching 187 11 Techniques for Problem-Solving 224 12 Techniques Using Graphic Information Organizers 261 13 Techniques Focusing onWriting 289 14 Techniques Using Games 330 Appendix A Useful Tools for Implementing Collaborative Learning in Online Courses 373 Appendix B Key to Classroom Environment in CoLT Examples 377 Appendix C Key to Professor Names from CoLT Examples 384 References 386 Name Index 403 Subject Index 407