Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internet Usage and the Development of Social Skills Among Youths in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to investigate Internet Usage and the Development of Social Skills among youths in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Gender and age differences, differences in the degree of social involvement, social tolerance, patterns of behaviour between internet users and non-users and the relationship between internet usage and social skills development was investigated. Six research questions turned into hypotheses guided the study. The survey research design was adopted. From a population of 9,343 regular year two undergraduates, 500 samples were drawn through stratified random sampling technique at equal gender basis from 5 out of 11 faculties of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A validated Instrument, Internet Usage and Social Skills Development Questionnaire (IUSSDO) with reliability coefficient of . 73 was used to gather data for the study. The t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation were used to analyze data at . 05 level of significance. Results indicated significant gender and age differences in internet usage; significant differences in social skills development, social tolerance and pattern of behaviour between internet users and non-users while a strong relationship was established between internet usage and social skills development. It was concluded that internet usage negatively affected social skills development of youths. It was recommended among other things that parents, guardians, teachers, school counsellors and non-governmental organizations should encourage youths to be self-disciplined and relates to people in the real world in acceptable manners.
Wet and dry corn yield under intercrop culivation with marandu grass and/or dwarf pigeon pea and nutritional value of the marandu grass in succession

The aim of this study was to evaluate corn grain yield and dry matter yield and nutritional value of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu (marandu grass) in succession to an intercrop of corn with marandu grass and/or dwarf pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan cv. Anão) in a dryland area. The experiment was conducted during the crop years of 2013/14 and 2014/15, in a low-altitude Cerrado biome (savannah) experimental area. The experiment was set up as a randomized block design with six replications, in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of two intercrops [corn with marandu grass (CB) and corn with marandu grass and dwarf pigeon pea (CBP)]; two grain harvest times (wet and dry grain stages); and two consecutive years (2013/14 and 2014/15). Irrespective of the intercrop, the harvest of corn grain in the wet stage for silage minimized the losses caused by climatic factors. The intercrop of corn with marandu grass and dwarf pigeon pea reduced the yield of wet corn grains and the dry matter of the marandu grass in succession. Marandu grass in succession to the intercrop of corn with dwarf pigeon pea resulted in better nutritional value because of the lower fiber and higher total digestible nutrients contents.
Projected climate change impacts on upland heaths in Ireland

Heathland habitats in Ireland occur primarily in an oceanic setting which is strongly influenced by changes in the climate. As a consequence of the oceanic environment, Ireland has a high proportion of the northern Atlantic wet and alpine and boreal heaths of high conservation value within Europe. Future climate change is widely expected to place additional pressure on these systems. Seven bioclimatic envelope modelling techniques implemented in the BIOMOD modelling framework were used to model Wet and Alpine and Boreal heath distributions in Ireland. The 1961 to 1990 baseline models closely matched the observed distribution, and emphasise the strong dependency on climate. Mean winter precipitation, mean winter temperature and elevation were found to be important model components. The fitted models discrimination ability was assessed using the area under the curve (range 0.874 to 0.929, Wet heath; 0.858 to 0.936, Alpine and Boreal heath) of a receiver operating characteristic plot; the true skill statistic (range 0.648 to 0.713, Wet heath; 0.666 to 0.737, Alpine and Boreal heath); and Cohen’s kappa (range 0.652 to 0.714, Wet heath; 0.641 to 0.738, Alpine and Boreal heath). A BIOMOD ensemble prediction from all the models was used to project changes based on a climate change scenario for 2031 to 2060 dynamically downscaled from the Hadley Centre HadCM3-Q16 global climate model. The climate change projections for the individual models change markedly from the consistent baseline predictions. Projected climate space losses (gains) from the BIOMOD consensus model are -40.84% (limited expansion) and -10.38% (full expansion) for Wet heath; and -18.31% (limited expansion) and +28.17% (full expansion) for Alpine and Boreal heath. Although the consensus models project gains in climate space for both habitats in other parts of the country, new habitat formation in these areas is unlikely as current (and hence near future) land use and other conditions are not likely to favour expansion.
Determining the status of activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) in healthy and cognitive impaired elderlies

Background & Objective: Dementia is associated with serious effects on memory, cognition and ability to carry out daily activities. There is evidence that impairment in activity of daily living (ADL) is even reported among elder patients who suffer from mild cognitive disorders. Therefore, we aimed to determine the status of ADL and instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) in healthy and cognitive impaired elderlies (MCI, Mild, and Moderate dementia). Methods: In this cross-sectional study which was conducted in 2016, 300 elderlies (60 years and above) were selected using a classified cluster sampling in four groups (each group of 75 individuals). These groups comprised of healthy old people and elderlies with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild to moderate dementia that were residing in rural areas of Isfahan and Tehran and were classified between stages of 1 to 5 according to the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). All individuals in four groups were assessed by ADL and IADL evaluation tools. The geriatric depression scale (GDS-15) and DSM-IV scale were performed on healthy elderlies by a physician to confirm the lack of mild dementia or depression. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software and using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and independent samples T-test. Results: According to the cognitive impairment screening results by GDS, 76 elderlies were healthy, 75 were in MCI group, 72 individuals were diagnosed with mild dementia and 77 were suffering from moderate dementia. The mean scores of ADL tool on the basis of different cognitive stages of elderlies were statistically significant (p<0.001). The ADL scores among elderlies were lowered by increasing the severity of cognitive impairment. Moreover, the average scores of IADL among elderlies with different cognitive status were significantly different (p<0.001). The IADL scores in cases with moderate dementia were markedly declined in comparison to healthy subjects and elderlies with MCI and mild dementia. Conclusion: Although applying the ADL and IADL tools are not considered as gold standards in rapid assessment of cognitive impairments among elderlies, they could be considered as useful and user friendly tools to detect performance alterations in elderlies with dementia to provide healthcare by geriatric teams.
Extrinsic estimates for eigenvalues of the Laplace operator

For a compact spin manifold M isometrically embedded into Euclidean space, we derive the extrinsic estimates from above and below for eigenvalues of the square of the Dirac operator, which depend on the second fundamental form of the embedding. We also show the bounds of the ratio of the eigenvalues. Since the unit sphere and the projective spaces admit the standard embedding into Euclidean spaces, we also obtain the corresponding results for their compact spin submanifolds.
Clearance effects of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas on the fish-killing algae Chattonella marina and Chattonella antiqua

We exposed Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas to the harmful algal species, Chattonella marina and C. antiqua, at various initial algal cell densities for up to 24 h. None of the oysters died, even after exposure to high cell densities of both Chattonella species. Oysters filtered Chattonella from the aquarium water within 24 h, depending on initial algal cell densities. The oyster clearance rates peaked at a specific cell density for each algal species (about 100 cells ml -1 for C. marina and about 10 cells ml -1 for C. antiqua). However, because of differences in cell sizes between the algal species, the algal biovolume per unit water volume varied widely at the same cell density. The rela- tionships between clearance rates and biovolumes of exposed algae were similar between the 2 algal species; clearance rates by the oysters peaked at about 1.0 × 10 6 μm 3 mm -3 . The filtration activity of the oysters was fundamentally affected by their exposure to algal biovolume and not algal cell density. No histological lesions were found after the oysters were exposed to either Chattonella species. Furthermore, immunohistological observations of the digestive glands of the oysters and analysis of their phytopigment content revealed that Chattonella cells that were cleared from the water during exposure entered the cytoplasm of the oyster digestive glands by phagocytosis.
Quantifying the 3 Biases That Lead to Unintentional Overestimation of the Blood Pressure–Lowering Effect of Renal Denervation

Background—Studies of renal denervation report disparate results. Meta-analysis by trial design may allow quantitative estimation of sources and magnitude of biases in denervation studies. Methods and Results—One hundred forty nonrandomized, 6 randomized open-label, and 2 randomized blinded studies were analyzed for 2 outcomes: (1) blood pressure changes for nonrandomized, open-label randomized, and blinded studies; and (2) quantification of 3 biases potentially contributing to apparent antihypertensive effects: (a) regression to the mean, (b) asymmetrical data handling, and (c) true blood pressure drops caused by something other than the tested therapy (confounding). Nonrandomized studies and open-label randomized trials reported large reductions in office blood pressure of 23.6 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI], 22.0 to 25.3) and 29.1 mm Hg (95% CI, 25.2 to 33.1 mm Hg), respectively. They reported smaller reductions in ambulatory blood pressures (11.2 mm Hg; 95% CI, 10.0 to 12.4). The blinded trials found no significant reduction in blood pressure (2.9 mm Hg; 95% CI, −0.4 to 6.3). Analyses of these data indicate the magnitude of the 3 potential sources of bias to be regression to the mean, −1.01 mm Hg (95% CI, 4.24 to −6.27); asymmetrical data handling, −10.8 mm Hg (95% CI, −8.77 to −12.87); and confounding, −8.3 mm Hg (95% CI, −4.73 to −11.83). Conclusions—Increasingly bias-resistant trial designs report effect sizes of decreasing magnitude. This disparity may be caused by asymmetrical data handling and confounding (eg, increased drug adherence). If these differences are caused by trial design and not by some other differences in patients or procedures, which happen to match the trial design, then randomization alone is not enough: blinding is also needed. This has broad implications across trials of medications and devices.
Managerial Challenges within Networks: Emphasizing the Paradox of Network Participation

Flexibility and access to numerous resources are essential benefits associated with network participation. An important aspect of managing the network participation of a company is to maintain a dynamic portfolio of partners, and thereby keep up the strategic opportunities for development. However, maintaining the dynamics within a network seems to be a complex challenge. There is a risk that the network ends up in The Paradox of Network Participation. The desired renewal and flexibility are not utilised because the involved parties preserve the existing networks structure consisting of the same companies, and hence, the paradox reduces the potential advantages of the network. The objective of this paper is to analyse the fundamental conditions for a company which depends on an efficient network, and based on this discuss how active use of information can reduce the relative importance of trust and thereby sort out the paradox of network participation. Trust and information are mechanisms employed to absorb uncertainty. The relationship between trust and the requirement for information depends on the maturity of the relationship. When trust becomes too important as uncertainty absorption mechanism the paradox sets in. Three proposals are made for substituting trust with information as possible ways out of the paradox.
USING MULTIPLE NEIGHBORING INTERACTION EFFECTS IN SPATIAL REGRESSION SPECIFICATIONS TO REDUCE OMITTED VARIABLE BIAS

A major challenge in the analysis of micro level spatial interaction is to distinguish actual interactions from the effects of spatially correlated omitted variables. We consider a spatially lagged explanatory model (SLX) employing two spatial weighting matrices differentiating between local and regional neighborhoods. We empirically analyze spatial interaction between individual farms in Norway and additionally perform Monte Carlo simulations exploring the model’s performance under different data settings. Results show that including two spatial weighting matrices can indeed reduce the bias resulting from omitted variables. The empirical application identifies different local and regional spatial interdependencies of direct payments with opposite sign.
Asymmetric Dynamic Pricing in a Local Gasoline Retail Market

Asymmetric-price adjustment is a common phenomenon in many markets around the world, particularly in retail gasoline markets. This paper studies the existence of this phenomenon in the retail gasoline market in the city of Santiago, Chile, using a data set of weekly gas station prices that covers a period of almost four years. We found that prices adjust asymmetrically, and the asymmetry is different for branded gas stations and unbranded stations. In addition, we found that the asymmetry for high-margin stations is statistically equivalent to that for low-margin stations. This evidence is suggestive of collusion as a rationale for the asymmetric pricing policy observed.
Robotic Mitral Valve Repair for Simple and Complex Degenerative Disease: Midterm Clinical and Echocardiographic Quality Outcomes.

BACKGROUND Severe primary (degenerative) mitral regurgitation (MR) is repaired with durable results when simple single-scallop disease is addressed. The midterm quality outcomes of minimally invasive repair for complex disease are unknown, however. METHODS AND RESULTS From January 2008 to January 2015, 487 patients (56±11 years, 360 men, ejection fraction 65±6%, 98.8% complete follow-up) underwent robotic mitral valve repair for severe nonischemic degenerative MR. Simple pathology was addressed in 289 of 487 (59%) patients, and complex repair (all others) was performed in 198 of 487 (41%). Four patients died during follow-up with a 5-year survival rate 99.5% (99.4% simple; 99.5% complex; hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-4.59); and New York Heart Association functional class I/II was documented in 97.9% (477/487). Eight patients had recurrence of moderate-to-severe MR (4 simple, 4 complex), with a 5-year freedom from MR of 94.6% (96.2% simple; 92.7%, complex; P=0.67; hazard ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-5.43). Seven patients (2 simple, 5 complex), underwent mitral reoperation, with a 5-year freedom from reoperation of 97.7% (99.1% simple; 95.7% complex; P=0.13; hazard ratio, 3.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-17.32). CONCLUSIONS At a large tertiary care referral center, midterm quality outcomes after robotic correction of degenerative MR are excellent, with very high survival, infrequent complications, and a low likelihood of MR recurrence, regardless of mitral valve repair complexity. Awareness of these improvements in outcome is important to inform contemporary decisions regarding high-quality alternatives to conventional and percutaneous mitral repair.
Exploring pain processing differences in Native Americans.

OBJECTIVE Several chronic pain conditions are more prevalent in Native Americans than in any other group in the United States; however, little has been done to identify factors contributing to this disparity. The study presented here was designed to examine whether there were pain processing differences in Native Americans relative to non-Hispanic White controls. METHODS Participants were healthy, pain-free Native Americans (n = 22, 8 females) and non-Hispanic Whites (n = 20, 7 females). Pain processing was assessed from electric pain threshold/tolerance, ischemia pain threshold/tolerance, nociceptive flexion reflex threshold (NFR; an electrophysiological measure of spinal nociception), pain ratings of suprathreshold electric stimuli, and temporal summation of pain and NFR (an electrophysiological measure of spinal cord sensitization). The institutional review board approved all procedures. RESULTS Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Native Americans had dampened pain perception (higher ischemia pain tolerance, higher electric pain threshold, lower ratings of electric stimuli). Additionally, temporal summation of NFR was reduced in Native Americans, suggesting sensitization was reduced at the spinal level. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest Native Americans have dampened pain and pain signaling, perhaps due to overactivation of descending pain inhibition mechanisms. Given research indicating that other ethnic groups at risk for chronic pain (e.g., African Americans) show enhanced pain and enhanced central sensitization on experimental pain measures, chronic pain risk could be different for Native Americans, thus emphasizing the need for different treatment interventions.
FFECTIVENESS OF NATIVE BUMBLEBEES AS POLLINATORS OF THE ALIEN INVASIVE PLANT I MPATIENS GLANDULIFERA ( B ALSAMINACEAE ) IN I RELAND

Flowers of alien invasive plants can be pollen limited due to a lack of effective pollinators. The alien Impatiens glandulifera is predominantly visited by bumblebees in its invaded range. There bumblebees pollinate I. glandulifera, but it remains unclear whether foraging behaviour or bumblebee or flower morphology affects effectiveness. We investigated the effectiveness of native bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) pollinators in Ireland by quantifying pollen deposition and removal, and seed production after a single bumblebee visit. Morphological characteristics of flowers and bumblebee body parts were measured to determine their influence on pollen deposition and removal. B. pascuorum is a highly effective pollinator of the alien due to its high visitation frequency, the morphological fit with flowers and individuals removing large pollen quantities and inducing maximum seed set after a single visit. The impact of native bumblebees on I. glandulifera pollination and the implications of the pollination mechanism of the alien for its successful spread are discussed.
Changes in fatty acids profiles after three weeks of high-fat diet feeding in obesity-prone rats

High-fat diet (HFD) feeding is commonly used in animal models to induce obesity and metabolic diseases. However, the effect of HFD on serum fatty acid profiles remains unclear. Changes in serum fatty acid profiles due to HFD may be a factor in lipotoxicity in various organs. Historically, in vitro studies have utilized individual nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) to study lipid exposure, potentially ignoring the importance of fatty acid combinations on cellular lipid metabolism. OBJECTIVE: To accurately characterize the proportion of circulating fatty acids entering and exiting the liver in obese-prone rats fed with HFD in both fasted and fed state. Our ultimate goal is to create a physiological relevant fatty acid mixture to investigate lipid exposure in a cell culture system. METHODS: Obesity prone rats were fed a HFD (60%kcal fat) or a control diet (10%kcal fat) for 3 weeks; liver, portal and systemic blood samples were collected. Triglycerides (TG) and NEFA in the serum, TG, diglycerides (DG) and phospholipids (PL) in the liver were extracted and analyzed using gas chromatography. RESULTS: HFD group was heavier and had bigger fat pad compared to control diet fed animals. Both systemic and portal serum TG were ~40% lower in HFD. In contrast, liver had higher fasting TG (~2-fold) and DG (~1.3-fold) in the HFD group compared to control group. Total serum NEFA levels were not affected by diet in the fasted state, but v increased in the HFD group compared to the control group under fed state. In the control group, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were the predominant fatty acids in serum TG, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were the dominant fatty acids in the HFD group. The elevations of PUFA were mostly attributed to the increased of n-6 PUFA, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. Similar shift from MUFA to n-6 PUFA also occurred in the serum NEFA fraction. CONCLUSION: HFD shifted predominate fatty acids of serum TG fraction from MUFA in the control diet to n-6 PUFA. A more physiologically relevant fatty acid mixture to mimic HFD conditions for in vitro studies may include increased linoleic acid and arachidonic acid relative to saturated fatty acids and MUFA.
Maastricht and the Choice of Exchange Rate Regime in Transition Countries During the Run-Up to Emu

This paper raises some specific issues concerning the choice of exchange rate regime in transition countries during the run-up to EU/EMU membership. It argues that there is no "one-size-fits-all" exchange rate regime that accession countries should uniformly adopt. It also argues that the Maastricht criterion on inflation is inconsistent with the catching-up process because of the Balassa-Samuelson effect and that this inconsistency will encourage a "weighing-in" syndrome: like the boxer who refrains from eating for hours prior to the weigh-in only to consume a big meal once the weigh-in is over, the candidate country will maintain very tight monetary policy and resort to all sorts of techniques (freezing of administered prices, lowering of consumption taxes, etc.) to squeeze down inflation prior to accession only to shift back gears after it has joined the EMU. Indeed, the convergence of short-term interest rates to EMU levels that will come with accession will automatically mean a loosening of monetary policy after the country has become a member of the monetary union. That loosening will be reinforced if the country had previously allowed its exchange rate to appreciate against the euro. The result of this stop-go cycle is that the efficiency of economic management will suffer. It would be better to recognize the principle of the Balassa-Samuelson effect explicitly in the Maastricht criteria by giving more room for maneuver than the one provided by the present rule. The paper makes suggestions on how the Maastricht criterion on inflation could be adjusted and discusses their merits. It concludes that a reasonable compromise would be to define the permissible inflation deviation in reference to the average inflation rate of the euro zone, not the three EU members with the lowest inflation rate.