Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE? EMPLOYEE’S PERCEPTION OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN PORTUGUESE ORGANIZATIONS

Training and development (T&D) has become a paramount subject in the workplace and societies, particularly in today’s scenario of the European crisis. T&D literature has long highlighted the benefits for employees, managers and governments of training and education strategies and systems. However, the employees’ perception of the T&D process has been systematically neglected. This paper presents an exploratory study focusing on the employees’ perception about the T&D rationale and initiatives and tools used by their employing organizations. A sample (n= 56) of currently employed MSc students enrolled in management courses at a Portuguese University was used to analyse their opinion about the employers’ reasons to invest in training activities, the organizational instruments adopted to conduct the training needs’ assessment and evaluating the training effectiveness, and the problems underlying the whole process of training within their organizations. A questionnaire was used to collect data on those issues. Results are analysed and implications for employing organizations are discussed.
The Effects of Myo-inositol on Glucose Metabolic in Diabetes Rats

Objective: To observe the myo-inositol on normal and diabetic rats muscle and intestinal glucose uptake. Methods: The rat jejunum was placed in Kb with containing 2.5% -20% myo-inositol and the glucose concentration was detected at 0 and 2 h. The psoas muscle was placed in Kb containing 2.5% -20% myo-inositol Kb (with or without insulin) the glucose concentration was detected at 0 and 1 h. Rats were divided into blank control group, normal muscle myo-inositol group, blank control group of diabetic rats, myo-inositol group of diabetic rats and acarbose group of diabetic rats (DBA) The intestinal propulsion rate and intestinal absorption of glucose in each group were detected. Results: In vitro studies found that myo-inositol can dose-dependently stimulate the absorption of glucose in the jejunum and promote the uptake of glucose by the psoas muscle in a dose-dependent manner. Myo-inositol can delay gastric emptying in diabetic rats, inhibit intestinal absorption of glucose, reduce postprandial blood glucose in diabetic rats and promote the rate of intestinal propulsion in diabetic rats. Conclusion: Myo-inositol can inhibit the intestinal absorption of glucose in glucose rats and promote the glucose uptake in muscle of normal rats and diabetic rats.
Mindful silence produces long lasting attentional performance in children

Biophilia is affected by the ability to focus on natural stimuli effortlessly, actually to be fascinated by Nature. Exposure to natural environments allows one's directed attention to rest and to restore from a state of mental fatigue. As we have reliably demonstrated in a precedent study (Visions for Sustainability 1, 31-38) mindfulness meditation is an effective intervention that improves children sustained attention through Active Silence Training (AST), a mindfulness-based educational proposal specifically tailored for children of primary school age. The AST is made up of Cooperative Play and Mindful Silence, namely activities to engage children's involuntary attention. This study investigated which component of AST (i.e. Cooperative Play or Mindful Silence) was more effective in improving children's attention. In a mixed research study 72 children (9-11 years) of a primary school in Aosta (Italy) were randomly assigned to one of three different training: i) Mindful Silence only, ii) Cooperative Play only, iii) both Cooperative Play and Mindful Silence, the original AST. At four time-points, sustained attention and physiological parameters were assessed. Results didn't show any change in physiological parameters whereas it emerged that Mindful Silence training alone produced greater and longer-lasting improvements in children's sustained attention than Cooperative Play or Play and Silence; Cooperative Play produced immediate but short-lasting changes. Mindful Silence training was identified as being able to improve children attentional capacities and an effective tool for stimulating biophilia.
Microbial Dynamics Associated with Decomposing Typha angustifolia Litter in two Contrasting Lake Erie Coastal Wetlands

We compared the decomposition of sediment-associated litter of Typha angustifolia in 2 Lake Erie coastal wetlands, examining the effects of sedimentation on microbial biomass, production and litter decay dynamics. Experimental manipulations of sediment had no statistically significant effect (p > 0.05) on microbial biomass or metabolism. However, unforeseen differences between wet- land sites (i.e. permanently inundated vs. exposed) had a major influence on microbial colonization and growth, litter mass loss, and nutrient dynamics. Litter-associated bacterial biomass and produc- tion were greater at the inundated site vs. the exposed wetland site (e.g. 487 vs. 158 µg C g -1 detrital C after 146 d, respectively). In contrast, fungal biomass and production were greater at the exposed site (e.g. 125 vs. 56 mg C g -1 detrital C after 146 d, respectively). Microbial degradative enzymes involved in the acquisition of phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon followed similar patterns as observed for fungal biomass and production, with higher activities associated with decaying litter at the exposed site. Microbial respiration rates were initially similar at both sites, but increased at the inun- dated site towards the end of the study period. Despite greater litter-associated microbial biomass, production and enzyme activities at the exposed wetland site, rates of litter mass loss were similar, suggesting that the greater metabolic potential of microbiota at the exposed site may have been off- set by environmental conditions (e.g. fluctuations in water availability). Although mass loss rates were similar, significant differences in nutrient dynamics were observed, with higher N and P asso- ciated with higher litter-associated microbial biomass. These results illustrate how microbial decay dynamics can potentially interact with environmental variables (e.g. water availability) to modulate the carbon and nutrient dynamics of a litter resource that dominates many wetlands.
Hyperglycemia and obesity related with intestinal neoplasia. Survey in an oncology centre.

Background: One of the most common causes of malignant neoplams is colorectal cancer. This pathology may generate severe illness and complications leading to death. Metabolic dysfunction, including obesity and hyperglycemia, has increased exponentially and previous studies have suggested an association between those risk factors and a greater risk of colorectal cancer. Aim: To assess the prevalence and the role of metabolic pathology in patients with intestinal cancer. Methods: A descriptive and retrospective study conducted at a Cancer Reference Center in Sao Paulo of patients diagnosed with intestinal cancers. During the first consult, the fasting blood glucose and body mass index were verified. The Student T-test was used. The rejection standard of the null hypothesis was set at 0.05 or 5% (α ≤ 0.05). Results: Our study analyzed 105 patients, of which 60-69 year olds were the more prevalent age group. Of those studied, 50% of the patients were found to be overweight and obese and 47.6% were found to be hyperglycemic. The prevalent weight group of patients were those classified as overweight being between 25 and 29 kg/m2 showing an incidence of 47.4% of rectal cancer and 52.4% of colon cancer. The hyperglycemic patient group showed a prevalence of 28% with rectal cancer and 72% with colon cancer. Those showing rectal cancer consisted of 57,2% men and 28.5% women. Those showing colon cancer demonstrated a prevalence of 41.6% of men and 5.5% women. However, those patients within the hyperglycemic group had no prior diagnosis of T2DM and were unaware of their condition. Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the importance of metabolic disorders and the necessity of effective preventive health measures in attempt to prevent the development of severe pathology with high rate of mortality.
Camylofin in the management of prolonged labor: a review of evidence

Prolonged labor can lead to increased maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Hence, it warrants an early detection and appropriate clinical management. Active management of labor has shown to decrease the occurrence of prolonged labor. Administering antispasmodics during labor facilitates a faster and more effective dilatation of the cervix. Hence, antispasmodics can be used to decrease the incidence of prolonged labor. Camylofin, a potent antispasmodic, with a dual mode of action, has been used in the augmentation of labor for more than six decades. There is a growing body of evidence to support the efficacy and tolerability of Camylofin in the active management of labor. A review of published evidence suggests that Camylofin has superior efficacy in augmentation of labor on multiple counts like rate of cervical dilation, duration of active phase of first stage of labor and induction delivery interval, when compared to other spasmolytics like drotaverine, hyoscine and valethemate. It also has a benefit of a convenient single dose as compared to the other spasmolytics listed earlier. Camylofin has other advantages like a quick onset of action, prolonged action, no adverse effects on uterine contractility, no contraindication for use in uterine inertia cases and overall good tolerability for both mother and fetus. Given the superior efficacy and benefits that this drug exhibits, coupled with its excellent tolerability profile, Camylofin should be the first choice and may be preferred over other drugs for cervical dilatation and acceleration of active phase of labor.
A juvenile coelophysoid skull from the Early Jurassic of Zimbabwe, and the synonymy of Coelophysis and Syntarsus

Several authors have drawn attention to the close similarities between the neotheropod dinosaurs Coelophysis and Syntarsus. Reconstruction and analysis of a skull from a juvenile specimen of Syntarsus (collected from the Forest Sandstone Formation of Zimbabwe) show that cranial characters previously used to distinguish these taxa and justify their generic separation (namely the presence of a ‘nasal fenestra’ in Syntarsus and the length of its antorbital fenestra), were based on erroneous reconstructions of disassociated cranial elements. On the basis of this reinterpretation we conclude that Syntarsus is a junior synonym of Coelophysis. Variations are noted in three cranial characters – the length of the maxillary tooth row, the width of the base of the lachrymal and the shape of the antorbital maxillary fossa – that taken together with the chronological and geographical separation of the two taxa justify separation at species level.
Maximum α-Amylase Production by Molecular and Biochemical Characterized Soil Microorganism

The present investigation was undertaken with an aim to produce α-amylase in cost effective way keeping its market potential into consideration. This result obtained from present study prove that Bacillus licheniformis is the maximum α-amylase producing strain isolated from soil under suitable conditions. This study will very helpful for upcoming researchers to uncover the various aspect of enzyme production by microorganism. The present investigation was undertaken with an aim to produce higher amount of amylase with pure compounds in submerged fermentation. To screen the isolates for promising α-amylase producing capability and one of the most promising isolate is further scale up. Amylase constitutes a class of industrial enzymes having approximately 20% of the enzyme market. α-amylase has found its application in a range of industries including food, brewing, distilling industry, textile, paper pharmaceutical and bioconversion of solid waste etc. Microorganism used in present investigation, isolated from rhizospheric regions of giant newar variety of Raphanus sativus grown in district Jaunpur, (Uttar Pradesh) India. A total of 30 natural isolates were scanned for α-amylase activity out of which 20 isolates were biochemically characterized. Based on ribotyping all the isolates were identified and one of the most promising amylase producer, i.e., Bacillus licheniformis was finally selected for further studies. The experiments were carried out in triplicates and mean value was taken. Nutritional source such as carbon and nitrogen sources were optimized for the production of α-amylase in free cell condition. Maximum α-amylase production was observed at 24 h. of incubation. Three different types of media such as Semi-synthetic, complex media I and complex media II tested and various parameters were optimized for enhance the alpha-amylase yield. It was found that identified soil microorganism Bacillus licheniformis is the best strain for α-amylase production and complex media-I gave maximum yield.
Biogas production from a systems analytical perspective

Anaerobic digestion and the production of biogas can provide an efficient means of meeting several objectives concerning energy, environmental and waste management policy. Interest in biogas is increasing, and new facilities are being built. There is a wide range of potential raw material, and both the biogas and digestates produced can be used in many different applications. The variation in raw materials and digestion processes contributes to the flexibility of biogas production systems, but at the same time makes their analysis and comparison more complicated. In this thesis, the energy performance in the life cycle of biogas production is assessed, as well as the environmental impact of introducing biogas systems to replace various fuels and existing strategies for the handling of various raw materials. The energy performance and environmental impact vary greatly between the biogas systems studied depending on the raw material digested and the reference system replaced. The results are largely dependent on the methodological assumptions made, for example, concerning focus, system boundaries, and how the energy required in joint operations is allocated to the raw materials digested. Many of the environmental implications depend on how changes resulting from non-energy-related aspects of the implementation of biogas production can be taken into account. For example, changes in emission of methane and ammonia from the handling of the raw material or changes in nitrogen leaching from arable land. There are several potential barriers to the successful implementation of biogas production. The aspect to which most attention was devoted here was the prospect of using digestate from large-scale biogas plants as a fertilizer in agriculture. Reliable and generally accepted disposal of the comparatively large amounts of digestate produced is necessary if biogas production is to be implemented. Agriculture is currently the most common, and sometimes the only suitable means of disposal of the digestate. Serious resistance to or problems associated with this use could therefore jeopardise the development of biogas systems. (Less)
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MODELS IN ESTIMATING STANDARD EVAPOTRANSPIRATION IN LAMPUNG PROVINCE, INDONESIA

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the loss of water to the atmosphere by combined processes of evaporation from soil and plant surfaces and transpiration from plants. Since various factors affect ET, including weather, crops and soil parameters; numerous equations have been developed to quantify standard ET. The equations vary in data requirements from very simple, empirically based or simplified equations to complex, more physically based equations. This study used six methods in estimating standard evapotranspiration using data from September 2011‒August 2012 from Climate Station at Masgar (05o10'20” S, 105o10' 49”E, 50 m dpl) Lampung, Indonesia. The six models are: Hargreaves-Samani 1985 (H/S), FAO 24 Radiation (24RD), FAO 24 Blaney-Criddle (24BC), FAO 24 Pan Evaporation (24PAN), Linacre (Lina), and Makkink (Makk). The results were analyzed using statistics methods in error indicators, which are: Root Mean Square Error(RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Logaritmic Root Mean Square Error(LOG RMSE), while the closeness among the models was analyzed using Index Agreement (IA). Direct measurement had been done using lysimeters (3x2x1) m. The study concluded that Makkink model is the suitable simple model that should be chosen in Lampung lowland area to calculate ETo when climate data is limited, besides the recommended FAO 56 Penman Monteith.
Development of optimum substrate compositions in the methane fermentation process

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the potential of organic wastes from the agriculture and food industry as co-substrate for biogas production, on the basis of physical and chemical parameters analysis and biogas yield in the process of methane fermentation. The experimental material consisted of carrot pomace, kale by-products and maize silage. Methane fermentation was conducted in bioreactors equipped with an automatic control and measurement system. The study indicated correct physicochemical properties in terms of high content of dry organic matter and also correct C/N ratio. That was reflected in high biogas yields which amounted to, respectively, 558 N dm3 kg−1 VS−1 for carrot pomace and kale by-products, and 526 N dm3 kg−1 VS−1 for maize silage. The study showed that the intensity of biogas production was varied and depended on the composition of fermented mixtures. Methane fermentation of organic waste mixtures significantly increased the amount of biogas efficiency compared to the fermentation of individual substrates. The successful run of the experiment indicates that a mixture composed of carrot pomace and kale by-products is a good substrate for the production of biogas.
Femtosecond dynamics of active semiconductor waveguides: microscopic analysis and experimental investigations

We present theoretical and experimental results of nonlinear amplification and propagation of short optical pulses in Fabry–Perot semiconductor lasers. The theoretical description is based on spatially resolved Maxwell–Bloch–Langevin equations that take into account the spatially varying light-field dynamics including counterpropagation, diffraction, self-focusing, and the microscopic carrier dynamics including carrier heating and carrier relaxation. Femtosecond pump–probe measurements using upconversion and femtosecond-resolved pump–probe measurements and frequency-resolved optical gating on a Fabry–Perot laser allow a combined analysis of the transmitted pulses in real time and the spectral domain. The experimental results are compared with the microscopically calculated gain and index distributions, pulse shapes, and optical spectra. In order to assess the full potential of semiconductor lasers and amplifiers, a quantitative measurement and understanding of amplitude and phase dynamics is required. The computer simulations of the ultrashort dynamics of semiconductor waveguides with optical injection of light pulses provide insight into the dynamic spectral gain and index changes responsible for frequency drifts and self-phase modulation, visualization of propagation effects, and a time- and frequency-resolved analysis of the amplified light pulses.
Drying kinetic and physical properties of green laird lentil (Lens culinaris) in microwave drying

The objective of this study was to study the drying kinetics of green laird lentil (Lens culinaris) in microwave drying method. The drying data were fitted to the various thin-layer models. All the models were compared using three statistical parameters, that is, coefficient of determination R, reduced mean square of the deviation X and root means square error RMSE. Also, the lentil’s physical and mechanical features crude protein, oil and ash parameters were specified under different microwave levels. It was concluded according to these values that the recommended model is the best model, which can define the drying curves at the practices at 300, 400, 550, 700 and 800 W in drying lentil by microwave.
Robust MIMO disturbance observer analysis and design with application to active car steering

A multi‐input–multi‐output extension of the well‐known two control degrees‐of‐freedom disturbance observer architecture that decouples the problem into single‐input–single‐output disturbance observer loops is presented in this paper. Robust design based on mapping D‐stability and the frequency domain specifications of weighted sensitivity minimization and phase margin bound to a chosen controller parameter space is presented as a part of the proposed design approach. The effect of the choice of disturbance observer Q filter on performance is explained with a numerical example. This is followed by the use of structured singular values in the robustness analysis of disturbance observer controlled systems subject to structured, real parametric and mixed uncertainty in the plant. A design and simulation study based on a four wheel active car steering control example is used to illustrate the methods presented in the paper. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mathematics Interest and Achievement: What Role Do Perceived Parent and Teacher Support Play? A Longitudinal Analysis

This study investigated the effects, on their own mathematics interest and achievement, of girls' and boys' perceived teacher support behaviors, domain-specific gender stereotyping, and ability expectations. Furthermore, effects of perceived parents' valuing and school support on students' mathematics interest and achievement were analysed. Questionnaire data were collected at two measurement points, mid-year and three months later, from 361 students in grades 8, 9, and 10 (41.3% female) attending ten public schools located in Berlin, Germany. Results from structural equation modelling showed a positive effect of perceived parental school support on students' interest and a negative effect of perceived teacher support on students' grades. Multiple group analysis revealed that gender functioned as a moderator for these relationships.
BIODIVERSITY AND INDIGENOUS AGROECOLOGY IN AMAZONIA: THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF PASTAZA

Amazonia is generally regarded as a wild region that contains abundant natural resources, such as oil and biodiversity. The hegemonic development and environmental discourses enforce economic, productive and, more recently, conservationist projects that expand aside of the indigenous peoples. Amidst strong development-ecology tensions, the interface between biodiversity and indigenous lifestyles in Amazonia remains largely neglected. Field research on the indigenous peoples of Pastaza, in Western Amazonia, undermines the global perception of wild Amazonia and supports the indigenous context of Amazonian ecosystems and biodiversity. Indigenous communities conserve, use, cultivate, manage and exchange biodiversity as fundamental component of their rural lifestyle. The indigenous agroecology comprises the whole set of knowledge systems, agroecological practices and socio-cultural dynamics that shape indigenous agriculture in the context of biodiversity. The indigenous agroecology provides food security, health care, and ecosystem resilience through a local regime of biodiversity conservation and use. However, global development models neglect and dislocate the indigenous context of biodiversity. In this impasse, the indigenous peoples of Pastaza are advancing grassroots mobilisations to contextualise development in their ecological, epistemic, and cultural domain. Biodiversity and the indigenous agroecology can launch an ethnoecological vision of development. Resumen