Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study Major, Gender, and Confidence Gap: Effects on Experience, Performance, and Self-Efficacy in Introductory Programming

The term Confidence Gap refers to the phenomenon of men being more confident in their ability to succeed in their studies and elsewhere. It is an acknowledged phenomenon both in Computer Science as well as STEM subjects at large, likely influencing students’ career path choices and selection of study major. In this work, we analyze data from multiple introductory programming courses. We do this by looking at the interaction of (1) students’ performance measured in terms of completed assignments, (2) self-reported confidence in the ability to succeed in the programming course, (3) major, and (4) gender. Aligned with prior research, we observe the existence of the Confidence Gap. At the same time, men and women who chose Computer Science as their major are more confident in their ability to succeed in their first programming course than their counterparts in other subjects.
HUSBANDRY PRACTICES OF SHEEP IN HULET EJU ENESIE DISTRICT, EAST GOJJAM ZONE, ETHIOPIA

The study was conducted in Hulet Eju Enesie District, East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia, with the main objective of assessing husbandry practices. The study district was stratified in to Dega, Weina Dega and Kolla agro-ecologies. Six kebeles were selected by proportional allocation methods. For survey, 150 sample households were selected for interviewed by using simple random sampling. In addition, 72 households were selected for group discussion by using simple random sampling, male and female with equal proportion. Collected data from survey were subject to Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and Chi-square (χ2) by using SPSS software (ver. 20). The mean flock size per household was 12.52 in Dega, 9.43 in Weina Dega and 8.32 in Kolla (P<0.05). The purpose of keeping sheep were sale (income source), meat and saving purpose as indicated with index value of 0.48, 0.28 and 0.12 respectively. Major feed source varied according to seasons; communal grazing 37.1% from (Sep-Nov), Grazing after math 47% from (Dec-Feb), Crop residue 38.1% from (Mar May) and private grazing 31.8% from (Jun–Aug). Haricot bean straw (64%) is a major crop residue. Chi-square (χ2) analysis result showed that there was significant difference (P<0.05) on types of supplementary feeds in different agroecological zones. Atela (97.3%) was dominant supplementary feed. Sheep house constructed attached to the family house and sharing a common wall is the most common sheep house. Mean age for castration and tail docking were 14.84 and 3.77 months respectively. Selection criteria of sheep for castration and fattening were physical characteristics, breed and conformation with index value 0.43, 0.26 and 0.23 respectively. Washera (79.3%), crossbred (12%) and both Washera crossbred and “local “sheep (17.3%) respectively. Age at first mating, age at first lambing, lambing interval, slaughtering age for male, slaughter age for female and marketing age of sheep were 7.47, 12.46, 8.05, 5.96, 6.25, 6.5 months respectively. Litter size (mean 1.55) was significantly (P<0.05) different among agro-ecologies. Disease, and parasites, and feed shortage were reported to be the two major constraints of sheep production in the area with index value 0.381 and 0.357.
Effectiveness of Virtual Medical Teaching During the COVID-19 Crisis: Systematic Review

Background In December 2019, COVID-19 emerged and rapidly spread worldwide. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is high; as a result, countries worldwide have imposed rigorous public health measures, such as quarantine. This has involved the suspension of medical school classes globally. Medical school attachments are vital to aid the progression of students’ confidence and competencies as future physicians. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, medical schools have sought ways to replace medical placements with virtual clinical teaching. Objective The objective of this study was to review the advantages and disadvantages of virtual medical teaching for medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the current emerging literature. Methods A brief qualitative review based on the application and effectiveness of virtual teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted by referencing keywords, including medical student virtual teaching COVID-19, virtual undergraduate medical education, and virtual medical education COVID-19, in the electronic databases of PubMed and Google Scholar. A total of 201 articles were found, of which 34 were included in the study. Manual searches of the reference lists of the included articles yielded 5 additional articles. The findings were tabulated and assessed under the following headings: summary of virtual teaching offered, strengths of virtual teaching, and weaknesses of virtual teaching. Results The strengths of virtual teaching included the variety of web-based resources available. New interactive forms of virtual teaching are being developed to enable students to interact with patients from their homes. Open-access teaching with medical experts has enabled students to remain abreast of the latest medical advancements and to reclaim knowledge lost by the suspension of university classes and clinical attachments. Peer mentoring has been proven to be a valuable tool for medical students with aims of increasing knowledge and providing psychological support. Weaknesses of virtual teaching included technical challenges, confidentiality issues, reduced student engagement, and loss of assessments. The mental well-being of students was found to be negatively affected during the pandemic. Inequalities of virtual teaching services worldwide were also noted to cause differences in medical education. Conclusions In the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools have a duty to provide ongoing education to medical students. The continuation of teaching is crucial to enable the graduation of future physicians into society. The evidence suggests that virtual teaching is effective, and institutions are working to further develop these resources to improve student engagement and interactivity. Moving forward, medical faculties must adopt a more holistic approach to student education and consider the mental impact of COVID-19 on students as well as improve the security and technology of virtual platforms.
Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes decorated with platinum nanoparticles

Purpose: In presented work results of synthesis of carbon nanotubes decorated with platinum nanoparticles by organic colloidal process as an example of direct formation of nanoparticles onto CNTs are reported. Design/methodology/approach: CNT were grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) by the catalytic decomposition of CO. To improve metal deposition onto CNTs the purification procedure with a mixture of concentrated HNO3–H2SO4 and H2O2 reduction reagent was applied. CNT–nanocrystal composite was fabricated by direct deposition of nanoparticles onto the surface of CNTs. Chemical composition and crystallographic structure of the obtained Pt/CNT composites were confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, while transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for characterization of the morphology of composite as well as the distribution of nanocrystals on the CNTs surfaces. Findings: High efficiency of proposed method was confirmed as well as possibility of the coating of Pt nanoparticles onto CNTs, without aggregation of these particles. Research limitations/implications: Many others noble metals such as palladium, platinum, gold and iridium can be used for deposition on the CNTs using described procedure. Originality/value: Obtained material can be employed in constructing various electrochemical sensors. As a result of increasing of the surface area of Pt caused by the reduction of the size of used particles, fabricated sensor may be characterized by higher sensitivity.
ANALYSIS OF COMBINING ABILITY AND HETEROTIC GROUPING OF MAIZE INBRED LINES UNDER ACID SOIL CONDITIONS, CONTROL SOIL AND *,1Liliane

A line x tester analysis involving 112 test environments for different agronomic traits from 2012 to 2014 in the Bimodal Humid Forest Zone of Cameroon. The hybrids were crosses between twenty varieties with four testers. The objectives of the study were to estimate general and specific combining ability effects of the inbred lines and to identify heterotic groups of maize inbred lines under stress conditions, con with two replications. Analysis of variance indicated significant mean squares due to line (GCA) for yield, plant aspect, ear aspect, ear height, plant height and anthesis conditions. The effect of the tester (GCA) was not significant for yield but line x tester (SCA) showed significant effect for all the traits taken under stress environment. The comparison of GCA sum of squares to SCA sum of squares the traits recorded under acid soil, control and across environments except for ear height in acid soil environments. Most of these traits were predominantly controlled by non their expression. SCA explained 68%, 73% and 53% of the total sum of squares among crosses under acid soil, control soil and across environments, for yield. Meaning that yield was mainly controlled by the non advantage of exploiting heterosis to improve grain yield of maize hybrids. Four distinct heterotic groups were identified under acid soil and across environments.
Code Writing vs Code Completion Puzzles: Analyzing Questions in an E-exam

This Research Full Paper investigates the relationship between code writing tasks and other tasks like program comprehension and completion. In the context of exams, it is interesting to know whether auto-gradable comprehension and completion tasks can to some extent replace harder-to-grade code writing tasks and still test the same learning outcomes. This paper reports on the post mortem analysis of the 2019 e-exam in a university level programming course. Questions were analyzed for difficulty level, correlation, and discrimination. Program puzzles were found to correlate well with code writing, which is in line with previous findings by others. On average, code writing questions had higher difficulty, discrimination, and correlation with the total score than the other question formats – but not uniformly so. A more fine granular analysis of performance on individual interaction items sheds light on reasons why some questions worked better than others, with implications for future question design.
Technical-Economic Studies about Polyester Fibers with High Strength on Asphalt Mixtures with Solid Granulation. J. Civil Eng. Urban., 7 (2): 30-35.;

The term of mechanical properties of asphalt mixture by using of proper additives has been searched in recent decade by foreigner engineers. In this article, the technique of using of polyester fibers with high strength in making the asphalt samples and the Marshall test for studying the stability (technical features) of asphalt mixture used and assessed. The results indicate that in the samples in lower percent amounts of fibers, strength is increased while with increasing of the presence percent of fibers in mixture, strength is reduced. Also with increasing of fibers percent, fluidity, total void volume of mixture (VTM), void volume of aggregates (VMA) are increased ascending and on the other hand, special weight and the volume of space filled with bitumen (VFA) of mixture containing fibers with high strength were reduced by increasing of fibers presence. On the other hand, the cost of adding this kind of fibers to the asphalt mixture was estimated 10 percent of asphalt production cost that this amount of cost with regard to the positive effect of additives on asphalt seems proper. By studying and analyzing the diagrams, optimum percent of polyester fibers with high strength in this research was obtained %0.5 which has the best effect on asphalt mixture. By studying the obtained results, it was concluded that asphalt mixture strengthened with polyester fibers with high strength has been more flexible mixture than the base mixture and it can be used in the regions with moderate weather and not so much traffic.
Prevalence and Predictors for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Firefighters: A Systematic Review

Received 23 May 2019 Accepted 6 April 2020 Introduction Emergency work with regular exposure to traumatic events may cause a large burden of mental health consequences. Among the first responders, firefighters are generally said to have a larger risk for PTSD as they involve directly and indirectly with critical incidents and traumatic events as part of their duties. This systematic review will determine the prevalence of PTSD and identify factors which associated to the PTSD among firefighters. Methods Systematic search was performed for published articles from year 2007 till 2017 from five electronic literature databases and the PRISMA checklist was used for the workflow for article selection. A total of 12 articles were selected for final examination from a total of 188 articles screened. Results The prevalence of PTSD among firefighters are ranged from 6.4% to 57 %. Predictors are include demographic factor (age, educational level and marital status), job factors (years of service, rank, numbers of traumatic events, job stress, organization stress and burnout, occupational effort, internal locus control, resource availability, debriefing attendance), social support, post traumatic growth, comorbidity (anxiety, depression, work related injuries, chronic musculoskeletal disorder), coping style, resilience, personality, biological factor (adiponectin level) and physical factor (waist circumference, body mass index). Conclusions Various factors identified in different dimensions in order to promote the opportunities for firefighters to grow for a better outcome psychologically. Therefore, it is vital to recognize modifiable factors which are associated with PTSD and research need to focus more on these factors or predictors.
Stomach adaptations of broilers fed Acacia angustissima leaf meal based diets. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 7(3): 58-64.;

The study determined effect of Acacia angustissima leaf meal on the stomach physiology of broilers. 150 day old chicks were randomly allocated to 0%, 5% and 10% A. angustissima leaf meal based diets for six weeks with five replicates per treatment. At weeks 2, 4 and 6, two birds from each replicate were slaughtered, dressed and weighed. The weights of the proventriculus and gizzard were measured. Approximately 1 cm specimen was taken from each organ, fixed in formalin and stained for histological analysis using a light microscopy. Proventriculus muscle layer thickness, gland diameter and secretory layer thickness decreased with increasing leaf meal levels (P<0.05). A. angustissima leaf meal had no effect on the physiology of the gizzard during the starter phase (P>0.05). Continued use of the of A. angustissima leaf meal in the grower and finisher diets resulted in increased weight and muscle thickness of the gizzard (P<0.05). It was concluded that A. angustissima leaf meal reduced the physiological capacity of the proventriculus to secrete digestive juices and enhanced the physiological capacity of the gizzard for mechanical digestion.
Correlation between vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and thyroid diseases in Iraqi patients

Vitamin D is a type of fat-soluble vitamins that is responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. Synthesis of D3 occurs in the lower layers of the skin through a chemical reaction that is dependent on sun exposure. Low levels of vitamin D have also been associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) such as Hashimoto Thyroiditis (HT) and Grave’s Disease (GD). We aimed in our study to examine the relationship between thyroid diseases and vitamin D3 levels and to clarify the relationship between sex, age and weight with vitamin D3 in Iraqi patients. The study included 100 individuals (50 men and 50 women) age ranged from (10-80) years old, body weight of 21-98 Kg, They are divided into three groups: control group (group with normal T4 level), high T4 level group and low T4 level group. D3.T3, T4 and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) were measured for all patients.
OP-JNCI200067 1..10

Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers both in the United States and worldwide. Until this year, there had not previously been a conference focused on translational studies in the broad and heterogeneous group of kidney cancers. Therefore, a group of researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates dedicated to renal cell carcinoma launched the Kidney Cancer Research Summit (KCRS) to spur collaboration and further therapeutic advances in these tumors. This commentary aims to summarize the oral presentations and serve as a record for future iterations of this meeting. The KCRS sessions addressed the tumor microenvironment, novel methods of drug delivery, single cell sequencing strategies, novel immune checkpoint blockade and cellular therapies, predictive biomarkers, and rare variants of kidney cancers. In addition, the meeting included 2 sessions to promote scientific mentoring and kidney cancer research collaborations. A subsequent KCRS will be planned for the fall of 2020. The inaugural Kidney Cancer Research Summit (KCRS) was held September 12–13, 2019, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This meeting was sponsored by KidneyCAN, a grassroots movement formed to support patient advocacy and accelerate kidney cancer research, and based largely on projects funded through the Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP), an allocation of $10 million from the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs in 2017 to address challenges and controversies facing the kidney cancer field (Figure 1). Importantly, many basic and translational researchers funded by KCRP lack opportunities to regularly interface with clinicians that could benefit from and help develop their research. KCRS brought these parties together with the goal of advancing the standard of care in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) through facilitating collaboration and communication in an intimate scholarly setting (Figure 2). The unique small meeting format consisted of short talks followed by question and answer sessions, as well as a mentoring panel and moderated open discussions (Table 1). Thinking Outside the Tumor The first session focused on molecular features of tumor cells and other cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that could be valid therapeutic targets in the future. For instance, upregulation of the kidney-specific transcription factor FoxD1 is inversely correlated with patient survival and increased fibrosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tumors. To determine if stromal fibroblasts are a therapeutic target, Leif Oxburgh’s group is using patient tissue samples to develop a synthetic C O M M EN T A R Y Received: January 28, 2020; Revised: April 7, 2020; Accepted: April 24, 2020 © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com 1 JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2020) 113(3): djaa064 doi: 10.1093/jnci/djaa064 First published online May 8, 2020
High temporal resolution of leaf area data improves empirical estimation of grain yield

Large-area empirical yield estimation from space has long been constrained by the lack of suitable combinations of spatial and temporal resolutions of satellite image time series. Consequently, it is likely that the selection of metrics, i.e., time series descriptors used to predict grain yield, was driven by practicality and data availability rather than by systematic targetting of critically sensitive periods suggested by knowledge of crop physiology. The availability of data from new satellites is driving a trend towards increased spatial and temporal resolutions. This raises the question of how temporality affects performance and the choice of metric required to achieve optimal performance. To answer this question, we followed an in silico approach and generated daily time series of Leaf Area Index (LAI) using a crop growth model. In comparison with currently limited observational data, this approach can generate any observation frequency, explore a wider range of growing conditions and drastically reduce the cost of measuring yields in situ. Wheat crops were thus simulated under nine management strategies for 30 years at 50 locations representative of the Australian grain zone. Six types of LAI metrics were extracted to predict grain yields. Between 30% to 80% of the yield variability could be explained depending on the metric. The high accuracy achieved by advanced metrics (Senescence fit and Fourier decomposition) is remarkable since it is obtained from linear models calibrated for the whole of the grain zone, contrasting seasons, and multiple cultivars. Adding weather variables doubled the R of models based on simple metrics (peak LAI and Early/Late window) but did not significantly improve models based on advanced metrics. This constitutes strong evidence that metrics intensively exploiting the temporal dimension of LAI already integrate the information content of weather variables. Simple metrics remain nonetheless the best choice when data are sparse. As we progress in a data-rich era, these results provide evidence for a shift towards the inclusion of metrics that truly harness the temporal dimension of LAI time series.
Measuring and Assessing the Wealth Influence on the Efficiency of the Health System through the Private Sector

The aim of the paper is to provide an analysis of the dynamics of the public and private health sectors in Romania. Using descriptive statistics, it first investigates whether the public health sector follows the reformation trends suggested by official strategies and reports, and to what extent the private health sector is a viable alternative to the public one, by analysing the demand for private inpatient services. We look into the reduction in the occupancy degree in public hospitals as a means to increase the efficiency of public health expenditures, which represents one way to reform the public health sector. We also find that the increase in the occupancy degree in private hospitals is negatively correlated with the quality of services provided by public hospitals, but positively correlated with population wealth. Increase in the occupancy degree in private hospitals is an indicator of poor quality of services in public hospitals. It can also be explained by increasing expectations and requirements of beneficiaries as a reflection of increase in wealth and of their will to preserve their health capital. Using regression models, the paper then proposes the Wealth-Health Index, a composite indicator to explore the connection between wealth and health and the dynamics of the private health sector. Investment in physical infrastructure and the size of medical staff in the private sector is positively correlated with wealth increase.