Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to foliar fertilizer

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of foliar fertilizer on the growth and yield parameters of rice, due to the fact that foliar fertilizer utilization is not a common practice in field crop production in Ghana. Eight treatments comprising two (Recommended fertilizer application rate for farmers) and six others which are the foliar fertilizer (Boost Xtra foliar fertilizer) were used. The analyzed results showed significant differences in some growth and yield parameters measured. On the whole, performance of the foliar fertilizer treatments compared with the recommended soil-applied fertilizer treatments was good. Amongst the foliar fertilizer treatments also, application of 150 ml Boost Xtra/15l H 2 O output was better than its other foliar fertilizer treatments. The entire results suggest that it is possible to utilize foliar fertilizer in the cultivation of rice and also the application of foliar fertilizer at a rate of 150 ml Boost Xtra /15l H 2 O either at (basal + panicle initiation) or (basal + panicle initiation + Heading) could be an option for adoption in the cultivation of rice.
Global Stabilization of a Class of Switched Nonlinear Systems Under Sampled-Data Control

This paper considers the global stabilization problem via sampled-data control for a class of switched nonlinear systems meanwhile taking into account asynchronous switching. First of all, a state feedback sampled-data controller is constructed by backstepping design method. Then, a relationship between the sampling period and the average dwell time is derived, which can guarantee that the closed-loop system is globally asymptotically stable. Finally, two simulation examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Drivers of services sector growth acceleration in developing countries

: The services sector is dominant and continues to experience unprecedented growth in many developing economies. However, in-depth empirical analysis of the drivers of services sector growth acceleration is limited. This paper examines and identifies the underlying factors that explain services sector growth accelerations and episodes in developing countries, and how these factors may differ across services types (market services and non-market services) and regions. Using the Economic Transformation Database for 50 developing countries for the period 1990– 2018 and applying probit estimation models, the authors identify several macro and institutional factors that are important drivers of market services sector growth acceleration. The results also suggest that there is a heterogeneous set of drivers that are key for total market services sector growth acceleration and non-market services sector growth acceleration. The paper concludes by discussing the policy implications of these emerging findings
Better Mental Health and Sleep under Behavioral Restrictions Due to COVID-19 in Japanese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global pandemic, which is not only a severe public health issue but also significantly impacts the physical activity, sleep habits, and mental health of university students. Thus, we examined the association between behavioral restrictions due to COVID-19 and sleep patterns and mental health in first-year Japanese university students. Four hundred and twenty-two students (253 males and 169 females; age, 18.7 ± 1.0 years) participated in our questionnaire study. Under the behavioral restrictions due to COVID-19, 193 students (127 males and 66 females) responded to the questionnaire online from home. The participants did not visit the university during the survey period. The data acquired the year before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018 and 2019) were used as control data (126 males and 103 females). The questionnaire consisted of four sections: (1) demographic and lifestyle variables, (2) the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, (3) the Japanese version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and (4) the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Our data revealed that self-restraint due to COVID-19 was associated with better sleep and mental health. In addition, mental health was independent of sleep, while sleep was related to mental health. These differences were more pronounced in male than in female students. This finding could be due to physical activity at night, part-time work, and long commuting times during the pre-pandemic period.
Estimation of mean squared errors of non-binary A/D-encoders through Fredholm determinants of piecewise-linear transformations

: Using the theory of Fredholm determinants of Perron-Frobenius operators of piecewise-linear maps, we derive a mathematically rigorous upper bounds of mean squared errors of analog-to-digital converters based on β -expansions. We also explain the technique of calculating the upper bound numerically by means of the numerical veriﬁcation method
Comparative Efficacy of Combined Formulation of Andrographis paniculata, Lagerstroemia speciosa and Tribulus terrestris with Glimepiride on Renal and Pancreatic Injury in Alloxan Induced Type-1 Diabetic Mice

Many medicinal plants are becoming increasingly popular for the treatment of various ailments, including diabetes, all around the world. This study was designed to elucidate the comparative efficacy of Tribulus terrestris, Andrographis paniculata, and Lagerstroemia speciosa on glucose intolerance, lipid profile, renal and pancreatic injury in alloxan induced type-1 diabetic mice. In this study, four-week-old male Swiss Albino mice were divided into six groups of five each. To assess toxicity, Group-X was given saline water, while Group-Y was given a combination herbal formulation at a high dose (1 g/kg bwt). No adverse effect of combined formula on body weight and blood glucose was observed in normal healthy mice. The other four groups were labeled as Group-A, healthy normal mice; Group-B, Diabetic mice; Group-C, Diabetic mice treated with Andrographis paniculata, Tribulus terristris @ 200 mg/kg and Lagerstroemia speciosa @ 0.5ml/animal; and Group-D, Diabetic mice treated with Amaryl®@ 800 g/kg bwt. The combined formulation improved body weight loss significantly (P<0.001) compared to diabetic control group after 8 weeks of treatment. Combined formulation and Amaryl® decreased non-significantly total cholesterol, plasma triglyceride and plasma creatinine level compared to diabetic control. However, HDL and LDL levels remained unchanged by the treatment. Consistent with these findings, histopathological evaluation revealed that combined formulation partially improved renal glomerular sclerosis and hypertrophy, tubular damage and pancreatic β-cells damage reflected its renal and pancreatic damage curative property. The obtained results suggest that combined use of Andrographis paniculata, Tribulus terrestris and Lagerstroemia speciosa as antidiabetic herbal formulation, synergizing its therapeutic value in treating hyperglycemia and diabetes related complications mainly renal and pancreatic injury.
Theoretical aspects of upscale error growth through the mesoscales: an analytical model

Recent numerical studies suggest that convective instability and latent heat release quickly amplify errors in numerical weather predictions and lead to a complete loss of predictability on scales below 100 km within a few hours. These errors then move further upscale, eventually contaminating the balanced flow and projecting on to synoptic‐scale instabilities. According to this picture, the errors have to transition from geostrophically unbalanced to balanced motion while propagating through the mesoscale. Geostrophic adjustment was suggested as the dynamical process of this transition, but so far has not been clearly identified.
Kinetic theory of the Dyakonov-Shur instability

We numerically solve semiclassical kinetic equations and compute the growth rate of the Dyakonov-Shur instability of a two-dimensional Fermi liquid in a finite length cavity. When electron-electron scattering is fast, we observe the well-understood hydrodynamic instability, and its disappearance due to viscous dissipation. When electron-electron scattering is negligible, we find that the instability re-emerges for certain boundary conditions, but not for others. We discuss the implications of these findings for experiments.
On model order priors for Bayesian identification of SISO linear systems

ABSTRACT A method for the identification of single input single output linear systems is presented. The method employs a Bayesian approach to compute the posterior distribution of the model parameters given the data-set. Since this distribution is often unavailable in closed form, a Metropolis Hastings algorithm is implemented to draw samples from it. To implement the sampler, the inclusion of prior information regarding the model order of the identified system is discussed. As one of the main contributions of this work, a prior over the Hankel singular values of the model is imposed. Numerical examples illustrate the method.
Contemporary Review of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Interventions for Mitral Regurgitation

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common form of valvular heart disease in the United States, and there are established guidelines for indications for requiring mitral valve surgeries. However, there is an unmet clinical need for a subset of high-risk MR patients, especially those with advanced age, heart failure and/or secondary MR. Following the successes of transcatheter aortic valve replacements, significant advances have occurred over the last decade in transcatheter mitral valve interventions in order to manage these patients in both clinical practice and trials. The three main types of these interventions include a transcatheter edge-to-edge repair, percutaneous mitral annuloplasty (both direct and indirect) and transcatheter mitral valve replacement (including when applied to a prior prosthetic valve, annuloplasty ring and mitral annuloplasty ring). This review aims to discuss the contemporary techniques, evidence, indications, multimodality imaging evaluations and outcomes of the various transcatheter mitral valve interventions.
How do parents and school staff conceptualize parental engagement? A primary school case study

Understanding what different stakeholders mean by “parental engagement” is vital as school leaders and policy makers increasingly turn to parental engagement to improve pupils’ outcomes. Yet, to-date, there has been little examination of whether parents’, teachers’, and school leaders’ conceptions of parental engagement match those used in research and policy. This case study used online questionnaires to explore the conceptions of parental engagement held by 103 parents and 40 members of staff at one large English primary school. The results showed that only a quarter of school staff conceptualized parental engagement in relation to learning at home and that school leaders appeared to overestimate the impact of school-based activities. This is at odds with previous research suggesting that it is parental engagement with learning in the home – rather than parents’ involvement with school - that is associated with pupil attainment. This suggests that there might be a striking mismatch in the way that parental engagement is conceptualized by researchers advocating for its efficacy, and by school staff devising and implementing parental engagement initiatives. It is vital to raise awareness of this possibility amongst practitioners, researchers, and policy makers because any such mismatch could result in the misdirection of time and resources and the undermining of parental engagement’s potential as a powerful tool for raising attainment and closing achievement gaps.
Psychometric Properties and Sociodemographic Profile of the Perceived Stress Scale in Peruvian University Students

The university population had to adapt to new ways of learning causing in them a strong emotional impact. Therefore, there is a need for an instrument with adequate psychometric properties to develop a profile of perceived stress. Objective: To demonstrate the psychometric properties of the EEP-10 Perceived Stress Scale and to characterize perceived stress according to sociodemographic profile in university students. Method: Instrumental and non-experimental design, sample of 820 university students from 16 to 42 years of age, probabilistic sampling. Results: The internal structure of the scale presents a good fit of the two-dimensional model with RMR= . 036; AGFI= . 985; NFI= . 982, RFI= . 976 and PNFI= . 791, as well as factor loadings between . 643 and . 797. A reliability of . 835 and . 825 omega coefficient for each of the dimensions. In the General Distress dimension of perceived stress, it was found that the differences according to sociodemographic variables differed from null, gender (p=.000**), age (p=.003**), economic dependence (p=.001**), and the effect size of the differences was of small magnitude. Discussion and conclusions: The study showed adequate psychometric properties of the perceived stress scale and differences in perceived distress according to sex, age and economic dependence. However, no differences were found in coping capacity based on sociodemographic variables. Received: 24 February 2023 / Accepted: 28 May 2023 / Published: 5 July 2023
Literature Review: The Relationship of Anxiety Towards The Production of Breast Milk in Postpartum Mothers

The postpartum period is a vulnerable period for postpartum mothers because there are several physiological and psychological changes after giving birth. Otherwise, the process of lactation and milk production is influenced by hormones. Postpartum mothers usually feel tired and experience psychological disorders such as anxiety about their condition and the condition of their baby. This study aims to determine the conditions that interfere with the production of breast milk in postpartum mothers. This study uses traditional literature review research methods, analyzes articles that match the inclusion criteria, and focuses on the relationship between anxiety and increased breastfeeding in postpartum mothers. Based on the results of this study, this literature review used 10 journals with inclusion criteria, eight journals showed a significant relationship between anxiety and breastfeeding in postpartum mothers. There was a decrease in oxytocin levels and duration of breastfeeding which had an impact on the rate of exclusive breastfeeding. In contrast, the other two journals did not find a significant relationship between anxiety and oxytocin levels with the breastfeeding method used. Because there are variables that are not examined.
An Eye-tracking Study of People’s Perception towards the Ingredient Section on Food Packages

: The ingredient section of food packages provides crucial insights into the product's components and health effects. However, only some consumers pay attention to the ingredient section. Many consumers tend to read other components of food packages. Previous studies about packaging focus more on improving visual design. Not much research has explored the ingredient section. This study investigates people's gaze distribution on the ingredient section when viewing food packages. The impacts of the following variables are studied: subjects’ education level, different types of ingredients, and the length of the ingredient section. Moreover, an eye-tracking device is adopted in this study. An eye tracker could provide quantitative results of people's attention. This study sampled 22 participants in total. T-test results indicated that participants with a higher education level tended to focus more on the ingredient section than less educated ones. Additionally, people focused more on uncommon ingredients than common ones. When viewing lengthy ingredient sections, people looked at the middle area more than the top and bottom areas. These research findings could contribute to improving food packaging design and call for increasing awareness about nutrition-related knowledge.
The Effect of Inoculum Size and Medium Volume on Methionine Production by Bacillus species EZ-13 and ZM-10

The effect of inoculum size and medium volume on methionine production by Bacillus species EZ- 13 and ZM-10 was studied. The methionine-producing bacteria had already been isolated from within Anambra State University (now Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University), Uli campus Anambra State. They were purified and identified as Bacillus species EZ-13 and ZM-10 using cultural and biochemical characteristics. Thereafter, they were used to evaluated the influence of inoculum size and medium volume on methionine production by Bacillus species EZ-13 and ZM-10 in 250 ml flasks containing 50 ml of sterile fermentation medium. The findings revealed that Bacillus species EZ-13 and ZM-10, at inoculum size of 4% v/v, recorded maximum methionine yields of 2.8 mg/ml and 2.1 mg/ml respectively. The methionine concentrations of both Bacillus species decreased beyond inoculum size of 4% v/v. The medium volume of 50 ml stimulated maximum methionine yield of 3.0 mg/ml in Bacillus species EZ-13 and 2.4 mg/ml in Bacillus species ZM-10. The methionine concentrations for both bacteria decreased beyond medium volume of 50 ml. The result of the study showed that varying the inoculum sizes and medium volumes, could influence methionine yield by fermentation.
Accuracy assessment of speed values calculated from GNSS tracks of roads obtained from VGI

This study describes the results of an assessment of the accuracy of relative measures between two points, and more specifically of speed values, obtained from Global Positioning Satellite Systems (GNSS) tracks acquired by contributors of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). The VGI does not usually include information about the positional accuracy of the trackpoints neither of speed values derived from these positions. Consequently, the assessment is based on a field test that consisted of a vehicle which travelled a highway with a set of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices like those commonly used by VGI contributors. These devices captured positions of trackpoints with a time interval of 1 second. Additionally, a more accurate geodetic RTK–GNSS receptor controlled these positions. The paper describes the methodology employed, taking into account several parameters such as the acquisition time interval, the accuracy of control positions, etc. The results have demonstrated the viability of the methodology applied, the possible use of VGI in order to determine the speed values of the trackpoints and the possible improvement in the accuracy achieved with the increase of the distance between trackpoints (and as a consequence of time interval), but with the disadvantage of a reduction in the quantity of trackpoints. Thus, several values of time intervals have been suggested, considering the accuracy required.
Scalable, Flexible and Active Learning on Distributions

Abstract : A wide range of machine learning problems, including astronomical inferenceabout galaxy clusters, natural image scene classification, parametric statistical inference,and detection of potentially harmful sources of radiation, can be well-modeledas learning a function on (samples from) distributions. This thesis explores problemsin learning such functions via kernel methods, and applies the framework to yieldstate-of-the-art results in several novel settings.One major challenge with this approach is one of computational efficiency whenlearning from large numbers of distributions: the computation of typical methodsscales between quadratically and cubically, and so they are not amenable to largedatasets. As a solution, we investigate approximate embeddings into Euclideanspaces such that inner products in the embedding space approximate kernel valuesbetween the source distributions. We provide a greater understanding of the standardexisting tool for doing so on Euclidean inputs, random Fourier features. We alsopresent a new embedding for a class of information-theoretic distribution distances,and evaluate it and existing embeddings on several real-world applications.The next challenge is that the choice of distance is important for getting goodpractical performance, but how to choose a good distance for a given problem isnot obvious. We study this problem in the setting of two-sample testing, wherewe attempt to distinguish two distributions via the maximum mean divergence, andprovide a new technique for kernel choice in these settings, including the use ofkernels defined by deep learning-type models.In a related problem setting, common to physical observations, autonomoussensing, and electoral polling, we have the following challenge: when observingsamples is expensive, but we can choose where we would like to do so, how do wepick where to observe?
Challenges to the Quality of Early Childhood Education Delivery at Pre-Primary Level at Five Schools in the Zambezi Region (Namibia)

Objective. The primary purpose of this study was to document the nature of challenges faced by pre-primary teachers when delivering quality early childhood education at pre-primary schools in the Zambezi Region. The quality of delivery of early childhood education is crucial for the cognitive, emotional, physical and social wellbeing of children (Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture [MEAC], 2016). The researcher envisaged that a high standard of delivery of early childhood education will potentially equip young children with skills and knowledge that will be important to their success during primary schooling. The study should prove essential for policy makers and other stakeholders to help them deliver early childhood education in pre-primary schools of a high standard in five schools that were purposefully selected for the study. Materials & Methods. The case study collected qualitative data using face-to-face interviews with pre-primary teachers and junior primary heads of department. Observations were conducted in pre-primary classrooms during the lessons. In addition, the documents were reviewed, which included ministerial documents, journals and newspaper articles, to gather data that could be used to facilitate the improvement of early childhood education in pre-primary schools. Results. The central question of study was: What are the challenges of quality delivery in early childhood education at the selected pre-primary schools? In order to answer this primary question, the following supporting questions were formulated: What are the challenges faced by pre-primary teachers in order to implement a curriculum that will provide quality early childhood education at the five schools in the Zambezi Region of Namibia? How does the classroom environment influence the delivery of quality early childhood education at the five selected pre-primary schools? Conclusions. The findings of the research revealed that several challenges inhibit the quality of delivery of early childhood education at the five pre-primary schools selected for the study in the Zambezi Region. These challenges included: the use of SiLozi as a medium of instruction, a discrepancy between learning objectives as presented in teacher’s manual and in the curriculum, the lack of educational corners, the lack of teaching materials, the lack of recreational facilities and a deficiency in parental involvement in their children’s schooling.