Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rigorous Estimates for Effective Creep-coefficients of Microcracked Masonry Accounting for Cracks Interactions

Based on the association of finite elements homogenization method and a rigorous homogenization scheme accounting for crack interactions, this paper provides rigorous predictions for the local and effective properties of microcracked viscoelastic masonry with or without creep of bricks. For the sake of simplicity, viscoelastic brick and mortar are assumed to follow the Generalized Maxwell rheological model and to be respectively safe and microcracked. In the mortar, the distribution of microcracks orientations is assumed to be random. Two steps are followed. The first one is based on the identification at the short and long terms of an approximate analytical creep function for the mortar. This step relies on the coupling between the Griffith's brittle fracture theory and a rigorous homogenization scheme-the Ponte Castaneda & Willis model-accounting for crack interaction instead of the dilute scheme adopted previously in Rekik et al. Two cases are considered: open and closed cracks. The first step allows to avoid recourse to 'heavy' numerical inversion of the Laplace-Carson transform. The second one provides overall creep coefficients of masonry by means of periodic homogenization carried out by finite elements method. For open cracks state, time-dependent crack density is investigated. The proposed model is validated by comparison with an analytical one available for a compressed masonry wall with "standard" viscoelastic mortar joints. Effect induced by microcracks is also highlighted by comparison with uncracked masonry. At last, results provided by the proposed model can be considered to be rigorous solution improving on dilute estimates for the creep behavior of microcracked mortar and demonstrating the interest to not neglect both cracks interactions and creep of bricks units.
Indian Echinoderms their resources biodiversity zoogeography and conservation

Echinoderms are an interesting groupof animals distributed only in the seas since they do not have osmoregulatory powers to adjust to lower salinities. They are truly stenohaline animals. At present there are 7000 living species.Their fossil history is well documented due to hard parts except in case of sea cucumbers. Nearly 13,000 species of fossils are known. They have two unique features among the invertebrates: an internal water vascular system which is operated hydraulically opening to the exterior by a perforated plate known as madreporite and the presence of tube-feet which are extension of water vascular system.
Market Growth Strategies and Performance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Benue State, Nigeria

In all economies Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) constitute the vast majority of business establishments thereby contributing to employment generation, poverty reduction, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and household income. Stiff competition requires SMEs to adopt different strategies to improve performance. This study examines the effect of market growth strategies on the performance of small and medium scale enterprises in Benue State, Nigeria. The study specifically examined the effect of product development strategy, market penetration strategy and quality customer service strategy on the performance of small and medium scale enterprises in Benue State, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design and questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. The population of the study includes 281 SMEs in Makurdi metropolis selected across different sectors including Retail/Wholesale, Services, Agri-business and Manufacturing. Mean and standard deviation were used for data presentation and analysis while regression analysis was used for test of hypotheses. Findings of the study indicated that product development strategy and market penetration strategy have significant effect on the performance of small and medium scale enterprises in Benue State, Nigeria. The study also revealed that quality customer service strategy has significant effect on the performance of small and medium scale enterprises in Benue State, Nigeria. The study recommended amongst others that owners of SMEs in Benue State should always use strategies that will align market needs to be able to attract more customers and face competitors in the market.
NDT_A_244031 673..679

Pichai Ittasakul Siraprapha Vora-arporn 1 Punjaporn Waleeprakhon Phern-Chern Tor 1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; 2Department of Mood and Anxiety, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore Objective: To study predictors of the number of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) sessions required for symptom remission in psychiatric patients. Patients and Methods: We conducted chart reviews for 95 patients whose condition remitted following inpatient ECT. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of the patients and compared the number of ECT sessions between adult (age 18–59 years) and elderly (age ≥ 60 years) patients. Results: The overall mean ± SD of the number of ECT sessions was 11.8 ± 4.7 (range: 6–24). By diagnosis, it was 13.3 ± 5.5 for individuals with schizophrenia, 10.1 ± 2.7 for schizoaffective disorder, 14.4 ± 5.6 for bipolar depression, 9.4 ± 1.9 for bipolar mania, 10.9 ± 4.3 for major depressive disorder (MDD), and 11.8 ± 4.3 for those with other diagnoses. For MDD, the number of ECT sessions in elderly patients (13.4 ± 4.6) was statistically greater than that in adult patients (9 ± 2.9) (p = 0.008). Conclusion: The number of ECT sessions varied by age and diagnosis. The number of ECT sessions in elderly MDD patients was higher than that in adult MDD patients.
Insect pests of tropical food legumes

Insect pests of cowpeas, S.R. Singh et al insect pests of soybean in the tropics, L.E. N.Jackal et al key insects and other invertebrate pests of beans, Cesar Cardona and Ashok K.Karel insect pests on pigeon pea, S.S. Lateef and W.Reed pests of groundnut in the semi-arid tropics, J.A. Wightman et al vectors of virus and mycoplasma diseases - an overview, G. Thottappilly.
An overview of Silver Diamine Fluoride in Pediatric Dentistry

In this Review due to expanding availability of SDF we discuss the effectiveness, indications for appliance and its disadvantages. We will focus on SDF usage in pediatric dentistry. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, to identify studies that are related to our topic ―Silver Diamine Fluoride in Pediatric Dentistry‖ that were published up to May 2018. It is mentioned in the literary works that the most efficient, simplest, and least expensive decays preventive representatives are silver nitrate (which eliminates the causative bacteria) and fluoride (which makes the teeth much less soluble to bacterial acids)). The creation of a silver nitrate fluoride construct -silver diamine fluoride (SDF) -combines these two preventative representatives. SDF is thought to arrest and protect against decay progression by (1) killing the original bacteria, (2) depositing a layer of safety silver phosphate that resists additional decay, and (3) transforming the even more acid soluble hydroxyapatite to the much less soluble fluorapatite.
Resolving the timescales of magmatic and hydrothermal processes
associated with porphyry deposit formation using zircon U-Pb 
petrochronology

Abstract. Understanding the formation of economically important porphyry-Cu-Au deposits requires the knowledge of the magmatic-to-hydrothermal processes that act within the much larger underlying magmatic system and the timescales on which they occur. We apply high-precision zircon geochronology (CA-ID-TIMS) and spatially resolved zircon geochemistry (LA-ICP-MS) to constrain the magmatic evolution of the magma reservoir at the Pliocene Batu Hijau porphyry-Cu-Au deposit. We then use this extensive dataset to assess the accuracy and precision of different U-Pb dating methods of the same zircon crystals. Emplacement of the oldest pre- to syn-ore tonalite (3.736 ± 0.023 Ma) and the youngest tonalite porphyry cutting economic Cu-Au mineralisation (3.646 ± 0.022 Ma) is determined by the youngest zircon grain from each sample, which constrains the duration of metal precipitation to less than 90 ± 32 kyr. Overlapping spectra of single zircon crystallisation ages and their trace element distributions from the pre-, syn and post-ore tonalite porphyries reveal protracted zircon crystallisation together with apatite and plagioclase within the same magma reservoir over > 300 kyr. The presented petrochronological data constrains a protracted early > 200 kyr interval of melt differentiation and cooling within a large heterogeneous magma reservoir leading up to ore formation, followed by magma storage in a highly crystalline state and chemical and thermal stability over several 10s of kyr. Irregular trace element systematics suggest magma recharge or underplating during this final short time interval. The comparison of high precision CA-ID-TIMS results with in-situ U-Pb geochronology data from the same zircon grains allows a comparison of the applicability of each technique as a tool to constrain dates and rates on different geological timescales. All techniques provide accurate dates with variable precision. Highly precise dates derived by the calculation of the weighted mean and standard error of the mean of zircon dates obtained by in-situ techniques can lead to significantly older suggested emplacement ages than those determined by high-precision CA-ID-TIMS geochronology. This lack in accuracy of the weighted means is due to the protracted nature of zircon crystallisation in upper crustal magma reservoirs, suggesting that standard errors should not be used as a mean to describe the uncertainty in those circumstances. Thus, geologically rapid events or processes or the tempo of magma evolution are too fast to be reliably resolved by in-situ U-Pb geochronology and require ID-TIMS geochronology.
Impact of Government Entrepreneurial Programmes on Youth SMES Participation in Nigeria

Globally, the youth have been considered as prime mover of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) due to their creative ability, energy and the drive to achieve. However, weak entrepreneurial climate has been a major constraint militating against the drive for self-reliance and economic autonomy and has resulted to increasing rate of unemployment, vandalism and other social vices among the youth. This study attempts to examine the relationship between government entrepreneurial programmes on youth SMEs participation in Nigeria. A survey of 250 questionnaires was undertaking through an online platform across the beneficiaries of federal governmental SMEs financial intervention schemes – Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWiN). The data collected were analyzed utilizing correlation and multiple regression statistical tools. The study concludes that government intervention programmes such as financial, infrastructural and capacity building is paramount to new venture creation among the youth. The findings further reveal a significant positive correlation between availability of fund and new venture creation. The study recommends conscious youth entrepreneurial orientation and capacity development programmes through the outlets of Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). Furthermore, more financial intervention schemes such as grants and soft/special loans should be provided to young entrepreneurs as this will alleviate a major constraint to new venture creation which is poor access to finance. Keywords: Entrepreneurial Intervention, Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs), Innovation, Youth empowerment, Graduate unemployment
Lever Age Determinants Of Manufacturing Firms: Evidence From Indonesia

This research aims to explore the most significant leverage determinants of manufacturing firms in Indonesia and to provide an explanation on this issue by using a multiple regression model. Modigliani and Miller and pecking order theory were used to formulate propositions that could examine the determinants of financial distress of manufacturing firms. LISREL software was used to analyse the multiple regression model as a statistical tool to investigate the most significant profitability determinants of 300 manufacturing firms listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in the period of 2010-2018. The results found that profitability, agency cost, and non-debt tax shield (NDTS) variables had a negative influence on the debt ratio, while bankruptcy cost, firm size, firm growth, and risk variables had a positive influence on the debt ratio. These results led to a negative influence on the asset growth rate toward the debt ratio at an above-average asset growth rate which had a low debt ratio. This also explained that the results supported the pecking order theory where the higher the firm growth, the more the firm to prefer to fund the firm expansion with internal capital, and vice versa. In addition, the results found also indicate that Indonesian manufacturing firms with a high asset growth rate would prefer internal funding for their investment projects.
Managed Care: What Do Private Practitioners (GPs) Think?

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Take-all decline: model system in the science of biological control and clue to the success of intensive cropping.

Overview: Take-all is a root disease of wheat and barley caused by the soil-borne ascomycete, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. The fungus causes serious limitations to grain yield when wheat is grown for 2 consecutive years in the same field. Crop rotation, preferably breaks of 2 or more years away from wheat or barley, was the only method recommended for reliable control. The discovery that this disease declines in severity and can all but disappear where wheat is grown in the same field over many years provided an exemplary model system for studying soil ecosystems that become ‘disease suppressive’. This chapter summarizes the results of 40 years of research that led to the understanding of the key biological and biochemical components responsible for creating take-all suppressive soils and the resultant take-all decline. The article provides approaches to unravelling the complex microbial ecosystems in the rhizosphere and gives directions for management of root diseases in intensive cropping systems heretofore considered to be only controllable by broad-spectrum biocides.
Sand spit morphological evolution at tidal inlets by using satellite images analysis: Two case studies in Vietnam

This paper presents the long-term morphological changes of the sand spits at the Ken Inlet in Ha Tinh Province and Phan Inlet in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. The analysis results show that the sand spit morphology at Ken Inlet was drastically changed before the completion of the Da Bac sluice gate construction in 1992, after that the sand spit elongation rate became stable at a rate of about 68 meters per year. Meanwhile, the sand spit at Phan Inlet was breached three times during the winter months of 1990-1991, 1998-1999 and 2014-2015. Moreover, the results of remote sensing image analysis also show that after the sand spit have been breached, it continued elongating at a relatively stable rate of 170÷200 meters per year. Based on the analytical model by Kraus (1999) for predicting the sand spit elongation, the estimated long-shore sediment transport rates of Phan Inlet and Ken Inlet are 145,000 m3/year and 133,500 m3/year, respectively. These longshore sediment transport rates are a main contribution for the sand spit elongation in these study areas.
Adaptivity Considerations for Enhancing User-Centric Web Experience

- User Experience (UX) design relates to the creation of models that affect user experiences during interaction with a system, while the incorporation of cognitive factors in the personalization process of Web systems might provide a more user-centric approach. This paper explores the influence specific cognitive factors may have on UX qualities to be used as adaptivity factors for personalizing and improving users’ experiences in commercial Web-sites. A user experience evaluation was conducted where 96 students navigated in an existing commercial Web-site for a problem-based task. A user experience measurement was performed so as to assess users’ perceptions regarding the pragmatic, hedonic and attraction qualities of the environment. It has been observed that specific cognitive factors have considerable influence on specific qualities of user experience. To this end, such findings are encouraging for further investigation of the possible impact of cognitive factors in terms of enhancing the personalization process of commercial Web-sites so as to achieve better user experience.
CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA: A REVIEW OF CAUSES, EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS

That corruption exists in Nigeria on a very large scale is no more news. More disturbing certainly are the effects of corruption on the larger majority of the Nigerian populace. The people have been severely impoverished because of the corrupt practices of the nations ruling political elites. It is in response to this alarming and disturbing situation that this paper takes a critical look at the issue of corruption in Nigeria. It examines the concept of corruption and attempts to encapsulate the plausible reasons for the escalating rate of corruption in the country. More fundamentally, it offers tentative suggestions on how the negative trend can be curbed. Amongst others, the paper suggests death penalty for public officers found guilty of corruption. An example with one will certainly keep others in check. Nigeria became independent in 1960 after decades of exploitation and subjugation under British colonial rule. In the past fifty years of self-rule, the country has faced monumental problems. Rather than utilize self-rule for the benefit of the larger majority of Nigerians, the ruling elite has further impoverished the people. Undoubtedly, Nigeria is a country that is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. At independence however, rather than diversify the productive base of the economy, the ruling elite abandoned agriculture which was the most important sector of the Nigerian economy then and concentrated on oil that was discovered in Olibiri a few years before independence.
The complementarity between ICT use and competition in Mexico ∗

This study uses a ﬁrm-level data panel for Mexico, with information never used for research before, in order to assess how ICT use inﬂuences ﬁrm performance. Further, we explore how, in the context of raising competition from China, if this eﬀect is diﬀerent for ﬁrms more strongly aﬀected by competition where incentives for upgrading and innovation may be more intense. In this perspective, we analyze the complementarity between ICT and competition, taking advantage of the exogenous shock generated by Chinese competition. The results indicate that ICT use has higher eﬀects over productivity in the case of ﬁrms facing higher competition from China both in the domestic market and in the US market. Furthermore, once we take into consideration the complementarity between these two factors, neither of them inﬂuences productivity taken separately.
Hydrothermal synthesis of zeolite A and Y membrane layers on clay flat disc support and their potential use in the decontamination of water polluted with toxic heavy metals

The current paper presents the fabrication of new composite ceramic porous membranes by hydrothermal deposition of zeolite A (type LTA) (m-LTA) and Y (type Faujasite) (m-FAU) on clay support. Flat-disc membrane supports were prepared by uniaxial pressure on a mixture of clay and activated carbon (3.0%, w/w). The specific surface area of Faujasite-Y deposited was found to be 558.75 m2 g–1 with an average pore diameter of 20.90 Å, while zeolite-A was presented only with a specific surface area of 6.32 m2 g–1 and an average pore diameter of 128.70 Å. The structures of pores for both zeolite layers deposited were type IV according to IUPAC which are attributed to mesoporous solids. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the edges of the cubes vary between 1.18 and 4.37 μm for the zeolite A (m-LTA) and the average diameter ranged between 0.98 and 3.03 μm for the zeolite Y (m-FAU). m-FAU membranes were found to perform better than m-LTA membranes. The rejection order for both membranes was PbCl2 > CoCl2 > CdCl2 > ZnCl2. For instance, a maximum rejection of 93% of ZnCl2 was attained on m-FAU membranes in 1 h and 30 min membrane operation. However, the same rejection rate for the same metal salt was attained on m-LTA after 3 h and 30 min. The mechanism of metal salt rejection was dominated by the hydrated ionic size of cations, with an exception for CoCl2 where rejection could be governed by repulsion between the charged ion and the membrane charged surface.
Comprehensive analyses of source sensitivities to and apportionments of PM2.5 and ozone over Japan via multiple numerical techniques

Abstract. Source sensitivity and source apportionment are two major indicators representing source-receptor relationships, which serve as essential information when considering effective strategies to accomplish improved air quality. This study evaluated source sensitivities to and apportionments of ambient ozone and PM2.5 concentrations over Japan with multiple numerical techniques embedded in regional chemical transport models, including a brute forth method (BFM), a high-order decoupled direct method (HDDM), and an integrated source apportionment method (ISAM), to update the source-receptor relationships considering stringent emission controls recently implemented in Japan and surrounding countries. We also attempted to understand the differences among source sensitivities and apportionments calculated by multiple techniques. While domestic sources had certain source apportionments to ozone concentrations, transport from outside Japan dominated the source sensitivities. Although the PM2.5 concentrations and absolute magnitudes of their source sensitivities were significantly lower than those reported by previous studies, transport from outside Japan still has relatively large contributions to PM2.5 concentrations, implying that there has been a reduction in Japanese emissions, similar to surrounding countries including China, due to implementation of stringent emission controls. HDDM allowed us to effectively understand the importance of the nonlinear responses of PM2.5 concentrations to precursor emissions. Apportionments derived by ISAM were useful in distinguishing various direct and indirect influences on ozone and PM2.5 concentrations. It was suggested that that ozone transported from outside Japan plays a key role in exerting various indirect influences on the formation of ozone and secondary PM2.5 components. This study demonstrated that a combination of sensitivities and apportionments derived by the BFM, HDDM, and ISAM can provide critical information to identify key emission sources and processes in the atmosphere, which are vital for the development of effective strategies for improved air quality.