Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical Modeling on Anisotropy of Seepage and Stress Fields of Stratified Rock Slope

Stratified rock mass is a common rock mass structure and distributed widely on the earth’s crust. High-density distribution of stratified structural planes in the stratified rock mass has a great influence on the mechanics properties of the rock mass, such as anisotropy of stress and seepage. Therefore, anisotropy is the inherent characteristic that must be considered in the stratified rock mass as well as the stratified rock slope stability. According to the anisotropic characteristics of stratified rock mass, an anisotropic seepage-stress coupled model for the mechanical behavior of stratified rock slope is proposed based on the anisotropy elasticity theory. The model is validated by simulating seepage and stress fields of an idealized slope using the finite element method. The deformation and stress-dependent permeability of the slope are predicted and compared well with the previous study, thus confirming its capability in characterizing the response of rock slope that is dominantly affected by rock anisotropy. Finally, the model is used to simulate the anisotropic properties of a stratified rock slope of Fushun west open-pit mine, China. The simulation is in good agreement with the actual measurement, which means the proposed model is capable of simulating anisotropic properties of the stratified rock slope.
EFFECTS OF CEFAN MELON (CUCUMIS MELO L.) SEED EXTRACTS ON HUMAN ERYTHROCYTE CARBONIC ANHYDRASE I-II ENZYMES

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs, E.C.4.2.1.1) are an important metalloenzyme family that catalyzes reversible CO2 hydration and HCO3 dehydration in organisms. CA inhibitors can be used in the treatment of many diseases such as glaucoma, epilepsy, obesity, and cancer. This study aimed to determine the effects of oil and methanol extracts of Cefan melon (Cucumis melo L.) seed (CMS) on CA enzyme activity. While both extracts activated hCA-I isoenzyme, they inhibited hCA-II. In order to determine the active substance causing inhibition or activation in CMS, essential oil content, phenolic substance profile and macro-micronutrient elements were investigated. Dominant fatty acids were identified as linoleic and oleic acid, while the dominant phenolic compound was gallic acid. Besides, it was found that CMS contained high concentrations of Ca, K and Na, and was rich in Se. Results demonstrated that essential oil and phenolic compounds in Cefan melon have potential applications as alternative natural products for pharmaceutical industries. In addition, Cefan melon seed has a wide range of applications for food and cosmetic industries based on the research into the fatty acid, phenolic content, and nutrient elements.
Arithmetic Approximate Circuits

—Low power consumption is the necessity for the integrated circuit design in CMOS technology of nanometerscale. Recent research proves that to achieve low power dissipation, implementatio n of approximate designs is the best design when compared to accurate designs. In most of the multimedia applications, DSP blocks has been used as the core blocks. Most of the video and image processing algorithms implemented by these DSP blocks, where result will be in the form of image or video for human observing. As human sense of observation is less, the output of the DSP blocks allows being numerically approximate instead of being accurate. The concession on numerical exactness allows proposing approximate analysis. In this project approximate adders,approximate compressors and multipliers are proposed. Two approximate adders namely PA1 and PA2 are proposed which are of type TGA which provides better results like PA1 comprises of 14 transistors and 2 error distance, achieves reduction in delay by 64.9 % and reduction in power by 74.33% whereas the TGA1 had 16 transistors and more power dissipation.PA2 comprises of 20 transistors and 2 error distance. Similarly PA2 achieves delay reduction by 51.43%, power gets reduced by 67.2%. PDP is reduced by 61.97 % whereas TGA2 had 22 transistors. Approximate 4-2 compressor was proposed in this project to reduce number of partial product stages. The compressor design in circuit level took 30 tr ansistor s w ith 4 er rors out of 16 co mbinations wher eas existing compressor design 1 took 38 and design 2 took 36 transistors. By using the proposed adder and compressors, approximate 4x4 multiplier is proposed. The proposed multiplier achieves delay 124.56 (ns) and power 29.332 (uW) which is reduced by 68.01 % in terms of delay and 95.97 % in terms of pow er when co mp ared to ac cur ate mu lti plier.
IMPLICATIONS OF MACRO-ECONOMIC VARIABLES FOR NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA

In recent time, the impact of macro-economic variables on agriculture has become an issue of concern in terms of securing adequate food supply for the populace. This study evaluated the implications of macro-economic variables for national food security in Nigeria. This study made use of time series data sourced from the publications of Central Bank of Nigeria Annual Reports, Statistical Bulletins and the National Bureau of Statistics spanning from 1995 to 2015. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) co-integration test with Error Correction Model (ECM) was adopted to substantiate the implications of these macro-economic variables. The results of the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test showed that Food security, Interest rate, Exchange rate, Net export and Government expenditures were non stationary at their respective level forms and became stationary at first difference. While Inflation and Money supply were found to be stationary at level form. ARDL bounds test for co-integration confirms the existence of long run relationship between the variables. The results of long run and short run relationships shows that Interest rate, Inflation, Government expenditures and Money supply were both significant at 5% and 1% levels indicating that these variables had a significant impact on food security. The estimated error correction coefficient of -0.7996 is highly significant, has the correct sign, and implies a fairly high speed of adjustment to equilibrium after a shock. However, these findings recommend farmers in Nigeria to take good advantage of the linkages between macroeconomic variables and agricultural productivity, as this useful information can assist them to boost their land productivity, hence increased food security at all times. Osuji, E. E. | Department of Agricultural Economics, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, Nigeria
Knowledge of Female University Students about Obesity and its Adverse Effects on Reproductive Health

Background & Objective(s): Obesity remains a public health challenge, particularly in developing countries. Research has denoted the relation between obesity and some female general and reproductive health problems including hypertension, diabetes, infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects and cesarean section. The high prevalence rates of obesity in developing countries may reflect lack of adequate knowledge about obesity. The aim of the present work was to estimate the prevalence rate of obesity among female university students and assess their knowledge regarding obesity and its adverse effects on reproductive health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 female university students attending the Outpatient Clinics affiliated to Alexandria University. Students were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Students’ knowledge about obesity, its risk factors and adverse effects was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Weight and height were measured for each student and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Results: The present study revealed that 31.5% of the studied students were overweight and 11% were obese (grade I). The mean BMI was 25.13 ± 3.63 kg/m. About one quarter (24%) had poor knowledge about the effect of obesity on reproductive health, as 85% considered oocyte development and maturation better in obese females and 71% reported that obesity reduced the risk of developing early menopause. A notable percentage of them did not know that obesity increased the risk of still birth (28%) and miscarriage (24.2%). Conclusion: Prevalence rate of overweight and obesity among sampled female university students in Alexandria was high and a considerable proportion lacked knowledge about the effect of overweight/obesity on their reproductive health.
Price Elasticity of Electricity Demand in France

[eng] Competition and climate becoming more important for electricity production and consumption, market operators are increasingly interested in reliable forecasts of electricity prices and consumption for planning their investments and regulating policies. Key for good forecasts is understanding the consumers’ reaction to price changes, synthesized by the concept of elasticity. Using a unique dataset of millions of bi-annual meter readings of electricity consumption in France from 2007 to 2015, we estimate the price elasticity of electricity expenditure of private households. We propose three specifications: a canonical one that regresses electricity consumption on a price per kilowatt/hour, where we find an elasticity equal to -0.8, a result remarkably in line and corroborating previous literature; a specification that follows Filippini’s (1995) model of an Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS), in which we substantially replicate his results; and finally, an extension of the latter that allows elasticities to be season-dependent that shows the demand of electricity being more elastic in summer.
Large Outbreaks of Fungal and Bacterial Bloodstream Infections in a Neonatal Unit, South Africa, 2012–2016

Candidemia is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. We describe a large outbreak of Candida krusei bloodstream infections among infants in Gauteng Province, South Africa, during a 4-month period; a series of candidemia and bacteremia outbreaks in the neonatal unit followed. We detected cases by using enhanced laboratory surveillance and audited hospital wards by environmental sampling and epidemiologic studies. During July–October 2014, among 589 patients, 48 unique cases of C. krusei candidemia occurred (8.2% incidence). Risk factors for candidemia on multivariable analyses were necrotizing enterocolitis, birthweight <1,500 g, receipt of parenteral nutrition, and receipt of blood transfusion. Despite initial interventions, outbreaks of bloodstream infection caused by C. krusei, rarer fungal species, and bacterial pathogens continued in the neonatal unit through July 29, 2016. Multiple factors contributed to these outbreaks; the most functional response is to fortify infection prevention and control.
Discrete Choice Model: An Application to the Educational Decision of Ivorian Households

Faced with unlimited needs, the scarcity of resources forces economic agents to make choices. The analysis using discrete choice models aims to identify the bases of these decisions. The aim here is to highlight the explanatory factors of the demand for education by Ivorian households for their children. To do this, the simple logit model is applied to explain the decision of schooling children. Then the multinomial logit model is used to explain the continuation of education. Household living standard survey data of 1998 and 2008 are used. It shows that age, household composition, and the provision of primary and secondary education services have a positive influence on the education of children. Income influences only high school education. The effects of sociodemographic factors vary by region. Security and accessibility of administrative services encourage the education of children.
Awareness, Self-Use, Perceptions, Beliefs, and Attitudes toward Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) among Health Professional Students in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background Around 75% of the world's population relies on the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for their healthcare. Thus, we aimed at assessing the attitude and perception of health professional students about CAM and correlate the results with their demographical data. Methods An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by enrolling 350 students. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results Results of our data suggested that majority of students were aware of the CAM modalities and considered prayers/spirituality (83.6%), massage (72.5%), nutritional supplements (74.1%), cupping (68.5%), herbal medicine (66.2), and yoga (61.6%) as most effective and least harmful CAM modalities. The students acquired more information about CAM from media (55%), books (56%), friends/relatives (59.7%), and other health professionals (58.4%), however, very little information from formal CAM courses or training (36.7%), which shows the lack of courses and trained health professional in the field of CAM. Despite utilizing nonreliable sources of CAM information, the majority of students had positive attitudes and perceptions about CAM usage. Majority of the students (75.8%) believe in the use of CAM for the mental and spiritual aspect of health and think that CAM providers give good information on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The data also showed a significant (P < 0.05) association between awareness about CAM and gender. A significantly higher percentage of female students were using yoga and aromatherapy, while cupping was mostly used by male students. Similarly, a significant association was found among the different colleges and level of students in most of the CAM modalities. However, no association was found between the awareness and use of CAM with the educational level of parents or relatives in health sector except for acupuncture and cupping, where student's awareness about acupuncture and cupping was found to have a significant positive association with mother educational level. On the other hand, a significant inverse association was found between acupuncture, yoga, cupping, and aromatherapy with family income. Conclusion In conclusion, despite the lack of proper courses and professionally trained healthcare providers in the field of CAM, students demonstrated positive attitudes and beliefs toward the safety and effectiveness of CAM.
The complex relationship between immigrants’ concentration, socioeconomic environment and attitudes towards immigrants in Europe

ABSTRACT Research has shown that positive attitudes towards immigration are often associated with a higher presence of immigrants at the local level; however, this relationship might not apply everywhere. While a higher presence of immigrants might be positive for attitudes in areas with better socioeconomic resources – via the development of more cooperative intergroup contacts – it might bring no or even a negative effect on attitudes in poorer areas – due to an enhanced competition for (scarce) resources and poorer social cohesion. This article combines data from the European Social Survey with NUTS3 aggregated data of twelve European countries to study this relationship. We find that a higher concentration of immigrants is associated with more positive attitudes towards them; in line with our expectations, this effect decreases as the socioeconomic conditions of areas worsen. In the most deprived areas, however, a higher concentration of immigrants does not have an effect on attitudes.
Poststroke Emotionalism

Emotionalism might be one main symptom within a variety of neurological disorders of vascular, traumatic, degenerative, neoplastic or inflammatory origin. PSE is also frequent in patients with psychotic and primary mood and affective disorders as well as in patients with depression due to other medical or neurological conditions. Hence, despite different pathogenic mechanisms, PSE appears to be related to a similar topographic pattern of lesion distribution or dysfunctions. However, although in this context PSE should be considered a disorder which belongs to the field of clinical neurology, its relationship with affective disorders and emotional control processes in general makes it a privileged field of study in neuropsychiatry, behavioural neurology and neurosciences.
Information Security Culture for Guiding Employee’s Security Behaviour: A Pilot Study

Experts and scholars have suggested that cultivation of a positive Information Security Culture (ISC) could improve employee’s security behaviour in organization. However, specific ISC model for employee’s security behaviour is limited. This paper discusses a pilot study of our research-in-progress that proposes a holistic ISC model to be used as guidance for employee’s security behaviour in organization. ISC concept model developed in the study is represented by seven comprehensive dimensions formulated based on widely accepted concepts of Organizational Culture and ISC. These dimensions embody various aspects of ISC cultivation. The model was tested in a Malaysian public university. This study employed Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS SEM) using Smart PLS 3 software to analyze and validate the model. The findings proved that the ISC model is significant in influencing security compliance behaviour. Hence, this study contributes to ISC literature in terms of conceptualization and empirical validation of a new ISC model based on seven comprehensive dimensions in relation with ISP compliance behaviour.
EFFECT OF COLD STORAGE ON ANTIOXIDANTS FROM MINIMALLY PROCESSED HERBS

Vitamin C and total polyphenols are quality markers used to assess the effect of treatments and storage on foodstuffs. Although, the effect of other conventional shelf-extension method is well established, refrigeration was taken for granted and rather neglected. The present study aims to describe its influence on three minimally processed herbs stored at 4°C for 12 days: parsley (Petroselinum crispum), dill (Anethum graveolens) and lovage (Levisticum officinale). The content of ascorbic acid and total polyphenols was determined on methanolic extracts. Ascorbic acid was separated, identified and dosed using HPLC coupled with an UV–VIS detector. Total polyphenols were determined spectrophotometrically, following Folin-Ciocalteu method. On the first day of storage, the content of vitamin C was above 170 mg/100 FW for the three herbs: dill had the highest content, followed by parsley and lovage, statistically similar. During the 12 days of storage, the content of vitamin C decreased by 18% for parsley, by 8% for lovage and by 3% for dill. At the beginning of the study, lovage had the highest content of total phenols followed by parsley and dill. On day 5 of storage, the content increased, reaching the maximum values for the three herbs and then it decreased below the levels of the first day. It was noted that during the 12 days of study, the evolution of total polyphenols at refrigeration temperature was given by a function of second degree. Thus, the present study confirms that vitamin C can be successfully used as a quality marker for herbs due to its low stability during storage. The evolution of total phenols is polynomial, reaching its peak during the shelf-life of herbs.
Prevalence and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among military personnel admitted to Armed Forces Referral and Teaching Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Cross-sectional study

Background: Chronic psychiatric illness such as post-traumatic stress disorder is a major public health problem among military service members, who served in combat. Post-traumatic stress disorder presents an excessive health and economic burden on patients, families, and society as a whole. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among military personnel admitted to Armed Forces Referral and Teaching Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: Facility based cross-sectional study among active military personnel was employed. The stratified sampling method was used to select 422 participants. Stratified sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participants from the outpatient units using proportional allocation. Data were collected by face to face interview using the Amharic version of post-traumatic stress checklist-military version (PCL-M). The collected data were coded and entered into Epi-data 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed to look at an association. The strength of association was interpreted using the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval at P-value < 0.05 level of significance. Result: A total of 406 respondents participated with a response rate of 95.9%. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder was 15.5%. None officers [AOR=2.97; 95%CI :1.27-6.92], length of service ≥10 years [AOR=0.31; 95%CI: 0.12-0.75], perceived threat to life [AOR=6.67; 95%CI: 2.74-16.22], handling dead body [AOR=2.49; 95%CI:4.44-5.61], poor relationship with team members [AOR=6.67; 95%CI:2.55-18.54], ever use of khat [AOR=3.62; 95%CI:1.06-12.35], and alcohol intake [AOR=2.72; 95%CI :1.37-5.42] were significantly associated with post traumatic stress disorder among military personnel. Conclusions: High burden of post-traumatic stress disorder was found. None officers, who serve ≥10 years, perceived a threat to life, handling dead body, poor relationship with team members, ever use of khat and use of alcohol were significantly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among the militaries.
The Environment and Directed Technical Change

This paper introduces endogenous and directed technical change in a growth model with environmental constraints. The final good is produced from "dirty" and "clean" inputs. We show that: (i) when inputs are sufficiently substitutable, sustainable growth can be achieved with temporary taxes/subsidies that redirect innovation toward clean inputs; (ii) optimal policy involves both "carbon taxes" and research subsidies, avoiding excessive use of carbon taxes; (iii) delay in intervention is costly, as it later necessitates a longer transition phase with slow growth; and (iv) use of an exhaustible resource in dirty input production helps the switch to clean innovation under laissez-faire. (JEL O33, O44, Q30, Q54, Q56, Q58).
Comparison of ground-based BrO measurements during THESEO with the SLIMCAT chemical transport model

Ground-based UV/visible measurements of stratospheric BrO slant columns are compared with simulations from the SLIMCAT 3D chemical transport model. The measurements have been performed at a global network of ground-based sites in the frame of the Euro­ pean THESEO BrO proj'ect. The agreement between observations and model is in general very good: The model reproduces many features of the observations including the seasonal and latitudinal variations.