Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal variation of PAHs in marshy sediments from Warri City, Nigeria

Seasonal variation was used to analyse the levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marshy sediments in Warri city, Niger Delta region in Southern Nigeria. Sediment samples were collected from four locations in the city and labelled ST 1, ST 2, ST 3 and ST 4. Control samples were also collected 20 km away from the city and labelled ST 5. The objective of this study is to compare the level of PAHs in dry and rainy season and examine their variation base on the type of PAHs detected in relation to the characteristics of the different locations. The samples were collected from January to March for dry season and June to August for rainy/wet season. Levels of 16 USEPA priority PAHs were determined using GC-FID. Five-ringed benzo(a) pyrene had highest total concentration of 1.342 mg/kg for individual PAHs and it was detected at ST 2 in the dry season. PAHs concentration was higher in dry season than rainy season at all the study sampling stations and the control. ST 4 of the study location had total PAH value of 4.540 mg/kg in dry season. And the control station, ST 5 had total PAH value of 4.18 mg/kg in the same period. In the rainy season, ST 4 had highest total PAH value of 3.029 mg/kg. At ST 5, the highest total value for PAH in rainy season was 1.056 mg/kg. Total PAHs concentration within Warri city was higher than at the control. Keywords : Benzo(a) pyrene; concentration; dry season; Niger Delta; rainy season.
Laser projector method for measuring postoperative acetabular anteversion after total hip replacement

Introduction For patients undergoing THR, measuring the postoperative acetabular anteversion precisely plays a pivotal role in the prognosis. However, using elliptical methods mandates computerized equipment that is frequently in shortage in remote areas and developing countries. We invented a laser projector utilizing the ellipse method to measure the acetabular anteversion directly. The aim is to examine the consistency and validity of the laser projector as compared to our original software, Elliversion. Materials and Methods We retrospectively collected 50 postoperative pelvis radiographs including acetabulum from our institution. One investigator first measured the anteversion of included radiographs through Elliversion software as the control group. Subsequently, two operators independently used the laser projector for measurements in two separate periods with 1-day intervals as the experimental group. Our analysis was comprised of intra- and inter-observer comparisons and reliability, which investigated both the consistency and validity, by using two-sample student's t-test and intraclass correlation coefficient. Results There was no significant difference in measuring the anteversion through laser projectors between two operators (p = 0.54), with excellent inter-observer reliability (ICC, 0.967). The estimated effect in the anteversion measurement between the Elliversion and laser projector was also comparable, with the ICC level of 0.984, indicating excellent reliability. Conclusion Our study reported the consistency and validity of this laser projector as there is no significant difference between Elliversion and Laser projector, notably with excellent intra- and inter-observer reliability. We look forward to helping elevate clinical acumen when doctors provide care to patients after THR, especially in remote areas.
Root System Distribution of Sweet Cherry Trees Grafted on Vigorous Rootstock in Molic Eutricambosoil in Northern Transylvania

The type of the root system development of different species and cultivars gives valuable information for choosing of proper rootstock/scion combinations in different soils and soil horizons, the establishment of active rhizosphere where the input nutrition can give maximum results. Researches showed that cherry grafted on a vigorous rootstock in molic eutricambosoil develops a root system which is mainly horizontally spread (88-90°), in some rare cases with angles of 45°, with 5-7 strong V order roots (>80 mm) which provides good anchorage for trees. To the periphery the roots reached up to 6.5-8.5 m in the old trees and 3.5 m in the young trees. The depth of the root system achieved 2.0-2.5 m in the old trees and 1.0-1.5 m in the young trees. The highest quantity of roots were observed between 18-60 cm depth in both young and old trees.
Antinucleosomal Antibodies and Its Correlation to SLE Manifestations

Subject: SLE is an autoimmune disease with skin, joint, renal, cardiovascular, and nervous manifestations. The disease is classified as an immune complex-mediated disease and is characterized by the production of various autoantibodies. Until now, more than 100 autoantibodies have been identified. Patients and methods: This study was performed on 200 SLE patients. All of them were females and their ages ranged from 20 to 49 years. All participants in this study were subjected to physical examination, thorough history taking including age, sex, age of onset, duration of SLE disease, family history, and SLEDAI. Laboratory investigations included: CBC, ESR, liver function tests, renal function tests, ANA, Anti-dsDNA, CRP, Complements C3, C4, and Anti-NCS. Results: There was a highly significant inverse correlation between anti-NCS antibodies and Hb level, a significant direct correlation between anti-NCS antibodies and 24hr proteinuria, a significant inverse correlation between anti-NCS antibodies and complements (C3 and C4), a significant correlation between anti-NCS antibodies and anti dsDNA antibodies, a significant correlation between anti-NCS and disease activity, SLEDAI, and renal affection. Conclusion: Anti-NCS antibody can be a useful tool in the diagnosis of SLE especially in patients who are negative for anti-ds DNA antibodies.
Late Intra-Uterine Fetal Demise with Fetal Hydrops: Challenges of Management Planning in Indonesia

Intra-Uterine Fetal Demise (IUFD) is defined as death of human conception at age of 20 weeks’ gestation or older or with a minimum 500-g birthweight before complete delivery from the mother and induced termination involved. In 2015, Indonesia has contributed a stillbirth rate of 13 out of 1,000 total births in which 17.1% of the cases were caused by congenital anomalies. Fetal Hydrops as a pathological condition in which there is an accumulation of fluid in fetal soft tissues and serous cavities. With the advancements of sonographic technology, identification of fetal hydrops has become uncomplicated. However, what remains a challenge is to investigate etiology and determine management. In order to plan proper management, the etiology of fetal hydrops must first be determined to predict the prognosis of fetal hydrops. In Indonesia; limited facilities and experts combined with high costs in etiology determination and management have complicated the matter. Furthermore, the strong influence of several Eastern communities’ norms and religious views have further complicated both physicians and patients in decision making. In this report, we present a case of late intra-uterine fetal demise with fetal hydrops, whom was admitted on her 35 weeks age gestation. We performed elective Caesarean Section in order to deliver the stillborn fetus, with no significant post-operative complication. Unfortunately, this condition was actually diagnosed earlier during 20 th weeks of gestation, hence advised to continue the pregnancy without further evaluation and information to the mother regarding the hydrops condition.
GENETIC TRANSFORMATION OF BRASSICA JUNCEA WITH ANTIMICROBIAL WASABI DEFENSIN GENE

Brassica juncea is one of the most important oilseed crop. An efficient and reproducible protocol was developed for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Brassica juncea variety NIFA RAYA with Wasabi defensin gene to produce transgenic plants. This gene was isolated from the leaves of Wasabia japonica. The expression of Wasabi defensin gene; encoding antimicrobial protein, in plasmid pEKH-WD is driven by the constitutive 35S promoter. The role of a number of factors such as choice of explants, the age of explants, different ratios of growth regulators, various concentrations of growth hormones and chemicals which can directly or indirectly influence the process of transformation was evaluated. Hypocotyls and cotyledons from 4-7 days old seedlings, when used as explants for transformation, were found to be the best in terms of producing transgenic calli and shoots. Regeneration of the explants on solidified MS plates supplemented with different hormone ratios and concentrations showed that medium containing 2 mgL BAP and 0.2 mgL NAA was the best for callus initiation. Whereas, 3 mgL BAP and 0.3 mgL NAA was found to be the best hormone combination for callus formation. For shoot regeneration 3 mgL BAP and 0.5 mgL NAA suplemented with 20 μM AgNO3 was the best combination. The transgenic nature of the transformed callus and regenerated shoots was confirmed via PCR analysis by using Wasabi defensin gene specific primers against their isolated genomic DNA.
How Can a Focus on Teacher Well-being in Pre-service Training Promote the Resilience of Primary School Student Teachers?

Norwegian teachers are facing increasing challenges with multi-lingualism and multi-culturalism in schools. In addition, Norway faces the challenge of addressing the need to retain novice teachers. In teacher education programmes there is little focus on teacher well-being to assist teachers in understanding and coping with the challenges of a range of schools and teaching contexts. The focus of this paper is on how an induction course on Teacher Well-Being, TWB, infused as part of an exchange programme between one higher education institution, Oslo and Akershus University of Applied Sciences (HIOA) in Norway and three primary schools in South Africa, influence the professional development and resilience of the participating primary school student teachers. A qualitative research approach was used to capture student perceptions and meaning of their learning and development from the TWB training. The research design was informed by the qualitative reflective research approach as understood by, among others, Alvesson and Skjoldberg.
New conjunctive CubeSat and balloon measurements to quantify rapid energetic electron precipitation

Relativistic electron precipitation into the atmosphere can contribute significant losses to the outer radiation belt. In particular, rapid narrow precipitation features termed precipitation bands have been hypothesized to be an integral contributor to relativistic electron precipitation loss, but quantification of their net effect is still needed. Here we investigate precipitation bands as measured at low earth orbit by the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) CubeSat. Two precipitation bands of MeV electrons were observed on 18–19 January 2013, concurrent with precipitation seen by the 2013 Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) campaign. The newly available conjugate measurements allow for a detailed estimate of the temporal and spatial features of precipitation bands for the first time. We estimate the net electron loss due to the precipitation bands and find that ~20 such events could empty the entire outer belt. This study suggests that precipitation bands play a critical role in radiation belt losses.
Demographic change and future carbon emissions in China and India.

This paper investigates whether projected changes in the demographic characteristics of Chinese and Indian households over the next century could have a substantial influence on consumption economic growth energy demand and carbon dioxide emissions. We use new household projections for China and India that model changes in population size urbanization and the size and age structure of households over the next 100 years. The initial economic characteristics of different household types including demand for consumer goods supplies of labor and capital are estimated from household surveys and production data for each country. A global energy-economic growth model simulates economic growth as well as changes in consumption of various goods direct and indirect energy demand and carbon emissions over time. Effects of demographic change are compared under different scenarios that include technical change. Results show that explicit consideration of urbanization leads to a substantial increase in projected emissions while aging leads to a decrease. The net effect of demographic change is to increase projected emissions from China by 45% by the end of the century and from India by 15-35%. (authors)
Gendered Citations at Top Economic Journals

This paper investigates how women's works are perceived among their peers. I construct a dataset using bibliographic data from articles published in top journals in economics and granular information on the articles that cite them. I find that female-authored papers in top economic journals are (i) more likely to be cited outside economics, (ii) less likely to be cited by top-tier journals, and (iii) less likely to be cited by men. I conclude with a discussion on those results and their implications for females in economics.
Job Stress, Job Burnout and Performance of Paramedics during the Covid 19 Pandemic

This study aims to analyze the influence of work stress and job burnout on the performance of health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and analyze the influence of work stress on the performance of health workers of Aisyiyah Ponorogo General Hospital mediated by job burnout during the Covid-19 pandemic. The type of data used consists of primary data, namely data obtained from the dissemination of questionnaires and secondary data obtained from the company's internal data, journals, books and scientific articles. This study used a sample of 194 respondents who are health workers. The results of this study found that: 1) work stress has a negative and significant effect on performance in health workers; 2) work stress has a positive and significant effect on burnout in health workers; and 3) work stress has a negative and significant effect on the performance of health workers through mediation of burnout variable
Extreme climatic events affect populations of Asian chestnut gall wasps, Dryocosmus kuriphilus, but do not stop the spread

Global climate change affects the frequency of extreme weather events that can influence plant–insect interactions. We evaluated how the late‐spring frost and severe drought that occurred in Spain in 2017 affected interactions between the invasive gall insect, Dryocosmus kuriphilus, and the native tree, Castanea sativa. We assessed effects on insect survival, fertility, population growth, and effects through changes in tree palatability and in other pests and pathogens. Late‐spring frost reduced D. kuriphilus to 25–40% of previous abundance. Wasp populations recovered rapidly (>7‐fold in 3 years), consistent with density‐dependence in population dynamics. Larvae affected by freeze or drought were smaller. Female fecundity was affected by the freeze 1 year later. Late‐spring frosts and severe drought affected leaf size and physiology. Water content was higher within galls, but nitrogen was higher within galls in non‐freeze plots after weather conditions improved. Freezing also influenced the secondary chemistry of leaves. Phenol concentrations were lower, and terpenes higher, in frozen plots, while condensed tannins remained the same. Condensed tannins were reduced to half in the drought year. Freezing had limited effects on damage from other pests and pathogens. Our work expands understanding of how climate and weather affects forest pests.
Effect of Organizational Commitment, Compensation and Job Satisfaction on Employee Performance Through Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Bank BPD DIY Employees Senopati Branch Office

This study aims to determine the factors that affect the performance at the BANK BPD DIY Senopati branch office. The method in this research is accidental sampling. The analytical method used is the classical assumption test, t-test and Sobel test. Based on the research results, it is known that commitment has a significant positive effect on OCB, compensation has a significant effect on OCB, and satisfaction does not affect OCB, while commitment has a significant effect on employee performance, compensation has a significant positive effect on performance, job satisfaction has no effect on performance. OCB has a positive effect on employee performance. commitment has a significant positive effect on performance with the OCB variable as an intervening variable, compensation has a significant effect on performance with OCB as an internal variable has no significant effect on performance through OCB As an intervening variable and job satisfaction It is expected that this research can be used to measure commitment, compensation, and employee satisfaction as well as OCB on employee performance behavior
Examining the competitiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka

The banking sector in Sri Lanka has been portrayed by significant changes in the past few decades. It is widely perceived that competition in the Sri Lankan banking sector has improved since the introduction of the financial sector reforms in the 1990s. By applying Panzar-Rosse (PR) approach to test the degree of competitiveness, this paper assesses the validity of this claim in the context of the Sri Lankan banking sector during 1996-2018. The sample covers a broader set of bank-level panel data of the whole commercial banking sector which comprised of 25 licensed commercial banks. The EGLS procedure applied in this study revealed that during the stated period, the Sri Lankan banking sector had been moderately competitive. Further analysis also disclosed that there is no significant difference between the state-owned banks and private banks regarding their degree of competitiveness, as well as their temporal dynamics. Another striking observation revealed in this analysis is the lower level of competitiveness among foreign banks compared to the competitiveness of local banks. The Competitiveness of the Sri Lankan banking sector however is characterized by non-price competition, as on many occasions the interest rate depends on government policies. Hence, this study provides new insight into the nature of financial sector competitiveness in underdeveloped countries. The outcome of the research implies the necessity of attempts of all banks towards re-aligning their strategies to attract and retain customers. This would be the major challenge that banks face in accomplishing a higher level of competition in the banking industry in the future.
Meteorological conditions during the ACLOUD/PASCAL field campaign near Svalbard in early summer 2017

Abstract. The two concerted field campaigns, Arctic CLoud Observations Using airborne measurements during polar Day (ACLOUD) and the Physical feedbacks of Arctic planetary boundary level Sea ice, Cloud and AerosoL (PASCAL), took place near Svalbard from 23 May to 26 June 2017. They were focused on studying Arctic mixed-phase clouds and involved observations from two airplanes (ACLOUD), an icebreaker (PASCAL) and a tethered balloon, as well as ground-based stations. Here, we present the synoptic development during the 35-day period of the campaigns, using near-surface and upper-air meteorological observations, as well as operational satellite, analysis, and reanalysis data. Over the campaign period, short-term synoptic variability was substantial, dominating over the seasonal cycle. During the first campaign week, cold and dry Arctic air from the north persisted, with a distinct but seasonally unusual cold air outbreak. Cloudy conditions with mostly low-level clouds prevailed. The subsequent 2 weeks were characterized by warm and moist maritime air from the south and east, which included two events of warm air advection. These synoptical disturbances caused lower cloud cover fractions and higher-reaching cloud systems. In the final 2 weeks, adiabatically warmed air from the west dominated, with cloud properties strongly varying within the range of the two other periods. Results presented here provide synoptic information needed to analyze and interpret data of upcoming studies from ACLOUD/PASCAL, while also offering unprecedented measurements in a sparsely observed region.
The Impact of Corporate Governance on Executive Compensation

This paper examines the relationship between the compensation of the top five executives at a set of over 400 publicly listed Canadian firms and various internal and external corporate governance-related factors. The media is full of stories suggesting a relationship between large executive compensation packages and failures in governance at various levels within organisations, but there exists little formal analysis of many of these relationships. Our analysis provides empirical evidence supporting some of these assertions, refuting others and documenting new relationships. We find that variances in internal governance related to differences across firms in the characteristics of the CEO, compensation committee and board of directors do influence both the level and composition of executive compensation, especially for the CEO. Considering external measures of corporate governance, we find that different types of shareholders and competitive environments impact executive compensation. We do not find that either the internal or external governance characteristics dominate.
The Effects of International Accounting Standards on Stock Market Volatility: The Case of Greece

The adoption of International Accounting Standards (IAS) by the European Union (which started in 2005) is one of the biggest events in the history of financial accounting. This paper investigates the effects of adopting IAS on Greek stock market volatility. We consider daily data (covering the period 2003-2005) from four major indices of the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE): the General ASE index, FTSE/ASE-20, FTSE/ASE Mid 40 and FTSE/ASE Small Cap 80. We find that the introduction of IAS has a negative – but not significant – effect on Greek stock market volatility. This is confirmed by estimation of three different types of GARCH specifications. In addition, the unconditional variance indicates lower market volatility after the introduction of IAS in Greece for all indices. These findings are helpful to financial managers dealing with Greek stock indices.
EARNINGS MANAGEMENT, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDING AND IDIOSYNCRATIC VOLATILITY: EVIDENCE FROM INDIA

Existing research provide mixed evidence on the relationship between earnings management and idiosyncratic volatility. However, the effect of institutional shareholding on this relationship has not been investigated. We investigate the relationship between earnings management and idiosyncratic volatility and the effect of institutional shareholding on this relationship. Using 2SLS regression, our results suggest a positive relationship between earnings management and idiosyncratic volatility. The results, however, do not suggest that institutional shareholding has a significant effect on the relationship between earnings management and idiosyncratic volatility. The results are robust to different methods of estimating earnings management and idiosyncratic volatility.