Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Development and Validation of a New Multidimensional Test Anxiety Scale (MTAS)

Abstract. Although test anxiety has a long history in the educational and psychological literature there is a lack of census over its dimensionality. The aim of the present study was to clarify the dimensionality of test anxiety and develop a new instrument to reflect this dimensionality. Across two empirical studies we tested and refined a new multidimensional instrument comprising of two cognitive dimensions (Worry and Cognitive Interference) and two affective-physiological dimensions (Tension and Physiological Indicators). In both studies, four-correlated-factors and higher order models showed a good fit to the data. Test anxiety was positively related to an existing test anxiety measure (the Test Anxiety Inventory) and an elevated risk of mental health problems, and negatively related to school well-being and examination performance. This new instrument will prove a welcome addition for practitioners, to assist in the identification of highly test anxious students who may require support or intervention, and test anxiety researchers.
Effect of pre-calving body condition score and previous lactation on BCS change, blood metabolites, oxidative stress and milk production in Holstein dairy cows

Abstract The aim of study was to determine the effect of pre-calving body condition score (BCS) and previous milk yield on BCS change, blood metabolites, oxidative stress and milk production in Holstein cows. At 3 wk before expected calving, 100 multiparous cows were grouped according to their BCS and then classified based the previous 305 milk yield. The four experimental groups (25 cows each) were medium BCS and moderate milk yield (MM), medium BCS and high milk yield (MH), high BCS and moderate milk yield (HM), and high BCS and high milk yield (HH). The cows’ BCS was recorded at −21, 0, 21, 50 and 80 d related to parturition time. Daily milk production of cows was recorded after parturition. Blood samples were taken at d −21, −7, +1, +7 and +21 postpartum. The HH cows had lower (p <.05) plasma insulin than MH group. Also, the HH cows had lowest (p <.05) plasma insulin at 7 d after calving. Cows with high BCS had greater (p <.05) NEFA and BHBA concentration than medium BCS groups. Cows with high BCS had lower activity of antioxidant enzymes (p <.05) compared to medium BCS groups. Milk production, fat-corrected milk (FCM) and energy-corrected milk (ECM) were affected (p <.05) by pre-calving BCS and previous milk yield. Pre-calving BCS and previous milk yield affect (p <.05) milk fat production. In conclusion, the HH cows have greater milk production; however they are susceptible to oxidative stress and metabolic disorders risk based on their blood metabolites.
Critical factors for innovative work behaviour in Latin American firms: Test of an exploratory model

Abstract The aim of this study is to examine how transformational and transactional leaders, boost the employees’ innovative work behaviour, directly or through work engagement, organizational climate for innovation and absorptive capacity in Latin American firms. A non-random sample of 1429 employees was used who had been working at least one year in the current company. The sample, composed of workers from different industries, was collected in postgraduate programs of business schools from seven Latin American countries. A multi-group structural equation model was built with the involved variables, which adopted two different conditions: i.e., unconstrained and constrained questionnaire measurement weights. According to the results, leadership by itself is insufficient to promote employees innovative work behaviour. Transformational and transactional leadership exert effect on this behaviour only through absorptive capacity and work engagement respectively. Likewise, absorptive capacity and employee work engagement show direct effects on innovative work behaviour. Additionally, organizational climate for innovation shows a significant moderating effect on the all relationships included in the model. Despite the cultural differences, the two-condition model yielded the same effect in each country, which indicates the validity of a general model of innovative work behaviour for the whole region supporting the common identity of this region. As a conclusion, leadership practices are needed to encourage innovative work behaviour within the Latin American organizational context, however some individual (engagement) and organizational (absorptive capacity) conditions are also needed to ensure this effect. Implications for human resources management are discussed.
Depressive symptoms and parental support-seeking in Latinx adolescents: Analyzing variation based on LGBT identity

Abstract Adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms tend to withdraw from social interaction, but patterns among Latinx LGBT youth (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) are unclear. Latinx adolescents in the Greater Los Angeles Area (N = 549) were surveyed during two consecutive years, and longitudinal relationships among depressive symptoms, parental support-seeking, and loneliness were examined for differences based on youth’s LGBT identity. LGBT identity moderated the relationship between baseline depressive symptoms and subsequent parental support-seeking, such that higher baseline depressive symptoms predicted less subsequent parental support-seeking for non-LGBT youth, but not for LGBT youth. The relationship between parental support-seeking and depressive symptoms, both at Time 2, was moderated by LGBT identity, such that more support-seeking tended to correspond with fewer depressive symptoms for non-LGBT youth, but the opposite tended to occur for LGBT youth. Results suggest a subgroup effect, such that LGBT Latinx adolescents may seek parental support differently than their non-LGBT Latinx peers in the context of depressive symptoms.
Assessment of Cytotoxic and Genotoxic Potency of Chromium by use of Allium Cepa L. in Gomti River Water Contaminated with Heavy Metal

Rapid strides in industrialization with incomplete sewage treatment system has caused a great environmental and ecological concern. In this paper the Allium cepa L. biotest was used to assess the toxicological tendency of water samples of Gomti river water and to evaluate the cyto/genotoxicological potency of Chromium, experimentally added to analyzed natural waters. The Chromium toxic effective concentration EC-50 assessed by using K2Cr2O7 and a preliminary root growth inhibition test for 96h and then onion root were grown for 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h in river samples mixed with three doses, representing the corresponding ¼ EC-50, 1/2 EC-50 and EC-50 Chromium concentration. There were evaluated some microscopic end points of onion root grown in experimental samples: mitotic index, chromosomal aberration rate and types. There was noted a certain differences of cytogenetic endpoints, demonstrated a possible amelioration of river water quality. The results showed obvious Cr concentration dependence: cyto/genotoxicological effects on root cells came increasing with increasing Cr concentration. Mitotic index decrease as well as concentration increase. Chromosomal aberration induced in the onion root tip cells were mostly sticky chromosome and bridges. Chromosome with disturbed spindle and fragment were also present in appreciable amounts. Being a sensitive, short term and low cost alternative, the Allium test and in general the bioassay should be an integral tool in quality monitoring of water bodies. The finding in this study indicate that there are toxic chemical present in the river.
Comparison of the performance of entrapped and covalently immobilized lipase in the synthesis of pear flavor

Abstract Introduction Although aroma esters are produced mostly by a chemical method that requires the use of aggressive chemical catalysts, enzymatic esterification has been very favored during previous two decades. The main aim of this study was to investigate the commercially important pear flavor, hexyl acetate (HAc), by the catalysis of immobilized lipase samples and to optimize the immobilization and operational conditions in detail. Methods Lipases from Candida rugosa (CRL) and porcine pancreas (PPL) were immobilized using biodegradable polysaccharides, by entrapment in calcium alginate/chitosan composite gel (CRLCa-Alg/Chi and PPLCa-Alg/Chi) and by covalent binding onto the chitosan (CRLChi and PPLChi) carrier. Results Among the several organic media, the highest esterification activites were observed in heptane. HAc yield decreased when substrate concentrations were higher than 50 or 75 mM. Yield increased with increase in reaction time up to the 5th hour in the batch type reactor while it increased during the 8 h reaction time for fixed bed reactors with lower yields. Discussion and conclusions As well as synthesis conditions, immobilization parameters also affected HAc productivity. The amount of water in the microenvironment of lipase is so important not only for gaining its active conformation but only for the reaction direction.
Pathways to Kindergarten: A Latent Class Analysis of Children’s Time in Early Education and Care

ABSTRACT Research Findings Using a sample of 568 students from 61 kindergarten classrooms whose primary caregivers completed a questionnaire describing their child’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) by year from birth to pre-kindergarten, we identified seven pathways characterizing children’s ECEC experiences using a latent class analysis. Once identified, profile membership was included as an independent variable in a multilevel model to predict children’s cognitive and social-behavioral outcomes at kindergarten entry. Although a considerable body of work has examined dosage of time in (ECEC) and its associations with children’s skills in later grades, we extend this work by expanding the definition of dosage to include multiple care arrangements from birth to kindergarten entry and by examining if profiles of ECEC participation have associations with kindergarten-entry skills. Our findings show membership in profiles in which children spent consistent time in center-based care from birth to five were associated with adverse social-behavioral outcomes including behavioral aggression, school adjustment, peer social skills, and self-efficacy. Practice or Policy: Our findings suggest the importance of considering more nuanced differences in children’s experiences with ECEC and the need for possible interventions to support the social-behavioral development of children with exposure to 5 years of center-based care.
Effect of mixing cereal and legume straws on yield of grey oyster mushroom under controlled conditions

In Zimbabwe, yield of oyster mushroom ( Pleurotus ostreatus ) grown on sole substrates of maize or sorghum straw is low, <75% biological efficiency translating to less than a kilogramme of fresh mushroom per kg of dry substrate. This study aimed at determining the effect of mixing sorghum or maize straw with various proportions of bean straw, on the yield of grey oyster mushroom. Maize and sorghum straws were singly mixed with 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% bean straw, followed by a spawning rate of 5%. Eighteen days after incubation in a dark room, bags were hanged in a mushroom growing house with controlled temperatures (25-26oC). Mixing bean with maize straw had a significantly higher oyster mushroom yield (1, 229 g) than with sorghum straw (1,138 g); leading to biological efficiency of 83 and 74%, for maize straw and sorghum straw, respectively. Yield and biological efficiency decreased from 1,357 to 977 g plot-1 and 97 to 61%, respectively, when the proportion of bean straw was increased from 0-100%; while number of days to second and third harvest increased. There were significant interactions (P<0.05) for the number of pins, days to second and third harvest, between maize or sorghum straw with bean straw. Maize straw gave better performance with high percentages of bean straw than sorghum straw. Results showed that maize straw mixed with 20% bean straw produced better yield of grey oyster mushroom. Key Words: Biological efficiency, maize straw, Pleurotus ostreatus
Application of Deep Neural Network for Congestive Heart Failure Detection Using ECG Signals

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common serious heart disease that requires a number of clinical examinations to diagnose, which are costly and time-consuming. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is widely used in the diagnosis of various cardiovascular diseases due to its advantages of non-invasive, convenient and cheap, so the automatic CHF detection algorithm based on ECG signals can overcome the above shortcomings and has great application prospects. In this paper, inspired by the idea of DenseNet in computer version, we refined it to be applicable to CHF detection task, thus improving the diagnosis accuracy of the model. Secondly, to improve the robustness of the algorithm, we built a CHF database on PhysioBank, which contained more diverse data compared with similar studies, and conducted experiments on the built database. Finally, we presented an evaluation method based on the “inter-patient” pattern to evaluate the performance of the method more objectively. The results show that our algorithm can efficiently detect CHF with accuracy, sensitivity and specificity up to 94.97%, 89.38% and 99.50%, respectively. The algorithm proposed in this study can provide reliable references for doctors, and can be used in portable devices to realize real-time monitoring for patients.
Breakdown at Multiple Protrusions in SF6 and CO2

The electric breakdown at single and multiple protrusions in SF6 and CO2 is investigated at 0.4 and 0.6 MPa, respectively. Additionally, the breakdown fields at rough surfaces of two different areas were determined. From the measurements, breakdown probability distributions for single protrusions were determined and fitted by Weibull distributions. This allowed the determination of statistical enlargement laws for the 50% breakdown probability fields E50. Such enlargement laws describe, for example, the scaling of breakdown field with electrode area or number of protrusions. The predictions were compared to the experimental data, and both agreement and discrepancies were observed depending on polarity and number of protrusions and gas. Discharge predictions including first electron, streamer inception and crossing, as well as leader propagation, gave further insight to this. It was found that predictions from enlargement laws based on statistical processes may not describe the measured breakdown fields well and that relevant physical breakdown criteria must also be considered.
Revamping soil quality and correlation studies for yield and yield attributes in sorghum-legumes intercropping systems

: Restoration, preservation and sustainability of agricultural resources including soil demands biologically and economically viable farming practices. For boosting physico-chemical properties of soil from 2012 to 2015, three legumes including cowpea, cluster bean and soybean were intercropped with sorghum in 40-60, 75-25 and 100-100 seed blending ratios, while pure stand of sorghum was kept for comparison. Correlation studies were also conducted to determine linear or inverse relationship between physiological and agronomic attributes with green forage yield of sorghum. Results revealed that intercropping systems were not effective in significantly improving the physical properties of soil, however soybean and sorghum mixed seeded crop in 100-100 seed ratio resulted in the highest total and available nitrogen especially during last two years of the study and it was followed by mixed seeded crop of cluster bean and sorghum (100-100 seed ratio), while pure stand of sorghum appeared to be the most exhaustive farming system. Correlation analysis depicted a linear relationship between all agronomic attributes (seedling count, plant population at harvest, plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves and leaf area per plant, fresh and dry weights per plant) and physiological growth parameters (leaf area index and leaf area duration, crop growth rate and net assimilation rate) with forage yield of sorghum. Thus, legumes inclusion was found to be effective in restoring soil fertility, while long term legumes inclusion by following rotation may be suggested.
Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Beebread – Review

Beebread is a product of the hive obtained from pollen collected by bees, to which they add honey,digestive enzymes and subsequently is stored in the combs. The bees transform the bee pollen in beebread by an anaerobic fermentation process.A proper hive management promotes beebread collection, aimed at marketing it for human consumption since it can be considered a valuable food supplement due to its content of a wide range of nutrients. Its value is given by the content in protein, amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, mineral salts, polyphenols and flavonoids, which depends on the botanical source of bee pollen. The nutritional and functional composition of beebread is widely reported; nevertheless, few studies on transformation processes of the pollen to improve the availability of the compounds present in this product were found. Overall, beebread is a recent collected and consumed bee product and at this stage it can be used as a food supplement.
Endowment for a rainy day? An empirical analysis of endowment spending by operating public charities

There has been growing public attention to the accumulation and spending of endowments in recent years. Scholars have offered different theories on the objective of endowments that have different implications for endowment spending. Yet, there are limited empirical studies and they mostly focus on universities. Using the Form 990 data between 2009 and 2016, this study examines how endowments are actually spent for four types of operating charities, including museums, universities, hospitals, and K-12 schools. The descriptive results show that there are considerable cross-sectional differences in endowment characteristics across these types of organizations. The fixed effects analyses further demonstrate different types of organizations have different payout responses to changes in endowment returns, non-endowment income, and contributions to endowment. However, the study does not find any empirical evidence that organizations use endowments as rainy day funds. This article extends the understanding on endowment spending behavior from universities to other types of operating charities that also hold endowments. The findings provide empirical evidence that may inform the existing debate on endowment spending and have practical implications for endowment management.
Winter Quiescence, Growth Rate, and the Release from Competition in the Temperate Scleractinian Coral Astrangia poculata (Ellis & Solander 1786)

Abstract I examined winter quiescence (dormancy), growth rate, and competition in the scleractinian coral Astrangia poculata (Northern Star-coral) at an intertidal and a subtidal site in Rhode Island. I observed the onset, duration, and cessation of quiescence from November 2013 to May 2014 and noted when coral tentacles no longer exhibited tactile responses, which I used as a proxy for quiescence. Results demonstrated that intertidal corals entered quiescence in December 2013, when air/water temperatures ranged from 0.71 °C to 5.7 °C, whereas subtidal populations entered quiescence in January when water temperatures ranged from 3.4 °C to 4.3 °C. Corals exited quiescence at similar temperatures (6.0–8.5 °C), again doing so earlier in the intertidal than subtidal populations (April and May 2014, respectively). Corals at both sites grew (added polyps) over the course of the study, but during quiescence, growth ceased in subtidal corals, and intertidal corals lost peripheral polyps. Competitive interactions between Northern Star-coral and the tunicate Didemnum vexillum (Carpet Tunicate) decreased during quiescence with a corresponding increase in “halo” width around each coral. I observed no change in halo-width between coral and the sponge Cliona celata (Red Boring Sponge). All corals examined exhibited winter quiescence, grew during the course of the study, and were released from competition with Carpet Sea-squirt Tunicate; no change in competition with Red Boring Sponge was observed.
Cytokeratin AE1/AE3 mimicry in Glioblastoma

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten histologically confirmed cases of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were reviewed for their IHC reaction with the anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) glial marker and the CK AE1/AE3 antibody cocktail, whose main use in neuropathology is to either prove or rule out metastatic cancer of epithelial origin, the primary location of which may not be known or even suspected.
Aged biochar affects gross nitrogen mineralization and recovery: a 15N study in two contrasting soils

Biochar is a pyrolysed biomass and largely consists of pyrogenic carbon (C), which takes much longer to decompose compared to the biomass it is made from. When applied to soil, it could increase agricultural productivity through nutrient retention and changing soil properties. The biochar‐mediated nutrient retention capacity depends on the biochar properties, which change with time, and on soil properties. Here, we examined the effects of a wood biochar (20 t ha−1), that has aged (21 months) in a grassland field, on gross nitrogen (N) mineralization (GNM) and 15N recovery using a 15N tracer. A field experiment was conducted in two soil types, that is a Tenosol and a Dermosol, and also included a phosphorus (P) addition treatment (1 kg ha−1). Compared to the control, biochar with P addition significantly increased GNM in the Tenosol. Possibly, biochar and P addition enhanced nutrient availability in this nutrient‐limited soil, thereby stimulating microbial activity. In contrast, biochar addition reduced GNM in the Dermosol, possibly by protecting soil organic matter (SOM) from decomposition through sorption onto biochar surfaces and enhanced formation of organo‐mineral complexes in this soil that had a higher clay content (29% vs. 8% in the Tenosol). Compared to the control, biochar significantly increased total 15N recovery in the Tenosol (on average by 12%) and reduced leaching to subsurface soil layers (on average by 52%). Overall, 15N recovery was greater in the Dermosol (83%) than the Tenosol (63%), but was not affected by biochar or P. The increased N recovery with biochar addition in the sandy Tenosol may be due to NH4+‐N retention at exchange sites on aged biochar, while such beneficial effects may not be visible in soils with higher clay content. Our results suggest that aged biochar may increase N use efficiency through reduced leaching or gaseous losses in sandy soils.