Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological and Edaphic Drivers of Yam Production in West Africa

Yam is an important food and cash crop in West Africa (the yam belt) whose production is traditionally nonsedentary due to its substantial nutrient demand. Population growth, urbanization, and existing soil degradation have made nonsedentary farming virtually impossible. Despite the numerous research invested in yam production within and outside the yam belt, some gaps remain to be filled owing to changing climate events and global developments. Alarmingly, the yam belt is facing sharp yield declines despite increasing production areas. 'e key edaphic and ecological drivers of yam production in the global yam belt were reviewed. 'e implications for yam production were discussed along with prospects for future research, sustainable production, and soil management. 'e main findings are that (1) agroecological zone, postplanting cultural practices, and climate change and variability ecological drivers, while (2) tillage, soil type, texture, and fertility were the edaphic factors. 'e most critical among the drivers, principally, soil fertility, entails the biological and chemical through which nutrients are released lude, and physical soil fertility which enhances low bulk density, porosity, andwater retention for free yam tuber expansion. Soil fertility was themost cited driver, which explains why yam is often the first crop in the cropland cultivation cycle in the yam belt. Data show that yam yields decline with time under native fertility and mineral fertilizer application due to the voracious nutrient extraction by tubers. Conversely, yields increase chronologically under organic fertilizer application due to the additive effects of the latter on soil properties. 'us, a yam fertilizer program to develop specific yam fertilizer formulations and the adoption of the Terra Preta Model are proposed to sustain future yam production.
Mixing tree species at different spatial scales: The effect of alpha, beta and gamma diversity on disturbance impacts under climate change

1. Single species forest systems often suffer from low resistance and resilience to per -turbations. Consequently, fostering tree species diversity is discussed as an important management approach to address the impacts of changing climate and disturbance regimes. Yet, the effect of the spatial grain of tree species mixtures remains unknown. 2. We asked whether increasing tree species diversity between stands (beta diversity) has the same effect as increasing tree species diversity within stands (alpha diver sity) at similar overall levels of richness (gamma diversity). We conducted a multimodel simulation experiment under climate change, applying two forest landscape models (iLand and LandClim) across two contrasting landscapes of Central Europe. We analysed the effect of different levels and configurations of diversity on the dis turbance impact and the temporal stability of biomass
Quality Relationships between Superiors and Subordinates as Well as Fellow Colleagues at the Sweetener and Fiber Research Centre in 2010-2019

Recurring organizational communication problems, lack of communication between superiors and subordinates, and also conflict at the employee level make the basis for researchers to conduct research and try to provide recommendations to improve conditions that occur in the Balittas organization. This study will focus on quality of relationships between superiors and subordinates as well as colleagues in organization. This study aims to describe and analyze the quality of the relationship between superiors and subordinates. This research was conducted using the Action Research method with the aim of being in Balittas from 2010 to 2019. Departing from the constructivism paradigm, this study carried out data collection by structured interviews and analyzed using the action research cycle from Coghland & Brannick. The quality of the relationship between superiors and subordinates, between colleagues for each period of each leader based on the LMX theory is dominated by the quality of the out group. This is because the relationship is only a contractual one. Subsequent research can develop the application of LMX theory in other government work units and create efforts to build quality in group relationships within Balittas. Based on LMX theory (low relationship quality) because the exchange of behavior of organizational members is limited to contractual ties and the low level of support and trust in each other.
AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN PRONUNCIATION TRAINING FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Received: 10/4/2021 The purpose of this action research is to improve student’s pronunciation performance, especially in terms of English vowel sounds, through a pronunciation training program. There were 20 non-English majored students from Hanoi University of Sciences, VNU participating in this program. During 10 weeks, students were provided with explanations on English vowel production as well as the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese vowel systems before practicing these sounds with the support of Dickerson’s Covert Rehearsal Model. The data were collected from questionnaires and the pre-test and post-test. The analysis of collected data proved that after the training program, students gained certain improvements in their pronunciation performance. The number of errors in pronouncing vowels decreased; nevertheless, some sounds remained problematic with learners. By studying the mistakes, the researcher found that the relationship between the mother tongue and the foreign language exists and the mother tongue language influenced negatively on the foreign pronunciation acquisition of students in this study. Besides, the use of various pronunciation learning strategies was shown to be useful for students’ learning of pronunciation, especially the social strategy group. Revised: 14/5/2021
Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Oral Ferric Maltol in Children With Iron Deficiency: Phase 1 Study

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objectives: Iron deficiency is common in children and can have negative effects on behavior and function. Standard oral ferrous iron replacement is poorly absorbed and can cause treatment-limiting gastrointestinal adverse events (AEs). Ferric maltol is formulated to improve gastrointestinal absorption and tolerability versus oral ferrous compounds. In adult phase 3 trials, it increased hemoglobin and iron stores versus placebo, with a gastrointestinal AE profile similar to placebo. Here, we assess different doses of ferric maltol in children with iron deficiency. Methods: This phase 1 trial involved children of age 10 to 17 years with ferritin <30 µg/L (or <50 µg/L with transferrin saturation [TSAT] <20%). Children were randomized 1:1:1 to oral ferric maltol 7.8 mg, 16.6 mg, or 30 mg twice daily for 9 days and once on day 10. The primary outcomes were iron uptake measures (serum iron and TSAT) and population pharmacokinetic analyses. Results: The trial included 37 children (mean age 14.0 years; baseline mean ± standard deviation ferritin 16.3 ± 8.02 µg/L). Ferric maltol increased iron uptake nondose-proportionally: serum iron and TSAT plateaued between the 2 higher doses on day 1 and were comparable across all doses on day 10. Twenty children (54%) experienced AEs (all mild/moderate, gastrointestinal 32%), with similar frequencies in each group. Conclusions: All 3 ferric maltol doses increased iron uptake in children with iron deficiency, even over the short study duration, and were well tolerated. Nondose-dependent changes in serum iron and TSAT indicate physiologic regulation of iron uptake to meet the body’s needs.
Injury rate in professional football: A systematic review

The goal of this paper is to determine the injury frequency rate in professional football players in leagues and national competitions by analyzing existing papers. We have chosen 21 articles according to the PRISMA method from the Google Scholar, ResearchGate Scopus, and Web of Science databases that fit both inclusion and exclusion criteria. We have discussed the following four segments based on the content of the selected papers: 1) An analysis of the injury frequency rate on the level of national teams, 2) An analysis of the injury frequency rate in club leagues, 3) A comparison of the injury frequency rate in matches and in practice, and 4) An analysis of the injury frequency rate in male versus female football players. The paper concludes that major national team tournaments have the highest injury frequency rate and that the probability of injury is four to five times higher in a match than in practice. The injury frequency rate in female players is lower than in male players regardless of the type of competition (national teams or leagues).
Strengthening Identity by Affirming One’s Most Important Values

Abstract Social-cognitive psychology assumes that personal and social identity are complex and dynamic in nature. According to motivated identity construction theory (MICT), people shape their identity to satisfy basic motivations for distinctiveness, continuity, self-esteem, belonging, efficacy and meaning. The level of motives satisfaction fluctuates and may change according to circumstances. Our experiment (N = 85) examined whether affirmation of one’s most important values increases satisfaction of identity motives. The results showed that self-affirmation strengthened the motivational basis of identity in two domains: meaning and efficacy. The interaction between self-affirmation and self-concept clarity did not predict motive satisfaction, but self-concept clarity predicted motive satisfaction independently of affirmation level.
Implementation of Digital Technologies into Pre-Service Mathematics Teacher Preparation

This paper presents a long-term study of Preservice Mathematics Teachers (PMTs) at the Faculty of mathematics, physics and informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava (FMFI UK), focusing on the implementation of digital technologies (DT) into the teaching of theoretical and practical (or applied) subjects. We conducted parallel research into two aspects, one on Calculus lessons as a theoretical subject, another on the Financial Mathematics module as an applied subject. The implementation of DT and the way this was measured varied from year to year and also in the method of implementation into the aforementioned subjects. The methods of implementation and the results are briefly described, and a comparison of these two subjects in the PMTs’ preparation is also discussed.
Effects of different straw mulch modes on soil water storage and water use efficiency of spring maize (Zea mays L.) in the Loess Plateau of China.

The effects of different modes of straw mulch on soil water storage, grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of spring maize (Zea mays L.) were evaluated from 2007–2010 at the Dry Farming Base of Northwest A&F University, in the Loess Plateau of China. Seven treatments were conducted, including conventional tillage without straw mulch (CK), maize straw mulch for the whole year (WSM) at the rates of 4 500, 9 000 (S2) and 13 500 kg/ha (S3), and maize straw mulch only during growth period (GSM) at the rates of 4 500, 9 000 and 13 500 kg/ha. The results showed that the 3-year average soil water storage within the 200 cm soil depth for the WSM was increased when compared to the CK and GSM; the three-year average grain yield increased with straw mulch rate, and WSM and GSM increased the average grain yield by 4.4% and 2.0% when compared to CK; the WUE were also increased in straw mulch treatment; however, there were no significant differences in the grain yield and WUE between the S2 and S3. Therefore, the WSM mode with maize straw mulch rate of 9 000 kg/ha was preferable for the Loess Plateau of China with the precipitation lower than 390 mm during the growth period of spring maize.
Gender social roles: A cross-cultural comparison

ABSTRACT Social role beliefs are important to study as they shape individual’s pattern of thinking about their roles as categorized gender-specific or egalitarian in society. The present study investigated cross-cultural variations in individualistic versus collectivist cultures as well as underlying dimensions of the Social Roles Questionnaire using two independent samples of students (N = 1111). From United Kingdom, 108 men (M age = 23.98, SD = 7.66) and 247 women (M age = 22.40, SD = 6.15) and from Pakistan, 552 men (M age = 23.90, SD = 3.27) and 204 women (M age = 23.96, SD = 5.43) were conveniently sampled. Cross-cultural variations and underlying dimensions of the scale were investigated by establishing measurement invariance through a series of hierarchically nested confirmatory factor analyses models by increasing levels of cross-group equality constraints. Results confirmed original two factor model i.e., gender-transcendent (α = .82) and gender-linked (α = .96) with strong Cronbach’s alphas. Measurement invariance results showed invariance on gender-transcendent (Δχ2 = 5.68(6), p > 0.05) whereas non-invariance for measurement (Δχ2 = 49.68(13), p < 0.01) as well as structural models (Δχ2 = 50.19(14), p < 0.01) related to gender-linked. The results were supported by significantly lower latent mean analysis of the UK students than those of the Pakistani students on gender-linked but there was no significant difference on gender-transcendent.
Optimal Perturbation Technique within the Asymptotic Iteration Method for Heavy-Light Meson Mass Splittings

For further insight into the perturbation technique within the framework of the asymptotic iteration method (PAIM), we suggest this method to be used as an alternative method to the traditional well-known perturbation techniques. We show by means of very simple algebraic manipulations that PAIM can be directly applied to obtain the symbolic expectation value of any perturbed potential piece without using the eigenfunction of the unperturbed problem. One of the fundamental advantages of PAIM is its ability to extract a reference unperturbed potential piece or pieces from the total Hamiltonian which can be solved exactly within AIM. After all, one can easily compute the symbolic expectation values of the remaining potential pieces. As an example, the present scheme is applied to the semi-relativistic wave equation with the harmonic-oscillator potential implemented with the Fermi–Breit potential terms. In particular, the non-trivial symbolic expectation values of the Dirac delta function, and the momentum-dependent orbit–orbit coupling terms are successfully calculated. Results are then used, as an illustration, to compute the semi-relativistic s-wave heavy-light meson masses. We obtain good agreement with experimental data for the meson mass splittings cu¯, cd¯, cs¯, bu¯, bd¯, bs¯.
Mother Phubbing and Adolescent Loneliness: A Mediation Model of Mother–Adolescent Communication and Perceived Mother Acceptance

Phubbing is a new form of neglect, and recent studies have examined the effects of parental phubbing on adolescent psychological development. The aim of this study was to explore whether there would be a significant correlation between mother phubbing (Mphubbing) and loneliness and whether mother–adolescent communication (MAC) and perceived mother acceptance (PMA) would sequentially mediate the relation between Mphubbing and adolescent loneliness. Our study included 3,293 senior high school students from China who completed measurements regarding demographic variables, Mphubbing, MAC, PMA, and loneliness. The sequential mediation model of MAC and PMA in the relationship between Mphubbing and loneliness was analyzed to verify all possible paths in this study. Taking the demographic variables as covariables, the results indicated that (1) Mphubbing was positively correlated with loneliness in adolescents and (2) MAC and PMA mediated the relationship between Mphubbing and adolescent loneliness sequentially. Our study highlights the potential mediating mechanisms between Mphubbing and adolescent loneliness, which has important implications for the theoretical and practical of adolescent loneliness in the age of mobiles.
A practical review study on shaped charge in the last two decades (2000–2020)

Shaped charges are devices used for cutting or penetrating different aerial, on land, and underwater targets, based on the concentration of the explosion energy to the liner. The purpose of this study is to present a practical review of the studies related to shaped charges in the last twenty years (2000–2020). In this regard, these studies have been reviewed in two different categories for ordinary and advanced shaped charges. In the case of ordinary shaped charges, different aspects including shaped charges against different targets, different types of shaped charges (such as linear shaped charge and explosively formed penetrators), and theoretical advancements are presented. On the other hand, the new kinds of shaped charges developed for a specific purpose are introduced in the case of advanced shaped charges. The survey of the literature indicates that different concepts such as cut-off velocity and theoretical applicability of hydrodynamics theory in shaped charge penetration still Requires effort. Also, few studies have been focused on new shaped charges, such as hyper-velocity shaped charges, annular and dual-mode ones; and the field is still open for further progress. Besides, some of these new shaped-charges, such as double-layer shaped charges, are not realistic enough to be produced for practical purposes or the market.
Effect of Fortified Pan Bread with Melissa Officinalis L. on Induced Oxidative Stress in Rats.

Melissa officinalis L(MO) is also known as bee balm, lemon balm, honey balm, and is a perennial herb. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family Which is often referred to as (the mint family). The influence of diet containing fortified bread with(5, 7.5 , 10%)Meliss powder(MP) on rats suffering from oxidative stress has been studied. Fortified bread with (5 , 7.5 , 10%) MP were prepared and were subjected to sensory evaluation.The best level of fortified bread after sensory evaluation was 5% but the best level of fortified bread after the biological study was 10%. The chemical composition of bread was estimated at 5% due to its acceptance in sensory evaluation. Twenty five male albino rats(170-190g) were randomly distributed into 5 equal groups,of 5 rats each. Group 1 was fed on the basal diet containing unfortified pan bread and kept as a negative control group. The other 4 groups (n=20 rats), were injected with a single intraperitoneal dose of 125mg/kgbw of potassium bromate (KBro3) for oxidative stress induction group 2 was fed on the basal diet, which includes unfortified pan bread as positive control rats, groups 3 , 4 and 5 were fed on diet containing fortified pan bread with (5 , 7.5 & 10%)MP respectively. The obtained results revealed that the injected groups with levels 10% of diet containing fortified bread with MP had significant decrease in serum levels of lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides , LDL , VLDL), kidney,liver function and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and significant increased in serum levels of HDL, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPX),superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes. Moreover, there was a significant reduced in MDA and increase in GSH levels and the activity of antioxidant enzymes(GPX, SOD and CAT)in liver tissues as well as partially improvements in liver structures compared to positive intoxicated “control group”, but non significant increase in(BWG%) , FI and FER which nearly returned toward the negative control group. The best improvements among all the biochemical parameters and histological structures of liver which were tended toward normal results were observed in group treated with bread fortified 10%MP.In conclusion, the present findings suggested that regular intake from 10% fortified bread with MP may be useful Home Econ. J. Vol. (37), No. (1), Dec. 2021 60 in improving liver and kidney functions and may protect against potassium bromate (KBro3) which induced oxidative stress in rats.
The regional impact of urban emissions on air quality in Europe: the role of the urban canopy effects

Abstract. Urban areas are hot-spots of intense emissions and they influence air-quality not only locally but on regional or even global scales. The impact of urban emissions over different scales depends on the dilution and chemical transformation of the urban plumes which are governed by the local and regional scale meteorological conditions. These are influenced by the presence of urbanized land-surface via the so called urban canopy meteorological forcing (UCMF). In this study, we investigate for selected central European cities (Berlin, Budapest, Munich, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw), how the urban emission impact (UEI) is modulated by the UCMF for present day climate conditions (2015–2016) using three regional climate-chemistry models: the regional climate models RegCM and WRF-Chem (its meteorological part), the chemistry transport model CAMx coupled to either RegCM and WRF and the “chemical” component of WRF-Chem. The UCMF was calculated by replacing the urbanized surface by rural one while the UEI was estimated by removing all anthropogenic emissions from the selected cities. We analyzed the urban emissions induced changes of near surface concentrations of NO2, O3 and PM2.5. We found increases of NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations over cities by 4–6 ppbv, and 4–6 μgm−3, respectively meaning that about 40–60 % and 20–40 % of urban concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5 are caused by local emissions and the rest is the result of emissions from surrounding rural areas. We showed that if UCMF is included, the UEI of these pollutants is about 40–60 % smaller, or in other words, the urban emission impact is overestimated if urban canopy effects are not taken into account. In case of ozone, models due to UEI usually predict decreases around −2 to −4 ppbv (about 10–20 %), which is again smaller if UCMF is considered (by about 60 %). We further showed that the impact on extreme (95th percentile) air-pollution is much stronger, as well as the modulation of UEI is larger for such situations. Finally, we evaluated the contribution of the urbanization induced modifications of vertical eddy-diffusion to the modulation of UEI, and found that it alone is able to explain the modelled decrease of the urban emission impact if the effects of UCMF are considered. In summary, our results showed that the meteorological changes resulting from urbanization have to be included in regional model studies if they intend to quantify the regional fingerprint of urban emissions. Ignoring these meteorological changes can lead to strong overestimation of UEI.
Deterrence Effects of Enforcement Schemes: An Experimental Study

Private and public organizations are interested in finding effective ways to reduce crime and promote ethical behavior without investing heavy resources into monitoring and compliance. In this paper, we experimentally study how revealing different information about a fine distribution affects deterrence of an undesirable behavior. We use a novel incentive-compatible elicitation method to observe subjects lying (the undesirable behavior) and quantify the extent to which this behavior responds to information structures. We find that punishment schemes that communicate only partial information (the minimum fine in particular) are more effective than full information schemes at deterring lying. We explore the mechanism driving this result and link it to subjects’ beliefs about their own versus the average expected fine in treatments with partial information. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis.