Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Equivalence and Research Design Optimization for International Market Segmentation

The massive growth of global competition has led firms to attempt various international market segmentation schemas; however, creating effective cross-border strategies is often fraught with unique challenges. The purpose of this study is to address the issues concerning equivalence and to propose a two-stage approach towards effective international market segmentation. The study consolidates equivalence issues specific to international research that may increase the likelihood of bias into the segmentation process. An exhaustive set of propositions is attempted to help firms improve their international market segmentation efforts and bolster their competitiveness in this global marketplace.
Collective phototactic robotectonics

Cooperative task execution, a hallmark of eusociality, is enabled by local interactions between the agents and the environment through a dynamically evolving communication signal. Inspired by the collective behavior of social insects whose dynamics is modulated by interactions with the environment, we show that a robot collective can successfully nucleate a construction site via a trapping instability and cooperatively build organized structures. The same robot collective can also perform de-construction with a simple change in the behavioral parameter. These behaviors belong to a two-dimensional phase space of cooperative behaviors defined by agent-agent interaction (cooperation) along one axis and the agent-environment interaction (collection and deposition) on the other. Our behavior-based approach to robot design combined with a principled derivation of local rules enables the collective to solve tasks with robustness to a dynamically changing environment and a wealth of complex behaviors.
Constructing Relationally Integrated Teams

Worldwide initiatives to improve construction industry performance converge on the common need for more effective teamworking. This is increasingly critical in the context of complex multiparticipant construction projects. Clashes of organizational, operational, national, and/or professional cultures point to the need for “relational integration” as a prerequisite for such synergistic teamworking. This paper draws on recent approaches to promoting trust and cooperation through (1) basic teambuilding techniques in general and (2) partnering and alliancing in construction projects. It then focuses on analyzing the views of Singapore-based contractors as derived from a survey to elicit the hypothesized 28 factors facilitating relationally integrated teambuilding, and 31 factors deterring such integration in construction project teams. On the whole: (1) 27 of the 28 factors facilitating integrated project team, and 26 of the 31 factors deterring integrated project team, are significant; (2) these two sets of .
Aleurocanthus camelliae (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a species possibly new for the European fauna of a genus in great need of revision

The genus Aleurocanthus Quaintance & Baker, 1914 comprises about 80 species worldwide, several of which are of economic importance for crops including Aleurocanthus woglumi and A. spiniferus. During import interceptions A. camelliae, a look-alike of the former species, has occasionally been found on imported Camellia bonsai, pot plants and shrubs in the Netherlands. Living populations of this species may be locally found on imported and traded plants in the EPPO region. In Europe all species of the genus Aleurocanthus are regulated, which makes early recognition necessary. A reliable identification is needed to take adequate measures that prevent the establishment and spread of newly intercepted species in Europe. A key is given to related genera and to developmental stages, together with an overview of field views of puparia and the main discriminating morphological and microscopic characters of both adult and pre-adult stages of three species. Since 2008, A. spiniferus is established in southern Italy and is spreading, both in Italy and in surrounding countries in the Mediterranean region, causing severe economic and ecological damage not only to the Citrus culture but because of its polyphagy to many other host plants as well. The early recognition of species newly introduced into Europe is complicated by the loss of taxonomical knowledge and the diminishing number of taxonomic workers. A revision of the genus should include the delimitation of the genus, separating it from related genera, the (re)description of the intraspecific variation of known species and the description of newly collected species by molecular techniques and morphological methods.
Effects of eye cover among high risk neonates at night shift on their distress levels

Background and aim: The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a stressful environment for high risk neonates. Persistent bright light is one of the main environmental stressors that are distressed newborn infants in NICU. Cycled lighting may decrease distress level of newborn infants by enhancing calming status. This study aimed to investigate effects of eye cover among high risk neonates at night shift on their distress levels.Methods: Quasi experimental research design was carried out on a randomized sample of 60 newborn infants attending the NICU of El Manial University Hospital (Kasr Al Ainy), (30 control group and 30 study group). Neonatal assessment tool and COMFORTneoNRS scale were utilized for data collection.Results: There was a statistically significant difference between control and study groups regarding the distress levels (p < .00). The mean score of distress levels were 6.80 ± 1.80 and 0.80 ± 1.15 respectively and the mean score of comfort levels in the newborn infants in the control and study groups were 23.22 ± 5.50 and 6.60 ± 1.06 respectively. Eye coved enhanced quite sleep (66.7%), relaxed muscle (73.3%), decrease movement (66.7%) and no crying (85.7%). Conclusions: The use of eye cover among high risk neonates at night shift is effective to decrease their distress level and improve their comfort state in the morning shift by promoting quite sleep and relaxation. Recommendations: The educational program is needed to raise awareness among neonatal nurses about the effect of light reduction methods such as eye patches on the distress level and comfort state that enhances the growth and development of newborn infants.
Analysis of annexin 7 gene of malignant prostatic hyperplasia-induced male wistar rats in the presence of Annona muricata

Background: Prostate cancer has become the most common cancer among African – American men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men worldwide. Many anti-malignant agents have been isolated from different plant species with minimal or no side effects thus it holds future promise as a resort as cancer biotherapeutics when compared with other treatment methods including synthetic drugs. Aim: This current investigation was aimed at evaluating the anti-proliferative efficacy of the ethanolic extract of Annonamuricata leaf on annexin 7 gene of malignant prostatic hyperplasia induced male wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Sub-chronic daily oral gavage exposure of the test substances to experimental animals lasted for a period of 28 days. Monosodium glutamate and L-arginine (90:22.5 mg/kg/b.wt) with purity 98% were administered concomitantly to the male wistar rats in various treatment groups. A total of 25 male wistar rats of about 6 weeks old weighing between 250–282 grams were used for this investigation. Quantitative and qualitative phytochemicals screening of ethanolic extract of Annona muricata leaf were also carried out. Hematoxylin and eosin staining were used in the histological assay of the prostate tissues. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) values were determined using standard protocol and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify annexin-7 gene. 1.5% agarose gel was used to separate the amplicons into bands of varying patterns. Result: Qualitative analysis demonstrated the presence of alkaloids, Saponins, flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycoside, reducing sugar, phenol and triterpenes. Quantitative screening of the extract unveiled that alkaloid was present in the highest amount while Cardiac glycosides had the least concentration. The prostate histological assessment revealed a dose-dependent disruption in normal prostate tissue architecture. There was statistically significant difference P ≤ 0.05 in the body weight and prostate specific antigen (PSA) values of the male wistar rats in the experimental groups during the period of this investigation. The varying amplicon band patterns obtained from the treatment groups indicates possible MSG and L-ARG induced mutation in annexin 7 gene. The DNA amplicon bands observed in the positive control without treatments had some degree of similarity with bands obtained from the amplicons in the various treatment groups that were administered with both carcinogens and ethanolic leaf extract while thin bands were observed for the negative control group that was administered with carcinogens alone. Conclusion: This investigation has demonstrated that ethanolic extract of A. muricata leaf could be used as a potent ethno-chemopreventive agent against L-arginine and monosodium glutamate induced malignant prostatic hyperplasia in male wistar rats.
A Hybrid Technique for Health Insurance Fraud Detection on Highly Imbalanced Dataset

Health Insurance industry is producing a massive amount of heterogeneous data. Detecting fraud from these data is a challenging task. Highly imbalanced data causes huge challenge to the Insurance Data Analysis. Classification of imbalanced data is a critical issue faced by the fraud detection methodologies. Fraud only covers less than 10% of the whole data. In this study, we use highly imbalanced data and propose a hybrid method for fixing class imbalance problem by using a combination of SMOTE, Cross Validation, and Random Forest. We used Medicare data, which will be applied to various sampling techniques, and further a classification model was built. We observed that SMOTE with Random forest with cross validation produced excellent results. Our model should be capable of identifying all the relevant(fraud) instances, i.e., the model should have a high recall value. SMOTE with Random forest had average recall of 86% and an overall accuracy of 90%, which could be considered as good among the existing models
Antecedents of behavioural commitment in inter-organizational relationships: a field study of the UK construction industry

Commitment is vital in inter-organizational relationships. It is important to understand what drives commitment which then affects the relationship between organizations. Commitment is a multidimensional construct and its dimensions can be broadly categorized into attitudinal and behavioural perspectives. In conventional practice, commitment researchers have tended to focus on the attitudinal perspective, while the behavioural perspective is largely ignored. In an attempt to buck that conventional trend commitment research is proposed along the unconventional but widely accepted as important behavioural perspective, building up a more complete understanding of the importance of behavioural commitment, as well as developing and validating a theoretical model that depicts precisely the relationship between behavioural commitment and its key driving factors. Accordingly a large-scale questionnaire survey has been conducted in the UK construction industry and 636 responses were collected. Structural equation modelling was then used to test the theoretical model. Results validate trust, reliance and dependence as the major antecedents of behavioural commitment. A new direction in commitment research adds new findings to the current body of commitment literature.
Prevalence of Ectoparasitic Infections and Other Dermatological Infections and Their Associated Factors among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka

Skin disorders are one of the commonest conditions among school children in developing countries. There are only a few published studies available from Sri Lanka on the prevalence of skin disorders. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among five government-run schools randomly selected from the district of Gampaha, Sri Lanka, during 2016-2017. A total of 41 students between 5 and 16 years of age were randomly selected from each school. Sociodemographic profile and hygienic behaviors of selected students were assessed using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Students were examined by a medical officer for the presence of different skin disorders. The chi-squared test of association and binary logistic regression were used for the identification of the significance of socioeconomic factors and hygienic practices among the study participants. A total of 205 school children participated in the study. The commonest skin disorder was pediculosis (42.0%; n=86), followed by dandruff (8.3%; n=17), fungal infections (6.8%; n=14), and scabies (1.5%; n=3). Almost one-fourth of the study participants (22.9%; n=30/131) had more than one disorder, majored by Pediculus captis infestation with dandruff. Over one-third (36.1%; n=74) were free of any skin disorders. The prevalence of skin disorders was significantly high among females (87.3%; n=110), compared to males (26.6%; n=21). Presence of long hair, higher family size, and limited number of rooms in the house were risk factors associated with the prevalence of skin disorders. The commonest skin disorder was pediculosis, while scabies and fungal infections were scarce among school children in the district of Gampaha, Sri Lanka. Implementation of health education and monitoring programs at the school level for maintaining the dermal health status of school children is recommended.
A generalized expression for resonant frequency of circular microstrip antennas

A generalized expression for calculating the resonant frequency of microstrip antennas is presented. The analysis includes the correction factor for higher order modes to obtain the generalized expression for the resonant frequency in the cavity model analysis. Multilayer dielectric circular patch antennas with and without airgap are analyzed using effective quasi-static capacitance approach and compared with the experimental results to show the versatility of the proposed generalization in achieving near to accurate result with more than four fold accuracy as compared to the dominant mode expression.
Profundidade de deposição de semente de milho na região dos Campos Gerais, Paraná

No Tillage system is fully incorporated to farming in the region of Campos Gerais, state of Parana. Accuracy and precision in the planting process are items of great importance for the success of this system. In order to evaluate the planting process, thirty eight farms were selected as sites for analysis of the placement depth of seeds. The research area was 4 or 5 planting rows, evaluating 10 plantlets per row. The average seed depth was around 46 mm, and significant differences between rows were observed in 21 areas. The average coefficient of variation was around 20%, the statistical limit between medium and high. Analyses of other parameters show that those coefficients may represent different errors in the process. The planting process in Campos Gerais can be considered efficient regarding to the average seed depth. However, the analysis of variability implies de need of actions concerning to anthropic and machinery factors.
Modeling Duration of Urban Traffic Congestion

Research on short-term traffic conditions prediction has been largely concerned with parameters such as flow, occupancy, and speed, ignoring at the same time predictions during congestion, a period when predictions are needed the most. Stemming from the practical need to predict traffic parameters during congested periods, this paper uses the principles of duration modeling to address an important question: given the onset of congestion, how long will it last? As such, the goal of this paper is to propose an approach for estimating the duration of congestion on a given road section and the probability that, given its onset, congestion will end during the following time period. The results indicate that the Loglogistic functional form best describes congestion duration, and that the probability of congestion ending within a specified time period is likely if it has lasted up to approximately 12 min (with a peak at 6 min). Further, it was found that if congestion lasted over 21 min it was probably caused by something external to the traffic system events.
Heat and Moisture Production of Broilers kept on Straw Bedding

Abstract Knowledge of broiler heat production is traditionally based on results from climatic chambers. The advantage of such measurements is a high degree of accuracy of the results obtained under specific conditions; the disadvantage is that the housing conditions are often quite different from those of conventional broiler production. Broiler heat production was investigated over five week periods in three individual trials, each comprising two identical broiler houses with straw bedding. The investigations were based on heat and moisture balances, taking into account the following: internal and external temperatures; relative humidity; bedding temperature; internal carbon dioxide concentration; ventilation flow; supplemental heat including light bulbs; broiler weight; feed consumption; water consumption; and animal activity. The results show that for broilers kept on deep litter (50–100 mm), the total heat production was of the same level as that given by common calculation rules, but the sensible heat production was about 17% lower than expected. Therefore, for different housing systems it seems to be necessary to distinguish between the general level of “animal” heat production and the heat production on “house” level.
Biological effects of ivermectin on the fowl tick Argas (Persicargas) persicus (Oken) (Ixodoidea: Argasidae)

The present study is carried out to assess the effect induced by different single subcutaneous injections of ivermectin (IVM) (100, 200, 400, 800 or 1600 μg/kg pigeon weight) injected 2 or 7 days before tick feeding on some biological parameters such as mobility and viability, sexual activity, ingested blood, amount of coxal fluid, blood digestion and fertility in the tick Argas (P.) persicus to define the effective dose. This effective dose was used in similar assessment conducted 2 or 3 weeks post injection in order to confirm the degradation of ivermectin concentration in the host blood and to determine the number of required doses for complete control . From this study we conclude: 1) IVM induces complete immobilization of both males and females when they are fed on hosts injected by doses over 100 μg/kg. 2) The use of two doses of 400 μg/kg with a week interval completely controls the tick population. 3) Sexual response was completely negative at doses over 200 μg/kg. 4) The amount of coxal fluid emitted by both sexes decreased markedly when fed after host injection with all doses, whereas the amount of ingested blood remained generally not highly affected. 5) The number of ovipositing females, number of eggs deposited and their hatching percent decreased markedly with the increase of dose used. Blood digestion was not noticed in males at doses >200 ug/kg and in females at doses >100ug/kg .
Model description and users guide SMART2 version 3.4

In this publication the soil acidification model SMART2 is described and instructions for installing and using this model are given. SMART2 stands for Simulation Model for Acidification's Regional Trends 2. It deals with an extended version, in which a complete nutrient cycle has been included and that the modelling of the hydrology has improved
Prediction of delayed neuro-psychomotor development in infants using brainstem auditory evoked potentials and the Bayley II scales

Background: Delayed neuro-psychomotor development in infants tends to be present more often as a result of perinatal issues such as asphyxia, respiratory failure, and prematurity. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) provide an objective analysis of central nervous system function and development in infants. This study proposed to assess the neuro-psychomotor development in infants affected by perinatal conditions by comparing the results of their BAEP with assessments of development including mental development indices (MDI), a form of Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Methods: The retrospectively selected population included preterm (28-36 weeks gestation; 95 cases) and term infants (≥ 37 weeks gestation; 100 cases) who were born with specific perinatal conditions. The BAEP were recorded in these infants from 1 to 8 months of age, and the MDI were performed in these infants at age 2 years. Chi-square, ANOVA, and student t-tests were used to test significance of BAEP correlations with MDI indices in theses infants. Significance was determined at a p-value ≤ 0.05. Results: In premature infants (28-32 weeks gestation), 75% had abnormal BAEP, and MDI at age 2 years were moderately low (90.76 ± 4.1); fewer term infants had abnormal BAEP (24.5%), and MDI at age 2 years were moderately higher (98.55 ± 4.6). Preterm infants with abnormal BAEP, and perinatal asphyxia or respiratory failure had low MDI at age 2 years (76.36 ± 3.66 or 80.36 ± 7.66, respectively); 60% fewer term infants with these perinatal conditions had abnormal BAEP, and their MDI were 3-10% higher. Our results show that infants experiencing prematurity, perinatal asphyxia or respiratory failure, may have lower scores of neuro-psychomotor development at age 2, if earlier tests reveal abnormal BAEP assessments in these infants. Conclusion: Our study found that premature infants exposed at birth to conditions such as asphyxia and respiratory failure, and exhibiting abnormal BAEP in their first year, may be predicted to present with delayed neuro-psychomotor development. We propose that BAEP may be utilized as a potential indicator for neuro-psychomotor development, and suggest that parental education and early intellectual interventions to enrich cognition development in children with abnormal BAEP should be encouraged.
The Effect of Supplementing Facebook with Conventional Instruction on the Achievement of Pre-Service Integrated Science Teachers in Organic Chemistry in, Abeokuta, Ogun State

: This study determined the effect of the combination of conventional lecture and Facebook discussion on the Achievement Pre-service Integrated Science Teachers in an Organic Chemistry course in the College of Education. Two research questions were raised, and one hypothesis was tested. The study adopted a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design was adopted. A total of 135 Pre-Service Integrated Science Teachers (PSIST) selected using multistage sampling tech-nique were the participants in the study. The main instrument for data collection is Carbon Chemistry Achievement Test, and three other instruments were stimulus instruments. The data collected were analysed using frequency counts, simple percentages, estimated marginal means and analysis of covariance. The result indicates that the PSIST exposed to conventional lecture and Facebook discussion performed better in Organic Chemistry with a significantly higher mean score than their counterparts exposed to traditional lecture alone. It was concluded that integrating Facebook, the leading Web 2.0 communication technologies with teacher education, will ensure better performance of teachers.