Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of modern contraceptive use among married female undergraduates at the Ahmadu Bello University , Zaria in Nigeria

Tel. : +2347037079252 This study was carried out at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to find out the determinants of modern contraceptive use among married female undergraduates. Four objectives were raised to guide the study. The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 300 out of a population of 2,600. Convenient sampling technique was used, and data were obtained using self-constructed 14 – items questionnaires. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The findings revealed that all the respondents were knowledgeable about modern contraception. The source of information on modern contraception was mostly from health personnel (51.5%). Oral pill, injectable or implant and natural methods of modern contraception were the methods that majority of respondents know about. The majority of the respondents (84%) approved the use of modern contraception. The study also showed that 74.6% were currently using modern contraception while 25.4% were not. The method of modern contraception use by most respondents was a natural method (42.2%), an oral pill, injectable or implant (37.8%) and intrauterine contraceptive device (15.5%) in that order. The major factors that determine respondent’s choice of modern contraception were knowledge (42.7%), safety (19.5%) and religion/culture (16%). There is need to sustain the level of awareness of the women on modern contraception. This could be achieved through mass media, talk, shows and posters.
Death-Related Publicity as Informational Advertising : Evidence from the Music Industry 1

The sales of books, DVDs and music albums frequently increase substantially after the death of an artist. Yet, the mechanism behind this stylized fact remains unclear. In this paper, we examine whether after-death sales increases reflect primarily an affective reaction of existing customers or informative advertising for previously uninformed new customers. In our main study, we use weekly sales data for 446 music albums of 77 artists who died between 1992 and 2010. We show that album sales increase on average by 54.1% after death, and that the relative increase in sales is higher for the artist’s better albums. This suggests that deathrelated publicity serves primarily as informational advertising that attracts new customers who buy the artist’s best albums after death. Complementary evidence from a survey study with more than 2,000 participants confirms this interpretation and shows that informationbased motives are relatively more important for after-death consumption than affect-based motives.
Influence of alimentary habits , age and occupation on polychlorinated biphenyl levels in adipose tissue

The levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in adipose tissue samples from the mammary glands of 123 women living in Cordoba (Spain) were evaluated. The influence of alimentary habits, age and previous and present occupation on the tissue levels of PCBs were also investigated. The compound found at the highest concentration was PCB 180 (0.134 mg/g), followed by the congeners 153 (0.121 mg/g), 138 (0.102 mg/g), 187 (0.047 mg/g), 170 (0.046 mg/g), 28 (0.039 mg/g), 118 (0.023 mg/g), 183 (0.020 mg/g), 52 (0.011 mg/g), 188 (0.011 mg/g), and 101 (0.002 mg/g). A positive correlation was found between donor age and tissue levels of PCBs 28, 118, 138, 153, 170, 180, 183 and 187. Conversely, age had no influence on tissue levels of PCBs 52 and 101. The majority of donors (40.65%) reported fruits as the most consumed food, followed by mixed food (34.15%), legumes and root vegetables (6.5%), stewed meat and vegetables (6.5%), leafy vegetables (4.88%), milk (3.25%), fish (2.44%) and meat (1.63%). ‘‘Farmer’’ (38%) and ‘‘housewife’’ (38%) were the most frequent previous occupations, followed by ‘‘other activities’’ (24%), while ‘‘housewife’’ was the most frequent present occupation (67%), followed by ‘‘other activities’’ (24%) and ‘‘farmer’’ (9%). No significant correlation was observed between tissue levels of PCBs and alimentary habits or previous or present occupation of donors. # 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Heat transfer from a rotating circular cylinder in the steady regime: Effects of Prandtl number

In this work, effects of Prandtl number on the heat transfer characteristics of an unconfined rotating circular cylinder are investigated for varying rotation rate (α = = 0-5) in the Reynolds number range of 1-35 and Prandtl numbers range of 0.7100 in the steady flow regime. The numerical calculations are carried out by using a finite volume method based commercial computational fluid dynamics solver FLUENT. The isotherm patterns are presented for varying values of Prandtl number and rotation rate in the steady regime. The variation of the local and the average Nusselt numbers with Reynolds number, Prandtl number, and rotation rate are presented for the range of conditions. The average Nusselt number is found to decrease with increasing value of the rotation rate for the fixed value of the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. With increasing value of the Prandtl number, the average Nusselt number increases for the fixed value of the rotation rate and the Reynolds number; however, the larger values of the Prandtl numbers show a large reduction in the value of the average Nusselt number with increasing rotation rate.
THE INFLUENCE OF DENSE GAS RINGS ON THE DYNAMICS OF A STELLAR DISK IN THE GALACTIC CENTER

The Galactic center hosts several hundred early-type stars, about 20% of which lie in the so-called clockwise disk, while the remaining 80% do not belong to any disks. The circumnuclear ring (CNR), a ring of molecular gas that orbits the supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a radius of ∼ 1.5 pc ? > , has been claimed to induce precession and Kozai–Lidov oscillations onto the orbits of stars in the innermost parsec. We investigate the perturbations exerted by a gas ring on a nearly Keplerian stellar disk orbiting an SMBH by means of combined direct N-body and smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations. We simulate the formation of gas rings through the infall and disruption of a molecular gas cloud, adopting different inclinations between the infalling gas cloud and the stellar disk. We find that a CNR-like ring is not efficient in affecting the stellar disk on a timescale of 3 Myr ? > . In contrast, a gas ring in the innermost 0.5 pc ? > induces precession of the longitude of the ascending node Ω, which significantly affects the stellar disk inclination. Furthermore, the combined effect of two-body relaxation and Ω-precession drives the stellar disk dismembering, displacing the stars from the disk. The impact of precession on the star orbits is stronger when the stellar disk and the inner gas ring are nearly coplanar. We speculate that the warm gas in the inner cavity might have played a major role in the evolution of the clockwise disk.
Swirling Gas Jet-Assisted Laser Trepanning for a Galvanometer-Scanned CO2 Laser

Laser-drilled hole arrays are part of an important field that aim to improve efficiency without affecting the quality of laser-drilled holes. In this paper, a swirling gas jet was implemented to assist with laser trepanning for a galvanometer scanned CO2 laser. The proposed swirling gas jet is based on laser trepanning. This swirling gas jet nozzle was composed of four inlet tubes to produce the flow of the vortex. Then, the plume particles were excluded, and spatter on the surface of the workpiece decreased. Thus, this approach can mitigate the problem of overcooling. This study manipulated the appropriate parameter settings, which were simulated by computational fluid dynamics software ANSYS CFX. The proposed swirling gas jet can be used with galvanometer-based scanner systems to keep the laser beam from interference by spatter. In addition, a hollow position of the vortex was achieved by using the four inlet tubes, which resulted in pressure asymmetry in the nozzle and velocity distribution on the surface of the workpiece. The experiment verified that the depth of processing could be enhanced by 110% when trepanning at a scanning speed of 30 mm/s, and that the removal of volume could be enhanced by 71% in trepanning at a diameter of 1 mm by using a swirl assistant compared with a non-assisted condition. Furthermore, the material removal rate of the swirling jet increases when the machining area of the galvanometer-based scanner is larger.
Nitrogen Fixation and Resorption Efficiency Differences Among Twelve Upland and Lowland Switchgrass Cultivars

In nitrogen (N)-limited terrestrial ecosystems, plants employ various strategies to acquire and conserve N, including translocation of N in perennial tissues and stimulation of N fixation in roots and soils. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a genotypically and phenotypically diverse perennial grass with two distinct ecotypes (lowland and upland) and numerous genotypes. It grows well in low-N soils, likely because of its ability to translocate N and to associate with N-fixing microbes, but little is known about variation in these traits among cultivars or even ecotypes. We measured N translocation, N fixation potential in roots and soils, soil net N mineralization, soil net nitrification, and biomass yields in 12 switchgrass cultivars grown in a replicated block experiment in southwestern Michigan, United States. Lowland cultivars had higher yields, rates of N translocation, soil net N mineralization, and N fixation potentials on washed, nonsterile roots, while upland cultivars exhibited higher N fixation potentials in root-free soil. N resorption efficiencies averaged 53 ± 5% (± standard error) for lowland versus 29 ± 3% for upland cultivars. Additionally, there were significant among-cultivar differences for all response variables except mineralization and nitrification, with differences likely explained by cultivar-specific physiologies and microbial communities. The ideal cultivar for biofuels is one that can maintain high yields with minimal fertilizer addition, and there appear to be several cultivars that meet these criteria. In addition, results suggest substantial N cycle differences among cultivars that might be exploited by breeders to create new or improved high-yielding, N-conserving switchgrass lines.
Modeling assets and liabilities of a finnish pension insurance company: a VEqC approach

This paper develops a stochastic model for assets and liabilities of a Finnish pension insurance company. The assets and liabilities are expressed in terms of seven economic factors from Finland and the EU-area. The development of these factors is modeled with a Vector Equilibrium Correction model, that incorporates statistical information with expert views in the form of user specified growth rates and long term equilibria. The forecast performance of the resulting model is tested and the model is used in long-term solvency and asset liability simulations.
Aqueous-phase behavior of glyoxal and methylglyoxal observed with carbon and oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Abstract. Glyoxal (CHOCHO) and methylglyoxal (CH3C(O)CHO) are well-known components of atmospheric particles and their properties can impact atmospheric chemistry and cloud formation. To get information on their hydration states in aqueous solutions and how they are affected by the addition of inorganic salts (sodium chloride (NaCl) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4)), we applied carbon and oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in transmission mode. The recorded C K-edge spectra show that glyoxal is completely hydrated in the dilute aqueous solutions, in line with previous studies. For methylglyoxal, supported by quantum chemical calculations we identified not only C–H, C=O and C–OH bonds, but also fingerprints of C–OH(CH2) and C=C bonds. The relatively low intensity of C=O transitions implies that the monohydrated form of methylglyoxal is not favored in the solutions. Instead, the spectral intensity is stronger in regions where products of aldol condensation and enol tautomers of the monohydrates contribute. The addition of salts was found to introduce only very minor changes to absorption energies and relative intensities of the observed absorption features, indicating that XAS in the near-edge region is not very sensitive to these intermolecular organic–inorganic interactions at the studied concentrations. The identified structures of glyoxal and methylglyoxal in an aqueous environment support the uptake of these compounds to the aerosol phase in the presence of water and their contribution to secondary organic aerosol formation.
Documento de Trabajo Working Paper N ° 109 N ° 109 PROCYCLICAL PRODUCTIVITY : EVIDENCE FROM AN EMERGING ECONOMY

Average productivity tends to rise during booms and fall during recessions. This fact is at odds with classical macroeconomic theories which suggest that labor productivity should be countercyclical due to the law of diminishing returns to factors. Theoretical explanations for this puzzle include exogenous changes in production technology, increasing returns to scale, measurement errors due to unobserved input variations, external economies and composition effects at the aggregate level. Surprisingly, aggregate data for the Chilean industry show that productivity is countercyclical. This paper has two objectives. First, we study the cyclical behavior of productivity in 84 sectors of the Chilean industry in the 1979-1997 period. We find that, contrary to the results obtained using aggregate indexes, disaggregated data confirm that on average productivity is unambiguously procyclical. The main reason for this difference is that aggregate data provides a distorted assessment of the cyclical component of productivity due to the marked heterogeneity of behavior between sectors. Second, we examine the determinants of productivity in the Chilean industry using an econometric model that allow us to quantify the relative contribution of the four different explanations of procyclical productivity. The results indicate that technology shocks account for 50% of productivity cycles in the 1979-1997 period, thus supporting the supply shocks hypothesis as the main source of business cycles in Chile. The other 50% of the productivity shocks is explained by important reallocation effects among sectors of different productivity and, more recently, by the presence of increasing returns. Variations in the utilization of capital and labor effort were insignificant. ____________________ Agradecemos los comentarios recibidos en el Encuentro Anual de Economistas 2001 y de un excelente árbitro anónimo del Banco Central. E-mails: Lan5@georgetown.edu; Rsoto@faceapuc.cl.
Heteropia glomerosa (Bowerbank, 1873) (Porifera, Calcarea, Calcaronea), a new alien species in the Atlantic

Marine bioinvasions are potential threats to biodiversity and ecosystems services, being one of the major environmental, human health and socio-economic problems throughout the world. In 2005, a sponge species never reported before to the Atlantic Ocean was detected in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). This species was initially considered new to science and in less than a decade its populations became very abundant and widespread in the Brazilian coast. In the present work, we performed detailed morphological and molecular analyses of this supposedly new species and found out that it is in fact the Indo-Pacific calcareous sponge Heteropia glomerosa (Bowerbank, 1873). Heteropia glomerosa is the third alien species of calcareous sponge reported in the Atlantic and the second one that allegedly came from the Indo-Pacific. To confirm the taxonomic identification of the Atlantic specimens, we used morphological and molecular tools and re-described the holotypes of H. glomerosa and Uteopsis argentea (Poléjaeff, 1883). We discuss the possibility that biofouling is the introduction source for sponges and present the known distribution of H. glomerosa. Moreover, we verified that H. glomerosa fits seven out of 10 criteria proposed for recognizing alien species. Although this species can be recognized as introduced in the Atlantic Ocean, studies on population genetics, phylogeography, reproduction strategies, larval behaviour, and ecology will be necessary to allow a better evaluation of its invasive potential.
Biochemical and Molecular Actions of Nutrients Angiotensin II Increases Leptin Secretion by 3 T 3L 1 and Human Adipocytes via a Prostaglandin-Independent Mechanism 1 , 2

We previously reported that angiotensin II (Ang II) increases adipocyte fatty acid synthesis and triglyceride content. Triglyceride stores or adiposity correlate positively with the amount of circulating leptin. Ang II was proposed to increase adipocyte differentiation and growth by promoting prostaglandin (PG) production. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Ang II increases leptin secretion via a PG-dependent mechanism. Physiologic doses of Ang II significantly increased leptin secretion by 3T3-L1 adipocytes and human adipocytes. Elevation of PG secretions was elicited at physiologic concentrations of Ang II (P 0.05). Secretions of 6-keto PGF1 , a stable derivative of PGI2, and PGE2 were induced by physiologic concentrations of Ang II in a time-responsive fashion (P 0.05). Inhibition of PG synthesis by indomethacin and aspirin significantly suppressed basal as well as Ang II-induced PG levels, but did not significantly affect basal and Ang II-induced leptin secretion. In conclusion, although Ang II stimulates both leptin and PG secretion by adipocytes, regulation of leptin secretion by Ang II in adipocytes is not mediated by a PG-dependent mechanism. J. Nutr. 132: 1135–1140, 2002.
An observational study of MHD wave-induced density fluctuations upstream of the Earth's bow shock

A study has been made of the characteristics of MHD waves and associated density fluctuations in the Earth's foreshock. Data from two periods were analyzed. In one period the waves were circularly polarized, of 20% fractional amplitude, and propagating in a plasma with . beta. less than one. In the second period the waves were elliptically polarized, of 50% fractional amplitude, and the plasma . beta. was in excess of unity. The following results emerge. (1) For both periods there is a prominent feature in the density power spectrum at the same frequency as that characterizing the dominant magnetic field fluctuations. We attribute this feature to oblique wave propagation. (2) Ponderomotive effects are responsible on both days for the generation of density fluctuations on scales comparable to the wave packet sizes. There is observational evidence for modulational instability of the MHD waves on the day with . beta. in excess of unity. (3) Evidence for a parametric decay instability was not observed, but conditions were only marginally favorable for such an observation. (4) Generation of density fluctuations by linearly polarized waves does not seem to be an important contributor to the observed density fluctuations. copyright American Geophysical Union 1988
On ex situ Ophiomorpha and other burrow fragments from the Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain, Brazil: paleobiological and taphonomic remarks

Abstract. The Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain (southern Brazil) is composed of extensive marine and continental deposits related to at least four lagoon-barrier systems of Pleistocene–Holocene age. Part of these deposits is currently submerged and passing through erosion processes by waves. Vertebrate and invertebrate body and trace fossils are constantly exhumed from these deposits and redeposited on the modern beach face. Among them, a total of 253 fragments of crustacean burrows were collected for this study. Two ichnospecies of Ophiomorpha Lundgren, 1891 were recognized (O. nodosa Lundgren, 1891 and O. puerilis Gibert et al., 2006), but most of the materials can only be assigned to the ‘SOT’ group (Spongeliomorpha de Saporta, 1887, Ophiomorpha, and Thalassinoides Ehrenberg, 1944), mainly because of the lack of a pelleted lining. The absence of pellets and, as a consequence, the ichnotaxonomy of these specimens, is related to taphonomical processes (exhumation, reworking, and transportation) that acted during formation of the ex situ assemblage. The paleoenvironmental dynamics and a taphonomical model are presented to demonstrate how these processes affected the trace fossils since their construction, through exhumation until deposition. Neoichnological observations led us to infer larger producers in comparison to the extant ghost shrimp Sergio mirim (Rodrigues, 1971).
Characteristics of the mitochondrial genome of Qinling zokor (Eospalax rufescens)

Abstract We report the complete mitochondrial genome for the Eospalax rufescens, a typical subterranean rodent species and endemic in China. The resulting E. rufescens mitogenome is 16,355 bases in size, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 1 noncoding control region (D-loop). The base compositions present highly biased toward A + T nucleotides. Moreover, twelve of all 13 PCGs initiated with ATN start codon, whereas ND1 began with GTG start codon. Stop codons in 13 PCGs were all typical types except incomplete stop codon T for ND4. We further provide a Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic tree showing relationships among E. rufescens and other common subterranean rodents in family Spalacidae.
Nano-Structured Demineralized Human Dentin Matrix to Enhance Bone and Dental Repair and Regeneration

Demineralized dentin matrix (DDM), derived from human teeth, is an excellent scaffold material with exciting bioactive properties to enhance bone and dental tissue engineering efficacy. In this article, first the nano-structure and bioactive components of the dentin matrix were reviewed. Then the preparation methods of DDM and the resulting properties were discussed. Next, the efficacy of DDM as a bone substitute with in vitro and in vivo properties were analyzed. In addition, the applications of DDM in tooth regeneration with promising results were described, and the drawbacks and future research needs were also discussed. With the extraction of growth factors from DDM and the nano-structural properties of DDM, previous studies also broadened the use of DDM as a bioactive carrier for growth factor delivery. In addition, due to its excellent physical and biological properties, DDM was also investigated for incorporation into other biomaterials design and fabrication, yielding great enhancements in hard tissue regeneration efficacy.
Life Satisfaction and Quality of Development

This paper argues that measures of life satisfaction, now being collected annually by the Gallup World Poll in more than 130 countries, permit a much broader view of the quality and consequences of development than other common measures. While these data show the importance of conventionally measured economic development, they also show the importance of many other elements of life that are also affected, whether deliberately or not, by community, national, and international institutions and policies. In estimating the importance of these other factors, this paper pays special attention to the social context of well-being: the norms, networks and relationships within which lives are lived.