Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compressive Behaviour of Geopolymer Concrete-Filled Steel Columns at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures

Geopolymer concrete (GPC), which is recognised as an environmentally friendly alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete, has been reported to possess high fire resistance. However, very limited research has been conducted to investigate the behaviour of geopolymer concrete-filled steel tubular (GCFST) columns at either ambient or elevated temperatures. This paper presents the compressive test results of a total of 15 circular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns, including 5 specimens tested at room temperature, 5 specimens tested at elevated temperatures and the remaining 5 specimens tested for residual strength after exposure to elevated temperatures. The main variables in the test program include: (a) concrete type; (b) concrete strength; and (c) curing condition of geopolymer concrete. The test results demonstrate that GCFST columns have similar ambient temperature behaviour compared with the conventional CFST counterparts. However, GCFST columns exhibit better fire resistance than the conventional CFST columns. Meanwhile, it is found that the GCFST column made with heat cured GPC has lower strength loss than other columns after exposure to elevated temperatures. The research results highlight the possibility of using geopolymer concrete to improve the fire resistance of CFST columns.
Integrating Migrant Children in Primary Education: An Educator Survey in Four European Countries

: This chapter describes the findings of a survey focusing on migrant education of children conducted in four European countries. The survey was carried out as part of the interdisciplinary Erasmus Plus funded project OpenEYE (Open Education for Young Europeans through History, Art and Cultural Learning), with the aim of shedding light on the attitudes and perceived needs of educators (n = 255) working with children of migrant backgrounds relating to pedagogical challenges, learning priorities, institutional support, and desired training. The chapter begins with a description of the aims and participants in the project and an out-line of approaches to migrant education in the four countries in question: Greece, Italy, Norway, and Slovenia. The second part of the chapter reports and discusses the findings from the needs survey, highlighting findings that are especially relevant for language teachers, teacher educators and other stakeholders working with multilingual and multicultural children. The findings indicate a need for appropriate further training opportunities for educators working with migrant children, especially concerning multilingualism and the learning potential of cultural expressions to aid integration and language development. What are educators’ attitudes and practices in four European countries regarding the integration of migrant children and use of cultural expressions to pro-mote integration?
EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN DURING THE PROLONGED LATENT PHASE OF LABOR IN A SOUTH-SOUTH TEACHING HOSPITAL, PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA

: Background & aim: The latent phase of labour lacks uniformity in its definition and is complex to understand. This phase is often overlooked and does not get the attention it requires despite the advances in maternity care because it is difficult to differentiate it from false labour. The onset of labour is subjective and there is need for collaborative effort to diagnose the prolonged latent phase of labour. The overall aim of this study was to explore the experiences of women during the prolonged latent phase of labour. Methods: A phenomenological qualitative design was used, in-depth interviews (IDIs) and Key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted and in addition a self-administered questionnaire which contained the consent form and socio-demographic data was administered for both interviews. Five primiparous and multiparous women and three midwives were interviewed. The interviews were tape recorded in addition to note taking and observation of the respondents. Data was analyzed thematically. Results: 4 themes (labour onset and duration, labour experience, coping strategies, care and outcome) were identified from the study. Conclusion: The prolonged latent phase of labour is related to caesarean section and neonatal admission in Sick Baby Unit (SCBU), although the experience is not palatable, having a positive birth experience depends on the type of intrapartum care given by the caregivers during the prolonged latent phase of labour.
Clinical and Etiological Profile of Mechanically Ventilated Patients Admitted in Paediatric Intensive Care at Tertiary Care Centre

Background:Mechanical Ventilation (MV) is frequently used as one of the most frequent life-supportive technology in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs). The present study was undertaken to assess the clinical and etiological profile and outcome of mechanically ventilated patients admitted in PICU at Tertiary Care Centre. Methods: A total 120 children of age >30 days and <12 years, who were ventilated in PICU mechanically from September 2019 to October 2021 were included in the study.The demographic, clinical and etiological profile, complications and outcomes (Extubated and died) were recorded. Results: The mean age of patients was 3.32±1.19 years with male predominance (55%). The commonest cause for intubation was circulatory failure (42.5%) and commonest clinical diagnosis was septic shock (27.5%). In 71.67% patients rapid sequence intubation (RSI) was used. Size of ET was appropriate in 92.5% and type of ET was uncuffed in 90%. 13(10.83%) patients required reintubation and 9(7.5%) patients done tracheostomy. Out of 120 patients, 21(17.5%) required T piece, SIMV in 9.17%, CPAP in 5.83% and no weaning methods in 67.5%. Majority of patients required inotropes (80.83%) and raised intracranial pressure (ICP) was seen in 27(22.5%) patients. Nosocomial pneumonia (15%) and obstructive emphysema (15%) were the commonest complications. 25(20.83%) patients had culture positivity and K. Pneumoniae (6.67%) was the commonest organism isolated, among 25 cases, 7 had multiple drug resistance (MDR) (28%). Majority of patients died (62.50%) while 37.5% patients extubated. Conclusion:Mortality was high, hence the patients requiring MV require better primary care availability at periphery so that they can be managed well at tertiary level centres.Also better infection control and respiratory disease control are required.
Critical level policy for a production-inventory model with lost sales

We consider a storage process under the generalised order-up-to-level policy, based on a continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC). Specifically, the process starts at level S; whenever it drops to s, an order is sent, which is carried out after an exponential lead time. If during the lead time level S is reached, the order is cancelled, incurring some fee. This paper is written as an extension of Barron [2016. “An Fluid Inventory Model with Exponential Lead Times and Order Cancellations. ” Stochastic Models 32 (2): 301–332]. While the latter paper considered a fluid inventory model with backlogging and focused on discounted analysis only, the case of lost sales was not solved. The present paper generalises the analysis to incorporate unsatisfied demand for the expected discounted costs and for the average costs per time unit. We consider four costs. There is a fixed nonzero ordering cost or a fee for each order cancellation, a purchase cost for each ordered item, a storage cost for the stock, and a penalty cost due to the unmet demand. Applying renewal theory, multi-dimensional martingales, and stopping time theory, we obtain explicit expressions of the cost components. Numerical study provides several guidelines on the optimal controls.
Impact of Severe Early Childhood Caries on General Health in a Group of Egyptian
Preschool Children

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a common chronic disease affecting young children and is considered a significant public health problem, it can be diagnosed in severe cases as severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). Children with S-ECC often suffer from pain, dietary changes, sleep disorders and behavioral changes. Methods: 1000 Egyptian children aged 3-6 years, including 100 children having complete blood count records participated in this case control study. Children were selected as 500 caries free and 500 with severe early childhood caries. Height and weight were measured for each child. Children who had CBC analysis for medical reason, Hb level was recorded. Results: there was insignificant difference between caries free and S-ECC groups regarding all BMI categories (P > 0.05). Children with low Hb levels (anemic) were significantly higher in S-ECC group than their caries free peers (P < 0.05). Conclusions: there was insignificant correlation between caries distribution and BMI, although there was a negative correlation between caries status and Hb level, indicating that S- ECC has a negative effect on child general health.
The Frequency of bla OXA-48 and bla NDM-1 Genes in the Enterobacteriaceae Strains Isolated from Clinical Samples

Carba penems are β -lactam antibiotics used against enterobacterial isolates; the effectiveness of them has become seriously controversial. The most common genes encoding Carbapenemase include bla NDM-1 and bla OXA-48, which are transmitted through plasmids such as horizontal gene transfer. This study was conducted to trace these two genes in Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from clinical samples in the southeast of Iran. A total of 200 Gram negative isolates were collected from hospitals in Zahedan, Iran, over one year. The minimum inhibitory concentration for imipenem and meropenem was assessed by using an Epsilometer (E-Test). The presence of a carbapenemase enzyme was also investigated using the Modified Hodge Test (MHT). The bla OXA-48 and bla NDM-1 genes were detected by PCR. Among the 200 isolates recovered, 60 carbapenem-resistant strains were identified. MHT also turned out positive for 31 of the samples. The bla NDM-1 gene was traced in 25 isolates. The bla OXA-48 gene was present in 20 strains, and bla OXA-48 and blaNDM-1 were simultaneously present in 15 isolates. Given the relatively high frequency of the studied resistant genes in this region of Iran, screening measures are mandatory for preventing the spread of these isolates to other parts of the country.
Production Capacities of Russian Agricultural Organizations: Assessment and Forecast

Russia currently leads in individual branches of the industry (in particular, in 2016, it was the world's third-largest wheat producer). However, in essential food products (like meat, meat products, milk, dairy products, or fruits) Russia fails to meet even threshold requirements according to the Russian Federation Food Security Doctrine, and their production levels are lower than that of the USSR. Anti-Russia sanctions restricting imports of agricultural products into Russia make things worse and pose a certain threat to national food security. This article reviews the body of literature on the topic, refines the key factors of intensification of production growth of agricultural products in Russia, develops an economic and mathematical model for assessment and making predictions of production capacity (the monetary volume of agricultural output) of agricultural organizations (the core category of agricultural producers) in the Russian Federation. A correlation and regression analysis revealed that the resultant indicator is formed mainly by two factors: (1) productivity of grains and grain legumes, and (2) the average monthly nominal job compensation at agricultural organizations. Factor (2) has a much greater impact on the output of agricultural organizations in Russia. If the tendency of the factors' changing is maintained in 2018–2021, in the medium term horizon, they are expected to grow. And this, in turn, should increase the resultant indicator. Despite the optimistic forecasts, Russian agricultural producers still have significant potential of increasing agricultural production output. It should be noted that agricultural economic growth in Russia is impossible without solving social problems.
Exploring the 21st Century Class Facilitation of Public Elementary Teachers

– This study determined the quality of the teacher’s 21 st century class facilitation along roles and as perceived in the classroom. Descriptive and comparative method to answer the research questions was employed. The respondents were the population of the three hundred and sixteen (316) grade 6 elementary pupils, nine (9) teachers, and six (6) school heads coming from six (6) elementary schools of one of the Divisions of Department of Education in the Philippines. Results revealed that the teachers’ quality of 21 st century class facilitation of being a leader, collaborator, and model was satisfactory, while of being an adaptor and communicator was fair. There is no significant difference on the quality of the teachers’ 21 st century class facilitation performance among roles while the students’ perception differs with the perceptions of the teachers. Recommendations were that seminar – workshop and trainings should be provided to enhance teachers’ communication skills and English proficiency, assist teachers to be able to adapt to the changing needs of the 21 st century educational process. The school heads should make use of the teachers’ quality of being collaborator, leader, and model to benefit the community and at least uplift young learners to study well, should develop an assessment tool to assess and monitor teachers’ quality of class facilitation with an aim of helping teachers improve their class facilitation. Further, school heads should also conduct a formal mentoring with teachers, on-on-one interviews discussing ways to improve class facilitation and 21 st century facilitators’ characteristics. Proper frequent class monitoring is needed.
Institutional Ownership and Investment Efﬁciency: Evidence from Iran

: Investment efﬁciency shows how well a company invests its assets. Although institutional shareholders play undeniable roles in companies, it is not clear whether they are able to monitor managers and make investment decisions or not. This study gives answers to stakeholders, addresses concerns about the effect of the owners on investment efﬁciency, and aims to add to the literature on emerging markets by investigating the relationship in Iran, a different environment from developed ones. Based on monitoring power, the shareholders are divided into two types: active and passive ones. Investment problems are classiﬁed into two types: over- and under-investment problems. The sample consists of 101 ﬁrms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange between 2010 and 2016. Some regression models are used. The results illustrated that institutional owners have a positive effect on investment efﬁciency and decrease both over- and under-investment problems and so, the efﬁcient monitoring school is approved. Additionally, active ones are positively correlated with investment efﬁciency and decrease both investment inefﬁciency problems. Institutional ownership is the cause of investment efﬁciency, not the reverse. Based on ﬁndings, in emerging markets like Iran’s market, investors are recommended to give notice to the level of active ownership in ﬁrms; ownership structure is a good sign of efﬁciency.
The Impact of Environmental and Social Disclosures on the Financial Performance of Oil and Gas Companies in Nigeria

This paper critically examines the effect of environmental and social disclosures on the financial performance of oil and gas companies in Nigeria. The study is crucial as it describes the level of environmental and social disclosures impact on companies' performance. This study uses environmental and social disclosures as independent variables while Returns on Assets (ROA) as a proxy for financial performance. The study formulates two hypotheses to guide the study and uses a panel regression model in testing the statistical parameter estimates. Ex Post Facto design was adopted and data were collected from the NSE Factbook and published financial statements of the oil and gas companies listed in the NSE with data ranging from 2010-2019. The findings of the study show that corporate environmental and social disclosures have a significant impact on companies' performance at a 5% significant level. Because of this, the study concludes that environmental and social disclosures have improved companies' performance over the years. The study also recommends that companies should have an optimistic outlook regarding environmental and social friendly services and also disclose more of such information in their financial statements as over the years the degree of disclosures of these information has exercised considerable impact on companies' financial performance.
Language Learning Strategies in the 2020 National Curriculum for English

: The concept of language learning strategies (LLS) has a central place in the new Norwegian national curriculum for English (LK20). Current research on the new national curriculum has focused on general challenges for teachers, comparisons with the previous curriculum, intersections between LK20 and other international documents, and the value of multilingual teaching and learning. This chapter contributes to this body of research by providing an investigation of LLS in LK20. International LLS scholars mainly discuss taxonomies and skills-based classifications of LLS and signal the need for more research on strategy instruction. In Norway, ELT research reveals that teachers of English are insecure about teaching LLS explicitly in the classroom. Recent research also indicates that there appears to be a degree of uncertainty among teachers concerning the possible conceptualizations of LLS and their distinctions from other related concepts, such as teaching strategies. This chapter explores both explicit and implicit conceptualizations of LLS in LK20 by applying a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The findings indicate that, firstly, LK20 supports the teaching of a variety of LLS found in theoretical classifications and didactic literature. Secondly, LK20 indirectly presents the importance of critical literacy and multilingual skills as types of LLS which have not been explored in the LLS field so far. Finally, the indirect approach to LLS in LK20 may prompt the need to establish governmental programs to support English language teachers in their work with LLS. Language learning refers to developing language awareness and knowledge of English as a system, and the ability to use language learning strategies. Learning the pronunciation of phonemes, and learning vocabulary, word structure, syntax and text composition gives the pupils choices and possibilities in their communication and interaction. Language learning refers to identifying connections between English and other languages the pupils know, and to understanding how English is structured. (Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2019)
Study of Heterosis and Genetic Parameters for Yield and its Components Traits in Hybrid Rice (Oryza sativa L.) using line x tester mating system

Heterosis is very important phenomenon where the superior performance can appear in F 1 hybrid because increasing vigorous growth which leads to healthier and faster growing plants compared to its parents. This investigation was carried out at the experimental farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr El-Sheik, Egypt, during 2019 and 2020 rice growing seasons to study heterosis and simple correlation of the yield and its components traits in some hybrid rice combinations, using Line x tester design among six cytoplasmic mail sterility and four restorer genotypes. The results of heterosis over mid parents and heterosis over better parent represents that the best hybrids were PR1xIR69625A, PR78xIR68902A, PR78xIR58025A, PR78xIR69625A and PR1xIR58025A could use in breeding program to improve the grain yield dependent on its superiority in many traits. The additive variance (σ 2 A) was greater than the dominance variance (σ 2 D) for the duration and panicle weight in both seasons and head rice in 2 nd growing season. Contrarily, the dominance variance (σ 2 D) was the greatest variance for the rest traits, indicating that these traits were largely governed by non-additive genes action. Grain yield exhibited highly significant and positive correlation with total biomass in both seasons and with panicle weight in 1 st season, indicating the selection based on these two traits will be more effective to improve the grain yield.
Are Farmers “Efficient but Poor”? The Impact of Crop Choices on Agricultural Productivity and Poverty in Nigeria

This paper aims to test the “efficient-but-poor” hypothesis” by estimating the determinants of smallholders’ crop choices and whether their crop choices affect productivity and poverty using the national household panel data in Nigeria. As crop choices are endogenous in the sense that the farmers’ crop choice is also influenced by resulting revenue from the crop, we carry out stochastic frontier analyses with the Greene (2010) correction for sample selection about farmers’ crop choices and find that smallholders are generally efficient in their resource allocations. However, they are not necessarily rational in making their crop choices - defined in terms of the degree of crop’s exportability or commercialization. This is because, even when some crops are found to be more productive than others, the “less productive” crop is often chosen for production. To figure out why, a treatment effects model is employed to estimate farmers’ selection into the choice of a type of crop in the first stage and the impact of their choices on productivity and poverty outcomes in the second. The results show that farmers’ access to free inputs, non-farm income and the use of seeds from the previous growing season are important determinants of crop choice. The choice of tuber and root crops is found to improve productivity and reduce poverty, while choosing highly commercialised crops reduces poverty but does not improve productivity.