Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of climatic, site and stand characteristics on some structural parameters of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests situated on degraded lands from east Romania

The ecological restoration of degraded lands has significance in countries where their deterioration process covers large periods of time. The present paper starts by establishing three types of classes. As such, age, phytoclimatic area and degradation level significantly influence the resulting characteristics expressed by the average diameter (average height) in scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands from degraded lands (R2a = 0.784; R2a = 0.639). Evaluating some climatic, site and stand characteristics over the dynamic of certain structural parameters in stands situated on degraded lands is a basic action where the current objectives are dedicated to the ecological restoration of forests from certain lands.
Stress Level Comparison of Medical and Nonmedical Students: A Cross Sectional Study done at Various Professional Colleges in Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To compare the stress levels of medical students with that of other professional colleges. Background: Stress is known to affect learning abilities and also be a risk factor for various health and psychological difficulties. Through earlier studies, stress levels of medical students have established to be high during their academic life. In Pakistan, local epidemiological data about psychological morbidity among medical undergraduate students is infrequent. An extensive electronic Internet-based search failed to locate any study which shows a comparison of stress between medical students and the students of other professions in Karachi, which is the objective of our study. Methods: The study was conducted at various professional colleges all over Karachi. A sample of 600 students, 50 from each of the 12 selected colleges was taken. A standardized stress questionnaire of the International Stress Management Association (UK) was used to assess the stress levels which categorized the level of stress into mild, moderate and severe. Results: Stress levels were found to be higher in medical students, and this stress was mostly attributed to studies according to majority of the medical students (75.6%), where as calculated stress levels were also higher in medical students (54.6%). Conclusion: Stress levels of medical students were found to be suggestively higher than those of non-medical professional students. Thus, medical students should be provided with appropriate counseling and stress relieving activities to prevent the long term antagonistic effects of elevated stress levels on the physical and mental health of future doctors.
Changes in renal and hydro-electrolytic parameters induced by the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (IFT) among female division 1 handball players in the Republic of Benin : : sport science

This study aims at assessing the changes in renal parameters induced by the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (IFT) in female handball players of the Republic of Benin. The study sample was categorised as experimental (EG: n = 7) and control (CG: n = 6) groups. Glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with two formulas, urine specific gravity (USG), fractional sodium excretion (FeNa), urinary sodium-potassium ratio (Na/K) and plasma volume variation (PV) were determined before, just at cessation and three hours after the test. In the end, eGFR and PV decreased by at least 17.2% (p 0.05) in both groups. The 30-15 IFT induced in hot environment, a transient reduction of eGFR and a decrease of FeNa during recovery in female handball players.
Deficit vitaminu D u pacientů s akutním koronárním syndromem

Background: Recent studies have shown that the functions of vitamin D are abundant, including its impact on the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Aims: Assess the serum vitamin D level in patients with acute coronary syndrome and compare with a group of healthy volunteers. Subjects and methods: It is a cross-sectional observational study. Study subjects are patients with acute coronary syndrome. Exclusion criteria are the presence of diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases and malignant tumors. The control group included subjects without any cardiac disorders. Between August 2017 and November 2017, 50 patients with ACS and 22 healthy volunteers were enrolled in our study. The mean age of the participants in the ACS cohort was 59.9 ± 7.7 years, with a predominance of males (70 %). Results: In the vast majority of patients with ACS, vitamin D deficiency was found. A marked deficiency was seen in 78 %. Vitamin D deficiency was not observed in the control group, but insufficiency was detected in 64 %. According to coronary angiography results, almost a half of the patients (45 %) with ACS and vitamin D deficiency had multivessel CAD. Conclusions: We have found in our limited observation that the overwhelming majority of patients with acute coronary syndrome have vitamin D deficiency, in contrast to the control group – individuals with no cardiovascular problems.
The Effect of Illiquidity on Stock Return on the Indonesia Stock Exchange

: This research is the development of research that has been done by Nanlohy et al. (2018). Nanlohy used the object of the Consumer Goods Sector Companies over the 2011-2015 period, while this study used the objects of all companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange over the 2013-2017 period. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of illiquidity and other stock characteristics, including size, beta, risk, and dividend yield on stock returns. Companies that met the criteria to be the object of research were 67 listed companies from 555 listed companies. The data used was panel data that was processed using multiple linear regression models with the help of Eviews 8. The results obtained from this study were liquidity had a significant negative effect, size had a significant positive effect, and risk had a significant positive effect. Whereas beta had no significant negative effect and dividend yield had no significant positive effect.
Use of Pressured-Air for Cotton Lint Cleaning

Saw-type lint cleaner (STLC) was most efficient lint cleaner in cotton ginning. However, STLC damaged fiber quality. An air-bar lint cleaner (ABLC) was developed and evaluated to preserve cotton fiber quality. The ABLC used pressurized-air to remove non-lint materials from cotton fiber. During lint cleaning process, non-lint materials attached to the fiber were blown off the fiber without the fiber making aggressive mechanical contact with a grid bar in conventional saw-type lint cleaner (STLC). It was expected using this concept that the fiber quality could be preserved by reducing the damage from mechanical impact of the fiber against the grid bar. Preliminary testing of the ABLC prototype showed that ABLC generated less lint waste and had a higher turnout rate than STLC. Use of ABLC could save 2.8 kg of lint in each 225 kg bale of cotton. The High Volume Instrument (HVI) analysis indicated the fiber properties in fiber length, uniformity, short fiber content, and color were not significantly different between ABLC and STLC. However, the Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS) tests showed STLC had better performance than ABLC in fiber length and short fiber content while the trash and dust content with ABLC was lower than the STLC. More research was necessary to further prove the concept of ABLC and improve its performance in preserving cotton fiber quality.
A Comparative Study on Awareness and Knowledge Regarding Eye Diseases AmongEmployed Populationsof Bangladesh

Awareness and knowledge of common eye diseases play an important role in encouraging people to seek treatment for eye problems. This further helps in reducing the burden of visual impairment among the population in a society. In Bangladesh Cataract and Night Blindness are two major eye conditions to look at due to lack of proper education and awareness. The aim of the study was to assess the comparative knowledge of common eye conditions namely Cataract, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy and Night blindness in our country. A total of 462 employed workers, 237 White Collar and 225 Blue Collar Workers were participated in the study. The knowledge about all the above common eye diseases was moderate, except Diabetic Retinopathy. The awareness of the Cataract of the white collar employee was 94.5%, Night Blindness 95.36%, Diabetic retinopathy 58.3%, and Glaucoma 47.6% whereas the awareness of blue collar employee is 88% Cataract, Night Blindness 96.9%, Diabetic retinopathy 22.78%, and Glaucoma 29.78%. The respondents were knowledgeable about Cataract surgery but 47.68% of white collar employee & only 29.78% of blue collar employee knew about Intra Ocular Lens Implantation. Most of the employee had minimal knowledge about the right treatment of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. In Diabetic Retinopathy, white collar employee (44.97%) have more knowledge than blue collar employee (64.6%). And the most shocking part is that only 3% of White Collar Employee & 0.9% of Blue Collar Employee knew about right treatment. From the result it was seen that the knowledge of the eye conditions were was not at satisfactory level among the employed population of the country. Increasing the awareness and knowledge of common eye diseases could lead to an increase in understanding and acceptance of the importance of routine eye examination for early detection and treatment of such conditions, thereby reducing visual impairment and cost of eye care. KeywordsEye Disease, Cataract, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, Night Blindness,IOL. , White Collar Worker, Blue Collar Worker, Epidemiology in Bangladesh. Chapter
DNA barcoding reveals cryptic diversity and peculiar phylogeographic patterns in mojarras (Perciformes: Gerreidae) from the Caribbean and South-western Atlantic

Abstract The mojarras (Eucinostomus) are a widespread group of coastal fishes of controversial taxonomy because of similarities in their external morphology. In the present study, we assessed the genetic diversity of species and populations of Eucinostomus using DNA barcodes using a systematic and phylogeographic context. In total, 416 COI sequences of all valid Eucinostomus representatives were analysed based on public databases and collected specimens from the north-eastern coast of Brazil (Western South Atlantic). Several cases of misidentification were detected in the barcode dataset (E. argenteus, E. harengulus, E. gula, E. dowii and E. jonesii) that could account for the taxonomic issues in this genus. In contrast, we identified four molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), with divergence above 2% in the Western Atlantic, that correspond to cryptic forms within E. argenteus, E. harengulus, E. gula and E. melanopterus. These data suggest that Plio-Pleistocene events (rise of the Panama isthmus, Amazonas outflow and sea-level fluctuations) played a major role in the diversification of mojarras. While subtle morphological differences have been used as proxies to discriminate Eucinostomus species, the genetic data proved to be efficient in differentiating them and revealing potentially undescribed taxa. Therefore, we recommend that further taxonomic studies in mojarras should incorporate DNA-based evidence.
Pengaruh Budaya Organisasi Terhadap Disiplin Kerja Karyawan Pt Angkasa Pura Ii (Persero) Kantor Cabang Utama Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta Unit Personnel & General Affairs

ABSTRAK Penelitian ini dilakukan di PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) Kantor Cabang Utama (KCU) Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta Unit Personnel & General Affairs. Bertujuan untuk mengetahui adakah pengaruh budaya terhadap disiplin kerja. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode survey dengan teknik analisis data deskriptif kausal. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan cara kuesioner, dan sample sebanyak 53 karyawan. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah kuesioner model skala likert yang dimodifikasi. Teknik analisis data menggunakan analisis regresi sederhana. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa budaya organisasi memiliki pengaruh yang positif dan signifikan terhadap disiplin kerja di PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) KCU Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta Unit Personnel & General Affairs. Kata Kunci: Budaya Organisasi, Disiplin Kerja, PT. Angkasa Pura II ABSTRACT This research was conducted at PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) main branch office Soekarno-Hatta International airport division Personnel & General Affairs. The purpose of this research is to investigate if there are an impacts of organization culture against work discipline. The research method used was surveyed, with causal descriptive data analysis techniques. Collecting data using the questionnaire method with Likert Scale model and there are 53 respondents as sample of this research. Data analysis technique used is a simple regression analysis. The result shows that organizational culture has a positive and significant effect against work discipline at PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) main branch office Soekarno-Hatta International Airport division Personnel & General Affairs.
Micronucleus Test in Exfoliated Buccal Cells of Female Street Vendors Exposed to Vehicular Exhaust in Iligan City, Philippines

Vehicular exhaust has been proven by several studies to be genotoxic and deleterious to human health (Health Effects Institute, 2010; IARC, 2012; etc.). In order to make possible health interventions, it is vital to perform bio-monitoring studies among individuals occupationally exposed to clinically high amounts of vehicular exhaust (Holland et.al. 2008 & Tovalin et.al. 2006). The purpose of the study was to assess the DNA damage of the exfoliated buccal cells among urban street vendors exposed to vehicular exhaust. The study utilized a cross-sectional design (n=60). Purposive sampling was used to select thirty (30) street vendors in Iligan City and thirty (30) controls in Marawi City. Only female participants were included to eliminate gender as a confounding factor. Data collection occurred between the months of October 2013 to January 2014. Buccal micronucleus test was used to investigate the genotoxic effects of vehicular exhaust exposure. A total of 1000 cells per test individual were scored for micronucleus frequency. The results showed a highly significant difference ( p <0.001) between the micronuclei frequency of the exposed (9.40 ± 4.46) and control (4.80 ± 3.25). No relationship was established between the micronuclei frequency and the confounding factors such as age, length of vehicular exhaust exposure, smoking, tea drinking, and alcoholism. A weak correlation ( p =0.031) was found between coffee drinking and micronuclei frequency. The results of this study suggest that female street vendors occupationally exposed to vehicular exhaust have a significantly higher frequency of micronucleated cells than their minimally-exposed counterparts.
Establishing an epidemiological field laboratory in rural areas -- potentials for public health research and interventions. The Butajira Rural Health Programme 1987-1999.

This document presents the experiences of the first 13 years of the Butajira Rural Health Programme (BRHP) which aims to provide epidemiological surveillance system at district level in Ethiopia. It also presents data on demography summarizes results from specific applications of its epidemiological laboratories and outlines research and intervention activities from major findings. BHRP is the source of information for planning and evaluating public health interventions and is a platform for research training in a developing country. Its health interventions are important in the assessment of fertility and mortality trends analysis of public health and health behavioral determinants of mortality and morbidity and assessment of coverage and utilization of health services. Overall BHRP is considered a national asset through provision of scientifically sound information that can be used for public health planning policy- making and evaluation.
Binaural hearing measured with the temporal limits encoder using a vocoder simulation of cochlear implants

: Cochlear implants (CIs) convert sound to electrical stimulation by extracting the envelope in each frequency band while discarding the temporal ﬁne structure (TFS). This processing removes the ﬁne structure interaural time diﬀerences (ITDs), which are an important cue for locating sounds on the horizontal plane in normal-hearing (NH) listeners, but are unavailable to CI users. A temporal limits encoder (TLE) strategy was previously proposed to enhance TFS in CIs, and our previous studies via tone-carrier vocoder simulation have shown improved unilateral speech-in-noise understanding and pitch perception. Here, binaural beneﬁts of TLE were assessed, by measuring the binaural intelligibility level diﬀerence (BILD), using a 22-channel tone-carrier vocoder in NH listeners. TLE was compared to continuous interleaved sampling (CIS), a common CI strategy. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured for diotic target speech (male), and diotically-colocated or dichotically-separated (applying (cid:3) 625 m s delay between ears) competitors (male or female). Compared to CIS, TLE showed signiﬁcantly larger BILDs for diﬀerent genders, indicating that TLE-simulation listeners were able to beneﬁt from both pitch and spatial cues. However, SRTs for vocoded conditions were much higher than non-vocoded listening, likely due to a lack of familiarity with vocoded speech listening.
Serum Lipid Profile in Sheep Fed Diet Incorporated with Feed Additives

feeding trial to study the supplementation effect of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes (EFE) cocktail and wormwood herb on serum lipid profile was conducted for 90 days in twenty crossbred lambs that were divided into four equal groups viz. T0 (Control) and T1, T2 and T3 (treatment groups). T0 received total mixed diet (TMR) without any supplementation, while in treatments groups TMR was supplemented either with EFE cocktail alone @ 0.60% (T1) or wormwood herb alone @ 4.50% (T2) and in a combination of the two feed additives (T3). At the end of the feeding trial, 6 days of digestibility trial was carried out to assess the supplementation effect in vivo on nutritional parameters and serum total lipids and different lipoprotein fractions were carried out at the start (0 d) and subsequently at monthly intervals of the experiment (30, 60 and 90 d). Nutrient digestibility, content as well intake were significantly higher in groups fed diets supplemented with the feed additives either alone (p less than 0.05) or in-combination (p less than 0.01). No significant effect was observed on the total cholesterol level at any point of evaluation, and on total triglycerides level-up to 30 d, but significant reduction was noted in T2 at 60 (p less than 0.05) and 90 (p less than 0.01) days as compared to T1. Significant (p less than 0.01) effect on HDL level was evident as elevated in T2 while reduced in T1 at day 60 and 90. In contrast, LDL values were reduced in T2 and elevated in T1 group at day 30 (p less than 0.05), 60 and 90 (p less than 0.01). VLDL levels did not change among the groups up to 30 d, whereas reduced at day 60 (p less than 0.05) and 90 (p less than 0.01) in T2 as compared to T1. Lowest (p less than 0.01) AI value was observed in the T2 group at day 90 compared to other groups. It was concluded that dietary incorporation of wormwood herb as a feed additive for sheep improved nutritional status along with health beneficial effects when supplemented alone.
A Comparative Investigation of Magnetoelectric Characteristics of Nano Bi-Layer Bar and Plate Structures

In this paper, the magnetoelectric (ME) characteristics of bar and plate structures of the nano bi-layer ME materials are investigated and compared. The mathematical models of ME coefficients of the nano bi-layer bar and plate structures operated in the longitudinal-transverse (L-T) mode are developed using the constitutive equations and Newton’s second law. The nano bi-layer of interest consists of Terfenol-D and Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) as ferromagnetic (FM) and ferroelectric (FE) phases, respectively. In the low frequency regime, the optimal thickness ratios of bar and plate structures that yield maximum ME coefficients are around 0.43 and 0.33, respectively. The optimal thickness ratios are applied in the high frequency regime to obtain the conditions where the maximum ME coefficients can be achieved. It is found that the resonant frequencies of the bar and plate structures decrease exponentially with the bi-layer length and thickness, respectively. The results also indicate that at the same resonant frequency, the dimension of the bar structure is significantly smaller than the plate structure, it thus becomes more preferable for nano scale sensing applications.
Effect of regional skill gaps and skill shortages on firm productivity

This paper contributes to the literature on regional productivity, complementing previous education and skill-level perspectives with a novel approach analysing the impact of regional skill gaps and skill shortages. This allows us to reflect the idiosyncratic needs of the regional economic structure better, considering both the demand and supply side of the skills equation in localised labour markets. Controlling for unobserved time-invariant firm-level heterogeneity and other region–industry effects across a longitudinal data set for the period 2008–2014, our analysis reveals a negative direct effect of skill shortages on firm productivity. We further find negative spillover effects for both skill gaps and skill shortages in related industries and proximate regions. Results are also shown to be heterogeneous with respect to agglomeration levels and industrial sectors. Stronger negative effects are found in industries defined by a knowledge-intensive skill base, pointing to the loss of learning effects in the presence of skill deficiencies. Conversely, agglomeration effects appear to moderate the impact of skill deficiencies through more efficient matching in the local labour market. The findings presented thus suggest that policies aimed at improving productivity and addressing the increasing regional productivity divide cannot be reduced to a simple space-neutral support for higher education and skill levels but need to recognise explicitly the presence and characteristics of place-specific skills gaps and shortages.
Computational Analysis of Transverse Sonic Injection in Supersonic Crossflow Using RANS Models

Transverse injection at sonic speed from a rectangular slot into a supersonic crossflow is numerically explored with an indigenously developed parallel three-dimensional (3D) Reynold-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solver for unstructured grids. The RANS models used for turbulence closure are the one-equation Spalart–Allmaras (SA) model and the two-equation shear stress transport (SST) model. For each model, the influence of compressibility corrections is assessed. Due to the presence of shock-turbulent boundary layer interaction (STBLI) in the flow, various STBLI corrections are assessed for both the models. Most of the simulations are two-dimensional (2D), but three-dimensional simulations are also performed to investigate the mismatch between the experimental dataset and the numerical results. The SA model is less sensitive to STBLI corrections, but some improvement in its prediction of the separation distance is found with the compressibility corrections. The SST model results are insensitive to the compressibility corrections, but the STBLI correction improves its results. Improved agreement with the experimental dataset is found when simulations are done in 3D, suggesting that the experiments were not so close to 2D as previously believed. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4045985]