Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EXPLORATION OF GOITROGENIC/ANTITHYROIDAL POTENTIALITY OF BAMBOO-SHOOTS IN RELATION TO THIOUREA

Objective: Natural goitrogens present in plant foods or antithyroidal drugs both alter the morphology and normal functional status of the thyroid gland interfering the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones. In this study, the goitrogenic potential of bamboo shoots (BS) containing natural goitrogens has been compared against a potent synthetic antithyroidal drug thiourea. Methods: BS was fed to 6 rats by 1/3 rd replacement of 180grams (g) of their food i.e.60g of BS containing 35g of goitrogens of cyanogenic origin such that each rat ideally consumed 6 mg/100g of body weight per day and thiourea at a near equal dose of 6 mg/100g of body weight per day was force fed to another 6 rats for a period of 45 d. Changes in food consumption pattern, serum toxicity marker SGOT and SGPT, morphological changes like thyroid gland weight and histology and functional aspects like TPO activity, Na+-K+ATPase activity, urinary iodine excretion and serum T3,T4 and TSH levels induced by this natural and synthetic agent respectively were investigated. Results analyzed by ANOVA followed by post hoc tests. Results: Food consumption pattern was similar in all groups while serum toxicity markers SGOT, SGPT showed a non-significant increase in experimental groups. Increase in body and thyroid gland weight as compared to control was seen on treatment with both antithyroidal agents, a greater percentage of increase was seen in thiourea treated group. TPO activity, Na+-K+ATPase activity, serum T3 and T4levels were decreased significantly in both treated groups as compared to normal, with maximum inhibition in the thiourea treated group. Histological plates of BS treated thyroid revealed hypertrophy and thyroid follicular cell disruption with microcytic infiltration. Thiourea treated gland histological plate revealed complete abolition of normal histoarchitecture with marked changes in colloidal area and hyperplasia with folding and papillae on the epithelium. Conclusion: In overall, the data indicate that though the goitrogenic potentiality of BS cannot be considered having similar efficacy to that of thiourea but as a food entity by itself, it has potent antithyroidal activity even in presence of adequate iodine intake.
The REACT-Based Contextual Learning Model And Mastering The Concept Of Physics In High School Students

This study aims to determine the effect of the REACT-based contextual learning model on the mastery of physics concepts in high school students. This study used a Quasi Experimental research model with a pretest-posttest control group design. The study population was all students of class XI MIA SMA Negeri Samadua, South Aceh Regency which consisted of two classes. Both classes were used as research samples by forming an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group is a class that uses a REACT-based contextual learning model in physics learning, while the control group is a class that uses a conventional learning model through the lecture method. The instruments used were RPP, LKPD and test questions. The pretest and posttest in this study were used to measure the students' initial and final abilities in physics. The data analysis technique used is the t-test with a significance level of 5%. The results of hypothesis testing obtained tcount (2.13) ttable (1.68), meaning that Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted. These results interpreted that there was a significant influence on the REACT-based contextual learning model on the mastery of physics concepts for students of class XI MIA SMA Samadua, South Aceh Regency.
Chapter 12 Advanced SiC / Oxide Interface Passivation

To save energy on an electric power grid, the idea of redesigned ‘micro-grids’ has been proposed. Implementation of this concept needs power devices that can operate at higher switching speeds and block voltages of up to 20 kV. Out of SiC and GaN wide band gap semiconductors, the former is more suitable for lowas well as high-voltage ranges. SiC exists in different polytypes 3C-, 4Hand 6H-. 4H-SiC due to its wider band gap, 3.26 eV has higher critical electric field of breakdown (E c ) and electron bulk mobility compared to 6H-SiC. Even with all these benefits 4H-SiC full potential has not yet been realized. This is due to high trap densities (D it ) at the interface. In addition to 4H-polytype, in recent years, there is a reignited interest on cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC), which can be potentially grown heteroepitaxially on 12′′ Si substrates, as it would result in a drastic cost reduction of semiconductor devices compared to the successful but exorbitantly expensive SiC hexagonal polytype technology (4H-SiC). In this chapter, we discuss and summarize all different interface passivation techniques or processes that have led to a vast improvement of these (4Hor 3C-SiC/SiO 2 ) interfaces electrically.
Predicting young consumers' take up of mobile banking services

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the barriers for adopting mobile banking services. From a methodological perspective, this paper seeks to build on two widely used models for technology adoption, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory and to test a model that is better able to predict consumers' intention to use mobile banking.Design/methodology/approach – A research model extends the TAM model by additionally examining the effects of compatibility, trust, credibility, perceived risk and cost on behavioural intention. The empirical approach was based on an online survey of 263 young people in Germany, undertaken during August/September 2009. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.Findings – The results of the study indicated that compatibility, perceived usefulness, and risk are significant indicators for the adoption of m‐banking services. Compatibility not only had a strong direct effect but was also identified as an important antecedent for per.
Jackknife Estimation of a Cluster-Sample IV Regression Model with Many Weak Instruments

This paper proposes new jackknife IV estimators that are robust to the effects of many weak instruments and error heteroskedasticity in a cluster sample setting with cluster-specific effects and possibly many included exogenous regressors. The estimators that we propose are designed to properly partial out the cluster-specific effects and included exogenous regressors while preserving the re-centering property of the jackknife methodology. To the best of our knowledge, our proposed procedures provide the first consistent estimators under many weak instrument asymptotics in the setting considered. We also present results on the asymptotic normality of our estimators and show that t-statistics based on our estimators are asymptotically normal under the null and consistent under fixed alternatives. Our Monte Carlo results further show that our t-statistics perform better in controlling size in finite samples than those based on alternative jackknife IV procedures previously introduced in the literature.
THEMIS observations of an earthward‐propagating dipolarization front

We report THEMIS observations of a dipolarization front, a sharp, large‐amplitude increase in the Z‐component of the magnetic field. The front was detected in the central plasma sheet sequentially at X = −20.1 RE (THEMIS P1 probe), at X = −16.7 RE (P2), and at X = −11.0 RE (P3/P4 pair), suggesting its earthward propagation as a coherent structure over a distance more than 10 RE at a velocity of 300 km/s. The front thickness was found to be as small as the ion inertial length. Comparison with simulations allows us to interpret the front as the leading edge of a plasma fast flow formed by a burst of magnetic reconnection in the midtail.
Comment on : Social capital and growth

Routledge and von Amsberg (2003) have made an insightful contribution to the burgeoning literature on social capital and economic development. The underlying idea in the existing literature is that societies characterized by higher levels of social capital—commonly defined as norms of trust or cooperation that improve economic productivity—experience more rapid economic development, and better institutional performance as well (Putnam, 1993). More recently, one branch of this literature has explored the correlation of social capital with a range of important economic, financial, and political outcomes (as surveyed in Routledge and von Amsberg, 2003), while another has examined the underlying social factors that affect social capital formation, including social and ethnic divisions, for instance Easterly and Levine, 1997, Alesina et al., 1999, and Miguel and Gugerty, 2002. This paper makes a sharp break with most of the existing literature, and offers a different perspective on how we should think about the relationship between social capital and economic growth. Instead of viewing social capital as a crucial input into economic growth and development, the authors consider the effect of economic growth on social capital. Their central theoretical idea is simple—but powerful. Rapidly growing societies periodically experience large technological ‘‘shocks’’ that generate pressure for labor mobility, to take up new factory jobs in growing urban areas, for example. The resulting residential mobility increases labor productivity by matching up workers with particular skills to the employers who need those skills. Yet this mobility also
A Review of the Dynamic Modeling Approaches for Characterizing Fluid Flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Fluid flow in fractured media has been studied for decades and received considerable attention in the oil and gas industry because of the high productivity of naturally fractured reservoirs. Due to formation complexity and reservoir heterogeneity, characterizing fluid flow with an appropriate reservoir model presents a challenging task that differs relatively from homogeneous conventional reservoirs in many aspects of view, including geological, petrophysical, production, and economics. In most fractured reservoirs, fracture networks create complex pathways that affect hydrocarbon flow, well performance, hence reservoir characterization. A better and comprehensive understanding of the available reservoir modeling approaches is much needed to accurately characterize fluid flow behavior in NFRs. Therefore, in this paper, a perspective review of the available modeling approaches was presented for fluid flow characterization in naturally fractured medium. Modeling methods were evaluated in terms of their description, application, advantages, and disadvantages. This study has also included the applications of these reservoir models in fluid flow characterizing studies and governing equations for fluid flow. Dual continuum models were proved to be better than single continuum models in the presence of large scale fractures. In comparison, discrete models were more appropriate for reservoirs that contain a smaller number of fractures. However, hybrid modeling was the best method to provide accurate and scalable fluid flow modeling. It is our understanding that this paper will bridge the gap between the fundamental understanding and application of NFRs modeling approaches and serve as a useful reference for engineers and researchers for present and future applications.
Dry sliding wear investigation of Al 6082 / Gr metal matrix composites by response surface methodology

The effect of graphite particles on the dry sliding wear behaviour of Al6082 alloy composites produced by conventional stir casting method has been investigated. The percentage of reinforcement was varied from 0% to 12% in a step of 3. The result showed that with the addition of graphite particles microand macro-hardness reduced by 11.11% and 10.44%, respectively. The tribological behaviour of composites was investigated by pin on disc apparatus. Percentage reinforcement, load, sliding speed and sliding distance were taken as the process variable. Response surface methodology has been used to plan and analyze the experiment. Results showed that sliding distance is the most influential factor and load is the factor which affects the wear least. © 2015 Brazilian Metallurgical, Materials and Mining Association. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.
Design and Experimental and Numerical Verifications of the Recirculating Blower for Long-Term Tests of Turbine Flowmeters

A design of the centrifugal recirculation blower as well as results of its experimental and numerical investigations are presented in this paper. The blower was designed to work in the unique test stand which is used for long-term tests of turbine flowmeters. A 1D method was used to design this blower, then experimental and numerical studies were conducted in order to verify the 1D method. A comparison of the blower pressure increase obtained from the experiment and the computations is presented. Velocity and pressure distributions from the numerical simulations in selected sections are also shown and discussed. Additional numerical studies of a shrouded rotor and a rotor with a lower tip clearance were conducted and are presented in the paper as well.
The risk of venous thromboembolic events in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that has been associated with increased risk of extraintestinal manifestations, amongst which is venous thromboembolism (VTE). We assessed the risk for VTE in patients with IBD through systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods A systematic search for English language studies was conducted in Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library of publications from database inception till August 10, 2020, to identify relevant studies reporting the risk of VTE in patients with IBD. The random-effects and fixed-effect models were used to estimate relative risks (RRs) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results Eleven observational studies were included in this meta-analysis, involving 3,175,012 patients with IBD and 920,144,253 controls without IBD. The overall RR for VTE in patients with IBD compared to non-IBD individuals was 2.03 (95%CI 1.72-2.39). An analysis of studies with larger population size demonstrated a lower risk for VTE (RR 1.77, 95%CI 1.48-2.13) among patients with IBD, whereas studies with a smaller population size yielded a greater risk for VTE (RR 2.67, 95%CI 1.97-2.93). After adjustment for smoking and body mass index, the RR for VTE was moderately increased (RR 2.65, 95%CI 1.51-4.65). Conclusions The present meta-analysis shows that IBD is linked to a 2-fold increased risk for VTE. Thus, primary prevention against VTE is of the utmost importance.
Epidemiological Characterization Of SARS-Cov-2 Infection in Children and Adolescents in Cape Verde - Analysis of The First Five Months of The Pandemic

Introduction: The first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Cabo Verde was registered on March 18, 2020. Most of the confirmed cases were observed in adults, with the highest prevalence in patients between 20 and 39 years. Objective: Identify the epidemiological characteristics of children and adolescents diagnosed with SARS-CoV2 infection in Cape Verde during the first five (5) months of the epidemic in Cabo Verde. Methodology: The current study is observational and descriptive, covering 662 children and adolescents diagnosed with Covid-19 in Cape Verde in the first five months of the epidemic. The data were collected in the case registration database of the National Institute of Public Health. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. Results: During the study period, 662 children and adolescents were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Cape Verde. The majority, 254 (53.8%) were female, 131 (27.8%) were aged between 10 to 14 years, 394 (83.5%) lived on the island of Santiago, 262 (55.5%) in the municipality of Praia, and 344 (72.9%) are in institutional internment. No severe cases or deaths were recorded at the time analysis. Conclusions: Children and adolescents were less affected by COVID-19 in Cape Verde. Study results may contribute to a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the child population in Cabo Verde.
Optimizing outcomes after hernia repair: scientific highlights from the Danish Hernia Database 2010–2020

: The National Danish Inguinal Hernia Database (1997) and Ventral Hernia Database (2007), together the Danish Hernia Database, was launched to monitor and optimize surgical quality and outcomes after hernia repairs. The purpose of the present qualitative review was to present five “highlight” publications from the 123 published/in press (October 2020) original publications from the Danish Hernia Database. Two international hernia experts independently nominated 10 publications from the Database publication list published between 2010 and 2020. Each of the 10 members of the database steering group ranked the 10 publications according to the following three categories: (I) originality, (II) methodology, and (III) clinical impact. The publications were ranked as 1= good, 2= very good, 3= outstanding. The five publications with the highest score were depicted as highlights. The publications dealt with: (I) long-term mesh-related complications after incisional hernia repair, (II) outcomes after parastomal hernia repairs, (III) mesh or suture repair of ventral hernias in women having subsequent pregnancy, (IV) reoperation for recurrence versus clinical recurrence rates, and (V) recurrence rates after resorbable versus non-resorbable tackers for laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. Data from the Danish Hernia Database is internationally acknowledged. The nationwide Danish data supplements the higher-ranking evidence by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by adding evidence-based answers to scientifically clinically relevant questions. The Danish Hernia Database is still active after more than 20 years.
Educational failure or success: Aboriginal Children's Non-standard English Utterances

Within the Australian education system, Aboriginal students' use of non-standard English features is often viewed simplistically as evidence of non-attainment of literacy and oral-English milestones. One reason for this is the widespread use of assessment tools which fail to differentiate between native-English speakers and students who are learning English as a second language. In these assessments, non-standard English features are framed as 'mistakes' and low scores taken as evidence of 'poor' performance. This paper will contrast a mistake-oriented analysis with one that incorporates knowledge of the students' first language. It will clearly show that when consideration is given to the first language, a more nuanced picture of English proficiency emerges: one that is attuned to the specific second language learning pathway and thus far better placed to inform both assessment and classroom instruction.
Intercalation and desorption of oxygen between graphene and Ru(0001) studied with helium ion scattering

Graphene is a fascinating 2D material that is being widely investigated for use in electronic devices due to its unique electronic and materials properties. Also, because of its high thermal stability and inertness, it is considered a promising candidate for use as a protection layer for metal substrates. Here, graphene films grown on Ru(0001) are held at 600 K while reacted with oxygen (O$_2$) and then investigated with helium low energy ion scattering (LEIS). LEIS spectra collected at different scattering angles confirm that oxygen does not adsorb to graphene, but instead intercalates between the graphene and the substrate. The intercalated O$_2$ desorbs when the sample is annealed to 800 K. It is shown that this is a much lower temperature than is needed to remove chemisorbed atomic oxygen from Ru, thus inferring that the intercalated oxygen is molecular. During the desorption process, some of the graphene is etched away via a chemical reaction with the oxygen, with the proportion desorbing as O$_2$ or reacting to etch the graphene being dependent on the amount of intercalated O$_2$.
Factors Affecting Student Performance in E-Learning: A Case Study of Higher Educational Institutions in Indonesia

This study aims to determine the factors influencing student performance using the teaching and learning process through e-learning based on the unified theory of acceptance and use technology (UTAUT). This study also sets out to propose additional variables to expand the UTAUT model to be more suitable to use in higher education. This research conducted a literature review, expert interviews, and a self-administered survey involving 200 students at tertiary institutions in Riau province, Indonesia. The questionnaire data were analyzed using SmartPLS 2. This study shows that UTAUT constructs, namely, social influence, facility conditions, and effort expectancy have a significant influence on student behavior and performance, while the performance expectancy variable shows no significant effect. The additional variables, including lecturer characteristics, external motivation, and organizational structure, directly affect student performance. However, concerning student behavior, motivation and environment are the only variables with a significant effect. The results of this study suggest the behavior deteminant such as lecturer characteristics, motivation and environment, and organizational structure improve student performance. This study investigates factors affecting the performance of university students through the learning employing e-learning by developing the UTAUT constructs to include the lecturer characteristics, motivation and environment, and organizational structure in improving student performance.
Investigation of the capability of multitemporal RADARSAT-2 fully polarimetric SAR images for land cover classification: a case of Panyu, Guangdong province

ABSTRACT Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), with all-day and all-weather observation capabilities, can capture the phenology of crops with short growth cycles to improve land cover classification results. The present study carried out a land cover classification using multitemporal RADARSAT-2 fully polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) images that are 24 days apart. The objectives of this study were 1) examining the land cover classification capacity of multitemporal fully PolSAR data processed with multiple polarimetric decomposition methods, 2) investigating the contribution of multi-type polarimetric decomposition methods to multitemporal PolSAR image classification, 3) and determining optimal image acquisition dates and polarimetric parameters for land cover classification. Overall accuracy and kappa coefficient attained using the multitemporal PolSAR data were 96.55% and 0.96, respectively, which were improved by as much as 16.77% and 0.20, respectively, compared with those obtained with a single scene. Compared with the multitemporal PolSAR image classification using coherency matrices alone, the use of polarimetric decomposition methods improved overall accuracy and kappa value by 2.22% and 0.03, respectively. Using decision tree algorithms for feature selection, we found that April 14, May 8, June 1, and June 25 and Pauli, Cloude, Neumann3, An&Yang4, Freeman3, Barnes2, and MCSM5 decomposition methods were optimal for the land cover classification.