Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Schools’ Emphasis on Academic Success in TIMSS 2015 across Finland, Singapore, and Turkey

School climate which is strongly related with the students’ outcomes includes some of the components, among which disciplinary climate in schools was expressed as the dominant one. Safety and order in schools which is strongly related with the physical and emotional security stated as one of the indicator of disciplinary climate in schools. In disciplined schools, more opportunities are found to focus on learning and teaching. So, in these schools, there is a tendency of placing the academic success to the priority. In addition, allocating time to emphasizing on academic success is strongly related with having teaching time that is not interrupted by the basic needs of the students. Moreover, academic pressure which reflect the schools’ emphasis on academic success have been discussed in recent studies with its advantages and disadvantages. In this study, the association of safety, order and disciplined issues, limitation of teaching by students’ needs, academic pressure, teachers’ gender and education level with the schools’ emphasis on academic success was investigated by scrutinizing the 4th grade teachers’ responses in TIMSS 2015 for three different countries, Finland, Singapore, and Turkey, respectively. Multiple logistic regression was run to analyze the data. The results revealed that schools’ emphasis on academic success varies across three countries after controlling aforementioned variables. In addition, the estimated odds ratio for the explanatory variable of “safe, orderly and disciplined school” has the highest value among the explanatory variables for the three countries.
Effect of foliar and soil applied fertilizers on strawberry healthiness, yield and berry quality

The effect of foliar applied fertilizers (calcium nitrate, Kemira Ferticare 7-27-25, Phosfik 3-27-18 and Biokal 01) and calcium nitrate broadcasted to the soil on strawberries cv. 'Honeoye' was investigated in 2004-2005 at the Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture. Strawberries were sprayed three times starting at full bloom in 8 day intervals. Calcium nitrate was applied to the soil in the rows during full bloom at the rate of 150 kg ha -1 . Control plants were not fertilized. Ecological preparation Biokal 01 decreased amount of mite-infested strawberry plants by 9 percent units, and the incidence of leaf scorch (Diplocarpon earlianum (Ellis & Everh) Wolf) by 8 percent units in comparison with the control. Fertilizers had no effect on white leaf spot (Mycosphaerella fragariae (Tul.) Lind) infection. Foliar applied fertilizers had no positive effect on strawberry yield, average berry weight and berry firmness. Calcium nitrate applied to the soil decreased berry firmness. Biokal 01 and foliar applied calcium nitrate increased berry sucrose content. Fertilizers did not influence concentration of soluble solids, total sugars, ascorbic acid, nitrates and titratable acids.
Circadian activity rhythms in colonies of ‘blind’ Molerats, Cryptomys damarensis (Bathyergidae)

Various activity rhythms (general, feeding, and toilet) were measured under controlled laboratory conditions in two colonies of the Damara molerai Cryptomys damarensis, for 140 consecutive days (following a 30 day test period) under various photoperiod regimes (16:8 LD, 12:12 LD, and constant dark DD). As a general rule, all activities showed a significant diurnal rhythm with a period of 24 h under LD photoperiods. However, under a 16 : 8 LD photoperiod a very prominent activity component during the first part of the subjective night was observed, especially following a shift in photoperiod. The molerats responded rapidly to LD phase shifts. In constant dark, all activities had free-running periods of τ = 24,1-24,2 h, thus indicating that light can synchronize and entrain endogenous circadian rhythms in these molerats.
The Relationship Among Root Growth, Shoot Growth, and Fruit Growth of Peach

The number, length, and elongation rate of white roots were related to vegetative and reproductive growth of young own-rooted ‘Redhaven’ peach trees from June 1985 until Oct. 1986. Root growth of fruiting and nonfruiting trees were similar, except for a period of 3 to 4 weeks each year either during the final stage of fruit growth or immediately after harvest. During these periods, cropping reduced white root length per tree in both years, and total root growth per tree and number of growing root tips in 1986. Number of elongating root tips was correlated with total root elongation and was a better indicator of total root elongation than was mean root elongation rate of individual root tips.
SME DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE: EVIDENCE FROM GHANA AND SOUTH AFRICA

This paper raises the question of how SME development can be embedded into the process of structural change. The linkages between various transformations’ processes aimed at enhancing the role of SMEs in two countries in the SubSaharan African region as a new growth opportunity are highlighted. In addition, under rapidly changing economic conditions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are very likely to have a potential contribution to the economy. To the understanding of the interaction between SMEs, structural change and economic growth, this paper explores the nature of SME development, the nature of structural change, and the process of economic growth in Ghana and South Africa based on country-study by using the empirical data. Moreover, the development of the SME in the context of private sector development is studied through SME-policy.
Potencial de atividade alelopática de Gleichenia pectinata willd (PR.)

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a atividade alelopatica de diferentes extratos e fracoes semipurificadas de Gleichenia pectinata (Gleicheniaceae). Os extratos aquosos a 8,66% (p/v) e fracoes n-butanolicas (n-BuOH) a 3,84% (p/v) de plantas coletadas em tres estacoes do ano-outono (marco/94), inverno (junho/94) e primavera (dezembro/94) -, mostraram-se ativos em bioensaios de germinacao (papel filtro/placa-de-petri) de Clidemia hirta (L.) D. Don (Melastomataceae) e Lactuca sativa L. var. Grand Rapids (Compositae). Os extratos aquosos de G. pectinata nas tres estacoes provocaram um retardo no tempo de germinacao e aumentaram a taxa final de germinacao de sementes de C. hirta . A fronde jovem, especialmente do outono, e a que mais retarda a germinacao (22 dias), enquanto a fronde verde, da primavera, aumenta significativamente a taxa final de germinacao (de 43% para 89%). As fracoes n-BuOH de G. pectinata nas tres estacoes estudadas antecipam e aumentam a taxa final de germinacao de C. hirta , enquanto retardam e inibem a germinacao de L. sativa , especialmente a fronde jovem. Estes resultados colocam G. pectinata como fonte potencial de agentes alelopaticos, e pode ser util na pesquisa de modelos de novos herbicidas naturais.
Toward a Theory of Charitable Fund‐Raising

Private providers of public goods, such as charities, invariably enlist fund‐raisers to organize and collect contributions. Common in charitable fund‐raising is seed money, either from a government grant or from a group of “leadership givers,” that launches the fund drive and generates additional gifts. This paper provides a theoretical basis for fund‐raisers and seeds to charity. The primary assumption is that there is a range of increasing returns at low levels of provision of the public good. It is shown that fund‐raisers have a natural and important role, and that sometimes only a small amount of seed money can grow into a substantial charity.
Angiosperm diversification and Cretaceous floristic trends: a comparison of palynofloras and leaf macrofloras

Fossil leaves and palynomorphs represent different phases of the plant life cycle, are studied as systematically independent entities, and are subject to different taphonomic, sampling, and recognition biases in the paleobotanical record. They thus provide parallel, and largely independent, documentation of long-term trends in land plant diversity, and the palynological record may be used as a comparative test of floristic trends inferred from macrofossil evidence. Analyses of relative “species” richness in 91 macrofossil and 860 palynomorph Cretaceous “floras” (assemblages) from between 25° and 65° N paleolatitude show a major mid-Cretaceous increase in the within-flora diversity of angiosperms, from near 0% prior to the Aptian (120 Ma) to 50–80% by the end of the Maastrichtian (65 Ma). This level of diversity is attained rapidly in macrofloras, but more slowly in palynofloras. In the latest Cretaceous, macrofloras and palynofloras both indicate that “pteridophytes,” conifers, and other “gymnosperms” are generally less diverse than angiosperms. In both data sets, “pteridophyte” diversity shows a clear decline through the Cretaceous, whereas conifer diversity shows no marked temporal trend. Broad congruence of these patterns, in spite of different biases in the macrofossil and palynomorph records, indicates that they provide a robust reflection of floristic trends through the Cretaceous. Nevertheless, discrepancies between the patterns do occur and underline the importance of complementary macrofossil and palynological analyses for accurate resolution of long-term vegetational change.
Aristotelia and Vallea, closely related in Elaeocarpaceae

The genera Aristotelia L'Her. and Vallea L.f. are here considered to be more closely related to each other than either is to any other genus in Elaeocarpaceae. These conclusions are compared with some previously published findings. The five species of Aristotelia (from Australia, New Zealand and temperate South America) and the variable but probably single species of Vallea (montane tropical South America) are reviewed and flowers and fruits illustrated.
The Effects of Teneligliptin on Lipid Profile: A Prospective Study for Comparison of Biomarkers Before and After a Meal

Background: In the treatment of diabetes mellitus, it is important to prevent dyslipidemia, which is one of the complications. However, no study has examined the long-term effects of teneligliptin on the blood parameters of apolipoprotein B (apoB) after a meal in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: The effects of teneligliptin on blood glucose and lipids were examined by measurement of biomarkers before and after a meal. We gathered data before and after 6-month treatment in diabetic patients. Results: After treating 31 patients with teneligliptin for 6 months, the blood level of apoB-48, expressed as total area under the curve (tAUC), was significantly decreased. A multiple regression analysis of factors affecting the decreases in apoB-48 tAUC indicated that apoB-48 is more likely to decrease if it is higher at the start of testing, and that the apoB-48 tAUC value is more likely to fall in women than in men. Conclusions: Teneligliptin may be beneficial for the treatment of postprandial hyperlipidemia in diabetic patients. J Endocrinol Metab. 2020;10(3-4):79-88 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem679
New species of Blaesodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Ankarafantsika National Park in north-western Madagascar

We describe a new gecko of the genus Blaesodactylus from dry forest in Ankarafantsika National Park, western Madagascar. Blaesodactylus ambonihazo sp. nov. is distinguished by its medium size, small and homogeneous gular granules, unspotted ventral side, and lack of tubercles on distal part of original tail. The new species, for which we propose an IUCN Red List status of "Data Deficient", is also characterized by a strong differentiation in the mitochondrial DNA and a unique haplotype in the nuclear Rag-1 gene. The molecular data presented herein also confirm new locality records of Blaesodactylus antongilensis along the Malagasy east coast (Ambodiriana, Andaparaty, Befanjana and Sahafina). Within its known distribution area this species is genetically homogeneous in the markers studied. In contrast, the population of B. sakalava from the Tsingy de Bemaraha in central western Madagascar is genetically divergent compared to south-western specimens and needs further morphological and genetic studies to clarify its taxonomic status.
Growth performance of the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, fed varying inclusion levels of Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal

The efficacy of treated Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal as an ingredient in diet of the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, of mean weight 40.18±0.51g was evaluated over a 90-day growth period. Four experimental diets were formulated at 0% (control), 10%, 20% and 30% inclusion levels of treated Leucaena leaf meal. Leaves were treated by soaking in water for 3 days and sun-drying for another 3 days. A control diet of fish meal with fish meal serving as the only protein source was formulated. All diets were isonitrogenous (30% protein). The 90-day feeding experiment was conducted in concrete tanks, each treatment having three replicates. Fish fed 20% Leucaena leaf meal recorded the best growth performance in body weight gain and Specific Growth Rate (SGR), although the best Feed conversion Ration (FCR) was recorded for fish fed on the control diet of 0% Leucaena meal. There were no significant differences between fish fed the control diet and the other experimental (P>0.05). The study demonstrated that Leucaeana leucocephala leaf meal may be included in the diets of Clarias gariepinus at inclusion levels of up to 30% but it is efficacious and cost effective at 20% inclusion level. It is, therefore, recommended that Leucana leucocephala leaf meal be used to partially to replace the expensive and imported fish meal. @ JASEM
Fiber-reinforced Composite Space Maintainers: A Literature Review of their Survival Rate

Premature loss of posterior primary teeth necessitates space maintaining to prevent space loss and compromising the dentition. Conventional stainless steel band-and-loop space maintainer (BL-SM) is a non-invasive device commonly used to maintain space after the early loss of a single deciduous tooth until the permanent tooth erupts. However, these devices require laboratory work, consume time, and are relatively expensive. Clinically, they tend to fracture, bend or debond under occlusal forces, and they are not considered esthetic. Thus, alternatives to the BL-SM have been investigated. The fiber-reinforced composite space maintainer (FRC-SM) has various advantages and has been suggested as an alternative to the BL-SM. The aim of this review is to explore the survival rate of FRC-SM reported in the literature. We have found a wide variation in the reported results, with promising results shown for FRC-SM, especially over short periods. Therefore, longer follow-up periods, placement techniques and clinical effectiveness with respect to this type of space maintainer need to be further evaluated.
Effect of Picrorrhiza kurroa on growth performance and haematobiochemical parameters in induced ochratoxicosis of chickens

An experiment was conducted with an objective to study the toxic effects of the Ochratoxin A (OA) on haemato-biochemical parameters in broiler birds and the effect of the ethanolic extract of rhizome of Picrorrhiza kurroa (PK) to counteract the damage caused by this toxin. A total of 90 day-old male broiler chicks were divided in to six groups (Tc, TDc, T1, T2, T3 and T 4) of 15 birds in each. Birds of T 1 group received Ochratoxin A @ 1ppm in the feed, T2 group Ochratoxin A @ 1ppm+ drug (PK) extract @ 400mg/kg of feed, T3 group Ochratoxin A @ 2ppm, T4 group Ochratoxin A @ 2ppm + herbal drug (PK) extract 400mg/kg of feed, and Tc and TDc groups served as control and drug control, respectively. There were significant (P<0.05) reduction in total protein and albumin and increase in creatinine values in the birds of 1 ppm toxin fed group. In broiler birds of 2 ppm toxin fed group, there was a significant reduction in hemoglobin, TEC, TLC and PCV, glucose, total protein, albumin and globulin and increase in concentration of creatinine, uric acid, ALP and BUN values. There was a significant reduction in the body weight gain in all the treatment groups (T1 to T 4). The herbal plant extract of Picrorrhiza kurroa at the dose rate of 400 mg/kg of feed along with Ochratoxin A, employed in present study, did not show any significant improvement related to hemato-biochemical and body weight parameters in broilers.
Sparse, Robust and Discriminative Representation by Supervised Regularized Auto-encoder

— Recent researches have determined that regularized auto-encoders can provide a good representation of data which improves the performance of data classification. These type of auto-encoders provides a representation of data that has some degree of sparsity and is robust against variation of data to extract useful information and reveal the underlying structure of data. The present study aimed to propose a novel approach to generate sparse, robust, and discriminative features through supervised regularized auto-encoders, in which unlike most existing auto-encoders, the data labels are used during feature extraction to improve discrimination of the representation and also, the sparsity ratio of the representation is completely adaptive with data distribution. Results reveal that this method has better performance in comparison to other regularized auto-encoders regarding data classification.
Relationship between baseline triglyceride concentration and triglyceride reduction with 4 g/d long‐chain omega‐3 acid ethyl esters (1035.6)

Long‐chain omega‐3 acid ethyl esters (OM3‐EE) reduce plasma triglycerides; this effect appears to be larger in individuals with hypertriglyceridemia vs. those with lower fasting triglycerides (TG). Limited information exists on the relationship between baseline TG and the TG response to OM3‐EE. This investigation assessed the relationship between baseline fasting TG concentration and % reduction in TG with use of 4 g/d of OM3‐EE (eicosapentaenoic or eicosapentaenoic + docosahexaenoic acid EE). Data from 16 published studies were assessed. Baseline mean/median TG concentrations ranged from 113 to 1203 mg/dL. Linear and non‐linear regression models were fit to the mean/median values with baseline and % TG change as the independent and dependent variables, respectively. Both weighted and non‐weighted models were fit and provided similar results, thus unweighted results are reported. The model fit improved slightly with loge transformation of the response data (r2 = 0.636 vs. 0.620). The best fit regression line was % TG change = 24.986 – 8.912 (ln baseline TG), p<0.001. Using this equation, predicted TG changes are ‐19.7, ‐25.8, and ‐32.0% with mean/median baseline TG concentrations of 150, 300, and 500 mg/dL, respectively. These findings confirm the relationship between baseline TG concentration and TG response, and provide a means for predicting response for clinical trial planning.
Policy Mix and Non-Oil Output in Nigeria: The Case of Fiscal and Monetary Policies

The shift from the non-oil sector to the oil sector affects the production base of the Nigerian economy and brings about Dutch Disease which rendered the economy susceptible to worries associated with the crude oil price in the international market and crude oil output. Consequently, the need for macroeconomic polies to redirect the economy from the oil to the non-oil based, Thus, the paper assessed policy mix and non-oil output in Nigeria for the period 1990–2019. The objectives of the study was to; examined the effect of fiscal policy in terms of government capital spending and value-added tax (VAT) on non-oil output in Nigeria; and examine the effect of monetary policy in terms of broad money supply and real exchange rate on non-oil output in Nigeria. The study made use of secondary data collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin and applied the Vector Error Correction Method (VECM). Other tests carried out include: stationary and co-integration tests. The results of the ADF unit root and Johansen cointegration tests showed that all the variables were stationary at order one and were indeed cointegrated. The VECM result showed that the R is 65%; this indicated that the model is a good fit. Original Research Article Emmanuel et al.; SAJSSE, 8(1): 22-29, 2020; Article no.SAJSSE. 61216 23 The long-run VECM results showed that there is a long-run causality running from the independent variables to the dependent variable. The short-run VECM result showed that, there is a direct but insignificant relationship between government capital spending and non-oil GDP. Also, there is a direct but insignificant relationship between broad money supply and non-oil GDP. Meanwhile, there is a negative and insignificant relationship between VAT and non-oil output. But the real exchange rate exerts a negative and significant relationship with non-oil output. Owing to the findings, it was concluded that the combination of the policy mix in terms of fiscal and monetary policies are important drivers of the output of the non-oil sector. But constraint in the form of negative relationship between VAT and non-oil output is inimical to the growth of the non-oil sector. Based on these findings, the study recommended amongst others that macroeconomic policies in term of effective use of government revenue from VAT and strong value of the naira in-term of the U.S dollar should be well directed at increase the output of the non-oil sector.
Grain size and other agronomical traits variation in a winter wheat population of doubled haploid lines

In wheat, the size of the grain, respectively its dimensions as well as degree of filled, are important characteristics on which depends both the weight of the grain and yield of flour, the quality of milling and baking as well as the production capacity of the respective genotype. This paper presents the results obtained by studying for three years, under field condition, 85 doubled haploid (DH) lines obtained from the F1’s of ‘G.603-86’ (large grains genotype) × ‘F.132’ (normal grains genotype) crosses using biotechnological Zea system. The environmental conditions of the three years had an important contribution on the genotype × year interaction, which showed also a higher influence on 1000 kernel weight (TKW). The variability of plant height and ear emergence data was also affected to a similar extent by this interaction. Based on the performed results and analyses, were highlighted lines which show high and stable values of TKW (54-64 g), associated with a plants height of approximately 85-100 cm and an ear emergence from May 11 to 17, under some climatic conditions similar to the period of study. These doubled haploids lines can be considered as promising genotypes for using in wheat breeding programs in order to improve yield performances under temperate continental climate conditions.
Strain rates effect of dynamic compression properties of E-glass / jute composite

Presently, the application of natural fibres widely gains attention from academia and industries as an alternative material in the composite system. The introduction of the hybrid composite using natural and synthetic fibres is extensively investigated on the static mechanical properties. However, the investigation on the high strain-rates effect is less reported due to the difficulty of the experimental set-up as well as the limitation of dynamic testing apparatus. The split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was utilised in this present study to characterise the dynamic mechanical properties of the hybrid composite between E-glass with jute fibres at three different strain rates of 755, 1363, and 2214 s−1. Results showed that the dynamic compression stress and strain of the tested samples significantly influenced by the value of strain rates applied. The E-glass/jute sample exhibited the strain-rate dependent behaviour, whereby the higher dynamic mechanical properties were recorded when the higher strain rates were imposed. The difference between maximum dynamic stress was 12.1 and 23.9% when the strain rates were increased from 755 to 1363 s−1 and 1363 to 2214 s−1, respectively. In terms of compressive strain, the maximum compressive strain was recorded when the lower strain rates were imposed during testing.