Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictores del rendimiento académico en las titulaciones de Administración y Dirección de Empresas: el efecto de la especialidad en bachillerato

This paper analyzes the effect of high school specialty on academic performance, both in the first year of university and in the degree as a whole, for business related degrees. In order to study this effect, an analysis has been carried out, with data corresponding to seven different degrees and six cohorts of students, who entered the university between the academic years 2012- 2013 and 2017-2018, obtaining a final sample of 3412 students. Multiple linear regression models have been adjusted, using the adequate techniques to deal with heteroskedasticity produced by dropouts during the first year, as well as multicollinearity due to interactions. These models, in addition to the variable under study, incorporate as control variables those identified in the previous literature as key predictors of academic performance, and a Backward Stepwise Selection strategy has been used for variable selection. The results indicate that, in business related degrees, students from science specialty generally obtain better results during the first year than those who studied the specialty of humanities and social sciences. However, when the degree as a whole is analyzed, these differences disappear. Therefore, we conclude that high school specialty in sciences confers an advantage at the beginning of the university studies. It has also been confirmed that, in degrees with hardly any quantitative load, the effect of the specialty in high school is not a relevant variable to explain academic performance at the university, that is, results are similar regardless of the specialty of origin.
Hate Speech Detection in Twitter using Transformer Methods

Social media networks such as Twitter are increasingly utilized to propagate hate speech while facilitating mass communication. Recent studies have highlighted a strong correlation between hate speech propagation and hate crimes such as xenophobic attacks. Due to the size of social media and the consequences of hate speech in society, it is essential to develop automated methods for hate speech detection in different social media platforms. Several studies have investigated the application of different machine learning algorithms for hate speech detection. However, the performance of these algorithms is generally hampered by inefficient sequence transduction. The Vanilla recurrent neural networks and recurrent neural networks with attention have been established as state-of-the-art methods for the assignments of sequence modeling and sequence transduction. Unfortunately, these methods suffer from intrinsic problems such as long-term dependency and lack of parallelization. In this study, we investigate a transformer-based method and tested it on a publicly available multiclass hate speech corpus containing 24783 labeled tweets. DistilBERT transformer method was compared against attention-based recurrent neural networks and other transformer baselines for hate speech detection in Twitter documents. The study results show that DistilBERT transformer outperformed the baseline algorithms while allowing parallelization.
Size-Structured Multi-Species Model of Rain Forest Trees

On the basis of permanent plot research in a warm−temperate rain forest in southern Japan dominated by evergreen broad-leaved trees, a multi-species model of size-structured tree populations is proposed, which takes into account the effect of one-sided competition. The strength of the density effect due to one-sided competition for light on a forest tree of a given size is expressed in terms of the cumulative basal area of trees irrespective of species larger than this tree in the forest stand (.)
Efficacy and Safety of Oral Ivermectin and Topical Permethrin in the Treatment of Scabies

Background: Scabies is one of the most common skin diseases in our country. It is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis, which is an ecto-parasite infesting the epidermis. Scabies is highly contagious. Prevalence is high in congested or densely populated areas. Individuals with close contact with an affected person should be treated with scabicidal which is available in both oral and topical formulations. The only oral but highly effective scabicidal known to date is Ivermectin. Amongst topical preparations, Permethrin 5 % cream is the treatment of choice. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy & safety of oral Ivermectin compared to topical Permethrin in the treatment of scabies. Methodology: This prospective, non-randomized study was conducted at the out-patient department of Dermatology and Venereology of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College & Hospital over a period of 6 months, from August 2016 to January 2017. The study population consisted of one hundred patients having scabies, enrolled according to inclusion criteria. They were divided into two groups. group A was subjected to oral Ivermectin and the group B to Permethrin 5% cream. Patients were followed up on day 7 and 14 for assessment of efficacy and safety. Result: The mean scoring with SD in group A (Ivermectin) and group B (Permethrin) were 8.26 ± 2.22 and 7.59 ± 2.01 respectively at the time of observation. The difference between the mean score of the two group is not significant (p=0.117) the mean scoring with SD in group A and group B were 4.54 ± 2.05 and 1.64 ± 1.84 respectively at 7thdays. The difference between the mean score of the two group is significant (p<0.001). The mean scoring with SD in group A and group B were 2.68± 2.35 and . 36± 1.10 respectively at 14th day difference between the mean score of the group is significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: Topical application of permethrin 5% cream is more effective and safer than oral Ivermectin in the treatment of scabies. TAJ 2020; 33(1): 41-47
Knowledge of Modern Contraceptives Methods and Its Uptake Among Female Students of a Tertiary Educational Institution in South- South Nigeria

Background: The use of modern forms of contraception can significantly improve women reproductive health. The rate of sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancies and maternal morbidity and mortality can be significantly reduced following the use of modern forms of contraception. However, there is paucity of studies on the place of modern forms of contraception in improving women reproductive health in Yenagoa. Objective: This study aimed to access the knowledge of modern forms of contraceptive methods and its uptake among female students of Federal University Otueke, Bayelsa State. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted among the female students of Federal University Otueke Bayelsa State. To elicit information about their knowledge of modern forms of contraceptives methods and its uptake. A structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain required information for the study from a total of 424 students. Results: A total of 424 female undergraduates students of the Federal University Otueke were enrolled for the study. The mean age group of the participants was 20.9±3.2 years. The study showed that most of responds have good knowledge of contraceptives (97.4 %). The awareness of family planning was 96.7%. The study showed that age was found to influence the awareness of contraceptives. (x2=11.8;df=3;p<0.05). Most of the respondents had used oral contraceptive pills 146 (34.4%); followed by those that had used Condom 138 (32.5%). Conclusion: Our study showed that the respondents demonstrated a high level of knowledge and awareness of family planning. However, it is worrisome to note that the uptake of modern forms of contraceptives was low. The importance of improving the uptake of these forms of contraceptives cannot be over-emphasized, especially in our societies where the protection of the reproductive health of young women is paramount.
A freshwater fish biomonitor for EDCs in Southern Victoria

Recent biomonitoring programs throughout Australia have revealed detectable release of steroidal hormones into waterways through Waste Water Treatment Plants and feedlot effluents. However, despite recent advances, it is difficult to determine whether the concentrations of these hormones are sufficient to produce effects on freshwater fish populations, and their potential effects on freshwater indigenous fish are still largely unknown. Further laboratory and field studies are needed to assess the impact of these chemicals in Australian aquatic ecosystems and especially on native fish. The identification of appropriate species, which are likely to be useful indicators of endocrine disruption in field conditions, is one of the key stages in a research strategy for investigating the ecological effects of endocrine disruption. This review aims to evaluate the potential of indigenous freshwater fish species of Southern Victoria for biomonitoring endocrine disruptive effects in the laboratory and in the field. We reviewed the characteristics of indigenous freshwater fish species found in the Southern Victoria catchments, and their life history patterns, as selection criteria for a "biomonitor'. Nineteen fish species were considered, and three species were identified as potential biomonitors that may justify further investigation for the development of toxicity tests and as biomarkers of endocrine disruption. These three species are the Australian smelt (Retropinna semoni), flathead gudgeon (Philypnodon grandiceps) and the southern pygmy perch (Nannoperca australis).
Hydration-mediated G-protein–coupled receptor activation

G‐protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell membrane‐bound receptors in humans. They are involved with sensing molecules outside the cell and the subsequent transduction of this signal to activate intracellular signaling pathways. Rhodopsin is a canonical GPCR, which upon photoactivation undergoes a series of conformational changes leading to a chemical equilibrium between closed inactive Metarhodopsin I (Meta‐I ) and open active Metarhodopsin II (Meta‐II ) states. According to molecular dynamics simulation work carried out by Nicholas Leioatts et al [1] activation of rhodopsin leads to an increase in hydrated protein volume in the active Meta‐II state. Using UV‐visible spectroscopy, we tested this hypothesis by evaluating how the Meta‐I/Meta‐II equilibrium is influenced by changing the osmotic pressure of aqueous environment of the protein in native lipid membrane. We discovered that osmolytes of varying molar mass affect rhodopsin activation differently by altering the Meta‐I/Meta‐II equilibrium. Large osmolytes shift the equilibrium to the inactive Meta‐I state, in conjunction with the efflux of water. By contrast, small osmolytes shift the equilibrium toward Meta‐II state. We attribute the shift caused by large osmolytes to the ability of these osmolytes to remove large quantities of water from the protein interior. Since these osmolytes are large, they are entropically hindered from penetrating into the protein core, and thus withdraw water to collapse the protein into the inactive Meta‐I state. Small osmolytes are able to enter into the protein core, minimizing the effect of withdrawing water from the protein as seen with larger osmolytes, although the reversal effect is still not fully understood. Further work will seek to determine whether this effect is robust with respect to type of osmolyte (e.g. Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone, dextran), and how the effect is altered when the lipid environment of the protein is changed.
Aspectos fisiológicos e qualidade de mudas da pimenteira em resposta ao vigor e condicionamento das sementes

Pepperis a fruit of the genus Capsicum, widely used in cooking as a seasoning. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of priming in Capsicum frutescens seeds, and on the seedlings obtained from seeds conditioned. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme 2x6, referred to as: seed quality (above and below vigor) and five agents in priming (water, potassium nitrate at 0.2%, calcium nitrate at 0.2%, gibberellin GA 3 at 200 ppm and antioxidant riboflavin at 25 ppm), and the control; with four replications. To obtain of seeds with smaller vigor minus the deterioration was performed at 42 °C for 24 hours. The employee priming method was to hydration between roles, by 20 hours at 25 ° C period. Germination and seed vigor were evaluated, as well as the emergence and seedling quality. Seeds with above vigor have better expression of the physiological potential in relation to the below vigor. The priming presented higher emergence rate. Primed seeds produced seedlings with higher dry matter.
Later Prehistoric and Norse Communities in the Northern Isles: Multi-Proxy Environmental Investigations on Orkney

ABSTRACT Little is known about the impact that Norse communities had on the landscape of Orkney. To redress this, a palaeoenvironmental investigation was conducted from the infilled Loch of Tuquoy, a basin located close to the high-status Norse farmstead and Crosskirk at Tuquoy on Westray, Orkney. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, microscopic charcoal, sediment geochemistry and mineral magnetic measurements were performed on a 2.25 m core. The results suggest that a cultural landscape had already been established before the Loch's record commenced. The landscape was subsequently characterised by the near-continuous activity of a mixed agrarian economy that intensified from c. 900–150 cal. BC, and between cal. AD 700 and 1550, the latter encompassing the Norse occupation of the Tuquoy farmstead. Palynological evidence suggests that the land was used for pasture and to cultivate cereals. While the landscape was largely treeless from 900 cal. BC onwards, minor woodland/scrub clearance occurred in both periods. The Norse palaeoeconomy seems to have been a continuation of earlier practices but caused a significant change in the source of sediments deposited into the loch. Whilst the sediment geochemistry revealed little evidence for ironworking, lead concentrations show a series of peaks during the Iron Age on Orkney indicative of regional-scale pollution.
Effects of Algebraic Process Board Game on Students Interests and Achievement in Algebra

The study investigated the effects of algebraic process board game on senior secondary students interest and achievement in algebra. Four research questions and four null hypotheses were formulated. Design for the study was a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control groups pre-test and post-test design. The population for the study comprised of all the 5210 senior secondary students in the area of study while the simple random sampling technique was used to draw four senior secondary schools (SSS) with 455 students as the sample. Two schools each were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups. Mathematics interest inventory (MII) and mathematics achievement test (MAT) of multiple choice type, developed by the researchers validated and yielded reliability coefficient of 0.74 and 0.71 respectively were used for data collection. The treatment group was taught algebra using algebraic process board game while the control group was taught using conventional talk and chalk method. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while` the hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA at an alpha level of 0.05. The results revealed that the Algebraic Process Board Game is superior to the conventional method in facilitating interest and achievement but no significance interaction between gender and method. The researchers therefore recommended that the algebraic process board game approach should be used in teaching algebra. Keywords: Algebraic Process, Board Game. DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-29-05 Publication date :October 31 st 2019
Statistics and partitioning of species diversity, and similarity among multiple communities

Species richness, Shannon information, and Simpson diversity are the three most commonly used nonparametric measures of species diversity. The sampling bias and variance of these measures differ greatly. Species richness may be seriously underestimated for even very large samples from a speciose community. The bias in species richness and Shannon information depend on unknown parameters of the species abundance distribution. An unbiased estimator exists only for Simpson diversity. Each of these measures is concave, so that the total diversity in a pooled set of communities exceeds (or equals) the average diversity within communities. The total diversity in a set of communities can therefore be partitioned into positive, additive components within and among communities, corresponding to α- and β-diversity. Partitioning Simpson diversity corresponds to an analysis of variance. The proportion of the total diversity found within communities provides a natural measure of similarity among multiple communities. The expected similarity among multiple random samples from the same community depends on the number of samples and on the underlying measure of diversity.
Reproductive aspects of Hyalella carstica (Amphipoda: Hyalellidae) in a natural environment in southeastern Brazil

The reproductive aspects of populations are important determinants of their ability to maintain themselves throughout time. In the case of amphipods from the genus Hyalella Smith, 1874, the reproductive period is easily determined by the presence of ovigerous females and pre-copula pairs in the population. This study evaluated the fecundity, pairing patterns and reproduction period of Hyalella carstica Bastos-Pereira and Bueno, 2012 in a karst environment in the West of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Monthly, from April, 2010 to April, 2011, amphipods were sampled using a hand net with 15 cm diameter and 250 µm mesh size. In the laboratory, animals were sexed and measured, and the ovigerous state of females was evaluated. Couples in pre-copula and ovigerous females were found throughout the year, with the exception of the dry months (September−November). During drought, the stream's superficial water dried out, and only a few refuges for the population remained. Although couples were found in all months with a water flow, a higher number of unpaired males and females was found after the dry season. In all months, ovigerous females were more abundant than non-ovigerous, and the relationship between head length and the number of eggs in the marsupium was positive. Most eggs were in the first developmental stage, although all other stages were found before the dry season. Considering the frequency of pre-copula pairs, as well as ovigerous females, the reproduction in this H. carstica population seems to be continuous throughout the year, without a distinct peak.
Change on morphometry of lodicules, grains and spikes of barley landraces (Hordeum vulgare L.) under soil and climate conditions of three agroclimatic environments

Rahal-Bouziane, H. , Bradai, F. , Chedjerat, A. , Alane, F. , Merdas, S. , Berkani, S. , Aggoun, I. , & Oumata, S. (2020). Change on morphometry of lodicules, grains and spikes of barley landraces (Hordeum vulgare L.) under soil and climate conditions of three agroclimatic environments. Bulgarian Journal of Soil Science Agrochemisty and Ecology, 54(3), 3-14. Barley is a strategic crop worldwide predominantly cleistogamous. This automatic self-pollination favorable among others for spike resistance to Fusarium and to Ustillago nuda is essentially assured by lodicules in grain. The study of the impact of environment conditions on the expression of lodicule traits beside other grain and spike parameters and their relationships can be useful for breeding programs. The principal aim of this study was to test four barley cultivars under three different agroclimatic conditions using some traits related to lodicules, grains and spikes. Except for thousand grain weight for which interaction genotype x environment was no significant, for the other traits namely spike length, grains per spike, awn length, grain length, grain width and in lodicules (length and width of principal lobe, length of higher hair of principal lobe and length of lateral lobe), interaction between the genotype x environment was significantly very high, significantly high or at least significant. The morphometric traits explaining the greatest variation among genotypes through the locations were: thousand grain weight, spike length, grain width, width of principal lobe and length of lateral lobe in lodicules. The pedoclimatic parameters influencing the variation among genotypes were in descending level of importance: soil pH followed by average temperature, rainfall and by the soil electrical conductivity. Some interesting correlations among others were found. It was the case for the width of principal lobe of lodicules which was negatively correlated with the thousand grain weight and with the spike length. These later were positively and strongly correlated between them and were correlated positively with grain width. The number of grains per spike was positively correlated with rainfall. Heading date was positively very highly correlated with the soil pH and strongly but it was negatively correlated with temperature and negatively significantly with rainfall. Also pH of soil and grain ash content correlated negatively with rainfall.
Bacteriocin Produced by Pediococcus sp. in Kimchi and Its Characteristics

【A bacteriocin-producing strain identified as Pediococcus acidilactici was isolated from kimchi. The bacteriocin was identified to belong to the pediocin family and exhibited bactericidal activity against most Gram-positive bacteria as well as some Gram-negative bacteria. The bacteriocin was stable up to $80^{\circ}C with wide pH ranges (5.0-10.0). The bactericidal activity remained unchanged after treatment with nonproteolytic enzymes such as nuclease and ${\alpha}$ -amylase, however, it was destroyed after treatment with protease. The bacteriocin was effectively extracted by the pH-mediated adsorption-desorption method and purified effectively by semi-preparative RP-HPLC. The molecular weight of the bacteriocin was 4,622, as determined by electrospray mass spectrometry. The amino acid sequence consisted of 44 amino acid residues with four cysteines. The high solubility and pH stability of the isolated pediocin provide definite advantages over nisin and other bacteriocins in regards to its potential applications. 】
Evaluating the Effects of Anti-Viral Therapy on Insulin Resistance and Diabetic Status in Chronic Hepatitis C patients

Background and study aim: Chronically Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patient, develops many complications, as liver cirrhosis, diabetes, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed at evaluation of direct acting anti-viral therapy effect on insulin resistance (IR) and glycemic status in CHC patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 3 months after the end of treatment. Patients and Methods: This prospective work included 72 (better patients) with CHC and type 2 diabetes. All were enrolled for anti-viral therapy at the center for treatment of viral hepatitis in Ismailia Governorate during the period from September 2015 to September 2016. Data from patients’ candidate for anti-viral therapy was collected at pretreatment and after 12 weeks of therapy. The data including, FBS, IR by Homa IR index and quantitative HCV-RNA. Results: There was a significant decrease in the mean fasting blood sugar (FBS) had occurred after treatment with anti-HCV therapy (p < 0.0001). Also, a significant decrease in the mean of HOMA-IR had occurred after treatment with anti-HCV therapy (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: A significant improvement in FBS as well as IR was declared after successful HCV treatment.