Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF MIXED-GENDER STREAMING ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE: A CASE STUDY OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of mixed-gender streaming on the performance of senior secondary school level students in English language in Niger State. In the course of the work, the researcher compared the performance of male and female students in the mixed-gender streams in English Language. The population of the study was 53,468 from 248 schools of both single and mixed gender streams. Out of this, one mixed-gender class of forty-four students was sampled from senior secondary schools in Minna metropolis. The researcher used quasi-experimental research design. The instruments used for data collection were the NECO 2011 November/December past question papers that served as the test instruments, the curriculum content and prepared lesson notes used during treatment. Frequency counts and the Arithmetic means were used for descriptive analysis. The t-test statistical technique was used for inferential analysis to test the hypotheses. This study is anchored on Bandura (1986)’s social learning theory. This theory emphasisis the importance of biological, social and cultural impacts on human behavioural development and learning especially on gender and genders specific traits and roles. The results revealed that there was no significant difference between the performance of male and female students in mixedgender streaming. The female students, however, performed better than the male ones and the results of the two genders were generally poor. It was therefore, concluded that the mixedgender streaming was less effective in enhancing better academic performance especially in English language in Niger State. Consequently, the researcher recommends that the Niger State Government review the system for better repositioning.
Principles of Magnetic Hyperthermia: A Focus on Using Multifunctional Hybrid Magnetic Nanoparticles

Hyperthermia is a noninvasive method that uses heat for cancer therapy where high temperatures have a damaging effect on tumor cells. However, large amounts of heat need to be delivered, which could have negative effects on healthy tissues. Thus, to minimize the negative side effects on healthy cells, a large amount of heat must be delivered only to the tumor cells. Magnetic hyperthermia (MH) uses magnetic nanoparticles particles (MNPs) that are exposed to alternating magnetic field (AMF) to generate heat in local regions (tissues or cells). This cancer therapy method has several advantages, such as (a) it is noninvasive, thus requiring surgery, and (b) it is local, and thus does not damage health cells. However, there are several issues that need to achieved: (a) the MNPs should be biocompatible, biodegradable, with good colloidal stability (b) the MNPs should be successfully delivered to the tumor cells, (c) the MNPs should be used with small amounts and thus MNPs with large heat generation capabilities are required, (d) the AMF used to heat the MNPs should meet safety conditions with limited frequency and amplitude ranges, (e) the changes of temperature should be traced at the cellular level with accurate and noninvasive techniques, (f) factors affecting heat transport from the MNPs to the cells must be understood, and (g) the effect of temperature on the biological mechanisms of cells should be clearly understood. Thus, in this multidisciplinary field, research is needed to investigate these issues. In this report, we shed some light on the principles of heat generation by MNPs in AMF, the limitations and challenges of MH, and the applications of MH using multifunctional hybrid MNPs.
Enhancing Load Capacity of Plastic Gears Via the Application of Woven Composite Blankets

In this work, the application of a woven composite fabric covering the surface of the fillets of the teeth of plastic gears is proposed to increase their loading capacity. Tip-relief is also applied to avoid severe edge contacts and peaks of high contact stresses as well as to achieve a smooth load transfer between consecutive pairs of contacting teeth. The investigation is carried out using the finite element method (IGD/ANSYS). A five-tooth model is applied for the gears, and nylon and carbon/nylon are adopted as materials. The evolution of the maximum contact stresses as well as maximum bending stresses is evaluated over two cycles of meshing for both the pure plastic (nylon) gears and the gears with the composite blanket (carbon/nylon). The results indicate that, for the case considered, covering the fillets of the gears with composite blankets reduces the bending stresses in the plastic material at the fillet region but does not consistently alleviate the contact stresses, and subjects the composite blankets to high level of stresses. However, in general, for the specific case studied, the set of gears safely tolerated double the torque recommended by VDI 2545 standard and consequently may be a viable method for increasing the load capacity of plastic gears.
Evaluation of a Community-Based Osteoporosis Educational Program

Evaluation of a Community-Based Osteoporosis Educational Program Cynthia A. Smith Background Research has shown low levels of osteoporosis knowledge and utilization of bone healthy behaviors among community members. Osteoporosis educational programs have been shown to improve osteoporosis knowledge and bone healthy behaviors. A review of the literature on community-based osteoporosis education is suggestive a onetime program led by nurse would be of benefit. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an osteoporosis workshop led by a nurse practitioner that was held in a fitness center. Objectives Objectives of this evaluation include enhancing subjects’ knowledge about osteoporosis and bone healthy behaviors, improving participants’ perception of meeting personal bone healthy goals, improving participants’ daily calcium and vitamin D intake, and improving subjects’ physical activity levels. Design A repeated-measures design with measurements taken pre-intervention, immediately postintervention and one month post-intervention was used. Osteoporosis knowledge, subject perception of meeting bone healthy goals, daily calcium and vitamin D intake, and physical activity levels were measured. An anonymous survey was given to the subjects immediately post-intervention regarding their opinions and suggestions for the program. Subjects The population focus for the intervention was those at high risk for osteoporosis, postmenopausal women and men aged 50 years old and older. Results Subject perception of meeting personal bone healthy goals significantly improved postintervention. Osteoporosis knowledge significantly improved immediately post-intervention and at one month post-intervention. Daily supplemental and total calcium and vitamin D intakes increased significantly post-intervention. Significant increases in the days of the week and time spent engaging in moderate physical activity levels were found. The time spent walking on a typical day increased significantly. The majority of subjects reported the workshop was helpful and would recommend it to others. Recommendations The results of this study indicate a community-based osteoporosis educational intervention led by a nurse practitioner and held in a fitness center does improve participant perception of meeting bone healthy goals, osteoporosis knowledge, and the bone healthy behaviors of adequate daily calcium/vitamin D intakes and increased physical activity. Further studies using this intervention in more diverse populations are recommended.
Prevalence of double burden of malnutrition among urban school going Bodo children aged 5-11 years of Assam, Northeast India

Background: Overweight, obesity and thinness are major important determinants of adverse public health issues, which lead to the development of several preventable non-communicable disease and ill-health conditions. Aims and objectives: The objectives of the present study were to assess the prevalence and certain socioeconomic and demographic factors affecting the double burden of malnutrition among urban children of Assam, Northeast India. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was undertaken among 1017 (528 boys; 489 girls) the tribal Bodo children aged 5-11 years of Udalguri district of Assam, Northeast India by using the stratified random sampling method. Height and weight were obtained using standard anthropometric procedures and Body Mass Index (BMI=weight/height2, kg/m2) was calculated. The prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity was assessed by using recently proposed age-sex specific BMI based international classification/reference of Cole et al. Results: The overall prevalence of overweight (boys 13.45%; girls 11.04%) was found slightly greater than obesity (boys 11.93%; girls 10.02%). The result showed that 10.23% and 11.04% were suffering from thinness among boys and girls, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the odds were found to be significantly associated with ≤ 10th standard mothers' education, 1st earning head and Rupees <10000 income households (p<0.05) for thinness. Similarly, greater risks were observed in 5-6 years, 7-9 years, ≥7 household members and a lower association with ≤ 10th standard mothers’ education for being overweight-obesity (p<0.05). Conclusion: The emergence of overweight-obesity with higher degree of thinness, hence the prevalence of ‘double burden of malnutrition’ in this population. Appropriate nutritional intervention programmes, dissemination of nutrition related awareness among parents and community level are necessary to reduce the future possibility of double malnutrition burden among other ethnic populations of India.
Repressive adaptive style, disease severity, and psychological functioning of adolescents with inflammatory bowel diseases

The impact of a repressive adaptive style on disease status, self-reports of psychological functioning, self-reports of quality of life, and disease severity indices was examined among adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (n = 42) and healthy peers (n = 302). As predicted, a larger proportion of adolescent with a repressive adaptive style (38.1%) was found among patients with IBD than among healthy controls (18.5%). In line with prior studies, lower reports of anger expression and depression were found among teen repressors than among nonrepressors across groups. Teen repressors with IBD reported higher levels of quality of life than high anxious and similar levels to low anxious, suggesting that they experience minimal symptoms of the disease. However, their disease severity indices were higher than low anxious patients and similar to those of high anxious patients, indicating worse health functioning. Across disease status and adaptive style groups, parent-adolescent agreement was high. Finally, High concordance rates were found among adaptive style paradigms when depression or anger expression was substituted for anxiety as the repressed affects. Absolute agreement between paradigms was 92% for depression and 93% for anger expression, respectively, when participants were dichotomized into repressors versus nonrepressors.
A STRIGIL FROM ROMAN JORDAN: EVIDENCE FOR PERSONAL CARE (CASE STUDY)

A totally preserved bronze strigil (cleaning blade) from the collection of the Ahli Bank Numismatic Museum in Amman is critically discussed and compared to similar ones typologically and microscopically. In the Graeco-Roman world, strigils were objects associated with personal hygiene that are frequently found in baths, gymnasia, healing sanctuaries, and tombs. This implement is rare among archaeological finds in Jordan and there
THE MODERATING ROLE OF SELF- EFFICACY IN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OCCUPATIONAL STRESS WITH ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FACULTY MEMBERS OF URMIA UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

Background & Aims : The aim of the present study was to examine the moderating role of self-efficacy in relationship between occupational stress with Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Job satisfaction among faculty members of Urmia University of Medical Sciences. Materials & Methods :The statistical population of the study includes faculty members of Urmia University of Medical Sciences. The sample of the study consists of 149 selected through random sampling. The methodology used in this study is descriptive of correlation type. The date were collected through questionnaire consists of self- efficacy (Mallse, 2008), Hoy and Palao Organizational Citizenship Behavior(2004), Brayfield Job satisfaction(1951), Havs & Rezoo occupational stress (1972) questionnaire. The coefficient of reliability is in order: . /73, . /74, . /75, . /76. To analyze the data, the study uses some techniques such as decretive statistics, average, standard deviation, and some inferential statistics such as coefficient of correlation and T, F test, and analysis of variance. Results: The results of the study indicates that there is significant and negative relationship between occupational stress with self- efficacy, Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Job satisfaction. There is significant relationship between self- efficacy with Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Job satisfaction. Meanwhile, self- efficacy in relationship between occupational stress, Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Job satisfaction have moderating role. Conclusion: The research shows that the university officials should plan for ongoing evaluation of occupational stress, job satisfaction and organizational factors among faculty members of the university.
Non-Orthogonal Unicast and Broadcast Transmission via Joint Beamforming and LDM in Cellular Networks

Abstract-Research efforts to incorporate multicast and broadcast transmission into the cellular network architecture are gaining momentum, particularly for multimedia streaming applications. Layered division multiplexing (LDM), a form of nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA), can potentially improve unicast throughput and broadcast coverage with respect to traditional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (FDM) or time division multiplexing (TDM), by simultaneously using the same frequency and time resources for multiple unicast or broadcast transmissions. In this paper, the performance of LDM-based unicast and broadcast transmission in a cellular network is studied by assuming a single frequency network (SFN) operation for the broadcast layer, while allowing for arbitrarily clustered cooperation for the transmission of unicast data streams. Beamforming and power allocation between unicast and broadcast layers, and hence the so-called injection level in the LDM literature, are optimized with the aim of minimizing the sum-power under constraints on the user-specific unicast rates and on the common broadcast rate. The problem is tackled by means of successive convex approximation (SCA) techniques, as well as through the calculation of performance upper bounds by means of semidefinite relaxation (SDR). Numerical results are provided to compare the orthogonal and non-orthogonal multiplexing of broadcast and unicast traffic.
The stress of fire fighting - implications for long term health outcomes

Fire and rescue staff routinely endure significant psychological and environmental stress exposure on the job. While much has been done to improve understanding of the physiological effects of exposure to these conditions, little has been done to quantify the inflammatory stress response that firefighters are exposed to during wildfire suppression. Therefore the aim of the present study was to explore whether firefighters experienced a change in inflammatory markers following one day, and across two days of wildfire suppression tasks. Twelve male fire-fighters participated in two consecutive days of live-fire prescribed burn operations in Ngarkat National Park, South Australia. Typical work tasks included lighting burns, patrolling containment lines, supressing spot fires, and operating vehicles. A number of the inflammatory markers changed significantly across the course of a shift and several presented with an attenuated response across the second day. This finding implies that there was a compounding effect of repeated exposure to these stressors which could have considerable implications for managing fire-fighters health and wellbeing over a multi-day campaign. Further research is required to see which fire ground stressor, or combination of stressors is causing these changes in the inflammatory markers across consecutive work shifts.
OPTIMIZING OPERATIONS SEQUENCE USING MODERN PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM

Operation sequencing as a part of the process planning problem has shown to be a complex optimization challenge in the literature belonging to the class of non-deterministic polynomial problems. Here, operation sequencing problem is represented on a simplified example from the literature and optimized using a metaheuristic approach. Precedence relationships among operations for appropriate features are defined and adjacency matrix is formed. The optimization methodology is based on the modern particle swarm optimization algorithm (mPSO) whose performances are enhanced by chaotic maps and genetic components, such as crossover and two mutation operators. The main focus of this work is on reducing the optimal cost of operation sequence with determination of an appropriate tool and TAD candidate for each operation in a sequence. One case study was conducted in order to test the performances of the proposed algorithm which proved to be very efficient for the simplified operation sequencing problem with excluded machines alternatives.
Dynamics of Cyanobacteria and Related Environmental Drivers in Freshwater Bodies Affected by Mitten Crab Culturing: A Study of Lake Guchenghu, China

Mitten crab aquaculture is prevalent in China, however, knowledge about the threat of cyanobacteria in mitten crab aquaculture-impacted water bodies is limited. Here, seasonal variations of cyanobacteria and their relationships with environmental factors were investigated for Lake Guchenghu area. Results suggested the changes of cyanobacteria community in crab ponds distinguished from the adjacent lake. In the lake, cyanobacterial biomass (3.86 mg/L, 34.6% of the total phytoplankton) was the highest in autumn with the dominance of Oscillatoria, Aphanocapsa and Pesudanabaena. By contrast, in crab ponds, cyanobacteria (46.80 mg/L, 97.2% of the total phytoplankton biomass) were the most abundant in summer when Pesudanabaena and Raphidiopsis were the dominant species. Of particular note was that obviously higher abundance of filamentous and potentially harmful species (e.g., Raphidiopsis raciborskii and Dolichospermum circinale) were observed in ponds compared to the lake. Specifically, water depth (WD), permanganate index (CODMn), total phosphorus (TP), N:P ratio, and NO 2 −-N were the key environmental variables affected cyanobacteria composition. For crab ponds, N:P ratio, water temperature (WT) and TP were the potential environmental drivers of cyanobacteria development. This study highlighted the fact that mitten crab culture had non-negligible influences on the cyanobacteria community and additional attention should be paid to the cyanobacteria dynamics in mitten crab culture-impacted water bodies, especially for those potentially harmful species.
Banco de Portugal Economic Studies

This paper applies duration analysis to a dataset covering all enforcement cases related to commercial and civil debts, dealt with by first instance courts in Portugal between 2007 and 2016. Evidence points to a strong reduction in the duration of cases since the beginning of the current decade. At that time, the median duration was above five years and it declined to around two and a half years by the end of the period under analysis. The probabilistic profile of case resolution changed significantly, with the hazard rate of resolution of pending cases being nowadays higher in their initial stage. Case duration is influenced notably by its complexity, proxied by a higher claim value, the existence of procedural aspects (apensos), and also by the overall enforcement litigation faced by the comarca. (JEL: K40, H11, C41)
A Method of Node Layout of a Complex Network Based on Community Compression

As the theory of complex networks is further studied, the scale of nodes in the network is increasing, which makes it difficult to find useful patterns from only the analysis of nodes. Therefore, this paper proposes a complex network node layout method based on community compression, which can effectively display the mesoscale structure characteristics of the network, making it more convenient for users to analyze the status and function of a single node or a class of nodes in the whole complex network. To begin with, the whole network is divided into communities with different granularity by the Louvain algorithm. Secondly, the method of nodes importance analysis based on topological potential theory is extended from the network to the community structure, and the internal nodes of the community are classified into three types, namely important nodes, relatively important nodes, and fringe nodes. Furthermore, a compression algorithm for the community structure is designed to realize the compression of the network by retaining important nodes and merging fringe nodes. Finally, the compression network is laid out by the traditional force-directed layout method. Experimental results show that, compared with the compression layout methods of a complex network based on degree or PageRank, the method in this paper can retain the integrated community composition and its internal structure, which is convenient for users to effectively analyze the topology structure of a complex network.
A Multi-Cellular Orthographic Projection Approach to Image-Based Rendering

Image-based rendering techniques take the approach of rendering new images based on existing ones, effectively separating the rendering complexity from the geometric complexity of the scene they represent. With the increasing complexity of scenes currently created, these techniques have gained renewed interest. This paper presents a multi-cellular IBR approach, which uses orthographic rather than perspective projected pre-computed images. Specifically we extend our single cell orthographically projected IBR approach to a multi-cell system, and show how the pixel error can be further reduced with the use of smaller and more numerous cells.
Multi-Electrode Array with a Planar Surface for Cell Patterning by Microprinting

Multielectrode arrays (MEAs) are devices for non-invasive electrophysiological measurements of cell populations. This paper describes a novel fabrication method of MEAs with a fully planar surface. The surface of the insulation layer and the surface of the electrodes were on one plane; we named this device the planar MEA (pMEA). The main advantage of the pMEA is that it allows uniform contact between the pMEA surface and a substrate for positioning of microfluidic channels or microprinting of a cell adhesive layer. The fabrication of the pMEA is based on a low adhesive Au sacrificial peel-off layer. In divergence from conventional MEAs with recessed electrodes, the electrodes of the pMEA lead across the sloped edge of the insulation layer. To make this, the profile of the edge of the insulation layer was measured and the impedance of the planar electrodes was characterized. The impedance of the pMEA was comparable with the impedance of conventional MEA electrodes. The pMEA was tested for patterning HL-1 cells with a combination of imprinting fibronectin and coating by antifouling poly (l-lysine)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG). The HL-1 cells remained patterned even at full confluency and presented spontaneous and synchronous beating activity.