Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pilot Study: What Measures Predict First Time Pass Rate on the National Physical Therapy Examination?

Background: Research investigating predictors of success on licensure examination is useful for admission criteria as well as targeted intervention for identified at risk students in physical therapy programs. Predictors of success on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) have been explored but results are no longer current. This study assessed predictive variables including admission data, performance in identified key courses, and academic/clinical difficulty for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) cohorts at Mount St Joseph University. Objective: Determine variables predicting success on the National Physical Therapy Examination. Design: A retrospective correlational study was done. Methods: Retrospective data of Mount St Joseph University Doctor of Physical Therapy cohorts that matriculated between 2006 and 2011 was collected and de-identified. Data variables included admissions data, identified key course grades, evidence of academic difficulties, seven performance indicators from the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) during the final internship, and professional Grade Point Average (pGPA). Descriptive statistics, correlational matrix, factor analysis, and multiple regression were used to analyze relationships between and among independent variables to the dependent variable of National Physical Therapy Examination success. Results: Factor analysis revealed four factor categories of independent variables: Clinical Performance Instrument criteria, Doctor of Physical Therapy Academic Performance, Admissions Requirements, and Academic/Clinical Difficulty. Multiple regression identified academic performance within the Doctor of Physical Therapy program (foundational course grades and Grade Point Average) and verbal/quantitative Graduate Examination Record (v/qGRE) scores to be the greatest predictor of first time and ultimate pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Examination. Conclusion: Predictors of success on the National Physical Therapy Examination are essential for DPT programs to consider when making policies regarding admissions, academic standards, and early testing of the National Physical Therapy Examination. Additionally this information can assist Doctor of Physical Therapy programs in identifying at risk students and aiding them in seeking support services to assist their success.
Anti-Nociceptive Effect of the Fruit Essential Oil of Cuminum cyminum L. in Rat

Cuminum cyminum Linn. (Umbelliferae) is a plant, which has been used as a toothache remedy in folk medicine of Iran. In this study, the potential anti -nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the fruit essential oil of C. cyminum has been evaluated in chemical (formalin test) and thermal (tail -flick test) models of nociception and formalin model of acute inflammation in rats and mice. The essential oil at the doses ranging between 0.0125 and 0.20 ml/kg exhibited a significant and dose-dependent analgesic effect in the model of chronic and inflammatory pain. However, the essential oil was devoid of anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, the essential oil had no analgesi c effect in tail flick test as a model of acute pain. The LD50 value of 0.59 ml/kg was obtained for the essential oil . This low toxicity of the essential oil makes it worthy for further studies. Iran. Biomed. J. 6 (4): 141-145, 2002
Towards the automatic detection and identification of English puns

Lexical polysemy, a fundamental characteristic of all human languages, has long been regarded as a major challenge to machine translation, human–computer interaction, and other applications of computational natural language processing (NLP). Traditional approaches to automatic word sense disambiguation (WSD) rest on the assumption that there exists a single, unambiguous communicative intention underlying every word in a document. However, writers sometimes intend for a word to be interpreted as simultaneously carrying multiple distinct meanings. This deliberate use of lexical ambiguity — i.e. punning — is a particularly common source of humour, and therefore has important implications for how NLP systems process documents and interact with users. In this paper we make a case for research into computational methods for the detection of puns in running text and for the isolation of the intended meanings. We discuss the challenges involved in adapting principles and techniques from WSD to humorously ambiguous text, and outline our plans for evaluating WSD-inspired systems in a dedicated pun identification task. We describe the compilation of a large manually annotated corpus of puns and present an analysis of its properties. While our work is principally concerned with simple puns which are monolexemic and homographic (i.e. exploiting single words which have different meanings but are spelled identically), we touch on the challenges involved in processing other types .
Adsorption of Methylene Blue Dye Using Low Cost Adsorbent of Sawdust: Batch and Continues Studies

The feasibility of sawdust as low cost adsorbent to remove methylene blue from aqueous solutions was investigated through batch and column studies. Batch experiments were carried out with treated sawdust and commercial activated carbon to compare the adsorption behavior of them in terms of their adsorption capacities with the initial concentration of 100 mg/L and solution pH of 5. Equilibrium data were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The equilibrium data were best represented by the Langmuir isotherm model, with maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 30.11 mg/g for sawdust while 39.09 mg/g by using activated carbon. In column experiments, fixed bed adsorption of methylene blue was performed on sawdust columns and the breakthrough curves were determined by varying bed depth, flow rate and influent concentration. The highest operating time of 1200 min. was obtained using 50 mg/l initial dye concentration, 20 cm bed height, pH of 5, and 3.33*10 -6 m
The Role of the Primary Cell Wall in Plant Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis remains a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. It remains a formidable problem viewed from many different perspectives of morphology, genetics, and computational modelling. We propose a biochemical reductionist approach that shows how both internal and external physical forces contribute to plant morphogenesis via mechanical stress–strain transduction from the primary cell wall tethered to the plasma membrane by a specific arabinogalactan protein (AGP). The resulting stress vector, with direction defined by Hechtian adhesion sites, has a magnitude of a few piconewtons amplified by a hypothetical Hechtian growth oscillator. This paradigm shift involves stress-activated plasma membrane Ca2+ channels and auxin-activated H+-ATPase. The proton pump dissociates periplasmic AGP-glycomodules that bind Ca2+. Thus, as the immediate source of cytosolic Ca2+, an AGP-Ca2+ capacitor directs the vectorial exocytosis of cell wall precursors and auxin efflux (PIN) proteins. In toto, these components comprise the Hechtian oscillator and also the gravisensor. Thus, interdependent auxin and Ca2+ morphogen gradients account for the predominance of AGPs. The size and location of a cell surface AGP-Ca2+ capacitor is essential to differentiation and explains AGP correlation with all stages of morphogenetic patterning from embryogenesis to root and shoot. Finally, the evolutionary origins of the Hechtian oscillator in the unicellular Chlorophycean algae reflect the ubiquitous role of chemiosmotic proton pumps that preceded DNA at the dawn of life.
MICROSATELLITES VARIATIONS IN ROMANIAN THOROUGHBRED AND ARABIAN HORSE POPULATIONS

The use of PCR technology for analyzing microsattelites is increasing every day. Microsatellite markers are evenly distributed across genome and can be identified within DNA samples using PCR. Genetic diversity between Thoroughbred and Arabian horse populations were analyzed using 12 microsatellite markers. The DNA loci analyzed - AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, HTG10 and VHL20 - were chosen based upon the polymorphism detected in other breeds. High levels of polymorphism were observed over populations with the average number of alleles and average of observed heterozygosity at 6.41 and 0.683, respectively. Between the two populations no significant differences were observed in expected heterozygosity suggesting that more intensive breeding practices may have resulted in a further erosion of genetic variability. This technology has great potential for use in horse breeding situations where levels of genetic variation could be monitored and inbreeding controlled in a
Analysing Event-Related Sentiments on Social Media with Neural Networks

Sentiment analysis is performed to determine the polarity of opinion on a subject. It has been applied to text corpora such as movie reviews, financial documents to glean information about overall-sentiment anc produce actionable data. Recent events have demonstrated that polling can be sometimes unreliable. People can be difficult to access through conventional polling methods and less than frank in polls. In the era of social media, voters are likely to more freely express their opinion on social media forums about divisive events especially in media where anonymity exists. Analyzing the prevailing opinion on these forums can indicate if there are any deficiencies in polling and can be a valuable addition to conventional polling. We analyzed text corpora from Reddit forums discussing the recent referendum in Britain to exit from the EU (known as Brexit). Brexit was an important world event and was very divisive in the run-up and post vote. We analyzed sentiment in two ways: Initially we tried to gauge positive, negative, and neutral sentiments. In the second analysis, we further split these sentiments into six different polarities based on the directionality of the positive and negative sentiments (for or against Brexit). Our technique utlilized paragraph vectors (Doc2Vec) to construct feature vectors for sentiment analysis with a Multilayer Perceptron classifier. We found that the second analysis yielded overall better results; although, our classifier didn’t perform as well in classifying positive sentiments. We demonstrate that it is possible glean valuable information from complicated and diverse corpora such as multi-paragraph comments from reddit with sentiment analysis.
CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND BIOLOGY OF THE RECENTLY INTRODUCED INVASIVE MOSQUITO AEDES KOREICUS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)

(*) Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell’Università, 10; 35020 Legnaro (Padua), Italy; e-mail: fmontarsi@izsvenezie.it (**) Entostudio snc, Brugine (Padua), Italy; (***) ULSS 1, Public Health Department of Belluno, Belluno, Italy; (****) ULSS 2, Public Health Department of Feltre, Feltre (BL), Italy; (*****) Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; (******) Edmund Mach Foundation, S. Michele all’Adige (TN), Italy (*******) Veneto Region, Direzione Prevenzione, Servizio Promozione e Sviluppo Igiene e Sanità Pubblica, Venice, Italy Lettura tenuta durante il Seminario “Arthropod vectors of diseases in humans and domestic animals”, in onore dell’Accademico Mario Coluzzi. Seduta pubblica dell’Accademia Roma, 3 ottobre 2014.
Efficient parallel computations of flows of arbitrary fluids for all regimes of Reynolds, Mach and Grashof numbers

This paper presents a unified numerical method able to address a wide class of fluid flow problems of engineering interest. Arbitrary fluids are treated specifying totally arbitrary equations of state, either in analytical form or through look‐up tables. The most general system of the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations is integrated with a coupled implicit preconditioned method. The method can stand infinite CFL number and shows the efficiency of a quasi‐Newton method independent of the multi‐block partitioning on parallel machines. Computed test cases ranging from inviscid hydrodynamics, to natural convection loops of liquid metals, and to supersonic gasdynamics, show a solution efficiency independent of the class of fluid flow problem.
Validation of a 2 Minute Step Test for Assessing Functional Improvement

Introduction: Although many cardiopulmonary patients require home care services, the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is unusable in most dwellings for objectively evaluating exercise capacity because it requires a 20 - 30 meter hallway. To meet this need, we developed a 2-minute step test (2MST): stepping up and down an 8 inch step for 2 minutes (1 step = bilateral step up + step down). Purpose: Evaluate the statistical validity, reproducibility, and sensitivity of the 2MST in assessing exercise capacity. Method: We compared the heart rate, oxygen saturation and perceived exertion obtained during performance of 2MST with those obtained during the 6MWT. Results: Comparing 2MST and 6MWT in 158 subjects for validity, r = 0.925 (P < 0.0001). They were statistically equivalent in heart rate (98 ± 4 and 94 ± 4 bpm), oxygen saturation (96 ± 0.5 and 95 ± 0.6%), rating of perceived exertion (14.6 ± 0.4 and 13.4 ± 0.4), and blood pressure (130 ± 4/62 ± 3 and 128 ± 3/62 ± 2 mmHg), (mean ± SE, 2MST and 6MWT, respectively). Reproducibility revealed small learning effects: 8% and 5% for the 2MST and 6MWT, respectively (P < 0.001). Sensitivity of the 2MST was high, based both on the number of steps achieved by inpatients (27 ± 13 steps, mean ± SD), outpatients (48 ± 14 steps), and healthy subjects (64 ± 18 steps) (P < 0.001), and by the outpatients before (36 ± 11 steps) and after (42 ± 14 steps) rehabilitation (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The 2MST is valid, reproducible, sensitive, safe, well-tolerated, and is a suitable substitute for the 6MWT.
Investigating Textual Features in Automatic Real-time Feedback on Public Speaking Performance

Public speaking skills are important in numerous professions and contexts, and thus effectively evaluating them with the aim of improvement is often sought after. Assessment by experts has shown to be inconsistent and time-inefficient, spawning this project to pursue improvement on automated solutions by exploring what textual features have to offer. Several analyses were performed to investigate the relations between textual features and presentation ratings, revealing that most of them have a moderate correlation. An additional inspection in how these features compare to features extracted from real-time speech recognition software revealed that not all of them work well in this context. It is suggested to use the remaining features in combination with techniques shown to perform well in other studies to potentially create the best-functioning automated real-time public speaking feedback system. Finally, a prototype was made using the results to illustrate the ability for systems making use of speech recognition to perform in real time.
Phase-Coded-Linear-Frequency- Modulated Waveform for a Low Cost High Resolution Radar System

Low cost Radar Systems are difficult to realize due to their high peak power requirement. High output power implies the need for unconventional and expensive power amplifiers such as magnetrons and travelling wave tubes. Peak output power is reduced by increasing the pulse width of the transmitted signal with minimum output power obtained from a continuous waveform or infinite pulse width. However, the drawback to increasing the pulse width is deterioration in resolution. This thesis uses pulse compression to achieve the required resolution. It combines two compression schemes: phase modulation and frequency modulation. Phase modulation is used to reject ambiguous targets while frequency modulation is used to achieve the finest resolution. Convolution of the phase modulated and frequency modulated waveforms yields a waveform which has the fine resolution property of the frequency modulated signal and the ambiguous target rejection property of the phase modulated signal. Target detection is done by correlation, and both types of pulse compression schemes have an auto-correlation response which approximates a delta function. Convolution is the only scheme which preserves the delta function auto-correlation response of the resulting waveform upon combination of the frequency and phase modulated signals. The Radar System demonstrated in this thesis also has a speed detection capability and this can be used to separate moving targets from stationery ones. Measured target speed is directly proportional to the frequency (Doppler) shift caused by moving targets and is obtained in this thesis by observing the phase shift over successive echoes. Since serial Doppler processing is done on correlated values, it has a higher CNR at the Doppler frequency than parallel Doppler processing performed on the received signal. iii
Sharing water and benefits in transboundary river basins

Abstract. The equitable sharing of benefits in transboundary river basins is necessary to solve disputes among riparian countries and to reach a consensus on basin-wide development and management activities. Benefit-sharing arrangements must be collaboratively developed to be perceived not only as efficient, but also as equitable in order to be considered acceptable to all riparian countries. The current literature mainly describes what is meant by the term benefit sharing in the context of transboundary river basins and discusses this from a conceptual point of view, but falls short of providing practical, institutional arrangements that ensure maximum economic welfare as well as collaboratively developed methods for encouraging the equitable sharing of benefits. In this study, we define an institutional arrangement that distributes welfare in a river basin by maximizing the economic benefits of water use and then sharing these benefits in an equitable manner using a method developed through stakeholder involvement. We describe a methodology in which (i) a hydrological model is used to allocate scarce water resources, in an economically efficient manner, to water users in a transboundary basin, (ii) water users are obliged to pay for water, and (iii) the total of these water charges is equitably redistributed as monetary compensation to users in an amount determined through the application of a sharing method developed by stakeholder input, thus based on a stakeholder vision of fairness, using an axiomatic approach. With the proposed benefit-sharing mechanism, the efficiency–equity trade-off still exists, but the extent of the imbalance is reduced because benefits are maximized and redistributed according to a key that has been collectively agreed upon by the participants. The whole system is overseen by a river basin authority. The methodology is applied to the Eastern Nile River basin as a case study. The described technique not only ensures economic efficiency, but may also lead to more equitable solutions in the sharing of benefits in transboundary river basins because the definition of the sharing rule is not in question, as would be the case if existing methods, such as game theory, were applied, with their inherent definitions of fairness.
Correlation between Agility, Lower Limb Power and Performance in a Sport-Specific Test in Female Volleyball Players

To evaluate the general and specific physical performance of female vo lleyball players. Methods: Eight athletes (22 ± 4.04 years; 175.6 ± 7.24 cm; 71.1 ± 7.07 kg) were evaluated for ag ility, lower limb power and performed a volleyball-specific test. Data were analyzed using an ANOVA with repeated measures, Pearson correlation and the linear tendency test. Results: Correlations were observed in specific volleyball test variables, and between agility and lower limb power (r = -.77; p = .03). Fu rthermore, in the specific volleyball test, there was a linear trend of an increase in the trial time, and at the height of attack it was observed a linear trend to decrease (p < .05). Conclusions: The general and specific performance are similar to those in the literature; significant correlations were observed and the performance of players decreases during repetition of high-intensity efforts in the sport-specific test.
Talented Tertiary Students: A Largely "Forgotten" Group Within the Tertiary Sector?

The small-scale study reported here sought to ascertain the experiences of talented undergraduate students across four faculties within one university in New Zealand. Thirty-eight undergraduate participants from the four faculties were identified by 16 staff participants based on criteria used by the academic staff in their respective faculty, department, or school. Staff and students participated in separate focus groups so that their perceptions of talented students could be gained. Participant understandings of current identification methods and provision options for talented undergraduate students within the university environment were also sought. Talented undergraduate students identified existing practices that had enhanced, or in some instances had proved detrimental to, their learning. Students also shared ideas that they believed could be implemented to further enhance their experiences and learning. The implications of these findings are discussed with the intent of further enriching the future experiences of talented undergraduate students in the tertiary environment.
Should seasonal rainfall forecasts be used for flood preparedness

In light of strong encouragement for disaster managers to use climate services for flood preparation, we question whether seasonal rainfall forecasts should indeed be used as indicators of the likelihood of flooding. Here, we investigate the primary drivers of flooding at the seasonal timescale across sub-Saharan Africa. Given the sparsity of hydrological observations, we input bias-corrected reanalysis rainfall into the Global Flood Awareness System to identify seasonal indicators of floodiness. Results demonstrate that in wet climates, even a perfect tercile forecast of seasonal total rainfall would provide little to no indication of the seasonal likelihood of flooding. The number of extreme events within a season shows the highest correlations with floodiness consistently across regions. Otherwise, results vary across climate regimes: floodiness in arid regions in Southern and Eastern Africa shows the strongest correlations with seasonal average soil moisture and seasonal total rainfall. Floodiness in wetter climates of West and Central Africa and Madagascar shows the strongest relationship with measures of the intensity of seasonal rainfall. Measures of rainfall patterns, such as the length of dry spells, are least related to seasonal floodiness across the continent. Ultimately, identifying the drivers of seasonal flooding can be used to improve forecast information for flood preparedness, and avoid misleading decision-makers.
Effect of surface stoichiometry on the band gap of the pyrite FeS2(100) surface

Systematic spin-polarized density functional calculations were performed for a series of pyrite FeS2(100) surfaces to clarify the effect of surface stoichiometry on stability, electronic structure, and band gap. While the bulk FeS2 is nonmagnetic, the topmost layer of the stoichiometric and S-deficient FeS2(100) surfaces are spin polarized, with magnetic moments of 2 μB or 4 μB per Fe. These surfaces also have sizeable band gaps, 0.56–0.72 eV; they hence can be useful for spintronic and photovoltaic applications. On the contrary, S-rich surfaces have small-gaps,<0.3 eV, which might be responsible to the low open-circuit voltage of pyrite solar cells.