Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Case studies: Enhancing Elementary Science Teachers' Views and Practices of Zoo-Based Science, Technology, Society, and Environment (STSE) Approach through a Professional Development Program

This professional development (PD) program aimed to enhance the views and practices of two volunteer teachers regarding the zoo-based STSE approach and to examine the factors that constrained and facilitated their views and practices. Throughout the PD program data were collected from group discussions, observations, interviews, and reviewing of documents, and were analyzed using within-case and cross-case analysis methods. The findings showed that these two teachers had developed their views to be more in line with the zoo-based STSE approach. In their practices, they designed their activities to be more concerned with STSE issues and linked to the zoo field trip. They changed their roles from being information providers to be facilitators for students’ inquiry. They assessed students’ learning in all domains with various methods including awareness of the interactions among science, technology, society, and environment and the application of knowledge in daily life. However, there were some indications of their old teaching styles. The factors that affected their views and practices were the teachers’ academic backgrounds and teaching experiences, teachers’ characteristics, the limits of time, students’ learning styles, school administrators’ support, students’ entrance examinations, and media in the zoo. Further research should focus on identifying the most effective PD strategies for promoting sustainable changes in teachers’ views and practices using a STSE approach.
SHELF LIFE OF AONLA FRUITS: INFLUENCED BY POST HARVEST TREATMENTS AND PACKAGING MATERIALS

The effect of wax emulsion alone and in combination with post harvest chemicals and different packagings on physico-chemical characters and marketability of aonla under ambient storage conditions was studied. The physico-chemical changes were faster in untreated fruits (control) packed in nylon net bags. Post harvest treatment with 6% waxol + 1% Ca[NO3]2 followed by 6% waxol + 400 ppm CCC recorded lower PLW and moisture loss throughout the storage period. The treatment with 6% waxol + 0.1% carbendazim was found effective in reducing decay loss. Treatment with 6% waxol + 100 ppm GA3 resulted in maximum retention of ascorbic acid followed by treatment 6% waxol + 400 ppm CCC. Packaging of fruits in perforated PE bags had remarkable effect in reducing PLW, retention in moisture and acceptable physico-chemical qualities. The shelf life of aonla fruits was extended upto 15 days at room temperature when fruits were treated with 6% waxol + 400 ppm CCC and packed in perforated PE bags. This treatment combination recorded the maximum score for marketability.
Application of Weighted Residual Methods to Dynamic Economic Models, Finite Element Methods

This code supports the text in Ellen McGrattan, Application of Weighted Residual Methods to Dynamic Economic Models, in Ramon Marimon and Andrew Scott (eds), Computational Methods for the Study of Dynamic Economies, Chapter 6, Oxford University Press. This chapter describes the weighted residual method and the finite element method: Both can be used to approximate value functions, when it is impossible to derive the analytical solution. (This can happen when the Bellman equation is complicated).
Thymidine Labeling Index in Breast Cancer Prognosis

Abstract: In addition to primary prognostic factors (tumor size, axillary lymph node status, histological and nuclear grade, estrogen receptor status, etc.), cell kinetics may help to predict outcome and determine for breast cancer. Thymidine labeling index (TLI), which is a kinetic parameter showing tumor aggressivity and cell proliferation rate, is shown among the secondary group of prognostic factors. At Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Breast Diseases Research and Treatment Unit, TLI was determined in tumor tissues of 154 patients with primary breast cancer. TLI values varied in the range of 0%–23.59% with a mean of 4.31% ± 0.36% and a median of 3.10%. TLI levels were compared with age, menopause status, axillary involvement, tumor diameter, histological and nuclear grade, estrogen receptor level, and tumor histology. There was no statistically significant correlation between TLI and prognostic factors (p > 0.05). One hundred and eleven patients were followed up for an average of 14.0 months. Twenty‐nine patients (26.1%) relapsed and there were 11 (10%) deaths. On the one hand, the low TLI group (<3%) demonstrated the highest relapse and the lowest mortality rate with 29% and 8%, respectively. The relapse rate for the moderate TLI group (3–7%) was 26% with the mortality rate being 12%. One the other hand, the relapse rate for the high TLI group was 20% and the mortality was 12%. Fourteen (48%) of the recurrences and 7 (64%) of the total of 11 deaths were observed at higher TLI levels (TLI > 3%). Nevertheless, these results were not statistically significant (p < 0.05). Thus, TLI appears to be independent of the known prognostic factors for breast carcinoma. According to preliminary results, high TLI levels seem to be associated with higher mortality rates.
Evaluation quality of life in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma using UW-QOL

PURPOSE:To evaluate the quality of life in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma using UW-QOL version 4.METHODS: The quality of life(QOL) of 97 consecutive patients who were diagnosed as oral squamous cell carcinoma was assessed preoperatively with UW-QOL version 4 which was translated directly and modified necessarily.QOL of 55 patients was examined 3 months postoperatively.The validity,reliability and responsiveness of the scale were analyzed using SPSS12.0 software package.Statistical methods involved in this study included Mann-Whitney U test,Wilcoxon test,factor analysis,reliability analysis,and bivariate correlation analysis.RESULTS: The internal consistency α of the instrument was 0.725,and the split-half reliability was 0.701. An exploratory factor analysis on the 12 items produced 4 factors,and the analysis explained 65.4% of the total variation.The criterion validity with SF-36 and FACT-HN was 0.543 and 0.738,respectively.The instrument could detect the differences of preoperative QOL between T1+T2 group and T3+T4 group and the changes of QOL over time sensitively.CONCLUSION: The UW-QOL version 4 could measure the quality of life in oral cancer patients with good reliability,responsiveness and multi-dimensional constructs,it can be used in Chinese population with oral cancer.
Phase II study of dose-adjusted EPOCH-R in untreated de novo CD20+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)-CALGB 50103

6530 Background: DA-EPOCH-R is a rationally designed regimen based on schedule optimization and pharmacodynamic dosing. Studies suggest it overcomes adverse effects of tumor proliferation and bcl-2 in de novo DLBCL and adjusts for differences in patient drug clearance. An NCI study in 83 untreated de novo DLBCL patients shows a PFS and OS of 82% at 32 months median follow-up and no relapses beyond 2 years. PFS is 94% for low (0–2) and 57% for high (3–5) IPI at 3 years. Hence, CALGB undertook a confirmatory phase II study. Methods: Eligibility: untreated de novo CD20+ DLBCL; ≥ 18 years; stage II-IV; ECOG PS 0–2; and adequate organ function unless due to disease. Patients received DA-EPOCH-R + filgrastim for 6–8 cycles, based on response, and no patients received radiation. Endpoints were PFS, OS and toxicity. Study design is a cooperative group prospective phase II. Results: Of 78 patients, 5 were ineligible. Patient characteristics are median age (range) 58 (23–80) years, and IPI of low (0–2) in 60% and h.
Ensuring balance in national policies on controlled substances: Guidance for availability and accessibility of controlled medicines

Ensuring balance in national policies on controlled substances: guidance for availability and accessibility of controlled medicines. Revised edition of " Narcotic and psychotropic drugs: achieving balance in national opioids control policy: guidelines for assessment " , World Health Organization, Geneva, 2000 (WHO/EDM/QSM/2000.4). The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the World Health Organization in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by the World Health Organization to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall the World Health Organization be liable for damages arising from its use. PrEfacE The international drug control treaties came into being to prevent the abuse of substances that can induce dependence. The universal adoption of the treaties and their implementation continue to be highly effective in preventing the diversion of drugs from licit to illicit markets in international trade and in protecting society from the consequences of dependence. However, equal emphasis has not been placed on the other fundamental objective of the treaties of ensuring that controlled substances are available for medical and scientific purposes. As a result, the health benefits that can be derived from medicines containing controlled substances remain inaccessible to the large majority of people around the world. The majority of substances controlled under the international drug control treaties, notably narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, have a variety of medical uses. Opioid analgesics, such as codeine and morphine, and antiepileptics, such as lorazepam and phenobarbital, are considered as essential medicines by the World Health Organization. There is broad consensus that opioid analgesics are indispensable for the treatment of moderate to severe …
Prevalent Dropout: A Challenge on the Roles of School Management Teams to Enhance Students Retention in Botswana Junior Secondary Schools

The purpose of the study was to investigate how prevalent dropout affects roles played by school management teams to enhance students’ retention in Botswana junior secondary schools. This was triggered by growing concerns about the increasing students’ dropout due to various reasons. Data was collected through a questionnaire administered to two hundred and seven in-service student teachers in the University of Botswana. The reliability level was 0.8 using Cronbach Alpha Statistic. Convenience sampling was used to select the participants. Data was analysed using frequency tables and percentages. The research has indicated that there is an increase of dropout cases due to amily background, student behaviour and school experiences. The increase in students dropping out of school nullifies some of the roles played by the school leadership to retain students. Basing on the research findings the study recommends that parents, community and teachers should work together to enhance students retention.
Air quality and health education to increase knowledge and encourage health protective behaviour among older adults in Hamilton, Canada

Air pollution exposure is detrimental to population health and particularly to older adults (≥65 years of age) who are considered part of the “at-risk” population. The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) provides air quality and health information such that the public can implement health protective behaviour and decrease exposure to outdoor air pollution. The AQHI education session for older adults aims to increase knowledge, encourage use of the AQHI, and gain a better understanding of how at-risk populations self-identify. An AQHI education session was delivered face-to-face to older adults living independently in Hamilton, Canada. A pre- and post-test questionnaire with both quantitative and qualitative questions was administered to measure knowledge and intention to use AQHI. A total of 62 participants attended the education session and completed the pre- and post-test questionnaire. Results of a paired t test indicated a statistically significant difference in pre- and post-test knowledge (p <0.05). Aft.
Pattern of sexually transmitted diseases at Davangere.

The pattern of sexually transmitted diseases at Chigateri general hospital Davangere based on retrospective data from January 1993 to December 2002 is presented. Among 3767 cases studied majority of patients were in 21 - 40 years age group (69.49 per cent). Males constituted 75.50 per cent and females 24.50 per cent of cases. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were common in patients belonging to middle income group (55 per cent) and were more prevalent in urban areas (72.10 per cent). Among STDs Candidiasis (19.85 per cent) was observed to be the most commonest STD both in males (Balanoposthitis) and females (Vulvovaginits) followed by Syphilis (15.95 per cent). Herpes genitalis (13.04per cent) Chancroid (10.45 per cent) gonorrhea (10.14per cent) Non gonococcal urethritis (NGU) (8.14per cent). Condyloma acuminata (5.92per cent) Donovanosis (5.82 per cent) Lymphogranuloma Venerum (LGV) (5.76 per cent) Scabies (2.85 per cent) and Molluscum contagiosum (2.07 per cent). (authors)
AUTOMATIC CONSTRUCTION OF NURBS SURFACES FROM UNORGANIZED POINTS

Modeling with Non Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) surfaces has become a standard in CAD/CAM systems due to its stability, flexibility, and local modification properties. The advantage of fitting with NURBS surfaces is well known, but it is also known that NURBS surfaces have several deficiencies. A NURBS surface cannot be fitted over an unorganized and scattered set of points and the representation of sharp features like edges, corners, and high curvatures is poor. This paper presents a new method for fitting a NURBS surface over an unorganized and scattered cloud of points, preserving its sharp features. In contrast with other methods, ours does not need either to construct a network of NURBS patches or polygon meshes. By reducing the dimensionality of the point cloud using ISOMAP algorithms, our method detects both regions with lacking points, and regions where the cloud is too dense. Then, the cloud is regularized by inserting and removing points, and it is approximated by a NURBS surface. An evolutionary strategy obtains the weights of the NURBS surface in order to improve the representation of sharp features.
Les seins denses : les pièges radiologiques

u’est ce qu’un sein dense et comment l’évaluer ? Au cours du temps, plusieurs classifications ont été proposées et évaluées. En 1976, Wolfe propose une classification en quatre catégories associant une évaluation à la fois quantitative et qualitative [ 1 ]. Dans une revue de 1993, l’agrément inter-observateurs de cette classification était de 52-97 % et intra-observateurs de 69-97 % [ 2 ]. Dans les années 1980 et dans le but d ’ a m é l i o r er la reproductibilité, des classifications ne quantifiant que le degré de densité mammaire ont été élaborées (le nombre de catégories allant de 5 à 20) ; la plus utilisée était celle proposée par B o y d avec six catégories [ 3 6 ]. L’agrément pour cette quantification visuelle était très bonne, avec un kappa intra-observateur de 0,82 rapportée dans l’étude évaluant 20 catégories de densité, et de 0,89 et 0,94 pour la classification de Boyd en six catégories [ 6 8 ]. Des techniques semi-automatiques, puis automatiques, à partir de films numérisés (planimétrie assistée par ordinateur, segmentation digitale) ont permis d’améliorer la reproductibilité de cette quantification de la densité mammaire avec des agréments rapportés de 70 à 94 % [9, 10]. Actuellement, en routine, l’évaluation de la densité mammaire est appréciée visuellement en quatre catégories différentes (BI-RADS de l’American College of Radiology) [ 11 ]. La reproductibilité de cette classification est modeste avec un kappa entre 0,43 et 0,59, meilleure quand elle est utilisée par des radiologues entraînés et travaillant sur le même site (kappa de
Optimizing digital speech coders by exploiting masking properties of the human ear

In any speech coding system that adds noise to the speech signal, the primary goal should not be to reduce the noise power as much as possible, but to make the noise inaudible or to minimize its subjective loudness. ’’Hiding’’ the noise under the signal spectrum is feasible because of human auditory masking: sounds whose spectrum falls near the masking threshold of another sound are either completely masked by the other sound or reduced in loudness. In speech coding applications, the ’’other sound’’ is, of course, the speech signal itself. In this paper we report new results of masking and loudness reduction of noise and describe the design principles of speech coding systems exploiting auditory masking.
The distribution of consecutive patterns of length 3 in $3\textrm{-}1\textrm{-}2$-avoiding permutations

We exploit Krattenthaler's bijection between the set $S_n(3\textrm{-}1\textrm{-}2)$ of permutations in $S_n$ avoiding the classical pattern $3\textrm{-}1\textrm{-}2$ and Dyck $n$-paths to study the distribution of every consecutive pattern of length 3 on the set $S_n(3\textrm{-}1\textrm{-}2)$. We show that these consecutive patterns split into 3 equidistribution classes, by means of an involution on Dyck paths due to E.Deutsch. In addition, we state equidistribution theorems concerning triplets of statistics relative to the occurrences of the consecutive patterns of length 3 in a permutation.
Accurate calculation of settling time in second order systems: a photovoltaic application

A procedure to accurately calculate the settling time of second-order systems for any damping ratio and natural frequency is proposed in this paper. In addition, settling time calculation for second-order systems is reviewed in this paper, illustrating the errors generated by classical approximations reported in textbooks and research papers. Finally, such a procedure is used to precisely design a perturb and observe algorithm in a photovoltaic application.
Hydration sensor development for use on infants in underserved areas

Hydration sensor development for use on infants in underserved areas E. Kieser Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. Thesis: MEng Research (Mechatronic) December 2015 To treat dehydration in infants a good measure of dehydration level is required. Clinical hydration scales are the standard for assessing hydration upon first examination. These scales rely on the training of the physician and do not perform well when applied in underserved settings where the vast majority of infant mortalities due to dehydration occur. This study proposes three sensors for the non-invasive assessment of dehydration. All three sensors measure proven indicators of hydration (capillary refill time, skin recoil time and skin temperature difference) and the aim is to eventually allow untrained personnel to reliably measure these hydration markers with greater inter-rater reliability. A proof of concept prototype of each sensor was fabricated and the sensors were tested in two separate studies. The skin recoil time and temperature profile sensors seemed to perform fairly well when tested on infants, however, because of the small sample size of the infant study, no real conclusions could be drawn about the link between the measured markers and hydration state. A systematic method of finding a model, that combines the best predictors, was presented, however the model performed only marginally better than the best individual marker, most likely due to wanting orthogonality between the predictors. Skin recoil time, which is the marker that performed best in the clinical study, achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 0.8 and 0.84 respectively for detecting 5% dehydration, which is better than the expected performance of any single commonly accepted hydration marker. Interestingly, this combination of sensitivity and specificity was achieved at a binary threshold of 0.08 seconds. As mentioned previously, the data does not make it possible to draw solid conclusions about the performance of the device, however the ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
Family Members' Experiences with Incarceration and Reentry*

This paper explores the impact of the incarceration and return of individuals from prison on their families, including relationships with intimate partners, adult family members, and children. Based on responses from 247 family members of Chicago-bound male prisoners interviewed several months after their imprisoned family members were released, we describe the personal circumstances of the families of returning prisoners, the frequency and type of contact with the imprisoned family members, and the level of family support for the former prisoners after release. We discuss some of the hardships the family members experience during the incarceration and reentry process, and some of the support networks that these family members rely upon, as they face challenges associated with prisoner reentry—the challenges of supporting a family member who has recently been released from prison. We also examine areas of assistance and support that family members of recently released prisoners identified as needed. Findings indicate that these family members are highly supportive of their formerly incarcerated relative, providing financial and emotional support. But family members also experience significant hardships during the reentry period, including financial strain and increased anxiety. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of these findings for developing correctional and community programs and offer suggestions for further research on family issues regarding prisoner reentry.
First-order autoregressive gamma sequences and point processes

It is shown that there is an innovation process {∊ n } such that the sequence of random variables {X n } generated by the linear, additive first-order autoregressive scheme X n = pXn-1 + ∊ n are marginally distributed as gamma (λ, k) variables if 0 ≦p ≦ 1. This first-order autoregressive gamma sequence is useful for modelling a wide range of observed phenomena. Properties of sums of random variables from this process are studied, as well as Laplace-Stieltjes transforms of adjacent variables and joint moments of variables with different separations. The process is not time-reversible and has a zero-defect which makes parameter estimation straightforward. Other positive-valued variables generated by the first-order autoregressive scheme are studied, as well as extensions of the scheme for generating sequences with given marginal distributions and negative serial correlations.