Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EXTRACTIVE SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION OF KETOCONAZOLE, CLOTRIMAZOLE AND FLUCONAZOLE BY ION-PAIR COMPLEX FORMATION WITH BROMOTHYMOL BLUE AND PICRIC ACID

ABSTRACT The reactions of picric acid and bromothymol blue with three important antifungal drugs containing an imidazole ring ketoconazole (KC) and clotrimazole (CT) and fluconazole (FC) have been studied for the development of simple, rapid, sensitive an extractive-spectrophotometric method for determining the concentration of these drugs. This method is based on the formation of yellow ion-pair complexes between the basic nitrogen of the drug and sulphonphthalein acid dyes, namely; bromothymol blue (BTB) in phosphate buffer of pH =3 and picric acid (PA) in citrate buffer of pH=2.5. The formed complexes were extracted with chloroform and measured at 410 and 415nm for KC, at 410 and 413nm for CT and at 373 and 415nm for FC using PA and BTB, respectively. The analytical parameters and their effects on the reported systems are investigated. Beer’s law was obeyed in the range 1-60 , 1-58 and 3-60 µg/ mL with PA and 3-55, 2-50 and 5-55 µg/ mL with BTB for CT, KC and FC, respectively. The composition of the ion pairs was found 1:1 by mole ratio and job¢ s method in all cases. The proposed methods have been applied successfully for the analysis of the studied drugs in pure forms and pharmaceutical formulations.The results are in good agreement with those obtained by official methods.
The Impact of Anthropologically Motivated Human Social Networks on the Transmission Dynamics of Infectious Disease

Understanding the consequences of changes in social networks is an important anthropological research goal. This dissertation looks at the role of data-driven social networks on infectious disease transmission and evolution. The dissertation has two projects. The first project is an examination of the effects of the superspreading phenomenon, wherein a relatively few individuals are responsible for a disproportionate number of secondary cases, on the patterns of an infectious disease. The second project examines the timing of the initial introduction of tuberculosis (TB) to the human population. The results suggest that TB has a long evolutionary history with hunter-gatherers. Both of these projects demonstrate the consequences of social networks for infectious disease transmission and evolution. The introductory chapter provides a review of social network-based studies in anthropology and epidemiology. Particular emphasis is paid to the concept and models of superspreading and why to consider it, as this is central to the discussion in chapter 2. The introductory chapter also reviews relevant epidemic mathematical modeling studies. In chapter 2, social networks are connected with superspreading events, followed by an investigation of how social networks can provide greater understanding of infectious disease transmission through mathematical models. Using the example of SARS, the research shows how heterogeneity in transmission rate impacts superspreading which, in turn, can change epidemiological inference on model parameters for an epidemic. Chapter 3 uses a different mathematical model to investigate the evolution of TB in hunter-gatherers. The underlying question is the timing of the introduction of TB to the human population. Chapter 3 finds that TB’s long latent period is consistent with the evolutionary pressure which would be exerted by transmission on a hunter-
Chemical Abundances of Planetary Nebulae in the Substructures of M31. II. The Extended Sample and a Comparison Study with the Outer-disk Group

We report deep spectroscopy of 10 planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) using the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). Our targets reside in different regions of M31, including halo streams and the dwarf satellite M32, and kinematically deviate from the extended disk. The temperature-sensitive [O iii] λ4363 line is observed in all PNe. For four PNe, the GTC spectra extend beyond 1 μm, enabling the explicit detection of the [S iii] λ6312 and λλ9069, 9531 lines and thus determination of the [S iii] temperature. Abundance ratios are derived and generally consistent with AGB model predictions. Our PNe probably all evolved from low-mass (<2 M☉) stars, as analyzed with the most up-to-date post-AGB evolutionary models, and their main-sequence ages are mostly ∼2–5 Gyr. Compared to the underlying, smooth, metal-poor halo of M31, our targets are uniformly metal rich ([O/H] ≳ −0.4), and seem to resemble the younger population in the stream. We thus speculate that our halo PNe formed in the Giant Stream’s progenitor through extended star formation. Alternatively, they might have formed from the same metal-rich gas as did the outer-disk PNe but were displaced into their present locations as a result of galactic interactions. These interpretations are, although speculative, qualitatively in line with the current picture, as inferred from previous wide-field photometric surveys, that M31's halo is the result of complex interactions and merger processes. The behavior of the N/O of the combined sample of the outer-disk and our halo/substructure PNe signifies that hot bottom burning might actually occur at <3 M☉ but careful assessment is needed.
On the Bias in Simulated ENSO SSTA Meridional Widths of CMIP3 Models

The fidelity of coupled climate models simulating El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) patterns has been widely examined. Nevertheless, a systematical narrow bias in the simulated meridional width of the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) of ENSO has been largely overlooked. Utilizing the preindustrial control simu- lations of 11 coupled climate models from phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3), it was shown that the simulated width of the ENSO SSTA is only about two-thirds of what is observed. Through a heatbudgetanalysisbased onsimulationsandocean reanalysisdatasets,itisdemonstrated thattheSSTAoutside of the equatorial strip is predominantly controlled by the anomalous meridional advection by climatological currents and heat-flux damping. The authors thus propose a simple damped-advective conceptual model to describe ENSO width. The simple model indicates that this width is primarily determined by three factors: meridionalcurrent,ENSOperiod,andthermaldampingrate.Whenthemeridionalcurrentisweak,itspreadsthe equatorial SSTA away from the equator less effectively and the ENSO width thus tends to be narrow. A short ENSO period allows less time to transport the equatorial SSTA toward the off-equatorial region, and strong damping prevents expansion of the SSTA away from the equator, both of which lead to the meridional width becoming narrow. The narrow bias of the simulated ENSO width is mainly due to a systematical bias in weak trade winds that lead to weak ocean meridional currents, and partly due to a bias toward short ENSO periods.
The Deep Ocean Buoyancy Budget and Its Temporal Variability

AbstractDespite slow rates of ocean mixing, observational and modeling studies suggest that buoyancy is redistributed to all depths of the ocean on surprisingly short interannual to decadal time scales. The mechanisms responsible for this redistribution remain poorly understood. This work uses an Earth system model to evaluate the global steady-state ocean buoyancy (and related steric sea level) budget, its interannual variability, and its transient response to a doubling of CO2 over 70 years, with a focus on the deep ocean. At steady state, the simple view of vertical advective–diffusive balance for the deep ocean holds at low to midlatitudes. At higher latitudes, the balance depends on a myriad of additional terms, namely mesoscale and submesoscale advection, convection and overflows from marginal seas, and terms related to the nonlinear equation of state. These high-latitude processes rapidly communicate anomalies in surface buoyancy forcing to the deep ocean locally; the deep, high-latitude changes th.
Hematological and serum biochemical alterations in White Fulani cattle with tuberculous lesions

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease of animals and humans, caused by Mycobacterium bovis (Ayele et al., 2004). The disease in cattle occurs worldwide. It is associated with severe economic losses caused by the depreciation in cattle production, cattle mortality and condemnation of carcasses at slaughter (Abubakar et al., 2011). Although clinical signs of the disease may not be obvious and specific in affected cattle, the development of tubercles in organs such as the lymph nodes, lungs, intestines, liver, spleen, pleura and peritoneum of affected cattle is characteristic (Corner, 1994; Varello et al., 2008).
Metacognitive Beliefs and Coping Strategies of Suicide Attempters

Objectives: Metacognition is an essential process regarding decision-making and coping with stressful life events. This study aims to investigate the metacognitive beliefs and coping strategies of subthreshold depressive individuals with a history of suicide attempt. Methods: Thirty suicide attempters (mean age=25.50±7.66 years) with sub-threshold depressive symptoms and 30 healthy participants (mean age=28.27±7.13 years) were compared according to their Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) and COPE scores. Results: The MANOVA results revealed a significant difference between the two groups for the subtests of “negative beliefs about thoughts”, “need to control thoughts” and “lack of cognitive confidence in MCQ-30, and “positive reinterpretation”, “seeking social support for instrumental reasons”, “active coping, planning, and problem-focused coping”, “behavioral disengagement”, “alcohol-drug disengagement” and “dysfunctional coping” in COPE. Moderate correlations were found between the MCQ-30 and COPE subscales based on the Pearson correlation coefficients. Conclusions: This study reveals the effect of particular metacognitive beliefs and type of coping style on a suicide attempt. Despite the high prevalence of major depression in clinical practice, its subthreshold forms have been less studied. Besides, findings suggest that individuals with subthreshold depression have elevated risks of suicidal behavior and depression. This study is important for identifying risk factors and explaining how metacognitive beliefs and coping strategies are related to suicidal behavior among a nonclinical group. Dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs may make it difficult for the individual to seek alternative solutions to problems and produce adaptive coping strategies against stressful life events. Maladaptive metacognitions can also lead to overestimation of perceived stress and underestimation of cognitive resources and coping skills among suicide attempters with subthreshold depressive symptoms.
Walsh Spectral Techniques for Logic Synthesis FPGA

The implementation value of multi-output Boolean functions in logic synthesis FPGA can be reduced by using Walsh spectral representation. This paper proposes an algorithm for calculating the maximum coefficient of the autocorrelation function of BF without generating a truth table, using the heuristic procedure limits the maximum autocorrelation coefficients of sorting on a small subset of the function. We also suggest a spectral technique of the linear function transformation defined by disjoint cubes. This method for decomposition of BF, which allows to reducing the complexity of the linear part of the corresponding blocks about 25-55%, and the complexity of the nonlinear part of the blocks do not increase more than 10%, compared to the traditional approach.
Alternative tools of statistical analysis: L-moments and TL-moments of probability distributions

Moments and cumulants are commonly used to characterize the probability distribution or observed data set. The use of the moment method of parameter estimation is also common in the construction of an appropriate parametric distribution for a certain data set. The moment method does not always produce satisfactory results. It is difficult to determine exactly what information concerning the shape of the distribution is expressed by its moments of the third and higher order. In the case of small samples in particular, numerical values of sample moments can be very different from the corresponding values of theoretical moments of the relevant probability distribution from which the random sample comes. Parameter estimations of the probability distribution made by the moment method are often considerably less accurate than those obtained using other methods, particularly in the case of small samples. The present paper deals with an alternative approach to the construction of an appropriate parametric distribution for the considered data set using order statistics
Biodiesel production and fuel properties of three minor tree-borne seed oils.

Nowadays non–edible minor oils have been considered as promising sustainable feedstock for future biodiesel production. Three tree–borne minor seed oils from Annona squamosa (AS), Bombax ceiba (BC) and Ceiba pentandra (CP) plants were studied to assess their potentiality as sources of biodiesel. The seed oils were analyzed for their physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition. The AC seed oil was converted into biodiesel by single step NaOH catalyzed transesterification process without any pretreatment as its FFA content was below the 2 % safe limit. The BC and CP seed oils had high FFA content for which they were converted into biodiesel employing acid esterification followed by alkaline transesterification. The biodiesel yields under the experimental conditions for AS, BC and CP seed oils were 89.4 %, 86.2 % and 85.6 % respectively. The important fuel properties of the seed oil biodiesels such as density, kinematic viscosity, flash point, cetane number, calorific value and oxidation stability were tested which revealed that most of them were close to that of diesel and also met the IS and ASTM standard specification for commercial biodiesel. The suitability of seed oil biodiesels blended with diesel was also evaluated. Oil content, biodiesel yield and fuel properties of these three tree–borne oilseeds were satisfactory, therefore, they can be considered as potential sources of biodiesel production. Keyword: biodiesel, tree–borne seed oils, Annona squamosa, Bombax ceiba, Ceiba pentandra
Individual Differences as Antecedents of Counterproductive Work Behaviour

Counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) has recently gained more interest in industrial and organizational psychology, as the impact of engagement of CWB is big; influencing not just the organization but also other stakeholders. The objective of this study was to look at individual factors as antecedents of CWB, focusing on personality, locus of control, and values. Data were collected from 267 students studying psychology by means of a questionnaire measuring CWB, the Big-Five factor personality, work locus of control, and values. Only agreeableness and conscientiousness (out of the five personality factor) was found to be negatively correlated to CWB. Work locus of control showed a positive correlation with CWB. Hedonism and power was found to be positively related to CWB, whereas benevolence and conformity was found to be negatively related to CWB. The findings on personality and locus of control as antecedents of CWB are consistent with past research, meaning that employers can use this finding in their selection process. The findings on values have given a new insight to an area that can be researched further in the process of understanding why individuals engage in CWB.
The Upper Ordovician-Lower Silurian rocks in the Os

The two younger Ashgillian-Llandoverian sedimentary sequences in the Os area, the Holdhus and the Ulven Groups, have been correlated and are now collectively named the Os Group. The group is divided into five formations: the Skarfjell, Vaktdal, Hegglandsdal, V alla and Moberg Formations. No structural/ metamorphic break is found between any of the formations, and the Os Group is claimed to represent a continuous sedimentary sequence related to transgression and regression in a shallow marine to beach environment.
'School Administrators' and Stakeholders' Attitudes toward, and Perspectives on, School Improvement Planning.

This study explores the attitudes and perspectives of school administrators and other stakeholders on the school improvement planning process. A convenience sampling technique was employed with a sample of 15 schools and 91 respondents. The findings of the study indicated four principal factors, involvement, accountability, plan implementation and efficacy, defined the perspectives of the respondents. These factors were also responsible for 68.83% of the variation in the data. The factor ‘involvement’ accounted for 47.82% of the variation and suggests that the most critical issue affecting how the school improvement planning process is seen is the degree of stakeholder involvement.
FAECAL OUPUT AND RECTAL DIGESTIBILITY OF FILTER CAKE MUD PRODUCTS IN PIGS FED DIETS BASED ON SUGAR CANE MOLASSES

SUMMARY Two diets containing filter cake mud (FCM, 20%), either untreated, in natura, or treated, named garanver were compared from the point of view of faecal output and rectal digestibility in 16 growing crossbred, castrated male pigs fed ad libitum a diet containing wheat bran and zeolite (25 and 5% respectively), and torula yeast and raw sugar (both, 10%). A one-way classification design was employed for biometrical manipulation of data. There was not significant (P>0.05) treatment effect on faecal pH and DM concentration, which were on average 6.69 and 24.3%. Faecal output of materials tended to be lower in pigs fed untreated FCM than in the others fed garanver, and this was true for faecal DM output (P<0.05). Concomitantly, rectal DM digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in untreated FCM than in garanver. DM and organic matter digestibility were highly interdependent (R 2 , 0.922; P<0.001). According to the results presented in the present investigation, it could be suggested that there are no advantages in treating FCM for feeding pigs, from the point of view of its nutritional value. On the other hand digestibility indices measured at the rectum site of pigs are rather low in diets formulated to contain locally available products, such as those used in this study.
Effects of Mental Activity Training Linked With Electromyogram-triggered Electrical Stimulation on Paretic Upper Extremity Motor Function in Chronic Stroke Patients : A Pilot Trial

Objective: To study whether mental activity training linked with electromyogram-triggered electrical stimulation (MAT-EMG) improves motor function of a paretic upper extremity in chronic stroke patients. Materials and Methods: Eighteen patients with chronic stroke for more than 12 months were included in the study. Nine patients were randomly allocated to MAT-EMG and 9 to generalized functional electrical stimulation (FES) on the forearm extensor muscles of the paretic extremity 20 times over 4 weeks, for 40 minutes/session. Outcome measures were: active range of motion (ROM) of the wrist joint, strength of the forearm extensor muscles, the modified Ashworth scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer motor assessment for the upper extremity (FMM-UE), motor activity log (MAL) and the modified Barthel index (MBI) scores. Results: The group receiving MAT-EMG improved by 6.13 points in FMMUE scores (p<0.05), and the group receiving FES improved by 1.13 points, after intervention. There was a significant difference in FMM-UE scores between the two groups. This was caused by the noticeable increase in the FMM-UE wrist and shoulder scales in the MAT-EMG group. However, nosignificant difference was observed in other measures between the groups. Conclusion: We found that MAT-EMG had a greater effect than FES on recovery of motor function in the paretic extremities of chronic stroke patients. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2013;59:133-9.
The beta compound Rayleigh distribution : Properties and applications

In this paper, we introduce a new four parameter continuous model, called the beta compound Rayleigh (BCR) distribution that extends the compound Rayleigh distribution. Basic properties of the proposed distribution such as; mean, variance, coefficient of variation, raw and incomplete moments, skewness, kurtosis, moment and probability generating functions, reliability analysis, Lorenz, Bonferroni and Zenga curves, Renyi of entropy, order statistics and record statistics are investigated. We obtain the maximum likelihood estimates and the observed information matrix for the model parameters. Two real data sets are used to illustrate the usefulness of the new model.
Mapping paddy rice fields by applying machine learning algorithms to multi-temporal Sentinel-1A and Landsat data

ABSTRACT Sentinel-1A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data present an opportunity for acquiring crop information without restrictions caused by weather and illumination conditions, at a spatial resolution appropriate for individual rice fields and a temporal resolution sufficient to capture the growth profiles of different crop species. This study investigated the use of multi-temporal Sentinel-1A SAR data and Landsat-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data to map the spatial distribution of paddy rice fields across parts of the Sanjiang plain, in northeast China. The satellite sensor data were acquired throughout the rice crop-growing season (May–October). A co-registered set of 10 dual polarization (VH/VV) SAR and NDVI images depicting crop phenological development were used as inputs to Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) machine learning classification algorithms in order to map paddy rice fields. The results showed a significant increase in overall classification when the NDVI time-series data were integrated with the various combinations of multi-temporal polarization channels (i.e. VH, VV, and VH/VV). The highest classification accuracies overall (95.2%) and for paddy rice (96.7%) were generated using the RF algorithm applied to combined multi-temporal VH polarization and NDVI data. The SVM classifier was most effective when applied to the dual polarization (i.e. VH and VV) SAR data alone and this generated overall and paddy rice classification accuracies of 91.6% and 82.5%, respectively. The results demonstrate the practicality of implementing RF or SVM machine learning algorithms to produce 10 m spatial resolution maps of paddy rice fields with limited ground data using a combination of multi-temporal SAR and NDVI data, where available, or SAR data alone. The methodological framework developed in this study is apposite for large-scale implementation across China and other major rice-growing regions of the world.
TEACHERS’ OPINIONS REGARDING TEACHING AN INTEGRATED OPTIONAL DISCIPLINE (IOD) IN ROMANIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Curriculum integration is a necessity. In everyday life, problem solving requires knowledge, diverse skills that cannot be acquired by studying only individual disciplines, with no connections between them. This study explores the views of the teachers in the secondary schools, in Romania, on teaching an integrated optional discipline. We have designed and carried out a mixed research – quantitative and qualitative, based on several objectives focused on teachers’ opinions to teach an IOD, the required competencies to teach an IOD, their perceived barrieres in teaching an IOD and possible solutions to overcome those barriers. We did our research in 18secondary schools from Bucharest city and five counties, on a sample of 153 teachers. The results of the research show that only few teachers teach IOD in Romania. In order to teach an IOD, they need to have social skills and creativity besides knowlege from different areas. Theachers state that there is a lack of curricular resources and time to prepare the lessons. Also, they have difficulties in making connections between the knowlege from different areas. Teachers consider that in order to solve these problems, they need to help each other, to study more and suggest that schools must support them with diverse curricular materials.