Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adolescents' achievement goal orientations, goal appraisals, and subjective well-being

Tuominen-Soini , H , Salmela-Aro , K , Niemivirta , M & Vuori , J 2004 , Adolescents' achievement goal orientations, goal appraisals, and subjective well-being : A person-centered approach . in H W Marsh , J Baumert , G E Richards & U Trautwein (eds) , Self-concept, motivation and identity, where to from here? : proceedings of the Third International Biennial SELF Research Conference . SELF Research Centre University of Western Sydney , Sydney , pp. 1-9 , The International Biennial SELF Research Conference , Berlin , Germany , 04/07/2004 .
URINARY LIVER TYPE-FATTY ACID BINDING PROTEIN AND PLASMA CYSTATIN C AS EARLY PREDICTORS OF CONTRAST INDUCED ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY

Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) continues to have an increasing incidence, representing the third most common cause of hospital acquired acute kidney injury. It is a syndrome in which an acute renal dysfunction is diagnosed after the intravascular injection of contrast media. Acute renal injury is typically diagnosed by measuring serum creatinine that is an unreliable indicator during acute changes in kidney function; thus, the need for early sensitive biomarkers to detect acute kidney injury before the rise of creatinine has emerged. Urinary Liver type fatty acid binding protein is a newly emerging biomarker that might represent an early, sensitive and non-invasive biomarker for acute renal injury. Cystatin C is a cysteine protease inhibitor that demonstrated a high diagnostic value to detect AKI on the two days before creatinine elevation. Objective: The aim of our study was to elucidate if urinary L-FABP and plasma Cystatin C can be early predictors of AKI after contrast adminstration. Subject and methods: thirty three patients were included in this study, they were divided into two main groups; Group (I): 16 patients underwent coronary angiography for dioagnostic and therapeutic purposes, Group (II): 17 patients underwent computerized tomography using IV (high-osmolar) contrast media; then classified after the procedure to AKI group and Non AKI group according to the change in serum creatinine after 24 hours. Results: the basal value of both plasma cystatin c and urinary L-FABP is significantly higher in AKI vs non AKI groups indicating predictive value of both biomarkers before contrast exposure (AUC of urinary L-FABP = 0.837 (95%CI; 0.673 – 1.001); AUC of plasma Cystatin C = 0.742 (95%CI; 0.600 – 0.925)). After contrast exposure, both both plasma cystatin c and urinary L-FABP showed a highly statistically significiant elevation at 6 hours in the AKI group compared to the non AKI group, while there was no statistically significiant difference in serum creatinine (mg/dl) that showed significant elevation only after 24 hours; thus, both plasma cystatin c and urinary L-FABP may serve as early predictors of AKI after contrast adminstration before any significant change in serum creatinine (AUC of urinary L-FABP =1 (95%CI; 1 – 1); AUC of plasma Cystatin C =1 (95%CI; 1 – 1)). Conclusion: urinary L-FABP and plasma Cystatin C can be considered as predictive biomarkers of contrast induced nephropathy before contrast exposure and as early biomarkers after contrast exposure instead of serum creatinine, as their levels start to rise about 24 hours before any significant change in serum creatinine. Further studies are recommended using large number of patient. Keywords: L-FABP, cystatin c, contrast-induced nephropathy, high osmolar contrast.
Charnockite Massifs: Key to Tectonic Evolution of the Eastern Ghats Belt, India, and Its Columbia Connection

The Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt, India, with two major lithological associations: charnockites and meta sedimentary granulites, is characterized by polyphase deformation and complex, possibly multiple granulite events. Barring the cratonic margins in the north and west, two distinct crustal domains have been identified: the Eastern Ghats Province (EGP) and Ongole domain, separated by the Godavari graben. These domains also have distinct geochronological record of granulite event: in the EGP the first granulite event has been recorded as between 1.2 and 0.9 Ga; while in the Ongole domain the granulite event is recorded as 1.6 - 1.7 Ga. However, charnockite-massifs in both the domains, interpreted as product of deep crustal anatexis under granulite facies conditions, could provide a link in tectonic evolution of the EGB as a whole. LA-ICP-MS analysis of zircon spot ages of two charnockite massifs reveals vestiges of the1.6 Ga charnockite magmatism in the EGP as identical to that in the Ongole domain. Another charnockite massif in the EGP records concordant zircon spot age of 940 Ma, but single spot age of 990 Ma could indicate a prolonged UHT event. Thus magmatic charnockites of intracrustal melting origin could represent two granulite events, at ca. 1.6 and 1.0 Ga in the Eastern Ghats Belt. Also, accretionary orogenic processes of the Supercontinent Columbia might have encompassed the Eastern Ghats Belt with Australia, Antarctica and Laurentia.
Do Initial Endowments Matter Only Initially? The Persistent Effect of Birth Weight on School Achievement

This paper investigates the causal relationship between birth weight and school achievement among children in grades 1 through 8. We find that birth weight significantly affects performance on both math and language test scores in school. Children with higher birth weight do better - a 10% increase in birth weight improves performance in math by nearly 0.05 standard deviations in 1st grade. Children who are born at a weight less than 1500 grams (very low birth weight) have scores in math that are 0.15 standard deviations less in 1st grade. We exploit repeated observations on children to show that birth weight has a persistent effect that does not deteriorate as children advance through grades (upto 8th grade). Children with greater birth weight are also less likely to have ever repeated a grade. The causal link is identified by using a twins estimator - we collected birth weight and basic demographic data on all twins born in Chile between 1992-2000 and match these twin pairs to administrative school records between 2002-2008. There are no differences in school attendance by birth weight, suggesting that missing school perhaps due to health problems is likely not a channel via which test score differentials arise.
Title: Properties of the Compact HII Region Complex G-0.02-0.07

We present new extinction maps and high-resolution Paschen-alpha images of G-0.02-0.07, a complex of compact HII regions located adjacent to the M-0.02-0.07 giant molecular cloud, 6 parsecs in projection from the center of the Galaxy. These HII regions, which lie in projection just outside the boundary of the Sgr A East supernova remnant, represent one of the most recent episodes of star formation in the central parsecs of the Galaxy. The 1.87 μm extinctions of regions A, B and C are almost identical, approximately 1.5 magnitudes. Region D, in contrast, has a peak extinction of A1.87 = 2.3 magnitudes. Adopting the Nishiyama et al. (2008) extinction law, we find these extinctions correspond to visual extinctions of AV = 44.5 and AV = 70. The similar and uniform extinctions of regions A, B and C are consistent with that expected for foreground extinction in the direction of the Galactic center, suggesting that they lie at the front side of the M-0.02-0.07 molecular cloud. Region D is more compact, has a higher extinction and is thus suspected to be younger and embedded in a dense core in a compressed ridge on the western edge of this cloud. Subject headings: HII regions, UCHII, Galactic Center
Improvement of low illumination image enhancement algorithm based on physical mode

The low illumination images always have low brightness, low dynamic range and high noise, because of these characteristics, an improved enhancement algorithm is proposed for low illumination image. Considering that low illumination image enhancement will amplify the noise, it needs to reduce the noise before image enhancement. Firstly, using BM3D (block matching 3D) for image denoising in YCbCr space, then improving the transmission for image enhancement based on the physical model in HSI space. Experiments show that the method can effectively improve the brightness and contrast, enhance the detail of the image, reduce noise, and get a good visual effect.
The neutral gas extent of galaxies as derived from weak intervening CaII absorbers

(Abridged) We present a systematic study of weak intervening CaII absorbers at low redshift (z 45,000) optical spectra of 304 quasars and active galactic nuclei observed with VLT/UVES. Along a total redshift path of Dz~100 we detected 23 intervening CaII absorbers in both the CaII H & K lines, with rest frame equivalent widths W_r,3934=15-799 mA and column densities log N(CaII)=11.25-13.04. We obtain a bias corrected number density of weak intervening CaII absorbers of dN/dz=0.117+-0.044 at z=0.35 for absorbers with log N(CaII)>11.65. This is ~2.6 times the value obtained for damped Lyman alpha absorbers (DLAs) at low redshift. From ionization modeling we conclude that intervening CaII absorption with log N(CaII)>11.5 arises in optically thick neutral gas in DLAs, sub-DLAs and Lyman limit systems (LLS) at HI column densities of log N(HI)>17.4. The relatively large cross section of these absorbers together with the frequent detection of CaII absorption in high velocity clouds (HVCs) in the halo of the Milky Way suggests that a considerable fraction of the intervening CaII systems trace dusty neutral gas structures in the halos and circumgalactic environment of galaxies (i.e., they are HVC analogs). Considering all galaxies with luminosities L>0.05L* we calculate that the characteristic radial extent of (partly) neutral gas clouds with log N(HI)>17.4 around low-redshift galaxies is R_HVC ~ 55 kpc.
Nitrogen, Aerosol Composition, and Halogens on a Tall Tower (NACHTT): Overview of a wintertime air chemistry field study in the front range urban corridor of Colorado

The Nitrogen, Aerosol Composition, and Halogens on a Tall Tower (NACHTT) field experiment took place during late winter, 2011, at a site 33 km north of Denver, Colorado. The study included fixed‐height measurements of aerosols, soluble trace gases, and volatile organic compounds near surface level, as well as vertically resolved measurements of nitrogen oxides, aerosol composition, soluble gas‐phase acids, and halogen species from 3 to 270 m above ground level. There were 1928 individual profiles during the three‐week campaign to characterize trace gas and aerosol distributions in the lower levels of the boundary layer. Nitrate and ammonium dominated the ionic composition of aerosols and originated primarily from local or regional sources. Sulfate and organic matter were also significant and were associated primarily with longer‐range transport to the region. Aerosol chloride was associated primarily with supermicron size fractions and was always present in excess of gas‐phase chlorine compounds. The nighttime radical reservoirs, nitryl chloride, ClNO2, and nitrous acid, HONO, were both consistently present in nighttime urban air. Nitryl chloride was especially pronounced in plumes from large point sources sampled aloft at night. Nitrous acid was typically most concentrated near the ground surface and was the dominant contributor (80%) to diurnally averaged primary OH radical production in near‐surface air. Large observed mixing ratios of light alkanes, both in near‐surface air and aloft, were attributable to local emissions from oil and gas activities.
Production of Chikungunya virus propagated in Aedes albopictus cells compared with the production of this virus propagated in Vero cells

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), the cause of chikungunya fever, is a member of genus Alphavirus and family Togaviridae. Chikungunya fever is a re-emerging infectious disease that is endemic to Africa and Asia. The classic clinical symptoms after infection by CHIKV are sudden febrile illness, headache, rash, myalgia, althalgia, edema of the extremities, and gastrointestinal complaints. Moreover, severe dermatological lesions, lethal hepatitis and encephalitis can occur in newborns and old people. CHIKV has been shown to infect a wide variety of cell lines with differential pathogenicity. This study worked with a CHIKV isolated from recent outbreak Thailand (2008-2009) and aimed to compare production of CHIKV propagated in mosquito Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells, which are representative of one of the main natural vectors, and in African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells. CHIKV propagation, microscopic and standard plaque assay were applied for this research. The results showed different patterns of infection. The growth curve of CHIKV in C6/36 cells illustrated that the highest viral titer of CHIKV in C6/36 cells was produced on day 2 post infection. Cytopathic effect (CPE) was utilized to assay productivity in Vero cells. Optimal collection occurred when Vero cells were undergoing 30-40% CPE. While reduced virus titer was observed when CPE reached 50-70%. Virus titer in Vero cells was depended upon the degree of CPE, amount of input virus, time of virus collection and cell type for virus propagation. The results of this studies are primary information and useful for further developing CHIKV studies.
Managing the E-Government Organization

This article examines the internal and external administrative factors conducive and inhibitive of the development of e-government. It develops a conceptual framework on the basis of existing experiences drawn from administrative reforms. Using data from a large survey of public managers in the German federal government to test guidelines and prescriptions provided in the article, this study indicates that the elements and guidelines developed in our research have had a direct or indirect influence on the development of e-government. Finally, the article indicates further research requirements, as well as consequences for practical project design.
Raman Microspectroscopy (RMMS) for Exploration of Feed Structure and Nutrition Interaction: Using Non-Invasive Techniques in Animal Nutrition

Raman microspectroscopy is a non-invasive bioanalytical technique for studying and imaging molecular vibrations and structure. In this article, recently obtained information on applications of Raman microspectroscopy in exploration of animal feed and animal nutrition interaction was introduced. The emphasis of this review focused on principles and advantage of Raman microspectroscopy techniques to feeds and nutrition research and recent applications and current studies in our team by using Raman microspectroscopy technique for feed chemistry, feed structure, and feed processing studies. The information described in this article may provide an insight in how feed structure, chemistry and nutrition revealed by Raman microspectroscopy.
Improving the quality of research outputs in higher education through knowledge sharing and collaboration : a case study

The article highlights some drawbacks of not managing knowledge in academia and suggests knowledge-sharing strategies that can be used to leverage knowledge on research procedures. The study investigated the research procedures used by Master of Information Studies students at the University of Natal in South Africa between 1982 and 2002. The results indicated that there was no uniformity in the research procedures used in the theses. For instance, issues relating to sampling, validating survey protocols and summarising research findings were not always handled according to established methodological standards. The variability in research processes that were employed partly implied that the levels of knowledge of research supervisors differed. It is evident from the research outputs that knowledge that is scattered among research supervisors is not easily accessible. In that regard, this article provides a model for academic institutions interested in bridging existing knowledge gaps and enhancing performance of research supervisors.
Neisseria meningitidis isolates are conventionally classified by serosubtyping that characterizes the reactivities of the PorA outer membrane protein variable-region epitopes with monoclonal antibodies. Porins are outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of N. meningitidis serogroup B and have attracted study

Neisseria meningitidis isolates are conventionally classified by serosubtyping that characterizes the reactivities of the PorA outer membrane protein variable-region epitopes with monoclonal antibodies. Porins are outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of N. meningitidis serogroup B and have attracted study principally for two reasons: their use in the classification of meningococcal isolates into serotype and subtype and as potential components of vaccines against this important pathogen. New murine hybridomas, secreting specific monoclonal antibodies against PorA serotype P1.4 of N. meningitidis serogroup B, were generated using conventional hybridoma procedures. The monoclonal antibodies obtained were characterized by Western blot and whole cell ELISA, using reference strains from different N. meningitidis serotypes and subtypes. All monoclonal antibodies belong to isotype IgG1. Others hybridomas producing MAbs against PorB and FrpB were also obtained.
A decision support tool for urban energy policy: an urban morphological approach to figure out the energy performance of existing developments

Although the world-wide interest of academic studies and policymakers on the energy matter is mainly focused on buildings, the management of energy performance of existing urban development, in the last 20 years, become an important and frequently debated issue both in scientific literature and public administration practice (among others [1-5]). According to Alberti (1999), the study of urban pattern in relation to environmental processes remains an open issue, especially the operationalization of some research findings into the planning practices. The role of spatial planning in mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions due to fossil fuels and adapting the current urban conditions, is internationally recognised (among others [6-9]. Complexities and differences between professional, technical and political support from each administrations exist, increasing the implementation gap of urban and environmental policies (among others [10-13]). In such a context, the analysis of relationships between urban form and energy performance of transport and housing stock sectors, could be an useful tool to increase the knowledge of urban interactions and support decision processes, especially in strategic planning.
Changes in olive oils used as covering in preserves of eggplants ( Solanum Melongena ) in relation to the time and the condition of storage

The use of the extra virgin olive oil as covering in food preserves presents some problems and still today object of study. With this research it was investigate the changes of some analytical parameters that occur during the storage in the olive oils used as covering in eggplant preserves. It was ascertained that in the oils in presence of the eggplants a drastic decrease of the total phenols was verified immediately after the thermal treatment affecting the oxidative processes. Besides it was observed that in all the oils stored under light the values of the K 270 . ΔK, the total chlorophylls and the 1,2-DG36/1,3-DG36 ratio were significantly changed.
Development of a technique to detect the residue of oxolinic acid in the serum and muscle of Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis

We analyzed the residual of oxolinic acid in the serum and muscle of the Chinese mitten crab by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a fluorescence detector. A standard solution of oxolinic acid was prepared by dilution with 0.05 M phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (pH 7.4). Serum and muscle samples were completely homogenized prior to addition of oxolinic acid. Samples were then transferred into an ultrasonic water bath and centrifuged. The supernatants of serum and water layer of hexane defatted muscle were passed through C-18 solid phase extraction columns. Finally, oxolinic acid in the column was eluted with methanol/NH4OH (75:25 v/v), and then was evaporated to dry by nitrogen gas. Extracted oxolinic acid was determined by HPLC with a fluorescence detector (excitation/emission=335 nm/378 nm) and a Cosmosil 5C18-MS reverse phase column (5 μm, 4.6×150 mm i.d.). A mixture of acetonitrile and 0.02 M PBS pH 3.0 (25:75) was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. A peak with retention time around 8 min was observed. With the addition of 100 μg L^(-1) oxolinic acid treatments, the mean recoveries from serum and muscle were 92% and 82%, respectively. The detection limit was 1 ppb and standard curves spiked at different levels showed a good linear correlation coefficient (R(superscript 2)＞0.999 for oxolinic acid). Because residual oxolinic acid could not be detected in all tested crabs initially, five crabs were fed with oxolinic acid for 7 days by oral administration on purpose and the residual oxolinic acid in both sera and muscle were measured, respectively. The results showed that the residual oxoilinic acid in both sera and muscle could be quantified by this method. Therefore, our developed technique may be employed as a practical method for detection of residual oxolinic acid residue in Chinese mitten crabs or other aquaculture products.
Drivers of land-use change in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region of Ethiopia

The present study employed an econometric framework of land-use shares at the scale of a district to analyse the effects of different socio-economic, bio-physical and climatic factors on land-share allocations to agriculture, forest and grass shrubland in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peopleâ€™s Region of Ethiopia. The results of the empirical analysis confirmed the significant role played by access to credit, access to markets, population density and road density in the allocation of land to competing uses. The results have important implications for the sustainability of current agricultural intensification policies and rural development strategies in Ethiopia, such as the sustainable land management (SLMP) initiative. For example, it is important to include densely populated regions in the SLMP target areas, as high population pressure remains a major cause of land conversion to agriculture and hence needs to be addressed. It will be necessary to create income and employment opportunities outside farming to reduce the pressure of population growth on land. Care must be taken in identifying routes for the construction of rural road networks with minimal environmental impact. Credit provision must consider other, more capital-intensive technologies such as the irrigation needed to reduce pressure on the land through improved productivity. In addition to the promotion of higher adoption of modern technologies to levels that allow the realisation of the land-saving effects of intensification and productivity gains, strategies and policies are needed to encourage intensification of agricultural production in non-forested land. Furthermore, forest policies that facilitate the capturing of forest rents are important for the preservation of forests. Programmes and strategies to exploit multiple benefits from the various forest ecosystemsâ€™ services, such as clear and secure land and forest property rights, and land use and forest policies that give carbon rights to land users and allow communal administration of forests, are prerequisites to enhance forest benefits as the main incentive for conservation.