Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Media Utilization and Academic Performance of Students Studying Geography in Public Secondary Schools in Nsit Atai Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This project was an investigation on the utilization of social media and academic performance of students in Geography in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Four schools out of six public secondary schools in Nsit Atai Local Government Area were selected for the study. The population size was 1108 students, while the sample size was 100 students. The correlational research design was adopted for the study. The instruments for data collection were Social Media Utilization Questionnaire (SMUQ) and Geography Achievement Test (GAT). The instruments were validated by the supervisor and tested for reliability; a reliability coefficient of 0.78 was obtained using the test-retest method reliability test. Two research questions and null hypotheses, respectively were stated to guide the study. Data obtained from the students using the SMUQ and GAT were analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC). The hypotheses were tested at . 05 alpha level of significance. Concerning the findings of this study, it was deduced that there was a fragile positive relationship between students’ utilization of Whastapp, as well as Facebook social media and their academic performance in Geography. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that social media utilization should be encouraged among students as this will help them develop excellent communication skills, build interactions, share ideas and enhance collaboration between students, teachers, and parents alike.
Parents’ Responses to Peer Victimization: Associations With Early Adolescent Coping and Peer Victimization

Prospective associations linking parental responses to peer victimization (i.e., coping suggestions, school contact) with adolescents’ coping and experiences of peer victimization were examined. Participants were 203 adolescents ( X ¯ a g e = 12.16 years, SD = 0.98) and a parent (81% mothers). At Time 1, parents provided open-ended responses to a hypothetical peer victimization scenario. At Time 1 and Time 2, adolescents reported on peer victimization and coping with peer victimization. Parents’ active-engaged responses to the hypothetical scenario (e.g., approaching the school) predicted more adolescent-reported conflict resolution and support seeking, whereas parents’ passive-disengaged responses (e.g., tell an adult) predicted less adolescent-reported support seeking over time. Somewhat surprisingly, parents’ positive and negative appraisals predicted less conflict resolution and revenge seeking, respectively. Parents’ suggestions to be assertive predicted more peer victimization over time. Some gender differences emerged in associations between parents’ responses and adolescents’ coping and peer victimization. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.
Phenotypic diversity of Haitian Benzolive (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

Crossref,Index Copernicus International (ICI), Directory of Research Journal Indexing (DRJI),Scientific Indexing Services (SIS), CiteFactor, Moringa (MO) is a plant with great nutritional value distributed in almost all subtropical and tropical countries including Haiti. MO is relatively present in all departments of Haiti. But till now, there are no data available for the phenotypical diversities of Haitian MO. The current survey is aimed at evaluating the morphological diversity of Haitian MO. From June to September of 2018 year, 90 samples of MO were collected in the 10 departments of Haiti. Characters registered per plant were submitted to statistical analysis using IBM SPSS, version 22.0. Results revealed that Haitian MO grain yield (GY) were ranging from 0.20 to 3.26 t/ha. MO from Grand‘Anse and South are significantly more yielded than the other districts (p< 0.05). MO grain yield was positively related with all registered characters. The two maximal GY correlations were observed mainly with number of branches plant (ρ=0.74; p<0.001) and number of pods per branch (ρ=0.60; p<0.001). Haitian MO was classified into two separate clusters. MO of South, Southeast and Grand‘Anse departments formed one cluster and the other departments constituted the largest one. The greatest genetic diversity was detected in MO from Southeast and West departments. Crossing materials from Southeast and West department is well recommended for creating possibly new accessions. Additional investigation regarding molecular classification is deeply required for better understanding the genetic diversity of Haitian MO.
Alternative Pasture Development System and Breeding Weight for Beef Heifers

Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky. edu/igc/22/1-8/25 The XXII International Grassland Congress (Revitalising Grasslands to Sustain Our Communities) took place in Sydney, Australia from September 15 through September 19, 2013. Proceedings Editors: David L. Michalk, Geoffrey D. Millar, Warwick B. Badgery, and Kim M. Broadfoot Publisher: New South Wales Department of Primary Industry, Kite St., Orange New South Wales, Australia
Tokenizer for Icelandic text

Tokenizer is a compact pure-Python (2 and 3) executable program and module for tokenizing Icelandic text. It converts input text to streams of tokens, where each token is a separate word, punctuation sign, number/amount, date, e-mail, URL/URI, etc. It also segments the token stream into sentences, considering corner cases such as abbreviations and dates in the middle of sentences.
Deformable Slice-to-Volume Registration for Motion Correction in Fetal Body MRI.

In MRI, motion correction for fetal body poses a particular challenge due to the presence of local non-rigid transformations of organs caused by bending and stretching. The existing slice-to-volume (SVR) reconstruction methods provide efficient solution for the fetal brain that undergoes only rigid transformation or 4D fetal heart with rigid states correlated to cardiac phases. However, for fetal body reconstruction, rigid registration cannot resolve the issue of misregistrations due to deformable motion. This results in propagation of registration error to the reconstructed volume and subsequent degradation of features. We propose a novel approach for non-rigid motion correction in 3D volumes based on an extension of the classical SVR method with hierarchical deformable registration scheme and structure-based outlier rejection. Deformable SVR (DSVR) method allows high resolution reconstruction of the fetal trunk and the robust scheme for structure-based rejection of misregistered slices minimises the impact of registration error. The method performance is evaluated by comparison to the SVR and patch-to-volume registration methods for reconstruction of fetal trunk on a series of fetal MRI datasets from 28-30 weeks gestational age (GA) range with varying degree of motion corruption. An additional phantom study with simulated non-rigid motion is used for the assessment of consistency of DSVR reconstructed volumes.
The dying process : patients' experiences of palliative care

Taking as its focus a highly emotive area of study, The Dying Process draws on the experiences of daycare and hospice patients to provide a forceful new analysis of the period of decline prior to death. Placing the bodily realities of dying very firmly centre stage and questioning the ideology central to the modern hospice movement of enabling patients to 'live until they die', Julia Lawton shows how our concept of a 'good death' is open to interpretation. Her study examines the non-negotiable effects of a patient's bodily deterioration on their sense of self and, in so doing, offers a powerful new perspective in embodiment and emotion in death and dying. A detailed and subtle ethnographic study, The Dying Process engages with a range of deeply complex and ethically contentious issues surrounding the care of dying patients in hospices and elsewhere.
A kinetic perspective on azimuthal variation of magnetopause reconnection at scales below an Earth radius

Magnetic reconnection efficiency at the Earth’s magnetopause has recently been shown to exhibit variations in reconnection jet amplitudes at azimuthal scales below an Earth radius [1]. This finding, however, is obtained based on the bulk velocity moment measurements. If there exists a significant cold magnetospheric ion population in addition to the accelerated magnetosheath population, the combination of the two would yield a low bulk velocity moment that does not necessarily correspond to a weak reconnection activity. Here we analyse ion distribution functions of the three reconnection events in [1] to examine whether the varying jet amplitudes are due to the presence of cold magnetospheric ions or variations of reconnection acceleration. Our results show that, although the cold magnetospheric ions have lowered the absolute bulk velocity, the relative variation trend of the bulk velocity is consistent with that of the acceleration gained by magnetosheath ions. The result supports the interpretation that reconnection activity can vary azimuthally on scales below an Earth radius.
Analysis of estrone sulphate, testosterone, and cortisol concentrations around time of ejaculation and potential correlation to sexual behavior and sperm characteristics in stallions

Analysis of Estrone Sulphate, Testosterone, and Cortisol Concentrations Around Time of Ejaculation and Potential Correlation to Sexual Behavior and Sperm Characteristics in Stallions. (May 2009) Jennifer Leigh Seale, B.S. Agricultural Development, Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Clay Cavinder In the stallion, inconsistent sexual behavior and variable semen quality are common. This reproductive variability has been attributed to differences in circulating hormone concentrations. In order to further examine this relationship, 7 miniature stallions were observed for sexual behavior and semen characteristics. Blood was also drawn from each stallion 15 min before mating (time -15), immediately following ejaculation (time 0) and at times following ejaculation (times +15, +30, and +60). Plasma was later analyzed for concentrations of testosterone (T), estrone sulphate (ES) and cortisol. Semen was evaluated for volume, sperm concentration and progressive motility. Sexual behavior was quantified by assigning a libido score to each stallion, recording reaction time and the number of jumps required for ejaculation. Upon statistical analysis, data revealed both ES and cortisol increased at the time of semen collection (P < 0.05), while T did not. Regression analysis revealed that ES and the ratio of ES to T at times -15, +30, and +60 were negatively correlated to libido
Combined Effects of Drought and Shading on Growth and Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Pinus massoniana Lamb. Seedlings

Carbon assimilation is reduced by stress. Under such conditions, the trade-off between growth and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) storage becomes crucial for plant survival and continued growth. However, growth and NSC responses to drought and shading in Pinus massoniana Lamb. remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of drought, shading, and combined drought and shading on leaf gas exchange parameters, stem basal diameter, plant height, biomass accumulation, and NSC concentration in 2-year old seedlings after a 2 month treatment. The results showed that (1) both drought and shading significantly reduced photosynthetic rate, increment of stem basal diameter and plant height, and biomass accumulation, while NSC concentration increased under drought but decreased under shading; (2) the combined drought-shading treatment had a stronger effect on photosynthetic rate and growth than either stress factor individually, whereas the concentration of NSC did not change significantly; and (3) drought, shading, and their combination had a lower effect on biomass than on NSC partitioning, in which case clear effects were observed. Drought increased NSC proportion in roots by 5.4%; conversely, shading increased NSC proportion in leaves by 3.7%, while the combined treatment increased NSC proportion in roots by 5.1% but decreased it in the leaves by 5.4%. These results suggest that the mechanism inhibiting P. massoniana growth is different under drought and shading conditions according to carbon partitioning. Furthermore, complex environmental stress may lead to different mechanisms of carbon partitioning compared with either dry or shaded environments. Our findings will be helpful in predicting the impact of climate change on P. massoniana growth.
‘So close, yet so different’ – reflections on the multicultural course of
 Slavic languages

The complexity of language learning may be expanded to learning the languages belonging to the same language family, for example, Slavic languages. This paper reports on the reflection-on action research aimed at the increase of learners’ multicultural competence and enhancement of critical thinking at the interdisciplinary, blended course of Slavic languages and cultures. The course organized in modules is implemented in Moodle. Course content is designed by the teacher; however, Slavic languages are presented by native speakers of these languages. Learners have an opportunity to get familiar with Slavic languages, history, and culture from the presenters’ perspective, what generally results in the increase of learners’ multicultural competence and enhancement of critical thinking. Learning experience is intensified through reflective learner logs, which serve as a knowledge-sharing medium and cognitive learning.
Preparing Teacher Interns for International Teaching: A Case Study of a Chinese Practicum Program

Acadia University, a small liberal arts institution, has for over 15 years, offered a unique practicum experience for its teacher interns enrolled in the preservice Bachelor of Education. Students travel to Shanghai, China for a period of four months to teach English as a Second Language in school classrooms ranging from grades kindergarten to six. This paper describes the preparation of interns and the inherent challenges they face as pedagogues in a distinctly different teaching context. This action research account seeks to used mixed methods to identify areas of improvement in the process of preparing beginning teachers for a career in international teaching.
Credit, social mentality and technical innovation efficiency

Existing literature has confirmed the importance of science and technology innovation on its promoting sustainable, healthy and rapid growth of economy from the perspective of innovation forms, regional environment, and time phases, but the influence of social factor is neglected in the research of the efficiency of technology. Using provincial panel data during the period of 2000 to 2013, we probe into a path that improves the effects of science and technology innovation on economic growth from the perspective of social environment rather than of pure technology. This study introduces social factor into research model and takes account of credit construction and social mentality to explore the impact mechanism of science and technology innovation on economic growth. The results indicate that the regional innovation activities remarkably improve the growth of economy. The establishment of regional credit websites and the publication of honest and dishonest behavior dramatically improve the promoting effects of innovation on the economy. Positive social mentality can spread the “positive energy” through shared reality, inter-subjectivity consensus and social representation in the social interaction to promote the technical innovation efficiency. The higher attentions of regional netizens to stress, anxiety, indifference, anger, rich second generation, wealth showoff have negative impacts on the innovative activities and weaken the innovations’ support to economic growth. This study suggests that regional governments strengthen the process of credit construction in the aspect of formulating credit policies and regulations, standardizing the credit information platform and credit service market, and finally establishing a sound social credit system. Besides, governments need to guide positive social mentality into the mainstream ideology of the society and pay attention to online public opinions to properly channel the negative emotions that hinder the healthy development of social mentality.
An Exponential-Based DGTD Method for Modeling 3-D Plasma-Surrounded Hypersonic Vehicles

Plasma surrounding a hypersonic vehicle can lead to the absorption of incoming radar radiation or the interruption of communication. Therefore, the development of hypersonic vehicle relies on a clear understanding of the strong interaction between the surrounding plasma and the incident electromagnetic wave. However, because of the presence of complex geometrical features and heterogeneous media, these applications are often multiscale. The modeling of such applications in 3-D is extremely challenging for traditional numerical methods. In this work, an efficient discontinuous Galerkin time-domain (DGTD) method for the 3-D modeling of plasma-surrounded hypersonic vehicles is presented. To overcome the grid-induced stiffness problem arising from the modeling of such multiscale applications with dispersive media, and to improve the modeling efficiency, a high-order exponential-based time integration for the time-domain Maxwell’s equations discretized by DG schemes with a general flux formulation is proposed. This time integration has excellent stability properties in the locally refined part of the mesh and hence enables the usage of larger time steps compared with the explicit time marching scheme. Additionally, the exponential-based time integration is developed to adapt an anisotropic perfectly matched layer for the modeling of open-domain problems. Finally, numerical experiments are presented to investigate the accuracy and convergence properties and to demonstrate the well-modeling capability of the proposed method.
Obesity in lumbar spine surgery

Obesity has been shown to be a significant factor in the development of musculoskeletal disease. In particular, there has been a recent increase in interest in the role of obesity in lumbar spine disease and surgical outcomes for lumbar spine pathology. Obese individuals are more likely to develop both clinical and radiographic evidence of degenerative lumbar spine disease. Weight loss, whether in the form of diet and exercise regimens or bariatric surgery, may provide some improvement in clinical lumbar spine complaints. In situations in which surgery is necessary to treat degenerative lumbar spine conditions, obese patients experience improvement but less so compared to nonobese patient. Obese patients may be more likely to develop perioperative and postoperative complications.
Willingness to pay for mangrove preservation in Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam: do household knowledge and interest play a role?

ABSTRACT Xuan Thuy National Park, a special nature reserve with mangrove swamps located in the Red River Delta in North Vietnam, plays an important role in combating coastal erosion and provides a habitat for many endangered bird species. This study applied double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method to directly estimate how much locals are willing to pay for mangrove conservation at Xuan Thuy National Park. In particular, the technique was used to provide better assess to the non-use value of biodiversity and ecosystem support of mangroves. Survey respondents from 350 households in the buffer zone were presented with a hypothetical scenario describing a policy that quantifies the environmental change to be achieved by 2030, and specifying a lump sum payment. Non-parametric estimate of mean WTP was found at 511,090 VND per household (22.03 USD) whereas parametric estimate of mean WTP derived from the log-logistic specification was found at 619,908 VND (26.73 USD) per household. Awareness of mangrove benefit and interest in conservation activities have a positive impact on WTP responses, in addition to income. The findings will help policy-makers adopt sound environmental policies and advise locals on the importance of protecting the mangroves which in turn protect their livelihoods.
Performance monitoring for sensorimotor confidence: A visuomotor tracking study

To best interact with the external world, humans are often required to consider the quality of their actions. Sometimes the environment furnishes rewards or punishments to signal action efficacy. However, when such feedback is absent or only partial, we must rely on internally generated signals to evaluate our performance (i.e., metacognition). Yet, very little is known about how humans form such judgements of sensorimotor confidence. Do they monitor their performance? Or do they rely on cues to sensorimotor uncertainty to infer how likely it is they performed well? We investigated motor metacognition in two visuomotor tracking experiments, where participants followed an unpredictably moving dot cloud with a mouse cursor as it followed a random trajectory. Their goal was to infer the underlying target generating the dots, track it for several seconds, and then report their confidence in their tracking as better or worse than their average. In Experiment 1, we manipulated task difficulty with two methods: varying the size of the dot cloud and varying the stability of the target’s velocity. In Experiment 2, the stimulus statistics were fixed and duration of the stimulus presentation was varied. We found similar levels of metacognitive sensitivity in all experiments, with the temporal analysis revealing a recency effect, where error later in the trial had a greater influence on the sensorimotor confidence. In sum, these results indicate humans predominantly monitor their tracking performance, albeit inefficiently, to judge sensorimotor confidence. Highlights Participants consciously reflected on their tracking performance with some accuracy Sensorimotor confidence was influenced by recent errors Expectations of task difficulty did not play a large role in sensorimotor confidence Metacognitive sensitivity of binary confidence judgements on continuous performance can be quantified with standard non-parametric techniques
Workshop Queue System Modification Through Multi Priority Strategy

This research focused on the modification of a queuing system in a workshop practice that repairs crankshafts using multi priority strategy. The random distribution of the inter arrival time of the crankshafts as well as the service time were statistically determined using Chi square goodness of fit test. The results obtained show that all the classes conform to Poisson distribution. For the non-preemptive priority, the mean waiting time in queue results for the first, second and third classes are 0.066, 0.09 and 0.224 day, respectively, while for the preemptive priority the three classes show 0.007, 0.036 and 0.258. Besides, the mean waiting time in queue for no priority system is 0.17 day. Arrivals that are of higher priority classes in preemptive priority systems enjoy huge improvement when compared with non-preemptive system. On the other hand, the improvement gained in higher priority classes has detrimental effect on the low priority class. Similar scenario plays out when the results of the mean waiting time in the system was analyzed. It is therefore advocated that priority strategy should be adopted for a system that may have urgent or semi-urgent jobs among the pool of jobs that needs repair to avoid possible losses arising from frequent reneging or balking of such jobs.