Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maybe we aren’t that different after all: Faculty perceptions of grade 7-12 teaching as a career

Nearly half of STEM majors in the United States express interest in becoming a grade 7-12 teacher, yet as a nation we face a shortage of qualified math and science teachers. Studies have found that misperceptions about grade 7-12 math and science teaching are impacting student career choices. As part of the Get the Facts Out project, this work addresses faculty perceptions of grade 7-12 teaching because faculty play an important role in student career decisions. Additionally, understanding how faculty perceptions of grade 7-12 teaching differ may inform targeted efforts to change perceptions in the future. In this study, nearly 500 college STEM faculty members’ perceptions of grade 7-12 teaching were measured using a newly developed survey. Faculty perceptions were then compared based on department affiliation, position type, and gender. No significantly practical differences were found based on these demographics. Implications for STEM teacher recruitment are discussed.
Virological aspects of non-human primates or swine-to human xenotransplantation

primates-to-human xenotransplantation includes: the human immunodeficiency virus - HIV and the Marburg virus described in this paper. In addition viruses, which is a problem in pig-to-human xenotransplantation have also been described, including: porcine endogenous retrovirus - PERV, porcine cytomegalovirus - PCMV, porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus - PLHV and hepatitis E virus - E - HEV. This review of literature is the latest knowledge of the microbiological safety of xenotransplantation.
SIMULATION OF FREE-SURFACE VISCOUS FLOWS BY A FINITE-ELEMENT FRONT-TRACKING APPROACH

Water waves and their effects on floating or submerged bodies is an important area of research in engineering. It covers a wide spectrum of applications presenting significant difficulties and challenges to understand and predict. Investigation is further compounded by the fact that laboratory experiments on scaled prototype are difficult and expensive. Furthermore, scaling laboratory results from model to full scale configuration is not always possible. On the other hand, Computational Fluid Dynamics is complementary to experiments because it provides a large amount of detailed data on flows. Consequently the predictive capability and scientific analysis must rely partly on computational models. One of the main issues in the numerical modeling of free-surface flows is that the location of the free surface is part of the solution of the problem. In front-capturing approaches, the free surface is captured on a fixed mesh, like in the Volume Of Fluid or level-set methods. An alternative consists in following the free surface with the deformable mesh (i.e. front-tracking methods). The former approaches lead to a more general simulation procedure because interfaces can undergo arbitrary changes of topology; as an example it allows for the simulation of breaking waves. However, the latter provides a more accurate methodology because the location of the free surface is explicitly known and not subjected to smearing from numerical diffusion. In the present work, we use a front-tracking boundary fitted methodology to model free-surface flows. In this approach, the free-surface matches one of the boundaries of the computational domain and follows its deformations in time while resulting grid motions are accounted for by an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) approach. Interior domain deformation is obtained by using the pseudo-solid method which generates domain displacements through quasi-static linear elasticity equations. The pseudo-solid approach is very general and allows for efficiently treating complex geometries. To avoid robustness and stability issues which lead to excessively long simulation times or algorithm breakdown, we develop a fully coupled implicit procedure with highly stable time integrators.
EFFECTS OF SWITCHING SOYBEAN MEAL WITH GUAR MEAL IN BROILER DIETS ON PERFORMANCE, CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS AND SOME BONE MEASUREMENTS

To study effects of 10% guar meal (GM)- included diets on productive performance, slaughter traits and some tibia measurements of broiler chicks, a total number of 180 Hubbard chicks were divided randomly into 5 treatments (36 chicks each), each treatment replicated 6 times of 6 chicks. Two iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets in (starter (P1), grower (P2) and finisher (P3) periods) including two levels of GM: Control diet without GM and 10% GM diet in overall trait periods P1, P2 and P3 respectively, (T1) or in P1 (T2); P2 (T3) or P3 (T4) only respectively. Results indicated that: Dietary 10% GM inclusion (T1-4) significantly affected live body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and gave the lowest significant performance compared with control group. Dietary treatments did not affected feed consumption and chicks fed (T1-3) diets recorded lowest values. Dietary 10% GM inclusion (T1-4) insignificantly affected carcass characteristics, carcass parts % and some tibia measurements. Generally 10% GM as replacement for soybean meal in starter, grower or finisher period diets as well as overall trait periods to broiler chicks has adverse effects on their productive performance under practical conditions and that further researches are needed to determine a more accurate level of Guar meal inclusion in broiler diets due to different factors such as periods rearing conditions and high viscosity of guar for better performance and carcass characteristics.
Intelligent greenhouse monitoring and control scheme: An arrangement of Sensors, Raspberry Pi based Embedded System and IoT platform

Objectives/Methods: The conventional farming approaches have been found unable to deliver an appropriate quantity of fertilizer. Similarly, no explicit measure can be established to regulate the climate parameters. In this study, we have developed a prototype comprising a sensor network (SN) based node, Raspberry Pi based embedded system (ES) that is active to monitor the climatic parameters with air temperature, air humidity, soil moisture, air carbon dioxide, and light intensity within a greenhouse environment. Raspberry Pi based ES is integrated with internet-of-things (IoT) analytics, termed as ThingSpeak, and sensor nodes are physically placed in a greenhouse environment to record climate parameter data being forwarded to the gateway. The gateway nodes direct this data to the agriculture professional(s) through aweb browser over the internet. Findings: Based on the received data, the ES triggers the intelligent decision-making by implementing appropriate arrangements to regulate climate parameters. For example, the greenhouse climate is controlled through switching ``ON'' certain devices i.e., lights, water sprinklers/exhaust fan, and fan. We deliberate that the proposed scheme can be implementable at a bigger scale without any difficulty and it will be much advantageous for an increase in sustainability, productivity, and profitability of a farming system. Novelty: Up to the authors' best knowledge, it is the first wireless deployment of ThingSpeak analytics for a smart greenhouse environment by using the Raspberry Pi. The main advantages of this intelligent crop monitoring system include uninterrupted mobile monitoring of the greenhouse, improved crop yield and productivity, negligible human interface/dependency. https://www.indjst. org/ 2811 Arshad et al. / Indian Journal of Science and Technology 2020;13(27):2811–2822
The sex ratio of the koinobiont parasitoid Microcharops anticarsiae Gupta remains female-biased on young larvae of velvetbean in the laboratory environment

The natural parasitic behavior of parasitoids should be known by those in charge of planning strategies for the biological control of pests; therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the larval instar of Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner parasitized by Microcharops anticarsiae Gupta in the field and the implication of such parasitic behavior in the sex ratio in the laboratory environment. The length of each larval instar of A. gemmatalis parasitized by M. anticarsiae in the field was determined, and the egg-to-pupa period of the parasitoid and its larval instar lengths were plotted in Gantt charts. According to the chart, A. gemmatalis was parasitized at the first (15%) and second (85%) larval instars in the field, but the length of the first, second and third larval instars of this species was not affected by the parasitism by M. anticarsiae in the field; however, its fourth larval instar was extended and the fifth one was shortened in 2015 but not affected in 2016. The sex ratio of A. gemmatalis larvae parasitized by M. anticarsiae in the field was female-biased, and the sex ratio of early parasitized larvae (3-day old) in the laboratory environment was also female-biased for three cultivated generations. The ‘generation’ factor has affected the egg-to-pupa, pupal and egg-to-adult periods of M. anticarsiae, since females pupated earlier than males in the egg-to-pupa period. Based on the results, M. anticarsiae mostly parasitized the second larval instar of A. gemmatalis in the field, and parasitism in 3-day old larvae in the laboratory environment produced female-biased sex ratio in M. anticarsiae, regardless of the generation.
Comparison of Two Approaches of Resolving Power Sharing Error in Droop Based DC Microgrids

DC microgrids have gained extensive attention in the recent years. In the islanded mode of operation power sharing between sources is required. The power sharing usually is provided by employing P-V droop characteristics while the voltage local property results in power sharing error. In this paper two decentralized approaches for resolving power sharing error are studied and compared. In the first approach, sources employ proper virtual resistance. In second approach, droop characteristics are realized in the Point of Common Coupling (PCC). It is shown that by using second approach, the voltage drop is reduced and equally the voltage quality is improved. It is discussed that the reason is bypassing the voltage drop associated with the sources output resistance in the second approach. Time domain simulations of a test DC microgrid are provided to verify the results.
THE LIGHT MICROSCOPY AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SARCOCYSTIS FUSIFORMIS INFECTING BUFFALOES IN IRAQ

Samples from fresh muscles of 2-12 years old buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from Al-Shuala,Baghdad were examined for Sarcocystis infection. Macroscopic ovoid Sarcocystisembedded in the muscle tissues of the examined buffalo were detected, they measured 150-223 (209+7) μm length and 35-130 (85+3) μm width. Esophagus was the highly infectedorgan followed by diaphragm, tongue while the heart muscles were the lowest infected part.The cyst cavity was compartmentalized by septa derived from the ground substance locatedunder the primary cyst wall. By TEM, the primary cyst wall bordered sarcocysts, 0.08-0. 22μm in thickness, raised from the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane and surrounded by asecondary cyst wall of host origin. The primary cyst wall had irregular wall folds withnumerous cauliflower projections of variable size and shape accompanied with a knob-likeelectron dense elevation. The interior of the cyst contained merozoites consisted of thestructural elements of the Apicomplexa, polar rings, micronemes, conoid and rhoptries.
The OSNSim Standardization Proposal for Input Parameters in Online Social Networks Simulations

The Online Social Networks (OSNs) have attracted the attention of the research community due to their current importance in the people’s lives. One of the ways to investigate them is by using computational simulations, but often the selection of the input parameters of a simulator undergoes a combinatorial explosion problem. Furthermore, currently there is not a common frame to compare OSNs simulations, so each one uses his/her own set of values. Here, we propose the OS-NSim Standard applicable to the choice of simulations input parameters, targeting to settle a reference in this ﬁeld. We conducted a series of empirical testes using an OSN simulator to ﬁnd initial ranges for the composition of the standard. We grouped and extended those ranges in a progressive sequence of scenarios focusing on a general solution. We ended up with 12 scenarios, each one composed by 72 input combinations, from small to large-scale simulations. The proposed standard is suitable as a general reference, avoids combinatorial explosions in the parameters selection, and provides a comparison frame for correlated researches.
Formulation and Applications of Lipid-Based Nanovehicles: Spotlight on Self-emulsifying Systems

The drug delivery investigation field is continuously widened and adapted to overcome many factors such as poor drug solubility, absorption, rapid metabolism, the variability of drug plasma levels, cellular efflux and many others. Due to resemblance to body constituents and their biocompatibility, lipids offer a promising scheme for poorly water-soluble and lipophilic drugs. Various nanoparticles including vesicular systems, lipid particulate systems, and emulsion systems provide some unique benefits as pharmaceutical carriers in drug and biomolecules delivery systems. Nowadays synthesis is directed toward simple, costless techniques, therefore, self-emulsifying systems have gained superiority over the other carriers. Self nano-emulsifying systems composed of oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant emulsified upon contact with an aqueous medium, has been widely exploited. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive interpretation of different types of lipid-based carriers emphasizing on the self-nanoemulsifying system, why it is gaining interest, formulation, composition, and applications.
Analysis of the Breeding Technique applied to the CPTEC-AGCM Model

The increase of understanding of the climate and weather processes also supported with the evolution of the computation power has led in a systematic improvement on the Numerical Weather Prediction, with highly positive impact on the society activities. The NWP is becoming a country-policy concern level. The models developed to simulate weather behaviour became more accurate and complex, but the errors in the initial conditions will be propagated during the forecasting process. One approach to previous evaluation about the forecasting reliability can be addressed by the breeding technique, which consist in the generation and rescaling of Bred Vectors (BV). Bred Vectors are the difference between reference and perturbed simulations of the same model, after a time inteval of integration, measured with a choosen norm. The BV are peridocally re-scaled to be the same size of the initial perturbation for restarting the process. The evolution of the BV magnitude could be used to evaluate predictability and sensibility of variables. The breeding technique will be applied to the Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM) from the CPTEC-INPE to evaluate the goodness of the prediction.
Vertical integration as a strategy to increase value absorption by primary producers: The Belgian sugar beet and the German rapeseed case

Vertical integration is a means of increasing market power. For some agricultural products, it is easier for farmers to exert control over their product beyond the farm gate, but for others it is more difficult. Cases in the latter category have two main characteristics. First, the farmer cannot sell the respective product to final consumers without processing. Second, processing is capital-intensive. Consequently, farmers have limited sales channels, and vertical integration of the supply chain is complex and challenging. It implies cooperation among farmers to process the raw material at a profitable scale and to finance the installation of processing facilities. Thus, for these product categories, farmers are prone to market power issues, since they depend on private businesses that have the financial means to install processing facilities and the logistical capacities to organize the collection of large amounts of raw material. This paper aims to identify and analyze the role of supply chain integration for farmers who are already cooperating horizontally. Two case studies serve as the basis for the analysis: sugar beet in Flanders, Belgium, and oilseed rape in Hessen, Germany. The analysis is based on a qualitative research approach combining interviews, focus groups, and workshops with farmers and processors. While for sugar beet, the effects of market power are emerging only now with the termination of the quota system, farmers growing oilseed rape have been experiencing these problems since the 1990s. Our analysis concludes that most strategies to maintain or improve farm income have been exhausted. Even various forms of vertical integration supported by European policies do not necessarily work as a successful strategy.
Large scale Variscan granitoid intrusion throughout Europe: a lateral geochronological trend?

Large-scale granitoid intrusion during the Variscan orogeny (370 to 250 Ma) in Europe above subduction zones of that time is assumed to be the result of a heat pulse due to slab detachment. This would show from a lateral trend in age of emplacement of all granitic bodies, migrating through the complete Variscan fold belt, and thus, a younging direction perpendicular to the former subduction zones. To test this, an inventory of intrusion ages (on the basis of U-Pb, Rb-Sr and K-Ar analysis), typology (Ior S-type) and location of 70 granitic bodies in the European Variscan fold belt, from the Armorican Massif to the Bohemian Massif, was made. From the collected data, no lateral trend in age is observed. However, a trend in age parallel to former subduction zones is shown in most massifs, with a younging direction towards the thrusting vergence. This is probably the result of nappe stacking. In the Armorican Massif and Massif Central, granites are all S-type, which is probably the cause of continental subduction. In central Europe, the typology is mixed Sand I-type, which can be caused by subduction of either continental or oceanic lithosphere.
Simulation of Emergence of Local Common Languages Using Iterated Learning Model on Social Networks

—Thus far, there have been a variety of methodologies proposed on simulating the evolution of languages, each of which belongs to a different level of abstraction. Our goal is to provide a framework that represents the diachronic change in language by the contact among language communities. We propose an agent-based model with Kirby’s iterated learning model and complex networks, putting learning agents on each node in the social network. Our proposed model is examined in three aspects: (i) the effectiveness of string-clipping, (ii) the relation between generations for learning and the number of local common languages, and (iii) the relation between network types and local common languages. A series of experiments shows that we have succeeded in modeling the actual situation of language change.
Machine learning algorithms for mapping Prosopis glandulosa and land cover change using multi-temporal Landsat products: a case study of Prieska in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are responsible for loss in biodiversity and the depletion of water resources in natural ecosystems. Prosopis species are IAPs previously introduced by farmers to provide shade and fodder for livestock. In the Northern Cape, Prosopis spp. invasions are associated with the loss of native species resulting in overgrazing and degrading rangelands. Mapping Prosopis glandulosa is essential for management initiatives to assist the government in minimising the spread and impact of IAPs. This study aims to evaluate the performance of two machine learning algorithms i.e., Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) to map the spatial dynamics of P. glandulosa in Prieska. The spatial invasion extent of P. glandulosa was mapped using multitemporal Landsat data spanning the period from 1990 to 2018. Validation of the results was done through an estimated error matrix with the use of the proportion of area and the estimates of overall accuracy, user’s accuracy and producer’s accuracy with a 95% confidence interval. The performance of the SVM and RF classifiers showed similar results in the overall accuracy and Kappa statistics throughout the years. These methods showed an overall increase of at least 3.3% of the area invaded by P. glandulosa from 1990 to 2018. The study indicates the importance of Landsat imagery for mapping historical and current land cover change of IAPs. The spread of P. glandulosa was confirmed by an increase in the total area of invasion, which enables decision-makers to improve monitoring and eradication initiatives.
VITAMIN D RECEPTOR GENE BSM1 POLYMORPHISM AND RISK OF BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women, around the world. It is a multifactorial disease involving genetic and environmental factors. Vitamin D is known to modulate biological processes like immune response, bone metabolism, cell growth regulation. The protective actions of vitamin D in cancer development are only sparsely understood, however, evidence shows that vitamin D participates in cell growth regulation, apoptosis and cell differentiation. It has also been implicated in the suppression of cancer cell invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis. The cellular effects of Vitamin D are mediated via Vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily and a key mediator in the vitamin D pathway. VDR is expressed in the breast tissue, and the involvement of (VDR) polymorphisms in breast cancer etiology has long been a topic of interest. Several studies have suggested an association between VDR gene polymorphisms and risk of breast cancer. This study aims to investigate the distribution frequency and association of VDR Bsm1 polymorphisms in North Indian breast cancer patients. In this study, 125 breast cancer patients and 125 healthy individuals were enrolled. The prevalence of Bsm1 alleles and the genotype frequencies in patients with breast cancer was similar to that in the normal population. Our data indicated no significant differences between the patients and control subjects. No significant association was observed between VDR Bsm1 polymorphism and risk of breast cancer occurrence.
Automation of psychological testing of stressful situations in the Serbian

— People are increasingly exposed to stress today, hence the care for their mental health is even more significant. The lack of time often does not allow that people discuss with professionals about stressful situations, but the answers to these problems are searched through the Internet such as the experiences of other people. Definition of a stressful situation is the first question. People react differently to certain stressful situations depending on the moment in which they are happening and their psychological state. The perception of a situation as stressful can be an indicator of the existence of a problem. This paper presents the model of the crowdsourcing platform that serves to gather information of stressful situations, individual reaction to the given situation, the comment of professionals on the problem, as well as the assessment of the psychological state of the user through a psychological test. Such a platform is a unique platform of this type in the Serbian language. The users of this platform get information about the relationship between the stressful situation and the corresponding psychological state. For the purposes of this paper, the platform is developed for the case of postpartum depression.