Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can Computer-Based Instruction Improve Molecular Biology Comprehension Among General Education Students?

The study compared the efficacy of teaching key concepts of molecular biology using an online study environment with a more traditional, lecture-based approach. Two introductory biology classes were randomly divided and exposed to one of two instructional delivery systems. The traditional group attended class and heard lectures covering DNA structure and replication, RNA transcription and protein synthesis, and had live interaction with the instructor. The remaining students used computer-based instruction exclusively to cover the identical course content. These, so called, online learners had access to web pages with detailed lecture notes that were supplemented with graphics, animations and hyperlinks. They interacted with the instructor, and completed chapter quizzes, using electronic mail. Results of a multiple-choice final examination revealed significantly poorer performance by the online group (Mdns = 48% vs 60%, p< .025). Student feedback indicated that the online learning experience was perceived to be more solitary, require more time and personal responsibility. Implications for computer-based instruction were discussed.
Island-coastal and oceanic epipelagic zooplankton biodiversity in the southwestern Indian Ocean

The oceanic Indian Ocean zooplankton species and their distributions have been well described, but the zooplankton of coastal regions, particularly around the oceanic islands, has not been well researched, either taxonomically or experimentally. The environment of the Mascarene region in the southwestern Indian Ocean and zooplankton research that has been carried out there is detailed, along with gaps in our knowledge. Suggestions are given for future research, particularly on the zooplankton species adapted to live in the fluctuating environment of inshore waters, including studies on taxonomy and biodiversity, life cycles, dispersion and genetics. Problems of carrying out taxonomic research are highlighted.
BOTÂNICA E FISIOLOGIA/ BOTANY AND PHYSIOLOGY ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN ‘CUERNAVAQUEÑA’ MEXICAN PLUM (Spondias purpurea L.) AT DIFFERENT RIPENING STAGES

ABSTRACT - Mexican plum ( Spondias purpurea L.) ‘Cuernavaquena’ was harvested at four ripening stages, with the aim of evaluating the concentration of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity in the pulp and the epicarp. The highest ethylene production (9.43 mL kg h -1 ) and total soluble solids concentration (23.9 °Brix) was observed in the fully ripe stage. Titratable acidity was higher in green stage compared to other analyzed ripening stages in both pulp (0.48 %) and epicarp (0.32 %). Fully ripe plum epicarp presented the highest content of total phenols (GAE 190 mg g -1 ), flavonoids (QE 214 mg g), and carotenoids (853 mg g -1 ) compared to other ripening stages. The antioxidant capacity was higher in the epicarp of the fully ripe fruit compared to the other ripening stages: DPPH (1087 µM TE /100 g), ABTS (1534 µM TE/100 g), and FRAP (1764 µM TE/100 g). Significant correlations (r = 0.60 *** to 0.95 **) between bioactive compounds concentrations and antioxidant activity were obtained.
Optimization of processing parameters of soybean seeds dried in a constant-bed dryer using response surface methodology.

In some conditions, to avoid deterioration and field losses of soybean seeds ( Glycine max Merr.) from weathering at end of the season, farmers start to harvest seeds with a high moisture content and so, careful post-harvest drying would be required to maintain the physiological quality of seeds. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the operating conditions of soybean seed drying. The study was performed using a three-level, four-factor fractional factorial design and aimed at determining the optimum combination of initial moisture content (X 1), drying air temperature (X 2), air velocity (X 3), and depth of loading (X 4) that could result in high germination, vigor and field emergence. The seeds of two soybean cultivars ( Clark and Sahar ) with initial moisture content of 15 to 45% dry weight basis (d.w.b), were dried in different drying air temperatures from 35 to 55°C, air velocity ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 m s -1 and a loading depth of 0.5 to 10 cm. According to the results of germination and vigor tests, the optimum drying conditions for seeds of cv. Clark were obtained at an air temperature of 52oC, which needs to be decreased with higher initial moisture content. Harvesting can start at about 30% d.w. b initial seed moisture content, if drying is done carefully, but cv. Sahar was more susceptible and the drying air temperature should not exceed 41oC and harvesting should take place when seeds reach an initial moisture content of below 32%. Moreover, it is strongly recommended to use moderate depths of loading because of best aeration and air circulation and to avoid overdrying. The seed quality indices in this experiment were more sensitive to both air temperature and initial moisture content than air velocity and depth of loading.
Income Distribution and Endogenous Dollarisation.

In this paper we combine a monetary overlapping generations model of heterogeneous agents with non-homothetic preferences to explain the pattern of dollarisation across types of goods. This provides a theoretical link between asset and transaction dollarisation. We find that transaction dollarisation depends positive on asset dollarisation. The exact relationship between transation dollarisation and asset dollarisation is shaped by the income distribution. Also, for most values of asset dollarisation, goods associated to high-income customers are endogenously priced in foreign currency, whilst high priority goods, those associated to lowincome customers are priced in domestic currency. When dollarisation is partial, asset dollarisation is always higher than transaction dollarisation.
A simple evaluation procedure of the TAN calibration and the influence of non-ideal calibration elements on VNA S-parameter measurements

Abstract. For the 7-term general TAN (Through-Attenuator-Network) self-calibration method of a four-sampler vector network analyser (VNA), and for all derived calibration methods like TLN, TRL, TRM, TAR, or TMN, it is shown that a very simple evaluation procedure of the seven error terms is possible, even if the Through connection is replaced by a reflectionless network with known transmission. Expressions for the deviations of the measured S-parameters of two-port test objects (d.u.t.s) from the true values, which are caused by deviations of the modeled S-parameters of non-ideal calibration elements ("standards") from their true values, are also presented. Additionally, it is shown that a TAN calibration is also possible in case of unequal reflections of the Network.
A Novel Method with Dilute Surfactant Flooding by Considering the Effect of Time and Temperature on Crude Oil Aging, Experimental Study on Heavy Oil of Bangestan

Wettability alteration has been a sophisticated issue for scientists and reservoir engineers since early 20th century; thus, many investigations have been carried out to determine wettability and enhance it to ideal conditions, which leads to improvement in oil recovery. Dilute surfactant flooding has been approved as one of the noteworthy methods in chemical flooding. Several petroleum reservoirs were recognized as suitable nominees for surfactant/water flooding when screening criteria were established. Surfactant flooding was applied to mobilize the trapped oil in reservoirs. The key mechanism to enhance oil recovery by surfactant flooding was defined as rock wettability alteration. Experimental investigations into the impact of aging and temperature on wettability alteration were performed. Subsequently, core flooding test of surfactant was performed to define the effect of thinned cationic surfactant slug with cyclic 7 days technique (Multi-slug injection) on displacement sweep efficiency in the carbonate core of Bangestan reservoir with its heavy oil reservoir. Moreover, contact angle and interfacial tension (IFT) measurements were made to gain the supplementary information for a surfactant/waterflooding. The best concentration of C19TAB was determined by measuring interfacial tension values of the crude oil in contact with surfactant solutions prepared in synthetic brackish water. Results displayed a decrease in residual oil saturation by changing the contact angle and IFT reduction between oil and water. Moreover, aging was known as a significant constraint to change the wettability index to make similar oil-wet condition. Besides, laboratory experiments verified that the influence of wettability alteration was higher than IFT reduction.
Empowering older women in Malaysia: Understanding their health care demand

ABSTRACT Understanding factors that affect health care demand by elderly women is vital for a health system to be more supportive towards women’s empowerment. This paper presents the medical care utilization of the elderly women; identify the existence of income-related inequity in health care utilization and the role of living arrangements of the elderly on health care utilization among the elderly women in Kedah State. A total number of 202 of respondents aged 62 to 95 were interviewed face-to-face using a structured questionnaire. The Probit and Poisson model were used in estimating the demand equation. It is found that income, after controlling for other socioeconomic and health related factors, is not statistically significant in affecting the likelihood of doctor visits, and the frequency of the visits. The role of living arrangement, as measured by marital status and the number of individual aged 18 and over living together is also not significant in both models. This result suggests that older women in the area of study can somehow make independent decisions regarding their health care demand, which demand should ideally base on health status rather than not other factors.
Bias in Federal Reserve Inflation Forecasts: Is the Federal Reserve Irrational or Just Cautious?

This paper documents that inflation forecasts of the Federal Reserve systematically under-predicted inflation before Volker's appointment as Chairman and systematically over-predicted it afterward. It also documents that, under quadratic loss, commercial forecasts have information not contained in the forecasts of the Federal Reserve. It demonstrates that this evidence leads to a rejection of the joint hypothesis that the Federal Reserve has rational expectations and quadratic loss. To investigate the causes of this failure, this paper uses moment conditions derived from a model of an inflation targeting central bank to back out the loss function implied by the forecasts of the Federal Reserve. It finds that the cost of having inflation above the target was larger than the cost of having inflation below it for the post-Volker Federal Reserve, and that the opposite was true for the pre-Volker era. Once these asymmetries are taken into account, the Federal Reserve is found to be rational and to efficiently incorporate the information contained in forecasts from the Survey of Professional Forecasters
Studying the Effectiveness of the Internal Control System on the Corporate Value and Dividend in Listed Companies in Tehran Stock Exchange

Quality of financial information to inside and outside users of the organization has a particular importance. Many factors affect the quality of the financial information that the internal control system of reporting unit is one the most important factorsManyexpertsbelieve that by identifying weak and improvement pointsofinternal control systemcan be achieved higher level of quality in the preparation and disclosure of financial information with a lower cost and raised the value of the company.Since the aim of this study is the effect of internal control system improving on the company's value and dividend in listed companies on Tehran stock exchange. In this research, 118 companies were studied by using systematic elimination during the period 2010 to 2014. The panel data regression method was used to analysis in this research. The results indicate that improvement of the internal control system has a direct impact on the value and dividend of the companies.
Designing Gender in Social Media: Unpacking Interaction Design as a Carrier of Social Norms

In this paper we focus on interaction design as the practice of designing interactive and digital products, services, systems and/or environments. Of interest in the area of interaction design is people’s use of designed things, which also makes it relevant to relate interaction design to the social norms present in society, such as gendered norms. We present three different cases in which we have analyzed different aspects of interface design and put a specific focus on interaction design as a carrier of social and gendered norms. The first case concerns a qualitative study of how young girls interact with and present themselves in a photo blog website. The second case is a study of the way that young women entrepreneurs use the functionality of social media to mold an attractive online persona (an invented, or adjusted, character that one wants to put forward). The third case is based on a study of the development of the national youth counseling site in Sweden. By using the concepts of interference and social norms as analytic tools, we exemplify various ways in which social norms, such as gender norms, diversity, power relations, equality, marginalization, etc. are part of interaction design and how the interface design reinforces norms and provides a far from neutral arena. In this paper, gender is highlighted in relation to social norms and values in society and social expectations and hierarchies. On the basis of our findings from the three different cases, we argue that there is a need to unpack how digital design embeds gender norms and to demonstrate how the relationship between norms and design can be critically examined.
Clinical Study of the Prunus dulcis (Almond) Shell Extract on Tinea capitis Infection

Prunus dulcis (Almond) shell extract demonstrated for its biomedical applications. Shell extract prepared by soxhlet method and further characterized by UV-Visible spectrophotometer, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and MIC control method. In this study the antifungal activity of almond shell extract was observed against clinically isolated pathogenic fungus by strip method. The antioxidant potential of crude shell extract was also evaluated by using DPPH (2-2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl) and radical scavenging system. The total antioxidant activity varied from 94.38 to 95.49% and total phenolic content was found 4.455 mg/g in almond shell extract. Finally the results provide a great therapeutic potential against infection of scalp caused by Tinea capitis and result can be achieved in 20 days therapy. In this study of shell extract results provide a great therapeutic potential against infection of scalp caused by Tinea capitis and provides scientific evidence for clinical efficacy against dermatologic disorders. The present study is aimed to summarize the therapeutic importance of cheap and discarded coconut shell and the future prospects in order to develop a new generation of modern antimycotic drugs.
Bone-Conduction Sensitivity along with Static Force, Location, and Stimulus

This study sought to estimate bone-conducted hearing sensitivity as static force levels of the oscillator as well as identify the most sensitive bone-conducted location on the human head when stimulated by tone and speech stimuli. In Experiment I, 24 young normal hearing listeners responded to bone-conducted thresholds ranging from 250 to 8,000 Hz in three placement locations: the forehead and the left and right mastoids. At each location and across all participants, the static force applied to various forces related to the individual’s head size (i.e., Hooke’s raw). The results of this experiment indicated that increased static force would not significantly cause more sensitive (or lower) thresholds. Thresholds of the forehead placement were less sensitive than both mastoids. Experiment II involved 24 young normal hearing listeners to determine the bone-conducted hearing thresholds at five placements (i.e., condyle, jaw angle, mastoid, temple, vertex) of the head, using tones ranging from 500 to 6,000 Hz and spondee words. The results indicated that the condyle and vertex are the most and least sensitive placements, respectively, regardless of tone and speech stimuli. Such information may be extended to future series of studies related to develop effective bone-conduction communication devices under harmful noisy conditions as well as contribute to the development of a computational model of bone-conducted sound transmission pathways in the human skull.
Globalization and the Role of Educational Travel to Israel in the Ethnification of American Jews

The globalization of contemporary life has been observed as having the twin consequences of, on the one hand, the homogenization of different cultures, while, on the other it brings out the commonality of all cultures relativization due to the heightened contact between them. Globalization also generates a renewed ethnicity as a response to cultural homogenization. This study will present, through comparative longitudinal analysis, the changes in Jewish identity of North American college—age Jews from their arrival in Israel as volunteer tourists, the conclusion of their programme, as well as after they have returned to their home country. The analysis utilizes two multistage longitudinal data sets:(l) data gathered in North America, through mail survey, from 362 alumni who participated in the Otzma programme during 1987ndash;1995, (2) data gathered from 269 Oren Kibbutz Institute alumni who participated in the programme during 1989ndash;1994 (a period of stable performance of the inbound tourist flow to Israel). The mail survey on which this data is based was conducted between 1994 (Oren) and 1996 (Otzma), with a follow up response rate of 52% among Otzma alumni and 54% among Oren alumni. It seems that during the years that have passed since participation in both programmes, the participant's ethnic identity as American Jews has become stronger since their Israel volunteer tourism experience. Indeed, while participants in each programme started out with quite different pre-programme scores, (Otzma being higher than Oren), the pattern and gradient of increase among alumni of both programmes was found to be strikingly similar. Thus, somewhat paradoxically, the globalization of the macro categories of cultural identity, rather than leading to homogenization may serve to predispose the ethnification and cultural renewal of American Jews through the medium of volunteer travel, by way of the individual choice to experience Israel.
Village sanitation, early-life human capital, and heterogeneous treatment eects: External validity in a randomized experiment by the Maharashtra government

Over a billion people worldwide defecate in the open, with important consequences for early-life human capital accumulation in developing countries. We study the rst randomized controlled trial of a village sanitation intervention, and nd a large eect of improving rural sanitation on average child height in one district of Maharashtra, India. We further exploit the unique history and dataset of this experiment to investigate the eld experiment’s external validity. We use heterogeneity in the treatment eect to predict the eect in two other districts which we know that the government considered for the experiment but did not select. We estimate that if the experiment had been implemented in the other districts, the estimated eect may have been much smaller and not distinguishable from zero. The results highlight that any similar processes that shape the selection of implementation contexts in other experiments may inuence the
PHENOTYPIC STUDY OF LACTATION CURVE IN IRANIAN HOLSTEINS

A total of 136,250 monthly test day milk records collected from 13,625 Iranian Holstein heifers (three times a day milking) calved between 1991 and 2001 and distributed over 264 herds were used to study the effects of some environmental factors influencing lactation curve parameters as well as production characteristics. Wilmink’s function (Yt = W0 + W1t + W2e -0.05t ) was fitted to individual lactations. Least squares analysis of variance indicated that the herd, year and month of calving had a significant effect on all traits under consideration. Correlation analysis showed that the parameter W0 had a negative and significant (p<0.05) relationship with parameters W1 and W2 while it was positively significantly correlated with milk at peak time and 305-day milk yield. Simple linear regression analysis of adjusted means of a 305-day milk yield, days to reach peak yield as well as peak milk yield in the first year of calving also revealed that there was a phenotypic increase of 137.152 Kg, 0.535 day and 0.434 Kg per year, respectively.
A comparative study of structural, electrical and magnetic properties of magnesium ferrite nanoparticles synthesised by sol-gel and co-precipitation techniques

Nano-sized magnesium ferrite was synthesised using co-precipitation and sol-gel techniques. Structural characterisation was performed using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and scanning electron microscope. XRD analysis reveals the prepared samples are single phasic without any impurity. Particle size calculation shows that the crystallite size of sol-gel prepared samples is 9 nm and co-precipitation sample is 11 nm. FTIR analysis confirmed spinel structure of the prepared samples. Magnetic measurements show that both the samples are ferromagnetic with a high degree of isotropy in co-precipitation derived sample. The frequency dependence of the dielectric constant in the range 100 Hz–20 MHz was also investigated in the temperature range 303–533 K. The results of both the samples followed Maxwell–Wagner model based on interfacial polarisation in consonance with Koops theory.
Management and Diversity: Thematic Approaches

International Perspectives on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion examines the complex nature of equality, diversity and inclusion in the world of work through interdisciplinary, comparative and critical perspectives. Authors are encouraged to provide cross-national and multi-dimensional insights through comparative analysis and to bring insights from across the disciplines of social sciences and humanities. The series elicits critical scholarship through its focus on structures of inequality in relations of power in exploring issues of EDI at work.