Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elementary Children's Retrodictive Reasoning about Earth Science.

We report on interviews conducted with twentyone elementary school children (grades 15) about a number of Earth science concepts. These interviews were undertaken as part of a teacher training video series designed specifically to assist elementary teachers in learning essential ideas in Earth science. As such, children were interviewed about a wide array of earth science concepts, from rock formation to the Earth’s interior. We analyzed interview data primarily to determine whether or not young children are capable of inferring understanding of the past based on presentday observation (retrodictive reasoning) in the context of Earth science. This work provides a basis from which curricula for teaching earth and environmental sciences can emerge, and suggests that new studies into the retrodictive reasoning abilities of young children are needed, including curricula that encourage inference of the past from modern observations.
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering microfluidic sensor

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a highly sensitive detection technique used to provide information about chemical and biological trace analytes. The confocal Raman microscope makes it possible to monitor small samples in a narrow microfluidic channel, despite the fact that the scattering intensity of the Raman signal is very weak. Recently, microfluidic chip devices coupled with on-chip SERS detection method and their applications to sensitive chemical and biological analyses have attracted significant attention. In this mini-review, highlights of advances in SERS techniques, microfluidic devices and their applications on the biological/environmental analysis of minute analytes within the recent years are provided to illustrate the impact of this rapidly growing area of research.
Inflation and corporate investment in selected OECD countries in the years 1960-2005 – an empirical analysis

Theoretical models point at various channels of the impact of inflation on corporate investment. This article attempts to answer the question what are the direction and strength of this possible impact examining the relationship between corporate investment and inflation on the sample of 21 OECD countries in the years 1960-2005. The obtained negative relationship, statistically and economically significant, proves robust to changes in the specification of the estimated equation, estimators, frequency of variables used in the study and analysed period. Moreover, the results obtained suggest nonlinear character of this relationship: marginal effect on corporate investment is higher at inflation rates between 3 and 5.5 per cent. These results suggest that the impact of inflation on corporate investment dynamics may be the source of nonlinear nature of the relationship between GDP growth and inflation identified in previous empirical studies. Finally, taking into account the direct impact of inflation on investment, variables approximating the cost of capital utilisation prove to be statistically insignificant determinants of corporate investment.
New Empirical Formula for the Determination of the fundamental period of vibration of multi-storey RC buildings

Most current Codes recommend empirical formulae for the period of vibrations calculation for multistory RC buildings obtained based on theoretical analyses and/or seismic records, as a function of the building total height. The results of these formulae are largely deviating from the required engineering accuracy due to the ignorance of major factors affecting in the period. In the present paper an evaluation of the empirical formulae of some current Codes is carried out. A parametric study has been performed using finite element (FE) analysis to study the effect of the parameters influencing in the fundamental period. Comparison of the results obtained using codes formulae with the results obtained from the parametric study, shows that the codes’ formulae underestimate the fundamental period. A new formula for the calculation of the fundamental period of vibration of RC multistory frame buildings has been obtained considering all influencing factors. The comparison of the recommended equation results with the FE results in accompanies with the results of the current Codes’ equations, shows good agreements of the recommended equation results with the finite element results.
Carbon and hydrogen isotopic ratios of atmospheric methane in the upper troposphere over the Western Pacific

Abstract. We present the mixing ratio, δ13C and δD of atmospheric CH4 using commercial aircraft in the upper troposphere (UT) over the Western Pacific for the period December 2005–September 2010. The observed results were compared with those obtained using commercial container ships in the lower troposphere (LT) over the same region. In the Northern Hemisphere (NH), the UT CH4 mixing ratio shows high values in the boreal summer–autumn, when the LT CH4 mixing ratio reaches a seasonal minimum. From tagged tracer experiments made using an atmospheric chemistry transport model, we found that such high CH4 values are due to rapid transport of air masses influenced by CH4 sources in South Asia and East Asia. The observed isotopic ratio data imply that these areas have CH4 sources with relatively low δ13C and δD signatures such as biogenic sources. Latitudinal distributions of the annual average UT and LT CH4 mixing ratio intersect each other in the tropics; the mixing ratio value is lower in the UT than in the LT in the NH and the situation is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), due mainly to the NH air intrusion into the SH through the UT. Such intersection of the latitudinal distributions is observable in δD but not in δ13C, implying an additional contribution from reaction of CH4 with active chlorine in the marine boundary layer. δ13C and δD show low values in the NH and high values in the SH both in the UT and in the LT. We also observed an increase in the CH4 mixing ratio and decreases in δ13C and δ
ONLINE VERSUS FACE-TO-FACE: DOES DELIVERY METHOD MATTER FOR UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL LEARNING?

Considering the significant growth in online and distance learning, the question arises as to how this different delivery method can affect student learning. Specifically, this study compares the student learning outcomes on both a basic and complex assignment given in the same course, but using two different delivery methods of traditional face-to-face and online, across five undergraduate business courses taught at Elon University during the summer 2007 session. This study includes data from over 120 students and, after controlling for other factors known to affect student performance, the results indicate that delivery method has no significant difference in student learning.
Inflammation and Genetics of Inflammation in Cardiovascular Diseases

Inflammation is a complex of defensive mechanisms reacting to the entry of harmful agents to the organism or cells in order to eliminate or at least to dilute the agent, repair damaged cells or tissue and restore homeostasis. From this definition it is clear, that inflammation does not accompany only infectious diseases but also others, causing cell, tissue or organ injury and serves primarily defensively (Table 1). An exaggerated, chronic long lasting or non-adequately regulated inflammatory response could be the cause of adverse reactions and could lead to pathology (Bucova, 2002b). Inflammation plays an important role also in the etiology of ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial infarction (MI), angina pectoris (AP) and hypertension, however, its mechanism in various stages of pathological process is not well understood (Bucova et al., 2008a; Itoh et al., 2007; Kuka et al., 2010; Li, 2005; Pickering et al., 2007, Ross 1999). If the cause of IHD is atherosclerosis or other, it is accompanied by inflammation. Various types of inflammatory cells, cytokines, chemokines and other soluble factors were confirmed to be involved in this process. (Armstrong et al 2006; Aukrust et al., 2001; Brunetti et al., 2006; Bucova et al., 2008a; Ferencik et al., 2007).
DEGRADATION OF KERATIN CONTAINING WASTES BY BACTERIA WITH KERATINOLYTIC ACTIVITY

The aim of this study was to select keratin-degrading bacteria from JSC “Biocentras” collection and poultry processing plant wastewater, and to study their ability to degrade chicken feathers. Isolated from poultry processing plant wastewater bacteria was grown in basal media with feathers meal and showed high keratinolytic activity and protein content throughout the cultivation time. Bacterial strains B. licheniformis 511, B. subtilis I1, B. subtilis 717, and B. subtilis 103 suggested strongly of bacteria that produces keratinolytic activity in the cell free culture supernatants. The obtained results showed that maximum activity of keratinase is a function of cultivation time by the bacteria tested. B. subtilis 103 reached to its maximum level of keratinase production (152 U/mL) after 24 hrs, when over bacteria (148-242 U/mL) after 48 hrs. The good ability of selected bacteria to degrade feathers was detected. The best biodegradation of feathers was obtained using B. subtilis I-1. Over bacillus good degraded feathers as well.
Spectral Characteristics of the 2dFGRS–NVSS Galaxies

Abstract We have analysed the 2dF spectra of a sample of galaxies common to the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS, Colless 1999) and the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS, Condon et al. 1998). Our sample comprises 88 galaxies selected by Sadler et al. (1999) from 30 2dFGRS fields observed in 1998. In this paper we discuss how this and future, much larger, samples of 2dFGRS–NVSS galaxies can be interpreted via analysis of those galaxies with strong narrow emission lines. Using diagnostic line ratio measurements, we confirm the majority of the eyeball classifications of Sadler et al. (1999), although many galaxies show evidence of being ‘composite’ galaxies—mixtures of AGN plus starburst components.
Influence of sodium hydroxide treatment of barley grain on in vitro rumen gas production and microbial-N yield

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of treatment of whole barley grain (WBG) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on in vitro rumen gas production parameters and microbial protein synthesis. Experimental treatments included untreated whole barley grain (BControl) and treated barley grain with NaOH+water (35 g+220 ml/kg DM WBG) for 30 days (BNaOH). In vitro gas production technique was used to determine the gas production parameters of the samples. Furthermore, gas volume, apparent substrate degradability of barley grain (ASD), true substrate degradability of barley grain (TSD) and microbial N at t1/2 for two treatments were measured. The amount of produced gas at each time of incubation in each glass serum bottle was taken as the gas production parameter. Results of the in vitro technique revealed that alkali treatment of WBG caused a significant increase in the asymptotic gas volume (b) versus BControl (113.71 and 162.86 ml, respectively). Constant rate of gas production (c) significantly d.
Emergency contraception: Are reproductive-aged women well informed?

Despite available effective contraception methods, unintended pregnancy remains a significant health issue. Emergency contraception (EC) is used to prevent pregnancy after an unprotected or inadequately protected sexual intercourse. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge and personal experience with EC among reproductive-aged women. A prospective survey among a sample of Portuguese women at reproductive age was performed. The survey was anonymous, voluntary and included questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics, obstetrical history, known emergency contraception methods, timing to use EC, personal experience and efficacy of available methods. After completing the survey, participants were offered written information about EC. A total of 92 women participated on the survey but 3 were excluded due to incorrect filling. Mean age was 30.52 years and most were single, multiparous and with no previous abortions. Awareness rate of EC was 95.5% but only 56.4% knew that it prevented pregnancy. Just 16.5% stated that both hormonal oral method and IUD were the available methods and 67% believed that it was effective within 1 day after unprotected sexual intercourse. EC was previously used by 29.4% and to 65.9% participants the hormonal oral method was considered the most effective. Over 90% said that EC does not protect against sexually transmitted infections. Despite the high rate of awareness of EC our population had some limitations concerning the purpose and different forms of EC as well as the proper time limit to use it. Educating reproductive-aged women and health care providers about EC is important.
Theorizing one learner’s perceived affective experiences and performances from a dynamic perspective

This paper examines the perceptions of one Chinese learner of English at a university. From a Dynamic System Theory (DST) perspective, the student’s perceptions, affective experiences and classroom learning will be explored by identifying the non-linear relationships between them. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the student’s perceived affective experiences and her self-reported performances in a foreign language classroom. The participant was a second-year university student from a foreign language university in China. Diary, questionnaire, semi-structured interview, and class observation were applied to investigate this 6-month longitudinal study. Emotional ambivalence including several different affective patterns and five attractor states, namely, Integrative Disposition, Amotivation, Autonomy, Actual Learning Process and Language Awareness were identified.
Mise au point d'un modèle d'infection expérimentale d'entérite nécrotique clinique chez le poulet de chair par des facteurs prédisposants

This study was conducted to develop tools for the evaluation of alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters to prevent necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. A Clostridium perfringens infection model was carried out to assess the role of Eimeria infection and high wheat feed content as predisposing factors in broiler chickens for necrotic enteritis. Chickens were divided into 5 groups: Three groups were fed with a 45%, 35% or 25% wheat diet and 2 groups were fed with a 35% wheat diet with a 40 or 24 times the recommended dose of a live Eimeria vaccine. Chickens were challenged per os with a mixture of 3 Clostridium perfringens isolated from c1inical cases. After challenge, c1inical signs were observed and macroscopic lesion scoring was carried out. Only groups which received the Eimeria vaccine showed c1inical signs and macroscopic lesions in the jejunum corresponding to c1inical necrotic enteritis. Furthermore, the jejunum, ileum and cecal contents were collected for fecal coliforms, Lactobacillus, C. perfringens and total bacteria counts. On day 2 post-inoculation, C. perfringens counts in jejunum from the group receiving 24 times the anticoccidial dose were higher th an the control group. Important variations in counts were shown in cecum for the bacterial species that were studied. Eimeria infection with high wheat content in the meal predisposed broiler chickens to necrotic enteritis and that intestinal microflora modifications are observed after C. perfringens challenge. This model can be used to assess antimicrobial growth factors alternatives for preventing necrotic enteritis.
The analyses of manufacture processes and interfacial dynamic behaviors of condensed films

The aim of this project is to integrate the study of the solid film for semiconductor processing and the study of the liquid film during high-tech processing. The interfacial dynamic behavior of the condensed film and will be investigated completely. The project includes five subprojects such as solid films at non-equilibrium state, vapor-phase-epitaxial films, molecular beam epitaxial films, liquid-phase-epitaxial films, and chemical vapor deposition films. To construct the physical model, it will combine the microand macromodels in order to completely understand the mechanism of the motions and deformations for condensed films. As for the stability analysis, it will involve linear, weakly nonlinear and strongly nonlinear theories with an attempt to consequently build up the unified theory for the stability of condensed films. The analyses will focus on how to control parameters, which affect the formation and evolution of the film surface, for various manufacturing processes. The analyzed theoretical results will compare to the experimental results. As for the techniques of the numerical simulation, the molecular dynamics theory will be adopted to simulate the dynamic behavior nanoscopically, and the theory of spatiotemporal chaos and coupled map lattices will be adopted to study the mechanical behaviors macroscopically. The results of this work will set up a principle basis for the condensed film
Autumn Migration of Passerines in Bahariya Oasis, Egypt – Where Do They Come from and Where Do They Go?

ABSTRACT Stêpniewski K. , White M.L. J., Megalli M. 2011. Autumn migration of passerines in BahariyaOasis in Egypt - where do they come from and where do they go? Ring 33, 1-2: 27-36. We present the results of studies on directional preferences of passerine migrants in Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt. Fieldwork was conducted in August and September 2010. Birds were mist-netted, ringed and tested in Busse’s orientation cage; in total 66 tests were analysed. The most pronounced direction was W, which was surprising and remains unexplained. Southern directions were also prominent, particularly SW; among the northern directions NW were distinct and NE less so. Our results are in line with those at other ringing stations in Egypt, suggesting a common migration pattern in this region. They also allow for tracking probable migration routes through Bahariya. Birds may arrive at the oasis from the Nile Delta and Mediterranean coast, then the majority head SW towards Lake Chad, while others may fly directly S or SE towards the Nile Valley. Bahariya Oasis appears to be an important crossing point of passerine migration routes across the Sahara and it is important to continue further studies in this area.
A knowledge economy approach in empirical growth models for the Nordic countries

We estimate, employing a “knowledge economy” approach, the steady state growth rate for the Nordic countries. An endogenous growth framework is developed, in which total factor productivity is a function of human capital (measured by average years of education), trade openness, research and development, and investment ratio. We identify the key variables having a significant level and growth effects within this framework. We find that education plays an important role on the long-run growth rates of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark; trade openness, instead, has growth effects in Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The investment ratio is able to explain patterns of growth only in Finland. Surprisingly, research and development has no level or growth effects in any of the Nordic countries. This may be attributable to the fact that research and development are driven by openness and education. Policy measures are identified to improve the long-run growth rates for these countries.
Optimized Naïve Bayesian Algorithm for Efficient Performance

Naive Bayesian algorithm is a data mining algorithm that depicts relationship between data objects using probabilistic method. Classification using Bayesian algorithm is usually done by finding the class that has the highest probability value. Data mining is a popular research area that consists of algorithm development and pattern extraction from database using different algorithms. Classification is one of the major tasks of data mining which aimed at building a model (classifier) that can be used to predict unknown class labels. There are so many algorithms for classification such as decision tree classifier, neural network, rule induction and naive Bayesian. This paper is focused on naive Bayesian algorithm which is a classical algorithm for classifying categorical data. It easily converged at local optima. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm has gained recognition in many fields of human endeavours and has been applied to enhance efficiency and accuracy in different problem domain. This paper proposed an optimized naive Bayesian classifier using particle swarm optimization to overcome the problem of premature convergence and to improve the efficiency of the naive Bayesian algorithm. The classification result from the optimized naive Bayesian when compared with the traditional algorithm showed a better performance Keywords: Data Mining, Classification, Particle Swarm Optimization, Naive Bayesian
The use of web 2.0 innovations on education and training

Nowadays, the web 2.0 is becoming the preferred environment of communication, collaborating and sharing specially among youth population. Web 2 tools are handy, simpler to deploy free or not expensive and ready to be used in different context. This pushes many actors in the world of education to study how to bring these technologies into education field. The learning management system as Moodle, is an example of facilitating the integration of these tools. The main aim of this is to enrich the learning environment, to facilitate learning's action, to remedy the student's isolation problem and especially to relieve the education platform by adopting an appropriate policy of use. However, our vision, first and foremost is to enable the teachers to focus on teaching instead of getting lost in technology and to delegate the management of a part of the learning platform to some web 2 tools.
Patanjali Dant Kanti: Is it worth all the hype!? Comparative evaluation with other herbal dentifrices for efficacy against S. mutans

Introduction: The world is shifting towards natural products for a healthier lifestyle. Today the market is flooded with herbal products and dentistry is no exception to this. Aim: To compare and evaluate the effectiveness of the popular herbal dentifrices in fighting against the oral microorganisms. Materials and methods: This in-vitro study evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy of popular commercially available herbal toothpastes against S. mutans. The antimicrobial property of the popular commercially available herbal toothpastes was tested using the disk diffusion method against S. mutans. The resulting inhibition halos were compared, which determined their effectiveness. Results: The bacteria were sensitive to all the toothpastes tested to varying degrees. Conclusion: All herbal dentifrices tested had antimicrobial activity. Patanjali Dant Kanti was most effective amongst all.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Xpert Mtb/Rif Assay in Stool Samples in Intrathoracic Childhood Tuberculosis

Background: The study aims at finding out usefulness of Xpert in stool samples in children, as they usually swallow their sputum. It also simultaneously compares the results of stool Xpert with Xpert, smear and culture in gastric lavage and sputum samples. Materials and methods: A diagnostic accuracy study included children (< 15 years) with probable tuberculosis. Induced sputum, gastric aspirate and stool samples each were subjected to Xpert, AFB stain and culture. Diagnostic utility of stool Xpert was calculated with reference to liquid culture in sputum or gastric aspirate as gold standard. Results: The study included 100 children. Stool Xpert was positive in 4 cases (4%). Overall cultures positivity was 26%. The total yield including culture and Xpert (sputum or gastric aspirate) was 45%. The sensitivity of stool Xpert was 11.54% and specificity 98.65% as compared to culture. There was association of stool Xpert positivity with sputum AFB (p 0.024), sputum Xpert (p 0.004) and gastric aspirate Xpert (p 0.039), while there was no significant association with X-ray pattern or malnutrition. Conclusion: Stool sample for Xpert cannot replace gastric aspirate and induced sputum for diagnosis, and hence should not be used as a first line test.