Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enrich yourself by helping others: A web content analysis of providers of gap year packages and activities in the Netherlands

With this article, we aim to contribute to a growing academic and public debate on claims about ‘taking a gap year’ as (an act of) moral tourism, a means of self-development and ultimately resulting in global citizenship. More specifically, we examined how the gap year discourse is exhibited, influenced and shaped through the representation, promotion and construction of gap year packages and activities on websites operated by providers in the Netherlands. Informed by Bourdieu’s model of capital accumulation, we conducted a content analysis of websites operated by providers of gap year packages and activities in the Netherlands. Findings show that narratives about gap years primarily focus on positive and personal (future) benefits of accumulating skills and self-development to potential gappers, and in some cases to their parents. The gap year is represented as a commercial product that allows one to explore the world and the Self. The findings also showed that although Dutch providers promote the gap year product as ethical, emphasis is placed primarily on the ‘ethical’ benefits for the gapper himself or herself. The article concludes with a critical reflection on how representations of reciprocal altruism by providers of gap year packages and activities in practice primarily underwrite the accumulation of (cultural) capital and notions of selfhood.
Kenyan Nurses Involvement in National Policy Development Processes

The aim of this study was to critically examine how nurses have been involved in national policy processes in the Kenyan health sector. The paper reports qualitative results from a larger mixed method study. National nonnursing decision-makers and nurse leaders, and provincial managers as well as frontline nurse managers from two Kenyan districts were purposefully selected for interviews. Interviews dealt with nurses' involvement in national policy processes, factors hindering nurses' engagement in policy processes, and ways to enhance nurses' involvement in policy processes. Critical theory and feminist perspectives guided the study process. Content analysis of data was conducted. Findings revealed that nurses' involvement in policy processes in Kenya was limited. Only a few nurse leaders were involved in national policy committees as a result of their positions in the sector. Critical analysis of the findings revealed that hierarchies and structural factors as well as nursing professional issues were the primary barriers constraining nurses' involvement in policy processes. Thus, there is need to address these factors both by nurses themselves and by nonnursing decision makers, in order to enhance nurses engagement in policy making and further the contribution to quality of services to the communities.
Expertise Integration and Creativity in Information Systems Development

This paper addresses the understudied issue of how individually held expertise in information systems development (ISD) teams results in creativity at the team level during the development process. We develop the idea that team creativity results primarily from integration of individually held expertise of team members at the team level. We further propose the quality of intrateam relationships and knowledge complementarities that align the work of individual team members at the project level influence creativity primarily through the process of expertise integration. We use data from a field study of 142 participants in 42 ISD projects to test the proposed model. The paper makes three new contributions to the IS literature. Its key contribution lies in developing an expertise integration view of team creativity. We demonstrate the centrality of integrating individually held tacit and explicit knowledge about the problem domain and the technology at the team level in achieving team creativity. The use of a process-focused conceptualization of team creativity is especially noteworthy here. The second contribution of the paper lies in conceptually developing and operationalizing the concept of expertise integration, a mechanism by which individually held knowledge is integratively applied at the project level. Although the importance of knowledge in the ISD process is widely recognized in prior research, this is the first study to develop the concept in a operationally meaningful way. The third key contribution lies in showing that the compositional and relational attributes of ISD project teams--diverse specialized knowledge in a team, the quality of intrateam working relationships, and members' cross-domain absorptive capacity--do not engender creativity by themselves; they do so primarily because they enhance integration of individual knowledge at the project level. We offer empirical evidence for such full mediation. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed in the paper.
Detection of low levels of enteric viruses in metropolitan and airplane sewage

To detect less prevalent viruses, such as wild-type polioviruses in sewage from a highly immunized community, a method was developed to efficiently recover viruses and remove PCR inhibitors. The method consisted of initial separation of solids from liquid, followed by solvent extractions, polyethylene glycol precipitations, Sephadex G-200 chromatography, and guanidinium isothiocyanate (GIT) extraction. To elute viruses from the separated solids, 0.5 M threonine (pH 7.5) was as efficient as 3% beef extract but conferred no PCR inhibition. In samples that were concentrated approximately 1,000-fold, 21% of the initially seeded viruses were recovered. When poliovirus type 3 (PV3) Sabin strain at low levels and PV1 LSc strain at high levels were seeded in raw sewage, PV3 was specifically detected in the final sample concentrates at sensitivities of 14 PFU by direct PCR and 0.7 PFU by GIT extraction-PCR. While applying the method to international airplane sewage, which contains high levels of solids as well as commercial sanitizers, 44% (7 of 16) of the samples were found to harbor enteroviruses by both cell culture infectivity and pan-enterovirus PCR analyses. Nucleotide sequencing of the PCR products revealed that multiple enterovirus genotypes were amplified from each final sewage concentrate, whereas the fewer virus genotypes detected by cell culture infectivity were probably the better growing strains. By this method, we demonstrated that air travel may contribute to the intercontinental dissemination of enteric pathogens.
Accuracy of digital periapical radiography and cone-beam computed tomography in detecting external root resorption

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and digital intraoral radiography in diagnosing simulated small external root resorption cavities. Materials and Methods Cavities were drilled in 159 roots using a small spherical bur at different root levels and on all surfaces. The teeth were imaged both with intraoral digital radiography using image plates and with CBCT. Two sets of intraoral images were acquired per tooth: orthogonal (PA) which was the conventional periapical radiograph and mesioangulated (SET). Four readers were asked to rate their confidence level in detecting and locating the lesions. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the accuracy of each modality in detecting the presence of lesions, the affected surface, and the affected level. Analysis of variation was used to compare the results and kappa analysis was used to evaluate interobserver agreement. Results A significant difference in the area under the ROC curves was found among the three modalities (P=0.0002), with CBCT (0.81) having a significantly higher value than PA (0.71) or SET (0.71). PA was slightly more accurate than SET, but the difference was not statistically significant. CBCT was also superior in locating the affected surface and level. Conclusion CBCT has already proven its superiority in detecting multiple dental conditions, and this study shows it to likewise be superior in detecting and locating incipient external root resorption.
Probabilistically Semantic Labeling of IR Image for UAV

Applying computer vision technology to IR (Infra-Red) images for UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) applications is difficult due to its characteristics which differ from common image processing. By combining visual categorization with low level IR image processing, this paper presents a framework for automatic labeling of IR images in probabilistic manner. We extract the features which contain temperature, texture and orientation information from the IR image, model visual categories by the distribution of features in terms of an extended visual vocabulary, and categorize IR image segments probabilistically. The proposed framework is demonstrated in experiments with high labeling accuracy, for near IR images of urban terrain taken from 100 feet altitude.
A review of theory-driven models of trust in the online health context

Generally speaking, theory-driven studies are more successful in producing a desired result than those missing the theoretical grounds. This paper aims to provide an informal assessment of theoretical foundations of trust models in online health context. After a review of literature, 12 theory-driven models were analysed in detail. The findings showed that previous models benefited from different theories within different disciplines (mostly from psychology). The technology acceptance model, the elaboration likelihood model, the theory of reasoned action and the health belief model were the most frequently used theoretical frameworks. The reviewed models were able to account for 23–69% of variance in dependent variables. In conclusion, although the health studies are very open to interdisciplinary theories, the inclusion of institutional and national cultural theories in future researches may enrich the current individualistic perspective with a broader context of society that jointly form trust behaviour and credibility judgements of health consumers in digital health environments.
Function Based Fault Detection for Uncertain Multivariate Nonlinear Non-Gaussian Stochastic Systems Using EntropyOptimization Principle

In this paper, the fault detection in uncertain multivariate nonlinear non-Gaussian stochastic systems is further investigated. Entropy is introduced to characterize the stochastic behavior of the detection errors, and the entropy optimization principle is established for the fault detection problem. The principle is to maximize the entropies of the stochastic detection errors in the presence of faults and to minimize the entropies of the detection errors in the presence of disturbances. In order to calculate the entropies, the formulations of the joint probability density functions (JPDFs) of the stochastic errors are presented in terms of the known JPDFs of both the disturbances and the faults. By using the novel performance indexes and the formulations for the entropies of the detection errors, new fault detection design methods are provided for the considered multivariate nonlinear non-Gaussian plants. Finally, a simulation example is given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed fault detection algorithm.
A PARADIGM SHIFT AWAY FROM METHOD-WISE TEACHING TO STRATEGY-WISE TEACHING : RECONSTRUCTIVE STRATEGY VERSUS COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

This descriptive exploratory survey is a postmethod-oriented endeavor related to the identification and adoption of the most appropriate teaching strategy, from the strategic framework proposed by Waldemar Marton, that is best suited to the Iranian educational system. In doing so, two teaching strategies, i.e., communicative strategy and reconstructive strategy were selected for examination. Specifically speaking, the underlying goal is to diagnose and analyze the characteristic features and particularities of the Iranian educational system through an exploration of the two imperative contextual factors, i.e., learner and teacher. Accordingly, the researchers probe experienced teachers’ belief systems to identify the features of the two contextual factors, as well as examine the strategies at issue. The instruments utilized were four multi-purpose questionnaires. The Cronbach’s alpha test of reliability yielded a coefficient of 0.78 and 0.67 for the questionnaires of learner and teacher, and 0.71 and 0.63 for the questionnaires of the strategies; thereby signifying the reliability of the survey. A sample population of 40 knowledgeable, practicing, and skilled teachers, both male and female, of the province of Khuzestan, Iran, was recruited on a voluntary basis with an average of at least ten years of teaching experience in public schools. The majority was considered both the criterion and decisive factor in regard to the type of Iranian EFL learners (careful students) and EFL teachers (with poor proficiency and stamina). Conditions included non-intensive teaching curricula and large numbers of classes. The best strategy that responds to these conditions while resulting in the successful development of second language (L2) competence was detected to be the reconstructive strategy.
Rethinking construction: the Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol

The complexity of construction projects and the fragmentation of the construction industry undertaking those projects has effectively resulted in linear, uncoordinated and highly variable project processes in the UK construction sector. Research undertaken at the University of Salford resulted in the development of an improved project process, the Process Protocol, which considers the whole lifecycle of a construction project whilst integrating its participants under a common framework. The Process Protocol identifies the various phases of a construction project with particular emphasis on what is described in the manufacturing industry as the ‘fuzzy front end’. The participants in the process are described in terms of the activities that need to be undertaken in order to achieve a successful project and process execution. In addition, the decision-making mechanisms, from a client perspective, are illustrated and the foundations for a learning organization/industry are facilitated within a consistent Process Protocol.
Thermal X-Ray Emission from Shocked Ejecta in Type Ia Supernova Remnants: Prospects for Explosion Mechanism Identification

The explosion mechanism behind Type Ia supernovae is a matter of continuing debate. The diverse attempts to identify or at least constrain the physical processes involved in the explosion have been only partially successful so far. In this paper we propose to use the thermal X-ray emission from young supernova remnants (SNRs) originating in Type Ia events to extract relevant information concerning the explosions themselves. We have produced a grid of thermonuclear supernova models representative of the paradigms currently under debate: pure deflagrations, delayed detonations, pulsating delayed detonations, and sub-Chandrasekhar explosions, using their density and chemical composition profiles to simulate the interaction with the surrounding ambient medium and the ensuing plasma heating, nonequilibrium ionization and thermal X-ray emission of the ejecta. Key observational parameters such as electron temperatures, emission measures, and ionization timescales are presented and discussed. We find that not only is it possible to identify the explosion mechanism from the spectra of young Type Ia SNRs, it is in fact necessary to take the detailed ejecta structure into account if such spectra are to be modeled in a self-consistent way. Neither element line flux ratios nor element emission measures are good estimates of the true ratios of ejected masses, with differences of as much as 2 or 3 orders of magnitude for a given model. Comparison with observations of the Tycho SNR suggests a delayed detonation as the most probable explosion mechanism. Line strengths, line ratios, and the centroid of the Fe Kα line are reasonably well reproduced by a model of this kind.
The mobility of single-file water molecules is governed by the number of H-bonds they may form with channel-lining residues

Mobility of single-file water molecules determined by H-bonds. Channel geometry governs the unitary osmotic water channel permeability, pf, according to classical hydrodynamics. Yet, pf varies by several orders of magnitude for membrane channels with a constriction zone that is one water molecule in width and four to eight molecules in length. We show that both the pf of those channels and the diffusion coefficient of the single-file waters within them are determined by the number NH of residues in the channel wall that may form a hydrogen bond with the single-file waters. The logarithmic dependence of water diffusivity on NH is in line with the multiplicity of binding options at higher NH densities. We obtained high-precision pf values by (i) having measured the abundance of the reconstituted aquaporins in the vesicular membrane via fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and via high-speed atomic force microscopy, and (ii) having acquired the vesicular water efflux from scattered light intensities via our new adaptation of the Rayleigh-Gans-Debye equation.
Elementary school parent engagement efforts: Relations with educator perceptions and school characteristics

Abstract School efforts to engage parents are posited to influence whether and how they are involved in their children's schooling. The authors examined educators' engagement efforts in beginning reading, their subjective evaluations of engagement practices, and beliefs about parent involvement, in two stratified samples of New Zealand elementary school educators. They explored whether educators' ratings supported multidimensional and multitiered theoretical models of engagement. The authors invited responses from elementary principals and teachers, given their different roles in the nested ecology of schools and relationships with parents, and examined associations between pairs of principals and teachers working in the same school. Finally, the authors examined relations among educators' engagement efforts, evaluations of engagement practices, and beliefs about involvement, and school characteristics including community socioeconomic status, size of school population, ethnic composition of school population, community size, and geographic region.
Universal-filtered multi-carrier technique for wireless systems beyond LTE

In this paper, we propose a multi-carrier transmission scheme to overcome the problem of intercarrier interference (ICI) in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. In the proposed scheme, called universal-filtered multi-carrier (UFMC), a filtering operation is applied to a group of consecutive subcarriers (e.g. a given allocation of a single user) in order to reduce out-of-band sidelobe levels and subsequently minimize the potential ICI between adjacent users in case of asynchronous transmissions. We consider a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) reception technique, where a number of base stations (BSs) send the received signals from user equipments (UEs) to a CoMP central unit (CCU) for joint detection and processing. We examine the impact of carrier frequency offset (CFO) on the performance of the proposed scheme and compare the results with the performance of cyclic prefix based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) systems. We use computer experiments to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed multi-carrier scheme. The results indicate that the UFMC scheme outperforms the OFDM for both perfect and non-perfect frequency synchronization between the UEs and BSs.
Impedance control based on pressure distribution for wearable assist robot on multi-joint body part

In this paper, a new impedance control method based on pressure distribution for wearable assist robot on multi-joint part is proposed. Generally, assist robots were designed based on assisting for a simple joint body part of the user such as elbow, knee, limb and so on. These robots can be similar structure to the assisted body part, and they can follow the user's movements. On the other hand, it is difficult that the robots have the similar structure to the multi-joint body part of the user such as shoulder, waist, back part and so on. Therefore, the robots assisting for multi-joint body part cannot follow the user's movements and it can cause unforeseen contact state between the user and the robots. There are conventional methods to follow the user's movements on a simple joint body part based on joint torque between the user and the robots, however, they have not been evaluated on the robots for multi-joint body parts. In addition, because torque is resultant force of physical contact force occurred between the user and robot, the direct contact state have not been considered. In this paper, a conventional method based on torque is implemented to the multi-joint robot for assisting back part of the body. Also, a new impedance control based on physical contact forces measured by pressure sensors is proposed. The conventional method and the proposed method are evaluated based on maximum value of contact forces on computer simulations.
Reduced coproducts of compact Hausdorff spaces

Abstract By analyzing how one obtains the Stone space of the reduced product of an indexed collection of Boolean algebras from the Stone spaces of those algebras, we derive a topological construction, the “reduced coproduct”, which makes sense for indexed collections of arbitrary Tichonov spaces. When the filter in question is an ultrafilter, we show how the “ultracoproduct” can be obtained from the usual topological ultraproduct via a compactification process in the style of Wallman and Frink. We prove theorems dealing with the topological structure of reduced coproducts (especially ultracoproducts) and show in addition how one may use this construction to gain information about the category of compact Hausdorff spaces.
Coaching sprinting: Expert coaches’ perception of resistance-based training

The aim of this study was to explore expert coaches’ perceptions of resistance-based training for sprinting. This research posed three broad questions: (i) What resistance exercises are being performed by competitive sprinters? (ii) Why coaches have selected these exercises over others? (iii) How athletics coaches control and implement their use in training? Participants for the study comprised seven expert track and field sprint coaches. Findings indicated that the coaches used a variety of resistance-based training including variations of the squat, Olympic weightlifting movements and deadlift, along with resisted running in the form of weighted jackets, hill running, and weighted sleds. They also used plyometric variations of bounding and specific drills. Particular emphasis was drawn towards variations of the squat and how exercises transferred from the weights room to the track. All coaches changed exercises to complement the focus from off-season to in-season. The main finding of this study relates to the current dearth of research to support evidence-based resistance exercise prescription for sprinters.