Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning in a mobile age: an investigation of student motivation

The purpose of this single-case study was to explore the lived experiences of a grade 6 teacher and students who used tablets as part of their classroom instruction. Malone and Lepper's taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning is used as a framework for examining whether and how this particular theory of motivation applies equally well for mobile learning. This study reports on the grade 6 teacher's and students' perceptions regarding the motivational affordances of using these mobile devices for learning. The findings are consistent with those of Malone and Lepper that motivation can be enhanced through challenge, curiosity, control, recognition, competition and cooperation. This model is helpful in informing our understanding of the motivating features of using mobile devices for learning and how mobile technologies can be used to enhance learners' motivation.
A Map of Angular Tuning Preference in Thalamic Barreloids

A double-labeling protocol was used to determine how cells with different angular preferences to whisker motion distribute across the dimensions of a barreloid in the ventral posterior medial nucleus of the rat thalamus. Individual barreloids were labeled retrogradely by injecting Fluoro-Gold in identified barrel columns, and single relay cells (n = 30) pertaining to the labeled barreloids were stained juxtacellularly with Neurobiotin after determination of their angular tuning preference to controlled whisker deflection. Results show that cells with like angular preference are clustered within the barreloids. Those best tuned to forward and upward directions are located principally in the dorsal sector of the barreloid, whereas those best tuned to backward and downward motion are located principally in the central and ventral sectors, respectively. The relationship between cell location and angular preference was assessed by regression, cluster, and discriminant analysis. Together, these tests indicate that barreloids contain a map of shifting angular preference that transposes along the length of a barreloid directional property imposed at the periphery by the circumferential distribution of receptors around the vibrissa follicles.
In vivo characterization of coronary plaques: novel findings from comparing greyscale and virtual histology intravascular ultrasound and near-infrared spectroscopy.

AIMS To test the hypothesis that near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) would provide novel information of human coronary plaque characterization. METHODS AND RESULTS Greyscale-IVUS, virtual histology (VH)-IVUS, and NIRS were compared in 131 native lesions (66 vessels) that were interrogated during catheterization by all three modalities. Greyscale-IVUS detected attenuated and echolucent plaques correlated with NIRS-detected lipid-rich areas. Attenuated plaques contained the highest NIRS probability of lipid core, followed by echolucent plaques. By VH-IVUS, 93.5% of attenuated plaques contained confluent necrotic core (NC) and were classified as VH-derived fibroatheromas (FAs). Although 75.0% of echolucent plaques were classified as VH-FAs, VH-NC was seen surrounding an echolucent zone, but not within any echolucent zone; and echolucent zones themselves contained fibrofatty and/or fibrous tissue. All calcified plaques with arc >90° contained >10% VH-NC (range 16.0-41.2%) and were classified as calcified VH-FAs, but only 58.5% contained NIRS-detected lipid core. A positive relationship between VH-derived %NC and NIRS-derived lipid core burden index was found in non-calcified plaques, but not in calcified plaques. CONCLUSION Combining NIRS with IVUS contributes to the understanding of plaque characterization in vivo. Further studies are warranted to determine whether combining NIRS and IVUS will contribute to the assessment of high-risk plaques to predict outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease.
Is the relationship between intention and physical activity moderated by socioeconomic status? A systematic review.

Evidence indicates that individual intention, as conceptualised by Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is the most proximal predictor of physical activity; yet, the intention-physical activity relationship might vary by difference in socioeconomic status (SES). The present study systematically reviewed the existing literature in an attempt to explore the moderation effect of SES on the relationship between intention and physical activity. Searching identified 90 studies from 82 articles. SES indicator was comprised three dimensions – education, occupation and income, and SES indices were measured using the standardised point system Random effect meta-regression was employed, and the result found that intention was a significant predicator of physical activity (28% variance explained). Moderation analysis revealed that overall SES indicator was not a significant moderator for intention-physical activity relation. Analysis on individual indicators showed that education and occupation were significant moderators, whereas income was not. Different facets of SES have more merits than the overall SES, which provided more specific information on intention-physical consistency.
Responsiveness and Validity of Three Outcome Measures of Motor Function After Stroke Rehabilitation

Background and Purpose— This study investigated and compared the responsiveness and validity of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) for patients after stroke rehabilitation. Methods— A total of 57 patients with stroke received 1 of 3 rehabilitation treatments for 3 weeks. At pretreatment and posttreatment, the 3 outcome measures, as well as the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) as the external criterion, were administered. The standardized response mean (SRM) and the Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to examine the responsiveness. Construct validity and predictive validity were examined by the Spearman correlation coefficient (&rgr;). Results— The responsiveness of the FMA, ARAT, and WMFT functional ability scores was large (SRM=0.95–1.42), whereas the WMFT performance time score was small (SRM=0.38). The responsiveness of the FMA was significantly larger than those of the ARAT and the WMFT-TIME, but not the WMFT functional ability scores. With respect to construct validity, correlations between the FMA and other measures were relatively high (&rgr;=0.42–0.76). The FMA and the WMFT performance time scores at pretreatment had moderate predictive validity with the FIM scores at posttreatment (&rgr;=0.42–0.47). In addition, the ARAT and the WMFT functional ability scores revealed a low predictive validity with the FIM (&rgr;=0.17–0.26). Conclusions— The results support the FMA and the WMFT-FAS are suitable to detect changes over time for patients after stroke rehabilitation. While simultaneously considering the responsiveness and validity attributes, the FMA may be a relatively sound measure of motor function for stroke patients based on our results. Further research based on a larger sample is needed to replicate the findings.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Social Support, Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior among 6 Th -grade Girls: a Cross-sectional Study

Background: Despite the importance of social support in promoting physical activity, little is known about the relative influence of the type or source of social support on adolescent girls' physical activity and sedentary behaviors. This study examined the associations of two types of social support (social participation in and social encouragement for physical activity) and two social support sources (family and friends) with self-reported daily minutes of physical activity and sedentary behavior among sixth-grade girls in Texas.
Stochastically Stable Equilibria in Coordination Games with Multiple Populations

We investigate the equilibrium selection problem in n-person binary coordination games by means of adaptive play with mistakes (Young 1993). The size and the depth of a particular type of basins of attraction are found to be the main factors in determining the selection outcome. The main result shows that if a strategy has the larger basin of attraction, and if it is deep enough, then the strategy constitutes a stochastically stable equilibrium. The existence of games with multiple stochastically stable equilibria is an immediate consequence of the result. We explicitly address the qualitative difference between selection results in multi-dimensional stochastic evolution models and those in single dimensional models, and shed some light on the source of the difference.
Laws of population growth

An important issue in the study of cities is defining a metropolitan area, because different definitions affect conclusions regarding the statistical distribution of urban activity. A commonly employed method of defining a metropolitan area is the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), based on rules attempting to capture the notion of city as a functional economic region, and it is performed by using experience. The construction of MSAs is a time-consuming process and is typically done only for a subset (a few hundreds) of the most highly populated cities. Here, we introduce a method to designate metropolitan areas, denoted “City Clustering Algorithm” (CCA). The CCA is based on spatial distributions of the population at a fine geographic scale, defining a city beyond the scope of its administrative boundaries. We use the CCA to examine Gibrat's law of proportional growth, which postulates that the mean and standard deviation of the growth rate of cities are constant, independent of city size. We find that the mean growth rate of a cluster by utilizing the CCA exhibits deviations from Gibrat's law, and that the standard deviation decreases as a power law with respect to the city size. The CCA allows for the study of the underlying process leading to these deviations, which are shown to arise from the existence of long-range spatial correlations in population growth. These results have sociopolitical implications, for example, for the location of new economic development in cities of varied size.
University of Alberta

Using social cohesion theory, we measure the timing of the adoption of a novel drug within a network of physicians. This theory suggests that innovation diffusion occurs through direct contact between neighbors within a social network. A unique contribution of our study is to model the efficiency with which new product information is transmitted within the network. Specifically, we propose an efficiency coefficient to capture the percentage of network neighbors that an adopter can influence in a unit time period. Analyses of the diffusion of the medicine showcase significant heterogeneity in efficiency of information transmission. Efficiency is relatively low suggesting that adopters do not transmit information to all their network neighbors within a single time period. Furthermore, adopters with a large number of neighbors will block the dissemination process, creating dissemination jams. The paper concludes with a discussion of related managerial implications and promising directions for future research.
Simulated Effects of Dynamic Row Spacing on Energy and Water Conservation in Semi-Arid Central California Greenhouses

Abstract Considerable effort is expended to conserve energy and water in current greenhouse systems, and look for alternative energy sources, especially passive heating and cooling strategies. Proper environmental management systems can significantly change the energy and moisture dynamics of greenhouse production systems. In this study, specifically, influences of dynamic row spacing on energy and water conservation were investigated. A dynamic computer simulation model was used to compare different row spacings, plant heights, and leaf dimensions to draw a conclusion about energy and water conservation. The results showed that using smaller spacings between cucumber crop rows (for instance, 0.5 m instead of 0.75 m) reduced energy consumption per unit floor area in average of 14.4%. With a decrease in row spacing, the total amount of surface for radiation exchange decreases, and plant canopy shading within the canopy increase consequently. This leads to less radiational and evaporative cooling in smaller row spacings, hence lower heating requirements during the heating season. By changing the row spacing from 0.75 m to 0.5 m, average water savings (adjusted to the whole greenhouse area) of 27.8% occurred. A complete system analysis is necessary to be able to make a viable conclusion in total energy and water conservation.
The Stock Market&Apos;S Reaction to Unemployment News: Why Bad News is Usually Good for Stocks

We find that on average, an announcement of rising unemployment is good news for stocks during economic expansions and bad news during economic contractions. Unemployment news bundles three types of primitive information relevant for valuing stocks: information about future interest rates, the equity risk premium, and corporate earnings and dividends. The nature of the information bundle, and hence the relative importance of the three effects, changes over time depending on the state of the economy. For stocks as a group, information about interest rates dominates during expansions and information about future corporate dividends dominates during contractions.
Herschel : the first science highlights Special feature L etter to the E ditor Star formation triggered by the Galactic H II region RCW 120 First results from the Herschel Space Observatory

Context. By means of different physical mechanisms, the expansion of H ii regions can promote the formation of new stars of all masses. RCW 120 is a nearby Galactic H ii region where triggered star formation occurs. This region is well-studied – there being a wealth of existing data – and is nearby. However, it is surrounded by dense regions for which far infrared data is essential to obtain an unbiased view of the star formation process and in particular to establish whether very young protostars are present. Aims. We attempt to identify all young stellar objects (YSOs), especially those previously undetected at shorter wavelengths, to derive their physical properties and obtain insight into the star formation history in this region. Methods. We use Herschel-PACS and -SPIRE images to determine the distribution of YSOs observed in the field. We use a spectral energy distribution fitting tool to derive the YSOs physical properties. Results. Herschel-PACS and -SPIRE images confirm the existence of a young source and allow us to determine its nature as a high-mass (8−10 M ) Class 0 object (whose emission is dominated by a massive envelope Menv 10 M ) towards the massive condensation 1 observed at (sub)-millimeter wavelengths. This source was not detected at 24 μm and only barely seen in the MISPGAL 70 μm data. Several other red sources are detected at Herschel wavelengths and coincide with the peaks of the millimeter condensations. SED fitting results for the brightest Herschel sources indicate that, apart from the massive Class 0 that forms in condensation 1, low mass (0.8−4 M ) stars are forming around RCW 120 with ages younger than 5 × 104 years. This indicates that YSOs observed on the borders of RCW 120 are younger than its ionizing star, which has an age of about 2.5 Myr. Conclusions. Herschel images allow us to detect new YSOs that are too young and embedded to be detected at shorter wavelengths (25 of the 49 Herschel sources are new detections). This offers a new and more complete view of the star formation in this region. PACS and SPIRE fluxes were obtained for the brightest YSOs and allow us to strongly constrain both their spectral energy distribution and their physical properties through SED fitting. A more accurate determination of their properties allows us, for the first time, to discuss the star formation history in this region by comparing similar sources at different evolutionary stages.
Deviant Peer Associations and Perceived Police Legitimacy: Is There a Connection?

For police officers to effectively enforce the law, it is imperative that citizens perceive of them as legitimate authority figures. Although procedural justice has shown to be a salient predictor of perceived police legitimacy, a recent line of studies has discovered other significant correlates of this outcome. No study though has explored whether deviant peer associations share a relationship with law enforcement legitimacy evaluations. Questionnaire data were collected from a convenience sample of university students (N = 623) to determine whether measures of friend’s attitudes favorable toward criminal acts as well as friend’s actual criminal behaviors predicted both the obligation to obey and trust in police constructs of police legitimacy. Results indicated that friend’s attitudes supportive of criminal behaviors negatively predicted each police legitimacy concept, while somewhat unexpectedly, respondents who reported having many friends who engaged in past crimes were more likely to obey the police. Policy implications are discussed.
Trajectories of physical and mental health among persons with morbid obesity and persons with COPD: a longitudinal comparative study

Background Morbid obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prevalent diseases associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Research generally indicates that persons with morbid obesity increase their HRQoL following intervention, whereas evidence of increases in HRQoL in persons with COPD is mixed. Examining the patterns of change over time instead of merely examining whether HRQoL changes will add to the knowledge in this field. Methods A sample of persons with morbid obesity and persons with COPD was recruited from learning and mastery courses and rehabilitation centers in Norway. The data were collected by self-report questionnaires at the start of patient education and at four subsequent time points during the 1-year follow-up. HRQoL was measured with the Short Form 12, version 2, and repeated measures analysis of variance was employed in the statistical analysis. Results Participants with morbid obesity linearly increased their physical HRQoL during the 1-year follow-up, whereas participants with COPD showed no change. None of the groups changed their mental HRQoL during follow-up. In all subdomains of HRQoL, the participants with morbid obesity showed favorable, linearly increasing trajectories across the follow-up period. Among the participants with COPD, no change patterns occurred in the subdomains of HRQoL, except for a fluctuating pattern in the mental health domain. Age, sex, and work status did not influence the trajectories of HRQoL in any of the domains. Conclusion A more favorable trajectory of HRQoL was found for persons with morbid obesity than for persons with COPD, possibly due to the obese persons’ better chances of recovery.
Diphtheria outbreak with high mortality in northeastern Nigeria

SUMMARY A diphtheria outbreak occurred from February to November 2011 in the village of Kimba and its surrounding settlements, in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. We conducted a retrospective outbreak investigation in Kimba village and the surrounding settlements to better describe the extent and clinical characteristics of this outbreak. Ninety-eight cases met the criteria of the case definition of diphtheria, 63 (64·3%) of whom were children aged <10 years; 98% of cases had never been immunized against diphtheria. None of the 98 cases received diphtheria antitoxin, penicillin, or erythromycin during their illness. The overall case-fatality ratio was 21·4%, and was highest in children aged 0–4 years (42·9%). Low rates of immunization, delayed clinical recognition of diphtheria and absence of treatment with antitoxin and appropriate antibiotics contributed to this epidemic and its severity.
Computer modeling of laser melting and spallation of metal targets

The mechanisms of melting and photomechanical damage/spallation occurring under extreme superheating/deformation rate conditions realized in short pulse laser processing are investigated in a computational study performed with a hybrid atomistic-continuum model. The model combines classical molecular dynamics method for simulation of non-equilibrium processes of lattice superheating and fast phase transformations with a continuum description of the laser excitation and subsequent relaxation of the conduction band electrons. The kinetics and microscopic mechanisms of melting are investigated in simulations of laser interaction with free-standing Ni films and bulk targets. A significant reduction of the overheating required for the initiation of homogeneous melting is observed and attributed to the relaxation of laser-induced stresses, which leads to the uniaxial expansion and associated anisotropic lattice distortions. The evolution of photomechanical damage is investigated in a large-scale simulation of laser spallation of a 100 nm Ni film. The evolution of photomechanical damage is observed to take place in two stages, the initial stage of void nucleation and growth, when both the number of voids and the range of void sizes are increasing, followed by the void coarsening, coalescence and percolation, when large voids grow at the expense of the decreasing population of small voids. In both regimes the size distributions of voids are found to be well described by the power law with an exponent gradually increasing with time. A good agreement of the results obtained for the evolution of photomechanical damage in a metal film with earlier results reported for laser spallation of molecular systems and shock-induced back spallation in metals suggests that the observed processes of void nucleation, growth and coalescence may reflect general characteristics of the dynamic fracture at high deformation rates.
The origins of the gender gap in math. Evidences of a study in the primary school in the Swiss canton of Ticino.

This work analyzes the gender gap in math results of an entire cohort of students attending the fifth grade of the primary school in Ticino. Three evaluation contexts are considered: the mark assigned by the teacher at the end of the school year, the score obtained in a standardized test in mathematics and the comprehensive evaluation provided by teacher at the end of the first quadrimester. Multivariate analysis allows to conclude that the score in the standardized test is the most important predictor of the mark in mathematics but, all things (test score, conduct mark, social origin and nationality) being equal, males are more likely to achieve a significantly better mark. The analysis of evaluations leads to the conclusion that males show a more active and participative behavior, while females show higher conformity to school rules, but appear less involved and more insecure. When pupils exhibit the same level of ability in the standardized test and achieve the same conduct mark, boys obtain a better mark in math probably because they are more able to make their skill visible. Females, which according to several studies are more prone to experience anxiety and stress in mathematics and suffer the stereotype threat according to which they are less skilled than males, are probably penalized by their insecurity. This work aims to be the starting point of a qualitative study focused on the way teachers conceive of the evaluation. To shed more light on the hidden curriculum required by the school and to better understand the criteria on which the assessment is based could be of help in the promotion of equal achievement and in the identification and transmission of transversal skills which can be useful both in school and in the labor market for a full realization of individual potential.