Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parental involvement, children's aspirations, and achievement in new immigrant families

ABSTRACT The authors investigated the relationships among multiple aspects of parental involvement (English proficiency, school involvement, control and monitoring of children), children's aspirations, and achievement in new immigrant families in the United States. They used data on immigrant parents and school-age children (N = 1,255) from the New Immigrant Survey to examine immigrant families from diverse backgrounds. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that parental English proficiency and involvement in school education are related to children's academic achievement, cognitive development, and English language ability, directly as well as indirectly, through children's educational aspirations. Parental control and monitoring is not beneficial to immigrant children's cognitive development, although variations were found across different groups. They also observed intriguing findings regarding gender and racial or ethnic diversity. Based on their findings, they provide recommendations for the fostering of academic success and the design and implementation of educational programs and practices for immigrant children.
Energy and Ileal Digestible Amino Acid Concentrations for Growing Pigs and Performance of Weanling Pigs Fed Fermented or Conventional Soybean Meal

A new strategy of co-inoculating Bacillus subtilis MA139 with Streptococcus thermophilus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to produce fermented soybean meal (FSBM). Three experiments were conducted to determine the concentration of digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) (Exp. 1), apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) (Exp. 2), and feeding value (Exp. 3) of FSBM produced by this new strategy (NFSB) compared with soybean meal (SBM) and conventionally available FSBM (Suprotein). In Exp. 1, twenty-four barrows (initial body weight [BW] of 32.2 ±1.7 kg) were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 diets with 6 replicates per diet. A corn basal diet and 3 diets based on a mixture of corn and 1 of 3 soybean products listed above were formulated and the DE and ME contents were determined by the difference method. The results showed that there were no differences in DE and ME between SBM and either FSBM product (p>0.05). In Exp. 2, eight barrows (initial BW of 26.8±1.5 kg) were fitted with ileal T-cannulaes and used in a replicated 4×4 Latin square design. Three corn-starch-based diets were formulated using each of the 3 soybean products as the sole source of AA. A nitrogen-free diet was also formulated to measure endogenous losses of AA. The results showed that the SID of all AA except arginine and histidine was similar for NFSB and SBM (p>0.05), but Suprotein had greater (p<0.05) SID of most AA except lysine, aspartate, glycine and proline than NFSB. In Exp. 3, a total of 144 piglets (initial BW of 8.8±1.2 kg) were blocked by weight and fed 1 of 4 diets including a control diet with 24% SBM as well as diets containing 6% and 12% NFSB or 12% Suprotein added at the expense of SBM. During d 15 to 28, replacing SBM with 6% NFSB significantly improved average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) (p<0.05) for nursery piglets. During the overall experiment, ADG of piglets fed diets containing 6% NFSB was significantly greater (p<0.05) than that of piglets fed SBM. In conclusion, fermentation with the new strategy did not affect the energy content or the AID and the SID of AA in SBM. However, inclusion of 6% NFSB in diets fed to nursery piglets improved performance after weaning likely as a result of better nutritional status and reduced immunological challenge.
Anomalous Event Detection Using a Semi-Two Dimensional Hidden Markov Model

The rapid increase in the deployment of CCTV systems has led to a greater demand for algorithms that are able to process incoming video feeds. These algorithms are designed to extract information of interest for human operators. During the past several years, there has been a large effort to detect abnormal activities through computer vision techniques. Typically, the problem is formulated as a novelty detection task where the system is trained on normal data and is required to detect events which do not fit the learned `normal' model. Many researchers have tried various sets of features to train different learning models to detect abnormal behaviour in video footage. In this work we propose using a Semi-2D Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to model the normal activities of people. The outliers of the model with insufficient likelihood are identified as abnormal activities. Our Semi-2D HMM is designed to model both the temporal and spatial causalities of the crowd behaviour by assuming the current state of the Hidden Markov Model depends not only on the previous state in the temporal direction, but also on the previous states of the adjacent spatial locations. Two different HMMs are trained to model both the vertical and horizontal spatial causal information. Location features, flow features and optical flow textures are used as the features for the model. The proposed approach is evaluated using the publicly available UCSD datasets and we demonstrate improved performance compared to other state of the art methods.
A novel application method for wearable bend sensors

Bend sensors fundamental characteristic is to furnish an electrical resistance value related to the angle they are bent. This feature can be successfully exploited to realize wearable systems capable to measure human static and dynamic postures. In particular some efforts have been made to determine finger joint movements of human hands and it has been demonstrated the feasibility of using the so called data glove system as a goniometric device. The repeatability of such system is quite good for general purposes but it is still not sufficient for specific applications (for instance in virtual surgery). So here we introduce a novel application method of bend sensors and demonstrate how it can be useful to improve the system repeatability.
Characteristics and Pedagogical Behaviours of Good EFL Instructors: The Views of Selected Southeast Asian and Mexican SLTE Students

This article reports on the views of selected Southeast Asian and Mexican second language teacher education students regarding the characteristics and pedagogical behaviours of good EFL instructors. A total of 116 participants from Mexico, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam took part in the current investigation. These countries have all been characterized as pedagogically conservative and slow to adopt educational innovations. Data was gathered using the repertory grid technique and was subjected to content, cluster, and principal component analyses. Results foregrounded the importance placed on teachers’ positive personality traits. Most significantly, findings indicated a preference for modern teaching approaches among the research participants, despite the pedagogic conservatism of their home countries.
OUTFLOW-DRIVEN TURBULENCE IN MOLECULAR CLOUDS

In this paper, we explore the relationship between protostellar outflows and turbulence in molecular clouds. Using three-dimensional numerical simulations we focus on the hydrodynamics of multiple outflows interacting within a parsec scale volume. We explore the extent to which transient outflows injecting directed energy and momentum into a subvolume of a molecular cloud can be converted into random turbulent motions. We show that turbulence can readily be sustained by these interactions and it is possible to broadly characterize an effective driving scale of the outflows. We compare the velocity spectrum obtained in our studies with that of isotropically forced hydrodynamic turbulence finding that in outflow-driven turbulence a power law of the form E(k) ∝ k−β is indeed achieved. However, we find that a steeper spectrum β ∼ 2.74 is obtained in outflow-driven turbulence models than in isotropically forced simulations β ∼ 2.45. We discuss possible physical mechanisms responsible for these results as well as their implications for turbulence in molecular clouds where outflows will act in concert with other processes such as gravitational collapse.
The stellar masses of 25 000 galaxies at 0.2 ≤ z ≤ 1.0 estimated by the COMBO-17 survey

We present an analysis of stellar mass estimates for a sample of 25000 galaxies from the COMBO-17 survey over the interval $0.2 $60\%$) of massive galaxies with $M_* > 10^{11} M_{\odot}$ at all $z < 1$ are non-star-forming; blue star-forming galaxies dominate at lower masses. We have used these mass estimates to explore the evolution of the stellar mass function since $z =1$. We find that the total stellar mass density of the universe has roughly doubled since $z \sim 1$. Our measurements are consistent with other measurements of the growth of stellar mass with cosmic time and with estimates of the time evolution of the cosmic star formation rate. Intriguingly, the integrated stellar mass of blue galaxies with young stars has not significantly changed since $z \sim 1$, even though these galaxies host the majority of the star formation: instead, the growth of the total stellar mass density is dominated by the growth of the total mass in the largely passive galaxies on the red sequence.
ON THE NULL ASYMPTOTIC STABILIZATION OF THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL INCOMPRESSIBLE EULER EQUATIONS IN A SIMPLY CONNECTED DOMAIN

We study the asymptotic stabilization of the origin for the two-dimensional (2-D) Euler equation of incompressible inviscid fluid in a bounded domain. We assume that the controls act on an arbitrarily small nonempty open subset of the boundary. We prove the null global asymptotic stabilizability by means of explicit feedback laws if the domain is connected and simply connected.
On 2-Step, Corank 2, Nilpotent Sub-Riemannian Metrics

In this paper we study the nilpotent 2-step, corank 2 sub-Riemannian metrics that are nilpotent approximations of general sub-Riemannian metrics. We exhibit optimal syntheses for these problems. It turns out that in general the cut time is not equal to the first conjugate time but has a simple explicit expression. As a by-product of this study we get some smoothness properties of the spherical Hausdorff measure in the case of a generic 6-dimensional, 2-step, corank 2 sub-Riemannian metric.
THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF

Nicorandil is clinically available potassium channel opener with antianginal effects, with comparable efficacy and tolerability to existing antianginal therapy. It confers benefits through a dual action: opening the mitochondrial K ATP channels leading to preconditioning of the myocardium and a nitrate-like effect. Myocardial preconditioning is important in reducing infarct size, severity of stunning and cardiac arrhythmias. Nicorandil is also having unique therapeutic spectrum. It shows antioxidant effect in various preclinical and clinical studies, acts as a bronchodilator in several in-vivo and in-vitro animal model, suppress the TNFα production, relaxes the detrusor muscle in various preclinical models, having nephroprotective and hepatoprotective activity, protect the neuron form oxidative stress and also shown the neuroprotective effect in preclinical and clinical studies. Thus in this review we summarized the therapeutic potential of nicorandil in various disorders.
Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Intraarticular Fractures of the Humerus: Evaluation of 33 Cases

Background Standard treatment of type C elbow fractures is open reduction and internal fixation using reconstruction plates and pins. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional outcome following internal fixation of intraarticular fractures of the distal humerus (AO Type C) with a minimum follow-up of three years. A retrospective evaluation was undertaken. Patients and Methods Thirty-three patients (28 males, 5 females; mean age 34.3years) type C elbow fractures were treated and observed over a period of three years. Six fractures were open and 27 closed; causes were falls (7 cases), traffic accidents (22 cases) and altercation (4 cases). All operations were performed using a posterior approach with an olecranon osteotomy. Mean duration of follow-up was 18 months (range 6–36). Mean duration of fracture healing was 2.3 months (range 2–4). Functional outcomes were assessed by Jupiter criteria. Results Excellent results were found in 69.7% (23 cases), very good reaults and good results were found in the remaining 30.3% (10 cases). Three of 33 patients 9% (3 cases) presented postoperative complications. No patient exhibited symptoms of ulnar nerve injury following surgery. One patient had cubitusvarus deformities and one case had heterotopic ossification. One patient had malunion and one case had deep infection. Conclusions Complications were minimal and outcomes were satisfactory in patients with type C distal humerus fractures who underwent bilateral plate fixation via a posterior approach.
The Influence of Ghrelin on the Development of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Rats

Ghrelin has protective and therapeutic effects in the gut. The aim of present studies was to investigate the effect of treatment with ghrelin on the development of colitis evoked by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Methods. Studies have been performed on rats. Colitis was induced by adding 5% DSS to the drinking water for 5 days. During this period animals were treated intraperitoneally twice a day with saline or ghrelin given at the dose of 8 nmol/kg/dose. On the sixth day, animals were anesthetized and the severity of colitis was assessed. Results. Treatment with ghrelin during administration of DSS reduced the development of colitis. Morphological features of colonic mucosa exhibited a reduction in the area and deep of mucosal damage. Ghrelin reversed the colitis-induced decrease in blood flow, DNA synthesis, and superoxide dismutase activity in colonic mucosa. These effects were accompanied by a decrease in the colitis-evoked increase in mucosal concentration of interleukin-1β and malondialdehyde. Treatment with ghrelin reversed the DSS-induced reduction in body weight gain. Conclusions. Administration of ghrelin exhibits the preventive effect against the development of DSS-induced colitis. This effect seems to be related to ghrelin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties.
Factors Associated with Therapeutic Efficacy of Intravesical OnabotulinumtoxinA Injection for Overactive Bladder Syndrome

Objectives To analyze the predictors of therapeutic efficacy after intravesical botulinum toxin A injection for overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) refractory to antimuscarinic therapy. Methods All consecutively OAB patients, who visited the urologic outpatient clinics of a medical center and refractory to antimuscarinic treatment, were prospectively enrolled. All enrolled patients received intravesical injection of 100 U onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox). The Global Response Assessment (GRA) score ≥ 2 at 3 months after Botox injection was defined as a successful treatment, otherwise failed. Results Overall, 89 patients received intravesical injection. Eighty patients, including 42 men and 38 women, had received follow-up at 3 months. The overall success rate was 63.8%. The global response assessment, urgency severity score, urgency, urgency urinary incontinence and frequency episodes, and functional bladder capacity improved after treatment. However, post-void residual volume (PVR) increased, and voiding efficiency (VE) decreased after treatment. Female gender (odds ratio = 3.75) was the only independent factor associated with the success. Female gender (coefficient = 0.74), low baseline overactive bladder symptoms score (coefficient = -0.12) and the presence of OAB-wet (coefficient = 0.79) were independent factors associated with therapeutic efficacy (i.e., GRA score). VE (odds ratio = 0.062) was the only predictor for a large PVR at 3 months. The optimum cutoff value of VE was <87% with the area under the ROC curve being 0.64 (sensitivity = 63.8%, specificity = 57.1%). Conclusions The therapeutic effects of Botox can persist till 6 months after treatment. Female gender, low overactive bladder symptoms score and OAB-wet are associated better therapeutic efficacy, and low baseline VE is associated with large PVR. These findings can serve as an initial guide or assist in consultation regarding the treatment of OAB patients with Botox injection. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01657409
Scenario modelling of basin-scale, shallow landslide sediment yield, Valsassina, Italian Southern Alps

Abstract. The SHETRAN model for determining the sediment yield arising from shallow landsliding at the scale of a river catchment was applied to the 180-km2 Valsassina basin in the Italian Southern Alps, with the aim of demonstrating that the model can simulate long term patterns of landsliding and the associated sediment yields and that it can be used to explore the sensitivity of the landslide sediment supply system to changes in catchment characteristics. The model was found to reproduce the observed spatial distribution of landslides from a 50-year record very well but probably with an overestimate of the annual rate of landsliding. Simulated sediment yields were within the range observed in a wider region of northern Italy. However, the results suggest that the supply of shallow landslide material to the channel network contributes relatively little to the overall long term sediment yield compared with other sources. The model was applied for scenarios of possible future climate (drier and warmer) and land use (fully forested hillslopes). For both scenarios, there is a modest reduction in shallow landslide occurrence and the overall sediment yield. This suggests that any current schemes for mitigating sediment yield impact in Valsassina remain valid. The application highlights the need for further research in eliminating the large number of unconditionally unsafe landslide sites typically predicted by the model and in avoiding large overestimates of landslide occurrence.
Hypercalciuria following ceftriaxone a fact or myth

Introduction: Nephrolithiasis is a common worldwide problem both in children and adults. Ceftriaxone as a widely used antibiotic can contribute to the formation of renal stones and hypercalciuria. Objectives: To find the effect of ceftriaxone, a widely used antibiotic, on urinary calcium excretion rate in children. Patients and Methods: 84 infants and children over 3 months admitted to hospital for non-renal problems. They were all previously healthy children affected with a condition mandating hospitalisation. They were randomly divided into 2 groups; those who received ceftriaxone according to their physician decision as the case group and those who did not receive antibiotics as the control group. The patients urinary calcium excretion was determined as calcium to creatinine ratio in a random urine sample in the first and third day of their admission. All data was expressed by mean ± SD and analysed by t independent and chi-square tests by SPSS 16. P P value less than 0.05 was significant. Results: Eighty-four cases were analysed. Calcium excretion in received and non-received ceftriaxone groups was 0.13 ± 0.06 and 0.14 ± 0.02 respectively at first day of admission ( P = 0.1). After 3 days, the urine calcium to creatinine ratio increased to 0.27 ± 0.2 and 0.26 ± 0.08 in received and non- received ceftriaxone groups ( P = 0.8). Conclusion: In children, urinary calcium excretion increases 2 times in average in a short time after admission because of gastroenteritis, and ceftriaxone is not different to other antibiotics for increase urinary calcium excretion in 3 days after admission.
Interaction between Salmonella and Schistosomiasis: A Review

The interaction between schistosomiasis and Salmonella is a particularly important issue in Africa, where dual infection by the parasite and the bacterium are likely common. In this review, the ways in which schistosomiasis affects human biology as it relates to Salmonella are described. Those who are infected by both organisms experience reduced immunological functioning, exhibit irreversible organ damage due to prolonged schistosomiasis infection, and become latent carriers of Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi and Paratyphi and S. Typhimurium. The sequestration of the bacteria in the parasite leads to ineffective antibiotic treatment because the bacteria cannot be completely killed, and lingering infection may then lead to antimicrobial resistance. These manifestations are likely not just for those dually infected but also for those first infected with schistosomes and, later, Salmonella. More data are needed to better understand dual infection, particularly as it may impact treatment and prevention of schistosomiasis and Salmonella in sub-Saharan Africa.
ELF in the Speaking and Listening Activities of Recently Published English-language Coursebooks

This paper focuses on the presence of ELF-oriented approaches in the listening and speaking activities of recently published English-language coursebooks for adult learners and Upper Secondary School students. The listening and speaking tasks are analyzed to investigate whether they provide exposure to a plurality of accents, and offer opportunities to exploit the communicative strategies necessary for effective communication in an increasingly multilingual/multicultural environment that recognizes the lingua-franca status of English.
Optimal Design of a Hybrid Winding Structure for Planar Contactless Battery Charging Platform

Planar contactless battery charging platform is an emerging technology that has the potential of unifying the charging protocols of portable consumer electronic products. In this paper, a new hybrid structure which consists of a coil and a spiral winding is proposed for improving the uniform magnetic field distribution over the charging surface. An analysis into an optimal design of the number of turns and the dimension of the spiral winding is presented for a given concentrated coil. The uniform magnetic field distribution of the designed prototype is measured by an EMC scanner and by an energy-receiving coil. Based on circuit modeling and analysis, the inverter circuit topology and particularly the resonant compensation tank is designed for maximizing power transfer for multi-load applications. A design procedure is proposed and verified by the experiments. An efficiency of about 80% has been achieved for the coupling structure itself when four loads are charged on the platform simultaneously
First record of bat-pollination in the species-rich genus Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Bromeliaceae is a species-rich neotropical plant family that uses a variety of pollinators, principally vertebrates. Tillandsia is the most diverse genus, and includes more than one-third of all bromeliad species. Within this genus, the majority of species rely on diurnal pollination by hummingbirds; however, the flowers of some Tillandsia species show some characteristics typical for pollination by nocturnal animals, particularly bats and moths. In this study an examination is made of the floral and reproductive biology of the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsia macropetala in a fragment of humid montane forest in central Veracruz, Mexico. METHODS The reproductive system of the species, duration of anthesis, production of nectar and floral scent, as well as diurnal and nocturnal floral visitors and their effectiveness in pollination were determined. KEY RESULTS Tillandsia macropetala is a self-compatible species that achieves a higher fruit production through outcrossing. Nectar production is restricted to the night, and only nocturnal visits result in the development of fruits. The most frequent visitor (75 % of visits) and the only pollinator of this bromeliad (in 96 % of visits) was the nectarivorous bat Anoura geoffroyi (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae). CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of chiropterophily within the genus Tillandsia. The results on the pollination biology of this bromeliad suggest an ongoing evolutionary switch from pollination by birds or moths to bats.