Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Content or platform: Why do students complete MOOCs?

The advent of massive open online courses (MOOCs) poses new learning opportunities for learners as well as challenges for researchers and designers. MOOC students approach MOOCs in a range of fashions, based on their learning goals and preferred approaches, which creates new opportunities for learners but makes it difficult for researchers to figure out what a student’s behavior means, and makes it difficult for designers to develop MOOCs appropriate for all of their learners. Towards better understanding the learners who take MOOCs, we conduct a survey of MOOC learners’ motivations and correlate it to which students complete the course according to the pace set by the instructor/platform (which necessitates having the goal of completing the course, as well as succeeding in that goal). The results showed that course completers tend to be more interested in the course content, whereas non-completers tend to be more interested in MOOCs as a type of learning experience. Contrary to initial hypotheses, however, no substantial differences in mastery-goal orientation or general academic efficacy were observed between completers and non-completers. However, students who complete the course tend to have more self-efficacy for their ability to complete the course, from the beginning.
Numerical Modeling of Diffusion in Fractured Media for Gas-Injection and -Recycling Schemes

Diffusion in fractured reservoirs, unlike in unfractured reservoirs, can affect significantly the efficiency of gas injection in oil reservoirs and recycling in gas/condensate reservoirs. The physical diffusion, similar to gravity, results in the change of the path of the injected gas species from the fractures to the matrix, giving rise to late breakthrough. In this work, we present, for the first time, a consistent model to incorporate physical diffusion of multicomponent mixtures for gas-injection schemes in fractured reservoirs. The multicomponent diffusion flux is related to multicomponent diffusion coefficients, which are dependent on temperature, pressure, and composition. These coefficients are calculated from a model based on irreversible thermodynamics. Current simulation models of fractured reservoirs that include diffusion are based on inconsistent models of gas-to-liquid diffusion at the fracture/matrix interface. We avoid this deficiency by assuming that the gas and liquid phases are in equilibrium at the interface. The concept of crossflow equilibrium (i.e., vertical equilibrium) is invoked in our model to avoid the use of transfer functions. In this work, we use the combined discontinuous Galerkin and mixed methods on 2D structured grids to calculate fluxes accurately and to have low numerical dispersion to study physical diffusion. Four examples are presented. In one of the examples, a field-scale study is performed to investigate gas injection in a fractured reservoir away from miscibility pressure and close to miscibility pressure. Results show a significant effect of diffusion on recovery performance away from miscibility pressure. In another example, recycling in a fractured gas/condensate reservoir is presented to demonstrate that diffusion has a significant effect on condensate recovery.
Neural representation of expected value in the adolescent brain

Significance The brain undergoes significant maturation during adolescence that influences reward sensitivity and risk-taking behavior. However, it is unknown if the adolescent brain truly values rewards in a way that is unique from the mature brain or if confounding factors contribute to this developmental difference. Here we show that adolescents place greater value on rewards than do adults through exaggerated activation of the ventral striatum and that this valuation increases gambling behavior. This developmental effect remains even when controlling for income and task performance. We also find that heightened reward sensitivity leads to more advantageous risk-taking in adolescents versus adults. These data provide behavioral and neural evidence for ontogenetic differences in how value computation is used to bias reward-related behavior during adolescence. Previous work shows that the adolescent reward system is hyperactive, but this finding may be confounded by differences in how teens value money. To address this, we examined the neural ontogeny of objective value representation. Adolescent and adult participants performed a monetary gambling task in which they chose to accept or reject gambles of varying expected value. Increasing expected value had a stronger influence over gambling choices in adolescents relative to adults, an effect that was paralleled by greater activation in the ventral striatum in adolescents. This unique adolescent ventral striatum response remained even after matching groups on acceptance behavior. These behavioral and neural data suggest that the value of available options has a greater influence in adolescent versus adult choices, even when objective value and subjective choice are held constant. This research provides further evidence that hyperactivation of reward circuitry in adolescence may be a normative ontogenetic shift that is due to greater valuation in the adolescent brain.
Skipping toward seniority*: one queer scholar’s romp through the weeds of academe

Abstract This reflective essay, which is both autobiographical and historical in nature, is framed by answering the questions posed by the editors regarding my work: What values inform it, how I actually do it, and why do I do it? Quite simply, I am writing to encourage social change for all queer people, be it merely the little corner of my own social world. Furthermore, I consciously strive to be a ‘paid pestering queer. ’
Stepped approximation technique in the problem on polarizer based on circular waveguide with rectangular ridges

The opportunity of an effective usage of a stepped approximation for the calculation of cutoff frequencies and eigenfunctions of waveguides with complex cross-sections is shown. It is recognized that such an approach is productive for the analysis and optimization of polarizers based on sections of circular waveguides with rectangular ridges. The results of comparison with experimental data are represented.
Switching processes in financial markets

For an intriguing variety of switching processes in nature, the underlying complex system abruptly changes from one state to another in a highly discontinuous fashion. Financial market fluctuations are characterized by many abrupt switchings creating upward trends and downward trends, on time scales ranging from macroscopic trends persisting for hundreds of days to microscopic trends persisting for a few minutes. The question arises whether these ubiquitous switching processes have quantifiable features independent of the time horizon studied. We find striking scale-free behavior of the transaction volume after each switching. Our findings can be interpreted as being consistent with time-dependent collective behavior of financial market participants. We test the possible universality of our result by performing a parallel analysis of fluctuations in time intervals between transactions. We suggest that the well known catastrophic bubbles that occur on large time scales—such as the most recent financial crisis—may not be outliers but single dramatic representatives caused by the formation of increasing and decreasing trends on time scales varying over nine orders of magnitude from very large down to very small.
Detection of a Series of X-Ray Dips Associated with a Radio Flare in GRS 1915+105

We report the detection of a series of X-ray dips in the Galactic black hole candidate GRS 1915+105 during 1999 June 6-17 from observations carried out with the pointed proportional counters of the Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment on board the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-P3). The observations were made after the source made a transition from a steady low-hard state to a chaotic state, which occurred within a few hours. Dips of about 20-160 s in duration were observed on most of the days. The X-ray emission outside the dips shows a quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) at ~4 Hz that has characteristics similar to the ubiquitous 0.5-10 Hz QPO seen during the low-hard state of the source. During the onset of dips this QPO is absent, and, also, the energy spectrum is soft and the variability is low compared to the nondip periods. These features gradually reappear as the dip recovers. The onset of the occurrence of a large number of such dips followed the start of a huge radio flare of strength 0.48 Jy (at 2.25 GHz). We interpret these dips as the cause for mass ejection due to the evacuation of matter from an accretion disk around the black hole. We propose that a superposition of a large number of such dip events produces a huge radio jet in GRS 1915+105.
Association between Urinary Albumin Excretion and Intraocular Pressure in Type 2 Diabetic Patients without Renal Impairment

Background To assess the relationship between urinary albumin excretion and intraocular pressure (IOP) in type 2 diabetes patients without renal impairment. Methods We explored the effects of albuminuria on high IOP in 402 non-glaucomatous type 2 diabetes without renal impairment who participated in the 2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between log-transformed albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) tertiles and an IOP of ≥18 mmHg after adjusting for age, gender, hypertension, body mass index, triglycerides, area of residence, and education level. Results Subjects with a high IOP ≥18 mmHg were more likely to be current smokers (P = 0.038), heavy drinkers (P = 0.006), and to have high systolic blood pressure (P = 0.016), triglycerides (P = 0.008), and a higher log-transformed ACR (P = 0.022). In multivariate regression analysis, ACR tertile was associated with the prevalence of high IOP significantly (P = 0.022). The associations between ACR tertiles and high IOP were significant in overweight patients and those with abdominal obesity (P = 0.003 and 0.003, respectively). In contrast, there were no associations in the subgroup of patients who were not overweight and those without abdominal obesity (P = 0.291 and 0.561, respectively). Conclusions Urinary albumin excretion is associated with high IOP in the type 2 diabetes population without renal insufficiency. The effect of the albuminuria on IOP was evident in a subgroup of patients with components of metabolic syndrome.
A comparative study of calcium absorption following a single serving administration of calcium carbonate powder versus calcium citrate tablets in healthy premenopausal women

Background Calcium is an essential mineral often taken as a daily, long-term nutritional supplement. Data suggests that once-daily dosing is important with regard to long-term compliance of both drugs and nutritional supplements. Objective This study was undertaken to compare the bioavailability of a single serving of two calcium supplements in healthy, premenopausal women. Design A two-period, crossover bioavailability study of a single serving of calcium citrate tablets (two tablets=500 mg calcium) versus a single serving of calcium carbonate powder (one packet of powder=1,000 mg calcium) was performed in healthy women aged between 25 and 45. All subjects were on a calcium-restricted diet 7 days prior to testing and fasted for 12 h before being evaluated at 0, 1, 2, and 4 h after oral administration of the test agents. Blood measurements for total and ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone were performed and adverse events were monitored. Results Twenty-three women were evaluable with a mean age of 33.2±8.71. Results showed that administration of a single serving of a calcium carbonate powder resulted in greater absorption in total and ionized calcium versus a single serving of calcium citrate tablets at 4 h (4.25±0.21 vs. 4.16±0.16, p=0.001). There were minimal side effects and no reported serious adverse events. Conclusions This study shows that a single serving of a calcium carbonate powder is more bioavailable than a single serving of calcium citrate tablets. This may be beneficial for long-term compliance.
Identification of Centella asiatica's Effective Ingredients for Inducing the Neuronal Differentiation

Centella asiatica, commonly known as Gotu kola, has been widely used as a traditional herb for decades. Yet, the study on which compounds or compound combinations actually lead to its brain benefits remains scarce. To study the neuroprotection effects of Centella asiatica, neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells was applied. In our pilot study, we isolated 45 Centella asiatica fractions and tested their abilities for inducing neuronal differentiation on PC12 cells. The most effective fraction showed robust induction in neurite outgrowth and neurofilament expression. LC-MS fingerprint analysis of this fraction revealed asiatic acid and madecassic acid as the dominant components. A further investigation on the pure combination of these two compounds indicated that the combination of these two compounds extensively promoted nerve differentiation in vitro. Application of PD98059, a protein MEK inhibitor, attenuated combination-induced neurofilament expression, indicating the combination-induced nerve differentiation through activation of MEK signaling pathway. Our results support the use of combination of asiatic acid and madecassic acid as an effective mean to intervene neurodegenerative diseases in which neurotrophin deficiency is involved.
The evolution of parental care in insects: A test of current hypotheses

Which sex should care for offspring is a fundamental question in evolution. Invertebrates, and insects in particular, show some of the most diverse kinds of parental care of all animals, but to date there has been no broad comparative study of the evolution of parental care in this group. Here, we test existing hypotheses of insect parental care evolution using a literature‐compiled phylogeny of over 2000 species. To address substantial uncertainty in the insect phylogeny, we use a brute force approach based on multiple random resolutions of uncertain nodes. The main transitions were between no care (the probable ancestral state) and female care. Male care evolved exclusively from no care, supporting models where mating opportunity costs for caring males are reduced—for example, by caring for multiple broods—but rejecting the “enhanced fecundity” hypothesis that male care is favored because it allows females to avoid care costs. Biparental care largely arose by males joining caring females, and was more labile in Holometabola than in Hemimetabola. Insect care evolution most closely resembled amphibian care in general trajectory. Integrating these findings with the wealth of life history and ecological data in insects will allow testing of a rich vein of existing hypotheses.
Combining classifiers in text categorization

Three different types of classifiers were investigatedin the context of a text categorization problem in the medical domain: the automatic assignment of ICD9 codes to dictated inpatient discharge summaries. K-nearest-neighbor, relevance feedback, and Bayesian independence classifiers were applied individually and in combination. A coknbination of different classifiers produced better results than any single type of classifier. For this specific medical categorization problem, new query formulation and weighting meth-ods used in the k-nearest-neighbor classifier improved performance.
Structural Characterization of Mycobacterial Phosphatidylinositol Mannoside Binding to Mouse CD1d12

Mycobacterial phosphatidylinositol tetramannosides (PIM4) are agonists for a distinct population of invariant human (Vα24) and mouse (Vα14) NKT cells, when presented by CD1d. We determined the crystal structure at 2.6-Å resolution of mouse CD1d bound to a synthetic dipalmitoyl-PIM2. Natural PIM2, which differs in its fatty acid composition is a biosynthetic precursor of PIM4, PIM6, lipomannan, and lipoarabinomannan. The PIM2 headgroup (inositol-dimannoside) is the most complex to date among all the crystallized CD1d ligands and is remarkably ordered in the CD1d binding groove. A specific hydrogen-bonding network between PIM2 and CD1d orients the headgroup in the center of the binding groove and above the A′ pocket. A central cluster of hydrophilic CD1d residues (Asp153, Thr156, Ser76, Arg79) interacts with the phosphate, inositol, and α1–α6-linked mannose of the headgroup, whereas additional specificity for the α1- and α2-linked mannose is conferred by Thr159. The additional two mannoses in PIM4, relative to PIM2, are located at the distal 6′ carbon of the α1-α6-linked mannose and would project away from the CD1d binding groove for interaction with the TCR. Compared with other CD1d-sphingolipid structures, PIM2 has an increased number of polar interactions between its headgroup and CD1, but reduced specificity for the diacylglycerol backbone. Thus, novel NKT cell agonists can be designed that focus on substitutions of the headgroup rather than on reducing lipid chain length, as in OCH and PBS-25, two potent variants of the highly stimulatory invariant NKT cell agonist α-galactosylceramide.
Emerging Insights Into the Nature and Function of Pride

Pride, a “self-conscious” emotion involving complex self-evaluative processes, is a fundamental human emotion. Recent research provides new insights into its nature and function. Like the “basic” emotions, pride is associated with a distinct, universally recognized, nonverbal expression, which is spontaneously displayed during pride experiences. Yet, pride differs from the basic emotions in its dependency on self-evaluations and in its complex structure, which is comprised of two theoretically and conceptually distinct facets that have divergent personality correlates and cognitive antecedents. In this article, we summarize findings from the growing body of research on pride and highlight the implications of this research for a broader understanding of emotions and social behavior.
Comparison of Fuzzy Functions with Fuzzy Rule Base Approaches

“Fuzzy Functions” are proposed to be determined separately by two regression estimation models: the least squares estimation (LSE), and Support Vector Machines for Regression (SVR), techniques for the development of fuzzy system models. LSE model tries to estimate the fuzzy function parameters linearly in the original space, whereas SVR algorithm maps the data samples into higher dimensional feature space and estimates a linear fuzzy function in the feature space. The membership values of input vectors are calculated using FCM algorithm or any variation of it. They are then used with scalar input variables by the LSE and SVR techniques to determine “Fuzzy Functions” for each cluster identified by FCM. “Fuzzy Functions” estimated with LSE and SVR methodologies are proposed as alternate representations and reasoning schemas to the fuzzy rule base approaches. We show with three case studies that the new approaches give better results in comparison to well-known fuzzy rule base approaches, i.e., Takagi-Sugeno [28] and Sugeno-Yasukawa [27] in test cases.
Moral Reasoning and Its Connections With Machiavellianism and Authoritarianism: The Critical Roles of Index Choice and Utilization

Moral reasoning typically relates unexpectedly weakly with both Machiavellianism and authoritarianism. Although researchers often explain this by pointing to apparent shortcomings in both the construct and the measure of moral reasoning, such explanations are questionable given the many instances of support for hypotheses involving moral reasoning using the same construct and measure. As these latter cannot only sometimes be flawed, we explored the possible influence of moral reasoning index choice on observed results by using multiple indices available in the Defining Issues Test (DIT). In a sample of 201 employed persons surveyed in 1998, with results reported for the first time, advanced moral reasoners tended to be neither Machiavellian nor authoritarian. However, the specific moral reasoning index employed was critical to detecting these hypothesized inverse relationships. Specifically, we proposed (and determined) that currently unavailable D scores would be the relevant index for examining inverse relationships with Machiavellianism and that P scores would be most appropriate in the context of inverse relationships with authoritarianism, particularly among persons inclined to utilize their characteristic moral reasoning (assessed with U scores). We extrapolate the conceptual logic underpinning such relationships, and suggest that appropriate index choice flows from this logic and is essential to hypothesis testing across a broad array of constructs. Future research could adopt this logic to examine relationships involving constructs with implications similar to those found in Machiavellianism and authoritarianism.
On the inverse implication of Brenier-Mccann theorems and the structure of (P 2 (M),W 2 )

We do three things. First, we characterize the class of measures μ ∈P2(M) such that for any other ν ∈P2(M) there exists a unique optimal transport plan, and this plan is induced by a map. Second, we study the tangent space at any measure and we identify the class of measures for which the tangent space is an Hilbert space. Third, we prove that these two classes of measures coincide. This answers a question recently raised by Villani. Our results concerning the tangent space can be extended to the case of Alexandrov spaces.
Perforation and mortality after cleansing enema for acute constipation are not rare but are preventable

Objectives Constipation is a common complaint, frequently treated with cleansing enema. Enemas can be very effective but may cause serious adverse events, such as perforation or metabolic derangement. Our aim was to evaluate the outcome of the use of cleansing enema for acute constipation and to assess adverse events within 30 days of therapy. Methods We performed a two-phase study: an initial retrospective and descriptive study in 2010, followed by a prospective study after intervention, in 2011. According to the results of the first phase we established guidelines for the treatment of constipation in the Emergency Department and then used these in the second phase. Results There were 269 and 286 cases of severe constipation in the first and second periods of the study, respectively. In the first study period, only Fleet® Enema was used, and in the second, this was changed to Easy Go enema (free of sodium phosphate). There was a 19.2% decrease in the total use of enema, in the second period of the study (P < 0.0001). Adverse events and especially, the perforation rate and the 30-day mortality in patients with constipation decreased significantly in the second phase: 3 (1.4%) versus 0 (P = 0.0001) and 8 (3.9%) versus 2 (0.7%) (P = 0.0001), for perforation and death in the first and second period of the study, respectively. Conclusion Enema for the treatment of acute constipation is not without adverse events, especially in the elderly, and should be applied carefully. Perforation, hyperphosphatemia (after Fleet Enema), and sepsis may cause death in up to 4% of cases. Guidelines for the treatment of acute constipation and for enema administration are urgently needed.