Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NOTE FOR EDITOR: The Effect Of Virtual Versus Traditional Learning In Achieving Competency-Based Skills

Background: By rapid developing of the network technology, the internet-based learning methods are substituting the traditional classrooms making them expand to the virtual network learning environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of virtual systems on competency-based skills of first-year nursing students. Materials and methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 86 freshman nursing students were recruited. Nursing Fundamentals and Skills (including theoretical and practical credits) was decided as the teaching course. The theory and practical contents were taught in one group by conventional method (face to face teaching, demonstration on moulage) and for another by virtual simulation and interactive multimedia. The two groups were the same for the content being taught, the instructor and the final evaluation. Paired t-test and independent sample t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: In theoretical exam, the mean score in virtual teaching group was higher than traditional group (P
Inequality, Growth and Development Democratization or repression?

Regimes controlled by a rich elite often collapse and make way for democracy amidst widespread social unrest. Such regime changes are often followed by redistribution to the poor at the expense of the former elite. We argue that the reason why the elite may have to resort to full-scale democratization, despite its apparent costs to themselves, may be that lesser concessions would be viewed as a sign a weakness and spur further unrest and more radical demands. The elite may therefore be forced to choose between repression and the most generous concession, a transition to full democracy. ( 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. JEL classixcation: D72; D74; O15; P16
Rigorous thermodynamic treatment of heat generation and conduction in semiconductor device modeling

A treatment of the self-heating problem is presented. It is based on the laws of phenomenological irreversible thermodynamics (e.g. Onsager's relations and conservation of total energy) and is also consistent with the physical models usually considered in the isothermal drift diffusion approximation. The classical isothermal device equations are extended and completed by a generalized heat-conduction equation involving heat sources and sinks which, besides Joule and Thomson heat, reflect the energy exchanged through recombination (radiative and nonradiative) and optical generation. Thus the extended model also applies to direct semiconductors (e.g., optoelectronic devices) and accounts for effects caused by the ambient light intensity. It fully allows for low temperature since the case of incomplete ionization of donors and acceptors (impurity freeze-out) is properly incorporated in the theory. A critical comparison with previous work is made, showing that, in the steady state, some of the heuristic models of heat generation, thermal conductivity, and heat capacity could indeed approximate the correct results within an error bound of 1-10%. In the transient regime, however, none of the models used previously seems to be reliable, particularly, if short switching times ( >
‘I shall prosecute a ruthless war on these monsters … ’: a critical metaphor analysis of discourse of resistance in the rhetoric of Kwame Nkrumah

ABSTRACT In recent years, studies on discourses of resistance in politics have become prevalent, focusing mainly on the language of radical movements and rebel groups, but not the discourses on colonialism, imperialism, and repression which can be considered as potential sites for discourses of resistance. To fill this gap, this paper critically explores how an independence leader utilized metaphor to construct a discourse of resistance against colonialism and imperialism. It analyzes a number of speeches delivered by Kwame Nkrumah, a pioneering Pan-African and Ghana's independence leader, using a combination of models, including critical metaphor analysis and membership categorization analysis. The analysis illustrates that Nkrumah deployed war/conflict/military and religious metaphors in conjunction with other discursive strategies such as labeling or stereotyping, category work, sentimentalism, victim-playing, and negative other-presentation to formulate a resistance discourse against colonialism and imperialism. These metaphors were exploited through representations of (e)vilification, enemification, demonization, freedom and justice, and attack and defense. This paper provides insight into the use of language in the service of resistance and activism, thereby demonstrating that the use of metaphor by political actors serves manipulative and/or ideological purposes (rather than achieving a literary/stylistic effect) and illustrating that metaphor is essential to a leader's persuasive force.
Formal Semantics of BPMN Process Models Using YAWL

The Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is an emerging standard for capturing business processes. However, BPMN lacks a formal semantics and many of its features are subject to interpretation, which is hindered the BPMN as a standard to statically check the semantic correctness of models. The fact that BPMN integrates constructs from graph-oriented process definition languages with features for macro of advanced constructs and the transmission of messages between two participants, make it challenging to provide a formal semantics of BPMN. Even more define a semantic that can be used to analyst BPMN models. This paper proposes a formal semantics of BPMN defined in terms of a mapping to YAWL nets, for which efficient analysis techniques exists. The proposed mapping has been implemented as a tool that generates code in the ProM.
investigating changes in façades' energy balance according to coating optical properties

Cooling energy refurbishment of buildings can be achieved by coating the outdoor walls with paints that have high solar reflectance (0.3-2.5μm) and hi gh thermal emittance (4-80μm). In this presentation, t he thermal performance of some paints is studied through an outdoor experiment. In a second part, th e inwards conductive flux for a non-insulated wall is modelled with a premise energy budget’s module. Lastly, we introduce the construction of a 1/10th reduced scale model of 4 street canyon set to allow the validation of a model coupling mass and thermal transfers between buildings and urban microclimate. Boundary conditions and energy balance are discussed through installed sensors.
Cardiac disease in pregnancy

Summary Summary This study was a retrospective review of patient charts of a relatively large number of patients with cardiac disease in pregnancy in a developing country. Ninety-five patients were evaluated; the majority (n = 36) were in the age group 21−25 years. Rheumatic heart disease was the commonest aetiology; eight women required balloon mitral valvuloplasty and one had a valve replacement at 32 weeks’ gestation. There were no maternal deaths but morbidity was high; 13 patients were admitted in cardiac failure, nine had atrial fibrillation and three required intensive-care management. There were 86 live births of the 97 deliveries.
Prolonged Effects of an Anti-Alzheimers Drug, Galantamine Hydrobromide on Morphometric and Behavioural Aspects of Albino Mice

The present study, emphasises the prolonged effects of an anti-Alzheimer’s drug, Galantamine Hydrobromide, on Morphometric and Behavioural aspects of albino mice in the absence of the disease, AD. One month old male albino mice, Mus musculus (20±2g) were selected as experimental model and Galantamine Hydrobromide as the test drug. The ED50 for GHB was evaluated and was found to be 5mg/kg body weight. This effective dose was given to Experimental groups of mice once in a day up to 180 days continuously. Observations on the general growth aspects such as weight and size and also changes in the behavior pattern of both control and experimental mice were recorded with help of Morris water maze technique. The results on Morphometric aspects revealed that the experimental mice recorded a steady and continuous gain in the body weight with maximum weight (22.15%) gained on 150th day. However, after 150th day, the experimental mice started losing their body weights gradually up to 180th day. As a corollary to these morphometric changes, maximum elevation in performance was noticed on 150th day (56.69%). From then onwards, there was a gradual decline in the performance of the mice. In view of these observations, it was concluded that the memory enhancing drugs meant for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease or any formulated health drinks containing chemicals mimicking the memory enhancing drugs should not be consumed in any form by normal people in general and by young children in particular for a long time for improvement of their cognitive skills.
“Not All Environmentalists Are Like That … ”: Unpacking the Negative and Positive Beliefs and Perceptions of Environmentalists

ABSTRACT Limited research to date has qualitatively explored the perceptions members of the public who are not environmental activists hold of environmentalists. Therefore a qualitative survey was conducted with 89 US residents aged 21–53 (Mage = 32.74, SDage = 7.89) to obtain an in-depth understanding of how non-activists within the public perceive environmentalists. Data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis and demonstrated that non-activist perceptions of environmentalists contained both positive and negative components. Environmentalists were seen to value nature and to be actively involved in bringing about positive environmental change (positive component), yet were also viewed as aggressive in their behaviors and stubborn in their beliefs (negative component). Further still, it was found that environmentalists were more likely to be perceived positively when they engaged in individual-level, private sphere behaviors (such as recycling), and negatively when they engaged in collective-level, public sphere behaviors (such as protesting). These findings not only challenge the assumption that members of the public typically evaluate environmentalists negatively, they also outline why some individuals may fail to identify as an environmentalist and engage in pro-environmental behavior. Furthermore, they also provide some insight as to why some environmentalists find it difficult to advocate for system change that results from collective action within the public sphere.
Perceptions of Stigma in Online Dating Narratives: Implications for Marriage and Family Therapists

Despite the popularity and widespread usage of online dating platforms, general perceptions of online dating remain largely stigmatized. While narratives of online daters as nerdy, desperate, and socially inept were prominent in the platform’s infancy (Whitty & Carr, 2006; Wildermuth & Vogl-Bauer, 2007), narratives of online daters today are different but still largely stigmatized. In the current study, through an open-ended online survey, perceptions of stigma were explored in the online dating narratives of 110 participants who met their partners online within the past five years. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006) was used as a qualitative methodological approach to identify and illustrate themes across participants’ perceptions. The resulting themes revealed the following: (a) a general stigma about online dating persists; (b) online dating narratives are shared more honestly and completely with trustworthy audiences; (c) intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation markedly influence how online dating narratives are shared; (d) a perceived hierarchy of legitimacy exists amongst online dating platforms; and (e) the benefits of meeting a partner online often outweigh the stigma of online dating. Symbolic interactionism was used as a theoretical framework to explore meaning in participants’ responses and interpret the social interaction shaping meaning. Narrative therapy was also used as a theoretical framework to guide the clinical conceptualization of themes and create suggestions for therapists working with clients who date online. Lastly, suggestions for competencies in online relationship culture are made for marriage and family therapy training programs. Perceptions of Stigma in Online Dating Narratives: Implications for Marriage and Family Therapists Dana F. Riger General Audience Abstract Despite widespread usage and popularity of online dating platforms, general perceptions of online dating remain largely stigmatized. In the current study, perceptions of stigma were explored in the narratives of 110 participants who met their partners online. The resulting themes revealed that: (a) a general stigma about online dating persists; (b) online dating narratives are shared more honestly and completely with a trustworthy audience; (c) intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation markedly influence how online dating narratives are shared; (d) a perceived hierarchy of legitimacy exists amongst platforms; and (e) the benefits of meeting online often outweigh the stigma of online dating. Using narrative therapy as a theoretical framework, clinical suggestions for therapists working with clients who date online were made. Suggestions for competency training in online relationship culture were also made for marriage and family therapy training programs.
Responses of a California annual grassland to litter manipulation

Abstract Question: What are the physical and chemical effects of plant litter on annual grassland community composition, above-ground net primary production (ANPP), and density? Location: California annual grassland. Methods: We manipulated litter and light levels independently and in concert. Litter removal and litter addition treatments tested both the physical and chemical impacts of litter's presence. We additionally simulated the effect of litter physical shading by using shade cloth, and added powdered litter to test for the chemical impacts of decomposing litter. Results: Increased whole litter and shading decreased grass germination and establishment, but not that of forbs or legumes. Species shifts occurred within all groups across treatments, including a transition from small-seeded to large-seeded grass and legume species with increased shading. ANPP was highest in control plots (473 ± 59 g/m2), and species richness was highest in litter removal plots. While the physical effects of litter via shading were significant, the chemical effects of adding powdered litter were negligible. Conclusions: This work suggests that over one growing season, the physical impacts of litter are more important than chemical impacts in shaping community structure and ANPP in annual grasslands. Changes in light availability with altered litter inputs drive shifts in species and functional group composition. Litter feedbacks to ANPP and species composition of local patches may help maintain diversity and stabilize ANPP in this grassland. Nomenclature: Hickman (1993).
Newly recognised lineages of perithecial ascomycetes: the new orders Conioscyphales and Pleurotheciales

Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences from nuclear ribosomal and protein-coding loci support the placement of several perithecial ascomycetes and dematiaceous hyphomycetes from freshwater and terrestrial environments in two monophyletic clades closely related to the Savoryellales. One clade formed by five species of Conioscypha and a second clade containing several genera of uncertain taxonomic status centred on Pleurothecium, represent two distinct taxonomic groups at the ordinal systematic rank. They are proposed as new orders, the Conioscyphales and Pleurotheciales. Several taxonomic novelties are introduced in the Pleurotheciales, i.e. two new genera (Adelosphaeria and Melanotrigonum), three novel species (A. catenata, M. ovale, Phaeoisaria fasciculata) and a new combination (Pleurotheciella uniseptata). A new combination is proposed for Savoryella limnetica in Ascotaiwania s.str. based on molecular data and culture characters. A strongly supported lineage containing a new genus Plagiascoma, species of Bactrodesmiastrum and Ascotaiwania persoonii, was identified as a sister to the Conioscyphales/Pleurotheciales/Savoryellales clade in our multilocus phylogeny. Together, they are nested in a monophyly in the Hypocreomycetidae, significantly supported by Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood analyses. Members of this clade share a few morphological characters, such as the absence of stromatic tissue or clypeus, similar anatomies of the 2-layered ascomatal walls, thin-walled unitunicate asci with a distinct, non-amyloid apical annulus, symmetrical, transversely septate ascospores and holoblastic conidiogenesis. They represent the only fungi in the Hypocreomycetidae with apically free, filiform to cylindrical, persistent or partially disintegrating paraphyses. The systematic placement of two other dematiaceous hyphomycetes was resolved based on DNA sequences; Phragmocephala stemphylioides is a member of the Pleurotheciales and Triadelphia uniseptata is within the Savoryellales.
Nonintrusive Load Monitoring: A Temporal Multilabel Classification Approach

The article tackles the issues related to the identification of electrical appliances inside residential buildings. Each appliance can be identified from the aggregate power readings at the meter panel. The possibility of applying a temporal multilabel classification approach in the domain of nonintrusive load monitoring is explored (nonevent-based method). A novel set of metafeatures is proposed. The method is tested on sampling rates based on the capabilities of current smart meters. The proposed approach is validated over a dataset of energy readings at residences for a period of a year for 100 houses containing different sets of appliances (water heater, washing machines, etc.). This method is applicable for the demand side management of households in the current limitation of smart meters; from the inhabitants or from the grid operator's point of view.
COLORS AND COLOR GRADIENTS IN BULGES OF GALAXIES

We have obtained surface photometry in U, B, R, and I for a complete optically selected sample of 45 early-type spiral galaxies, to investigate the colors and color gradients of spiral bulges. Color profiles in U-R, B-R, U-B, and R-I have been determined in wedges opening on the semiminor axes. Based on several criteria, like the smoothness of the color profiles, the absence of dust lanes, and the central colors, we have defined a subsample of 18 objects whose colors are largely unaffected by dust. We believe such colors are suitable for inferring properties of the stellar populations of bulges. We find that the colors of bulges are predominantly bluer than those of ellipticals. This result holds even when bulges are compared to ellipticals of the same luminosity, and indicates that bulges are younger and/or more metal poor than old elliptical galaxies. Most bulges do not reach solar metallicities. Bulges show predominantly negative color gradients (bluer outward). For bright bulges (M(R)Bulge - 20), the existence of pronounced color gradients suggests a different formation mechanism. For these objects, the presence of the disk may have severely affected the radial population distribution in the bulge.
Autocrine VEGF Isoforms Differentially Regulate Endothelial Cell Behavior

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF) is involved in all the essential biology of endothelial cells, from proliferation to vessel function, by mediating intercellular interactions and monolayer integrity. It is expressed as three major alternative spliced variants. In mice, these are VEGF120, VEGF164, and VEGF188, each with different affinities for extracellular matrices and cell surfaces, depending on the inclusion of heparin-binding sites, encoded by exons 6 and 7. To determine the role of each VEGF isoform in endothelial homeostasis, we compared phenotypes of primary endothelial cells isolated from lungs of mice expressing single VEGF isoforms in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The differential expression and distribution of VEGF isoforms affect endothelial cell functions, such as proliferation, adhesion, migration, and integrity, which are dependent on the stability of and affinity to VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). We found a correlation between autocrine VEGF164 and VEGFR2 stability, which is also associated with increased expression of proteins involved in cell adhesion. Endothelial cells expressing only VEGF188, which localizes to extracellular matrices or cell surfaces, presented a mesenchymal morphology and weakened monolayer integrity. Cells expressing only VEGF120 lacked stable VEGFR2 and dysfunctional downstream processes, rendering the cells unviable. Endothelial cells expressing these different isoforms in isolation also had differing rates of apoptosis, proliferation, and signaling via nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. These data indicate that autocrine signaling of each VEGF isoform has unique functions on endothelial homeostasis and response to hypoxia, due to both distinct VEGF distribution and VEGFR2 stability, which appears to be, at least partly, affected by differential NO production. This study demonstrates that each autocrine VEGF isoform has a distinct effect on downstream functions, namely VEGFR2-regulated endothelial cell homeostasis in normoxia and hypoxia.
A profile of the adolescent male family planning client.

CONTEXT Family planning programs and policies increasingly focus on the male partner's roles and responsibilities in contraceptive decision-making and use. To effectively tailor services for males, policymakers and providers must refine their understanding of men's psychosocial and reproductive health needs. METHODS Using self-administered questionnaires, 1,540 sexually active males aged 19 and younger who attended family planning clinics in California provided information about their sexual behavior, contraceptive use, pregnancy and parenting history, and psychosocial characteristics. Logistic regression was used to examine factors that contributed to effective contraceptive use. RESULTS Although 73% of participants reported having used a birth control method at first intercourse, only 59% said that they or their partner had used an effective method at last intercourse, and 35% had used no method. If the client was uncomfortable with his method, the odds that he had used an effective method at last intercourse were reduced (odds ratio, 0.4). The likelihood of use at last intercourse was increased among males who agreed with their partner about their method and those who had never impregnated a partner (1.4 and 1.9, respectively). CONCLUSIONS To adequately serve young males, clinics must take into account their sexual and contraceptive histories. But screening should go beyond traditional family planning techniques to discuss how to improve communication with partners and other lifestyle issues that may interfere with consistent use.