Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Achievement-Related Behaviors and Parental Beliefs in Children"'s Mathematical Performance

This study aimed at investigating the developmental dynamics between children's mathematical peiformance, the task10cused versus task-avoidant behaviors they show in the classroom, and their parents' beliefs concerning their offsprings' school competence. To investigate this, the mathematical peiformance of111 six-to-seven-year-old children was tested, and their task-focused versus task-avoidant behaviors were rated by their teachers four times during their first school year. Parents filled in questionnaires measuring their skill-specific and general beliefs about their children's school competencies at the beginning and at the end of the school year. The results showed that parents' beliefs in their children's general school competence increased their children's task10cused behaviors at school, which jurther predicted the child's high level of math perjormance. Parents' beliefs in their children's competence in mathematics, in turn, contributed directly to the children's high mathematical perjormance. Moreover, children's high perjomzance increased parents' subsequent beliefs in their children's mathematical competence, whereas children's task focused behaviors predicted parents' beliefs in their children's overall school performance.
Fermi-surface transformation across the pseudogap critical point of the cuprate superconductor La1.6-xNd0.4SrxCuO4

The electrical resistivity $\rho$ and Hall coefficient R$_H$ of the tetragonal single-layer cuprate Nd-LSCO were measured in magnetic fields up to $H = 37.5$ T, large enough to access the normal state at $T \to 0$, for closely spaced dopings $p$ across the pseudogap critical point at $p^\star = 0.235$. Below $p^\star$, both coefficients exhibit an upturn at low temperature, which gets more pronounced with decreasing $p$. Taken together, these upturns show that the normal-state carrier density $n$ at $T = 0$ drops upon entering the pseudogap phase. Quantitatively, it goes from $n = 1 + p$ at $p = 0.24$ to $n = p$ at $p = 0.20$. By contrast, the mobility does not change appreciably, as revealed by the magneto-resistance. The transition has a width in doping and some internal structure, whereby R$_H$ responds more slowly than $\rho$ to the opening of the pseudogap. We attribute this difference to a Fermi surface that supports both hole-like and electron-like carriers in the interval $0.2 < p < p^\star$, with compensating contributions to R$_H$. Our data are in excellent agreement with recent high-field data on YBCO and LSCO. The quantitative consistency across three different cuprates shows that a drop in carrier density from $1 + p$ to $p$ is a universal signature of the pseudogap transition at $T=0$. We discuss the implication of these findings for the nature of the pseudogap phase.
A general multiplicity theorem for certain nonlinear equations in Hilbert spaces

In this paper, we prove the following general result. Let X be a real Hilbert space and J: X → R a continuously Gateaux differentiable, nonconstant functional, with compact derivative, such that Then, for each r ∈ inf X J,sup X J[ for which the set J -1 ([r+∞]) is not convex and for each convex set S C X dense in X, there exist x 0 ∈ S ∩ J -1 (] - ∞, r[) and A > 0 such that the equation x= λJ'(x) + x 0 has at least three solutions.
Deep learning based automatic segmentation of lumbosacral nerves on non-contrast CT for radiographic evaluation: a pilot study

Background and objective: Combined evaluation of lumbosacral structures (e.g. nerves, bone) on multimodal radiographic images is routinely conducted prior to spinal surgery and interventional procedures. Generally, magnetic resonance imaging is conducted to differentiate nerves, while computed tomography (CT) is used to observe bony structures. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of automatically segmenting lumbosacral structures (e.g. nerves & bone) on non-contrast CT with deep learning. Methods: a total of 50 cases with spinal CT were manually labeled for lumbosacral nerves and bone with Slicer 4.8. The ratio of training: validation: testing is 32:8:10. A 3D-Unet is adopted to build the model SPINECT for automatically segmenting lumbosacral structures. Pixel accuracy, IoU, and Dice score are used to assess the segmentation performance of lumbosacral structures. Results: the testing results reveals successful segmentation of lumbosacral bone and nerve on CT. The average pixel accuracy is 0.940 for bone and 0.918 for nerve. The average IoU is 0.897 for bone and 0.827 for nerve. The dice score is 0.945 for bone and 0.905 for nerve. Conclusions: this pilot study indicated that automatic segmenting lumbosacral structures (nerves and bone) on non-contrast CT is feasible and may have utility for planning and navigating spinal interventions and surgery.
Nonlocal Regularized Algebraic Reconstruction Techniques for MRI : An Experimental Study

We attempt to revitalize researchers’ interest in algebraic reconstruction techniques (ART) by expanding their capabilities and demonstrating their potential in speeding up the process of MRI acquisition. Using a continuous-to-discrete model, we experimentally study the application of ART into MRI reconstruction which unifies previous nonuniform-fast-Fourier-transform(NUFFT-) based and gridding-based approaches. Under the framework of ART, we advocate the use of nonlocal regularization techniques which are leveraged from our previous research on modeling photographic images. It is experimentally shown that nonlocal regularization ART (NR-ART) can often outperform their local counterparts in terms of both subjective and objective qualities of reconstructed images. On one real-world k-space data set, we find that nonlocal regularization can achieve satisfactory reconstruction from as few as one-third of samples. We also address an issue related to image reconstruction from real-world kspace data but overlooked in the open literature: the consistency of reconstructed images across different resolutions. A resolutionconsistent extension of NR-ART is developed and shown to effectively suppress the artifacts arising from frequency extrapolation. Both source codes and experimental results of this work are made fully reproducible.
Validation of Curriculum Design Information System Model

Information system (IS) is important to institution of higher learning (IHL) especially in the domain of curriculum design. Without the support of IS, curriculum design in IHL is time-consuming, error-prone and much effort need to put in by curriculum designers. Although there are numerous IS developed in curriculum design domain for the past few years, there is still lack of specific IS curriculum design model found in IHL. This study aims to propose an IS model which provide guidance during curriculum design process. Model validation phase begin with development of prototype which explains the process of creating a prototype according to the proposed model. The study collected 80 responses from the survey and the study resulted that the IS model is useful and able to reduce time, error and effort during curriculum design process.
Virtual Class Enhanced Discriminative Embedding Learning

Recently, learning discriminative features to improve the recognition performances gradually becomes the primary goal of deep learning, and numerous remarkable works have emerged. In this paper, we propose a novel yet extremely simple method Virtual Softmax to enhance the discriminative property of learned features by injecting a dynamic virtual negative class into the original softmax. Injecting virtual class aims to enlarge inter-class margin and compress intra-class distribution by strengthening the decision boundary constraint. Although it seems weird to optimize with this additional virtual class, we show that our method derives from an intuitive and clear motivation, and it indeed encourages the features to be more compact and separable. This paper empirically and experimentally demonstrates the superiority of Virtual Softmax, improving the performances on a variety of object classification and face verification tasks.
Employment and Caring in British and Norwegian Banking: An Exploration through Individual Careers

The continuing expansion of women's employment has increasingly focused attention on the question of how the caring work traditionally carried out by unpaid women will be accomplished. In particular, how can caring responsibilities be combined with a long-term career? In this paper, we assess the significance of the national context through a comparison of the biographies of career bank managers, male and female, in Britain and Norway. We find that although the (considerably) more family-friendly policies of the Norwegian state do have a positive impact, particularly in somewhat exceptional cases, nevertheless in general in both countries, individuals have difficulties in combining employment with caring and no examples of a `two career' household were found in either country. These findings emphasise the continuing tension between market forces and social reproduction, which has been exacerbated by the erosion of the `male breadwinner' model of family caring and has yet to be resolved in a satisfactory manner.
Investigation of dynamic cable–deck interaction in a physical model of a cable‐stayed bridge. Part I: modal analysis

A description of an experimental investigation involving the study of the dynamic interaction between the cables and the deck/towers system in cable-stayed bridges is presented. The work was carried out on a physical model of a cable-stayed bridge (the Jindo Bridge, in South Korea), whose characteristics of stiffness and mass have been conveniently scaled. Standard modal analysis tests were performed using both an electrodynamic shaker and a shaking table, leading to the creation of a high-quality database, characterizing the dynamic behaviour of the bridge. The study shows the existence of a clear dynamic interaction between the cables and the deck/towers system, associated with the appearance of several groups of mode shapes, at closely spaced frequencies, involving different cable movements, but similar configurations of the girder and towers.
Rare Event Analysis of Markov-Modulated Infinite-Server Queues: A Poisson Limit

This article studies an infinite-server queue in a Markov environment, that is, an infinite-server queue with arrival rates and service times depending on the state of a Markovian background process. Scaling the arrival rates λ i by a factor N and the rates ν ij of the background process by N 1+ϵ (for some ϵ > 0), the focus is on the tail probabilities of the number of customers in the system, in the asymptotic regime that N tends to ∞. In particular, it is shown that the logarithmic asymptotics correspond to those of a Poisson distribution with an appropriate mean.
A fast, flexible, approximate technique for computing radiative transfer in inhomogeneous cloud fields

[1] Radiative transfer schemes in large-scale models tightly couple assumptions about cloud structure to methods for solving the radiative transfer equation, which makes these schemes inflexible, difficult to extend, and potentially susceptible to biases. A new technique, based on simultaneously sampling cloud state and spectral interval, provides radiative fluxes that are guaranteed to be unbiased with respect to the benchmark Independent Column Approximation and works equally well no matter how cloud structure is specified. Fluxes computed in this way are subject to random, uncorrelated errors that depend on the distribution of cloud optical properties. Seasonal forecasts, however, are not sensitive to this noise, making the method useful in weather and climate prediction models.
Shopping Tourist Satisfaction: An Application of Hedonic and Utilitarian Values

Shopping is a new form of tourism and has been regarded as a prime activity among tourists. However, no consensus of opinion has been reached on shopping tourism; several scholars consider shopping to be an incidental activity, whereas others believe that shopping is a crucial motivation for travel. Thus, the current study investigates the personal values of shopping tourists and their satisfaction levels. Findings showed that both hedonic and utilitarian values positively influence tourist satisfaction and positive word of mouth. Therefore, this research deepens understanding regarding tourist behavior in the context of shopping tourism research.
Workfare for Whom? A Critical Assessment of Workfare Programs in the Philippines

Workfare programs are social protection instruments used by governments to address the lack of jobs or inadequate incomes among the poor. In the Philippines, they are the largest public employment programs of the government. Despite this, there is very little understanding on how these programs actually work and whether or not they reach the intended beneficiaries. Synthesis of experience is limited and program data is inadequate, which altogether constrain the analytical work on this area. With a view to stir up policy debate on workfare programs in the Philippines, this paper provides an assessment of the key design and implementation features, including an analysis of benefit incidence.
Spatial variability of herbicide mobilisation and transport at catchment scale: insights from a field experiment

During rain events, herbicides can be transported from their point of application to surface waters, where they may harm aquatic organisms. Since the spatial pattern of mobilisation and transport is heterogeneous, the contributions of different fields to the herbicide load in the stream may vary considerably within one catchment. Therefore, the prediction of contributing areas could help to target mitigation measures efficiently to those locations where they reduce herbicide pollution the most. Such spatial predictions require sufficient insight into the underlying transport processes. To improve the understanding of the process chain of herbicide mobilisation on the field and the subsequent transport through the catchment to the stream, we performed a controlled herbicide application on corn fields in a small agricultural catchment (ca. 1 km 2 ) with intensive crop production in the Swiss Plateau. Water samples were collected at different locations in the catchment (overland flow, tile drains and open channel) for two months after application in 2009, with a high temporal resolution during rain events. We also analysed soil samples from the experimental fields and measured discharge, groundwater level, soil moisture and the occurrence of overland flow at several locations. Several rain events with varying intensities and magnitudes occurred during the study period. Overland flow and erosion were frequently observed in the entire catchment. Infiltration excess and saturation excess overland flow were both observed. However, the main herbicide loss event was dominated by infiltration excess. Despite the frequent and wide-spread occurrence of overland flow, most of this water did not reach the channel directly, but was retained in small depressions in the catchment. From there, it reached the stream via macropores and tile drains. Manholes of the drainage system and storm drains for road and farmyard runoff acted as additional shortcuts to the stream. Although fast flow processes such as overland and macropore flow reduce the influence of the herbicide's chemical properties on transport due to short travel times, sorption properties influenced the herbicide transfer from ponding overland flow to tile drains (macropore flow). However, no influence of sorption was observed during the mobilisation of the herbicides from soil to overland flow. These observations on the role of herbicide properties contradict previous findings to some degree. Furthermore, they demonstrate that valuable insight can be gained by making spatially detailed observations along the flow paths.
Regeneration patterns of three Mediterranean pines and forest changes after a large wildfire in northeastern Spain

Abstract Fire has favored pines throughout their natural range in environments subject to continuous disturbances, such as the Mediterranean Basin. However, recovery of pine species after large fires is not always successful. In this study, we analyze the post-fire regeneration pattern of Pinus halepensis, P. nigra and P. sylvestris three years after fire, in an area affected by a large wildfire in 1994. Moreover, we develop a model of succession to predict medium-term changes in forest composition 30 years after fire from the regeneration monitored during the first years after fire. The results show that, although the three pine species regenerate quite well in the absence of fire, their post-fire regeneration is very different: P. halepensis shows high seedling density after fire, but P. nigra and P. sylvestris almost disappear from burned plots. The model simulations of the future forest composition 30 years after fire indicate that 77-93% of plots dominated by these two pines change after fire to communities dominated by oaks (Quercus ilex, Q. cerrioides). There is also a considerable number (7-16%) of these burned pine plots that change to shrublands. Thus, these observational and modelling results suggest that large fire events, which have increased considerably in the Mediterranean region in the last decades, may decrease the overall distribution of these pine species, especially that of P.nigra and P. sylvestris.
On a theorem of Enriques - Swinnerton-Dyer

We propose a new proof of the following classical statement : every surface over a field k , which over an algebraic closure of k becomes isomorphic to the projective plane with four points in general position blown-up, has a rational point. In fact all such surfaces can be obtained as "quotients" of a Grassmannian variety G(3, 5) by the action of maximal tori of the general linear group GL(5).
Numerical Magnitude Skills in 6-Years-Old Children: Exploring Specific Associations with Components of Executive Function

Little is known about how children learn to associate numbers with their corresponding magnitude and about individual characteristics contributing to performance differences on the numerical magnitude tasks within a relatively homogenous sample of 6-year-olds. The present study investigated the relationships between components of executive function and two different numerical magnitude skills in a sample of 162 kindergartners. The Symbolic Number Line was predicted by verbal updating and switching, whereas the Symbolic Magnitude Comparison was predicted by inhibition. Both symbolic tasks were predicted by visuo-spatial updating. Current findings suggest that visuo-spatial updating underlies young children’s retrieval and processing of numbers’ magnitude.
A new accurate and hierarchical timing analysis approach

A new and efficient procedure to evaluate the timing performance of VLSI circuits with circuit level accuracy is proposed. The efficiency is obtained by rapidly identifying the critical portions of the circuit at high hierarchical levels with rough delay models. These portions are then successively studied at more detailed levels for maximal accuracy. This procedure, implemented and applied to several circuits, is shown to significantly reduce the analysis time. <<ETX>>
Volcanic ash detection and retrievals using MODIS data by means of neural networks

Abstract. Volcanic ash clouds detection and retrieval represent a key issue for aviation safety due to the harming effects on aircraft. A lesson learned from the recent Eyjafjallajokull eruption is the need to obtain accurate and reliable retrievals on a real time basis. In this work we have developed a fast and accurate Neural Network (NN) approach to detect and retrieve volcanic ash cloud properties from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data in the Thermal InfraRed (TIR) spectral range. Some measurements collected during the 2001, 2002 and 2006 Mt. Etna volcano eruptions have been considered as test cases. The ash detection and retrievals obtained from the Brightness Temperature Difference (BTD) algorithm are used as training for the NN procedure that consists in two separate steps: ash detection and ash mass retrieval. The ash detection is reduced to a classification problem by identifying two classes: "ashy" and "non-ashy" pixels in the MODIS images. Then the ash mass is estimated by means of the NN, replicating the BTD-based model performances. A segmentation procedure has also been tested to remove the false ash pixels detection induced by the presence of high meteorological clouds. The segmentation procedure shows a clear advantage in terms of classification accuracy: the main drawback is the loss of information on ash clouds distal part. The results obtained are very encouraging; indeed the ash detection accuracy is greater than 90%, while a mean RMSE equal to 0.365 t km−2 has been obtained for the ash mass retrieval. Moreover, the NN quickness in results delivering makes the procedure extremely attractive in all the cases when the rapid response time of the system is a mandatory requirement.
Plasma Renal Functions amongst 'Petrol Station' Attendants in Owerri, South-East Nigeria

This study assesses the renal function of individuals who are occupationally exposed to ‘petrol’ vapour. It is a cohort study of 100 individuals comprising 50 ‘petrol station’ attendants (test) in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, and 50 apparently healthy individuals who are ‘non-petrol station’ attendants (control). Information on demographic and health profiles were obtained, and venous blood samples were collected for the analysis of plasma creatinine, Na + , K + , Cl - and HCO 3 using standard laboratory procedures. Results showed that plasma creatinine (1.17±0.30), K + (3.77 ± 0.55) and HCO 3 - (28.52±2.72) concentrations amongst ‘petrol station’ attendants to be significantly higher (P<0.05) compared to those of the control (0.87±0.18; 3.64±0.21 and 26.92±2.46 respectively). On the other hand, plasma Na + (131.70±4.16) and Cl - (97.43±3.48) amongst ‘petrol station’ attendants were significantly lower compared to the control subjects (136.70±4.86 and 100.28±2.24 respectively). There was also a significant increase (p<0.05) in plasma creatinine, K + and HCO 3 - , and a significantly lower Na + and Cl - amongst ‘petrol station’ with 3– 6 years exposure when compared with those exposed for <1-2 years. These findings therefore, suggests that renal function impairment and nephrotoxicity, are associated with exposure to ‘petroleum’ vapours and its impact is time dependent. Keywords : Renal/Kidney failure, Nephrotoxicity, Petroleum vapour, Owerri.
Muslims in France: identifying a discriminatory equilibrium

We analyze the assimilation patterns of Muslim immigrants in Western countries with a unique identification strategy. Survey and experimental data collected in France in 2009 suggest that Muslims and rooted French are locked in a suboptimal equilibrium whereby (i) rooted French exhibit taste-based discrimination against those they are able to identify as Muslims and (ii) Muslims perceive French institutions as systematically discriminatory against them. This equilibrium is sustained because Muslims, perceiving discrimination as institutionalized, are reluctant to assimilate and rooted French, who are able to identify Muslims as such due to their lower assimilation, reveal their distaste for Muslims.
Mouth resonance effects in the flute

Resonance of the mouth cavity while playing the flute has been found to occur near 1000 Hz. Experiments with an artificial mouth show the Q of this cavity is less than two when air is passing through the lips. The presence of this coupled cavity can affect the flute frequency by as much at 10 cents, and may increase the losses in the system by as much as one‐third.