Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychometric Properties of an Instrument Derived from the Intentional Relationship Model: The Self-Efficacy for Recognizing Clients’ Interpersonal Characteristics (N-SERIC)

Background: The Intentional Relationship Model conceptualizes the therapeutic use of self in occupational therapy. To increase motivation for and success in establishing therapeutic relationships, therapists need selfefficacy for using the self in therapeutic practice. However, attempts to combine this model with self-efficacy theory are rare, and instruments by which to measure self-efficacy for therapeutic use of self are in a developing stage. This study aimed to examine the factor structure and internal consistency of the Norwegian Self-Efficacy for Recognizing Interpersonal Characteristics (N-SERIC). Methods: Occupational therapy students (n = 100) from two education programs completed the instrument and sociodemographic information. The factor structure was examined with Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’s α and inter-item correlations. Results: The PCA revealed that all N-SERIC items belonged to the same latent factor, with factor loadings ranging between 0.75 and 0.89. The internal consistency of the scale items was high (Cronbach’s α = 0.96). Conclusions: The N-SERIC scale is unidimensional and the items have very high internal consistency. Thus, the scale sum score can be useful for occupational therapy research and audits focusing on interpersonal aspects of practice. Comments The authors disclose no conflicts of interest.
A Preliminary Introduction to the OTAM : Exploring Users ’ Perceptions of their on-going Interaction with Adopted Technologies

A common criticism directed at Davis’ (1986; 1989) Technology Acceptance Model relates to its failure to adequately frame the “experienced” user’s ongoing adoption and exploitation of information technologies. Given the pervasive nature of technology into individual users’ ongoing, everyday communication and information interactions, along with the “new adopter” becoming an increasingly rare entity, the TAM is in danger of becoming a somewhat obsolete framework for investigating user-technology interaction. Presented is critical analysis of the development and current state of the TAM, followed by a proposed addition to the existing Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEoU) TAM constructs. The paper contends that the inclusion of a Perception of Interaction (PoI) construct allows researchers to develop an investigative framework which facilitates an exploration of users’ ongoing perceptions of the predictability of their technology interaction processes.
Intracluster Patches of Baryons in the Core of the Fornax Cluster

In the core of the Fornax cluster, on the west side of NGC 1399, we have detected a previously unknown region of intracluster light (ICL). It is made up by several faint ( mag arcsec−2) patches of diffuse light. The bulk of the ICL is located in between the three bright galaxies in the core, NGC 1387, NGC 1379, and NGC 1381, at arcmin (∼58–230 kpc) from the central galaxy NGC 1399. We show that the ICL is the counterpart in the diffuse light of the known over-density in the population of blue globular clusters (GCs). The total g-band luminosity of the ICL is L⊙, which is ∼5% of the total luminosity of NGC 1399. This is consistent with the fraction of the blue GCs in the same region of the cluster. The ICL has mag, which is similar to the colors in the halo of the bright galaxies in the cluster core. The new findings were compared with theoretical predictions for the ICL formation and they support a scenario in which the intracluster population detected in the core of the Fornax cluster is build up by the tidal stripping of material (stars and GCs) from galaxy outskirts in a close passage with the central brightest galaxy (cD). Moreover, the diffuse form of the ICL and its location close to the core of the cluster is expected in a dynamically evolved cluster like Fornax.
Geochronology of Neogene magmatism in the Carpathian arc and intra-Carpathian area

Neogene to Quaternary volcanism in the Carpathian-Pannonian Region was related to the youngest evolutionary stage of the Carpathian arc and the intra-Carpathian area, with subduction, extension and asthenospheric upwelling as the main driving mechanisms. Volcanism occurred between 21 and 0.1 Ma, and showed a distinct migration in time from West to East. Several groups of calc-alkaline magmatic rock-types (felsic, intermediate and mafic varieties) have been distinguished, and several minor alkalic types also occur, including shoshonitic, K-trachytic, ultrapotassic and alkali basaltic. On the basis of spatial distribution, relationship to tectonic processes and their chemical composition, the volcanic formations can be divided into: (1) areally distributed felsic calc-alkaline formations related to the initial stages of back-arc extension, (2) areally distributed intermediate calc-alkaline formations related to advanced stages of back-arc extension, (3) "arc-type" andesite volcanic formations with a complex relationship to subduction processes, and (4) alkali basaltic magmatism related to post-convergence extension. Petrological data and geotectonic reconstructions, which involve these magmatic groups, place significant con- straints on geodynamic models of the Carpathian-Pannonian area. Subduction and back-arc extension were not contempora- neous across the whole Carpathian arc and intra-Carpathian area. Instead, three major geographical segments can be defined (Western, Central, Eastern segments) with a progressively younger timing of subduction roll-back and back-arc extension: 21—11 Ma, 16—9 Ma, 14—0 Ma, respectively. Short-lived subduction-related volcanic activity can be interpreted as either an indication of a limited width of subducted crust (not greater than 200 km) or an indication of detachment of the sinking slab. Interpretation of the areally distributed felsic and intermediate calc-alkaline volcanic formations are considered as being initiated by back-arc extension induced by diapiric uprise of "fertile" asthenospheric material.
Nanotextures of aragonite in stromatolites from the quasi-marine Satonda crater lake, Indonesia

Abstract Stromatolites have been extensively used as indicators of ancient life on Earth. Although much work has been done on modern stromatolites, the extent to which biological processes control their structure, and the respective contributions of biological and abiotic processes in their formation are, however, still poorly constrained. A better description of the mineralogical textures of these formations at the submicrometre scale may help improve our understanding of how carbonates nucleate and grow in stromatolites. Here, we used a combination of microscopy and microspectroscopy techniques to study the chemical composition and the texture of aragonite in lacustrine stromatolites from the alkaline crator lake in Satonda, Indonesia. Several textural features are described, including morphological variations of aragonite from nanosized grains to micrometre-sized fibres, the presence of striations in the aragonite laminae showing a striking similarity with growth bands in corals, and clusters of small aragonite crystals sharing a common crystallographic orientation. These nanotextural features are compared with those observed in scleractinian corals, and possible processes involved in their formation are discussed.
Diet composition in relation to morphology in some African, anguilliform clariid catfishes

Genera of the catfish family Clariidae that have an extreme anguilliform body shape (e.g. Dolichal- labes, Gymnallabes and Channallabes) are also characterized by an extreme hypertrophy of the jaw closing mus- cles. Whereas it has been demonstrated that the hypertrophy of these muscles results in increased bite performance, the adaptive significance of these enlarged jaw muscles remains unclear. Given that hypertrophied forms bite harder it was suggested that the hypertrophy of the jaw adductors might be correlated with changes in diet or an altered feeding pattern. To test this hypothesis, stomach contents were analysed from specimens of a few more anguilliform species, as well as in a limited set of specimens from some of the less anguilliform clariid species. The results show that specimens with a more anguilliform body-shape have a different feeding pattern with a special preference for coleopterans. However, the absence of bite-marks on the prey retrieved from the stomachs indicated that jaw mor- phology and bite performance are not likely to be related to the dietary composition in the species with hypertro- phied jaw adductors.
Impact of land use change on soil erodibility.

Vulnerability of soil separates to detachment by water is described as soil erodibility by Universal Soil Loss Equation which can be affected by land use change. In this study it was attempted to quantify the changes of Universal Soil Loss Equation K-factor and its soil driving factors in three land uses including rangeland, rainfed farming, and orchards in Babolrood watershed, northern Iran. Soil composite samples were obtained from two layers in three land uses, and the related soil physico-chemical properties were measured. The rainfed farming land use showed the highest clay contents, but the highest amounts of soil organic matter and sand particles were found in orchard land use. The high intensity of tillage led to the significant decrease of soil aggregate stability and permeability in the rainfed farming land use. The Universal Soil Loss Equation K-factor was negatively correlated with soil permeability (r=-0.77**). In rangeland, the K-factor (0.045 Mg h/MJ/mm) was significantly higher and the particle size distribution had a great impact on the K-factor. The orchard land use, converted from the rangeland, did not show any increase of soils erodibility and can potentially be introduced as a good alternative land use in sloping areas. However, more detailed studies on environmental, social and economic aspects of this land use are needed.
GEORGIA SATELLITE FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT EVALUATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO DESIGN

IN A STUDY OF THE DETERIORATION OF FAILURE OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS IN GEORGIA, U.S.A, SERVICEABILITY WAS ESTIMATED VISUALLY AND FROM MEASURED DEPTH OF RUTS. TOTAL TRAFFIC WAS RELEVANT TRAFFIC COUNTS AND UNDISTURBED SUBGRADE SAMPLES WERE TESTED. THE SERVICEABILITY RATING WAS FOUND TO BE A FUNCTION OF THE SAFETY FACTOR OF THE SUBGRADE AGAINST SHEAR FAILURE AND THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC AND A SIMILAR RELATION HAS BEEN FOUND FROM THE AASHO ROAD TEST. IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE THE AASHO INTERIM DESIGN FOR FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS IN GEORGIA, OR A DIRECT DESIGN METHOD CAN BE DERIVED FROM THE RELATIONS BETWEEN TRAFFIC, SOIL BEARING CAPACITY AND SERVICEABILITY. /RRL/
Cancer tissue sample classification using point symmetry-based clustering algorithm

Clustering or unsupervised classification techniques can be used to solve different types of classification problems of different domains. Symmetry is an important property for any real life object. Therefore, symmetry-based distance measurements play some important roles in identifying some patterns or clusters of real life datasets. In this paper, inspired by the symmetric property, we have proposed a point symmetry-based clustering algorithm which has been used to identify clusters of tissue samples from some real life cancer datasets. Our proposed algorithm is also multi-objective-optimisation (MOO) based, i.e., optimises more than one objectives simultaneously. We have also shown the superiority of our proposed algorithm with respect to some state-of-the-art clustering algorithms.
Social Media’s Influence on Business-to-Business Sales Performance

The implementation of social media technology in a firm’s marketing strategy has been adopted by some forward-thinking sales forces. Sharing content and building a network of contacts are the principles behind social media. The utilization of social media (e.g., LinkedIn and Twitter) for reaching business-to-business clients is a relatively new phenomenon with performance outcomes essentially unknown. Data were collected from 1,699 business-to-business salespeople from over 25 different industries. Using structural equation modeling, the findings support that social media has a positive relationship with sales processes (creating opportunities and relationship management) and relationship sales performance.
Measuring and modelling Pacific herring spawning-site fidelity and dispersal using tag-recovery dispersal curves

Flostrand, L. A. , Schweigert, J. F. , Daniel, K. S. , and Cleary, J. S. 2009. Measuring and modelling Pacific herring spawning-site fidelity and dispersal using tag-recovery dispersal curves. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1754-1761.An approach of relating Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) tag-recovery data to dispersal distances is presented. Observations from coded wire tag sampling (1999-2006) were used to represent adult herring interannual spawning patterns on the British Columbia coast. Six datasets were applied, differing by number of years-at-liberty (1, 2, or 3) and gear type of recapture (purse-seine or gillnet). In total, 227 tag-recovery samples, consisting of 5687 tag recoveries, were used. Distances were approximated to the shortest paths through water between the release and recapture sites. Recovery rate and distance relationships suggest that exponential models fit the data reasonably well, with average rates of change in recovery rates (slopes) varying from approximately −0.009 to −0.005. A combined slope estimate of −0.007 is similar to four of the six estimates. Using these models, the intensity of movement among five stock-assessment regions was estimated by applying distances relative to their centres. Fidelity estimates range from 53 to 90% across all models and regions, which is consistent with previous findings and premises that influence resource management. Interpretation and application of the modelling exercise are discussed in terms of previous and future work.
A Portable Exoskeleton Driven by Pneumatic Artificial Muscles for Upper Limb Motion Replication

This paper proposes a portable exoskeleton to assist patients suffering from upper limb dysfunction in their activities of daily livings (ADLs) independently. While therapies assisting patients with bi-manual activities, the exoskeleton is able to record trajectory and replicate motion. It is driven by pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) with 4 actuated DOFs (degrees of freedom) including 1 passive DOF. The total weight of the exoskeleton is only 5.6 kilograms, which makes it possible to wear it for a long period. At the medial/lateral rotation of shoulder joint and flexion-extension of the elbow joint, pairs of PAMs are used to imitate antagonistic muscles. Only one PAM is utilized to control each of shoulder flexion-extension and abduction-adduction, whose positions can be adjusted according to patient's weight. A kinematic model is built to simulate the trajectory in 3-D space, which is verified by the comparison of the simulated results with the experimental implementations. We have tested the function of motion replication on a platform and the value of error is within the tolerance. The future improvement of the device involves adding springs to cooperate with the single actuated PAM and modified control strategy to adapt to users' physical conditions.
The Effect of Lower Body Positive Pressure on Left Ventricular Ejection Duration in Patients With Heart Failure

Lower body positive pressure (LBPP) treadmill activity might benefit patients with heart failure (HF). To determine the short-term effects of LBPP on left ventricular (LV) function in HF patients, LV ejection duration (ED), a measure of systolic function was prospectively assessed in 30 men with stable HF with LV ejection fraction ≤ 40% and 50 healthy men (N). Baseline measurements (100% body weight), including blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and LVED, obtained via radial artery applanation tonometry, were recorded after 2 minutes of standing on weight support treadmill and after LBPP achieving reductions of 25%, 50%, and 75% of body weight in random sequence. Baseline, HR, and LVED (251 ± 5 vs 264 ± 4 ms; P = .035) were lower in the HF group. The LBPP lowered HR more (14% vs 6%, P = .009) and increased LVED more (15% ± 7% vs 10% ± 6%; P = .004) in N versus HF. Neither group had changes (Δ) in BP. On generalized linear regression, the 2 groups showed different responses (P < .001). Multivariate analysis showed %ΔHR (P < .001) and HF (P = .026) were predictive of ΔED (r 2 = 0.44; P < .001). In conclusion, progressive LBPP increases LVED in a step-wise manner in N and HF patients independent of HR lowering. The ΔLVED is less marked in patients with HF.
Shank-associated RH domain-interacting protein expression is upregulated in entodermal and mesodermal cancer or downregulated in ectodermal malignancy

Shank-associated RH domain-interacting protein (SHARPIN) is a type of linear ubiquitin chain-associated protein, which serves an important role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, organ development, immune and inflammatory reaction, initiation and development of malignant tumors. To evaluate SHARPIN expression in multiple malignant tumors derived from different germ layers, 14 types of cancer and their corresponding normal tissues were examined. Immunohistochemistry was performed to semi-quantify SHARPIN expression in multiple malignant tumors, and immunofluorescence was performed to evaluate the subcellular localization of SHARPIN in various malignant tumors. All the recruited cancer and paracancer samples originated from entoderm and mesoderm showed an upregulated expression of SHARPIN, whereas the cancer types that originated from ectoderm exhibited a downregulated or loss of SHARPIN expression. SHARPIN was primarily localized in the cytoplasm of cells and exhibited a faint signal in the nucleus, with the exception for lung cancer and esophagus cancer, in which malignant cells had aberrantly large nuclei and limited cytoplasm, which produced a signal in the nucleus but not in the cytoplasm. Conclusively, SHARPIN expression was upregulated in entodermal and mesodermal cancer types, but downregulated in ectodermal cancer types, indicating SHARPIN could act as either oncogene or anti-oncogene in malignant tumors derived from different germ layers.
Testing for the Best Instrument to Generate Sustainable Food Consumption

The increase in the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere in the last centuries, and the subsequent increase in temperature, has been a widely studied area in the last few decades. Climate change has become a key item on the political agenda due to concerns regarding the sustainability of current human consumption for future generations. Consumption of food and agricultural goods constitutes an important part of household based GHG emissions, and the relatively low costs associated with environmental improvements make it an interesting area of study to understand behavioural changes. Despite general agreement on the need to curb the amount of GHG emissions worldwide, little evidence exists regarding the best instruments policymakers can employ to stimulate changes toward more sustainable consumption. The present work explores which instruments are most effective in fostering change to more environmentally friendly food consumption. The instruments tested are CO2 labelling, GHG abatement subsidy and product-specific bans. We used a simulated online shopping trip in supermarkets in the Greater London area in the United Kingdom, where respondents shopped in four product categories: cola, milk, meat (chicken and beef), and butter/margarine. Consumer preferences reveal that, in the presence of these instruments, quantity instruments performed better than price incentives and labelling.
Challenges and Strategies in the Implementation of Human Resource Information Systems in Kenyan Universities

The need for quality service delivery and enhanced outputs in organizations has led to the need for a streamlined and efficient workforce. This is clearly illustrated by the numerous strategies that organisations are putting in place in order to satisfy their clients’ needs. One such strategy that has gained popularity in many organisations is the entry of Human Resource Information Systems. Even though most of these strategies have propelled organizations in fulfilling their objectives, limited information exists on HRIS in Kenya, more so in the higher education sector. This study therefore examined the challenges and strategies in the implementation of human resource information systems in Kenyan universities. The specific objectives of the study were: to establish the challenges associated with the usage of HRIS on service delivery and; to explore appropriate strategies for sustained usage of HRIS on service delivery in Public and Private Universities in Kenya. The study used the survey research design. The targeted population for the study was 88 and was drawn from departments of Human Resource, Information and Communications Technology and Finance from the two Universities. The three departments were purposively selected since they were involved with HR matters. The entire population participated in the study since it was small and manageable. The researcher used questionnaires and an interview schedule to collect data from the respondents. Collected data was analyzed descriptively and presented through tables. It was established that there were challenges in the usage of HRIS as most employees resisted the changeover from the manual system to the automated system. Lack of skilled Staff, High cost of setting up and maintaining a HRIS and resistance to change of the organizational culture were other challenges stated. In order to effectively implement HRIS, the respondents opined that there should mobilization of resources required to set up HRIS, acquisition of a suitable HRIS software, the organization should focus on their goals and objectives in order to enhance usage and HRIS performance, recruitment of trained and qualified HRIS staff and continuous in-house training for existing staff on HRIS implementation. The findings revealed that there were a number of benefits associated with adoption of HRIS which included easy access of staff information, improved data management, and improved data input process among others. Therefore, there is need to expand the use of HRIS in the universities. This will enable the Universities to efficiently and effectively handle HR functions. Key words: HRIS, HRIS Implementation Challenges, HRIS Implementation Strategies, Kenyan Universities, ICT, Service Delivery