Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving Children’s Understanding of Mathematical Equivalence: An Efficacy Study

Abstract A vast majority of elementary students struggle with the core, pre-algebraic concept of mathematical equivalence. The Improving Children’s Understanding of Equivalence (ICUE) intervention integrates four research-based strategies to improve outcomes for second grade students: (1) introducing the equal sign before arithmetic, (2) nontraditional arithmetic practice, (3) concreteness fading exercises, and (4) comparison and explanation. In a large-scale randomized control trial in California public schools, 132 second grade teachers were randomly assigned to either use the ICUE intervention or an active control consisting of nontraditional arithmetic practice alone. Using data from 121 teachers in the analytic sample, the study found that students in the intervention group outperformed students in the active control on proximal and transfer measures of equivalence with no observable tradeoffs in computational fluency. The findings suggest that the ICUE intervention helps students construct a robust understanding of mathematical equivalence, a critical precursor to success in algebra.
A 60-Day Green Tea Extract Supplementation Counteracts the Dysfunction of Adipose Tissue in Overweight Post-Menopausal and Class I Obese Women

Menopause is characterized by weight gain and increased visceral fat, which acts as an endocrine organ secreting proinflammatory adipocytokines, with consequent increased risk of metabolic disorders. The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial was to evaluate the effects of a 60-day dietary supplementation using Camellia sinensis leaf extract on adipose tissue dysfunction in overweight or class I obese post-menopausal, sedentary women. Primary endpoints were the respiratory quotient (RQ), the percentage of carbohydrates (%CHO), the percentage of fat oxidation (%FAT), and the resting energy expenditure (REE) measured by indirect calorimetry. Secondary endpoints included body composition, by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), glucose profile, lipid profile, inflammatory state, liver and kidney function, hormonal status regarding satiety, and status of catecholamines. Twenty-eight women were randomized into two groups: 14 (BMI 31.1 ± 3.5) were supplemented and 14 (BMI 31.9 ± 2.2) received placebo. In regards to the between-group differences over time (β), a statistically significant difference between the supplemented and placebo group was observed for: RQ (β = −0.04, p = 0.009), % fat oxidation (β = 11.04, p = 0.0006), insulin (β = −1.74, p = 0.009), HOMA (β = −0.31, p = 0.02), waist circumference (β = −1.07, p = 0.007), REE (β = 83.21, p = 0.009), and CRP (β = −0.14, p = 0.02). These results demonstrate that a 60-day green tea extract supplementation counteracts the dysfunction of adipose tissue in overweight post-menopausal and class I obese women.
Heavens and their integral manifolds

By using the apparatus of exterior forms, a new spinorial notation and Cartan’s theory of integral manifolds, some new results concerning complex strong heavenly metrics are established. In particular, the study of a subfamily of two‐variable heavens (type G‐[−], D‐[−], and N‐[−]) is reduced to linear equations, a prolongation process related to first and second heavenly equaions is studied leading to a (presumably) infinite heirarchy of 1−forms, and finally, the symmetries of the studied structure are investigated from the point of view of its description by Pfafian forms, elucidating in this way previous results concerning Killing vectors.
Metacognition and the complex process of developing identities via a second language: addressing the challenges healthcare professionals are facing in a multilingual context

This qualitative study takes into account that healthcare professionals are increasingly required to function in a multilingual environment where they often have to communicate with patients in a second or third language (Ushioda & Dörnyei 2009, Burford 2012). In this regard the identity of the healthcare worker can be compromised, as identity is interrelated with language (Joseph 2004, Gollin-Kies et al. 2015, Skjeggestad et al. 2017). Therefore, communication training courses in the healthcare context should accommodate professional identity formation processes, as a healthy identity would support stress and change management (Monrouxe 2009, Goldie 2012, Mavor et al. 2014). Data was collected during two separate courses: firstly at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where medical students took part in a communication training course in Afrikaans and secondly when nurses in Antwerpen, Belgium took part in a similar communication training course in English. Both courses followed a blended learning approach and for each course an online community of practice via Facebook was utilised. Data was analysed according to the principles of grounded theory. Metacognitive markers that support the identity formation process were identified during the first course and refined for the second course. The result is a framework that supports both metacognitive awareness and the manifestation of metacognition that could facilitate the professional identity formation process alongside the process of language learning for healthcare purposes. Keywords: healthcare communication, blended learning, multilingualism, identity, medical communication training, language for specific purposes
Correlations between oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) initiations and policies that enable the use of PrEP to address HIV globally

Policies facilitating access to HIV prevention services, specifically for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), can foster enabling environments for service uptake. This analysis aims to establish whether policies enabling broad PrEP eligibility, HIV self-testing, and lowered age of consent to HIV testing and treatment services are correlated with PrEP uptake. Ages of consent vary by country, therefore this analysis focused on how age of consent policies, in general, affect adolescent PrEP uptake. Data was collected from the HIV Policy Lab and AVAC’s Global PrEP Tracker, a database of approximately 334 PrEP projects operating across 95 countries, and linear regression and correlation analyses were conducted via STATA to examine relationships amongst national oral PrEP eligibility, HIV self-testing, lowered age of consent, and national cumulative oral PrEP initiations, as of December 2021. Of all 194 countries tracked by the HIV Policy Lab, only about 7% have adopted all three policies (HIV self-testing, lowered age of consent, and PrEP eligibility policies). Less than 50% have adopted have adopted at least one of these policies. Of the 54 countries that have fully adopted PrEP eligibility policies, less than 30% have co-adopted HIV self-testing or lowered age of consent policies. About 30% of these 194 countries have yet to adopt any of these policies, of which about 14% have indicated information is “unavailable” for at least one of the policies. Analyses conducted for the 91 countries tracked by both the HIV Policy Lab and the Global PrEP Tracker revealed a significant and positive relationship between cumulative individuals initiated on oral PrEP and adoption of HIV self-testing policies (p = 0.01, r = 0.26), lowered age of consent policies (p = 0.01, r = 0.25), and PrEP eligibility policies (p = 0.01, r = 0.26). Stronger advocacy efforts towards approving public health policies, such as those outlined in our analysis, that enshrine and enable access to HIV prevention are necessary.
Using a thermal-based two source energy balance model with time-differencing to estimate surface energy fluxes with day–night MODIS observations

Abstract. The Dual Temperature Difference (DTD) model, introduced by Norman et al. (2000), uses a two source energy balance modelling scheme driven by remotely sensed observations of diurnal changes in land surface temperature (LST) to estimate surface energy fluxes. By using a time-differential temperature measurement as input, the approach reduces model sensitivity to errors in absolute temperature retrieval. The original formulation of the DTD required an early morning LST observation (approximately 1 h after sunrise) when surface fluxes are minimal, limiting application to data provided by geostationary satellites at sub-hourly temporal resolution. The DTD model has been applied primarily during the active growth phase of agricultural crops and rangeland vegetation grasses, and has not been rigorously evaluated during senescence or in forested ecosystems. In this paper we present modifications to the DTD model that enable applications using thermal observations from polar orbiting satellites, such as Terra and Aqua, with day and night overpass times over the area of interest. This allows the application of the DTD model in high latitude regions where large viewing angles preclude the use of geostationary satellites, and also exploits the higher spatial resolution provided by polar orbiting satellites. A method for estimating nocturnal surface fluxes and a scheme for estimating the fraction of green vegetation are developed and evaluated. Modification for green vegetation fraction leads to significantly improved estimation of the heat fluxes from the vegetation canopy during senescence and in forests. When the modified DTD model is run with LST measurements acquired with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra and Aqua satellites, generally satisfactory agreement with field measurements is obtained for a number of ecosystems in Denmark and the United States. Finally, regional maps of energy fluxes are produced for the Danish Hydrological ObsErvatory (HOBE) in western Denmark, indicating realistic patterns based on land use.
Application of Integrated-Weight Water Quality Index in Groundwater Quality Evaluation

Groundwater is one of the most crucial freshwater resources in many parts of the world. However, the growth of the population and different economic activities have negatively impacted groundwater quality. This study aims to assess the groundwater quality in An-Giang province, Vietnam, from 2017–2020 and investigate its suitability for drinking via a new integrated-weight water quality index (IWQI). The samples were collected at thirteen wells in dry and rainy seasons and analyzed for eleven physicochemical parameters, including pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, nitrate (NO3ˉ), ammonium (NH4+), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and coliform. These values were compared to the Vietnamese standard. The entropy weight method and the Criteria Importance Though Inter-criteria The correlation weighting method was integrated to compute the weights in IWQI. The results showed that NH4+and coliform concentrations were consecutively higher than the standard over the study period. No detection of As, Hg, and Pb concentrations in groundwater was in 2019 – 2020. There were significant statistical differences between parameters from 2017–2020 in the dry and rainy seasons. The results of IWQI revealed that about 40% of the total samples in 2020 were categorized as unsuitable for drinking. IWQI values range from 72 to 7973 in 2020, 12 to 3020 in 2019, 21 to 1115 in 2018, and 53 to 2246 in 2017. Most samples with high IWQI values are located near the burial pits of African fever-infected swine. The findings of this study could provide further information about the changes in groundwater quality from 2017–2020 in An Giang province, Vietnam, and the IWQI method can be proposed for other studies to evaluate groundwater quality effectively. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-11-020 Full Text: PDF
Electronic Structure and Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy Energy of MnAl

The spin-polarized band calculations including spin-orbit interaction for τ -phase (L1 0 ) MnAl have been performed with LMTO-ASA method in the frame of LSD. It has been predicted that the MnAl has a magnetic moment of 2.4 µ B with a help of the tetragonal distortion from cubic B2 to L1 0 structure. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) is obtained as (0.26 ± 0.01) meV/f.u. This leads to 1.5 ×10 6 J/m 3 for magnetic anisotropy constant which is comparable to the measured value ∼10 6 J/m 3 . The dependence of the MAE on axial ratio c / a also reflects the influence of the tetragonal distortion, that is, the MAE shows drastic change from negative to positive at the vicinity of c / a =0.7071 which corresponds to cubic B2 lattice. For larger value of c / a , MAE decreases with increasing c / a and goes into negative again for c / a >1.2.
Examination of the Effect of Short-term Whole Body Vibration Training on Flexibility, Endurance and Dynamic Balance In Healthy Young People: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: To investigate the effect of short-term (3 weeks) whole body vibration training (WBVT) in healthy young people. Materials and Methods: Seventy six healthy individuals (mean age=22.55±1.22 years, 41 females and 35 males) were included in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups as WBVT group (n=41) and control group (n=35). WBVT, consisting of 14 exercises for the trunk and lower extremities, was applied to the WBVT group 3 times a week for 3 weeks. The control group did not receive any training. Flexibility, lower extremity endurance, trunk endurance and dynamic balance respectively; measured with sit and reach test, sit and stand test, Biering Sorensen tests, lateral bridge and shuttle, Y balance test. All measurements were made at baseline and at the end of the 3rd week. Results: After 3 weeks, in WBVT group, curl up test (p=0.023), chair stand test (p=0.015) and Y balance test were perfomed on right anterior (p=0.003), right posteromedial (p=0.001), right posterolateral (p=0.001), left anterior (p=0.001), left posterolateral (p=0.000), and left posteromedial (p=0.000) aspects were significant. In the control group, the results in the right anterior (p=0.019) and left anterior (p=0.025) aspects of the Y balance test were significant. When the delta values were compared, the difference in the right (p=0.018) and left (p=0.006) posterolateral directions of the Y balance test; it was significant in favor of the WBVT group. Conclusion: It was observed that short-term whole body vibration training had positive effects on trunk flexor endurance and dynamic balance in healthy young people. New insights into the use of musculoskeletal rehabilitation and sports training programs can be provided by WBVT. Further studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of whole-body vibration training by comparing different loads, volumes and types.
Variable soft sphere molecular model for air species

A reliable set of cross‐section parameters of the variable soft sphere (VSS) molecular model is determined for the Monte Carlo simulation of air species from the transport collision integrals or potential parameters provided by Cubley and Mason [Phys. Fluids 18, 1109 (1975)] over the high‐temperature range 300–15 000 K. The VSS cross‐section parameters for the inverse‐power‐law potential are also determined from the viscosity coefficients recommended by Maitland and Smith [J. Chem. Eng. Data 17, 150 (1972)] for common species in the low (20–300 K) and high (300–2000 K) temperature ranges.
Extraintestinal Manifestations in Children Diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the frequency of extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the correlation of EIM with disease activity index, disease type and disease age. Methods: Records of patients who were under the 18 years of age and followed up with the diagnosis of IBD were included in the study. The demographic characteristics of the patients, the age of the patients, the sex of the patients, the type of disease and the age of the disease were recorded. When patients were enrolled in the study disease activity indexes were calculated by examining the physical examination and laboratory values of the patients in their last visits, by using the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI) in Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and the Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) in Crohn's Disease (CD). Results: It was conducted with a total of 44 patients, 40.9% (n=18) females and 59.1% (n=26) males diagnosed with IBD. The ages of the patients participating in the study ranged from 8 to 19 and the mean was found to be 14.64±3.19 years. According to the type of disease; 27.3% of the patients were CD and 72.7% were UC. When the disease activity is examined; 37.2% were in remission, 37.2% were mild, 16.3% moderate and 9.3% severe. The incidence of EIM in females is 77.8% and 65.4% in males. The incidence of EIM is 75% in CD and 68.8% in UC. Hepatobiliary involvement was detected in 41.5% (n=17) of the patients, joint involvement in 29.5% (n=13), osteopenia in bone in 16.3% (n=7), osteoporosis in 7% (n=3), ocular involvement (uveitis) in 2.3% (n=1) and skin involvement (erythema nodosum) in 2.3% (n=1). Conclusion: EIM are common in childhood IBD patients. It should be kept in mind that EIM are as common in UC as CD.
Thyroid Dysfunction in Pregnancy and its Outcome

Objective: To identify the thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy and its outcomes. Study Design: Prospective study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Hospital/CMH Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022. Methodology: Seventeen hundred pregnant women in third trimester were screened. Out of them, 50 were identified to be suffering from thyroid dysfunction. The pregnant women in their third trimester and within the age group of 18-40 years were recruited. By using enzyme linked sorbent assay the serum levels of TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 were determined for each woman as a routine clinical health check-up practice. The women who had raised analytical levels as well as correlated clinical history were identified as suffering from thyroid dysfunction. These women were further followed for the outcomes of their pregnancy. Results: The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was 2.9%. There were 42% pregnant women suffering from subclinical hypothyroidism while 36% were having overt hypothyroidism and 12% had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Conclusion: The major outcome of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy in terms of maternal and fetal outcomes was presence of anemia in women and was 4.89%. In women considering fetal outcomes, low birth weight was observed in 32% neonates with a need of neonatal intensive care for 42% of newborns were seen. Keywords: Thyroid dysfunction, Pregnancy, Outcome
Predicting the Success of Catheter Drainage in Infected Necrotising Pancreatitis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Background Management of acute necrotising pancreatitis is often challenging for clinicians. Secondary infection of the necrotic collections leads to sepsis and warrants intervention. Minimally invasive techniques like catheter drainage have recently been proposed over more risky and morbid traditional open procedures. Factors that can predict successful catheter drainage of the necrotic pancreatic collection are still unclear and not well established. Materials and methods This study is designed as a retrospective cross-sectional observational study to investigate the association of 21 factors in predicting successful catheter drainage. Data from 30 patients admitted with acute necrotising pancreatitis treated with catheter drainage were collected and analysed. Twenty-one factors, including demographic variables, disease severity factors, drainage criteria, and morphological criteria on imaging, were studied for their predictive association with successful outcomes. Univariate analysis was done for each variable against the outcome. The study was conducted between December 2012 to March 2017. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Patients with no organ involvement responded better to primary catheter drainage. Patients with BMI>25 and multi-organ failure were poor candidates for primary catheter drainage. Clinically unwell patients with a Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score of ≥4 had a negative outcome on catheter drainage and usually ended up in a surgical procedure or eventually succumbed to the disease. Other variables included in our study did not statistically associate with the success or failure of percutaneous catheter drainage. Conclusion BMI >25, multiple organ failure, and BISAP score ≥ 4 are independent negative predictors for the success of catheter drainage in infected necrotising pancreatitis. No organ failure showed a positive predictor for successful catheter drainage. Further studies are required to explore these predictive factors in a larger sample size to predict the success of catheter drainage in infected pancreatic necrosis.
Numerical solution for the fourth-order coherence function of a plane wave propagating in a two-dimensional Kolmogorovian medium

We present a numerical solution for the fourth-order coherence function of a plane wave propagating in a random medium. The random medium is taken to be two dimensional, homogeneous, and isotropic with a universal Kolmogorov (pure) power-law form. Our results differ from previous numerical calculations principally in the way in which the scintillation index approaches saturation. We display the full spatial dependence of the fourth moment and the spatial evolution of the covariance function of the intensity fluctuations. Our results are compared with previously obtained numerical results, with several asymptotic expressions, and with recent analytical methods.
IDENTIFYING MULTIVARIATE TIME SERIES MODELS

This paper is concerned with how canonical variate analysis can be used to identify the structure of a linear multivariate time series model. The procedure used is based on that of Akaike and Cooper and Wood. A correction and a refinement are made, however. The correction is on the testing statistic and the refinement on the allowed order (p, q). Appropriate asymptotic distributions for testing zero canonical correlations are also given.
A multitude of spots! Five new microendemic species of the Cnemaspis gracilis group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from massifs in the Shevaroy landscape, Tamil Nadu, India

South Asian Cnemaspis are one of the most diverse clades of gekkonids in South Asia with their highest diversity in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. These geckos include only a few nocturnal species and are largely diurnal or cathemeral and restricted to relatively cool habitats. One of the prominently diurnal subgroups in South Asian Cnemaspis is the bangara clade, which includes six species distributed in southern India on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, the southern Eastern Ghats and Palghat Gap. In this paper, we describe five more species of the bangara clade from the Shevaroyan landscape, including three from Kollimalai and one each from Yercaud and Pachaimalai, all in Tamil Nadu. These new species show 4.6–19.7 % uncorrected sequence divergence on the mitochondrial ND2 gene from each other and known species of the bangara clade and are morphologically diagnosable in body size, the number of paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, the number of dorsal tubercle rows, the number of ventral scale rows across the belly, the number of femoral and precloacal pores and poreless scales separating these series, and aspects of colouration. The discovery of these five new species adds to the growing discoveries of cool-adapted species in southern India outside the Western Ghats and highlights the role of sky-islands in diversification. The Shevaroyan landscape shows high levels of microendemism with eight species distributed in an area of < 2000 km2, and all these species restricted to much smaller areas of actual distribution. With an area of < 500 km2 respectively, the massif of Pachaimalai has a single endemic and the massifs of Yercaud and Kollimalai have three endemic Cnemaspis species each.