Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Descriptions of the vocalisations of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus

Button-quail (Turnicidae) are a greatly understudied family of birds; their cryptic habits make studying them in the wild challenging. They are known to be quite vocal which could assist with detectability, and so it follows that survey results will be more reliable as knowledge about button-quail vocal repertoire increases. Until recently, there were no published vocal recordings of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus, and descriptions and accounts of this species’ vocalisations were limited. We recorded vocalisations of Chestnut-backed Button-quail at six locations across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Three broad vocalisation types were identified: advertising ooms, drumming, and contact calls. We present descriptions and visual representations of these vocalisations, and draw comparisons with previously published accounts of this species, and other Australian button-quail.
Examination of the Relationship Between Sport-Specific Thoughts and Emotions and Anxiety and Depression in College Athletes

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iii CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW . 1 CHAPTER 2 AIMS OF THE STUDY . 19 CHAPTER 3 METHOD . 20 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS . 27 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION . 33 TABLE 1 FREQUENCIES OF ATHLETE SPORT TYPE . 41 TABLE 2 SKEWNESS AND KURTOSIS VALUES OF ORIGINAL AND ADJUSTED PHQ-9 VARIABLES . 42 TABLE 3 SKEWNESS AND KURTOSIS VALUES OF ORIGINAL AND ADJUSTED GAD-7 VARIABLES . 43 TABLE 4 CORRELATIONS BETWEEN DYSFUNCTIONAL THOUGHTS, EMOTION REGULATION, AND POSITIVE THIKING IN PRACTICE AND COMPETITION, AND DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS.44 FIGURE 1 MEDIATION MODEL OF EMOTION REGULATION, DYSFUNCTIONAL THINKING, AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS.45 FIGURE 2 MEDIATION MODEL OF EMOTION REGULATION, DYSFUNCTIONAL THINKING, AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS.46 REFERENCES . 47 CURRICULUM VITAE . 65
COALESCENCE OF CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES; THEIR CHARACTERIZATION AND EFFICACY AGAINST FISH PATHOGEN

Nanotechnology is a budding avenue utilized in disease prevention and treatment. Chitosan is an innate, biocompatible, biodegradable, nontoxic and feasible polymer that can be exploited for nanoparticle preparation. Chitosan nanoparticles (ChNP) are extensively used in pharmaceutical industries as an antimicrobial agent or as drug delivery vehicle. The present study was performed out to gauge the antimicrobial activity of CNP against various microorganisms isolated from diseased or healthy Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. The chitosan was extracted from shrimp shells and the ChNPs were synthesized by a novel method of ionic gelation with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as a reducing agent. The physico-chemical characterization such as Chitosan yield (33%), average molecular weight (1,700,531.016 Da), degree of deacetylation (86.57%), pH (8) and ash value (0.39%) of prepared nanoparticles were found out to be similar with that of previous standard reports. The chitosan was morphologically characterized by Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectra and showed the characteristic presence of hydroxyl groups, bromoalkanes and primary alcohols. The antibacterial activity of CNPs against the isolated multidrug resistant (MDR) fish pathogen, Aeromonas hydrophila (MAR index-80%) was evaluated by well diffusion assay and compared with chitosan. CNP (24.5mm) exhibited superior antimicrobial activity against the MDR isolate on comparison with chitosan (14.2mm). Minimum inhibitory concentration analysis using resazurin assay revealed that, concentration required for pathogen inhibition was approximately the same for both antibiotic and CNP (62.5μg/mL). Accordingly, it can be anticipated that ChNPs can compete with and diminish the use of antibiotics in aquaculture.
Next-generation sequencing for the genetic characterization of Maedi/Visna virus isolated from the northwest of China

Background Maedi/Visna virus (MVV) is a contagious viral pathogen that causes considerable economic losses to the sheep industry worldwide. Objectives In China, MVV has been detected in several regions, but its molecular characteristics and genetic variations were not thoroughly investigated. Methods Therefore, in this study, we conducted next-generation sequencing on an MVV strain obtained from northwest China to reveal its genetic evolution via phylogenetic analysis. Results A MVV strain obtained from Inner Mongolia (NM) of China was identified. Sequence analysis indicated that its whole-genome length is 9193 bp. Homology comparison of nucleotides between the NM strain and reference strains showed that the sequence homology of gag and env were 77.1%–86.8% and 67.7%–75.5%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the NM strain was closely related to the reference strains isolated from America, which belong to the A2 type. Notably, there were 5 amino acid insertions in variable region 4 and a highly variable motif at the C-terminal of the surface glycoprotein (SU5). Conclusions The present study is the first to show the whole-genome sequence of an MVV obtained from China. The detailed analyses provide essential information for understanding the genetic characteristics of MVV, and the results enrich the MVV library.
The predictor for Preoperative Coronal Imbalance in patients with Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis--A related analysis on spinopelvic parameters

Background: The mechanism of coronal imbalance is still unclear. The relationships among CBD and major curve, L4 and L5 tilt have been reported, which were not explicit although. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore and examine the association between spinopelvic parameters and coronal balance distance (CBD) in degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) patients.Methods Following institutional ethics approval, the radiographs of 161 DLS patients were retrospectively reviewed. The coronal measurements involving CBD, L4 coronal tilt, L5 coronal tilt, fractional curve, pelvic coronal tilt, the Cobb angle and included vertebras of major curve were documented. All of those participants were divided into group A (CBD≥30mm) and group B (CBD < 30mm). Statistical analysis was performed to compare the difference of continuous and categorical variables. Pearson-Correlation, and Multiple-Regression Analysis were performed to explore the related parameter with CBD.Results The CBD in 31 (19.25%) DLS patients at pre-operation was over 30mm. With similar major Cobb angle, main curve of patients in the group A had less involving vertebras (P=0.009), but more rotation of the apical vertebra (P<0.001) compared with that in the group B respectively. Additionally, the L4 coronal tilt in group A was much larger (P=0.02). Pearson-correlation analysis showed that CBD had significant relationship with L4/L5 coronal tilt(P<0.001), weak relationship with fractional curve (P=0.027), but linearly independent with pelvic tilt and major Cobb. Stepwise Multiple- regression analysis revealed that only L4 tilt was the independent predictor for major Cobb and CBD.Conclusions The prevalence of coronal imbalance at pre-operation in DLS patients is about 20%. With similar major Cobb, the less the number of involving vertebra, the higher the incidence of coronal imbalance in DLS patients. L4 coronal tilt would be the predictive variable for progression of scoliosis and global coronal malalignment. Pelvis, the foundation of spine, had less effect on full-spine coronal balance.
Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee Performance: An empirical study on a Shipping Company in Sri Lanka

In the modern world, balancing professional life and family life has become a great challenge for almost every organization. Also, the absence of work-life balance has an adverse effect on employee performance in many respects. Thus, it is essential to understand the impact of work-life balance on employee performance. Consequently, this study will analyze the impact of work-life balance on employee performance. Furthermore, this research will elaborate on the relationship between work-life balance and employee performance as well. Accordingly, a quantitative study is conducted by collecting primary data through a self-administered questionnaire. The secondary data for the study were collected through books, journals, and articles. Moreover, this study comprised a sample size of 84 employees of a leading shipping company in Sri Lanka. The sampling technique was convenient sampling. Data analysis comprised of both inferential and descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics included frequencies, means, and standard deviations. When it comes to Inferential statistics, the impact of work-life balance on employee performance was analyzed using simple linear regression analysis by using the SPSS tool. Based on the correlation analysis, it was revealed that there is a strong positive relationship between work-life balance and employee performance. Then the regression analysis confirmed that there is a significant impact of work-life balance on employee performance. Thus, based on these research findings, the theoretical and managerial implications and directions for future research and at last, the limitations of the current research are discussed.
Laparoscopic or Open Appendectomy: Which Approach is the Best for Complicated Appendicitis?

Introduction: Appendicitis is more common in children and young adults. Treatment of appendicitis is either laparoscopic appendicectomy (LA) or open appendicectomy (OA) surgery. Aim and objective: The 30-day postoperative morbidity, surgical site infection, and reoperation rate were compared between open and laparoscopic appendicectomies for complicated appendicitis. Secondary outcome measures were the length of hospital stay, duration of surgery, surgical waiting time, identification of other diseases, and patient satisfaction. Materials and methods: This retrospective study was conducted in two institutions: Hospital Selayang, Selangor, Malaysia, and HUKM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data were collected from January 2014 to December 2015 were reviewed. Results: The mean age ( ± SD) for LA and OA were 32 ( ± 15) and 30 ( ± 14) years, respectively. The males showed predominance in LA and OA with 52 and 72%, respectively ( p < 0.001). The majority of LA (73%) and OA (88%) were performed by the trainees ( p < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in postoperative morbidity in LA compared to OA in terms of surgical site infection, LA vs OA [ n = 8 (2.7) vs 26 (6.3), p = 0.029] and duration of surgery [LA vs OA 84 ( ± 39) vs 68 ( ± 6) days ( p < 0.001)]. However, for LA and OA, there were no significant differences in reoperation, 0.7 and 1.0%, respectively ( p = 1.000), and length of stay in LA vs OA 3.55 ( ± 2) vs 3.89 ( ± 3) days, respectively ( p = 0.103). Overall, patient satisfaction scores were not found statistically significant as the response rates were only 32% in LA and 30% in OA. Conclusion: LA significantly reduced surgical site infection and offered an advantage in the detection of other pathologies. Hence, a laparoscopic approach should be offered to patients whose clinical diagnoses are challenging.
Multiple fibro-osseous lesions of the jaws: A report of a rare case with a literature review

Fibro-osseous lesions are a poorly defined category of conditions affecting the jaws and craniofacial bones, and include developmental lesions, reactive or dysplastic lesions, and neoplasms. Fibrous dysplasia and ossifying fibroma are the 2 main types of fibro-osseous lesions affecting the jaw, and ossifying fibroma is a true benign neoplasm of the bone-forming tissues with several well-recognized variants ranging from innocuous to extensively aggressive lesions. However, multiple simultaneous fibro-osseous lesions of the jaw bones involving all quadrants are exceedingly rare. One such case diagnosed by conventional radiography and computed tomography is discussed here.
Lipid content in French fries after submission to different pre-frying methods

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the lipid content in French fries after submission to different pre-frying methods. It is an exploratory and quantitative examination subdivided in sample preparation and analysis of lipid and moisture content. The sample prepared with blanching didn’t show any benefits in regards to fat absorption compared with the control sample. The sample prepared osmotically in a NaCl solution presented a lipid content 10.56% higher than the control. However, it proved itself more effective for the preservation of moisture.The samples prepared with the hydrocolloid coating and freezing, on the other hand, reduced the lipid content, comparedwith the control, by 10.16% and 36.62%, respectively, and presented a moisture content higher than the control. Therefore, the utilization of hydrocolloid coating and freezing before deep frying proved effective to reduce the fat content and the loss of moisture in fried confections.
Clinical Features of COVID-19 Patients: a 102 Case Study/ 新型冠状病毒肺炎102例临床特征分析

Objective To investigate the clinical features of COVID patients Methods A total of 102 COVID⁃19 patients were admitted to our hospital from 1 January to 22 March 2020 The relationship among disease characteristics, different disease groups and clinical indicators was analyzed Results Among the 102 patients, there were 75 (73 53%) males and 27 (26 47%) females, and 49 (48 04%) had contact history Fever and cough were major and first clinical demonstration and CT manifestations of lung were mainly two lungs, scattered, peripheral, multiple spot and ground glass opacity The increase of IL-6 (64 70%), CRP (60 78%), ESR (55 88%), LDH (40 19%), and the decrease of lymphocyte absolute value (47 05%) were found There were significant differences in terms of age, time of treatment, IL⁃6, ESR, CRP, LDH and lymphocyte absolute value among common, severe and critical COVID-19 patients (P 7 days, and the increase of IL⁃6 were the risk factors Conclusion Certain clinical characteristics are found in COVID⁃19 patients Clinical indicators help to identify disease activity, which are conducive to the effective prevention and control of the disease and the improvement of clinical efficacy
Students’ Peer Feedback in EFL Writing Class of English Study Program

As a part of writing process, feedback in writing place as the significant role and peer feedback is one type of feedback in classroom activities. This study was intended to find out the facts and expectation on peer feedback in writing classroom. A classroom-based research was employed as the research design and the participants were the students in writing 2 and writing 4 courses. Furthermore, Classroom observation, in-depth interview and review of related documents were designed to collect the data. The findings revealed that the application of peer feedback was not properly applied; it was more focused on the surface areas (grammatical errors, spelling and error punctuation) and neglected to the content and organization of writings. It could happen because the students lack of trainings and unavailability of rubric and guidelines provided in the writing classroom activities. For that reason, the students didn’t know the ways to provide meaningful and constructive feedback. They also have negative point of view about the peer feedback in writing courses. The students expected that providing writing rubric containing content and organization aspects precisely in giving feedback and guiding them step by step in taking and giving peer feedback should be considered by the lecturers for better improvement in the future.
Development of Effective Internal Shariah Audit Framework using Islamic Agency Theory

The objective of this paper is to analyze the development of an effective internal Shariah audit framework for Islamic banks in Bahrain using Islamic agency theory. The questionnaire method and Islamic agency theory were used to examine the independence and effectiveness of internal Shariah audits. The insights from the study are gained through the Islamic agency theory, which has a direct relationship with the degrees of independence and effectiveness. The findings indicate that a well-founded Islamic agency theory could potentially be used as the theoretical foundation in building a conceptual, multifaceted framework. This research fills a gap in terms of the level of development for an effective internal Shariah audit framework in Islamic banks using Islamic agency theory.
Standalone Clamping Switched Capacitor-Based Modular DC Transformer for MVdc Application

This article introduces a standalone clamping switched capacitor-based dc transformer (CSCDCT) for the medium-voltage dc power grid. The CSCDCT owns the functions of the dc fault isolation and the online redundant design, and hence, the power distribution reliability can be guaranteed. It is also shown that the additional advantages of the CSCDCT are the matching regulation of the high-frequency ac voltages and the voltage self-balance of the dc capacitors. The coupling effect of ac voltage amplitudes and dc voltages can be eliminated by the matching regulation, and the action of dc voltages will not alter the amplitude of high-frequency ac voltages in CSCDCT, improving the soft-switching performance, efficiency, and control stability of the DCT system. Besides, by the self-balance capability, the dc capacitor voltage balancing mechanism is not required for the individual unit although two capacitors are used in each submodule. This simplifies the control system of the CSCDCT. The topology, operating mode, voltage matching modulation, current characteristic, switching performance, and power loss of the CSCDCT are investigated in detail. The correctness of the analysis is validated through the experimental and simulation results.
Envious Behavior among University Students: Role of Personality Traits and Self-Compassion

Being envious of others is one trait that can affect better social relations and affect an individual capacity to muddle through life stresses with a positive approach. The current research investigated the predictive effects of independent variables (IV), e.g., personality traits and self-compassion, on the dependent variable (DV) envious behavior among university students of Pakistan. Students from different Government and Private Universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi were taken. Two hundred students were included (Male= 100, Female= 100) between the age range of 16-40. Three scales employed on 200 students were Big five inventory (BFI) (John & Srivastava, 1999), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) (Neff, 2003), and The Dispositional Envious behavior Scale (Smith et al., 1999) in the present study to assess personality traits, self-compassion, and envious behavior among university students of Pakistan. Results of the present study revealed that extroversion, agreeableness is positively related to envious behavior. The result showed that conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness negatively correlated with envious behavior. The self-judgment, common humanity, self-kindness, mindfulness isolation, and over-identification positively related to envious behavior. Gender differences in the table highlighted that females are higher on neuroticism and self-kindness than male students. Male are higher on openness and envious behavior as compared to female students. Regression table showed that extraversion (β = .29, p< .01) positively predicted envious behavior. Openness negatively (β = -.27, p< .01) predicted and explained 8.9 % variance in envious behavior. Regression analysis showed that self-judgment (β = .18, p< .01), and over-identification (β = 6.54, p< .001) positively predicted envious behavior. Mindfulness (β = -.16, p= .01) negatively predicted envious behavior, and the value of R explained 30 % variance in envious behavior. The results of the study are discussed with cultural reference.
Modeling and Optimization of Low-Capacitance Half-Bridge Modular Multilevel Converters Operated With Average Submodule Capacitor Voltage Control

This article develops a new closed-loop analytical steady-state model of low-capacitance half-bridge Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs) operated with the average arm energy control and submodule capacitor voltage (SMCV) ripple above the conventional value of 10%. In this control approach, the level of average SMCVs is regulated directly. As has been already shown in the literature, if the average SMCVs are not controlled, the circular interactions of the inherent low-frequency SMCV ripple and the modulation signal which affect the dc arm voltages will also lead to the variations in the average SMCVs. In order to compensate for these variations, a dc component has to be introduced in the modulation signal (in addition to the second harmonic which suppresses the second-order circulating currents). This is included in the proposed analytical modeling where the three key nonlinear equations are established and solved iteratively using Newton Raphson's method to calculate the steady-state modulation signal parameters. The effects of the introduced dc component in the modulation signal on the MMC electrical quantities are demonstrated and analyzed. The developed model is also compared with the existing analytical steady-state MMC models in the literature. It is further employed to optimize the parameters of the grid-connected MMC. The optimization is based on the improved utilization of the available modulation signal window and is performed with the aim to minimize the voltage stresses on the power devices. The analysis is supported by simulation and experimental results.
CREATIVE INTEGRATION OF DESIGN THINKING AND STRATEGIC THINKING IN A DESIGN EDUCATION FRAMEWORK

With rapid globalization, designers are increasingly required to use creative integration of strategic thinking and design thinking to deal with complexity and uncertainty in an era of constant transformation. This study reviews the current status of design education to address the key question of how strategic thinking and design thinking can be enhanced creatively in undergraduate design students’ education in South Korea. Furthermore, it investigates the key drivers for and barriers to the enhancement of strategic thinking and design thinking; seeks insights from successful design education programs; and gathers perspectives about strategic thinking and design thinking from design students, educators, and strategists. By using qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative (a questionnaire) research methods, the study offers significant insights: (i) design undergraduates’ short-sighted mind-set should be reshaped, (ii) additional practical, multicultural, and interdisciplinary applications of strategic thinking are needed to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical classes, and (iii) consistent stimulation is required to internalize strategic thinking and design thinking.
Stabilizing Control Structures: An Optimization Framework

This article presents a new optimization-based approach to determine the class of stabilizing control structures with the necessary set of feedback links for interconnected systems. The proposed approach relies on a graph-theoretic interpretation and its equivalence in terms of binary linear programs (BLPs). To carry out the primary goal, first, the stabilizability of a linear time-invariant (LTI) system under the decentralized control structure is presented in terms of a BLP. Next, two graph-based criteria are proposed to characterize stabilizing control structures with the required feedback links. Finally, all possible stabilizing control structures with the necessary feedback links are derived via solving a set of BLPs. In addition to the analysis of stabilizing control structures, the proposed graph-theoretic approach offers a versatile set of tools to find the simplest control structures capable of assigning the closed-loop spectrum in a totally arbitrary desired region. Simulation results illustrate the assessment of stabilizing control structures, the required additional feedback links, and the elegant generalization of the proposed approach to regional pole-placement.