Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INHIBITING FACTORS IN GENERATING EXAMPLES BY MATHEMATICS TEACHERS AND STUDENT TEACHERS: THE CASE OF BINARY OPERATION

The main objectives of this study were to identify difficulties encountered by mathematics teachers and student teachers associated with the concept of binary operation regarding the associative and commutative properties and to reveal possible sources for them. Thirty-six in-service mathematics teachers and 67 preservice mathematics teachers participated in the study. All participants were presented with a task calling for the generation of a counterexample, namely, a binary operation that is commutative but not associative. Responses to the task were analyzed according to four categories: correctness, productiveness, mathematical content, and underlying difficulties. The findings point to similarities and differences between the two groups. Both groups exhibited a weak concept by failing to produce a correct example and by using a limited content search-space. These findings suggest two main inhibiting factors: one related to the overgeneralization of the properties of basic binary operations and the other related to pseudo-similarities attributed to these properties, which seem to be created by the recurring theme of order. Teachers were superior to student teachers on the categories of correctness and productiveness. This study is part of a larger study the aim of which was to investigate ways in which mathematics teachers and student teachers generate counterexamples in mathematics. Two main goals of the study were, first, to identify difficulties encountered in generating examples related to a number of mathematical topics that teachers and student teachers are expected to teach and, second, to reveal possible sources of difficulty for them. The possible sources of difficulty in generating such examples were presumed to include the following: incomplete knowledge, inability to process existing knowledge, misconceptions, and insufficient logical knowledge. The case of binary operation represents a case in which the relevant knowledge is assumed to be available to secondary mathematics teachers and student teachers; however, that knowledge requires processing in order to produce such examples. The current work is designed to probe for factors inhibiting the processing involved in generating counterexamples, factors that in turn may shed light on the limited binary operation concept. The search for these limiting factors was carried out by an extensive analysis of the processes and difficulties involved in generating the required examples. As indicated by Bratina (1986), the task of generating an example is considered powerful in terms of revealing strengths and weaknesses. The notion of a binary operation is dealt with in various stages and courses at different levels and contexts throughout the mathematics education that prospective mathematics teachers experience. However, in many cases prospective teachers do not manage to integrate their various encounters into one comprehensive, abstract
Metallic elements in foliar material and fruits of three tree species as bioindicators

This study aimed to determine the presence of metal elements in fruits and leaves of three tree species as bioindicators in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Ninety fruit and 90 leaf samples (30 per tree species) were collected at five sites (agricultural, suburban, commercial and services, urban, and mining), using the site and the presence of P. laevigata, S. molle, and A. farnesiana as references. Total concentrations of 13 metal elements were determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The species were significantly affected by Co, As, and Pb (ANOVA, p≤0.05). Considering the land use and the species, the contents determined in the leaves and fruits of the three species had sufficient and phytotoxic contents of Al, Cd, Co, Ni, Mn, Ti, and Cr, and excessive ranges with the possible phytotoxic effect of As, Cu, Pb, Zn, V, and Fe. The A. farnesiana had the highest concentrations of 12 heavy metals analyzed (HM). The variation in total metal concentrations between leaves and fruits ranged from 84.70 to 99.06%, with V, As, and Cr being prominent. The functionality of these tree species as phytoremediators and bioindicators is reviewed to evaluate environmental impacts on land use. Highlights Tree species represent a potential bioindicator for studying environmental pollutants due to their ability to accumulate heavy metals. The variation in total metal concentrations between leaves and fruits ranged from 84.70 to 99.06% The contents determined in the leaves and fruits of the three species trees had sufficient and phytotoxic HM contents. The tree species have phytoremediators capacity to evaluate environmental impacts and environmental contamination of land use.
Quantitative measurement of muscle hemoglobin oxygenation using near-infrared spectroscopy with correction for the influence of a subcutaneous fat layer

The inhomogeneity of tissue structure greatly affects the sensitivity of tissue oxygenation measurement by reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy. In this study, we investigated the influence of a fat layer on muscle oxygenation measurement by in vivo tests and Monte Carlo simulation, and we propose a method for correcting the influence. In the simulation, a three-dimensional model consisting of the epidermis, dermis, fat, and muscle layers was used. In in vivo tests, measurement sensitivity was examined by measuring oxygen consumption of the forearm muscle and the peak-to-peak variation of oxygenation in periodic exercise tests on the vastus lateralis using a newly developed multisensor type of tissue oximeter. Fat layer thickness was also measured by ultrasonography. The correction curve of measurement sensitivity against fat layer thickness was obtained from the results of simulation and in vivo tests. The values of corrected oxygen consumption were almost the same and had less variation between indivi.
Structural, optical, and ferromagnetic properties of Co-doped TiO2 films annealed in vacuum

Polycrystalline anatase Ti1−xCoxO2 (x=0–0.06) films have been fabricated by sol-gel spin coating. The effects of Co doping on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties are investigated. It is shown that oxygen vacancies and/or defects in the films are generated during thermal treatment in vacuum. Co doping reduces crystal quality and inhibits crystalline grain growth. Due to the introduction of Co, photoluminescence (PL) spectra become weak and the band gap emission has a blueshift. PL spectra reveal that the solubility of Co is lower than 0.02. At 300 K, the saturated magnetization is around 1.8 μB/Co, which is independent of the concentration of Co. This value is approximately equivalent to the average magnetic moment of bulk metallic cobalt (1.75 μB/Co). Zero-field-cooling/field-cooling measurements indicate that room temperature ferromagnetism in Co-doped TiO2 films is not an intrinsic property of the material. The presence of Co metal is identified by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scann.
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Incidence of Hearing Loss in Ramathibodi Hospital: A 5 Years Experience (2014 to 2018)

Background: Congenital hearing loss is an important factor affecting a child’s speech and language development. The quality of universal newborn hearing screening and hearing intervention program plays an important role in assisting children with permanent hearing to achieve appropriate speech and language development. Objectives: To assess outcomes of the revised Ramathibodi Hospital universal newborn hearing screening (RUNHS) during 2014 to 2018, and to analyze the incidence of hearing loss in infants. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis, all newborns delivered at Ramathibodi Hospital from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018 were included. Data were collected from medical records and evaluated the RUNHS outcomes compared with benchmarks. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Results: Of 18 597 newborns, the screening coverage rate was 99. 8%, and the referral rate was 2.5%. The follow-up rate was 92.5%, and the diagnosis rate within 3 months of age was 20.1%. Among infants diagnosed with hearing loss, 42.9% received hearing aids by 6 months of age. The incidence of congenital permanent hearing loss was between 0.5 and 1.9 per 1000 live births. Conclusions: The outcomes met the benchmarks for coverage and referral rate, but the diagnosis and hearing aid fitting rate did not meet the criteria. As of the incidence, the amount of children with congenital hearing loss in this study was similar to those reported by others.
Growth of intact water ice on Ru(0001) between 140 and 160 K: experiment and density-functional theory calculations

We report low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and reflection absorption IR spectroscopy (RAIRS) results for water adsorption on $\mathrm{Ru}(0001)$ at temperatures between 140 and $160\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, where water forms intact hydrogen bonded structures on the surface. We find that ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ and ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ adsorption show identical behavior, with no evidence for a structural isotope effect. At low coverage LEED shows a diffuse $(\sqrt{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\sqrt{3})R30\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ pattern, which becomes sharp and intense only as the coverage reaches 0.6 to 0.67 monolayer. The LEED pattern becomes broadened and diffuse as the surface saturates with a coverage of 0.76 monolayer. In RAIRS the low-frequency bands associated with the out of plane libration of hydrogen bonded water appear at low coverage, with the water stretch and scissors bands appearing as broad bands only as the coverage is increased. Water adsorbs flat on $\mathrm{Ru}(0001)$ at low coverage, forming small clusters which buckle to create an extended, hydrogen bonded structure only as the adlayer is completed. The free $\mathrm{OH}(\mathrm{OD})$ stretch band appears only as the monolayer approaches completion, indicating flat or H-down adsorption up to 0.67 monolayer with H-up water appearing as the $\sqrt{3}$ structure compresses. Density functional calculations at low coverage find that water forms stable clusters with water adsorbed flat on the surface. Calculations for a complete 0.67 monolayer structure find water adsorbed near the Ru atop site in a hydrogen bonded honeycomb network, containing chains of ``flat'' lying water, linked by upright chains bonded ``H down'' in the hexagonal, hydrogen bonded superstructure. This structure is $\ensuremath{\sim}20%$ more stable than the conventional ice bilayer structure and is expected to wet the $\mathrm{Ru}(0001)$ surface. We propose a model in which disordered, short chains of ``flat'' and H-down water are imbedded in a honeycomb network of hydrogen bonded water, which imposes long-range order on the adlayer but allows substantial local disorder, and discuss the agreement with existing experimental results.
Effect of pregabalin on postoperative pain and instrumentation-induced dysuria in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A prospective randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled study

Background and Aims: The manipulation of urinary tract, the mandatory requirement of ureteral stenting, and bladder catheterization in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) produces significant pain and dysuria postoperatively. The present study compared the efficacy of pregabalin with placebo in attenuation of these symptoms in patients undergoing PCNL. Material and Methods: This randomized controlled study was conducted in 110 patients of either sex, aged 18–65 years undergoing elective PCNL requiring nephrostomy tube under general anesthesia. Group G (n: 53) received pregabalin 150 mg and Group P received placebo (n: 49) orally 1 h before the anesthetic induction. All the patients received standard anesthetic protocol. Pain at the site of nephrostomy, instrumentation-induced dysuria (IID), anxiety, and sedation scores were recorded at 0 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h postoperatively. Hemodynamics, total requirement of rescue analgesia, and incidence of any adverse effects were also noted. Results: Patients were demographically comparable between the two groups. There is no difference in nephrostomy site pain between the groups at different points of measurements. IID was less with pregabalin at 0 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, and 2 h after extubation (P value < 0.05, 43% in Group G vs. 68% in group P). Severe urgency was seen in 4%, moderate in 31%, and mild in 33% of patients in placebo group. No patient in pregabalin had severe grade of instrumentation-induced dysuria score (P < 0.05). Patients in Group P required more rescue analgesic (P: 0.009). Anxiety scores, sedation scores, and hemodynamic parameters were comparable. Conclusion: A single dose of 150 mg pregabalin as oral premedication given 1 h before surgery reduced the incidence and intensity of IID compared to placebo in patients undergoing PCNL without significant adverse effects.
Three-dimensional modelling of flow in sharp open-channel bends with vanes

Flow around a sharp open-channel bend is highly three-dimensional (3D) due to the combined effects of secondary flow, a large free surface variation and flow separation along the inner wall. Continuous vanes often used in closed curved conduits to generate a more uniform downstream flow were tested in the open channel using a 3D finite-volume model with a Reynolds stress turbulence model and the volume of fluid method for free surface prediction. The velocity field, turbulent kinetic energy and the extent of the flow separation zone were successfully validated against laboratory measurements for the no-vane case. The 3D simulations for one-vane and three-vane configurations reveal that vertical vanes are effective to reduce the secondary flow intensity and flow separation along the inner wall. The energy loss for bends with vanes is further slightly reduced compared to the no-vane case. The three-vane configuration is particularly efficient at creating uniform downstream flow.
The scattering of ultrasonic waves by polycrystals

An ultrasonic scattering theory is presented which allows one to calculate the scattering coefficients and velocities of plane longitudinal and transverse waves in polycrystals as a function of the wavenumber k times grain radius a without limitation to the Rayleigh region. The theory includes mode conversion and multiple scattering and can be used to describe ultrasonic propagation in polycrystals with randomly orientated grains as well as in those with preferred grain orientation. The calculation was done for compressional waves in polycrystals of cubic symmetry with randomly orientated grains in second‐order perturbation theory using the assumption that the changes in the elastic constants and in the density of the materials from grain to grain are small. The asymptotic values at low ka (Rayleigh scattering) are exactly the same as the well‐known results from Bhatia and Moore. Numerical calculations are carried out for some examples.
Ice Particle Evolution in the Anvil of a Severe Thunderstorm during CCOPE

Abstract Measurements from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Sabreliner aircraft are combined with a multiple Doppler radar synthesis of the wind field to investigate particle growth processes in the anvil region of a severe thunderstorm. The aircraft measurements, obtained in mid- to lower anvil levels at temperatures from −25° to −36°C, show than the size spectra broaden with decreasing altitude, yet ice water content values and other measurements indicate this to be a zone of evaporation. Aggregation—allowing particles to develop to sizes as 1 cm—accounts for this observed growth. Intensification of the storm over the observational period results in the development of increasingly large aggregates. Growth histories and trajectories of anvil particles are calculated using the wind field measurements and are compared to the hydrometeor measurements. Calculations show that particles forming the outer flanks of the anvil initiate in the upwind (relative to the midlevel wind) portions of the updr.
DISCRETE APPROXIMATIONS TO CONTINUOUS TIME DISTRIBUTED LAGS IN ECONOMETRICS

A model is considered in which a covariance-stationary exogenous process is related to an endogenous process by an unrestricted, infinite, linear distributed lag. It is shown that when an underlying continuous time model is sampled at unit intervals to yield endogenous and exogenous discrete time processes, the discrete time processes are related by a discrete time equivalent of the underlying continuous model. The relationship between the underlying continuous lag distribution and its discrete time equivalent is "close" when the exogenous process is "smooth. " Even then, however, it is interesting to note that (i) a monotone continuous time distribution does not in general have a monotone discrete time equivalent and (ii) a one-sided continuous time distribution does not in general have a one-sided discrete time equivalent. The implications of the results for statistical practice are considered in the latter part of the paper.
With an Eye on the Mathematical Horizon: Dilemmas of Teaching Elementary School Mathematics

Ideas like "understanding," "authenticity," and "community" are central in current debates about curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Many believe that teaching and learning would be improved if classrooms were organized to engage students in authentic tasks, guided by teachers with deep disciplinary understandings. Students would conjecture, experiment, and make arguments; they would frame and solve problems; and they would read, write, and create things that mattered to them. This article examines the challenge of creating classroom practices in the spirit of these ideals. With a window on her own teaching of elementary school mathematics, the author presents three dilemmas-of content, discourse, and community-that arise in trying to teach in ways that are, in Bruner's terms, "intellectually honest. " These dilemmas arise reasonably from competing and worth-while aims and from the uncertainties inherent in striving to attain them. The article traces and explores the author's framing of and response to these dilemmas, providing a view of the pedagogical complexities that underlie current educational visions and the conditions needed to work toward them.
Cross-border mergers and acquisitions in manufacturing sector in the European area

Ongoing globalization tendencies of business in general and manufacturing in particular has increased rapidly during the last decades as companies have internationalized their value-chains in a search of competitive advantage through scale and scope throughout the world. Precisely cross-border mergers and acquisitions represent a key strategic and dynamic tool for gaining long-term competitive advantage, diversification, geographical expansion or strengthening its own position in the global market. The main goal of the paper is to analyze the impact of the predictors we have chosen on the volume and frequency of realized cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the manufacturing sector with regard to the origin of the source (19) and target (28) countries in the European area in the time period of 1998 and 2021 through analysis of variance (ANOVA). Through partial analyses, we find out how the manufacturing sector affects the total value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions transactions and whether there is a significant difference in the total value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions within the branches of the manufacturing sector. Attention is also paid to the impact of source and target country membership in the EU on the overall value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. In the analyses, we also identify other significant influences that have an impact on the conditional value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions.
Reliability and Validity of the Double Inclinometer Method for Assessing Thoracolumbar Joint Position Sense and Range of Movement in Patients with a Recent History of Low Back Pain

The study was aimed at examining the reliability of the Double Inclinometer (DI) method for the assessment of thoracolumbar Range of Movement (ROM) and Joint Position Sense (JPS) in patients with a recent history of Low Back Pain (LBP). Twenty patients with a history of LBP in the last three months participated. The thoracolumbar ROM and JPS were examined from a standing position by using both the DI and the tape measure method. The DI method was found to have moderate to good intra-rater (ICC = 0.68–0.79, SEM = 2.20–2.77°, SDD = 6.09–7.67°), moderate inter-rater (ICC = 0.59–0.62, SEM = 2.96–3.35°, SDD = 8.19–9.27°) and poor test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.13–0.17, SEM = 3.98–4.32°, SDD = 11.02–11.96°) for the assessment of thoracolumbar JPS. For the assessment of thoracolumbar ROM, the DI method was found to have good to excellent intra-rater (ICC = 0.88–0.94, SEM = 4.25–6.20°, SDD = 11.77–17.17°), excellent inter-rater (ICC = 0.90–0.91, SEM = 7.26–7.74°, SDD = 20.11–21.43°) and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.91–0.93, SEM = 6.03–6.87°, SDD = 16.70–19.02°). The concurrent validity of the DI method with the tape measure method was found to be very weak for the assessment of thoracolumbar JPS (r = 0.02, p = 0.93) and strong for the assessment of thoracolumbar ROM (r = 0.66, p = 0.001). The DI method seems to be a very reliable method for the assessment of thoracolumbar ROM in individuals with a recent history of LBP.
Thermal Infrared Imaging of Ultracompact H II Regions in W49A

Several compact radio continuum sources in W49A show detectable 8-20 μm emission in MIRAC2 images obtained at the IRTF. In general, the infrared morphologies of these sources closely resemble the radio continuum emission. Spectral energy distributions indicate an infrared continuum excess above the level expected from free-free emission, consistent with thermal emission from dust grains heated to a few hundred K. The bright radio continuum sources concentrated at the western end of the ring of ultracompact H II regions are not detected in the mid-infrared, while those at other positions in the ring are detected. This could be due to a localized region of high extinction along the line of sight. In addition, there are a few new infrared sources with no radio continuum counterparts. Finally, several infrared sources show strong 12.8 μm [Ne II] emission, yielding neon abundances that are typically a few percent of the cosmic abundance of neon but are high considering the expected Ne++/Ne+ ratios for the range of spectral types of the ionizing sources. We conclude that the [Ne II] emission must come from shells around the ultracompact H II regions, where the neon is able to survive as Ne+ rather than Ne++ because the radiation field has been softened by absorption of hard UV photons within the H II regions.