Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Exploratory Study of a Health and Wellness Intervention on STEM College Students During COVID-19

To address the growing health challenges faced by college students, campus recreation departments have evolved from a primary university intramural sport setting to organizations that have an increased emphasis on student recruitment, retention, and overall wellness. Among the strategies used to attract and engage students in campus recreation programs and services, health coaching shows some promise as a potentially effective intervention strategy. This study examined the efficacy of a university campus recreation health coaching program. Students from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines (n = 34) were provided with individual, group, and virtual support to assist in developing effective strategies for academic success. Fitbit data measuring participants’ sleep and physical activity were collected along with self-reported measures of stress and perceived happiness and focus group qualitative data focused on participants’ perceptions of the program. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the program to adapt, findings suggest that health coaching may be an effective intervention strategy to help university students cope with the heightened anxiety and stress levels associated with campus life.
Finite-volume solution of one-dimensional shallow-water sensitivity equations

Solving the Shallow-Water-Sensitivity Equations for discontinuous flows involves the discretization of a Dirac source term accounting for discontinuities. Failing to account for this source term usually results in solution instability, with empirical sensitivity solutions exhibiting artificial peaks in the neighbourhood of shocks. An extension of the Harten-Lax-van Leer approximate Riemann solver is presented that allows the one-dimensional shallow-water-sensitivity equations to be discretized more accurately than in previously published versions. A discretization of boundary conditions and source terms is also provided. The proposed discretization allows for discontinuities in both the hydraulic and sensitivity boundary conditions. Numerical experiments indicate the superiority of the proposed approach for sensitivity analysis over the classical, empirical approach if the flow solution is discontinuous. A numerical convergence analysis demonstrates that the numerical and analytical solutions converge.
Lattice rules by component scaling

The authors introduce a theory of rectangular scaling of integer lattices. This may be used to construct families of lattices. They determine the relation between the Zaremba index [rho]([lambda]) of various members of the same family. It appears that if one member of a family has a high index, some of the other family members of higher order may have extraordinarily high indices. They have applied a technique based on this theory to lists of good lattices available. This has enabled the authors to construct lists of excellent previously unknown lattices of high order in three and four dimensions and of moderate order in five dimensions. 10 refs., 12 tabs.
The Effects of Atmospherics and Influencers on Purchase Intention in Social Commerce

This study uses the approach-avoidance theory to investigate the impact of the atmospherics of a social commerce page, which comprises page aesthetics and page interaction. The study looks at how a digital influencer's perceived influence affects a customer's purchase intention. The research also examines whether perceived risk influences customers' purchase intent. Four hundred twenty-eight customers who had recently engaged with a social commerce page were empirically surveyed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The research shows that page atmospherics and digital influencers do influence a customer's purchase intention through emotions and cognition in social commerce. Emotions and purchase intentions, as well as cognition and purchase intentions, are moderated by perceived risk. The findings have implications for marketers who want to develop customer engagement strategies based on social commerce platforms.
Analyzing the effects of modularity on search spaces

We are continuously challenged by ever increasing problem complexity and the need to develop algorithms that can solve complex problems and solve them within a reasonable amount of time. Modularity is thought to reduce problem complexity by decomposing large problems into smaller and less complex subproblems. In practice, introducing modularity into evolutionary algorithm representations appears to improve search performance; however, how and why modularity improves performance is not well understood. In this thesis, we seek to better understand the effects of modularity on search. In particular, what are the effects of module creation on the search space structure and how do these structural changes affect performance? We define a theoretical and empirical framework to study modularity in evolutionary algorithms. Using this framework, we provide evidence of the following. First, not all types of modularity have an effect on search. We can have highly modular spaces that in essence are equivalent to simpler non-modular spaces. This is the case, because these spaces achieve higher degree of modularity without changing the fundamental structure of the search space. Second, for the cases when modularity actually has an effect on the fundamental structure of the search space, if left without guidance, it would only crowd and complicate the space structure resulting in a harder space for most search algorithms. Finally, we have the case when modularity not only has an effect in the search space structure, but most importantly, module creation can be guided by problem domain knowledge. When this knowledge can be used to estimate the value of a module in terms of its contribution toward building the solution, then modularity is extremely effective. It is in this last case that creating high value modules or low value modules has a direct and decisive impact on performance. The results presented in this thesis help to better understand, in a principled way, the effects of modularity on search. Better understanding the effects of modularity on search is a step forward in the larger issue of evolutionary search applied to increasingly complex problems.
Covert Ambient Backscatter Communications With Multi-Antenna Tag

This paper presents a unicast beamforming network for covert ambient backscatter communications (AmBC). Different from the prior covert backscatter works using artificial noise or a power-variable RF source, our work achieves covertness by arming the backscatter tag with multiple antennas. The tag uses a subset of its antennas to modulate covert information on backscattered RF signals while using the other antennas to modulate overt message as a cover to hide the covert transmission from the warden. We first derive the warden’s optimum detection threshold to minimize the detection error probability. To fight against the optimum warden, the tag changes impedance matching on each antenna to vary the reflected power and make the reflected overt and covert signals beamforming at space. We derive the optimum beamforming vectors by solving the problems of maximizing the covert rate at the receiver and the detection error probability at the warden, respectively. To address the non-convex constraints, we use semi-definite relaxation (SDR) and obtain near optimal parameters by designing binarySearch algorithms. Numerical results confirm the superiority of our work to the state-of-the-art one, and the existence of tradeoffs between the covert rate and the detection error probability.
Haplotype Analysis Sheds Light on the Genetic Evolution of the Powdery Mildew Resistance Locus Pm60 in Triticum Species

Wheat powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, Bgt, recently clarified as B. graminis s. str.), is one of the most destructive diseases of wheat. Pm60 is a nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene that confers race-specific resistance to Bgt. Allelic variants (Pm60, Pm60a, and Pm60b) were found in Triticum urartu and T. dicoccoides, the wild progenitors of wheat. In the present study, we studied the diversity of the Pm60 locus in a large set of wheat germplasm and found 20 tetraploid wheats harboring the Pm60 alleles, which correspond to three novel haplotypes (HapI–HapIII). HapI (Pm60 allele) and HapII (Pm60a allele) were present in domesticated tetraploid wheats, whereas HapIII (Pm60a allele) was identified in wild tetraploid T. araraticum. A sequence comparison of HapII and HapIII revealed that they differed by three SNPs and a GCC deletion. Results of the phylogenetic analysis revealed that HapII was more closely related to the functional haplotype MlIW172. Infection tests showed that HapII-carrying lines display a partial resistance response to Bgt#GH, while HapI was susceptible. Our results provide insights into the genetic evolution of the Pm60 locus and potential valuable alleles for powdery mildew resistance breeding.
When neuro-robots go wrong: A review

Neuro-robots are a class of autonomous machines that, in their architecture, mimic aspects of the human brain and cognition. As such, they represent unique artifacts created by humans based on human understanding of healthy human brains. European Union’s Convention on Roboethics 2025 states that the design of all robots (including neuro-robots) must include provisions for the complete traceability of the robots’ actions, analogous to an aircraft’s flight data recorder. At the same time, one can anticipate rising instances of neuro-robotic failure, as they operate on imperfect data in real environments, and the underlying AI behind such neuro-robots has yet to achieve explainability. This paper reviews the trajectory of the technology used in neuro-robots and accompanying failures. The failures demand an explanation. While drawing on existing explainable AI research, we argue explainability in AI limits the same in neuro-robots. In order to make robots more explainable, we suggest potential pathways for future research.
Improved Historical Temperature and Precipitation Time Series for U.S. Climate Divisions

AbstractThis paper describes an improved edition of the climate division dataset for the conterminous United States (i.e., version 2). The first improvement is to the input data, which now include additional station networks, quality assurance reviews, and temperature bias adjustments. The second improvement is to the suite of climatic elements, which now includes both maximum and minimum temperatures. The third improvement is to the computational approach, which now employs climatologically aided interpolation to address topographic and network variability. Version 2 exhibits substantial differences from version 1 over the period 1895–2012. For example, divisional averages in version 2 tend to be cooler and wetter, particularly in mountainous areas of the western United States. Division-level trends in temperature and precipitation display greater spatial consistency in version 2. National-scale temperature trends in version 2 are comparable to those in the U.S. Historical Climatology Network whereas ver.
Uzawa and Newton algorithms to solve frictional contact problems within the bi‐potential framework

This paper is concerned with the numerical modeling of three‐dimensional unilateral contact problems in elastostatics with Coulomb friction laws. We propose a Newton‐like algorithm to solve the local contact non‐linear equations within the bi‐potential framework. The piecewise continuous contact tangent matrices are explicitly derived. A comparative study is made between the Newton algorithm and the previously developed Uzawa algorithm. A test example is included to demonstrate the developed algorithms and to highlight their performance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Elasticity of single-crystalline graphite: Inelastic x-ray scattering study

The five independent elastic moduli of single-crystalline graphite are determined using inelastic x-ray scattering. At room temperature the elastic moduli are, in units of GPa, C{sub 11}=1109, C{sub 12}=139, C{sub 13}=0, C{sub 33}=38.7, and C{sub 44}=4.95. Our experimental results are compared with predictions of ab initio calculations and previously reported incomplete and contradictory data sets. We obtain an upper limit of 1.1 TPa for the on-axis Young's modulus of homogeneous carbon nanotube, thus providing important constraints for further theoretical advances and quantitative input to model elasticity in graphite nanotubes.
Binary, interacting, and merging galaxies and dark matter

The distribution of FIR emission as a function of the ratio of separations to sizes of interacting systems is examined. An upper-bound luminosity is found that is consistent with a simple energy-transfer interaction between the components. Factors leading to the scatter in the distribution of L(IR) and L(IR)/L(B) are discussed. It is hypothesized that dynamic friction of dark-matter halos in binary galaxies may lead to orbit decay and to strongly interacting and merging systems. In this way the frequency of occurrence of such systems may be explained as a significant fraction of the abundance of binaries. 30 refs.
A confrontation of 1D and 2D RKDG numerical simulation of transitional flow at open‐channel junction

In this study, a comparison between the 1D and 2D numerical simulation of transitional flow in open‐channel networks is presented and completely described allowing for a full comprehension of the modeling water flow. For flow in an open‐channel network, mutual effects exist among the channel branches joining at a junction. Therefore, for the 1D study, the whole system (branches and junction) cannot be treated individually. The 1D Saint Venant equations calculating the flow in the branches are then supplemented by various equations used at the junction: a discharge flow conservation equation between the branches arriving and leaving the junction, and a momentum or energy conservation equation. The disadvantages of the 1D study are that the equations used at the junction are of empirical nature due to certain parameters given by experimental results and moreover they often present a reduced field of validity. On the contrary, for the 2D study, the entire network is considered as a single unit and the flow in all the branches and junctions is solved simultaneously. Therefore, we simply apply the 2D Saint Venant equations, which are solved by a second‐order Runge–Kutta discontinuous Galerkin method. Finally, the experimental results obtained by Hager are used to validate and to compare the two approaches 1D and 2D. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The APC-barrier and its effect on stratification in open access publishing

Abstract Current implementations of Open Access (OA) publishing frequently involve article processing charges (APCs). Increasing evidence has emerged that APCs impede researchers with fewer resources in publishing their research as OA. We analyzed 1.5 million scientific articles from journals listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals to assess average APCs and their determinants for a comprehensive set of journal publications across scientific disciplines, world regions, and through time. Levels of APCs were strongly stratified by scientific fields and the institutions’ countries, corroborating previous findings on publishing cultures and the impact of mandates of research funders. After controlling for country and scientific field with a multilevel mixture model, however, we found small to moderate effects of levels of institutional resourcing on the level of APCs. The effects were largest in countries with low GDP, suggesting decreasing marginal effects of institutional resources when general levels of funding are high. Our findings provide further evidence on how APCs stratify OA publishing and highlight the need for alternative publishing models.
Propagating substorm injection fronts

The geosynchronous ATS 6 envirnomental measurements experiment was operated during 15 evening passes when the SCATHA spacecraft was within 1-2 R/sub E/ and both spacecraft were very near the geomagnetic equator. Numerous, well-defined substorn injections were recorded at both spacecraft with varying local time and radical separations. Accurate delay timing was possible since these events exhibit abrupt and essentially dispersionless (to within 10 s) plasma flux changes which replace cool preexisting plasma with hot quasi-Maxwellian distributions. The hot plasma propagates earthward in close association with an equally abrupt magnetic field increase at velocities in the range of 10--100 km/s. On this basis we identify the agent of injection as the induced electric field of the earthward propagating compression wave observed by Russell and McPherron (1973), and we refer to the propagating particle structure as the injection front. These dramatic synchronous orbit electron injection signatures are produced mainly by a boundary motion rather than by local acceleration of plasma. However, we find some evidence that the plasma sheet electrons are weakly 'heated' by the passage of each compression wave, the energy appearing mainly in the high-energy tail of the distribution. The spectral change we observe argues convincingly that the boundary inmore » question is a precipitation-flow boundary layer (Kennel, 1969) and that the near-earth plasma sheet is significantly degraded in average energy by the addition of ionospheric plasma, especially secondary electrons emitted by the ionosphere due to precipitating energetic electrons. The presence of significant partialB/partialt requires that a change of mapping occur between the equatorial plane and the ionsphere, the sense being such as to map the inward moving injection front to a relatively fixed latitude in the ionosphere. Such an earthward plasma injection would not therefore require equatorward auroral motion. « less
On a New Exponential Sum

Abstract Let $p$ be prime and let $\vartheta \,\in \,\mathbb{Z}_{p}^{*}$ be of multiplicative order $t$ modulo $p$ . We consider exponential sums of the form $$S\left( a \right)\,=\,\sum\limits_{x=1}^{t}{\exp \left( 2\pi ia{{\vartheta }^{{{x}^{2}}}}\,/\,p \right)}$$ and prove that for any $\varepsilon \,>\,0$ $$\underset{\gcd (a,\,p)\,=\,1}{\mathop{\max }}\,\,\left| S\left( a \right) \right|\,=\,O\left( {{t}^{5/6+\varepsilon }}\,{{p}^{1/8}} \right)$$
Preparation and optimization of surface stabilized cryptotanshinone nanocrystals with enhanced bioavailability

Cryptotanshinone (CTS) is a plant product extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge with various pharmacological significances. In addition to its activities against coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, stroke, hepatitis and chronic renal failure, it demonstrates antimetastatic effects. However, its clinical use is limited due to its poor aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability. Herein, CTS nanocrystals were prepared with the precipitation method followed by high-pressure homogenization using Poloxamer 407 as the stabilizer. A stable product was further obtained by lyophilization. The particle size of the CTS nanocrystals was 315.67 ± 11.02 nm, and the zeta potential was near 0 mV. The crystallinity was confirmed by DSC and PXRD. The saturation solubility was substantially increased from 0.97 ± 0.12 μg/ml to 62.29 ± 1.91 μg/ml, and the dissolution rate was also significantly accelerated. A pharmacokinetic study in rats revealed an improvement in oral bioavailability (2.87-fold) with CTS nanocrystals compared to the raw drug. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest a feasible formulation for the oral delivery of CTS.
An Application of Discrete Inequality to Second Order Nonlinear Oscillation

Abstract By using some simple discrete inequalities oscillation criteria are provided for the second order difference equations Δ 2 y n +a n+1 ƒ(y n+1 )=0 n∈N where the operator Δ is defined by Δyn=yn+1−yn, {an} is a real sequence. The function ƒ is such that uƒ(u)>0 for u≠0 and ƒ(u)−ƒ(v)=g(u, v)(u−v) for u, v≠0 for some nonnegative function g.
Behavior of Piglets in an Observation Arena before and after Surgical Castration with Local Anesthesia

Simple Summary Surgical castration of piglets is generally recognized as a painful procedure. Thus, for animal welfare reasons, the German Animal Welfare Act stipulates the use of effective anesthesia during castration. However, whether local anesthesia provides adequate analgesia has been an ongoing debate in Germany. In the present study, we compared the behavior of 178 piglets allocated to various test groups in an observation arena before any of the applied procedures, after administration of the local anesthetic, and 0, 2 and 24 h after surgical castration. The local anesthetic and the injection techniques were evaluated and optimized in three sequential study parts. Overall, the results revealed that when local anesthesia was used, piglets less frequently showed pain-associated behaviors—such as changes in tail position—than piglets of the control group that had been castrated without local anesthesia. Non-castrated piglets showed the fewest pain-associated behaviors in the observation arena. In several test groups, the piglets showed changes in tail position, tail wagging, or hunched-back posture on the day following the procedure. These behaviors differed significantly from those shown before the procedure. The administration of local anesthetics in the present study considerably reduced castration-related pain. However, because local anesthesia has a limited duration of effect, adverse effects due to castration-related pain were still observable one day after castration. Abstract Surgical castration of piglets is generally recognized as a painful procedure, but there is currently no gold standard for the assessment of pain behavior in piglets. However, pain assessment is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of local anesthetics. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of four local anesthetics in terms of pain relief during and after surgical castration in three sequential study parts. To do so, we filmed 178 piglets before the applied procedures, after injection of the local anesthetic, and up to 24 h after castration (five observation times in total) in an observation arena and compared their behavior before and after castration and between treatments and control groups. The results showed significant differences in the behavior of the piglets before and after castration and between the sham-castrated control group and the control group castrated without anesthesia. The different local anesthesia treatment groups showed diverging differences to the control groups. The most frequently shown pain-associated behaviors of the piglets were changes in tail position and hunched back posture. We observed a reduction but no complete elimination of the expressed pain-associated behaviors after local anesthesia. Several behavioral changes—such as changes in tail position, hunched back posture or tail wagging—persisted until the day after castration. Owing to the limited duration of the effects of the local anesthetics, local anesthesia did not influence long-term pain.