Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two New Brittle Star Species of the Genus Ophiothrix (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea: Ophiotrichidae) from Coral Reefs in the Southern Caribbean Sea, with Notes on Their Biology

Two new species, Ophiothrix stri and Ophiothrix cimar, inhabit shallow reef-platforms and slopes in the Southern Caribbean, and occur together at localities in Costa Rica and Panama, nearly to Colombia. What appears to be an undescribed species resembling O. cimar has been reported from eastern Venezuela. In recent years, reefs where the species were previously observed have deteriorated because of environmental degradation. As a consequence, populations of the new species may have been reduced or eradicated. The new species have previously been mistaken for O. angulata, O. brachyactis, and O. lineata. Ophiothrix lineata, O. stri, and O. cimar have in common a suite of morphological features pointing to their systematic affinity, and a similar pigmentation pattern consisting of a thin, dark, medial arm stripe flanked by two pale stripes. Ophiothrix lineata is similar to Indo-Pacific members of the subgenus Placophiothrix and closely resembles Ophiothrix stri. The latter is extremely similar to O. synoecina, from Colombia, and both can live in association with the rock-boring echinoid Echinometra lucunter. Although O. synoecina is a protandric hermaphrodite that reportedly broods its young externally, the new species are gonochoric and do not brood. Their eggs are of a size indicative of abbreviated larval development, and the gametes of O. stri produce demersal embryos that develop within a large, adhesive fertilization envelope. The new species and related forms may belong to one of several clades containing shallow-water Caribbean Ophiothrix species with abbreviated development and relatively restricted larval dispersal.
Strain Rates in Prestressed Concrete Sleepers and Effects on Cracking Loads

Prestressed concrete sleepers (PCSs) play an essential role in structural response and performance of ballasted railway tracks. Due to defects in track or train components, high magnitude dynamic loads may generate at the rail head and transfer to the PCSs which can generate cracks in PCSs. Cracking from dynamic loads have been reported as the most critical problem of PCSs around the world and impose an early replacement of sleepers which is a financial burden to the rail industry. This paper investigates the effects of strain rates on the strength enhancement of PCS. By using available measurements, the strain rates are calculated at two critical points of the PCSs, the rail seat and midspan. Considering the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of concrete, the cracking loads of a PCS are calculated and are compared with commonly occurring dynamic loads. Results show that the maximum strain rates at both rail seat and midspan are about 0.08 and 0.016 1/s, respectively. The increase of cracking wheel load due to the strain rate effects is about 5 to 26 percent. The results are also shown to be able to demonstrate the level cracking from dynamic loads with very short return periods.
Numerical Modeling of Self-centering Steel Plate Shear Walls

The self-centering steel plate shear wall (SC-SPSW) is a new seismic load-resisting system that combines the steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) and the post-tensioned (PT) beam-to-column connections. It has strong lateral load resistance, high energy dissipation and good recentering capability. Numerical model with continuum elements is proposed since it is of importance for capturing the detailed behavior of SC-SPSW and investigating the effects of various parameters on web plate and PT connection behaviors. The calculated responses of models including hysteresis response, PT force, PT connection axial force and moment, web plate shear resistance are compared with the experimental data to validate the modeling method. The results present a good agreement in the system performance and the numerical model is able to account for more complex web plate behavior, including the web plate stress and strain development. Furthermore, this study proves that the thicker web plate increases the PT connection and boundary frame demands and has a negative impact on the PT force. The compressive stress in web plate increases with the increasing web plate thickness. And the compressive stress has an increasing trend after the web plate full yielding under the cyclic load. The research provides an effective modeling method for the parametric study on the SC-SPSW performance.
Exploring the blended learning design for argumentative writing

The importance of argumentative writing has long been recognized. However, many foreign language learners struggle to make effective argumentation and use appropriate language in argumentative writing. In this study, we proposed a blended learning design to address students’ problems with argumentation and language use in argumentative writing simultaneously. The design consisted of offline collaborative argumentation tasks and online collaborative writing tasks. Drawing on a focal group of seven students, we examined the online and offline experiences of the focal group by analyzing classroom discussions, different versions of online writing products, and interviews with the students. Our findings indicate that the offline collaborative argumentation tasks enabled students to have thorough discussions and make indepth arguments, and that the online collaborative writing tasks helped students deal with their language problems in writing and internalize the language for argumentative writing. Overall, students expressed positive attitudes toward the blended design. The findings provide implications for future research designing blended courses on argumentative writing and beyond.
FROM ROBO-SAPIENS TO ROBO-LUDENS: RE-THINKING FUTURE LEARNING WITH SMART PERSONAL DIGITAL PLAYMATES

This systematic review investigates two foci: identifying the ongoing status of smart personal digital assistants in educational contexts and the possible relationship between smart personal digital assistants and gamification elements. This relationship is expressed in almost two new figurative terms, namely, robo-sapiens and robo-ludens and the present study lays on the foundations of these terms. Therefore, this paper presents a holistic approach for the review and synthesis of the previous literature. The data of the study were gathered based on the findings reported in the related research articles, conference papers, dissertations, book chapters and project reports by focusing on 9 sets of generic keywords. As a part of this study, smart personal digital assistants in learning processes were scanned purposively in the lens of gamification. To this end, a two step inclusion criteria was implemented to review the studies of the research scope. Content analysis was the main method used for data analysis. The research findings revealed the most significant fields for the use of smart personal digital assistants are dominantly e-learning and special education. The research also discusses game-related components in smart personal digital assistant use in edu-centric purposes.
Influence of Supplemental Manganese and Zinc on Live Performance and Carcass Quality of Diverse Broiler Strains

Abstract Male broilers of two diverse strains were fed varying levels of supplemental manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn). Supplementation rates (0:0, 0:150, 180:0, or 180:150 ppm Mn:Zn) were designed to provided extremes in corn-soybean meal diets satisfying all other nutrient requirements. Birds were reared in floor pens throughout 49 days of production, then processed on automated equipment and manually deboned on stationary cones. Femurs and tibiae were assessed for integrity. Response to supplemental Mn and/or Zn reflected limited benefit to all measures of performance and carcass quality, irrespective of broiler strain.
COMPARISON OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN SOCCER VOLLEY KICKING

The purpose of this study was to describe kinematic variables that can distinguish between successful (straight to the goal) and failed (over the goal) soccer volley kicking. To mimic the situation of the volley kicking, the ball was set on a paper pipe. The kicking motions of both successful and failed trials were captured from ten male university soccer players using an optical motion capture system at 500 Hz. As a result, foot–ball impact points on the ball in failed trials were concentrated around the bottom part of the ball, and the kicking motion in failed trials were characterized as: 1) smaller hip internal rotation during the backswing, 2) more upright foot posture at ball impact and 3) more downward leg swing just before ball impact. Furthermore, it was suggested that there were several patterns of failed trials depending on the subjects.
Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks SCHEER Opinion on the potential for anaerobic biodegradability in marine and freshwater of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonates (LAS)

2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . 3 1. SUMMARY . 6 2. MANDATE FROM THE EU COMMISSION SERVICES . 7 2.1. Background . 7 2.2. Terms of Reference . 7 3. OPINION . 8 4. MINORITY OPINIONS . 8 5. ASSESSMENT . 9 5.
Convolutional Neural Network and Topic Modeling based Hybrid Recommender System

In today’s personalized business environment, or-ganizations are providing bulk of information regarding their products and services. Recommender system has various accom-plishment on exploiting auxiliary information in matrix factor-ization. To handle data sparsity problem most recommender systems utilized deep learning techniques for in-depth analysis of item content to generate more accurate recommendations. However, these systems still have a research gap on how to handle user reviews effectively. Reviews that were written by users contain a large amount of information that can be utilized for more accurate predictions. This paper proposes a Hybrid Model to address the sparsity problem, convolutional neural network and topic modeling for recommender system, which extract the contextual features of both items and users by utilizing Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) along with Topic Modeling (Lda2vec) technique to generate latent factors of user and item. Topic Modeling is used to capture important topics from side information and deep learning is used to provide contextual information. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the research, an extensive experimental sets were performed on four public datasets (Amazon Instant Video, Kindle store, Health and Personal Care, Automotive). Results demonstrate that the proposed model outperformed the other state of the art approaches.
Clinical Characteristics and Report of Seven Iranian Neonates Born to Mothers with Covid-19

The outbreak of Covid-19 infection is an actual public health challenge. Iran is fighting hard against the virus outbreak. Although at first it seemed that the disease does not affect infants and the neonates, But the population of affected infants and neonates appears to be increasing. This article is written to share some of the experiences about encountering with neonates born to mothers with covid-19. It describes the maternal, perinatal and neonatal aspects of the disease in seven Iranian cases. It also explains the outcome of delivery and follow up of mothers and their neonates after they discharged from hospital. According to our vague and incomplete knowledge about this novel disease and also hazardous side effects of its specific drugs which are not fully evaluated in neonatal population, in this article we just emphasize on routine and supportive care and avoiding unconventional therapy. In this case series we manage our patients according to their disease such as pneumonia, transient tachypnea of neonates or respiratory distress syndrome by using antibiotics, total parenteral nutrition and supplementary oxygen therapy with the preference of non-invasive methods. We didn’t use any novel treatment for Covid-19 disease. We also carefully considered isolation and personal protection issues.
The Physical Activity and Fall Risk Among Iranian Older Male Adults

The subjects of this study included 434 elderly males over the age of 60 in Tehran, who were randomly selected from parks in different parts of Tehran. The data was collected from August to September, 2019. The demographic characteristics of the subjects were collected and recorded. Then, body composition and anthropometric indices including weight, body mass index (BMI), height and calf circumferences (CC), waist circumferences (WC) and hip circumferences were measured using a digital scale of OMRON and meter tape. The level of physical activity and nutritional status were calculated using the questionnaires of physical activity scale for the elderly (PASE) and mini nutritional assessment (MNA), respectively. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) test was used to assess the risk of falling. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SPSS21 software.
Lack of FGF21 promotes NASH-HCC transition via hepatocyte-TLR4-IL-17A signaling

Rationale: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been increasingly recognized in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is reported to prevent NASH and delay HCC development. In this study, the effects of FGF21 on NASH progression and NASH-HCC transition and the potential mechanism(s) were investigated. Methods: NASH models and NASH-HCC models were established in FGF21Knockout (KO) mice to evaluate NASH-HCC transition. IL-17A signaling was investigated in the isolated hepatic parenchymal cells, splenocytes, and hepatocyte and HCC cell lines. Results: Lack of FGF21 caused significant up-regulation of the hepatocyte-derived IL-17A via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and NF-κB signaling. Restoration of FGF21 alleviated the high NAFLD activity score (NAS) and attenuated the TLR4-triggered hepatocyte-IL-17A expression. The HCC nodule number and tumor size were significantly alleviated by treatments of anti-IL-17A antibody. Conclusion: This study revealed a novel anti-inflammatory mechanism of FGF21 via inhibiting the hepatocyte-TLR4-IL-17A signaling in NASH-HCC models. The negative feedback loop on the hepatocyte-TLR4-IL-17A axis could be a potential anti-carcinogenetic mechanism for FGF21 to prevent NASH-HCC transition.
The Schooling and Labor Market Effects of Vouchers∗

We investigate the effects of attending a private-voucher high school on shortand longer-term educational outcomes, namely test scores, college enrollment, and college degree attainment. We do so by estimating a sequential model of schooling decisions and outcomes using data from Chile, a middle-income country with more than thirty of years of experience with a nationwide voucher program. Our model allows for both observed and unobserved characteristics to influence decisions and outcomes, and for heterogeneity in the treatment effect, even after controlling for selection and observed characteristics. We find that attending a voucher high school has positive effects on test scores (0.07σ and 0.01σ in verbal and math, respectively), small effects on college enrollment (1.9 p.p.), and no effects on the likelihood of earning a college degree. We also find substantial heterogeneity in the treatment effects, where in general low-ability students benefit more from vouchers than high-ability students. At the moment, we are in the process of merging our current data with labor market records to uncover the effects of vouchers on employment and wages. ∗Tomás Rau: Department of Economics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, email, trau@uc.cl. Cristián Sánchez: Centro de Investigación Económica and Department of Economics, ITAM, email, cristian.sanchez@itam.mx. Sergio Urzúa: Department of Economics, University of Maryland, email, urzua@econ.umd. edu. We are grateful for comments from Ofer Malamud, Mauricio Romero, and Christopher Taber, as well as seminar participants at LACEALAMES 2018, and ITAM. We thank the Ministry of Education and the Agencia de Calidad de la Educación in Chile for providing the data for this paper. All errors are our own.
Team Players: How Social Skills Improve Team Performance

Most jobs require teamwork. Are some people good team players? In this paper, we design and test a new method for identifying individual contributions to team production. We randomly assign people to multiple teams and predict team performance based on previously assessed individual skills. Some people consistently cause their team to exceed its predicted performance. We call these individuals “team players. ” Team players score significantly higher on a well‐established measure of social intelligence, but do not differ across a variety of other dimensions, including IQ, personality, education, and gender. Social skills—defined as a single latent factor that combines social intelligence scores with the team player effect—improve team performance about as much as IQ. We find suggestive evidence that team players increase effort among teammates.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for COVID-19 patients with respiratory distress: treated cases versus propensity-matched controls.

Objective Given the high mortality and prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation of COVID-19 patients, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen for COVID-19 patients with respiratory distress. Methods This is a single-center clinical trial of COVID-19 patients at NYU Winthrop Hospital from March 31 to April 28, 2020. Patients in this trial received hyperbaric oxygen therapy at 2.0 atmospheres of pressure in monoplace hyperbaric chambers for 90 minutes daily for a maximum of five total treatments. Controls were identified using propensity score matching among COVID-19 patients admitted during the same time period. Using competing-risks survival regression, we analyzed our primary outcome of inpatient mortality and secondary outcome of mechanical ventilation. Results We treated 20 COVID-19 patients with hyperbaric oxygen. Ages ranged from 30 to 79 years with an oxygen requirement ranging from 2 to 15 liters on hospital days 0 to 14. Of these 20 patients, two (10%) were intubated and died, and none remain hospitalized. Among 60 propensity-matched controls based on age, sex, body mass index, coronary artery disease, troponin, D-dimer, hospital day, and oxygen requirement, 18 (30%) were intubated, 13 (22%) have died, and three (5%) remain hospitalized (with one still requiring mechanical ventilation). Assuming no further deaths among controls, we estimate that the adjusted subdistribution hazard ratios were 0.37 for inpatient mortality (p=0.14) and 0.26 for mechanical ventilation (p=0.046). Conclusion Though limited by its study design, our results demonstrate the safety of hyperbaric oxygen among COVID-19 patients and strongly suggests the need for a well-designed, multicenter randomized control trial.
Research Data Management for Master's Students: From Awareness to Action

This article provides an analysis of how sixteen recently graduated master’s students from the Netherlands perceive research data management. It is important to study the master’s students’ attitudes towards this, as students in this phase prepare themselves for their career. Some of them might become future academics or policymakers, thus, potentially, the future advocates of good data management and reproducible science. In general, students were rather unsure what ‘data management’ meant and would often confuse it with data analysis, study design or methodology, or ethics and privacy. When students defined the concept, they focussed on privacy aspects. Concepts such as open data and the ‘FAIR’ principles were rarely mentioned, even though these are the cornerstones of contemporary data management efforts. In practice, the students managed their own data in an ad hoc way, and only a few of them worked with a clear data management plan. Illustrative of this is that half of the interviewees did not know where to find their data anymore. Furthermore, their study programmes had diverse approaches to data management education. Most of the classes offered were limited in scope. Nevertheless, the students seemed to be aware of the importance of data management and were willing to learn more about good data management practices. This report helps to catch an important first glimpse of how master’s students (from different scientific backgrounds) think about research data management. Only by knowing this, accurate measures can be taken to improve data management awareness and skills. The article also provides some useful recommendations on what such measures might be, and introduces some of the steps already taken by the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).
Carbohydrate allocation to storage as a basis of interspecific variation in sapling survivorship and growth

Total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) of roots were sampled in early autumn from saplings of four species that differ in light-dependent growth and survivorship (shade tolerance). The two deciduous species (Acer saccharum and Fraxinus americana) had higher TNC concentrations than the evergreens (Tsuga canadensis and Pinus strobus), presumably because of autumn build-up of reserves for spring refoliation. In separate comparisons of deciduous and coniferous pairs, A. saccharum and T. canadensis had higher low-light TNC concentrations and survivorship than F. americana and P. strobus, respectively. In high light, TNC levels were not significantly different between A. saccharum and F. americana and both species had >98% survivorship. An analytical model of carbohydrate allocation demonstrates that variation in storage allocation can influence survivorship and growth and that the opportunity cost of storage is lower under low light. The model and empirical data are consistent with an observed correlation among species between growth determinancy and shade tolerance and a negative correlation between high-light growth rates and low-light survivorship. Allocation to storage may be an effective strategy of shade tolerance because it is relatively inexpensive under low light and provides a buffer against stresses.