Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the anchoring vignette method sensitive to the domain and choice of the vignette?

Summary. Analysis of self‐assessments may yield biased results when respondents use the response categories of survey questions in different ways. An anchoring vignette is a short description of relevant aspects of a hypothetical person's life and can be used to correct self‐assessments for heterogeneity in reporting behaviour. The paper studies the validity of the parametric model for the anchoring vignette method. Rather than testing separately the assumptions of this model, we take the following two approaches. First, we study whether different vignettes within a certain domain lead to similar adjusted self‐assessments. Second, we study whether different adjusted self‐assessments, each adjusted by using a single vignette, are closer to a measure of the actual situation than the unadjusted self‐assessments. We use data from the 2004 and 2007 waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe for three domains of health: cognition, breathing and mobility. Our results indicate that the anchoring vignette method is sensitive to the choice of the vignette for cognition and breathing, whereas the results for mobility are more encouraging.
Galaxy formation through hierarchical clustering

Analytic methods for studying the formation of galaxies by gas condensation within massive dark halos are presented. The present scheme applies to cosmogonies where structure grows through hierarchical clustering of a mixture of gas and dissipationless dark matter. The simplest models consistent with the current understanding of N-body work on dissipationless clustering, and that of numerical and analytic work on gas evolution and cooling are adopted. Standard models for the evolution of the stellar population are also employed, and new models for the way star formation heats and enriches the surrounding gas are constructed. Detailed results are presented for a cold dark matter universe with Omega = 1 and H(0) = 50 km/s/Mpc, but the present methods are applicable to other models. The present luminosity functions contain significantly more faint galaxies than are observed.
Overview of ECR plasma heating experiment in the GDT magnetic mirror

This paper summarizes the results of experiments on electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) of plasma obtained at the axially symmetric magnetic mirror device gas dynamic trap (GDT) (Budker Institute, Novosibirsk). The main achievement is the demonstration of plasma discharges with extremely high temperatures of bulk electrons. According to the Thomson scattering measurements, the on-axis electron temperature averaged over several sequential shots is 660 ± 50 eV with peak values exceeding 900 eV in a few shots. This corresponds to an at least threefold increase as compared to previous experiments both at the GDT and at other comparable machines, thus demonstrating the maximum quasi-stationary (∼0.6 ms) electron temperature achieved in open traps. The breakthrough is made possible with the successful implementation of a sophisticated ECRH scheme in addition to standard heating by neutral beams (NBs). Another important result is the demonstration of the significantly increased lifetime of NB-driven fast particles with the application of ECRH, leading to a 30% higher plasma energy content at the end of the discharge. All available data including the previously demonstrated possibility of plasma confinement with β as high as 60%, allows us to consider fusion applications of axially symmetric magnetic mirror machines on a realistic basis.
Efficacy and Safety of the “Trisection Method” Training System for Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy at a Single Institution in Japan

To maintain a surgeon’s concentration, reduce fatigue, and train young surgeons, surgical procedures for bladder cancer are divided into the following parts: robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC), bowel reconstruction, and totally intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) (RARC+ICUD). Each part is performed by a different surgeon (Trisection method). We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of this approach at a single institution in Japan. One hundred consecutive patients who underwent RARC+ICUD at Gifu University Hospital between November 2018 and August 2022 were included in this study. The patient background, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications were compared between surgeries by first-, second-, and third-generation surgeons. The overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were compared between surgeries by each generation. Of the 100 patients, 19, 38, and 43 RARCs were performed by first-, second-, and third-generation surgeons, respectively. There were 35, 25, and 39 patients who underwent ileal conduit, neobladder, and ureterocutaneostomy, respectively. No significant differences were found among the patients respective to the type of ICUDs. Although the first-generation surgeon had a significantly shorter operative time with RARC, the surgical time for bowel reconstruction, length of hospital stays, and incidence of postoperative complications were not significantly different among the groups. Additionally, OS and RFS did not differ significantly among the generations. The “Trisection method” is an effective and safe concept with no difference in outcomes between the generations of surgeons.
Microplastic Contamination and Ecological Status of Freshwater Ecosystems: A Case Study in Two Northern Portuguese Rivers

Background: Most European rivers have not yet achieved “good” ecological status. In addition, the presence and abundance of microplastics (MPs) in freshwater is a matter of great concern to the scientific community. Methodology: This study assesses the ecological status of four sampling sites of Selho (S1–S4) and Costa-Couros (C1–C4) rivers (Guimarães, Portugal), and the abundance of MPs in sediments and benthic macroinvertebrates (Oligochaeta) from those sites. Results: All sites of both rivers under higher pressure did not reach a “good” ecological status (S2–S3, C2–C4) based on the macroinvertebrate community. High levels of nutrients were observed at all sites in both rivers (except C2), especially phosphorus. In the Oligochaeta’s gut of Costa-Couros river, the high number of MPs seems to be associated with their weight (95.25 ± 25.61 to 1069.00 ± 385.30 MPs g/fresh weight), suggesting the existence of malnutrition and digestive disorders, whereas the highest number of MPs in gut (134.00 ± 30.36 to 558.6 ± 100.70 MPs g/fresh weight) were found for the heaviest organisms of Selho. Conclusions: Thus, sites with higher ecological status do not necessarily have lower abundance of MPs. In the sediments, urbanization seems to be the main driver for MP contamination. MP contamination is pervasive across the sediments and Oligochaeta’s gut in both rivers. Since MPs have the potential to cause harm to environmental and human health, it is essential to monitor not only the ecological status of freshwaters, but also emerging pollutants such as MPs.
Family Influences on the Dental Caries Status of Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Systematic Review

Oral health is a likely source of health inequalities in children with special health care needs (CSHCN), according to multiple studies. This systematic review aimed to explore the evidence of family influence—as well as family features, such as societal variables and parents’ perspectives—on these children’s dental caries status. Embase, Ebsco, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were all searched. All cross-sectional research published on the variables of family impact ranging from 2010 to 2021 were considered. The DMFT and dmft index was utilised for the report data of dental caries, whereas the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) was used for the purposes of assessing quality. Of the 3861 records identified, 14 were eligible. Further, most of the studies had a caries prevalence of over 50%, (p-value < 0.005). Family influences imparted a significant relationship and association towards the dental caries status of the demographic being studied. The influences on the children included tooth brushing behaviour, parents’ education level, parents’ occupation level, diet pattern, dental visit, snacking frequency, parents’ psychological status, family size, and parents’ knowledge towards oral health. Future research should further explore the family functioning domains, specifically among the CSHCN population. This study was registered on PROSPERO, number CRD42021274923.
ASSESSMENT OF PEOPLE CRITERIA IN PUBLIC SECTOR: A TALE DOCUMENTED THROUGH LENS OF CAF

Growing trends such as globalization, internationalization, and diversity management have increased the use of HRM practices in the South Asian region. In the recent past, various reform initiatives taking place have propelled the public sector HRM in an opportunistic direction. HRM in Pakistan is still passing through a preliminary phase. The culture in Pakistan's public sector organization is highly centralized and bureaucratic with political interference on practices. It is a descriptive study framed in a mixed-method approach. A comparative analysis has been conducted of three semi-autonomous state-owned enterprises of Pakistan which are Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). The current research's theoretical bases are taken from the revised version of CAF 2013 model by the European Institute of Public Administration. The research objectives are twofold: To study the people criterion of CAF in WAPDA, WASA and SNGPL, and to determine the strengths and weaknesses of these enterprises required to identify areas of improvement. The qualitative data will be collected through 45 in-depth interviews; analyzed through thematic analysis. The quantitative data is analyzed through scores given by interviewers and documentary secondary evidence. The current research will be significant as it will assist other public sector organizations in using quality management techniques and improve the performance of their organizations by following the footsteps of WAPDA, WASA, and SNGPL. Keywords: HRM system; Pakistan; Common Assessment Framework; Public sector. JEL Codes: M10; O15
ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF EFFICIENT METHODS FOR SECOND ORDER IVPS WITH OSCILLATING SOLUTION

In this paper we describe procedures for the construction of efficient methods for the numerical solution of second order initial value problems (IVPs) with oscillating solutions. Based on the described procedures we develop two simple and efficient multistep methods for the solution of the above problems. The first method is exponentially-fitted and trigonometrically-fitted and the second has a minimal phase-lag. Both methods are symmetric. Numerical results obtained for several well known problems show the efficiency of the new methods when they are compared with known methods in the literature.
Factors influencing commitment to maintaining long-term exercise in adults over the age of 50

This study explores the experiences of older adults pursuing an exercise routine for at least a decade to gain understanding of factors influencing serious commitment to long-term exercise. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 participants (5 women and 21 men, aged 50–78 years). Results identified two types of older exercisers: lifelong maintainers and restarters. Lifelong maintainers showed five themes: practice systematically a core sport, strong history of formal sport participation in youth, maintained involvement despite life transitions and barriers, motivated by optimizing sport skills in a core sport, and personal growth. Restarters had five themes: practice various fitness/sport activities, history of high participation in informal sport in youth, restarted regular exercise after a break owing to life challenges, motivated by fears about health deterioration, and improving wellbeing. Results provide critical knowledge to inform fitness and health practitioners seeking to increase adherence to exercise in older adults.
Numerical Simulation of Contamination Accumulation Characteristics of Composite Insulators in Salt Fog Environment

To investigate the fouling characteristics of the composite insulator surface under the salt fog environment, the FXBW-110/120-2 composite insulator was taken as the research object. Based on the field-induced charge mechanism, the multi-physical field coupling software COMSOL was used to numerically simulate the fouling characteristics, explored the calculation method of ESDD, and demonstrated its rationality. Based on this method, the pollution characteristics of the composite insulator under the pollution fog environment were studied, and the influence of wind speed, droplet size, and voltage type on the pollution characteristics of the composite insulator was analyzed. The results showed that: with the increase in wind speed, the amount of accumulated pollution of insulator increases in the range of droplet size, and the relationship between wind speed and accumulated pollution is approximately linear; at the same wind speed, the amount of accumulated pollution increases with the increase of droplet size under the action of DC voltage; when there is no voltage, the amount of dirt on the upper surface of the insulator is more than that on the lower surface, while it is the opposite under DC voltage.
Understanding the rotation of coronal holes

In an earlier study we found that the rotation of coronal holes could be understood on the basis of a nearly current-free coronal field, with the holes representing open magnetic regions. In this paper we illustrate the model by focusing on the case of CH1, the rigidly rotating boot-shaped hole observed by Skylab. We show that the interaction between the polar fields and the flux associated with active regions produces distortions in the coronal field configuration and thus in the polar-hole boundaries; these distortions corotate with the perturbing nonaxisymmetric flux. In the case of CH1, positive-polarity field lines in the northern hemisphere 'collided' with like-polarity field lines fanning out from a decaying active region complex located just below the equator, producing a midlatitude corridor of open field lines rotating at the rate of the active region complex. Sheared coronal holes result when nonaxisymmetric flux is present at high latitudes, or equivalently, when the photospheric neutral line extends to high latitudes. We demonstrate how a small active region, rotating at the local photospheric rate, can drift through a rigidly rotating hole like CH1. Finally, we discuss the role of field-line reconnection in maintaining a quasi-potential coronal configuration.
The Effects of Internal Market Orientation on Service Providers’ Service Innovative Behavior: A Serial Multiple Mediation Effect on Perceived Social Capital on Customers and Work Engagement

The purpose of this study is to understand the process through which internal market orientation leads to service innovative behavior via a serial multiple mediator model, with perceived social capital on customers and work engagement. It set and verified perceived social capital on customers and work engagement as serial multiple mediation factors between internal market orientation and service innovative behavior. To achieve this, surveys targeting service providers working in the finance and insurance industries in South Korea were conducted. A total of 270 data were collected and used for analysis. The analysis showed that internal market orientation significantly increased perceived social capital on customers, and that perceived social capital on customers positively improved work engagement. In addition, it appeared that work engagement improved service innovative behavior. Regarding the serial multiple mediation effect, the direct effect of internal market orientation on service innovative behavior was not significant, but the serial multiple effect through perceived social capital and work engagement was significant. Thus, perceived social capital and work engagement fully mediated the relationship between internal market orientation and service innovative behavior.
Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization for Task Offloading in Mobile Edge Computing

Mobile edge computing (MEC) deploys servers on the edge of the mobile network to reduce the data transmission delay between servers and mobile devices, and can meet the computing demand of mobile computing tasks. It alleviates the problem of computing power and delay requirements of mobile computing tasks and reduces the energy consumption of mobile devices. However, the MEC server has limited computing and storage resources and mobile network bandwidth, making it impossible to offload all mobile computing tasks to MEC servers for processing. Therefore, MEC needs to reasonably offload and schedule mobile computing tasks, to achieve efficient utilization of server resources. To solve the above-mentioned problems, in this article, the task offloading problem is formulated as an optimization problem, and particle swarm optimization (PSO) and quantum PSO based task offloading strategies are proposed. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can significantly reduce the system energy consumption, task completion time, and running time compared with recent advanced strategies, namely ant colony optimization, multiagent deep deterministic policy gradients, deep meta reinforcement learning-based offloading, iterative proximal algorithm, and parallel random forest.
Density Functional Theory Analysis of the Copolymerization of Cyclopropenone with Ethylene Using a Palladium Catalyst

Density functional theory has been used to elucidate the mechanism of Pd copolymerization of cyclopropenone with ethylene. The results reveal that introducing ethylene and cyclopropenone to Pd catalyst is thermodynamically feasible and generates the α,β-unsaturated ketone unit (UnitA). Cis-mode insertion and Path A1a are the most favorable reaction routes for ethylene and cyclopropenone, respectively. Moreover, cyclopropenone decomposition can generate CO in situ without a catalyst or with a Pd catalyst. The Pd-catalyzed decomposition of cyclopropenone exhibits a lower reaction barrier (22.7 kcal/mol) than its direct decomposition. Our study demonstrates that incorporating CO into the Pd catalyst can generate the isolated ketone unit (UnitB). CO is formed first; thereafter, UnitB is generated. Therefore, the total energy barrier of UnitB generation, accounting for the CO barrier, is 22.7 kcal/mol, which is slightly lower than that of UnitA generation (24.0 kcal/mol). Additionally, the possibility of copolymerizing ethylene, cyclopropenone, and allyl acetate (AAc) has been investigated. The free energy and global reactivity index analyses indicate that the cyclopropenone introduction reaction is more favorable than the AAc insertion, which is consistent with the experimental results. Investigating the copolymerization mechanism will help to develop of a functionalization strategy for polyethylene polymers.
Serum Beta-D-Glucan in the Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Disease in Neonates, Children and Adolescents: A Critical Analysis of Current Data

β-D-glucan (BDG) is a cell wall component of many pathogenic fungi. The detection of BDG as an assay is clinically broadly used as a diagnostic tool. However, the current data on BDG in paediatrics are limited, prompting specific considerations about when BDG can be used in neonates and children. We aimed to analyse the available data for the use of serum BDG in neonates and immunocompromised children and adolescents; as well as to understand the extent and characteristics of the use of BDG in children in Europe.
On the prolong attachment of leading edge vortex on a flapping wing

In this paper, we take a fundamental approach to investigate the effect of spanwise flow on the prolonged attachment of leading edge vortex (LEV) on a flapping wing. By imposing a constant acceleration-constant velocity flow on elliptic wings of various sweep angles and angles of attack, our experimental and numerical results show that while spanwise flow per se has negligible influence on the prolong attachment of the LEV, vortex stretching can significantly delay detachment of the LEV, even for a small spanwise flow.
Unraveling Signatures of Local Adaptation among Indigenous Groups from Mexico

Few studies have addressed how selective pressures have shaped the genetic structure of the current Native American populations, and they have mostly limited their inferences to admixed Latin American populations. Here, we searched for local adaptation signals, based on integrated haplotype scores and population branch statistics, in 325 Mexican Indigenous individuals with at least 99% Native American ancestry from five previously defined geographical regions. Although each region exhibited its own local adaptation profile, only PPARG and AJAP1, both negative regulators of the Wnt/β catenin signaling pathway, showed significant adaptation signals in all the tested regions. Several signals were found, mainly in the genes related to the metabolic processes and immune response. A pathway enrichment analysis revealed the overrepresentation of selected genes related to several biological phenotypes/conditions, such as the immune response and metabolic pathways, in agreement with previous studies, suggesting that immunological and metabolic pressures are major drivers of human adaptation. Genes related to the gut microbiome measurements were overrepresented in all the regions, highlighting the importance of studying how humans have coevolved with the microbial communities that colonize them. Our results provide a further explanation of the human evolutionary history in response to environmental pressures in this region.
On the coefficients of Vilenkin-Fourier series with small gaps

The Riemann-Lebesgue lemma shows that the Vilenkin-Fourier coefficient f̂(n) is of o(1) as n → ∞ for any integrable function f on Vilenkin groups. However, it is known that the Vilenkin-Fourier coefficients of integrable functions can tend to zero as slowly as we wish. The definitive result is due to B. L. Ghodadra for functions of certain classes of generalized bounded fluctuations. We prove that this is a matter only of local fluctuation for functions with the Vilenkin-Fourier series lacunary with small gaps. Our results, as in the case of trigonometric Fourier series, illustrate the interconnection between ‘localness’ of the hypothesis and type of lacunarity and allow us to interpolate the results.
A Simplified Computational Model for Circadian Stimulus Based on Illuminance, Correlated Color Temperature, and Color Rendering Index

Circadian stimulus (<italic>CS</italic>) is a popular metric for evaluating circadian effects of light. However, the determination of its value is complicated. In this work, the possibility of developing a simplified model to accurately estimate <italic>CS</italic> values has been investigated. It is found that: i) the <italic>CS</italic><sub>2018</sub> model itself has an important limitation: a very small perturbation in spectrum could result in a significant change in <italic>CS</italic> value, which fundamentally limits the development of a simplified model based on photometric or colorimetric inputs. ii) such a limitation is effectively reduced by the latest <italic>CS</italic><sub>2021</sub> model, and therefore a simplified model can be developed to estimate the value of <italic>CS</italic><sub>2021</sub> based on illuminance, correlated color temperature, a constraint of color rending index, and the factors of the continuous light exposure duration <italic>t</italic> and the spatial distribution of circadian light exposure <italic>f</italic>. The simplified model is developed and validated by using a comprehensive data set containing 395923 lighting spectra. The small deviations in <italic>CS</italic> value, which is less than 0.087 and 0.052 for warm and cool white light sources, respectively, show that the proposed simplified model could serve as an accurate and convenient tool for practical circadian lighting design.