Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Benefits, barriers, and use of cover crops in the western United States: Regional survey results

Cover crops provide known benefits to water, air, and soil quality. The western United States is a large cropping region where data on cover crop use are lacking. In this study, we draw on data from a 2020 survey of western farmers from 13 states and territories to broaden the understanding of current cover crop use and the factors that influence cover crop adoption. We examine cover crop use through farmer and farm characteristics, social networks and information access, and psychological measures of attitudes toward cover crops. Based on the results of the 894 survey responses, we find most respondents use or have used cover crops and recognize their many benefits. The highest ranked benefits of cover crops, according to cover crop users, are soil health benefits and reducing soil erosion. The biggest perceived barriers to cover crops, according to cover crop users and nonusers, are costs and knowledge. The greatest predictor of cover crop use in the western United States is larger farm size; however, as income increases, the odds of cover crop use decreases. Farmers who access agriculture-related information on a regular basis and western farmers who perceive more benefits than barriers to cover crops are more likely to use cover crops. This study informs future research, outreach, and policy through insight into motivations and barriers to cover crop use and factors that influence adoption for farmers in the West.
Exploratory Factor Analysis: Analysis of Islamic Bank Sustainability Factors in Facing the Disruption of the Industrial Revolution

AbstractPurpose - In this study, researchers are interested in analyzing the factors of resilience (sustainability) that must exist or be carried out by Islamic banks to challenge the disruption of the industrial revolution 4.0. Method - This research is quantitative research. The research approach is exploratory which has the intention to obtain a description and understanding of the problems experienced by researchers. The instrument in this study was a questionnaire which was then tested for validity and reliability. After the data has been collected, the data is tested with the stages of testing confirmatory factor analysis data which is able to reduce a number of variables into several dominant factors that affect the sustainability of Islamic banks in facing the disruption of the industrial revolution 4.0. Result - This study concludes that: 1) 18 variables each have a Measure of Sampling Adequacy (MSA) value higher than 0.5 and are categorized as having met the adequacy of the sample. 2) Factor analysis is suitable for simplifying the group of 18 variables. 3) Two dominant factors are formed, which are called the customer's financial benefit factor and the customer's safety and comfort factor.Implication - This research helps Islamic banks to remain sustainable from the onslaught of the disruption of the Industrial revolution 4.0 based on the variables of customer desires.Originality - This study focuses more on Islamic banking instead of professional banking as in previous studies and in the analysis the researcher uses exploratory factor analysis to determine the dominant factor from series of variables. The study is different from previous research.
Appraisal of the causal effect of plasma caffeine on adiposity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease: two sample mendelian randomisation study

Objective To investigate the potential causal effects of long term plasma caffeine concentrations on adiposity, type 2 diabetes, and major cardiovascular diseases. Design Two sample mendelian randomisation study. Setting Genome-wide association study summary data for associations of two single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with plasma caffeine at the genome-wide significance threshold (rs2472297 near the CYP1A2 gene and rs4410790 near the AHR gene) and their association with the outcomes. Participants Primarily individuals of European ancestry participating in cohorts contributing to genome-wide association study consortia. Main outcome measures Outcomes studied were body mass index, whole body fat mass, whole body fat-free mass, type 2 diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke. Results Higher genetically predicted plasma caffeine concentrations were associated with lower body mass index (beta −0.08 standard deviation (SD) (95% confidence interval −0.10 to −0.06), where 1 SD equals about 4.8 kg/m2 in body mass index, for every standard deviation increase in plasma caffeine) and whole body fat mass (beta −0.06 SD (−0.08 to −0.04), 1 SD equals about 9.5 kg; P<0.001) but not fat-free mass (beta −0.01 SD (−0.02 to −0.00), 1 SD equals about 11.5 kg; P=0.17). Higher genetically predicted plasma caffeine concentrations were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in two consortia (FinnGen and DIAMANTE), with a combined odds ratio of 0.81 ((95% confidence interval 0.74 to 0.89); P<0.001). Approximately half (43%; 95% confidence interval 30% to 61%) of the effect of caffeine on type 2 diabetes was estimated to be mediated through body mass index reduction. No strong associations were reported between genetically predicted plasma caffeine concentrations and a risk of any of the studied cardiovascular diseases. Conclusions Higher plasma caffeine concentrations might reduce adiposity and risk of type 2 diabetes. Further clinical study is warranted to investigate the translational potential of these findings towards reducing the burden of metabolic disease.
The mobile gene cassette carrying tetracycline resistance genes in Aeromonas veronii strain Ah5S-24 isolated from catfish pond sediments shows similarity with a cassette found in other environmental and foodborne bacteria

Aeromonas veronii is a Gram-negative bacterium ubiquitously found in aquatic environments. It is a foodborne pathogen that causes diarrhea in humans and hemorrhagic septicemia in fish. In the present study, we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to evaluate the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence genes found in A. veronii Ah5S-24 isolated from catfish pond sediments in South-East, United States. We found cphA4, dfrA3, mcr-7.1, valF, blaFOX-7, and blaOXA-12 resistance genes encoded in the chromosome of A. veronii Ah5S-24. We also found the tetracycline tet(E) and tetR genes placed next to the IS5/IS1182 transposase, integrase, and hypothetical proteins that formed as a genetic structure or transposon designated as IS5/IS1182/hp/tet(E)/tetR/hp. BLAST analysis showed that a similar mobile gene cassette (MGC) existed in chromosomes of other bacteria species such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from retail fish at markets, Aeromonas caviae from human stool and Aeromonas media from a sewage bioreactor. In addition, the IS5/IS1182/hp/tet(E)/tetR/hp cassette was also found in the plasmid of Vibrio alginolyticus isolated from shrimp. As for virulence genes, we found the tap type IV pili (tapA and tapY), polar flagellae (flgA and flgN), lateral flagellae (ifgA and IfgL), and fimbriae (pefC and pefD) genes responsible for motility and adherence. We also found the hemolysin genes (hylII, hylA, and TSH), aerA toxin, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing (LuxS, mshA, and mshQ) genes. However, there were no MGCs encoding virulence genes found in A. veronii AhS5-24. Thus, our findings show that MGCs could play a vital role in the spread of AMR genes between chromosomes and plasmids among bacteria in aquatic environments. Overall, our findings are suggesting that MGCs encoding AMR genes could play a vital role in the spread of resistance acquired from high usage of antimicrobials in aquaculture to animals and humans.
The Fringe Distance Measure: An Easily Calculated Image Distance Measure with Recognition Results Comparable to Gaussian Blurring

A fast simple distance measure for calculating the degree of dissimilarity between binary images is presented. The new distance measure, called the fringe distance, gives the same degree of distortion tolerance as optimized Gaussian blurring, but can be calculated much more rapidly. Template matching using the fringe distance executes about six times as fast as Gaussian blurring template matching on an IBM AT with coprocessor, and more than three times as fast on a SUN SPARCStation I with floating point accelerator. The greater speed means more templates can be used in process time limited applications, increasing recognition accuracy. >
Vaginal Applicators in High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy for Endometrial Carcinoma: A Dosimetric Study

Intracavitary brachytherapy is one of the most important methods of gynecological cancer treatment. The effect of attenuation by the applicators is not considered in the dose calculation method released by the AAPM TG-43. In this study, the attenuation due to various segmented vaginal cylinders made up of polyetheretherketone was measured.
Short-Term Microplastic Exposure Impairs Cognition in Hermit Crabs

Simple Summary Little is known about how microplastics impact animal cognition—the way animals gather and process information. We investigated whether microplastic exposure impaired hermit crab shell selection, which relies on cognitive assessments and decision-making. After short-term microplastic exposure in a laboratory, hermit crabs were worse at choosing a shell. Microplastics, therefore, disrupted cognition. If wild hermit crabs are also susceptible to this effect, microplastic pollution may hinder shell selection, a crucial survival behaviour. Abstract We tested whether acute microplastic exposure impacts information gathering and processing (cognition) in hermit crabs (Pagurus bernhardus). For five days, we kept 51 hermit crabs in tanks containing either polyethylene microspheres (n = 27) or no plastic (n = 24). We then transferred individuals into an intermediate-quality shell and presented them with two vials containing either a better or worse shell. Because touching both shell vials required an equivalent behavioural response, this design controlled for general activity. Plastic-exposed hermit crabs were less likely and slower than controls to touch the better shell vial, instead preferring the worse shell vial. Microplastics, therefore, impaired assessments and decision-making, providing direct evidence of acute microplastic exposure disrupting hermit crab cognition.
Computing Micro Synthetic Jet in Slip Regime With Moving Membrane

A Navier-Stokes (NS) solver for moving and deforming meshes has been modified to investigate numerically the diaphragm-driven flow in and out of two synthetic jet cavity geometries. The piezoelectric-driven diaphragm of the cavity is modeled in a realistic manner as a moving boundary to accurately compute the flow inside the jet cavity. The primary focus of the present paper is to describe the effect of cavity geometry and the wall slip, resulting from the relatively larger Kn number flows associated with micro sized geometries, on the exit jet velocity magnitude. Compressible flow simulations are required for rarefied flows to accurately predict the pressure field. The present computations for the quiescent external flow condition reveal that cavity geometry and the wall slip has an increasing effect on the magnitude of the average jet exit velocity as well as vortex shedding from the orifice.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Agreement Level of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptom Reports between Children and Their Parents

Purpose Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently undergo clinical assessments, involving triadic communication between clinician, parent, and child. During such encounters parents are traditionally the main communicator of information on their child’s IBD, including subjective symptom reports. The level of agreement between children and their parents for IBD symptoms is poorly understood, and this study aimed to examine this factor. Methods This was a cross-sectional study among children with IBD, and one parent. A validated paediatric IBD symptom report tool (IBDnow) enabled children and their parent to rate seven pain, well-being, and stool metrics, with dyads completing the tool concurrently. Results were assessed using: Individual agreement: proportion of identical symptom reports by each dyad (ideal score >0.7); Category agreement: percentage of identical reports for IBDnow metrics for the cohort; Inter-rater reliability: Gwet’s AC1 coefficient with higher scores indicating better reliability (maximum=1). Results Seventy-four parent/child dyads participated; child’s mean age 12.2 years (standard deviation [SD] 2.9, range 6-16), mean time since diagnosis 2.8 years (SD 3), 54% female, 73% had Crohn’s Disease. Mean individual agreement level was 0.6, with 27% of dyads agreeing on ≥6/7 IBDnow metrics. Category agreement was reported by 61% of dyads, 20% of parents overestimated, and 19% underestimated, their child’s symptoms. Inter-rater reliability ranged from fair to good. Conclusion These results should improve clinician awareness of how IBD symptom reports from parents may introduce bias. Children should be considered the most important source of symptom reports, and tools such as IBDnow utilised to enhance communication.
Populating the science-policy co-production space: academic and policymaker perspectives on knowledge exchange

ABSTRACT In this paper, we seek to provide a fresh perspective on knowledge exchange by addressing both academics’ and policymakers’ experiences with such exchange. Through two large Norwegian surveys of academics and policymakers, we look at the characteristics of the academics that are engaged in various forms of knowledge exchange with policymakers – and vice versa – as well as the channels and mechanisms of knowledge exchange seen from both sides. Through comparing the patterns that emerge in the two studies, we discuss how this exchange arena, which we conceptualise as a ‘co-production space’ involves a small number of individuals with similar experiences and practices that set them apart from their peers.
On the Changes in the Spectral Distribution of Kinetic Energy for Twodimensional, Nondivergent Flow

Total kinetic energy as well as total vorticity squared are integral quantitics which cannot change in the course of time in a twodimensional flow of a homogeneous, nondivergent, and inviscid fluid when the fluid is isolated from the surroundings. The case is considered where the fluid is defined over the total region of thc surface of a sphere. The nature of the changes in time of the spectral distribution of kinetic energy is discussed on the basis of the two conservation requirements mentioned above. It is found that only fractions of the initial energy can flow into sniallcr scales and that a greater fraction simultaneously has to flow to components with larger scales. The upper limits to the flow of kinetic energy into components with scales less than a given one are found. The conservation theorems are also used to discuss the stability of a certain stationary flow for a twodimensional motion which is not necessarily spherical. It is shown how important it is for the proof of stability that not only the kinetic energy of the disturbance is supposed to be small but also its vorticities. In chapter II molecular viscosity is taken into account for the spherical flow. Finally some conclusive remarks are offered regarding the fundamental difference between twoand threedimentional flow. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1953. tb01051.x
Asymptotic analysis and computational methods for a class of simple, circuit-switched networks with blocking

We consider the following circuit-switching problem which is one of the simplest possible extensions of the classical M/M/K/K model: there are p source centers connected to a hub by channels of various line-capacities and the hub is connected to a destination center by a common channel with its own line-capacity. A circuit requires a line from its source to the hub and another line from the hub to the destination. The holding times of circuits are independent, arbitrarily distributed random variables with means which depend on their source, and requests for circuits arrive in Poisson streams. Blocked calls are cleared. The problem is to calculate the blocking probabilities at each of the sources. The formal solution is well known but its calculation is exponentially hard in p. We have developed a technique which extends recent results on integral representations and their asymptotic expansions to obtain the full expansion for the blocking probabilities in inverse powers of a large parameter N. The power of the method derives from two sources: first, an efficient recursive formula for calculating the general term of the expansion; second, tight upper and lower bounds which accompany the estimates. The computational complexity is polynomial in p. We report on computations.
Clinical Outcomes of a Non-Diffractive Extended Depth-of-Focus IOL in Eyes with Mild Glaucoma

Purpose To evaluate the clinical outcomes of a non-diffractive, wavefront-shaping extended depth-of-focus (EDOF) intraocular lens (IOL) in eyes with mild open-angle glaucoma (OAG). Setting Private practice; Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Design Prospective, open-label, interventional study. Methods In total, 52 eyes of 26 patients with mild OAG were enrolled and completed the study. All patients were bilaterally implanted with a non-diffractive, wavefront-shaping EDOF IOL. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were implanted with a trabecular microbypass stent at the time of surgery. Primary outcome measures included binocular corrected and uncorrected distance visual acuity (CDVA and UDVA), uncorrected intermediate and near visual acuity (UIVA and UNVA) and contrast sensitivity as measured by a Pelli-Robson chart. A subjective questionnaire was also administered to patients. Results At 4 months postoperative, the mean binocular UDVA and CDVA was 0.03 ± 0.12 and −0.06 ± 0.07, respectively. The mean UIVA and UNVA were 0.18 ± 0.12 and 0.31 ± 0.18, respectively. Eighty-five percent of the subjects achieved ≥20/25 UDVA and 77% of the subjects achieved ≥20/32 UIVA at 4 months postoperative. The mean binocular mesopic contrast sensitivity was 1.76 ± 0.16 at a spatial frequency of 1 cycle-per-degree (cpd). Eighty-five percent of the subjects reported they would choose the same lens and 1 subject reported they would choose a different IOL if it meant reduced spectacle independence. Conclusion The non-diffractive, wavefront-shaping EDOF IOL can be safely implanted in eyes with mild, pre-perimetric open-angle glaucoma with favorable uncorrected distance and intermediate visual acuity. The contrast sensitivity measurements were favorable and the subjective questionnaire revealed satisfactory spectacle independence and patient satisfaction.
Evidence for double injections in scatter‐free solar impulsive electron events

We investigate the injection at the Sun for three scatter‐free impulsive electron events (7 August 1999, 28 June and 22 August 2000) observed from ∼0.4 to 300 keV by the WIND 3DP instrument. Taking into account the interplanetary scatter‐free propagation and instrumental effects, we find that the observed time profiles of electron fluxes at all energies fit well to triangular injections at the Sun with equal rise and fall times. We find two distinct injections: that of ∼0.4 to 6–9 keV electrons begins 9.1 ± 4.7 min before the start of the type III radio burst and lasts for 50–300 min, while that of ∼13 to 300 keV electrons starts 7.6 ± 1.3 min after the start of the type III burst and lasts for a factor of 5–10 times shorter. Electrons of the low‐energy injection are likely to be the source of the type III radio bursts, and the delayed high‐energy injection occurs when the associated CME passes altitudes of ∼1–6 R⊙. The observed electron energy spectra fit to double power‐law with a downward break at ∼40–50 keV, but exhibit a smooth power‐law across the transition (∼6–13 keV) between the two injections, suggesting the low‐energy injection may provide the seed electrons for the high‐energy injection.
Witnessing well-being in action: Observing teacher well-being during field experiences predicts student teacher well-being

Social cognitive theory posits that observing others’ behavior can influence our thinking, behavior, and learning. The present study examines whether this principle also applies to teacher well-being. It investigates whether student teachers’ well-being is linked to the well-being of in-service teachers they closely observe during field experiences. For that purpose, 222 student teachers were assigned to conduct three classroom observations of three different teachers using a dedicated observation tool that focused on in-service teachers’ positive emotions and positive student interactions. Longitudinal data from 666 classroom observations and student teachers’ well-being data were analyzed. It was hypothesized that the mean scores from all three independent classroom observations are most predictive of student teacher well-being. The results revealed significant associations between seven indicators of student teacher well-being and the observed well-being of in-service teachers. Interestingly, it was not the mean of all three observation scores but only the score of the third and final observation that contributed significantly to student teacher well-being. This brief research report seeks to inspire discourse about the benefits and challenges of observational learning in teachers’ well-being education.
Balance perturbation and error processing elicit distinct brain dynamics

Objective. The maintenance of balance is a complicated process in the human brain, which involves multisensory processing such as somatosensory and visual processing, motor planning and execution. It was shown that a specific cortical activity called perturbation-evoked potential (PEP) appears in the electroencephalogram (EEG) during balance perturbation. PEPs are primarily recognized by the N1 component with a negative peak localized in frontal and central regions. There has been a doubt in balance perturbation studies whether the N1 potential of perturbation is elicited due to error processing in the brain. The objective of this study is to test whether the brain perceives postural instability as a cognitive error by imposing two types of perturbations consisting of erroneous and correct perturbations. Approach. We conducted novel research to incorporate the experiment designs of both error and balance studies. To this end, participants encountered errors during balance perturbations at rare moments in the experiment. We induced errors by imposing perturbations to participants in the wrong directions and an erroneous perturbation was considered as a situation when the participant was exposed to an opposite direction of the expected/informed one. In correct perturbations, participants were tilted to the same direction, as they were informed. We analyzed the two conditions in time, time-frequency, and source domains. Main results. We showed that two error-related neural markers were derived from the EEG responses, including error positivity (Pe), and error-related alpha suppression (ERAS) during erroneous perturbations. Consequently, early neural correlates of perturbation cannot be interpreted as error-related responses. We discovered distinct patterns of conscious error processing; both Pe and ERAS are associated with conscious sensations of error. Significance. Our findings indicated that early cortical responses of balance perturbation are not associated with neural error processing of the brain, and errors induce distinct cortical responses that are distinguishable from brain dynamics of N1 potential.