Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The dynamics of Quiet Eye under stress in elite table tennis performance

ABSTRACT Quiet Eye (QE) has been accounted as a mechanism that contributes to visuomotor coordination, an important process in athletic performance. QE is defined as the final fixation on a specific location or object in the visuomotor workspace, within 3° of visual angle, for a minimum of 100 ms that enables the athletes to gather relevant information before a critical movement. Several lines of research have shown that QE is affected by stress and that this alteration further leads to decreased task performance. The present study determined whether stress affects QE in elite table tennis performance. Athletes performed a table tennis exercise in which they had to hit a sequence of 100 balls. Each athlete underwent the exercise in a stressful condition and in a non-stressful one, while gaze behaviour was captured using Tobii Glasses 2 eye tracking system. We first found that athletes made longer QE before successfully hit balls than before missed balls, confirming that longer QE supports accuracy. More importantly, QE and performance decreased in the stressful condition, but athletes still displayed longer QE durations in hit, compared to missed balls under stress. The present results show that stress affects QE and, subsequently, performance, but also that better performance under stress is associated with longer QE duration.
Relation Among Anxiety, Depression, Sleep Quality and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Path Analysis

Purpose This study aimed to examine the relationship between anxiety, depression, sleep quality and health-related quality of life among systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in China. Patients and Methods After ethical approval and obtaining participants’ informed consent, a cross-sectional study was conducted in The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between October 1, 2021 and January 30, 2022. The data comprised demographic information, number of SLE symptoms, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (SLEQoL). We performed descriptive statistics, Spearman or Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression. And Path analysis was performed to examine direct and indirect associations between these variables and health-related quality of life. Results A total of 580 patients were recruited and 513 met our target criteria. Our final model fitted the data well: goodness-of-fit index (GFI) =0.996; adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI) =0.974; comparative fit index (CFI) =0.998; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) =0.043. This model explained 57.3% of the variance on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with SLE and all the hypothesized paths reached significance (P<0.05). Anxiety, depression, sleep quality, income/family, and number of SLE symptoms were related to health-related quality of life, and anxiety had the most influence on HRQoL (β=0.561). Conclusion The study model helps to explain the relation among anxiety, depression, sleep quality and health-related quality of life in patients with SLE. It also suggests that health care professionals should be aware of factors such as anxiety, sleep quality, number of SLE symptoms, and depression in their care for HRQoL of SLE patients.
Self-Efficacy and Professional Development: An Investigation of Music Teachers in Primary and Secondary Schools in China

In an era where teachers are increasingly expected to perform at their level best, issues of self-efficacy and professional development continue to be an area of continuous debate. A random sample of primary and secondary school teachers in five cities in mainland China was selected to respond to the self-evaluation questionnaire, and 300 valid questionnaires were collected. The research was carried out to (1) investigate the levels of self-efficacy of music teachers in primary and secondary schools, (2) determine the factors that influenced music teachers' self-efficacy, and (3) explore the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and professional development. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, T-test, analysis of variance, and regression. First, the results showed that the mean value of music teachers’ self-efficacy was 7.16. Second, the middle school teachers reported lower self-efficacy compared to teachers in the primary schools. Third, although teachers aged between 20 to 50 years old reached their highest level of self-efficacy, it decreased to a lower value after an extended period. Additionally, the study also revealed a significant difference in self-efficacy among teachers with different teaching experiences. Although educational backgrounds, gender, and training hours did not influence self-efficacy, a positive correlation was reported between self-efficacy and professional development. Prospective research might better consider developing music teachers’ self-efficacy and education across primary and secondary schools.
Potential Nitrogen Mineralization and Its Availability in Response to Long-Term Fertilization in a Chinese Fluvo-Aquic Soil

The determination of organic nitrogen (N) mineralization is crucial for estimating N availability, quantifying exogenous inputs, and estimating associated environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of long-term various fertilization on soil organic N mineralization potential (NMP), which influences plant N accessibility. Treatments from a 26-year long-term field experiment with no fertilization (CK), chemical fertilizer N at 165 kg N ha−1 and P at 82.5 kg P2O5 ha−1 (NP), NP with K fertilizer at 165, 82.5, 82.5 kg ha−1 N, P2O5 and K2O (NPK), NPK at 165, 82.5, 82.5 kg ha−1 N, P2O5 and K2O with manure at 7857.14 kg ha−1 (NPKM), and NPKM at 165, 82.5, 82.5 kg ha−1 N, P2O5 and K2O with manure at 1.5× application rate (11,785.71 kg ha−1) (1.5NPKM) were examined for potentially mineralizable N by aerobic incubation at 35 °C for 30 weeks. Three pools (Pools I, II, and III) of mineralizable N were recognized. Pool I, the mineralization flush on rewetting in the first 2 weeks; Pool II, gross N mineralization between weeks 2 and 30; and Pool III, the potentially mineralizable N, predicted from the fitted curve, that did not mineralize during the incubation period. Soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and N (SMBN) as well as fixed ammonium (NH4+) contents and relationship with N mineralization rate (k) were also studied. Long-term manure application yielded a significantly higher k (0.32 week−1) than other treatments (0.12–0.22 week−1) but not a significantly higher NMP. Nitrogen mineralization during the wheat and maize-growing seasons was predicted to be 8.7–26.3 (mg N kg−1 soil) and 25.9–42.1 (mg N kg−1 soil), respectively. Both labile mineralizable N pools (Pools I and II) followed the same patterns in the treatments: 1.5NPKM > NPKM > NPK > NP > CK, while the reverse was true for stable N (Pool III). The significant positive correlation between k with SMBC and SMBN (R2 = 0.93, p = 0.008 and R2 = 0.94, p = 0.006) suggested that the higher mineralization rate might be contributed by the higher soil microbial biomass in NPKM. The trends of fixed NH4+ and mineralized N were coupled. Long-term manure application significantly improved the N mineralization rate in soil. Manure application is an effective strategy to enhance soil microbial biomass and soil N availability and has the potential to reduce the dependence upon chemical N fertilization.
Bioremediation of dairy wastewater using bacteria: a panoramic review

The Bioremediation consists of applying microorganisms to reduce, eliminate or transform organic or inorganic polluting compounds into inert substances. Solid and liquid wastes are generated daily in industrial activities and, among the food processing industries, the dairy sector presents a large number of liquid effluents due to its extensive use of water in various activities and sectors. For an efficient treatment of effluents, it is essential to understand the microbiota of the wastewater, its biochemical characteristics and metabolic activity, as well as the origin of the polluting compounds. The growing demand for products derived from livestock and agricultural activity drives the search for environmental technologies capable of providing sustainable development. In this scenario, biotechnological studies and bioremediation applications are increasingly gaining ground both for environmental control and for application in value-added products. The purpose of this review is to present and discuss the most recent and used technologies for bioremediation of effluents from dairy industries using bacteria.
Introducing pre-service education students to university experiences through an augmented reality game

Augmented reality has come into its own recently due to the advent of Pokemon Go. However, this technology has been around for several years and there is an increasing body of knowledge available. This study reports on an augmented reality game (ARG), called the UQ Amazing Race, that was developed for a first year education course for students studying to be teachers. Students had the opportunity to complete the UQ Amazing Race in class tutorials and then report on their experiences by completing a survey a week later. Students’ experiences were investigated particularly regarding how the experience is different by gender and comfort with technology. Results suggest the game was engaging for all students but particularly positive for female students. Students with more comfort with technology reported significantly higher participation in the ARG.
Identity construction on shop signs in Singapore’s Chinatown: a study of linguistic choices by Chinese Singaporeans and New Chinese immigrants

ABSTRACT Chinatowns, as neighborhoods for overseas ethnic Chinese, have garnered considerable scholarly attention from linguistic landscape (LL) researchers in recent years. These investigations tend to treat old immigrants who have been tied to the neighborhoods for generations as the key text producers of LL, with far too little attention paid to the LL practices of new Chinese immigrants in Chinatowns, who are often associated with transnationalism and the rise of China. Focusing on Singapore’s Chinatown, the present study attempts to explore Chinese Singaporean and new Chinese immigrants’ linguistic choices concerning the Chinese-language signs displayed in the LL. Drawing on 326 instances of signs collected during site visits, the study found that Chinese Singaporeans and new Chinese immigrants make different linguistic choices when projecting their respective authenticities and identities. These findings suggest that there is indeed a linguistic basis for previously expressed arguments that Chinese Singaporean authenticity is threatened by new Chinese immigrants, shedding light on the need to examine the heterogeneity of Chinatown from the perspective of LL. This study enriches the scholarly understanding of LL practices within Chinese diasporic settlements in the East.
Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) following Conservative Surgery of the Supraglottic Region: Impact on Functional Outcomes

Simple Summary The present study has been suggested by the previous experience of our group showing that patients treated with conventional radiotherapy (named 3D conformal radiotherapy—3D-CRT) performed after conservative surgery (CS) for tumors of the supraglottic regions experienced a high rate of severe long-term toxicity. Therefore, we reported the toxicity profile of a similar cohort of patients treated with a high-precision radiotherapy technique (named intensity-modulated radiotherapy—IMRT). Moreover, to investigate the advantage of IMRT, we performed a comparison with a historical cohort treated with 3D-CRT. Results showed that patients treated with IMRT achieved a very low toxicity profile and comparison with 3D-CRT was in favor of IMRTs. Therefore, we believe that the results of the present study provide preliminary findings on the potential of IMRT in improving the toxicity profile of patients treated with surgical organ preservation strategies for laryngeal tumors. Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) on the toxicity profile of patients treated with conservative surgery (CS) of the supraglottic (SG) region. Data on patients treated with CS and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT)-IMRT were prospectively collected. Results. In total, 20 patients were analyzed. Of these, six patients (35%) required the positioning of a temporary tracheostomy. The functional larynx preservation rate was 95%. Females had a higher risk of both endoscopic intervention and chondronecrosis, while the median age was significantly higher in patients requiring enteral nutrition. The incidence of long-term severe toxicities was lower in patients treated with IMRT than in the historical 3D-CRT cohort. Patients who had received PORT-IMRT achieved a lower rate of permanent laryngeal and swallowing dysfunctions. Overall, results from the comparison with the historical 3D-CRT cohort favor the IMRTs.
Revisiting the van der Waals Epitaxy in the Case of (Bi0.4Sb0.6)2Te3 Thin Films on Dissimilar Substrates

Ultrathin films of the ternary topological insulator (Bi0.4Sb0.6)2Te3 are fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy. Although it is generally assumed that the ternary topological insulator tellurides grow by van der Waals epitaxy, our results show that the influence of the substrate is substantial and governs the formation of defects, mosaicity, and twin domains. For this comparative study, InP (111)A, Al2O3 (001), and SrTiO3 (111) substrates were selected. While the films deposited on lattice-matched InP (111)A show van der Waals epitaxial relations, our results point to a quasi-van der Waals epitaxy for the films grown on substrates with a larger lattice mismatch.
Marketing Strategies and Library Usage in Federal Universities in the South-South Zone of Nigeria

This study was conducted to assess the utilization of library displays, library exhibitions, and library publications as marketing strategies in four Federal University libraries in the SouthSouth zone of Nigeria and their influence on students’ use of the library using an Ex-post-facto research design. Librarians, who are the marketers, indicated a higher utilization of these marketing strategies than the students because they scored a mean % utilization ranging from 49.4 to72.8 , 15.4 to 60.7, and 44.4 to 72.9 for library displays, library exhibitions, and library publications, respectively in the Universities studied. This is not in agreement with the student users, whose mean % utilization ranged from 26.7 to 40.0, 23.8 to 33.6, and 23.8 to 40.3 for library displays, library exhibitions, and library publications, respectively indicating a poor utilization of these strategies. Independent t-test indicated that these three marketing strategies exerted a significant influence on students’ use of the library indicating that the more frequent and effective use of these marketing strategies, the more the students’ use of the library.
Dietary supplementation with Korean pine nut oil decreases body fat accumulation and dysregulation of the appetite-suppressing pathway in the hypothalamus of high-fat diet-induced obese mice

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Korean pine nut oil (PNO) has been reported to suppress appetite by increasing satiety hormone release. However, previous studies have rendered inconsistent results and there is lack of information on whether dietary Korean PNO affects the expression of satiety hormone receptors and hypothalamic neuropeptides. Therefore, our study sought to evaluate the chronic effects of Korean PNO on the long-term regulation of energy balance. MATERIALS/METHODS Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed with control diets containing 10% kcal fat from Korean PNO or soybean oil (SBO) (PC or SC) or high-fat diets (HFDs) containing 35% kcal fat from lard and 10% kcal fat from Korean PNO or SBO (PHFD or SHFD) for 12 weeks. The expression of gastrointestinal satiety hormone receptors, hypothalamic neuropeptides, and genes related to intestinal lipid absorption and adipose lipid metabolism was then measured. RESULTS There was no difference in the daily food intake between PNO- and SBO-fed mice; however, the PC and PHFD groups accumulated 30% and 18% less fat compared to SC and SHFD, respectively. Korean PNO-fed mice exhibited higher messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of Ghsr (ghrelin receptor) and Agrp (agouti-related peptide) (P < 0.05), which are expressed when energy consumption is low to induce appetite as well as the appetite-suppressing neuropeptides Pomc and Cartpt (P = 0.079 and 0.056, respectively). Korean PNO downregulated jejunal Cd36 and epididymal Lpl mRNA expressions, which could suppress intestinal fatty acid absorption and fat storage in white adipose tissue. Consistent with these findings, Korean PNO-fed mice had higher levels of fecal non-esterified fatty acid excretion. Korean PNO also tended to downregulate jejunal Apoa4 and upregulate epididymal Adrb3 mRNA levels, suggesting that PNO may decrease chylomicron synthesis and induce lipolysis. CONCLUSIONS In summary, Korean PNO attenuated body fat accumulation, and appeared to prevent HFD-induced dysregulation of the hypothalamic appetite-suppressing pathway.
Cost benefit analysis of re-engineering the business process in Nigerian banks

This paper focused on analyzing the costs and benefits of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) in Nigeria drawing on a sample of ten (10) banks in Port Harcourt. The paper was intended to ascertain the worthiness of BPR projects in the banks. Two research questions (what are the benefits of BPR? and what are the costs of BPR? ) and one hypothesis (there is no significant difference between the benefits and costs of BPR), guided the study. The result showed that there is a significant and positive difference between the benefits and costs of BPR. Consequently, it was concluded that BPR is a worthwhile exercise in Nigerian banks since the findings showed that the benefits outweighed the costs. Based on this, it was recommended that: BPR should never be carried out for the mere sake of it rather, it should be preceded by strategic planning, which addresses leveraging IT as a competitive tool; such an exercise should place the customer at the center of the re-engineering effort. This can be achieved by concentrating on reengineering fragmented processes that impact negatively on customer service; for a successful BPR, there must be recourse to corporate culture while constant communication and feedback should not be ignored; to achieve maximum result from a BPR, it must be effort of the organization members and not that driven by a group of outside consultants or sections of the organization; a specific time frame between three to six months should be designated for any BPR project so that the organization is not thrown into a state of “limbo” although this may vary from organization to organization.
Efficacy of Direct or Indirect Use of Probiotics for the Improvement of Maternal Depression during Pregnancy and in the Postnatal Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The mother and infant form a unique bond, with maternal mental health affecting the interactions with the infant and infant behaviours impacting maternal mental health. One of the possible mechanisms influencing maternal mental health is the manipulation of the gut-brain axis by consuming probiotic supplements. Probiotics can also have an indirect influence on maternal mental health via the modulation of the infant microbiome and consequently improving the infant’s health and thus, indirectly leading to an improvement in maternal mood. This systematic review evaluated the efficacy of probiotics on maternal mental health by searching for randomised controlled trials via international databases: Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science until January 2022. A meta-analysis was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration methodology where possible. We found seven clinical trials that included the word probiotics and addressed maternal depression and/or anxiety. Of these, five trials investigated the influence of maternal probiotic supplementation on the gut-brain axis. Two trials investigated the indirect influence of probiotics on maternal depression via supplementation of probiotics by infants and subsequent influence on the crying of colicky infants. Meta-analysis of two studies of pregnant and postnatal women and two studies of infants consuming probiotics on the outcome of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for mothers showed no statistical difference. The findings indicate that maternal depression is very complex and is influenced by various bidirectional factors. One of the factors that can improve maternal mental health is probiotics, however, careful consideration must be given to correct strain selection as strain-specific effectiveness was observed. Further well-designed, robust clinical studies are warranted.
Epigenetic Crosstalk between Malignant Plasma Cells and the Tumour Microenvironment in Multiple Myeloma

Simple Summary Multiple myeloma is a haematological malignancy due to a proliferation of clonal plasma cells. The medullary milieu consists of a bone marrow microenvironment comprising an assortment of cells and structures supporting blood cell production in the bone marrow. Epigenetic alterations can modify the interplay between multiple myeloma cells and the bone marrow niche. The continuous bidirectional relationship between bone marrow microenvironment cells and neoplastic plasma cells can be altered, profoundly modifying the natural history of myeloma. Our review focuses on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in the development and growth of multiple myeloma. It discusses the crosstalk between the tumour microenvironment’s epigenetic mechanisms, the progression of multiple myeloma, and the onset of multiple myeloma complications, such as bone disease. Abstract In multiple myeloma, cells of the bone marrow microenvironment have a relevant responsibility in promoting the growth, survival, and drug resistance of multiple myeloma plasma cells. In addition to the well-recognized role of genetic lesions, microenvironmental cells also present deregulated epigenetic systems. However, the effect of epigenetic changes in reshaping the tumour microenvironment is still not well identified. An assortment of epigenetic regulators, comprising histone methyltransferases, histone acetyltransferases, and lysine demethylases, are altered in bone marrow microenvironmental cells in multiple myeloma subjects participating in disease progression and prognosis. Aberrant epigenetics affect numerous processes correlated with the tumour microenvironment, such as angiogenesis, bone homeostasis, and extracellular matrix remodelling. This review focuses on the interplay between epigenetic alterations of the tumour milieu and neoplastic cells, trying to decipher the crosstalk between these cells. We also evaluate the possibility of intervening specifically in modified signalling or counterbalancing epigenetic mechanisms.