Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An analysis of the psychometric properties of the writing-specific cognitive strategies questionnaire for undergraduate students

Writing strategies are needed to manage the complexity of writing tasks, especially at university, where writing tasks are for learning, professional, or scientific purposes and are highly demanding. The literature shows that many undergraduate students have defined, stable, writing strategies, although some lack proper strategic development and require explicit instruction in this regard. In both cases, adapting writing tasks to undergraduate students’ preferences and instructing them effectively requires understanding their writing strategies, which will encourage optimal learning and writing proficiency. This is why valid, reliable, writing strategy assessment tools are essential. The present study focused on the validation of the Spanish Writing Strategies Questionnaire-Undergraduate Students (WSQ-SU), aimed at measuring undergraduate students’ preferences for using different writing strategies. The sample comprised 978 Spanish undergraduates doing degrees in Infant, Primary or Social Education, Pedagogy and Psychology. The data from the questionnaire was explored by means of exploratory and confirmatory analysis, test–retest reliability to analyse temporal stability and convergent validity. Two factors, planning and revising, were identified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, representing different writing strategies and supporting the original model. The results indicated adequate test–retest reliability and temporal stability. The results also showed the questionnaire’s convergent validity; a direct, linear correlation between two factors and off-line planning and revising variables. Based on the results, the WSQ for undergraduate students-Spanish version has been shown to be a reliable and valid, scale that can be easily applied in the university context to explore undergraduate students’ writing strategies.
Dynamics of carbonate chemistry, production, and calcification of the Florida Reef Tract (2009–2010): Evidence for seasonal dissolution

Ocean acidification is projected to lower the Ωar of reefal waters by 0.3–0.4 units by the end of century, making it more difficult for calcifying organisms to secrete calcium carbonate while at the same time making the environment more favorable for abiotic and biotic dissolution of the reefal framework. There is great interest in being able to project the point in time when coral reefs will cross the tipping point between being net depositional to net erosional in terms of their carbonate budgets. Periodic in situ assessments of the balance between carbonate production and dissolution that spans seasonal time scales may prove useful in monitoring and formulating projections of the impact of ocean acidification on reefal carbonate production. This study represents the first broad‐scale geochemical survey of the rates of net community production (NCP) and net community calcification (NCC) across the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). Surveys were performed at approximately quarterly intervals in 2009–2010 across seven onshore‐offshore transects spanning the upper, middle, and lower Florida Keys. Averaged across the FRT, the rates of NCP and NCC were positive during the spring/summer at 62 ± 7 and 17 ± 2 mmol m−2 d−1, respectively, and negative during the fall/winter at −33 ± 6 and −7 ± 2 mmol m−2 d−1. The most significant finding of the study was that the northernmost reef is already net erosional (−1.1 ± 0.4 kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1) and midreefs to the south were net depositional on an annual basis (0.4 ± 0.1 kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1) but erosional during the fall and winter. Only the two southernmost reefs were net depositional year‐round. These results indicate that parts of the FRT have already crossed the tipping point for carbonate production and other parts are getting close.
Distribution of slip at the northern Sumatran fault system

We model spatial variations in horizontal displacements of 117 geodetic sites measured during annual surveys in 1989-1996 with the Global Positioning System (GPS) as elastic strain across a locked strike-slip fault to infer the contemporary slip rate, locking depth, and location of the Sumatran fault (SF) in northern Sumatra (1 S-3 N). GPS-derived slip rate estimates increase slightly northward from 23 plus or minus 3 mm/yr at 0.8 deg S to 26 plus or minus 2mm/yr at 2.7 N. They agree with geologic estimates north of the Equator, but at 0.5 S they are about 10 mm/yr higher. Strain appears to be distributed asymmetrically about the fault. South of 2 N, about 5 mm/yr of shear is required within the offshore forearc, west of the fault, to achieve a closer agreement of fault locations inferred from GPS velocities with geologically identified traces of the SF. Locking depth estimates are on the order of 10-20 km. The western branch of the major fault bifurcation near 1 N slips at a rate five times higher than the eastern branch. The two main strands of the fault at the northwestern tip of Sumatra (5.5 N) appear to be nearly free of horizontal strain; significant slip must occur away from the two strands, probably further east at two other geologically active branches. The Banda Aceh embayment is extruded to the northwest at a rate of 5 plus or minus 2 mm/yr. Within the estimated velocity uncertainties of several mm/yr, fault-normal deformation along the SF is insignificant. Almost strain free, the northern part of the back-arc basin is part of a rigid Sunda shelf, while the northern forearc is subjected to 8 plus or minus 5 x 10 (exp -8)/yr of extension nearly parallel to the arc.
Perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution: a review of a prescription treatment for dry eye disease that directly targets tear evaporation

ABSTRACT Introduction Perfluorohexyloctane (PFHO) ophthalmic solution (brand name, MIEBO) was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED). Unlike most DED treatments, PFHO addresses evaporative DED, which represents the vast majority of DED cases. PFHO may function as a surrogate for the tear film’s lipid layer, inhibiting evaporation. Areas covered This article summarizes data – found via PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov (May 30-1 September 2023) – surrounding PHFO and provides some considerations for its use. Preclinically, PFHO’s unique molecular properties facilitate formation of a layer at the tear film’s air-liquid interface and inhibit saline evaporation by 81%. These properties translate to improved clinical outcomes in DED: in phase 3 studies, 40% to 50% of PFHO-group patients had a ≥ 3-step total corneal fluorescein staining improvement at day 57, and approximately 60% of patients had ≥ 30% reduction in visual analog scale dryness scores, improvements that persisted to 52 weeks. Additionally, PFHO demonstrated a robust safety profile. Expert opinion PFHO is the first prescription eye drop that directly addresses hyperevaporation in DED. PFHO is poised to help fill the large unmet need of patients with evaporative DED, potentially improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
A Novel Method for Optimizing Color Selection Using the Hadamard Product Technique

Numerous research endeavors have employed color selection procedures for a vast array of purposes. Detecting defects in fabrics, calculating the Microbial Community Color Index, analyzing digital color to facilitate fashion design processes, applying color to artworks, calculating canopy cover, and achieving other objectives have been the subject of research. This procedure requires intricate steps, calculations, and a lengthy computational time. In this study, a novel strategy for optimizing the color selection process using the Hadamard product technique is presented. The HSV color space is optimized by selectively selecting the desired colors and establishing threshold limits for each hue, saturation, and value component. The optimization results demonstrate that the desired colors are perfectly distinguished from other colors. Additionally, the proposed method employs a straightforward, step-by-step procedure that does not require feature extraction. In comparison to previous research, a remarkable increase in computational speed of 1,078.82 times faster has been observed. This improvement is achieved by multiplying each element of the HSV matrix resulting from color selection as opposed to the HSV matrix without selection. The faster computational speed observed in this study during the color selection process has the potential to be used in unmanned aerial vehicles to select green plants or ripe fruits.This study’s findings are applicable not only to plant images but also to all cases requiring color selection under visible light conditions.
Use of elexacaftor+tezacaftor+ivacaftor in individuals with cystic fibrosis and at least one F508del allele: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effect of treatment with the combination of three cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators-elexacaftor+tezacaftor+ivacaftor (ETI)-on important clinical endpoints in individuals with cystic fibrosis. Methods: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials that compared the use of ETI in individuals with CF and at least one F508del allele with that of placebo or with an active comparator such as other combinations of CFTR modulators, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations and the Patients of interest, Intervention to be studied, Comparison of interventions, and Outcome of interest (PICO) methodology. We searched the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov from their inception to December 26th, 2022. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, and the quality of evidence was based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Results: We retrieved 54 studies in the primary search. Of these, 6 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed (1,127 patients; 577 and 550 in the intervention and control groups, respectively). The meta-analysis revealed that the use of ETI increased FEV1% [risk difference (RD), +10.47%; 95% CI, 6.88-14.06], reduced the number of acute pulmonary exacerbations (RD, −0.16; 95% CI, −0.28 to −0.04), and improved quality of life (RD, +14.93; 95% CI, 9.98-19.89) and BMI (RD, +1.07 kg/m2; 95% CI, 0.90-1.25). Adverse events did not differ between groups (RD, −0.03; 95% CI, −0.08 to 0.01), and none of the studies reported deaths. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that ETI treatment substantially improves clinically significant, patient-centered outcomes.
Investigation of the Impact of Technology on the Written Production of EFL Learners in Iraqi Kurdistan

Writing is a significant manner of learning a foreign language and can be essential in facilitating second language development. Moreover, it is an essential part of language learning for L2 learners. Research has shown that many EFLs perform poorly in written language skills. Research has shown that many EFLs perform poorly in written language skills. The present study aimed to investigate technology's impact on EFL learners' written production in Iraqi Kurdistan. In this research, a single group pre-test-post-test method was utilized. The research community included Iraqi EFL learners, and the research sample included 30 intermediate-level learners. In order to measure the students' self-evaluation of their writing skills, the students completed the Self-Assessment of English Writing Skills and Use of Writing Strategies questionnaire. A descriptive writing task was used to measure students' writing performance. SPSS22 software was used for data analysis. The normality of the scores was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The Likert scale evaluation showed that Self-Assessment of English Writing Skills with an average of 69.03±25.21 was evaluated at a relatively favorable level and Use of Learning Strategies with an average of 149.83±69.38 at an unfavorable level. The results indicated that the average score of the students in the pre-test was 17.37±2.16, and in the post-test, it was 21.00±1.96. Based on the results, a statistically significant difference was observed between the pre-test and post-test results. In the present study, we found that Iraqi EFL learners' writing skills and practices improved significantly with the help of technology.
Palaeospheniscus Patagonicus (Aves, Sphenisciformes): New Discoveries from the Early Miocene of Argentina

Abstract The penguin skeleton studied here constitutes the fourth partial skeleton found in Patagonia, and the third one with an associated humerus and tarsometatarsus. The finding of this partial skeleton identified with certainty as Palaeospheniscus patagonicus Moreno and Mercerat, 1891 (Aves, Sphenisciformes) allows the first description of elements other than the tarsometatarsus. The material comes from the basal sector of the Gaiman Formation (Early Miocene), located along the Atlantic coast of Chubut Province, south of Rawson city. This unit comprises a succession of shales, fine tuffs, sandstones, tuffaceous sandstones, and coquinas deposited in a shallow marine environment. These beds contain abundant marine vertebrates (sharks, dolphins, rays, birds), mollusk casts, and oyster beds. The skeleton includes: rostrum, two thoracic vertebrae, right coracoid without the distal end, left humerus, right femur, right tarsometatarsus, left fragmentary scapula, left coracoid, left radius without the distal end, proximal portion of left ulna, proximal end of left femur, and preacetabular part of the synsacrum. P. patagonicus would have been a medium-sized penguin weighing about 5 kg that inhabited the breeding colonies established in the nearby Bryn Gwyn area during the early Miocene. Despite the abundance of penguin remains known for Argentina, and the fact that they are among the birds with a better fossil record, this skeleton is an exceptional case. This finding allows a readjustment of the taxonomic criteria applicable to fossil and living species.
Base promoted coupling of α-ketoacids and 2-substituted aromatic amines: Green synthesis of diverse benzoxazoles, benzothiazoles, quinoxalinones and benzoxazinones and its practical application

Abstract Synthesis of 2-aryl substituted benzoxazoles, benzothiazoles, and quinoxalinones via decarboxylative coupling of α-keto acids with 2-aminophenol, 2-aminothiophenol, and OPD (o-phenylenediamine), using K2CO3 as a base in water at room temperature, and as well as solvent-free grinding and the synthesis of benzoxazinones from the reaction of α-keto acids with 2-aminophenol at 60 °C have been reported. Both the protocols afforded a wide range of desired products with excellent functional group tolerance in yields of 87–99%. The major advantages of these approaches are catalyst-free protocol, short reaction times, straightforward workup, and chromatography-free processing of the products. Additionally, to test the translational demand of this methodology, the synthesis of 2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-6-methylbenzo[d]oxazole was carried out which is a key structure of tafamidis, a commercially available drug. Graphical Abstract
Early Miocene leucogranites in Dinggye area, southern Tibet: Formation mechanism and tectonic implications

The Ama Drime Massif, Dinggye area, is located in the central Greater Himalaya and consists of granitic gneisses, metapelites, metabasites and massive leucogranites, and has experienced amphibolite- to granulite-facies metamorphism. Whole-rock major- and trace-element, radiogenic isotope (Sr and Nd), and SHRIMP zircon analyses were undertaken to investigate the petrogenic relationship between the leucogranites and the metamorphic rocks, as well as the formation mechanism of the leucogranites. Bulk element and Sr-Nd isotope analyses show that the leucogranites have (1) high SiO2 (72%), Al2O3 (12%), and A/CNK (1.0); (2) high Rb and low Sr, thus high Rb/Sr ratios (1.0); (3) high contents of total REE, and substantial negative Eu anomalies; and (4) high initial Sr (87Sr/86Sr(t)=0.7621~0.8845) and low Nd (eNd(t)=-13.0~-20.2) isotopic compositions. High Rb/Sr ratios and Sr-Nd isotope systematics indicate that the leucogranites were mainly derived from muscovite dehydration melting of metapelite with a substantial contribution from granitic gneiss. SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the leucogranites have preserved a record of two episodes of partial melting at 21.0±0.7Ma and 15.8±0.1Ma, respectively; and the granitic gneisses experienced high-grade metamorphism at 22.2±1.4Ma, similar to the timing of retrograde metamorphism in this area. In conclusion, both granitic and pelitic gneisses have experienced high-grade metamorphism and anatexis. The Miocene anatectic event could be episodic and at least produced leucogranitic melts at 22~21Ma and ~16Ma, respectively.
Joint component-system maintenance planning over entire system task profile

Abstract Engineering systems have become increasingly complex, which demands the study of system-level maintenance strategy to be integrated with a realistic prediction of component-level performance. Most previous research of system maintenance models has focused only on the relationship between component failure rate and maintenance cost. For a system with degrading components, however, it is more intuitive to model the system’s health state together with component degradation processes. In this paper we propose a preventive maintenance strategy based on the simulation of component degradation processes and lifetime predictions. In addition, the proposed strategy utilizes the maintenance opportunities between tasks assigned by system. Specifically, the unit-time system maintenance cost is minimized with the consideration of interactions between component-level and system-level decision-makings. The approach we propose is more practical due to the simulation of the component degradation processes according to the real task profile of the system and the initial maintenance schedule can be re-adjusted in the event of an unexpected component failure. Therefore, it ensures an overall low maintenance cost and high system reliability over time. A case study of unmanned aerial vehicle illustrates the proposed method.
Mothers’ Breast Milk Composition and Their Respective Infant’s Gut Microbiota Differ between Five Distinct Rural and Urban Regions in Vietnam

Microbiota colonization and development in early life is impacted by various host intrinsic (genetic) factors, but also diet, lifestyle, as well as environmental and residential factors upon and after birth. To characterize the impact of maternal nutrition and environmental factors on vaginally born infant gut microbiota composition, we performed an observational study in five distinct geographical areas in Vietnam. Fecal samples of infants (around 39 days old) and fecal and breast milk samples of their mothers (around 28 years) were collected. The microbiota composition of all samples was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene Illumina sequencing and a bioinformatics workflow based on QIIME. In addition, various breast milk components were determined. Strong associations between the geographically determined maternal diet and breast milk composition as well as infant fecal microbiota were revealed. Most notable was the association of urban Ha Noi with relatively high abundances of taxa considered pathobionts, such as Klebsiella and Citrobacter, at the expense of Bifidobacterium. Breast milk composition was most distinct in rural Ha Long Bay, characterized by higher concentrations of, e.g., docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), selenium, and vitamin B12, while it was characterized by, e.g., iron, zinc, and α-linolenic acid (ALA) in Ha Noi. Breast milk iron levels were positively associated with infant fecal Klebsiella and negatively with Bifidobacterium, while the EPA and DHA levels were positively associated with Bifidobacterium. In conclusion, differences between five regions in Vietnam with respect to both maternal breast milk and infant gut microbiota composition were revealed, most likely in part due to maternal nutrition. Thus, there could be opportunities to beneficially steer infant microbiota development in a more desired (rural instead of urban) direction through the mother’s diet.
Sparse Multichannel Decomposition of Electrodermal Activity With Physiological Priors

Goal: Inferring autonomous nervous system (ANS) activity is a challenging issue and has critical applications in stress regulation. Sweat secretions caused by ANS activity influence the electrical conductance of the skin. Therefore, the variations in skin conductance (SC) measurements reflect the sudomotor nerve activity (SMNA) and can be used to infer the underlying ANS activity. These variations are strongly correlated with emotional arousal as well as thermoregulation. However, accurately recovering ANS activity and the corresponding state-space system from a single channel signal is difficult due to artifacts introduced by measurement noise. To minimize the impact of noise on inferring ANS activity, we utilize multiple channels of SC data. Methods: We model skin conductance using a second-order differential equation incorporating a time-shifted sparse impulse train input in combination with independent cubic basis spline functions. Finally, we develop a block coordinate descent method for SC signal decomposition by employing a generalized cross-validation sparse recovery approach while including physiological priors. Results: We analyze the experimental data to validate the performance of the proposed algorithm. We demonstrate its capacity to recover the ANS activations, the underlying physiological system parameters, and both tonic and phasic components. Finally, we present an overview of the algorithm's comparative performance under varying conditions and configurations to substantiate its ability to accurately model ANS activity. Our results show that our algorithm performs better in terms of multiple metrics like noise performance, AUC score, the goodness of fit of reconstructed signal, and lower missing impulses compared with the single channel decomposition approach. Conclusion: In this study, we highlight the challenges and benefits of concurrent decomposition and deconvolution of multichannel SC signals.
Language demands in undergraduate mathematics courses

This study examines language demands in undergraduate university mathematics classes with a view to better preparing and supporting international and other culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in the United States universities. We observed and analyzed the language demands of 13 entry-level mathematics classes across two large universities. Findings showed that mathematics instruction required extensive and varied listening skills requiring students to listen to long and uninterrupted stretches of sometimes fast paced speech. Technical vocabulary contributed to the language demands, but instructors used both academic and colloquial varieties of language in instruction, interweaving mathematical nouns with phrasal verbs to explain mathematical processes. We suggest a greater focus on development of academic listening skills in English language classes as well as potential collaboration with mathematics campus resources and faculty for additional student support for preparing CLD students for potential future discourse practices.