Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Tool for Assessing the Quality of Life of Adolescents in Youth Care: Psychometric Properties of the QOLYSS

ABSTRACT Quality of life (QOL) has gained increased interest as a critical pathway to better understanding the lives and circumstances of children and adolescents in both the general population and among specific populations. Yet, QOL assessment among youngsters in youth care services remains a highly under-researched topic. This study examines the suitability and psychometric properties of a new QOL self-report scale for adolescents between 12 and 18 years old in youth care: the Quality of Life in Youth Services Scale (QOLYSS). The provisional version of the QOLYSS was pre-tested in a sample of 28 adolescents in youth care to examine its applicability and feasibility. Next, a comprehensive evaluation of the psychometric properties of the field-test version was conducted in a sample of 271 adolescents in youth care in Flanders, Belgium (M = 15.43, SD = 1.73). Classical item and factor analyses were carried out per subscale, (test-retest) reliability and item-discriminant validity of the subscales were examined, convergent validity was explored, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the goodness-of-fit of different measurement models. Reliability measures of the scale are satisfactory, results are indicative of convergent validity, and confirmatory factor analysis provides evidence for the eight correlated factors model. Future lines of research concerning the ongoing development and application of the QOLYSS are discussed.
The impact of board characteristics and ownership structure on earnings management: Evidence from a frontier market

Abstract This paper contributes to the literature by separately examining the impact of board characteristics and ownership structure on upward and downward earnings management of non-financial firms listed on Hanoi Stock Exchange and Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange. In our research, we conduct Pooled OLS, Fixed and Random effect models, and Generalized least squares. Then, we run a regression with the System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM) to find the most appropriate model. Firms with high average board age, high ownership concentration, and high financial leverage tend to manage earnings downward. High managerial ownership tends to reduce downward earnings management. Firms with high state ownership reduce upward earnings management. Stakeholders should be more cautious of firms with high average board age, high ownership concentration, high financial performance, and high financial leverage as they tend to manage earnings. Previous studies combined upward and downward earnings management in one regression model, therefore ignoring the chance to investigate the impact of board characteristics and ownership structure on earnings management in each case. The impact of a factor on upward and downward earnings management may be different, and the combination of them in one regression model can drive the findings of previous studies toward errors of unknown directions. Therefore, assessing the effects of board characteristics and ownership structure on earnings management in each case is necessary. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to do so.
Time-dependent magnetic reconnection in two-dimensional periodic geometry

Abstract We compare the predictions of incompressible, analytic reconnection theory with numerical simulations performed using a time-dependent, doubly periodic code. The properties of the simulated current sheets are shown to be in good quantitative agreement with recent planar analytic reconnection solutions based on X-point merging driven by sheared incompressible flows. We conclude that the analytic treatment is not seriously compromised by assuming an open flow geometry and a one-dimensional current layer. The analytic models, when augmented by nonlinear saturation arguments, are also shown to provide resistive scaling laws that accord well with computed merging rates. By way of contrast, we have found no computational evidence for the osculation of separatrices in current sheets, even for the case of classical head-on reconnection in which all shearing flows are absent. We attribute this to the dynamic nature of the simulated current sheet. Our simulations provide some evidence that dynamic current sheets can break up into magnetic islands, but whether this fragmentation can be attributed to the tearing mode instability remains unclear.
Rheophysical classification of concentrated suspensions and granular pastes

On the basis of existing data along with rational arguments we propose an overview, in a conceptual diagram ~solid fraction vs shear rate ! , of the dominant interaction type ~Brownian, colloidal, and hydrodynamic ! at a mesoscopic scale within flows of concentrated suspensions or granular pastes. Different flow regimes identified by the values of dimensionless numbers are thus distinguished. The main characteristics of the rheological behavior of suspensions within each regime are inferred. A specific domain corresponds to regimes for which dilatancy effects occur which may lead to frictional or collisional processes if an additional ~normal ! force is applied over the particles. @S1063-651X~99! 09104-7#
Performance of DIMTEST- and NOHARM-Based Statistics for Testing Unidimensionality

This Monte Carlo study compares the ability of the parametric bootstrap version of DIMTEST with three goodness-of-fit tests calculated from a fitted NOHARM model to detect violations of the assumption of unidimensionality in testing data. The effectiveness of the procedures was evaluated for different numbers of items, numbers of examinees, correlations between underlying ability dimensions, skewness of underlying ability distributions, and the presence or absence of a guessing parameter. In the absence of guessing, DIMTEST and the NOHARM-based statistics had similar power, with the χ2 statistic having a very low Type I error rate. In the presence of guessing, however, two of the NOHARM-based statistics had unacceptably high Type I error rates, while the third performed similarly to DIMTEST. Given this inflated error rate, the study compares the empirical powers after adjusting for the discrepancy in Type I error rates.
Bifurcation theory of ac electric arcing

The performance of alternating current (ac) electric arcing devices is related to arc extinction or its re-ignition at zero crossings of the current (so-called ‘current zero’, CZ). Theoretical investigations thus usually focus on the transient behaviour of arcs near CZ, e.g. by solving the modelling differential equations in the vicinity of CZ. This paper proposes as an alternative approach to investigate global mathematical properties of the underlying periodically driven dynamic system describing the electric circuit containing the arcing device. For instance, the uniqueness of the trivial solution associated with the insulating state indicates the extinction of any arc. The existence of non-trivial attractors (typically a time-periodic state) points to a re-ignition of certain arcs. The performance regions of arcing devices, such as circuit breakers and arc torches, can thus be identified with the regions of absence and existence, respectively, of non-trivial attractors. Most important for applications, the boundary of a performance region in the model parameter space is then associated with the bifurcation of the non-trivial attractors. The concept is illustrated for simple black-box arc models, such as the Mayr and the Cassie model, by calculating for various cases the performance boundaries associated with the bifurcation of ac arcs.
Epidemic Characteristics, High-Risk Areas and Space-Time Clusters of Human Brucellosis — China, 2020–2021

Introduction Analyze the recent epidemiological and temporal-spatial characteristics of human brucellosis in China and provide information for adjusting strategies for brucellosis control. Methods Human brucellosis data were obtained from the National Notifiable Disease Reporting System (NNDRS). A geographical information system (GIS) was used to visualize high-risk areas with annual incidence based on county (district) polygons. The space-time scan statistic (STSS) was applied to detect the space-time clusters of human brucellosis. Results A total of 69,767 cases were reported from 2,083 counties in the mainland of China in 2021, a 47.7% increase from 2020 (47,425). About 95.5% of the total cases were centralized in northern China and 31.8% in Inner Mongolia (IM). The number of counties with an incidence exceeding 100 per 100,000 was 34 in 2020 and 65 in 2021. From 2020 to 2021, 24 space-time clusters were detected. The two primary clusters were located northeast of IM, including 109 counties. The secondary clusters affected 208 counties in 2020 and spread to 297 counties in 2021, the majority of which were located in the middle of IM, exhibiting a trend spreading west from IM to neighboring provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs). Conclusions From 2020 to 2021, the incidence of human brucellosis nationwide was exponential, demonstrating distinct spatiotemporal characteristics. Space-time clusters were located in IM and neighboring areas. Therefore, considerable efforts are required to curb this momentum.
Exergetic efficiency of a PEM electrolyser at various operating temperatures and pressures

This paper presents a comprehensive exergy analysis on a large scale 12,900kW PEM electrolyser at various operating temperatures and pressures. Calculations of physical exergy, mass flow rates and exergetic efficiency are performed at temperatures (T/To) and pressures (P/Po) ranging from 1 to 1.4 and 1 to 10, respectively. The results showed that at 1 atm (P/Po=1), the exergetic efficiency of an electrolyser decreases from 84% at 298K (T/To=1) to 62% at 417K (T/To=1.4).
Why Are There No Earthquakes in the Intracratonic Paris Basin? Insights from Flexural Models

Comparing nearby areas with contrasted seismicity distributions like the French Variscan Armorican Massif (AM) and the surrounding intracratonic Paris Basin (PB) can help deciphering which parameters control the occurrence or absence of diffuse, intraplate seismicity. In this paper, we examine how lithosphere temperature, fluid pressure, and frictional strength variations, combined with horizontal and bending stresses, may condition brittle, ductile or elastic behaviours of the crust in the AM and PB. We compute yield stress envelopes (YSE) and lithospheric flexure across a 1000 km-long SW–NE profile crossing the AM and PB approximately parallel to the direction of the minimum horizontal stress. Flexural models slightly better fit measured Bouguer gravity data if we apply two vertical loads on the AM and PB, with values (positive downward) ranging between −3 and −2.1012, and between 4 and 6.1012 N·m−2, respectively, depending on the chosen crustal composition. Our results evidence that whatever the crustal composition, bending stresses and heat flow variations alone are not sufficient to explain the difference in seismogenic behaviour between the AM and the PB. Variations in friction coefficient, in the range of standard values, are not totally satisfying either, since they do not restrain the brittle crustal thickness in the PB to less than 10 km, which is still large enough to be the locus of shallow earthquakes. Oppositely, increasing the cohesion from 10 to 80 MPa has a stronger effect on the thickness of the brittle upper crust, decreasing it from 10 to 15 km beneath the AM to 0–5 km beneath the PB. This suggests that the Mesozoic sedimentary pile can act as a sticky layer holding together basement rocks of the PB, which is equivalent to an increase in cohesion, and protects them from failure.
Growth performance, meat quality, and blood characteristics of finisher crossbred pigs fed diets supplemented with different levels of green tea (Camellia sinensis) by-products

Background and Aim: Dietary supplementation with green tea by-product shows special effects on animal parameters. This study aimed to assess the effects of green tea by-products (GTBP) in the diet on some blood parameters, growth performance, and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs and on meat quality, and nutritional composition of pork. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty crossbred pigs with an initial body weight of 65.15 ± 0.38 kg, were distributed into four dietary treatments, with four replicates of 10 pigs each. The dietary treatments were a basal diet (control diet, CON), and three experimental diets (GTBP8, GTBP16, and GTBP24) based on the CON diet supplemented with GTBP at 8, 16, and 24 g/kg of feed. The studied parameters were examined during the experimental period of 10 weeks. Results: No statistical differences in average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio were observed between the diet treatments (p > 0.05). Backfat thickness decreased (linear, p < 0.05) according to the GTBP levels but no other carcass parameters. Meat quality was not influenced by the GTBP levels (p > 0.05). However, pigs fed with GTBP had a decrease in cholesterol content and an increase in crude protein and total omega-3 content of pork compared to the CON diet (p < 0.05). Moreover, dietary supplementation with GTBP significantly decreased plasma cholesterol (p < 0.05), and trends for the decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and urea nitrogen were observed (linear, p = 0.08). Conclusion: Up to 24 g/kg GTBP in the diet for finishing pigs does not impair animal performance and makes carcass leaner with softer meat as well as positive effects on cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism. Further experiments are needed to determine the optimal levels of GTBP addition in finishing pig diet to produce higher meat quality.
Screen printing of a capacitive cantilever-based motion sensor on fabric using a novel sacrificial layer process for smart fabric applications

Free-standing cantilevers have been fabricated by screen printing sacrificial and structural layers onto a standard polyester cotton fabric. By printing additional conductive layers, a complete capacitive motion sensor on fabric using only screen printing has been fabricated. This type of free-standing structure cannot currently be fabricated using conventional fabric manufacturing processes. In addition, compared to conventional smart fabric fabrication processes (e.g. weaving and knitting), screen printing offers the advantages of geometric design flexibility and the ability to simultaneously print multiple devices of the same or different designs. Furthermore, a range of active inks exists from the printed electronics industry which can potentially be applied to create many types of smart fabric. Four cantilevers with different lengths have been printed on fabric using a five-layer structure with a sacrificial material underneath the cantilever. The sacrificial layer is subsequently removed at 160 °C for 30 min to achieve a freestanding cantilever above the fabric. Two silver electrodes, one on top of the cantilever and the other on top of the fabric, are used to capacitively detect the movement of the cantilever. In this way, an entirely printed motion sensor is produced on a standard fabric. The motion sensor was initially tested on an electromechanical shaker rig at a low frequency range to examine the linearity and the sensitivity of each design. Then, these sensors were individually attached to a moving human forearm to evaluate more representative results. A commercial accelerometer (Microstrain G-link) was mounted alongside for comparison. The printed sensors have a similar motion response to the commercial accelerometer, demonstrating the potential of a printed smart fabric motion sensor for use in intelligent clothing applications.
The Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown, Riots and A Hospital Fire on the Trauma Patient Load in Johannesburg

Introduction: Trauma remains pandemic in South Africa despite the ongoing healthcare burden from communicable and non-communicable diseases. During the Covid-19 pandemic, social behaviour was governed by changing rules and regulations depending on the peaks (waves) and troughs of the infection rate. This behaviour led to a change in the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients frequenting emergency departments. We aim to describe how the trauma profile was affected by the Covid-19 lockdown, a hospital fire and riots at the two Trauma Centers in Johannesburg. Methods: A retrospective audit of the Medibank database, Morbidity and Mortality meetings data and Emergency Department patient registry for the week of 9 - 16 July 2019, 2020, and 2021 at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg
ON THE CONGERGENCE OF LION'S IDENTIFICATION METHOD WITH RANDOM INPUTS.

Ar, interesting identification schenle for scalar input, scalar output linear systems, proposed by Lien in [1]^is investigated for a wide class of random inputs. The inputs ability) of the identi-include the class of functions u(t) _ {u^t), . u k (t)} i^ a Markov process stationary. An invariant set theorem is used to prove convergence (ir_ prob fication aJ_gorithm proposed in [1].
Cleft Palate Syndrome in the Endangered Spectacled Flying Fox (Pteropus conspicillatus): Implications for Conservation and Comparative Research

Simple Summary The spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) is an endangered frugivorous megabat with a restricted habitat in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in far north Queensland, Australia. Its population is in decline, and as such, mortality events in the species require investigation and the development of mitigation strategies. Cleft palate syndrome, first observed in the spectacled flying fox population in 1998, has produced sporadic neonatal mortality events over the past two decades. This study presents the rudimentary morphological signs of cleft palate syndrome in spectacled flying fox neonates, presenting gross pathology of syndromic signs upon visual inspection and a histological examination of palate malformations. It examines syndrome incidence data from the past two decades and reviews recent flying fox research to develop hypotheses related to the causes of the syndrome and to develop future research focuses. This, and future studies, will provide a greater understanding of the risk factors associated with the syndrome to guide the development of mitigation strategies that can deliver conservation outcomes for an endangered species, while presenting a unique opportunity for a novel comparative study into syndromic cleft palate in mammalian species. Abstract Cleft palate syndrome, first observed in the spectacled flying fox population in 1998, has produced sporadic neonatal mortality events over the past two decades, with an estimated incidence of up to 1/1000 births per year. This study presents a rudimentary characterisation of the syndrome, presenting gross pathology of syndromic signs upon visual inspection, a histological examination of palate malformations, and syndrome incidence data representing the past two decades. The syndrome presents with a range of signs, primarily congenital palate malformations ranging from a pinhole cleft to a complete hard and soft palate deficit, resulting in the death or abandonment of neonates shortly after birth. The congenital palate malformations are often associated with claw deformities, wiry facial hair, and in some instances, muscle weakness and neurological signs. The natural occurrence of the lethal congenital orofacial birth defects in the spectacled flying fox presents a unique opportunity for the investigation of putative aetiologies, drawing parallels between bat and other mammalian cleft palate risk factors. Further syndrome investigation has the potential to deliver both biodiversity conservation and comparative veterinary and biomedical outcomes.
Exact computation of the asymptotic efficiency of maximum likelihood estimators of a discontinuous signal in a Gaussian white noise

In this paper, the problem of computing the exact value of the asymptotic efficiency of maximum likelihood estimators of a discontinuous signal in a Gaussian white noise is considered. A method based on constructing difference equations for the appropriate moments is presented and used to show that the exact variance of the Pitman estimator is 16ζ(3), where ζ is the Riemann zeta function.
Advances in Imaging-Based Biomarkers in Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Critical Analysis of the Current Literature

Simple Summary Current imaging techniques do not reliably distinguish renal cell carcinoma from other renal diseases. This review summarizes recent advances in other imaging methods for the diagnosis and monitoring of potential kidney tumors. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET)/CT using various radiolabeled molecules to detect specific cancer-associated features, and computational extraction of data from CT images have all proven useful for various purposes, but more research is needed to verify their reliability. Abstract Cross-sectional imaging is the standard diagnostic tool to determine underlying biology in renal masses, which is crucial for subsequent treatment. Currently, standard CT imaging is limited in its ability to differentiate benign from malignant disease. Therefore, various modalities have been investigated to identify imaging-based parameters to improve the noninvasive diagnosis of renal masses and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes. MRI was reported to predict grading of RCC and to identify RCC subtypes, and has been shown in a small cohort to predict the response to targeted therapy. Dynamic imaging is promising for the staging and diagnosis of RCC. PET/CT radiotracers, such as 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), 124I-cG250, radiolabeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), and 11C-acetate, have been reported to improve the identification of histology, grading, detection of metastasis, and assessment of response to systemic therapy, and to predict oncological outcomes. Moreover, 99Tc-sestamibi and SPECT scans have shown promising results in distinguishing low-grade RCC from benign lesions. Radiomics has been used to further characterize renal masses based on semantic and textural analyses. In preliminary studies, integrated machine learning algorithms using radiomics proved to be more accurate in distinguishing benign from malignant renal masses compared to radiologists’ interpretations. Radiomics and radiogenomics are used to complement risk classification models to predict oncological outcomes. Imaging-based biomarkers hold strong potential in RCC, but require standardization and external validation before integration into clinical routines.
Magneto-optical transitions in nanoscopic rings

Near-infrared spectra of self-assembled quantum rings are calculated using the $\mathbf{k}\ensuremath{\cdot}\mathbf{p}$ method with rectangular band-offset potentials in three dimensions. The effective-mass model with energy-dependent mass is employed for the electron states and the four-band Hamiltonian for the hole states. Two different ways to include the magnetic-field interaction term in the four-band Hamiltonian are compared. Our calculations describe well, qualitatively, the absorption spectrum measured by Petterson et al. [H. Petterson, R. J. Warburton, A. Lorke, K. Karrai, J. P. Kotthaus, J. M. Garcia, and P. M. Petroff, Physica E 6, 510 (2000)]. and the photoluminescence magnetoresonances recently achieved by Haft et al. [D. Haft, C. Schulhauser, A. O. Govorov, R. J. Warburton, K. Karrai, J. M. Garcia, W. Schoenfeld, and P. M. Petroff, Physica E 13, 165 (2002)]. The possibility of finding the ``optical'' Aharanov-Bohm effect in the state-of-the-art self-assembled InGaAs quantum rings is also discussed.