Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Long‐Term Changes in Regional Groundwater Recharge Using a Water Balance Model for New Mexico

In New Mexico in the arid southwestern United States, groundwater recharge is crucial to sustain groundwater (GW), which is vitally important to life, agriculture, industry, and ecosystems. To better understand the changes in recharge statewide, we explored the changes in groundwater recharge (RE), precipitation (P), surface water inflow (SWin), outflow (SWout), diversions (SWdiv), returns (SWret), and surface water and GW evapotranspiration (SWE and GWET) in five New Mexico counties: Taos, Torrance, Doña Ana, Eddy, and Lea during 1975–2015. The results show that the change‐point of RE was in the 1990s, leading to contrasting tendencies in RE before and after the change‐point with a decreasing rate during the latter one. There was a significant positive relationship between RE and P for Taos. The highest contribution rate (CR) to RE was SWout for Taos, whereas GWET ranked as the top CR for the other counties. Furthermore, the annual CR of GWET to RE increased significantly in all counties except Lea. The above results reveal that P and surface water flows played the dominant role in impacting RE in northern New Mexico where surface water is the primary local water resources, whereas GWET had the highest and increasingly continuous influence in central and southern New Mexico where the surface water is much less than that in northern New Mexico. This study shows that water budgets are important to identify differences in regional hydrological regimes that affect planning to maintain RE to groundwater.
Determining Factors Affecting Acceptance of E-Learning Platforms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Integrating Extended Technology Acceptance Model and DeLone & McLean IS Success Model

Online meeting platforms have been widely utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the current shift from traditional learning. However, the acceptance of the different online meeting platforms for e-learning has been underexplored. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors for acceptance of an online learning platform among students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 500 senior high school students voluntarily participated to answer constructs under the Extended Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM) and Delone and McLean IS Success Model. Several latent including user interface (UI), perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), information quality (IQ), system quality (SQ), behavioral intentions (BI), and actual use were analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicated that PEU was found to have the greatest on actual use (AU), followed by UI and SQ towards PEU, which subsequently led to BI and AU. Finally, IQ was found to have a significant effect on PU, which led to BI and AU. The level of student acceptability considers the ease of use, user interface, system quality, information quality, leading to a positive behavioral intention for actual use. With that, it would be of best interest to consider the factors that would lead students towards accepting the platforms utilized and therefore the current education system. Moreover, this will lead to their acceptance and promote learning even with the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the model construct can be applied and utilized to analyze the online learning platforms in other countries.
Eurosphere or Anglosphere? Canadian Public Opinion on Brexit and the Future of Transatlantic Relations

Abstract Close relations with Europe, especially but not only with the United Kingdom, have long been a consensual tenet of Canadian foreign policy, which has supported European integration since the 1970s. The UK's withdrawal from the European Union threatens to upset this consensus. While Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has consistently cast Brexit in a negative light, Conservative leaders Andrew Scheer and Erin O'Toole have commented positively on the UK's leaving the EU. Did their polarized views resonate in the population? To answer this question, this article analyzes the results of an original survey of voting-age Canadians. Findings show a strong degree of correspondence between positions expressed in party discourse and preferences in the Canadian population. This raises the possibility that the difference between two models of transatlantic relations, which we call Eurosphere and Anglosphere, could emerge as a new fault line in Canadian foreign policy.
New Version of High-Damping PCB with Multi-Layered Viscous Lamina

In a previous study, a high-damping printed circuit board (PCB) implemented by multilayered viscoelastic acrylic tapes was investigated to increase the fatigue life of solder joints of electronic packages by vibration attenuation in a random vibration environment. However, the main drawback of this concept is its inability to mount electronic parts on the PCB surface area occupied by interlaminated layers. For the efficient spatial accommodation of electronics, this paper proposes a new version of a high-damping PCB with multilayered viscoelastic tapes interlaminated on a thin metal stiffener spaced from a PCB. Compared to the previous study, this concept ensures efficient utilization of the PCB area for mounting electronic parts as well as the vibration attenuation capability. Free vibration tests were performed at various temperatures to obtain the basic characteristics of the proposed PCB. The effectiveness of the proposed PCB was verified by random vibration fatigue tests of sample PCBs with various numbers of viscoelastic layers to compare the fatigue life of electronic packages.
A One-Year Audit of Varicose Vein Surgery at a Vascular Surgical Unit with a Long-Term Duplex and Quality of Life Follow-Up

Objective: With the introduction of endovenous treatments, open varicose veins surgery was discarded due to a claimed high risk of neovascularisation. A one-year audit was set up to look at results from performing mainly open surgery. Methods: All varicose vein interventions were registered and prospectively followed with colour Duplex assessments after 4-6 weeks, 1 and >5 years. In addition, Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ) was used in addition to Varicose Vein Severity Score (VCSS) to assess patients’ quality of life (QoL) and the disease severity. Results: During the year, 236 patients/252 legs were operated and 28% were re-do procedures. Median age was 55 years (16-87) and 70% were females. Duplex at 4-6 weeks showed a primary success rate of 91%. Neovascularisation was noted in 8% one year after primary surgery. The long-term assessment was done after a median of 69 months (39-75) and 67% of all legs were examined. After primary surgery 16% showed neovascularisation compared with and 27% after re-do procedures. VCSS improved significantly from 6 (range 1-22) to 2 at the long-term follow-up (p<0.001). The AVVQ score improved from 20 (range 3-55) down to 10 (p<0.001). Conclusion: The risk for neovascularisation seems to have been overestimated and good long-term results can be achieved following modern open surgery. The major problem is to avoid varicose vein recurrence since results from re-do procedures seem less favourable long term.
Sangre Buena, Sangre Mala: a qualitative examination of familismo and aging –Mexican-American men’s heroin use

ABSTRACT This study explored the impact of the Hispanic cultural value of familismo (a focus on, and passionate commitment to, one’s family) on the injection heroin use patterns of a cohort of aging Mexican-American men. An ecological ethnographic approach was applied to 26 in-depth interviews of these men in recovery to determine the influence of familismo on initiation and cessation of heroin use. Iterative analysis revealed that in regard to interpersonal relationships with men, familismo functioned as a risk factor for heroin initiation and continued use. Conversely familismo functioned dialectically as both a risk factor for continued use, and protective factor contributing to recovery, in regard to relationships with women. A better understanding of the gendered impact of familismo on substance use patterns can provide valuable insight to inform the development of culturally grounded or adapted interventions for Hispanics/Latinos.
The effect of psychological contract on job related outcomes: The moderating effect of stigma consciousness

Abstract This study examines how employees’ tendencies with regard to relational or transactional contract could influence job related outcomes. The typology then relates to the stigma consciousness that each employee has regarding their employment status, as either temporary or permanent workers. This study argues that each worker has their own expectations with regard to being stigmatized due to their status employment, and this could then strengthen/weaken the relationships between relational or transactional contract on job related outcomes. The proposed hypotheses are validated through two cross-sectional studies in two different organizations in Indonesia. The findings indicate that there are positive relationships between individuals who predominantly hold relational contract and their job satisfaction and job performance, and less intention to quit. However, the opposite effects for transactional contract are not revealed in this study, which might be due to the cultural values of the sample. Further, the positive relationships of relational contract on job satisfaction and contextual performance are weakened when the respondents have high stigma consciousness, while the relationship with intention to quit is strengthened. Additional findings indicate that individuals who predominantly hold transactional contract tend to have less job satisfaction when they are highly stigma conscious. The academic and managerial implications of this work are also discussed in this study.
Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on education and psychology of medical students in Himachal Pradesh (India)

Background: WHO announced COVID-19 which is caused by SARS-CoV-2 as pandemic on 11 March 2020. In India first case of COVID-19 registered in Kerala on 29 January 2020 after that cases started to increase gradually. Government of India announced countrywide lockdown on 24 March 2020. All the academic institutes including medical colleges were closed till further orders. After forty days of strict lockdown the process of unlocking was started and medical students started to rejoin the college from the month of December 2020 onwards in a phased manner. The present study conducted on students studying in Dr. Radha Krishnan Government Medical College (DRKGMC) Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh regarding effect of lockdown on education and psychology of medical students.Methods: Study was conducted using a pretested structured questionnaire for data collection. Questionnaire was based on two components one was about the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on academics of students and second one about psychological effect on MBBS students.Results: Most of students said that they were not satisfied with online classes and had fear that they will lose one year of MBBS. There was overuse of mobile phones. Maximum students were occupied with idea of contracting COVID-19 and they were also thinking that they should be get tested for COVID-19 even they had no symptoms of disease. Very less students had difficulty in falling asleep and fear of death due to COVID-19.Conclusions: To defeat COVID-19 virus people have to follow COVID-19 appropriate behavior and vaccination.
Leucine zipper transcription factor-like 1 expression in gastric cancer and its relationship to relative adhesion molecule

Purpose: To evaluate the expression of leucine zipper transcription factor-like1 (LZTFL1) molecule in the gastric cancer tissues, and its relationship to cellular adhesion protein. Methods: Expressions of LZTFLl, E-cadherin, β-catenin, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) as well as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in the 133 gastric cancer samples and 40 gastritis samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Levels of mRNA in gastric cancer and latero-cancer tissue were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: Protein levels in gastric tissue decreased. The expression of LZTFL1in gastric cancer tissue correlated with tumor stage (tumor node metastasis staging), degree of tumor differentiation and invasion depth ( p < 0.05). Protein expression correlated with E-cadherin positively, and correlated with β-catenin and ICAM-1 negatively, but had no correlation with VCAM-1. Compared with tissues remote to the cancer, mRNA level of LZTFL1 in gastric cancer decreased significantly. There was no significant difference in LZTFL1 mRNA levels in the various clinical pathological tissues. LZTFL1 mRNA expression did not correlation with various adhesion factors. Conclusion: LZTFL1 is expressed at a low level in gastric cancer tissue. Its protein expression is related to cellular adhesion protein, but not to mRNA level. As a suppressor of invasion of cancer cells, LZTFL1 may be a potential target for targeted therapy of gastric cancer. Keywords: Leucine zipper transcription factor-like1 expression, Gastric cancer, Relative adhesion molecule, Protein expression
Unexpected new lizard from the Late Cretaceous of southern South America sheds light on Gondwanan squamate diversity

: The record of Cretaceous terrestrial lizards (Squamata) in South America is patchy, with seven species described from north-eastern and south-eastern Brazil, and few isolated records of iguanians and scincomorphans from the Argentinian Patagonia. Herein we describe a new genus and species of Cretaceous lizard, Paleochelco occultato gen. et sp. nov., based on a partial skull (MACN-Pv-N 120) discovered about three decades ago that was unnoticed in the Colección Paleovertebrados of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”. It comes from rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Neuquén Group) exposed at the Campus of the Universidad Nacional del Comahue, north of Neuquén City (Neuquén Province). The new taxon was included into a broad phylogenetic dataset of squamates and it was recovered around the base of Polyglyphanodontia in a constrained analysis using a total-evidence backbone. By contrast, the same, but topo- logically unconstrained analysis found Paleochelco occultato also around the base of Polyglyphanodontia but alternatively as the sister taxon to Polyglyphanodontia + Scleroglossa or as one of the sister taxa to the Mosasauria + Scleroglossa clade. The new finding, as well as other records from Argentina and Brazil, highlights a complex, still unrecovered, evolutionary history for lizards in the Mesozoic of South America.
Characterization of injected aluminum oxide nanoparticle clouds in an rf discharge

An experimental setup to deagglomerate and insert nanoparticles into a radio frequency discharge has been developed to confine defined aluminum oxide nanoparticles in a dusty plasma. For the confined particle clouds we have measured the spatially resolved in situ size and density distributions. Implementing the whole plasma chamber into the sample volume of an FTIR spectrometer the infrared spectrum of the confined aluminum oxide nanoparticles has been obtained. We have investigated the dependency of the absorbance of the nanoparticles in terms of plasma power, pressure and cloud shape. The particles’ infrared phonon resonance has been identified.
Knowledge and Attitudes of the Students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences Towards COVID-19 in 2020

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a great threat to public health and affected the study and lives of undergraduate students in Iran. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitude of students towards COVID- 19 at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 151 students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences from July 8 to July 14 in 2020. Convenience sampling was conducted based on the census method after completing and signing a consent form. The data were collected using an online questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS 61 software and the statistical tests of Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Pearson correlation. (P-value≤0.05). Results: The total mean scores of the students' knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19 were 80.26±5.02 and 16.05±1.65, respectively. A positive and significant relationship was found between the students' total scores of attitude and knowledge towards COVID-19 (r=0.35, P&lt;0.05). The total score of knowledge was significantly associated with the field of study (P=0.004), employment in medical centers (P=0.004), and voluntarily working during the pandemic (P=0.039). Conclusion: The present findings indicated that the students were equipped with the right knowledge and attitude towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Since this disease is new, and authentic academic centers come up with daily updates on relevant information about the prevention, treatment, symptoms, and transmission of the disease, health policymakers and the directors of training centers are recommended to make continuous efforts to promote and upgrade medical sciences students' information about the disease.
Microphysical Origin of Raindrop Size Distributions During the Indian Monsoon

Surface raindrop size distributions over a rain shadow region during the Indian summer monsoon are clustered using the k‐means algorithm. The rainfall for five dominant clusters has distinct vertical features in polarimetric radar and micro rain radar. The deep convection with low cloud bases and high liquid water is associated with sharply increasing radar reflectivity at low levels and the largest drops at the surface. The large drops, originated by ice processes, break while falling below the melting layer, causing a peak in raindrops smaller than 0.5 mm diameter near the cloud base, where the falling raindrops rapidly grow by collision‐coalescence without breaking. The number concentration in the stratiform rain is relatively moderate; hence a gradual raindrop growth, and uniform vertical reflectivity. However, few raindrops in stratiform rain grow to a larger diameter than in convective rain, for the same rain rate due to the absence of collisional breakup.
Comparative analysis of PVA hydrogels incorporating two natural antimicrobials: Punica granatum and Arnica montana tinctures

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels are biocompatible materials that retain relatively high amounts of aqueous fluids in their network. The incorporation of antimicrobial natural products, such as pomegranate and arnica, is a strategy for coupling their bactericidal effects with the favorable properties of the gels for wound healing treatment. The goal of this work was to investigate the microstructural, mechanical, and release properties of PVA-pomegranate and PVA-arnica samples. Physical interactions were observed by Fourier transform infrared spectra in PVA-pomegranate samples. The addition of pomegranate to PVA led to high Tg, probably related to the physical interactions, and low Tm and Xc, possibly due to the pomegranate location between PVA chains. Increased levels of arnica were associated with a slight decrease in samples' Xc, probably due to a physical barrier imposed by arnica to the interaction of PVA chains. PVA samples presented higher swelling than the samples containing natural products. High amounts of pomegranate in the samples led to high weight loss and high phenols and flavonoids delivery. Arnica release seemed to be more difficult than the pomegranate release. All samples presented relative high mechanical properties. In addition, pomegranate samples present higher potential to deliver active compounds than arnica samples. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45392.
Diversity and biogeography of Mediterranean freshwater blennies (Blenniidae, Salaria)

In the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, freshwater fishes are key biogeographic indicators, while their habitats are vulnerable to ongoing anthropogenic pressures. The freshwater blenny is a widespread endemic taxon in this area. However, our understanding of the overall diversity of specific populations and their phylogenetic relationships is sparse. Thus, we aim to investigate the genetic diversity, infer relationships among sampled populations related to major palaeoenvironmental changes and suggest insights for future research and conservation targets.
Species density models from opportunistic citizen science data

With the advent of technology for data gathering and storage, opportunistic citizen science data are proliferating. Species distribution models (SDMs) aim to use species occurrence or abundance for ecological insights, prediction and management. We analysed a massive opportunistic dataset with over 100,000 records of incidental shipboard observations of marine mammals. Our overall goal was to create maps of species density from massive opportunistic data by using spatial regression for count data with an effort offset. We illustrate the method with two marine mammals in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. We counted the total number of animals in 11,424 hexagons based on presence‐only data. To decrease bias, we first estimated a spatial density surface for ship‐days, which was our proxy variable for effort. We used spatial considerations to create pseudo‐absences, and left some hexagons as missing values. Next, we created SDMs that used modelled effort to create pseudo‐absences, and included the effort surface as an offset in a second stage analysis of two example species, northern fur seals and Steller sea lions. For both effort and species counts, we used spatial count regression with random effects that had a multivariate normal distribution with a conditional autoregressive (CAR) covariance matrix, providing 2.5 million Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samples (1,000 were retained) from the posterior distribution. We used a novel MCMC scheme that maintained sparse precision matrices for observed and missing data when batch sampling from the multivariate normal distribution. We also used a truncated normal distribution to stabilize estimates, and used a look‐up table for sampling the autocorrelation parameter. These innovations allowed us to draw several million samples in just a few hours. From the posterior distributions of the SDMs, we computed two functions of interest. We normalized the SDMs and then applied an overall abundance estimate obtained from the literature to derive spatially explicit abundance estimates, especially within subsetted areas. We also created ‘certain hotspots’ that scaled local abundance by standard deviation and using thresholds. Hexagons with values above a threshold were deemed as hotspots with enough evidence to be certain about them.