Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theory of mind and hair cortisol in healthy young adults: the moderating effects of childhood trauma

ABSTRACT Background: Experiences of negative social interactions and childhood trauma (CT) can lead to aberrant hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal functions. Poor theory of mind (ToM) ability is related to increased social stress levels; however, studies on the relationship between ToM and cortisol remain scarce. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between ToM and the hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in healthy young adults considering the moderating role of CT. Method: A total of 206 healthy young adults were divided into two groups based on an experience of moderate-to-severe childhood trauma (CT+ and CT–). To determine whether CT moderated the relationship between ToM and HCC, moderation analysis was conducted controlling for age, sex, years of education, and scores of perceived stress, depression, and anxiety. Results: CT+ individuals reported higher subjective stress perception and depressive symptoms than CT– individuals, whereas anxiety-related symptoms, ToM, and HCC were not different between the groups. The experience of CT significantly moderated the relationship between ToM and HCC. The association between poorer ToM ability and higher HCC was significant only in CT+ group. Conclusion: CT is a moderator of the association between ToM and HCC, indicating the importance of CT in social cognition and the stress response. HIGHLIGHTS Impaired social cognition and childhood trauma (CT) is associated with cortisol secretion. Higher hair cortisol levels and poorer theory of mind (ToM) were associated in adults with CT. CT is a significant moderator of the link between ToM and hair cortisol levels.
Changes in Food Insecurity Among Individuals Using a Telehealth and Nutrition Platform: Longitudinal Study

Background Food insecurity is a complex public health problem affecting many individuals in the United States. Digital health interventions that promote behavior change and provide access to affordable and healthy food may help to alleviate food insecurity. Objective The aim of this study was to characterize food-insecure users of Foodsmart, a telehealth and nutrition platform with meal planning, food ordering, nutrition education, budgeting, and grocery discount features, and to evaluate changes in diet and food insecurity. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data collected from 4595 adults who used the Foodsmart platform between February and October 2021. Participants self-reported their diet, demographics, biometrics, and food insecurity status in a 56-item questionnaire. Participants were reported to be food insecure if they answered “sometimes” or “often” to the question “How often does the food you buy not last and you don't have money to get more? ” from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Household Food Security survey. We examined baseline characteristics of participants by food insecurity status, associations between characteristics and baseline food insecurity, and changes in diet quality and food insecurity status. To evaluate potential causes of reversing food insecurity, the use of 6 Foodsmart features was compared between food-insecure participants who achieved food security versus food-insecure participants who remained food insecure, based on their last response to the food insecurity question. Results We found that 16% (742/4595) of participants were food insecure at baseline. Participants who were food insecure at baseline were more likely to be obese, to have at least one chronic condition, to have a lower diet quality, to cook less frequently at home, to think healthy food is too expensive, and less likely to order takeout or eat at a restaurant. Among participants who were food insecure at baseline, 61% (451/742) improved their nutrition and 29% (217/742) responded that they were food secure at follow-up, with an increasing percentage achieving food security with longer enrollment time. Using a multivariable logistic regression model, we found that age, diabetes, prediabetes, BMI categories, and diet quality at baseline were statistically significantly associated with the likelihood of being food insecure at baseline. Among those who were food insecure at baseline, there was a higher relative proportion of participants who achieved food security and used the “deals” (28.6% higher), “CookItNow” (36.4% higher), and “telenutrition” (27.5% higher) features compared to those who remained food insecure. Conclusions This study assesses the characteristics of individuals enrolled on the Foodsmart platform who answered the food insecurity question. We found that a significant number of participants who were food insecure at enrollment achieved food security. This finding shows that telehealth and nutrition platforms may potentially help users improve household food security.
Effect of ageing on in vitro true seed and in vivo drupe germination and its dormancy mechanism in teak (Tectona grandis Linn.f)

The germination percentage of teak seed is generally very poor due to its higher percentage of empty seed and poor seed viability. The viable seeds exhibit protracted germination behaviour due to their inherent seed dormancy and other physiochemical characteristics. Hence establishing a teak nursery for largescale plantation activities is a challenging task. This study was undertaken to study the effect of ageing on in vitro true seed and in vivo drupe germination and its dormancy mechanism in teak. Fresh, one-year and two-year stored drupes were used to represent different levels of ageing. Under in vivo conditions, poor drupe germination was observed in fresh drupes (3%) and germination percentage was increased when the drupes were subjected to ageing for one year (17%) or two years (32%). When true seeds separated from fresh drupes and germinated under in vitro conditions, enhanced germination (58.3%) was observed. Biochemical analysis showed that indole-3- acetic acid, indole butyric acid, abscisic acid and coumarin are not present in fresh, one year and two-year-old true seeds. The gibberellic acid was increased with an increase in ageing, but the GA3 did not influence the germination percent under in vitro conditions. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of fresh teak true seed showed that embryo tip was shrivelled, whereas one and two-year-old true seed embryo tip bulged; this was confirmed that one and two-year-old true seed embryos were matured and satisfied the after-ripening requirement. Nursery studies revealed that one and two-year-old drupes recorded the highest germination compared to fresh drupes.
Methods of Radiographic Measurements of Heart and Left Atrial Size in Dogs with and without Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease: Intra- and Interobserver Agreement and Practicability of Different Methods

Simple Summary In the present study, different radiographic measurements for evaluating the cardiac size and left atrial size in dogs with and without myxomatous mitral valve disease were evaluated. Veterinarians applied these measurements with different levels of experience to identify heart enlargement in conventional and inverted radiographs. The repeatability and ease of application were evaluated. It was shown that radiographic measurements can identify cardiac enlargement reliably and even potentially stage dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease if echocardiography is unavailable. The measurements can be performed in conventional and inverted radiographs with reliable results by veterinarians with different degrees of experience. Abstract Dogs suffering from Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease (MMVD) show a potential heart enlargement, especially in the left atrium, detectable by radiography. Due to digital radiography, different radiographic measurements estimate cardiac size quite uncomplicatedly. The Vertebral Heart Size (VHS), Radiographic Left Atrial Dimension (RLAD), Left Atrial Width (LAWidth), and the Vertebral Left Atrial Size (VLAS) used anatomical landmarks for measuring cardiac size in relation to the vertebral column. This study aimed to compare VHS, RLAD, LAWidth, and VLAS measured in conventional and inverted radiographs by veterinarians with different levels of experience in healthy dogs and dogs with MMVD. The reliability and user-friendliness of these measurements were evaluated, and the staging was compared to the echocardiography staging. A total of 50 unaffected dogs and 150 dogs with MMVD in stages B1, B2, and C were assessed. Three veterinarians with different levels of experience examined 200 conventional radiographs and their corresponding inverted radiographs blinded to the echocardiographic and clinical examination results. Analyses were performed to compare the measurements’ grading and determine anatomical landmarks with measurement difficulties. Additionally, inter- and intraobserver agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient, and the agreement between radiographic and echocardiographic staging was compared using the kappa coefficient. The VHS, LAWidth, and VLAS were easier to define than the RLAD. The interobserver agreement was almost perfect for VHS (0.962) and good for the other radiographic measurements (RLAD: 0.778, LAWidth: 0.772, VLAS: 0.858). The VHS assigned the most dogs to the correct stage. However, VHS, RLAD, LAWidth, and VLAS presented an almost perfect intraobserver agreement. The dorsal left atrial margin of the RLAD was the most difficult measurement point to identify. The VHS is the most reproducible radiographic method for measuring the canine heart size and shows the highest agreement with echocardiography. An observer-related influence could be detected for RLAD, LAWidth, and VLAS.
The specification and refinement of timed processes

The use of predicate transformers to model the action of sequential programs has allowed the construction of a refinement calculus for expressing the formal verification of the top-down development of sequential programs. It is shown that predicate transformers may also be used to model real-time processes. The notions of precondition and postcondition in the sequential refinement calculus are replaced by the notions of assumption and effect. In this way the formal development of real-time processes may also be expressed within the refinement calculus. Notations are developed for the specification and implementation of real-time processes within the framework of the refinement calculus. Several case-studies are presented to demonstrate the utility of this approach.
Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (TLA) Implementation to Address the Psychomotor Domain of Engineering Students During Open and Distance Learning (ODL): A Pilot Study

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Malaysia had to change their face-to-face teaching and learning to Open and Distance Learning (ODL). Previous studies indicate difficulties associated with assessing psychomotor skills in engineering education via ODL. This study aims to observe the Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (TLA) implementation in carrying out laboratory work during ODL. This paper presents a pilot study involving 30 undergraduate engineering students. A descriptive research design applied using a document review and an online questionnaire survey to gather data on the effectiveness of the TLA related to psychomotor skills. The Cronbach's alpha values of more than 0.7, indicates that the instrument has obtained good internal reliability and consistency. The top-ranked challenge faced during ODL was a lack of equipment. Furthermore, the students recommended the provision of online simulations to improve online laboratory-based courses. The findings provide a basis and reference for improvements to carry out the main study on a larger scale that involves more engineering students in public and private universities in Malaysia. This study may facilitate the development of engineering programs in the HLIs to improve the practice-based learning curriculum during ODL.
Combining ability analysis in rice

The performance of extensively used mating designs was studied for their ability to discriminate parental line with good or poor general combining ability in a set of crosses involving nine parents of indica rice. Based on the general combining ability estimates for 16 agro-morphological characters the line X tester analysis varied with the change of tester parents. Using tester with broader genetic base line X tester analysis could indentify relatively large number of good or poor combining parents. The combining ability revealed that none of parental line were found excellent for all the characters. Among the nine lines, Pusa-1463 (L9) is a good general combiner for the characters days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, no. of field grain panicle-1, no. of sterile grain panicle-1, panicle length, biological yield plant-1, grain yield plant -1 weight plant-1, harvest index and test weight.
Review of Treatment for Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency (ADA) Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)

Abstract Adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA) is a purine salvage pathway deficiency that results in buildup of toxic metabolites causing death in rapidly dividing cells, especially lymphocytes. The most complete form of ADA leads to severe combined immune deficiency (SCID). Treatment with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) was developed in the 1970s and became the treatment for ADA SCID by the 1980s. It remains an option for some infants with SCID, and a stopgap measure for others awaiting curative therapy. For some infants with ADA SCID who have matching family donors hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is an option for cure. Gene therapy for ADA SCID, approved in some countries and in trials in others, is becoming possible for more infants with this disorder. This review covers the history of ADA SCID, the treatment options to date and particularly the history of the development of gene therapy for ADA SCID and the current state of the risks and benefits of the gene therapy option.
Beetle (Coleoptera) communities inside and outside the pest-resistant fencing of a New Zealand ecosanctuary

ABSTRACT The ecological impacts of invasive mammals are widely documented around the world. In New Zealand, fencing designed to exclude non-native mammals is used for conservation and restoration efforts. The Orokonui Ecosanctuary is a 307-hectare coastal Otago reserve (Dunedin, New Zealand) that is surrounded by mammal-exclusion fencing. The goal of the present study was to investigate how excluding mammals and including (native) animals inside the Orokonui Ecosanctuary fence has influenced ground- and litter-dwelling beetle (Coleoptera) abundance, diversity, and community composition. We hypothesised that beetle abundance, diversity, and community composition would be different whether the beetles sampled were from sites inside the fence or outside the fence. Beetles were extracted from the litter and soil of six sites (three inside, three outside) two times (once in winter, once in summer). The abundance, diversity, species composition, size distribution, and trophic guild distribution of beetles inside and outside the fence and between seasons were compared. Our results suggest that sites inside the fence harbour a greater abundance and diversity of beetles. We found a high abundance of native beetles both inside and outside the Orokonui Ecosanctuary’s fence. Further research may find evidence that the fenced sanctuary is providing a ‘halo effect’ whereby native beetles thriving within the Orokonui Ecosanctuary are spreading out into the surrounding landscape and also outcompeting introduced beetles.
Goodness of Fit Tests for Moment Condition Models

This paper proposes novel methods for the construction of tests for models specified by unconditional moment restrictions. It exploits the classical-like nature of generalized empirical likelihood (GEL) to define Pearson-type statistics for over-identifying moment conditions and parametric constraints based on constrasts of GEL implied probabilities which are natural by-products of GEL estimation. As is increasingly recognized, GEL can possess both theoretical and empirical advantages over the more standard generalized method of moments (GMM). Monte Carlo evidence comparing GMM, GEL and Pearsontype statistics for over-identifying moment conditions indicates that the size properties of a particular Pearson-type statistic is competitive in most and an improvement over other statistics in many circumstances.
Identification of State-Space Models from Time and Frequency Data

This dissertation considers the identication of linear multivariable systems using finite dimensional time-invariant state-space models.Parametrization of multivariable state-space models is considered. A full parametrization, where all elements in the state-space matrices are parameters, is introduced. A model structure with full parametrization gives two important implications; low sensitivity realizations can be used and the structural issues of multivariable canonical parametrizations are circumvented. Analysis reveals that additional estimated parameters do not increase the variance of the transfer function estimate if the resulting model class is not enlarged.Estimation and validation issues for the case of impulse response data are discussed. Identication techniques based on realization theory are linked to the prediction error method. The combination of these techniques allows for the estimation of high quality models for systems with many oscillative modes. A new model quality measure, Modal Coherence Indicator, is introduced. This indicator gives an independent quality tag for each identified mode and provides information useful for model validation and order estimation.Two applications from the aircraft and space industry are considered. Both problems are concerned with vibrational analysis of mechanical structures. The first application is from an extensive experimental vibrational study of the airframe structure of the Saab 2000 commuter aircraft. The second stems from vibrational analysis of a launcher-satellite separation system. In both applications multi-output discrete time state-space models are estimated, which are then used to derive resonant frequencies and damping ratios.New multivariable frequency domain identification algorithms are also introduced. Assuming primary data consist of uniformly spaced frequency response measurements, an identification algorithm based on realization theory is derived. The algorithm is shown to be robust against bounded noise as well as being consistent. The resulting estimate is shown to be asymptotically normal, and an explicit variance expression is determined. If data originate from an infinite dimensional system, it is shown that the estimated transfer function converges to the transfer function of the truncated balanced realization.Frequency domain subspace based algorithms are also derived and analyzed when the data consist of samples of the Fourier transform of the input and output signals. These algorithms are the frequency domain counterparts of the time domain subspace based algorithms.The frequency domain identification methods developed are applied to measured frequency data from a mechanical truss structure which exhibits many lightly damped oscillative modes. With the new methods, high quality state-space models are estimated both in continuous and discrete time.
Variation in macroevolutionary dynamics among extant primates

Abstract Objectives This study examines how speciation and extinction rates vary across primates, with a focus on the recent macroevolutionary dynamics that have shaped extant primate biodiversity. Materials and methods Lineage‐specific macroevolutionary rates were estimated for each tip in a tree containing 307 species using a hidden‐state likelihood model. Differences in tip rates among major clades were evaluated using phylogenetic ANOVA. Differences among diurnal, nocturnal, and cathemeral lineages were also evaluated, based on previous work indicating that activity pattern influences primate diversification. Results Rate variation in extant primates is low within clades and high between clades. As in previous studies, cercopithecoids stand out in having high net diversification rates, driven by high speciation rates and very low extinction rates. Platyrrhines combine high speciation and high extinction rates, giving them high rates of lineage turnover. Strepsirrhines and tarsiids have low rates of speciation, extinction, turnover, and net diversification. Hominoids are intermediate between platyrrhines and the strepsirrhine‐tarsiid group, and there is evidence for differentiation between hominids and hylobatids. Diurnal lineages have significantly higher speciation rates than nocturnal lineages. Conclusions Recent anthropoid macroevolution has been characterized by marked variation in diversification dynamics among clades. Strepsirrhines and tarsiids are more uniform, despite divergent evolutionary and biogeographic histories. Higher speciation rates in diurnal lineages may be driven by greater ecological opportunity or reliance on visual signals for mate recognition. However, the differences among anthropoids indicate that factors other than activity pattern (e.g., clade competition, historical contingency) have had a more influential role in shaping recent primate diversification.
On a class of nonlinear obstacle problems with measure data

We study the notion of solution to an obstacle problem for a strongly monotone and Lipschitz operator A, when the forcing term is a bounded Radon measure. We obtain existence and uniqueness results. We study also some properties of the obstacle reactions associated with the solutions of the obstacle problems, obtaining the LcwyStampacchia inequality. Moreover we investigate the interaction between obstacle and data and the complementarity conditions
Geometric control theory

Introduction Acknowledgments Part I. Reachable Sets and Controllability: 1. Basic formalism and typical problems 2. Orbits of families of vector fields 3. Reachable sets of Lie-determined systems 4. Control affine systems 5. Linear and polynomial control systems 6. Systems on Lie groups and homogenous spaces Part II. Optimal Control Theory: 7. Linear systems with quadratic costs 8. The Riccati equation and quadratic systems 9. Singular linear quadratic problems 10. Time-optimal problems and Fuller's phenomenon 11. The maximum principle 12. Optimal problems on Lie groups 13. Symmetry, integrability and the Hamilton-Jacobi theory 14. Integrable Hamiltonian systems on Lie groups: the elastic problem, its non-Euclidean analogues and the rolling-sphere problem References Index.
How Knowledge Sharing and Cohesion Become Keys to a Successful Graduation Project for Students from Design College

College students’ graduation projects reflect their teamwork abilities. The current research develops a practical framework and causal model of knowledge-sharing behavior, cohesion, and team performance for design college students in Taiwan. Using survey data collected from 115 students who completed their graduation projects in a design college, PLS-SEM was run to test the model. In addition, 11 students who were on teams that won competitions or were shortlisted were interviewed. Results found that knowledge sharing has a significant positive effect on team performance, and cohesion has a significant positive effect on both team performance and knowledge sharing. The students with high cohesion often exhibit knowledge sharing behaviors and excellent team performance. These findings suggest project supervisors should induce knowledge sharing behaviors during the graduation project process in order to enhance student group cohesion.