Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of learning experience on motivation: A case study of Chinese ethnic minority EFL learners

Language motivation research has long been a research focus in the field of second language acquisition. In the past two decades, a large number of motivation studies has been conducted in different social and cultural contexts. Researchers contributed to the explorations of factors that affect learners’ foreign language motivation as well as the relationship between motivation and other aspects of foreign language learning. However, research on Chinese ethnic minority learners’ motivation to learn English is in paucity. Many of the ethnic minority students are proficient in their mother tongue (minority language) and Mandarin (national language), while they are also learning English as a foreign language. The social and cultural contexts to which they are exposed make their English learning complicated. To address the gap, the present study adopted a qualitative research approach in the form of a case study to explore the impact of learning experience on English learning motivation among three Chinese ethnic minority pre-university students. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with three participants. The findings from the qualitative data revealed that the English learning motivation of the participants was typically examination-directed and greatly influenced by teachers’ teaching style, peers’ attitudes toward English and the overall learning atmosphere in the class. The study provides implications for educational policy making and English instruction in China’s ethnic minority regions.
Telehealth-based exercise in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has served as a leader in the implementation of telerehabilitation technologies and continues to expand utilization of non-traditional patient encounters to better serve a geographically and demographically diverse population. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease impacting Veterans at a higher rate than the civilian population and associated with high levels of disability and limited access to subspecialized care. There is growing evidence supporting exercise-based interventions as an independent or adjunctive treatment to maintain or restore function for this patient population; many of these interventions can be delivered remotely by telehealth. The recent advancements in disease-modifying therapies for neuromuscular disorders will likely increase the importance of rehabilitation interventions to maximize functional outcomes. Here, we review the evidence for specific exercise interventions in ALS and the evidence for telehealth-based exercise in neuromuscular disorders. We then use this existing literature to propose a framework for telehealth delivery of these treatments, including feasible exercise interventions and remote outcome measures, recommended peripheral devices, and an example of a current remote group exercise program offered through VHA.
Effect of starch-based nanoparticles on the viability and stability of probiotics under adverse conditions

ABSTRACT Starch nanoparticles resist digestion in the upper intestine but not in the colon. They are proven to exert prebiotic effects on the human body. Starch-based nanoparticles have generated a great interest in the food and agriculture sector due to their biocompatibility, wide array of natural sources and ease of modification. In the current study, two starch sources (rice and water chestnut) were used to synthesize nanoparticles for the encapsulation of probiotic bacteria. Obtained nanoparticles were characterized for their morphological, molecular, and structural attributes using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and zeta sizer. Furthermore, free and nano-encapsulated probiotics were subject to simulated gastrointestinal digestion conditions. The average size of rice and water chestnut starch-based nano-capsules ranged from 309 to 427 nm. The encapsulation efficiency was recorded for rice and water chestnut starch as 89% and 95%, respectively. SEM micrographs exhibited entrapment of probiotics in wall materials. The surface of the capsules showed tiny, smooth surface polygonal granules. XRD images showed loss of crystallinity structure following encapsulation. Higher probiotic viability was recorded under simulated gastrointestinal conditions for nano-encapsulated probiotics compared to free probiotics. Conclusively, water chestnut and rice-based starch nanoparticles showed overall the best results regarding the viability of probiotics under stressed conditions.
Simultaneous High-Efficiency Power Delivery and Energy-Efficient Forward Data Transmission Over Single Inductive Link

This paper presents a system for simultaneous wireless power and data transfer (SWPDT) over a single inductive link. We design the frequency-splitting inductive link to address the trade-off between high power transfer efficiency (PTE) and high data rate (DR). An active rectifier is designed for high power conversion efficiency. Forward data communication is based on frequency-shift keying (FSK) modulation to support high DR transmission while delivering uninterrupted power. Moreover, we proposed low-power FSK demodulation circuits to further improve the energy efficiency of the data demodulation. The system is implemented with 180nm CMOS process and occupies an area of 0.836mm2. The post-layout simulation results show that the overall PTE (including the resonant tanks and the active rectifier) of the SWPDT system can be up to 76.5% while delivering 40mW power to the load. Meanwhile, a data rate of 1.11Mbps can be achieved. The power consumption for data demodulation is $69.1~\mu \text{W}$ , showing an energy efficiency of 62.2pJ/bit. The proposed SWPDT system based on a single inductive link shows potential for implantable biomedical applications.
Remote physiotherapy in Finland—suitability, usability and factors affecting its use

Abstract Objective To investigate physiotherapists’ views on suitability, usability and factors affecting the use of remote physiotherapy in Finland. Design A cross-sectional, web-based questionnaire study. Subjects Members of the Finnish Association of Physiotherapists and a private physiotherapy organisation. Methods The questionnaire included questions on remote physiotherapy′s suitability (0 = not suitable at all to 10 = fully suitable) for different physiotherapy tasks (consultation, guidance and counselling, exercise, assessment and corrective act at the workplace), a reason to implement remote physiotherapy, how often remote physiotherapy is used at different stages of the physiotherapy process and factors affecting the use of remote physiotherapy. Results The response rate was 9.9% (N=662/6525; 76.1% female). The mean suitability ‘score’ for remote physiotherapy differed from 7.6 (consultation, guidance and counselling) to 3.8 (corrective act at a workplace). Physiotherapists with at least one year experience of working with remote physiotherapy reported that it is better suited to consultation, guidance and counselling, exercise and assessment (p-values <.05) than did those with less experience. Of the responders (physiotherapists), 72.5% used conventional physiotherapy, 7.2% used remote physiotherapy and 20.2% used a combination of the two as primary work method. Conclusion Physiotherapists stated that remote physiotherapy suits especially for consultation, guidance and counselling, but it is still minimally used as primary work method in different stages of the physiotherapy process.
On the classification of generalized competitive Atkinson-Allen models via the dynamics on the boundary of the carrying simplex

We propose the generalized competitive Atkinson-Allen map \begin{document}$T_i(x)=\frac{(1+r_i)(1-c_i)x_i}{1+\sum_{j=1}^nb_{ij}x_j}+c_ix_i, 0 0, i, j=1, ···, n, $ \end{document} which is the classical Atkson-Allen map when \begin{document}$r_i=1$\end{document} and \begin{document}$c_i=c$\end{document} for all \begin{document}$i=1, . , n$\end{document} and a discretized system of the competitive Lotka-Volterra equations. It is proved that every \begin{document}$n$\end{document} -dimensional map \begin{document}$T$\end{document} of this form admits a carrying simplex Σ which is a globally attracting invariant hypersurface of codimension one. We define an equivalence relation relative to local stability of fixed points on the boundary of Σ on the space of all such three-dimensional maps. In the three-dimensional case we list a total of 33 stable equivalence classes and draw the corresponding phase portraits on each Σ. The dynamics of the generalized competitive Atkinson-Allen map differs from the dynamics of the standard one in that Neimark-Sacker bifurcations occur in two classes for which no such bifurcations were possible for the standard competitive Atkinson-Allen map. We also found Chenciner bifurcations by numerical examples which implies that two invariant closed curves can coexist for this model, whereas those have not yet been found for all other three-dimensional competitive mappings via the carrying simplex. In one class every map admits a heteroclinic cycle; we provide a stability criterion for heteroclinic cycles. Besides, the generalized Atkinson-Allen model is not dynamically consistent with the Lotka-Volterra system.
Jet mixing enhancement using machine learning control

We experimentally optimize mixing of a turbulent round jet using machine learning control (MLC) following Li et al (2017). The jet is manipulated with one unsteady minijet blowing in wall-normal direction close to the nozzle exit. The flow is monitored with two hotwire sensors. The first sensor is positioned on the centerline 5 jet diameters downstream of the nozzle exit, i.e. the end of the potential core, while the second is located 3 jet diameters downstream and displaced towards the shear-layer. The mixing performance is monitored with mean velocity at the first sensor. A reduction of this velocity correlates with increased entrainment near the potential core. MLC is employed to optimize sensor feedback, a general open-loop broadband frequency actuation and combinations of both. MLC has identified the optimal periodic forcing with small duty cycle as the best control policy employing only 400 actuation measurements, each lasting for 5 seconds. This learning rate is comparable if not faster than typical optimization of periodic forcing with two free parameters (frequency and duty cycle). In addition, MLC results indicate that neither new frequencies nor sensor feedback improves mixing furtherâcontrary to many of other turbulence control experiments. The optimality of pure periodic actuation may be attributed to the simple jet flapping mechanism in the minijet plane. The performance of sensor feedback is shown to face a challenge for small duty cycles. The jet mixing results demonstrate the untapped potential of MLC in quickly learning optimal general control policies, even deciding between open- and closed-loop control.
Immune Cell Infiltration Analysis Based on Bioinformatics Reveals Novel Biomarkers of Coronary Artery Disease

Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a multifactorial immune disease, but research into the specific immune mechanism is still needed. The present study aimed to identify novel immune-related markers of CAD. Methods Three CAD-related datasets (GSE12288, GSE98583, GSE113079) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Integrated Database. Gene ontology annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis were performed on the common significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of these three data sets, and the most relevant module genes for CAD obtained. The immune cell infiltration of module genes was evaluated with the CIBERSORT algorithm, and characteristic genes accompanied by their diagnostic effectiveness were screened by the machine-learning algorithm least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. The expression levels of characteristic genes were evaluated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of CAD patients and healthy controls for verification. Results A total of 204 upregulated and 339 downregulated DEGs were identified, which were mainly enriched in the following pathways: “Apoptosis”, “Th17 cell differentiation”, “Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation”, “Glycerolipid metabolism”, and “Fat digestion and absorption”. Five characteristic genes, LMAN1L, DOK4, CHFR, CEL and CCDC28A, were identified by LASSO analysis, and the results of the immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that the proportion of immune infiltrating cells (activated CD8 T cells and CD56 DIM natural killer cells) in the CAD group was lower than that in the control group. The expressions of CHFR, CEL and CCDC28A in the peripheral blood of the healthy controls and CAD patients were significantly different. Conclusion We identified CHFR, CEL and CCDC28A as potential biomarkers related to immune infiltration in CAD based on public data sets and clinical samples. This finding will contribute to providing a potential target for early noninvasive diagnosis and immunotherapy of CAD.
Medium-Range Trajectory Prediction Network Compliant to Physical Constraint for Oceanic Eddy

Predicting the trajectory of ocean eddies can promote the understanding of the transport of matter and energy in the ocean. However, accurately and rapidly predicting the trajectory of eddies poses a significant challenge due to their intricate nonlinear motion within a physical environment. Regrettably, existing data-driven methods primarily focus on the migration and combination of models, as well as the fusion processing of diverse observational data on oceanic eddies. These ways often overlook the crucial aspect of modeling the underlying motion mechanism of the eddies. We believe that the expeditious and precise prediction of eddies is closely intertwined with the physical mechanism and historical time series. Consequently, a medium-range eddy trajectory prediction neural network (ETPNet) compliant with the physical constraint is proposed, which embeds the physical regulation, intrinsic relations, and mutual interactions into the network via constraints. Then, a novel variant of the long short-term memory (LSTM) cell is designed to enhance the dynamic interaction and representation ability of the features, constraints, and knowledge. Finally, a geographically informed comprehensive loss function for marine tasks is formulated, namely mean absolute geodetic error (MAGE), which optimizes the network in Euclidean and sphere space. The proposed network is evaluated by predicting the future seven days trajectory of anticyclone eddies in the $15^{\circ }\text{N}$ to $40^{\circ }\text{N}$ . The extensive experiments and evaluations demonstrate that the proposed network guided by the comprehensive loss function can implement a state-of-the-art performance. The code is available at https://github.com/AI4Ocean/ETPNet
Effects of Mathematics Integration in a Teaching Methods Course on Mathematics Ability of Preservice Agricultural Education Teachers.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of incorporating mathematics teaching and integration strategies (MTIS) in a teaching methods course on preservice agricultural teachers’ mathematics ability. The research design was quasi-experimental and utilized a nonequivalent control group. The MTIS treatment had a positive effect on the mathematics ability scores of the participants, and a statistically significant difference was found based upon the MTIS treatment. Based on the results of this study, the MTIS treatment should be considered for use in an agricultural teaching methods course to increase the mathematics ability of preservice agricultural education teachers.
KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS AND BEHAVIOUR TOWARD SUN EXPOSURE AMONG PHARMACY STUDENTS

Background: Sunlight exposure has several health advantages, including sulphated vitamin D3 synthesis, enhanced cognitive function, supporting bone health, decreasing blood pressure, avoiding illness, and fostering positive mental health. Nevertheless, there are still taboo that relates sun exposure and skin cancer and this phenomenon makes people prefer staying indoor most of the time. Many international studies have been conducted to assess the public perceptions towards sun exposure. To date, there is scarce data on this topic among students in Malaysia. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, awareness and behaviours towards sun exposure among the Diploma in Pharmacy students of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2022 among the Diploma of Pharmacy students in UiTM Cawangan Pulau Pinang. A self-administered questionnaire was constructed in Google Forms consisting of multiple-choice closed-ended questions. Descriptive analysis were used to summarise the sociodemographic profile of the respondents while Chi-square test was used to explore the association between sociodemographic variables and adequacy of knowledge, awareness and behaviour. Result: A total of 176 students with a 100% response rate participated in the study. Majority of the students had high knowledge on the benefits of sun exposure and high awareness on harmful effects of lacking sun exposure. They also showed slightly positive behaviour towards sun exposure. Conclusion: Education and awareness regarding the effects of sun exposure on human health, particularly among students, has to be more progressive. With good instruction and understanding from everyone, we could inform the public about the benefits of sun exposure and encourage them to practise it safely.
Revisiting resistant hypertension: a comprehensive review

Resistant hypertension (RHT) is typically defined as blood pressure that remains above guideline‐directed targets despite the use of three anti‐hypertensives, usually including a diuretic, at optimal or maximally tolerated doses. It is generally estimated to affect 10–30% of those diagnosed with hypertension, though the true incidence might be lower after one factor in the prevalence of non‐adherence. Risk factors for its development include diabetes, obesity and other adverse lifestyle factors, and a diagnosis of RHT confers a greater risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as stroke, heart failure and mortality. It is essential to exclude pseudoresistance and secondary hypertension and to ensure non‐pharmacologic management is optimised prior to consideration of fourth‐line anti‐hypertensive agents or advanced interventions, such as device therapies. In this review, we will cover the different definitions of RHT, along with the importance of careful diagnosis and management strategies, and discuss newer agents and research needs.
Inverse Optimal Adaptive Tracking Control of Robotic Manipulators Driven by Compliant Actuators

Compliant actuator has considerable merits for safe robot control. Although the control problem of robotic manipulators with compliant actuators has been extensively investigated in recent years, limited result is presented for optimal trajectory tracking control. The reason is that a complex and time-consuming learning procedure is needed for solving the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation in real time and it is difficult to reproduce for practical engineering systems. This work proposes an inverse optimal adaptive neural control scheme to remove such limitation. A tuning functions-based adaptive learning mechanism, which aims for boosting the control efficiency and providing a simple control implementation, is proposed to update the inverse optimal controller. It is proved that optimal performance is achieved with respect to a meaningful cost functional and the tracking error ultimately converges to a tunable residual around zero. Both simulations and experiments are carried out to validate the established results. It is the first time that experimental results are provided for inverse optimal adaptive control.
Design thinking adoption in software development organizations: A SAP LAP analysis

Abstract The design thinking approach (DTA) is recognized as a desirable and viable strategic plan for addressing the ever-changing dynamic needs of the customer in software products. However, the adoption of DTA in software development organizations (SDOs) remains low, which is of significant concern in developing countries such as India. DTA implementation appears complex, challenging and necessitates holistic investigation to understand the factors influencing the adoption. Consequently, the study seeks to propose a practice-based theoretical framework using the situation-actor-process and learning-action-performance (SAP-LAP) framework to advance our understanding of DTA utilization challenges in SDOs and suggest actions to improve the current scenario. The SAP LAP framework was developed using personnel semi-structured interviews with nineteen experts having more than ten years of experience from nine leading SDOs. Overall, the study identifies fifteen challenges and thirteen actions to overcome the challenges to DTA utilization in SDOs. Finally, implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed.
Linking trait-emotional intelligence and citizenship performance in a
 high-complexity job: examining its predictive validity and the mediating effect of job
 satisfaction

In light of recent research developments supporting the usefulness of emotional intelligence (EI) in predicting individual job performance, this study aims to contribute to enhancing the understanding of its impact on citizenship performance in the scope of a high-complexity job of software engineering. Specifically, it examines the criterion-related validity of trait-EI and its facets in respect to this key performance criterion. Furthermore, it also tests whether job satisfaction represents a route through which trait emotional intelligence (trait-EI) and its facets affect this performance dimension at this level of job complexity. Relying on a predictive design, results from a sample of 141 software engineers from a multi-national firm showed that job satisfaction constitutes a significant mediator of the relationship of trait-EI and supervisor ratings of citizenship performance. The major implications of these findings for establishing trait-EI validity and identifying the mechanisms through which it translates into enhanced citizenship performance at work are discussed.
Towards Evidence-Based Implementation of Pharmacogenomics in Southern Africa: Comorbidities and Polypharmacy Profiles across Diseases

Pharmacogenomics may improve patient care by guiding drug selection and dosing; however, this requires prior knowledge of the pharmacogenomics of drugs commonly used in a specific setting. The aim of this study was to identify a preliminary set of pharmacogenetic variants important in Southern Africa. We describe comorbidities in 3997 patients from Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. These patient cohorts were included in pharmacogenomic studies of anticoagulation, dyslipidemia, hypertension, HIV and breast cancer. The 20 topmost prescribed drugs in this population were identified. Using the literature, a list of pharmacogenes vital in the response to the top 20 drugs was constructed leading to drug–gene pairs potentially informative in translation of pharmacogenomics. The most reported morbidity was hypertension (58.4%), making antihypertensives the most prescribed drugs, particularly amlodipine. Dyslipidemia occurred in 31.5% of the participants, and statins were the most frequently prescribed as cholesterol-lowering drugs. HIV was reported in 20.3% of the study participants, with lamivudine/stavudine/efavirenz being the most prescribed antiretroviral combination. Based on these data, pharmacogenes of immediate interest in Southern African populations include ABCB1, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, CYP3A5, SLC22A1, SLCO1B1 and UGT1A1. Variants in these genes are a good starting point for pharmacogenomic translation programs in Southern Africa.