Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of an upper body conditioning stimulus on lower body post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE): a pilot study

Complex training where a high-load conditioning stimulus (CS) is performed prior to a biomechanically similar plyometric movement has been demonstrated to acutely enhance the performance of the plyometric movement in a phenomenon called post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). Despite the positive influence PAPE can have on power production, the abundance of research has only investigated PAPE locally while comparing biomechanically similar movements. The purpose of this study was to determine if a heavy barbell bench press could elicit PAPE in a lower body plyometric movement. Eight (n = 8) resistance-trained males performed one set of countermovement jumps (CMJs) before (pre-CS) and three sets of CMJs after (post-CS) a heavy bench press set. Changes in muscle activation, jump height, work, power output, and rate of force development (RFD) during the early (E-RFD) and late (L-RFD) stages were compared between pre-CS and post-CS. The level of significance was set at p < . 05. There were no significant differences in muscle activation, jump height, work, power output, or E-RFD (p > .05). There was a significant increase in L-RFD between pre-CS and the final set of jumps post-CS (p = .01). These results suggest that an upper body CS may not influence PAPE in the lower body. However, pairing a high-load upper body exercise with a lower body plyometric does not seem disadvantageous, and could be implemented as a strategy to maximize workout time efficiency with proper fatigue management incorporation.
Automating communications with and developing user interfaces for remote data acquisition and analysis systems

Many remote sensor applications require the deployment of automated data acquisition systems. These systems must provide a reliable and robust method of transferring acquired data to an appropriate data center. Remote users also require a means to verify the state-of-health of the sensors and a method of installing improved control software as needed. Research at PNNL on automated radionuclide systems for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has developed a robust and automated method of data transmission. User interfaces for these systems allow one to use simple text-based communication protocols (kermit, telnet) or the X Windows environment. The use of TcI/Tk aided in the rapid development of the X windows user interfaces.
Navigating the scientist-practitioner continuum: strategies to enhance Australian psychologists’ capacity to be research leaders

ABSTRACT Developing skills to critically evaluate and conduct research is central to psychology training programmes. The fundamental importance of scientific evidence to the practice and progression of psychology as a discipline is reflected in the “Scientist-Practitioner” model, to which psychologists adhere. However, to fully realise the potential benefits of the Scientist-Practitioner model for psychological practice and client outcomes, its implementation needs to occur in a bi-directional way. That is, psychologists need to be actively engaged in both a critical analysis of literature to inform clinical practice, as well as using their clinical expertise to develop, inform, and lead research activities to contribute to the evidence-base. Unfortunately, psychologists employed in public health settings are rarely able to utilise their research skills to contribute to the evidence-base. In this Commentary, we critically examine literature regarding barriers and facilitators to psychologists employed in clinical roles engaging in research activities. We argue that enabling more practising psychologists to lead research could facilitate significant benefits to individuals (both the psychologists and their clients) and organisations. We then describe the strategies developed and implemented by a local psychology research committee to drive improvements and address obstacles to psychology-led research in public health.
Children’s Behavioral and Conceived Domains in Neighborhood Environment

Abstract Children′s psychologically important places and their neighborhood activities were investigated in open-ended field interviews and behavioral observations in a typical Korean high-density apartment neighborhood. Interview data were analyzed in conjunction with behavioral data. The analysis reveals that there is correspondence between domain of children′s neighborhood uses and domain of their places of psychological significance. The children tended to make such valued places in accessible, proximate designated play areas. Meanings associated with such places indicated that possibility for pursuing desired activities and behavioral opportunities or functional supports are important aspects of the psychological experiences in the places. Places are settings where their sociophysical features support children′s preferred, joyful, and important day-to-day activities. Activities in the places (and near the places) differed from activities outside the places: the former were, in general, more place-specific, resource-dependent, and purposive whereas the latter were relatively transient, short-lived, and environmentally independent. The study concludes that the behavioral domain contributes to the psychological domain and yet there are some activities more effective than others.
Physico-chemical characterization of clay raw materials from the Thicky quarry (Senegal) for the manufacture of earth bricks

This study focuses on the physico-chemical characterization of the clayey raw materials of the Thicky quarry. We made a geotechnical, mineralogical, chemical and microscopic study of the laterite and the Thicky clay. Mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals that our clay consists mainly of quartz (Q), kaolinite (K), illite (I) and calcite (C) while laterite consists of quartz (Q), kaolinite (K), hematite (H) and calcite (C). The results of the chemical composition show the presence of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and Fe 2 O 3 in large quantities and also K 2 O, CaO, MgO, Na 2 O, TiO 2 and P 2 O 5 in small quantities in our materials. Infrared spectroscopy reveals the presence of relatively broad absorption bands located around 3500 cm -1 which are related to phyllosilicates such as kaolinite or illite. Microscopic observation of clay and laterite samples shows that the texture is relatively compact, formed of several superimposed planar sheets with turbostratic disorder. The results obtained show that these clayey raw materials are poor in organic matter and calcium carbonates so they can be used for the manufacture of earth bricks. Cite this article as: Bodian S, Faye M, Sene NA, Sambou V, Dieye Y. Physico-chemical characterization of clay raw materials from the Thicky quarry (Senegal) for the manufacture of earth bricks. J Sustain Const Mater Technol 2021;6:3:87–94.
How Teachers Can Communicate Effectively with Parents Who Speak a Different Language

Language differences between parents and teachers, if not carefully managed, can cause miscommunication or communication gaps that could hinder both the school’s and students’ progress. This paper explores various ways of translating real-time conversations between teachers and parents who speak a different language. Fourteen K-12 teachers in the United States were surveyed and nine were interviewed to determine how English-speaking teachers can communicate effectively with non-English speaking parents. The findings from the study suggest Microsoft Translator technology for speech translation for conversations to break the language barrier, bridge communication gaps and promote effective bi/multilingual parent-teacher conferences.
Evaluation and management of ear itching: our experience

Background: Itching of ear is a common presenting symptom in clinical practice. Ear itching has many underlying causes which needs detailed evaluation. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of ear itch and the aetiological factors and various management options associated with ear itch.Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study was done in two centres over a period of one year in patients with ear itch in ENT outpatient were included. Sampling method used was systematic sampling. The details regarding the age, gender and co-morbidities of the patients were recorded. The ear was clinically examined. Results: A total of 2143 patients presented to outpatient, 210 (9.8%) presented with ear itching. The mean age (SD) of the study patients were 46.8 years (15.6). The gender distribution showed a male:female of 1:1. Comorbidities included hypertension (27.14%), diabetes (8.57%) and combination of both in 8.1%. Mean±SD of duration of study subjects was 4.3±1.6 months. The common aetiologies were otomycosis (30%), wax deposition (25.24%) and otitis externa (14.29%). Diabetes was predominantly associated with otomycosis (68.57%, p<0.0001). In our study, prevalence of ear itching was 9.8% with common aetiologies were otomycosis, wax deposition and otitis externa. There was significant association of diabetes mellitus with otomycosis.Conclusions: Ear itching is a symptom that needs detailed history, careful clinical evaluation and management. Patient’s quality of life will largely improve if ear itching is dealt with all possible aetiologies and appropriate management.
Chemical composition, larvicidal and cytotoxic activity of Annona salzmannii (Annonaceae) seed oil

The seed oil of Annona salzmannii A. DC. was analyzed by GC-MS and 1H qNMR, revealing a mixture of unsaturated (80.5%) and saturated (18.7%) fatty acids. Linoleic (45.3%) and oleic (33.5%) acid were the major unsaturated fatty acids identified, while palmitic acid (14.3%) was the major saturated fatty acid. The larvicidal effects of A. salzmannii seed oil were evaluated against third-instar larvae of Aedes aegypti (Linn.). The oil exhibited moderate larvicidal activity, with a LC50 of 569.77 ppm (95% CI = 408.11 to 825.88 ppm). However, when the cytotoxic effects of the oil were evaluated, no expressive antiproliferative effects were observed in tumor cell lines B16-F10 (mouse melanoma), HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma), K562 (human chronic myelocytic leukemia), HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia), and non-tumor cell line PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cells), with IC50 values > 50 μg·mL-1. This is the first study to evaluate the chemical composition, larvicidal and cytotoxic activity of A. salzmannii seed oil.
Classroom concordancing and English academic lecture comprehension: an implication of data-driven learning

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate if following data-driven learning (DDL) to raise the learners’ awareness of discourse organizers through concordancing improves their comprehension of English academic lectures. To address this issue, the current study adopted a quasi-experimental (comparison group, pretest-posttest) design. 96 English-major university students, divided into comparison and intervention groups, took part in the study. Next, the students’ awareness of importance markers, as discourse organizers, in authentic English academic lectures was raised. This involved nine one-hour sessions of explicit instruction on such expressions for the students in the comparison group. On the other hand, raising the intervention group students’ awareness of such expressions involved working with a concordancer as a DDL approach with the help of a teacher. Drawing on an English academic lecture comprehension test, a self-assessment survey, and a free-response survey, the findings of the study showed that following DDL to raise the learners’ awareness of discourse organizers through concordancing with the help of the teacher improves their comprehension of authentic English academic lectures significantly, but not from the learners’ perspective. The study has pedagogical implications for language teaching, learning, and materials development.
Age Patterns in Self-Reported Cognitive Impairment Among Older Latino Subgroups and Non-Latino Whites in the United States, 1997–2018: Implications for Public Health Policy

Abstract Background and Objectives U.S. Latinos are a heterogeneous population with unique characteristics related to individual-level socioeconomic and contextual factors based on nativity status and country of origin. Population aging and greater public awareness of dementia may contribute to an increasing prevalence of self-reported cognitive impairment. However, population-level trends in self-reported cognitive impairment among Latinos are unclear and it is unknown whether there are differences among Latino subgroups. Thus, this study aims to examine heterogeneity in self-reported cognitive impairment among older U.S. Latino subgroups. Research Design and Methods We used data from the 1997–2018 National Health Interview Survey to document age-specific patterns in self-reported cognitive impairment among U.S.-born Mexican, foreign-born Mexican, island-born Puerto Rican, foreign-born Cuban, and U.S.-born non-Latino Whites aged 60 and older. We estimated hierarchical age–period–cohort cross-classified random effects models (HAPC-CCREM) to isolate age patterns in self-reported cognitive impairment across disaggregated Latino subgroups and U.S.-born non-Latino Whites. Results The overall prevalence of self-reported cognitive impairment increased from 6.0% in 1997 to 7.1% in 2018. This increase was evident among U.S.-born non-Latino Whites and U.S.-born and foreign-born Mexicans but not other Latino subgroups. Fully adjusted HAPC-CCREM estimates indicated that Latinos were more likely to self-report cognitive impairment than U.S-born non-Latino Whites (b = 0.371, p < .001). When disaggregated by Latino subgroup, the difference in the likelihood for self-reported cognitive impairment compared to U.S.-born non-Latino Whites was greatest for island-born Puerto Ricans (b = 0.598, p < .001) and smallest for foreign-born Cubans (b = 0.131, p > .05). Discussion and Implications We found evidence of considerable heterogeneity in the age patterns of self-reported cognitive impairment among U.S. Latino subgroups. We also detected large differences in the likelihood for self-reported cognitive impairment between U.S. Latino subgroups compared to U.S.-born non-Latino Whites. These results underscore the importance of differentiating between unique Latino subpopulations when studying population-level trends in cognitive function.
A Very Old Malay Islamic manuscript

ABSTRACT This work provides a carbon dating report of Or.7056 kept at Leiden University Library, a Persian anthology of poems with Malay interlinear translations found in Aceh. The common point raised in all former studies of this manuscript deals with its antiquity, which has the potential to increase our knowledge about Malay classical orthography, Malay familiarity with the Persian language and literary sources, and development of interlinear translations in the Malay Archipelago. Here, further textual and literary analysis will be discussed, including a rare and obsolete term, kutaha.
Application of metadata modeling to dispute review report management

Abstract Disagreements in construction projects often result in litigation that is both time‐consuming and expensive. A dispute review board (DRB) provides a valuable and proven alternative method of dispute resolution. Currently, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) stores DRB reports in portable document format (PDF) with limited search capability. Improving information retrieval of DRB documents and providing a certain level of integration of DRB reports with relevant but heterogeneous data and documents is the key to enhancing the current FDOT DRB system. This paper presents a web‐based data management framework to improve information management processes of the FDOT DRB system by providing key features such as metadata generation, an integrated review process, a simple issue description, member information management, and versatile information search. The new system not only allows DRB members and FDOT construction engineers to store and retrieve DRB reports but also provides more function.
Summer sea-ice variability on the Antarctic margin during the last glacial period reconstructed from snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) stomach-oil deposits

Abstract. Antarctic sea ice is a critical component of the climate system, affecting a range of physical and biogeochemical feedbacks, and supporting unique ecosystems. During the last glacial stage, Antarctic sea ice was more extensive than today, but uncertainties in geological (marine sediments), glaciological (ice core), and climate model reconstructions of past sea-ice extent continue to limit our understanding of its role in the Earth system. Here, we present a novel archive of past sea-ice environments from regurgitated stomach oils of snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea), preserved at nesting sites in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. We show that by combining information from fatty acid distributions and their stable carbon isotope ratios with measurements of bulk carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes and trace metal data, it is possible to reconstruct changing snow petrel diet within Marine Isotope Stage 2 (ca. 22.6–28.8 cal. kyr BP). We show that, as today, a mixed diet of krill and fish characterises much of the record. However, between 25.7–26.8 cal. kyr BP signals of krill almost disappear. By linking dietary signals in the stomach-oil deposits to modern feeding habits and foraging ranges, we infer the use by snow petrels of open water habitats (‘polynyas’) in the sea ice during our interval of study. The periods when consumption of krill was reduced are interpreted to correspond to the opening of polynyas over the continental shelf, which became the preferred foraging habitat. Our results challenge hypotheses that the development of extensive, thick, multi-year sea-ice close to the continent was a key driver of positive sea ice-climate feedbacks during glacial stages, and highlight the potential of stomach-oil deposits as a palaeo-environmental archive of Southern Ocean conditions.
Influence of Zones of Pre‐Existing Crustal Weakness on Strain Localization and Partitioning During Rifting: Insights From Analog Modeling Using High‐Resolution 3D Digital Image Correlation

Pre‐existing crustal structures are known to influence rifting, but the factors controlling their influence remain poorly understood. We present results of digital image correlation that allows for the surface strain analysis of a series of analog rifting experiments designed to test the influence of the size, orientation, depth, and geometry of pre‐existing crustal weak zones on strain localization and partitioning. We apply distributed basal extension to crustal‐scale models consisting of a silicone weak zone embedded in a quartz sand layer. We vary the size and orientation (α‐angle) of the weak zone with respect to the extension direction, reduce the thickness of the sand layer to simulate a shallow weak zone, and vary the geometry of the weak zone. Our results show that at higher α‐angle (≥60°) both small‐scale and large‐scale weak zones localize strain into graben‐bounding (oblique‐) normal faults. At lower α‐angle (≤45°), small‐scale weak zones do not localize strain effectively, unless they are shallow. In most models, we observe diffuse, second‐order strike‐slip intra‐graben structures, which are conjugate and antithetic under orthogonal and oblique extension, respectively. Generally, the observed spectrum of rift faulting styles (from discrete fault planes to diffuse fault zones, from normal to oblique and strike‐slip) highlights the sensitivity of rift architecture to the orientation, size, depth, and geometry of pre‐existing weak zones. Our generic models are comparable to observations from many natural rift systems like the North Sea and East Africa, and thus have implications for understanding the role of structural inheritance in rift basins.
Evolutionary programming based economic dispatch for units with non-smooth fuel cost functions

This paper develops an efficient, general economic dispatch (ED) algorithm for generating units with nonsmooth fuel cost functions. Based on the evolutionary programming (EP) technique, the new algorithm is capable of determining the global or near global optimal dispatch solutions in the cases where the classical Lagrangian based algorithms cease to be applicable. Effectiveness of the new algorithm is demonstrated on two example power systems and compared to that of the dynamic programming, simulated annealing, and genetic algorithms. Practical application of the developed algorithm is additionally verified on the Taiwan power (Taipower) system. Numerical results show that the proposed EP based ED algorithm can provide accurate dispatch solutions within reasonable time for any type of fuel cost functions.
Déterminants du choix d'un mode d'expansion internationale par un distributeur: modèle conceptuel et validation empirique

De nombreuses enseignes développent aujourd'hui leur réseau de points de vente en dehors de leur marché domestique. Chaque opération à L'étranger nécessite de sélectionner un mode d'internationalisation. L'objet de cet article est d'étudier les déterminants du choix du mode d'expansion internationale d'un réseau de points de vente. Un modèle conceptuel est tout d'abord construit à partir des déterminants suggérés dans la littérature et étayé par l'analyse de onze entretiens semi-directifs de dirigeants d'enseignes. Une étude menée auprès de 43 responsables de développement international de réseaux français du secteur de L'équipement de la personne permet ensuite de tester ce modèle, en utilisant l'approche PLS. Cette recherche met en évidence l'influence de la politique marketing internationale de l'enseigne, du profil stratégique et capitalistique de l'entreprise et de l'attractivité perçue du marché étranger sur le choix d'un mode d'expansion internationale, à travers trois dimensions: le risque de dissémination des actifs spécifiques, le contrôle des décisions et l'engagement de ressources. L'influence modératrice de l'attitude vis-à-vis de l'internationalisation des hauts dirigeants ainsi que celle des réseaux de relations tissés sont également mises en lumière.
The Effect of Workplace Spirituality, Perceived Organizational Support, and Innovative Work Behavior: The Mediating Role of Psychological Well-Being

This research investigating the innovative work behavior of teachers and school staff during the Covid-19 pandemic is still rarely studied, so it has contributed to improving the behavior of teachers and school staff in Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to analyze and examine the direct influence of workplace spirituality and perceived organizational support on the innovative work behavior of teachers and school staff. Besides, exploring the mediating role of psychological health variables. The research sample was 379 teachers and school staff that is analyzed using SEM-PLS. The results showed that workplace spirituality and perceived organizational support had a direct effect on innovative work behavior.Psychological well-being also affects innovative work behavior. This study also shows that psychological well-being has a role in mediating the influence between work-place spirituality and perceived organizational support for innovative work behavior. This study indicates that workplace spirituality and workplace spirituality can be directly and indirectly through psychological well-being to increase the innovative behavior of teachers and school staff in learning activities at school.