Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Doing Case Study Research Collaboratively: The Benefits for Researchers

Collaborative research teams are an effective strategy to combine the knowledge and skills of like-minded researchers across tertiary education settings and international borders. Research collaborations have the potential to increase research capacity for both individuals and the team alike. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of a team of seven Australasian nurse academics undertaking a longitudinal multi-site case study. We used a nominal group technique in this deductive qualitative exploratory study. The key findings from this study indicate establishing safe academic relationships is paramount to successful collaborative teams. Collaborative research teams offer opportunities to learn research processes from other members through sharing of expertise and skillsets, together with upholding a positive engagement with technology to ensure full research participation is achievable irrespective of geographical location. To conclude, in this study we have identified multi-site collaborative research teams provide an opportunity to leverage the strengths of individuals to enhance research outcomes across organisations. The synergistic effect of the team builds research blue skies thinking and capacity building through mentorship and support. The potential for positive change through mentorship and support, alongside the forged new relationships, are all key drivers of researcher wellbeing, never more important as we transition into new ways of working both now and into the future.
Watertightness of building components : principles, testing and design guidelines

ion is made from typical finishing products. Consequently, the criterion for failure was defined as the moment when water made contact with the PMMA. In reality wood or gypsum window reveals would perhaps be able to store a certain amount of water without failure. However, repeated exposure to wetting might result in premature deterioration due to e.g. mould growth, deformation or staining.
Early-Life Exposure to Tap Water and the Development of Cognitive Skills

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of early-life exposure to tap water on children’s cognitive skills in later life. We exploit the variation in the timing of tap water connections across communities imposed by a major drinking water safety program in rural China. Using data extracted from the China Family Panel Studies, we find that one additional year of exposure to tap water in early life increases the cognitive test score at ages 10–15 by 0.132 standard deviations. The event study estimates confirm that the beneficial impacts of tap water exposure are concentrated in early life.
Equivariant Observers for Second-Order Systems on Matrix Lie Groups

This article develops an equivariant symmetry for second-order kinematic systems on matrix Lie groups and uses this symmetry for observer design. The state of a second-order kinematic system on a matrix Lie group is naturally posed on the tangent bundle of the group with the inputs lying in the tangent of the tangent bundle known as the double-tangent bundle. We provide a simple parameterization of both the tangent bundle state-space and the input space (the fiber space of the double-tangent bundle) and then introduce a semidirect product group and group actions onto both the state and input spaces. We show that with the proposed group actions, the second-order kinematics are equivariant. An equivariant lift of the kinematics onto the symmetry group is derived and used to design nonlinear observers on the lifted state-space using nonlinear constructive design techniques. The observer design is specialized to kinematics on groups that themselves admit a semidirect product structure and include applications in rigid-body motion amongst others. A simulation based on an ideal hovercraft model verifies the performance of the proposed observer architecture.
Pengaruh Profitabilitas, Ukuran Perusahaan, dan Pertumbuhan Aset terhadap Struktur Modal dan Nilai Perusahaan

Struktur modal adalah tingkat utang yang dimiliki oleh perusahaan. Nilai perusahaan adalah nilai yang disepakati apabila dijual kepada investor. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui pengaruh profitabilitas, ukuran perusahaan dan pertumbuhan aset terhadap struktur modal dan nilai perusahaan pada perusahaan industri barang konsumsi di Bursa Efek Indonesia periode 2012-2014. Populasi dalam penelitian ini menggunakan sektor industri barang konsumsi. Teknik yang digunakan dalam pengambilan sampel adalah purposive sampling, beberapa data perlu di outlier sehingga didapatkan total jumlah 19 perusahaan pada sampel penelitian. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah analisis jalur (path analysis). Hasil analisis menunjukkan profitabilitas berpengaruh positif signifikan terhadap struktur modal, ukuran perusahaan dan pertumbuhan aset berpengaruh negatif dan tidak signifikan terhadap struktur modal, profitabilitas berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap nilai perusahaan, ukuran perusahaan berpengaruh positif dan tidak signifikan terhadap nilai perusahaan, pertumbuhan aset berpengaruh negatif dan tidak signifikan terhadap nilai perusahaan dan variabel struktur berpengaruh negatif signifikan terhadap struktur modal.
Efficacy and Safety of Naldemedine for Patients with Cancer with Opioid-Induced Constipation in Clinical Practice: A Real-World Retrospective Study

The efficacy and safety of naldemedine for opioid-induced constipation in patients with cancer has not been investigated in clinical practice. We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study to assess the effects of naldemedine among 10 Japanese institutions between June 2017 and August 2019. We evaluated the number of defecations 7 days before and after naldemedine administration. A total of 149 patients (89 male) with a median age of 72 years (range, 38–96) were included. The performance status was 0–1, 2, and ≥3 in 40, 38, and 71 patients, respectively. The median opioid dose in oral morphine equivalents was 30 mg/day (range: 7.5–800 mg). We observed 98 responders and 51 non-responders. The median number of defecations increased significantly in the 7 days following naldemedine administration from three to six (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that an opioid dose <30 mg/day [odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–4.32; p = 0.042] was significantly correlated with the effect of naldemedine. Diarrhea was the most common adverse event (38.2%) among all grades. The efficacy and safety of naldemedine in clinical practice are comparable to those of prospective studies, suggesting that it is effective in most patients.
Model Based Control Design And Rapid Calibration For Air To Fuel Ratio Control Of Stoichiometric Engines

The air-fuel ratio control problem has been the focus of rese arch in academia ever since the advent of microprocessor based control of automot ive systems. With rising fuel costs, increased environmental consciousness, and the nee d to b competitive in the global market, automotive manufacturers, who have traditionally relied on extensive experimental calibration to fine tune performance, are moving towards mod el based calibration of control gains to minimize costs and incorporate advances in power-t rain technology in a systematic manner. While solutions presented in the open literature to da e illustrate the application of the plethora of modern control theory to this problem, cal ibr tion effort and emissions performance have not been given adequate priority. The work presented in this document bridges a gap between aca demi and industry by using modern advances in control theory to design a solution that significantly minimizes the calibration effort required to meet performance requir ements. Through proper design of experiments, data collected from the plant is used to desi gn mathematical models that represent the dominant dynamics observed in the intake syst m, the fueling, combustion and gas transport and finally the behavior of the three way cat alyst. The structure of these models are chosen by a deep understanding of the physics invo lved. System identification is used to simplify the model structure. To capture the highl y nonlinear operating condition based behavior of the plant, a linear parameter varying appr o ch is used to schedule the
Examination of behavioral intention toward E-learning: a case of University of the Third Age students

ABSTRACT This study was aimed at determining the factors that affect the intentions of University of the Third Age (UTA) students toward e-learning systems by using Structural Equation Modeling. For this purpose, factors such as Self-Efficacy, Experience, Social Norms, Enjoyment, and Anxiety, suggested as external factors in the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) model, were included in the UTATAM model developed within the scope of this research. The research was carried out with a total of 210 students studying at The University of the Third Age at Akdeniz University and Ege University. The results of the study indicate that the Experience factor has a strong effect on Anxiety, Self-efficacy, and Perceived Enjoyment. In addition, it was found that Anxiety, Self-efficacy, and Social Norms were effective on perceived Ease of Use, while Perceived Enjoyment and Social Norms were effective on Perceived Usefulness. On the other hand, while the mean scores of Perceived Usefulness and Social Norms were higher in favor of female, the mean scores of Experiences were higher in favor of male. The results indicated that participants’ age and lifestyle did not affect the mean scores of individuals in terms of all factors. In terms of Behavioral Intentions, the average population of countries has been increasing rapidly in recent years. The results of this research study are crucial for shedding light on educational institutions and other relevant institutions in order to determine the factors that affect the intentions of UTA students toward the use of e-learning systems.
Morphology and Properties of Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)/Polyamide 11 Hybrid Nanocomposites: Effect of Silica Surface Modification

Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)/polyamide 11 (PPO/PA11 80/20) blend filled with neat (SiO2) or modified silica having amine functional groups (A-SiO2) was melt mixing in a twin-screw extruder. The silica was prepared by the sol–gel process. SEM shows that, with increasing A-SiO2 content from 1 to 5 wt. %, the morphology of PPO/PA11blend changed from droplet matrix to co-continuous with phase inversion. The phase inversion was also observed for 5 wt. % of neat silica, but the droplet-matrix structure was retained. The overall rheological and mechanical properties improvement of the A-SiO2-filled composites in comparison with the unfilled blend and neat silica counterpart was drastic, especially in terms of viscosity and stiffness. A-SiO2 improved PPO and PA11 miscibility and reduced the crystallinity of PA11, without affecting the Tc, owing to the compatibilization effect. On the other hand, neat silica slightly increased the crystallinity of PA11 and decreased the crystallization temperature of PA11 and the glass transition temperature of PPO as a result of its plasticization.
Impact of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (ASCs) of Rheumatic Disease Patients on T Helper Cell Differentiation

Complex pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with an imbalance of various Th-cell subpopulations. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to restore this balance. However, bone marrow-derived MSCs of SLE and SSc patients exhibit many abnormalities, whereas the properties of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCS) are much less known. Therefore, we examined the effect of ASCs obtained from SLE (SLE/ASCs) and SSc (SSc/ASCs) patients on Th subset differentiation, using cells from healthy donors (HD/ASCs) as controls. ASCs were co-cultured with activated CD4+ T cells or peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Expression of transcription factors defining Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cell (Tregs) subsets, i.e., T-bet, GATA3, RORc, and FoxP3, were analysed by quantitative RT-PCR, the concentrations of subset-specific cytokines were measured by ELISA, and Tregs formation by flow cytometry. Compared with HD/ASCs, SLE/ASCs and especially SSc/ASCs triggered Th differentiation which was disturbed at the transcription levels of genes encoding Th1- and Tregs-related transcription factors. However, we failed to find functional consequences of this abnormality, because all tested ASCs similarly switched differentiation from Th1 to Th2 direction with accompanying IFNγ/IL-4 ratio decrease, up-regulated Th17 formation and IL-17 secretion, and up-regulated classical Tregs generation.
Global Trends in the Research on Early Childhood Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Bibliometric Analysis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and preschools worldwide have been suspended, causing many challenges for students, parents, and teachers. Through home-schooling, preschool children struggle to accept new (online) learning modes. Teachers need to acquire digital skills quickly to deliver online teaching, while parents need to take on the role of a tutor at home to facilitate their children’s learning. This study aims to gauge the global trends in the research on early childhood education (ECE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly considering the need for a swift response to the impact of the pandemic. We employed the bibliometric approach to studying ECE studies during the pandemic by identifying the countries of most-cited publications, most-cited categories of studies, and research methodologies used in the eligible studies (N = 507). Analysis reveals that technology integration in ECE has grown fast to timely facilitate online teaching and resolve varied challenges such as parental stress, a lack of resources, and the quality of education in this field. Based on the bibliometric approach, we highlighted research focusing on key themes such as online learning and teaching, physical activity, stress and mental health, and families in early childhood. This study offers a global perspective on ECE research during the pandemic and provides researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with future directions.
Reading Abilities of Learners in Public Primary Schools in Nandi County, Kenya

Reading is fundamental in the acquisition of language. It builds up an important foundation for the acquisition of other language skills and plays a vital role in the learning of other subjects. There is therefore a need for learners to acquire reading proficiency. The study sought to find out the reading abilities of learners in public primary schools in Nandi County, Kenya. The study’s research question was what are the reading abilities of learners in public primary schools in Nandi County, Kenya? The study sought to test the following hypotheses; There is no significant relationship between the gender of the learner and the reading ability of the learner in public primary schools in Nandi County, Kenya, and there is no significant relationship between the category of the school (rural or urban) and the reading abilities of learners in public primary schools in Nandi County, Kenya. The study adopted a causal-comparative research design with data being collected from a sample size of 200 class six and seven learners in public primary schools in Nandi County. Data was collected using a pupils’ reading test and an observation schedule. Stratified and simple random sampling was utilised as the sampling technique, and a comparison was drawn between the reading abilities of learners in rural public primary schools and those of urban public primary schools. A further comparison was drawn between the reading abilities of boys and those of girls. The study found that learners from urban primary schools performed better than those from rural public primary schools in Nandi County. The study further found out that boys performed slightly better than girls in reading.
Effect of Fe Doping on Photocatalytic Dye-Degradation and Antibacterial Activity of SnO2 Nanoparticles

A simple hydrothermal method is utilized to synthesize iron-doped tin oxide nanoparticles (Fe-SnO2 NPs) at various doping concentrations. The structural characterization using XRD, Raman, and FTIR measurements confirmed the incorporation of Fe ions into the SnO2 lattice without any deviation in the tetragonal crystal system of SnO2 nanoparticles. SEM and HRTEM images show the spherical-shaped nanoparticles with agglomeration. The values of interplanar spacing ( d -value) calculated from the HRTEM lattice are consistent with the XRD results. Further, optical analysis revealed a red shift in the optical absorption band and a decrease in the band gap energy with an increase in Fe-dopant concentration. The decrease of PL emission peak intensity with Fe doping revealed the generation of singly charged oxygen vacancies. The H2O2-assisted photocatalytic degradation efficiency of Fe-SnO2 NPs investigated against crystal violet dye indicated an efficiency of 98% for 0.05 M Fe-SnO2 NPs within 30 minutes under visible light illumination. In addition, the effects of pH, scavengers, and reusability of the catalyst are tested. The antibacterial behavior of Fe-SnO2 NPs against Escherichia coli is examined by using the colony count method, and the inhibition rate was found to be 49, 65, 70, and 78% for pure, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 M Fe-SnO2 NPs, respectively.
Effects of animal-assisted therapy in older adults with cognitive impairment: A systematic review

Interventions in older people with cognitive impairment are difficult to carry out because they do not follow orders, they present aggressive behaviour or they are unpredictable. For this reason, the objective of this review was to describe the effect of Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in this population, reporting the results published in the literature on physical, psychosocial and cognitive function. After a review of 160 articles, 5 were selected according to selection criteria, demonstrating that AAT is an effective therapy in people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, where the dog is the most used co-therapist, however, research is still incipient.
Architectural co-evolution and correspondence in UK personal pensions

A firm’s ability to survive and prosper is often a function of its ability to design and develop new products that meet the needs of heterogeneous markets. The way in which a product is designed can have profound implications for product market structure and who is able to profit from an innovation, but despite this few industry studies have examined how and why product and industry architectures co-evolve and correspond across time. Notions of architectural co-evolution and correspondence are grounded in the modularity literature and assume a path towards increasing product modularity and industry specialisation. However, scholars have recently hinted that a reverse path towards increasing product and industry integration may be equally feasible. This research study contributes to the literature by proposing three stylised hybrid product and industry reintegration types that enhance our understanding of how and why reintegration may occur in product markets. Furthermore, the presence of a correspondence in the design characteristics between architectural layers (the so-called ‘mirroring hypothesis’) has also been suggested in the literature, such that product component design is often a blueprint for the way task, knowledge and firm boundaries are partitioned within a given product market. This research study finds that architectural correspondence is hard to sustain over time as firms often maintain a broader knowledge than task boundary for strategically important product components that offer differentiation opportunities or competitive advantage, contributing to the literature on contingencies that ‘mist the mirror’. Of particular interest to this research study is the UK personal pensions sector, a non-physical product, largely under-explored in the product modularity literature. By analysing the co-evolution and correspondence of a non-manufactured product over a 30-year period this research study breaks new ground. The research study makes use of a retrospective longitudinal research design, based upon semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 31 key personnel. The interview data was subject to a combination of matrix and template analysis.
Does sex sell? Examining the effect of sex appeals in social media ads on engagement with the ad and actual purchase

ABSTRACT The question of whether ‘sex sells’ has drawn significant attention in advertising research. This study builds on previous research and examines the effectiveness of sex appeals in social media advertising using a novel field experiment method. An ad using sex appeal and a control ad without sex appeal for the same brand ran on Facebook for the same 5-day period. Results indicated the sex appeal ad outperformed the control ad in terms of engagement but not in actual sales. By directly examining the effect of sex appeals in advertising on actual purchase behavior, the study makes important contributions to social media advertising and to advertising research in general.
Optimisation design for series–series dynamic WPT system maintaining stable transfer power

In amount of practical applications of wireless power transfer (WPT), charging electric vehicles (EVs) has attracted much attention. Dynamic WPT is considered as a solution to the problem of battery bottleneck and the difficulty of convenient charging encountered in the development of EV. However, the transfer power can hardly be maintained stable under large coil misalignment in movement. What is more, the transfer efficiency will decline correspondingly. A method of optimisation design is presented from the perspective of against misalignment for dynamic series-series (SS) WPT system. The primary compensation capacitance is well designed to regulate transfer power fluctuation in WPT system. Then the optimal load is matched by DC-DC converter to guarantee the highest average transfer efficiency. A secondary-only resonant SS WPT system with fixed frequency is finally built. The power transfer profile is smooth against coupling coefficient to realise high tolerance to position as the power drop (raise) percentage is no more than 10% (20%) within 200% variation of coupling coefficient for different loads. Meanwhile, the efficiency can always be maintained at a high level.