Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Professional Agency Perspective on Novice Teachers' Development of a Teacher Leadership Stance

The purpose of this study was to explore novice teachers’ perceptions of professional agency in facilitating their development of a teacher leadership stance during the initial years of their work. Participants were thirteen novice teachers who had less than three years of teaching experience in Qatari government schools. Analysis of interview data revealed that novice teachers perceived professional agency in their reflections on university preparation; their commitment to students’ social and emotional well-being; and their “becoming” a teacher. They further practiced agency in their relationships with other teachers, and in their contributions to the wider school context. Accordingly, a total of six novice teachers reported a clear teacher leadership stance. By contrast, enacting professional agency was restricted according to seven novice teachers due to the presence of contextual factors which hindered their development of a teacher leadership stance. Implications of these findings to teacher education and school administration are discussed.
Take politics off the table: A study of Italian youth’s self-managed dairy restriction and healthy consumerism

The last 20 years have been characterized by very different dynamics: massive reduction of milk and, to a lesser extent, dairy consumption; fewer positive attitudes towards milk; no reclaims for affordable, public dairy production; the development of a large conversation about the presumed risks associated with the intake of lactose; and semantic battles on non-dairy ‘milk’ alternatives. These new attitudes haven’t been systematically studied. We explore here the links between milk/dairy consumption, health concerns, and trust in medical expertise. Through an online survey of highly educated youth in Italy (N=378) we have investigated: milk and dairy consumption; attitudes towards items carried out by vegan movements; attitudes towards medical expertise and trust in counseling by general practitioners. Results show that anti-speciesist and vegan movements are very little known among consumers. Data display very limited impact of the ideas and concepts of anti-milk movements within our sample. The results highlight that milk consumption shrinking is due to health concern and an unfavorable perception of dangerous consequences in lactose intake, and additionally to a general distrust towards medical expertise and evidence-based arguments. Indeed, we observe a tendency to self-diagnose intolerance/allergies, questioning the role of physicians and medical knowledge in advising for dietary choices among highly educated youth. The analysis of the patterns of consumption and motives clearly shows that health considerations, not politics, are behind the Italian youth’s dairy restrictions. Healthy consumerism emerges as a concept fitting better than political consumerism for interpreting our results.
Geography, psychology and the ‘Big Five’ personality traits: Who moves, and over what distances, in the United Kingdom?

Personality, as measured by the ‘Big Five’ dimensions of agreeableness, openness, extroversion, neuroticism, and conscientiousness, has been explored in the Social Psychological literature as a predictor of migration but so far has received very little attention in the geographical literature, which is surprising given its predictive importance and also evidence that the selectivity of migration shapes area personality profiles. Using the Understanding Society 1 dataset, this paper analyses how personality influences whether a respondent moves or not over a five-year period and, if they do, how far they move. After controlling for individual socio-demographic characteristics, it is found (i) that those who score higher on Conscientiousness and Neuroticism are more likely to expect to move in the next year; (ii) that only those who score highly on extroversion actually made at least one move during the five-year period; (iii) that Openness is positively associated with making a long-distance move (=>50km), and (iv) that the pattern for (iii) is reversed for short-distance moves (<10km). These findings are significant for two reasons. Firstly, they show that personality should be more central in migration studies and that Geography can usefully seek disciplinary insights from Psychology. Secondly, they help us take a step towards a better understanding of the relationships between geography, personality, and spatial mobility.
The Effect of Light, Temperature, pH and Species on Stability of Anthocyanin Pigments in Four Berberis Species

The anthocyanin pigment was extracted from the four different Berberis plant (B. khorasanica, B. integerrima, B. orthobotrys, and B. vulgaris) using the soaking and wetting in Ethanol (1% acidified). The extracted anthocyanin pigments then were exposed to number of environmental conditions, which could destabilize the anthocyanin molecules. These environmental conditions were included three different pHs (0, 1.5 and 3), various temperatures (5oC, 15oC, 25oC and 35oC) and presence or absence of light. The results of the study showed that increasing in pH, temperature or exposure to light is able to spoil the anthocyanin molecule. Another factor affecting the tolerance of anthocyanin towards the environmental condition is the role of different species. Among the various Berberis species anthocyanin pigment in B. khorasanica, showed the greatest resistance to destruction by environmental conditions followed by B. vulgaris, B. orthobotrys, and B. integerrima.
University Students’ Perception of Video-Based Learning in Times of COVID-19: A TAM/TTF Perspective

ABSTRACT Physical closure of educational institutes worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the emergence of a new era of video-based learning. The current circumstances are unique that have forced students to use digital technologies for their learning purpose. However, the successful usage of such a system relies on the understanding of the adoption factors, for which an integrated model is proposed based on the Technology Acceptance Model and the Task Technology Fit Model. Additionally, this work considers the moderating effects of gender and digital inequality. Data are collected from 232 students all of whom have taken part in a full-semester video-based online learning course in times of the pandemic. A Partial Least Squares method is used for analyzing the data. Results show that video-based learning positively fits into the student’s perception and their actual use of the system. The effect of individual characteristics is more than the technology characteristics on the task-technology-fit chain. The integrated model can predict 64.6% of the variance in the final dependent variable: actual usage of video-based learning. Further, while the moderating effect of gender is found to be significant, that for digital inequality is non-significant. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Slip and Strain Accumulation Along the Sadie Creek Fault, Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Upper‐plate faulting in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State results from relative motion of crustal blocks within the Cascadia forearc and earthquake cycle processes along the Cascadia subduction zone. We reconstruct fault slip rates since ∼14 ka on the Sadie Creek fault (SCF), north of the Olympic Mountains, using airborne lidar and field mapping of surficial deposits and landforms and optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating. The SCF is a ≥14 km‐long northwest‐striking, subvertical, dextral strike‐slip fault with a subordinate dip‐slip component. Laterally, offset debris flow channels cut into Late‐Pleistocene and younger surfaces show dextral slip of 4.0–24.5 m and dip slip of 0.7–6.5 m. Re‐evaluation of fault slip on the adjacent Lake Creek Boundary Creek fault (LCBCF) shows similar dextral (4.5–29.7 m) and dip slip (0.8–4.6 m). A deglacial age of 14 ka paired with the largest—and presumably oldest—slip measurements produce a minimum dextral slip rate of 1.3–2.3 mm/yr and dip‐slip rate of 0.05–0.5 mm/yr. Similarities in geometry, kinematics, slip rate, and earthquake timing between the SCF and LCBCF suggest these faults represent one continuous geologic structure, the North Olympic fault zone. Geodetically constrained boundary element method models considering the effects of coseismic subduction zone stresses on upper plate structures produce comparable kinematics to those measured on the SCF and LCBCF, suggesting that the North Olympic fault zone acts as the main strain‐accommodating structure in the northern Olympic Peninsula and may be modulated by stress transferred from subduction zone earthquakes.
Effect of livestock farmers’ access to formal markets on marketing inefficiency in Mpumalanga province, South Africa

Livestock production is the primary source of livelihood for most farmers in Mpumalanga province. Small-scale farmers in the province are facing many challenges in the course of marketing livestock. These challenges have also hindered their efforts at improving their livelihood and economic well-being. This paper analyzed the effect of market access on marketing inefficiency in Mpumalanga with a view to developing some policy recommendations. Structured questionnaires were administered to 300 livestock farmers that were selected using stratified random sampling. The data were analyzed with two-stage least square regression. The results showed that marketing inefficiency was significantly influenced by market access, livestock composition and access to good roads. It was concluded that in order to reduce marketing inefficiency, it is paramount to improve the rural road network.
Alternative Solid Fuel Production from Paper Sludge Employing Hydrothermal Treatment

This paper aims to investigate the alternative solid fuel production from paper sludge employing hydrothermal treatment (HTT) in a lab-scale facility for implementation of the pilot-scale plant. The paper sludge was subjected to the HTT under subcritical hydrothermal conditions. In the lab-scale experiment, the temperature conditions were 180 °C, 200 °C, 220 °C, and 240 °C, respectively, while it was 197 °C in the pilot plant as the optimum condition. The holding time was 30 min in both cases. The hydrothermally produced solid fuel was evaluated for the fuel property, the water removal performance, and the mass distribution. Furthermore, the energy balance of the process was studied. The higher heating value of the HT pretreated paper sludge was slightly improved. In addition, the produced solid fuel had comparable H/C and O/C atomic ratios with that of coal, indicating the presence of carbonization during the HTT process. Using the mechanical dewatering, only 4.1% of moisture in the raw paper sludge can .
Objectively Measured Physical Activity Patterns in Children with Overweight and (Morbid) Obesity Across Different Weight Categories, Age Groups and Gender

Background: Reduced physical activity (PA) is associated with childhood obesity and is a target for intervention. This study aimed to assess objectively measured PA patterns in Dutch children across weight categories, age groups and gender at the start of a lifestyle intervention.Methods: 202 children with overweight and (morbid) obesity (55% girls, 12±3y of age, BMI z-score +3.15±0.73), referred to the Centre for Overweight Adolescents and Children’s Healthcare (COACH, Maastricht UMC+) were included. Children were categorized as overweight, obese or morbidly obese according to their BMI z-score. PA patterns (total PA, sedentary time (ST), light PA and moderate to vigorous intensity PA (MVPA)) werewas measured with the GT3X Actigraph accelerometer. Wear time validation was set on four days, 480 min/day, including one weekend day.Results: PA levels in children with morbid obesity were higher compared to children with obesity, also after correction for age and gender (corrected difference (B) 118 counts per minute (cpm), p=. 006). Sedentary behaviour (STB) was lower in children with morbid obesity compared to children with obesity (B -51 min/day, p=.018). Girls performed significantly less moderate to vigorous MVPA than boys (B -11 min/day, p<.001) and for each year increase of age with increasing age, children performed less PA (B -46 cpm, p<.001) and STB increased (B 18 min/day, p<.001). Conclusion: Weight category morbid obesity, younger age and male gender were positively associated with PA and negatively with SB. PA and ST is different in subgroups of children with overweight and (morbid) obesity, depending on gender, age and overweight severity. In particular in older girls in the weight category ‘obesity’, levels of PA and ST are worrisome. These findings highlight the need for tailored PA promotion. Trial registration: The trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02091544
An Econometric Investigation of Market Volatility and Efficiency: A Study of Small Cap’s Stock Indices

By utilization the context of econometric models, this chapter investigates three significant research parameters and tries to find out the positive outcome for further studies. The first question, is the volatility of Small Cap foreseeable? The second question, does the volatility of Small Cap exhibition the same pragmatic regularities stated in the literature about the behavior of further stock prices? , The third and Final question, can Small Cap clear the test of market efficiency? The results of these research questions will provide the answers of following objectives: First, economic representatives investing in Small Cap Stock markets. Second, the business professors/professionals/educationist is more concerned in Small Cap for their teaching and research. Third, the policy makers who are observing the stock market volatilities because of its significances and impulsive behavior to invest for more incentives among other consequences.
Assessing PD-L1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer and predicting responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors using deep learning on computed tomography images

Rationale: This study aimed to use computed tomography (CT) images to assess PD-L1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and predict response to immunotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a PD-L1 expression dataset that consisted of 939 consecutive stage IIIB-IV NSCLC patients with pretreatment CT images. A deep convolutional neural network was trained and optimized with CT images from the training cohort (n = 750) and validation cohort (n = 93) to obtain a PD-L1 expression signature (PD-L1ES), which was evaluated using the test cohort (n = 96). Finally, a separate immunotherapy cohort (n = 94) was used to assess the prognostic value of PD-L1ES with respect to clinical outcome. Results: PD-L1ES was able to predict high PD-L1 expression (PD-L1 ≥ 50%) with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.78 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75~0.80), 0.71 (95% CI: 0.59~0.81), and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.66~0.85) in the training, validation, and test cohorts, respectively. In patients treated with anti-PD-1 antibody, low PD-L1ES was associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) (median PFS 363 days in low score group vs 183 days in high score group; hazard ratio [HR]: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.22~5.44; P = 0.010). Additionally, when PD-L1ES was combined with a clinical model that was trained using age, sex, smoking history and family history of malignancy, the response to immunotherapy could be better predicted compared to either PD-L1ES or the clinical model alone. Conclusions: The deep learning model provides a noninvasive method to predict high PD-L1 expression of NSCLC and to infer clinical outcomes in response to immunotherapy. Additionally, this deep learning model combined with clinical models demonstrated improved stratification capabilities.
Prediction of Failure in Ceramic Matrix Composites Using Damage-Based Failure Criterion

This paper presents a damage-based failure criterion and its implementation in order to predict failure in ceramic matrix composites (CMC) manufactured via filament winding. The material behavior of CMCs is anisotropic and strongly depends on the angle between fiber orientation and loading direction. The inelastic behavior of laminates with different fiber orientations under tension and shear is modeled with the help of continuum damage mechanics. The parameters required for the damage model are obtained from a standard tensile and shear test. An isotropic damage law determines the evolution of damage in thermodynamic space and considers the interaction of damage parameters in different principal material directions. A quadratic damage-based failure criterion inspired by the Tsai-Wu failure criterion is proposed. Failure stress and strain can be predicted with higher accuracy compared to the Tsai-Wu failure criterion in stress- or strain-space. The use of the proposed damage limits allows designing a CMC component based on the microstructural phenomenon of stiffness loss. With the help of results obtained from modeling and experiments, fracture mechanics during the Iosipescu-shear test of CMCs and its capability to determine the shear strength of the material is discussed.
Opioid use in pregnancy: An emerging health crisis

Opioid use in pregnancy has increased in parallel to the opioid crisis observed in the general population. Rising rates of peripartum opioid use pose a significant public health concern for both mothers and their children. Pregnancy also represents a unique opportunity for healthcare providers to screen women for opioid use disorder and engage them in appropriate care. In the present review, we describe patterns of opioid use in pregnancy and how this relates to maternal and neonatal health outcomes. We also examine screening for and treatment of opioid use disorder in pregnancy, neonatal outcomes following maternal opioid use, and breastfeeding recommendations for women taking opioids postpartum.
New Second-Order Sliding Mode Control Design for Load Frequency Control of a Power System

The implementation of the sliding mode control (SMC) for load frequency control of power networks becomes difficult due to the chattering phenomenon of high-frequency switching. This chattering problem in SMC is extremely dangerous for actuators used in power systems. In this paper, a continuous control strategy by combining a second-order mode and integral siding surface is proposed as a possible solution to this problem. The proposed second-order integral sliding mode control (SOISMC) law not only rejects chattering phenomenon in control input, but also guarantees the robustness of the multi-area power network, which has an effect on parametric uncertainties such as the load variations and the matched or mismatched parameter uncertainties. Moreover, the reporting of the simulation indicates that the proposed controller upholds the quality requirement by controlling with operating conditions in the larger range, rejects disturbance, reduces the transient response of frequency, eliminates the overshoot problem, and can better address load uncertainties compared to several previous control methods. The simulation results also show that the proposed SOISMC can be used for practical multi-area power network to lessen high parameter uncertainties and load disturbances.
The Gender Gap Among Top Business Executives

This paper examines gender differences among top business executives using a large executive-employer matched data set spanning the last quarter century. Female executives make up 6.2% of the sample and we find they exhibit more labor market churning – both higher entry and higher exit rates. Unconditionally, women earn 26% less than men, which decreases to 7.9% once executive characteristics, firm characteristics, and in particular job title are accounted for. The paper explores the extent to which firm-level temporal flexibility and corporate culture can explain these gender differences. Although we find that women tend to select into firms with temporal flexibility and a female-friendly corporate culture, there is no evidence that this sorting drives the gender pay gap. However, we do find evidence that corporate culture affects pay gaps within firms: the within-firm gender pay gap disappears entirely at female-friendly firms. Overall, while both corporate culture and flexibility affect the female share of employment, only corporate culture influences the gender pay gap.
The value of lactate/albumin ratio for predicting the clinical outcomes of critically ill patients with heart failure

Background Previous studies have shown that the lactate/albumin (L/A) ratio plays a role in predicting the outcomes of septic shock or severe sepsis. However, the role of the L/A ratio in predicting the outcomes of critically ill patients with heart failure remains unclear. We therefore performed a retrospective study to clarify this issue. Methods The study was based on the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database and included critically ill adult patients with heart failure. The primary endpoints were 28-day and 1-year all-cause mortality after admission at the intensive care unit. Results We analyzed 4,562 patients in this study. We divided the participants into five groups according to the L/A ratio: quintile (Q)1 (L/A ratio ≤0.40, n=913), Q2 (0.40< L/A ratio ≤0.51, n=912), Q3 (0.51< L/A ratio ≤0.66, n=912), Q4 (0.66< L/A ratio ≤0.92, n=912), and Q5 (L/A ratio >0.92, n=913). After stratifying by L/A ratio, the risk of 28-day and 1-year mortality were significantly different between the groups (log-rank P<0.001). Compared with the first quintile, the second, third, fourth, and fifth quintiles of the L/A ratio were associated with higher 28-day [hazard ratio (HR) 1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21–2.03 for Q3, HR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.34–2.21 for Q4, and HR 3.15, 95% CI: 2.47–4.01 for Q5) and 1-year mortality (HR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00–1.41 for Q2, HR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.15–1.60 for Q3, HR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.20–1.67 for Q4, and HR 2.46, 95% CI: 2.09–2.89 for Q5). The restricted cubic spline showed that the L/A ratio positively correlated with both 28-day and 1-year all-cause mortality. Conclusions The L/A ratio could serve as a predictor of short and long-term mortality in critically ill patients with heart failure.
Relación entre autoeficacia académica y autorregulación del aprendizaje en estudiantes de la carrera de tecnología médica

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar si existe relación entre autoeficacia académica y autorregulación del aprendizaje en estudiantes de la carrera de tecnología médica de la Universidad Privada de Tacna. La población estuvo conformada por todos los estudiantes de la escuela de tecnología médica de los cuales solo decidieron participar 92. Se utilizó el Inventario de Expectativas de Autoeficacia Académica y el Inventario del Aprendizaje Autorregulado. Resultados: la autoeficacia académica un 57% se siente seguro, mientras que en el aprendizaje autorregulado el mayor porcentaje se concentra en un nivel medio con 50%. Conclusión: al realizar la correlación de Spearman se encontró que existe una correlación positiva y moderada entre autoeficacia académica y el aprendizaje autorregulado en los estudiantes de la Escuela de Tecnología Médica de la Universidad Privada de Tacna en el año 2018 (Rho de Spearman ,479 (p valor 0.01)); al correlacionar la autoeficacia académica con las dimensiones de autorregulación del aprendizaje se llegaron a las siguientes conclusiones; autoeficacia académica con autorregulación de la estrategia ejecutiva mostro una correlación positiva y moderada (sig. Bilateral 0.01 y coeficiente de correlación ,449), al relacionarlo con autorregulación de la cognición mostro una correlación positiva y baja (sig. Bilateral 0.01 y coeficiente de correlación ,325), al relacionarlo con autorregulación de la motivación y afecto mostro una correlación positiva y baja (sig. Bilateral 0.01 y coeficiente de correlación ,398) y al relacionarlo con autorregulación del control del ambiente mostro una correlación positiva y baja (sig. Bilateral 0.01 y coeficiente de correlación ,385).