Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does MOOC Quality Affect Users’ Continuance Intention? Based on an Integrated Model

Massive open online course (MOOC) is an innovative educational model that has attracted widespread attention in recent years. Despite a growing number of registered users, many have given up continuously using MOOC platforms after the first-time user experience; thus, a high dropout rate has severely hindered the sustainable development of MOOC platforms. To address the problem, this study started with the quality factors of MOOC platforms and the confirmation of user expectations by integrating the D&M ISS model and the expectation confirmation model into one, with the goal of identifying the factors that affect users’ continuance intention to use MOOC platforms. In this study, online questionnaires were distributed to Chinese users with experience in using MOOC platforms, and a total of 550 valid samples were recovered. In addition, the theoretical model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The research results showed that there are three critical antecedents affecting the confirmation of user expectations for a MOOC platform, including information quality, system quality, and service quality, of which service quality has the greatest impact on users’ expectation confirmation. If user expectations for an MOOC platform are positively confirmed, the perceived usefulness of the platform as well as the satisfaction with it will effectively be improved. Moreover, perceived usefulness has been proven to be a critical factor affecting users’ continuance intention to use MOOC platforms, which is followed by user satisfaction. Compared to the original ECM, the integrated research model has delivered significantly improved explanatory power for users’ continuance intention. Hence, this study makes up for the insufficiency of ECM in explaining the factors affecting users’ expectation confirmation and provides theoretical support for MOOC platform developers.
Dual-readout calorimetry

In the past 20 years, dual-readout calorimetry has emerged as a technique for measuring the properties of high-energy hadrons and hadron jets that offers considerable advantages compared with the instruments that are currently used for this purpose in experiments at the high-energy frontier. In this paper, we review the status of this experimental technique and the challenges faced for its further development.
A Retrospective Cohort Study Evaluates Clinical Value of Anlotinib in Persistent, Metastatic, or Recurrent Cervical Cancer After Failure of First-Line Therapy

Background Anlotinib is an oral anti-angiogenesis inhibitor targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptors, fibroblast growth factor receptors, etc., and its clinical value in cervical cancer is rarely reported. We designed a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib in patients with persistent, metastatic, or recurrent cervical cancer who have failed first-line therapy, and compare the efficacy of anlotinib with that of apatinib which targets only VEGFR2 and has shown efficacy in recent studies. Methods Fifty-two patients with persistent, metastatic, or recurrent cervical cancer who failed first-line therapy and administrated anlotinib or apatinib as monotherapy or combination with chemo-, radio- or immunotherapy were included in this study. Among the 52 patients, 20 patients who received anlotinib from January 2019 to August 2020 were defined as anlotinib group, whereas 32 patients who received apatinib from our previous study were selected as apatinib group. The safety, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were reviewed and recorded. Results The ORR and DCR in patients receiving anlotinib were 25% and 80%, respectively. The median PFS and OS in anlotinib group were significantly longer than those in apatinib group, respectively (PFS: 5 months vs 3 months, p=0.015; OS: 10 months vs 5 months, p=0.008). Moreover, the patients treated with anlotinib had better survival with a significantly lower cumulative incidence of cancer-related death than those treated with apatinib (HR=0.31, 95% CI: 0.13–0.77, p=0.012). The most common adverse effects in the patients treated with anlotinib were hypertension (20%), fatigue (20%), and nausea (15%). No drug-related death occurred. Conclusion Anlotinib showed beneficial efficacy and safety and can be a treatment option for patients with persistent, metastatic, or recurrent cervical cancer who have failed the first-line therapy.
Streaming instabilities driven by mildly relativistic proton beams in plasmas

The interaction between relativistic ion beams, electrostatic waves and particles in plasmas is studied numerically. This beam-particle interaction is important for the acceleration of electrons above the threshold, where they can perform Fermi acceleration across shocks perpendicular to the magnetic field direction. The electrons form Bernstein–Greene–Kruskal (BGK) modes, which are unstable due to a sideband instability. This process heats the electrons to relativistic temperatures and the electrons finally attain a flat-top momentum distribution with exponentially decreasing tails of the momentum distribution function. A scaling law, depending on the ion beam speed, is found for the electron distribution function. Furthermore, in the fully nonlinear phase, ion phase space vortices, or proton BGK modes are formed in the beam, which continue to interact with the electrons after the electron BGK modes have collapsed.
Effects of Mean Artery Pressure and Blood pH on Survival Rate of Patients with Acute Kidney Injury Combined with Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure: A Retrospective Study

Background and Objectives: In the intensive care unit (ICU), renal failure and respiratory failure are two of the most common organ failures in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). These clinical symptoms usually result from sepsis, trauma, hypermetabolism or shock. If this syndrome is caused by septic shock, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Bundle suggests that vasopressin be given to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) > 65 mmHg if the patient is hypotensive after fluid resuscitation. Nevertheless, it is important to note that some studies found an effect of various mean arterial pressures on organ function; for example, a MAP of less than 75 mmHg was associated with the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). However, no published study has evaluated the risk factors of mortality in the subgroup of acute kidney injury with respiratory failure, and little is known of the impact of general risk factors that may increase the mortality rate. Materials and Methods: The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors that might directly affect survival in critically ill patients with multiple organ failure in this subgroup. We retrospectively constructed a cohort study of patients who were admitted to the ICUs, including medical, surgical, and neurological, over 24 months (2015.1 to 2016.12) at Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. We only considered patients who met the criteria of acute renal injury according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) and were undergoing mechanical ventilator support due to acute respiratory failure at admission. Results: Data showed that the overall ICU and hospital mortality rate was 63.5%. The most common cause of ICU admission in this cohort study was cardiovascular disease (31.7%) followed by respiratory disease (28.6%). Most patients (73%) suffered sepsis during their ICU admission and the mean length of hospital stay was 24.32 ± 25.73 days. In general, the factors independently associated with in-hospital mortality were lactate > 51.8 mg/dL, MAP ≤ 77.16 mmHg, and pH ≤ 7.22. The risk of in-patient mortality was analyzed using a multivariable Cox regression survival model. Adjusting for other covariates, MAP ≤ 77.16 mmHg was associated with higher probability of in-hospital death [OR = 3.06 (1.374–6.853), p = 0.006]. The other independent outcome predictor of mortality was pH ≤ 7.22 [OR = 2.40 (1.122–5.147), p = 0.024]. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated and the log rank statistic was highly significant. Conclusions: Acute kidney injury combined with respiratory failure is associated with high mortality. High mean arterial pressure and normal blood pH might improve these outcomes. Therefore, the acid–base status and MAP should be considered when attempting to predict outcome. Moreover, the blood pressure targets for acute kidney injury in critical care should not be similar to those recommended for the general population and might prevent mortality.
Nutrient enrichme t ffects the mechanical resista ce of aquatic plants

In mammals, cadmium is widely considered as a non-genotoxic carcinogen acting through a methylation-dependent epigenetic mechanism. Here, the effects of Cd treatment on the DNA methylation patten are examined together with its effect on chromatin reconfiguration in Posidonia oceanica. DNA methylation level and pattern were analysed in actively growing organs, under short(6 h) and long(2 d or 4 d) term and low (10 mM) and high (50 mM) doses of Cd, through a Methylation-Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism technique and an immunocytological approach, respectively. The expression of one member of the CHROMOMETHYLASE (CMT) family, a DNA methyltransferase, was also assessed by qRT-PCR. Nuclear chromatin ultrastructure was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Cd treatment induced a DNA hypermethylation, as well as an up-regulation of CMT, indicating that de novo methylation did indeed occur. Moreover, a high dose of Cd led to a progressive heterochromatinization of interphase nuclei and apoptotic figures were also observed after long-term treatment. The data demonstrate that Cd perturbs the DNA methylation status through the involvement of a specific methyltransferase. Such changes are linked to nuclear chromatin reconfiguration likely to establish a new balance of expressed/repressed chromatin. Overall, the data show an epigenetic basis to the mechanism underlying Cd toxicity in plants.
Inbound supply chain optimization with ship-mode variation in a fixed-capacity fulfillment center

Amazon.com's retail business in North America is growing rapidly, with sales increasing by 25% each of the past two years. In order to scale with expected continued sales growth, Amazon has been investing heavily in its inbound supply chain, where product is received and allocated to various nodes, with cross-dock facilities, Amazon Robotics fulfillment centers and traditional fulfillment centers constituting a multi-echelon distribution network. In an Amazon Robotics fulfillment center, robotic drives retrieve and deliver portable inventory pods, where product is stowed and picked at fixed stations. Currently, approximately 65% of associate hours within the inbound department are utilized in the direct process of stow, while the other 35% of associate hours in the inbound department are utilized in support of the stow process in tasks such as corrugate removal and product container management. As a result, there is a continued emphasis on improving the efficiency of the nonvalue added tasks utilized in support of the stow process in order to utilize as many hours as possible in the value-added stow process. This thesis proposes a linear optimization-based analysis framework and capital allocation model that can be utilized to determine the investment viability for different automation systems and process improvements, which could improve efficiency and reduce overall cost in the Amazon Robotics fulfillment centers. This is especially the case within those fulfillment centers that are labor constrained. Labor constraints within a fulfillment center result in artificial limits set within Amazon's inventory placement algorithm, changing the origin of the shipment of product(s) to customers, which results in additional outbound transportation cost. This study will uncover unrealized cost-improvement areas by suggesting an inbound conveyance solution that can improve upon the current human-powered inbound system, and provides further areas of investigation for additional improvement. Implementation of the selected automation solution reduces inbound department hours by -3% with a payback period of -0.93 years for the fulfillment center in question, while improving labor-constrained fulfillment center capacity by as much as 1 %, and suggests further areas of investigation that can improve overall cost within the inbound supply chain by over 10%. Thesis Advisor: Stephen C. Graves Title: Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management Thesis Advisor: David Simchi-Levi Title: Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Eventful Non-Events: Distinguishing an Event from a Non-Event in Event Studies

Not all interesting events can be subjected to event studies. In this note, we take the example of event studies related corporate political activity to point out some events which though interesting cannot be used for event studies. Event studies in corporate political activity literature study stock market reaction to events such as election results, political parties suddenly coming into power, and ex-employees of a firm getting political positions. I assert that inference drawn in such studies is tautological. I point out an implicit assumption of event studies being violated in these studies. Event studies in this area not suffering from this problem are also pointed out.
Does freight and passenger transportation industries are sustainable in BRICS countries? Evidence from advance panel estimations

Abstract Freight and passenger transportation profoundly impacts environmental degradation due to the higher fossil fuel consumption and respective emissions. Therefore, this study explores the impact of freight and passenger transportation on environmental pollution (particulate matter 2.5(PM 2.5)) in BRICS countries using annual data from 1990 to 2018. We employed various advanced econometric approaches to handle issues arising from panel data, such as the presence of unit root, cross-sectional dependency, structural break, and parameters heterogeneity. The overall results show that freight and passenger transportation significantly contribute to a higher concentration of PM 2.5; however, the impact of freight transportation is almost double that of passenger transportation. Similarly, economic growth also caused higher environmental pollution. Moreover, this study confirms the presence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in the long run. These results provide valuable suggestions to achieve a sustainable environment.
Electricity Regulation and Economic Growth

The main objective of this paper is to analyse the effect of electricity regulation on economic growth. Although the relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth has been extensively analysed in the empirical literature, this framework has not been used to estimate the effect of electricity regulation on economic growth. Understanding this effect is essential for the assessment of regulatory policy. Specifically, we assess the effects of two major areas of regulation, renewable energy promotion costs and network costs, on electricity consumption and growth. A dataset for the period 2007–2013 and 22 European countries was compiled based on CEER reports and EUROSTAT databases. The results of the empirical analysis show that the two regulation instruments have a negative effect on electricity consumption and economic growth and provide estimates of their effects on growth in quantitative terms.
Connectedness to Nature Does Not Explain the Variation in Physical Activity and Body Composition in Adults and Older People

Connectedness to nature (CN) is a significant predictor of pro-environmental behaviours, human health and well-being. However, research on how this connection to the natural world might promote a more active lifestyle and improve body mass composition according to gender is lacking. This study investigated the influence of CN on physical activity (PA) and body composition in adults and older people. We recruited a sample of 219 individuals (77 men and 142 women), and a self-administered questionnaire was used to measure CN and obtain demographic data. Body composition was assessed by bioimpedance, and PA was assessed by accelerometry. Correlations and stepwise multiple regressions were used in data analysis. CN’s association with other variables was more pronounced in women than in men, and we only identified significant associations with steps/day and body composition. However, this variable would not be included in the regression models that we developed. Adiposity levels and muscle status were significant predictors of PA in women. In both genders, age, percentage of fat mass and fat-free mass were selected as regressors in the models developed for visceral fat area and muscle condition (R2 Adjusted ≥ 0.908).
Effect of Sand Mulches of Different Particle Sizes on Soil Evaporation during the Freeze–Thaw Period

Reducing ineffective evaporation is a feasible means to improve water use efficiency in agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. A field experiment assessed the impact of sand mulches (1-cm thickness) with a particle size of 0.5–1.5 mm (XS) and 1.5–2.0 mm (CS) on soil evaporation during winter in Northern China. Results showed that CS and XS increased by at least 11.93% and 14.92% compared to bare soil (LD), respectively. However, the sand mulches showed significant distinctions in soil evaporation at different stages. Soil evaporation was the highest in LD, while CS evaporated the least in the unstable freezing stage (P1) and stable freezing stage (P2); in the thawing stage (P3), XS evaporated the most, while LD evaporated the least. Ten factors affecting evaporation were analyzed using the principal component analysis method to elaborate the mechanisms of soil evaporation. Mean soil moisture at depths from 0 to 15 cm was a factor that affected the evaporation of XS and CS in the test. Soil moisture was evaporated by vapor when the frost penetration was dense and the frost impeded the vapor movement. The evaporation rates were steady and weak in this period, and soil moisture had slight impact on soil evaporation, especially XS and CS treatment with higher water content at the surface. The research is significant for preventing evaporation and the improvement of water-use efficiency.
The value of the jaguar (Panthera onca) according to secondary students Valores da onça-pintada (Panthera onca) de acordo com alunos secundários

This study was conducted in two schools of a city in an inland area of the Brazilian Amazon, with the purpose of describing the values attributed by secondary students to the jaguar (Panthera onca). After the application of the questionnaires and the interviews, it was found that students enrolled in a school located in the center of the town were more able to recognize the ecological value of this animal, while those who studied in the school in the rural area tended to describe the jaguar as a dangerous and frightening animal. However, in both cases, most students support the protection of the jaguar. The diversity of opinions provides a platform for educational measures aimed to protect the jaguar and solve the problems in areas where there are conflicts between humans and this species.
1-Formyl-β-carboline Derivatives Block Newcastle Disease Virus Proliferation through Suppressing Viral Adsorption and Entry Processes

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is one of the highly contagious pathogens causing devastating economic effects on the global poultry industry. In the present study, three 1-formyl-β-carboline derivatives (compounds 6, 7, and 9) were found to be potent inhibitors of different genotypes of NDV with IC50 values within 10 μM, which are similar to ribavirin. The virus titers were decreased by the presence of 1-formyl-β-carboline derivatives in a dose-dependent manner, and the inhibition rate was found to exceed 90% at the concentration of 20 μM. These compounds mainly suppressed the adsorption and entry processes of NDV lifecycle. Through DARTS, CETSA, and RBC binding assay, these compounds were identified as novel HN inhibitors, which could directly interact with the NDV HN protein to affect the adsorption of NDV. Furthermore, they could inhibit the entry of NDV through suppressing the PI3K/Akt pathway rather than the ERK pathway. The PI3K/Akt pathway was proved to be involved in NDV entry. Our findings reveal a unique mechanism through which 1-formyl-β-carboline derivatives restrain NDV infection. Moreover, these compounds represent suitable scaffolds for designing novel HN inhibitors.
On the deformation mechanism of olivine single crystals at lithospheric temperatures: an electron tomography study

We present an electron tomography study of dislocations in deformed olivine single crystals, at ca . 0.5 T m , along two distinct orientations. The easiest slip systems are [001](100) and [001]{110}. Disorientating a single crystal away from easy glide conditions leads to massive cross-slip, which generates three-dimensional dislocations, and thus contributes to hardening. Fast motion of curved non-screw dislocation in those planes leaves long straight screw dislocations which bear lattice friction and control plastic strain. We have identified several hardening mechanisms. Non-screw [001] dislocations interact elastically to form dipoles. Recovery mechanisms leading to dipole annihilation are observed, but they are slow at those temperatures and produce numerous sessile loops. These loops represent obstacles for gliding dislocations. Interactions between dislocations and sessile loops produce sessile segments (super jogs), which efficiently impede dislocation motions.
Vapor Transport of Trichloroethylene in the Unsaturated Zone: Field and Numerical Modeling Investigations

Vapor transport of chlorinated solvents in the unsaturated zone may be an important mechanism for the spread of contamination at spill sites and may be a significant factor controlling the extent of groundwater contamination. Two field experiments were carried out at the Canadian Forces Base Borden field site to provide detailed monitoring of the transport behavior of trichloroethylene vapors in the unsaturated zone. Experiments were conducted for both winter and summer conditions and under different surface boundary conditions. The observed results were simulated using a Fickian-based numerical model with linear equilibrium phase partitioning. The model includes both diffusion and density-induced advection and allows for the incorporation of spatial heterogeneities and nonisothermal conditions. Numerical sensitivity analyses were conducted to further evaluate the relative influence of various transport parameters on vapor migration. Use of measured field values as input parameters resulted in a very good match between the experimental results and numerical simulations. In both experiments, vapor plumes spread several meters from the source and downward to the capillary fringe within only a few days. Seasonal temperature variations were found to have a significant impact on the rate and total mass of vapor transport, and variations in organic carbon content, and tomore » a lesser extent moisture content, exerted the greatest control on retardation of vapor migration. Transport was diffusion dominated, but density-induced advection was an appreciable component of net transport under summer conditions, when vapor concentrations were higher. Geologic conditions at the site made overall transport relatively insensitive to the ground surface boundary condition. « less