Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trade‐offs with telemetry‐derived contact networks for infectious disease studies in wildlife

Network analysis of infectious disease in wildlife can reveal traits or individuals critical to pathogen transmission and help inform disease management strategies. However, estimates of contact between animals are notoriously difficult to acquire. Researchers commonly use telemetry technologies to identify animal associations, but such data may have different sampling intervals and often captures a small subset of the population. The objectives of this study were to outline best practices for telemetry sampling in network studies of infectious disease by determining (a) the consequences of telemetry sampling on our ability to estimate network structure, (b) whether contact networks can be approximated using purely spatial contact definitions and (c) how wildlife spatial configurations may influence telemetry sampling requirements. We simulated individual movement trajectories for wildlife populations using a home range‐like movement model, creating full location datasets and corresponding ‘complete’ networks. To mimic telemetry data, we created ‘sample’ networks by subsampling the population (10%–100% of individuals) with a range of sampling intervals (every minute to every 3 days). We varied the definition of contact for sample networks, using either spatiotemporal or spatial overlap, and varied the spatial configuration of populations (random, lattice or clustered). To compare complete and sample networks, we calculated seven network metrics important for disease transmission and assessed mean ranked correlation coefficients and percent error between complete and sample network metrics. Telemetry sampling severely reduced our ability to calculate global node‐level network metrics, but had less impact on local and network‐level metrics. Even so, in populations with infrequent associations, high intensity telemetry sampling may still be necessary. Defining contact in terms of spatial overlap generally resulted in overly connected networks, but in some instances, could compensate for otherwise coarse telemetry data. By synthesizing movement and disease ecology with computational approaches, we characterized trade‐offs important for using wildlife telemetry data beyond ecological studies of individual movement, and found that careful use of telemetry data has the potential to inform network models. Thus, with informed application of telemetry data, we can make significant advances in leveraging its use for a better understanding and management of wildlife infectious disease.
Online Reviews of Restaurants: Expectation-Confirmation Theory

ABSTRACT Today, consumers’ engagement in the restaurant culture is defined by their involvement in posting online reviews. Drawing upon expectation-confirmation theory (ECT), this study examined whether and how consumers’ confirmations of online reviews from their actual restaurant experiences affect their subsequent participation in online reviews. The research model of this study assessed the entire decision process of a restaurant experience. First, we examined the impacts of online review features – review quality, review timeliness, visual image quality, and rating – on review adoption. Second, we investigated the impact of review adoption on the confirmation of restaurant experiences and review intentions toward online forums. Using structural equation modeling based on the data (n = 596), the results revealed that review quality and review rating significantly influenced review adoption, and both confirmations to positive and negative review intention were significant.
English for Occupational Purposes through Second Life: Promoting Interaction, And Professional Training

Nowadays, technology plays a fundamental role in our lives and consequently in the field of education, as well. If the appearance of the Web 2.0 contributed to transform learners into more active users of their acquisition process, there are tools such as virtual worlds which enhance interaction and help to develop computer-mediated communication in queasy real environments. In this context, our aim is to present a study carried out with English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) students attending an online course run through the management platform Moodle and where final communicative tasks are developed in the virtual world (VW) of Second Life (SL). The suitability to use virtual environments for language learning and professional training is measured by the completion of a survey analysis with course participants.
Characterising pre-service secondary science teachers’ noticing of different forms of evidence of student thinking

ABSTRACT Evidence of student thinking takes a variety of forms (e.g. verbal responses, gestures) and has varying degrees of visibility within classroom interactions. The purpose of this study was to characterise the nature of pre-service science teachers’ (PSTs’) noticing skills of different forms of evidence of student thinking using video-based interviews. In the interviews, the PSTs were asked to describe what they had noticed in the videos that captured different forms of evidence of student thinking and ‘think on their feet’ to propose the next instructional moves as if they were the teacher. The PSTs’ comments on the videos were analysed qualitatively with respect to the forms of evidence they noticed and how they interpreted and responded to the evidence. Several findings regarding the nature of PSTs’ noticing skills were uncovered. First, the PSTs readily identified non-verbal forms of evidence, such as voting and student actions. However, some forms of evidence that potentially reveal the content of student thought, such as student artefacts, questions and verbal explanations, were less visible to the PSTs. Second, the PSTs used the identified evidence to infer student engagement levels, attributes and understanding and were generally able to propose instructional responses based on the student thinking that they had identified. Third, the findings also suggest that when the PSTs paid attention to the details of the evidence, they were more likely to connect their instructional decisions to student understanding at a content-specific level. The implications for research on PSTs’ noticing and initial education are discussed.
Proxy-SVAR as a Bridge for Identification with Higher Frequency Data

High frequency identification around key events has recently solved many puzzles in empirical macroeconomics. This paper proposes a novel methodology, the Bridge Proxy-SVAR, to identify structural shocks in Vector Autoregressions (VARs) by exploiting high frequency information in a more general framework. Our methodology comprises three steps: (I) identify the structural shocks of interest in high frequency systems; (II) aggregate the series of high frequency shocks at a lower frequency employing the correct filter; (III) use the aggregated series of shocks as a proxy for the corresponding structural shock in lower frequency VARs. Both analytically and through simulations, we show that our methodology significantly improves the identification of VARs, recovering the true impact effect. In a first empirical application on US data, we show that financial shocks identified at daily frequency produce unambiguously macroeconomic effects consistent with a demand shock. In a second application, we identify U.S. monetary policy shocks that are highly correlated with the series of monetary policy surprises but, contrary to the latter ones, are invertible and so valid external instruments for low-frequency VARs.
Hybrid Configuration in Information Technology Value Model

Thus far, the IT value study model is typically in a serial configuration correlating its subsystems. This article attempts to propose a hybrid configuration merging serial and parallel configurations to be a proposed IT value model. A methodology is the meta-analysis approach to determine the subsystem model and to rationalize the relationships among subsystems. To complete the analysis, the research also puts on the partial adjustment valuation functioning as a valuation method to calculate the numerical magnitude of the operating revenue of each subsystem. The resulted model undergoes a case study using Telkom's data, which is the Indonesian information and communication technology industry provider. It indicates that the variance of the hybrid configuration is extraordinarily insignificant and tolerable, in which the portion of the average deviation to the Telkom's average revenue is only −0.08% during the period 2005–2015. Thus, the hybrid configuration can nearly be acceptable in the IT value study due to its validity theoretically and empirically.
Reaching unconnected caregivers: Using a text-message education program to better understand how to support informal caregivers roles in child development

Informal caregivers (family, friends, and neighbors) spend many hours each week with the children in their care and can have a significant impact on the children’s social-emotional and academic development. Unfortunately, many informal caregivers lack the knowledge of how to do so. We conducted a qualitative 2-year study to investigate informal caregivers’ motivations, assets, and needs. The caregivers received text messages to help them support child development. In Year 1, we used interviews to better understand the needs of informal caregivers and potential opportunities to scaffold their interactions with the children. In Year 2, we expanded the program and invited informal caregivers to complete a survey to extend what we learned in Year 1. Both kin and non-kin informal caregivers are highly motivated to support children’s social and academic development and have adequate material resources to provide enriching educational environments for the children. However, we find that informal caregivers often lack information on useful practices to support child development. The text messages helped informal caregivers to overcome both informational and behavioral barriers to caregiving and supporting child development.
Towards More Predictive Models of Galactic Center Accretion

Author(s): Ressler, Sean Michael | Advisor(s): Quataert, Eliot | Abstract: Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the roughly 4 million solar mass black hole at the center of our galaxy, is arguably the best natural test-bed for supermassive black hole accretion models. Its close proximity allows for detailed observations to be made across the electromagnetic spectrum that provide strong, multi-scale constraints on analytic and numerical calculations. These include exciting new event horizon scale results that directly probe the strong field regime for the first time. Spanning roughly 7 orders of magnitude in radius, the accretion system begins at ~ parsec scales where a large population of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars interact via powerful stellar winds. A fraction of the wind material accretes to the event horizon scales, heating up and radiating on the way down to provide the observed multi-wavelength emission. Detailed modeling of this process requires 3D numerical simulations spanning as large of a dynamical range as possible. The goal of this thesis has been to improve the predictive power of such simulations applied to Sgr A* by limiting the number of free parameters that they contain. This is done by incorporating more theoretical and observational knowledge into the calculations, for example, what collisionless physics tells us about how electrons/ions are heated in a turbulent medium and the properties of the winds of the WR stars. The resulting simulations have shown excellent agreement with a wide range of observational constraints and could have major implications for how the accretion flow around Sgr A* is modeled in the future. The techniques presented here are also applicable to other low luminosity AGN and X-ray binaries.
The influence of skeletal muscle properties, physical activity and physical fitness on serum lipids and the risk of coronary heart disease

No aphorism is more frequently repeated than that we must ask Nature a few questions, or ideally, one question, at a time. I am convinced that this view is wholly mistaken. Nature will best respond to a logically thought out questionnaire. Indeed, if we ask Nature a single question, she will often refuse to answer until some other topic has been discussed. 6 ABBREVIATIONS 7 INTRODUCTION 8 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 9 1. Skeletal muscle 9 1.1. Fast-and slow-twitch muscle fibers 9 1.2. Skeletal muscle metabolism 11 2. Physical activity and skeletal muscle 13 2.1. Muscle fiber distribution 13 2.2. Skeletal muscle metabolism during exercise 14 2.3. The influence of skeletal muscle on physical fitness and activity 17 3. Physical activity, fitness and cardiovascular health 18 3.1. Physical activity, fitness and CHD 18 3.2. Physical activity, fitness and serum lipids and lipoproteins 23 3.3. The influence of exercise training trials on serum lipids and lipoproteins 25 3.4. The effects of skeletal muscle and exercise on serum lipids and lipoproteins 28 4. Other CHD risk factors 30
MODELLING PERCEPTION AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF TEAK (TECTONA GRANDIS) PRODUCTION IN RURAL PLANT NURSERIES OF BENIN REPUBLIC

In Benin Republic, teak sector is the most active among the wood markets with a strong national demand. It is therefore necessary to improve its efficiency. This study aimed at modelling the perception and economic performance of teak plant production in some rural nurseries. To this end, a survey was conducted among 140 teak nurseries in northern, central and southern regions of Benin using the "snowball" sampling method. In terviews organized with plant nurserymen served to gather data on their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, plant production techniques, production costs and output, and teak production perception. The perception of producers and the performance of teak plant production were modeled respectively from a logistic regression model and then from a linear regression model. The analysis of the results showed that the age of the nurseryman, unlike variables such as gender and seniority in production, negatively influences the economic performance of teak plant production. Household size also influences the economic performance of teak plant production and the perception of the nurseryman, but with a negative effect on the last variable. Nevertheless, the number of years of schooling and the nurseryman's assessment of the distance between the plant nursery and his home has a positive influence on his perception. Policies development aimed at improving the production of teak plants in Benin would therefore require particular attention to these different determinants.
Comparative representations of a genetic algorithm to locate unmanned aerial vehicles in disaster zones

—Our economy and society depend on the continuous operation of the internet and other wireless networks. However, during or after a natural disaster, communications infrastructure can be affected and even interrupted. Effective planning of emergency operations in these scenarios can play an essential role in saving lives. Recently, the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has been proposed to provide broad-band connectivity. UAVs can be rapidly deployed as aerial base-stations over the affected area and provide connectivity between victims and emergency operators. However, one of the challenges for their deployment in emergency scenarios is ﬁnding their optimal locations to provide the largest number of communication services. This paper introduces an optimization model which positions UAVs in such a way as to maximize their coverage (the number of mobile users covered), thus guaranteeing a successful voice service in an LTE network. A genetic algorithm (GA) with a steady-state population conﬁguration is used to ﬁnd optimal locations of the UAVs. We present the results of the GA using two different representations: binary and ﬂoating-point. The results indicate that the genetic algorithm with a steady-state model performs better using a binary representation.
Comparing the Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Stationary and Mobile Blood Donation Centers: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background and Aim: Blood transfusion can save a million lives. Nonetheless, every recipient is at risk for transfusion-transmissible infection, chieﬂy hepatitis B infection. The aim of this study was to compare stationary and mobile blood donation centers respecting the prevalence of hepatitis B in 2007 - 2016. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study compared hepatitis B prevalence in stationary and mobile blood donation centers in Southern Khorasan in a ten-year period from 2007 to 2016. Data were retrieved from data sheets available from Iranian blood transfusion organization. Results: A total of 157063 blood units had been collected in 2007 - 2016. The number of blood units collected by stationary and mobile centers was 129,899 (82.7%) and 27,164 (17.3%), respectively. Total hepatitis B prevalence rate was 0.22% (348 cases). This rate in stationary and mobile centers was 0.18% (232 cases) and 0.40% (116 cases), respectively. Hepatitis B prevalence was signiﬁcantly greater in mobile centers than in stationary centers (P < 0.001). Moreover, hepatitis B prevalence in the second ﬁve years, i.e. 2012 2016, was signiﬁcantly lower than that in the ﬁrst ﬁve years, i.e. 2007 - 2011 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Hepatitis B prevalence in mobile blood donation centers is signiﬁcantly higher than that in stationary centers. This problem can be due to the limited health-related knowledge of blood donors in rural areas where mainly mobile centers collect bloodunits. Therefore,restrictingbloodcollectionbymobilecentersmaybeindicateduntilnecessaryhealth-anddonation-related educations are provided to all people in high-risk areas.
THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

This study aims to examine the use of social media in English language learning by the students of English Study Program at Jambi University. This study applied an exploratory study to investigate the use of social media for English language learning. The researcher employed a survey and semi-structured interview in collecting the data. Sixty-seven students participated to answer the questionnaire and ten participants were interviewed, randomly selected from participants who answered the questionnaire. Basic statistical analysis was used to analyze quantitative data from the questionnaire, and the data from interviews were analyzed using phenomenological case analysis combined with coding thematically. The findings indicated that a range of social media especially Instagram and Facebook are used by the students. Consequently, the students spent more time in using social media for general purposes than English learning purposes. However, they showed positive attitudes towards the use of social media in English language learning. The students perceive that social media plays an important role to improve their English language skills. Furthermore, it promotes social media use and encourages students to use social media to improve their English language skills. In addition, the social media, which is mostly used in learning English by the university students of English Study Program at Jambi University, is Instagram, and they usually use the social media for learning English at home.
Evaluation of the incidence of aortic aneurysms in patients with and without diabetes in Poland in 2012 based on the database of the National Health Fund

Introduction There are reports that diabetes mellitus reduces the risk of aortic aneurysms and many reports that diabetes mellitus reduces the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms. In earlier years there were also studies that did not demonstrate any effects of diabetes on the rate of aortic aneurysms. Material and methods For the year 2012, between 1 January and 31 December, reports for services regarding treatment for aortic aneurysms were found. At the same time, the reports for services associated with diabetes with the main diagnosis of “diabetes mellitus” were found in National Health Fund databases for 2012 with the special determinants. Results In Poland in 2012 the mean incidence of aortic aneurysms in both sexes in the group of subjects with diabetes calculated per 100,000 subjects with diabetes was 167.78 ±49.10, and the mean incidence of aortic aneurysms in both sexes in the group of subjects without diabetes calculated per 100,000 of the general population after subtracting the number of subjects with diabetes was 27.72 ±9.40. The incidence of aortic aneurysms among subjects with diabetes was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the incidence of aortic aneurysms among subjects without diabetes. Conclusions Aortic aneurysms were more frequently observed in the group of patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes. Aortic aneurysms were observed three times more frequently in men than in women. In Poland in 2012, 27.20% of patients diagnosed with aortic aneurysms also had diabetes.
Prevalence and resistance pattern of candida isolated from vulvovaginal candidiasis of antenatal women

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is caused by the overgrowth of Candida species. About 75% of all women, experience at least one episode of candidiasis in their lifetime. Candida albicans is the most common infectious agent followed by Non- albicans Candida species are emerging pathogens and relatively higher resistance to antifungal resistance. Thus the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Candida species in antenatal women and their susceptibility patterns of antifungal drugs. The study was conducted in the department of O&G and Microbiology, SRM MCH & RC, Kattankulathur, Chennai, India. A total of 39 C. albicans and 66 NAC species were isolated. C. albicans had shown the highest resistance against ketoconazole 10% and NAC had shown the highest resistance against clotrimazole 6%. There was a clear shift in the prevalence of infection by Candida albicans to those by NAC and emerging as a potential threat for causing cause infection and posing a
National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Adults Aged 19-64

This survey, of a national sample of adults aged 19 to 64 years, is one of a programme of national surveys with the aim of gathering information about the dietary habits and nutritional status of the British population. The results of the survey will be used to develop nutrition policy and to contribute to the evidence base for Government advice on healthy eating. The series covers foods consumed and nutrient intakes derived from analysis of dietary records, nutritional status derived from analysis of blood samples, physical measurements and physical activity.
Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosol Geoengineering Could Alter the High‐Latitude Seasonal Cycle

Stratospheric aerosol geoengineering (SAG) has been proposed to reduce some impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Previous studies examined annual mean climate responses to SAG. Here we use the Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering Large Ensemble simulations to explore the effects of SAG on the seasonal cycle of climate change. Simulations show that relative to the present‐day climate, SAG diminishes the amplitude of the seasonal cycle of temperature at many high‐latitude locations, with warmer winters and cooler summers. The seasonal temperature shift significantly influences the seasonal cycle of snow depth and sea ice, with Arctic sea ice recovery overcompensated in summer by 52% and undercompensated in winter by 8%. We identify that both the dynamic effects of aerosol‐induced stratospheric heating and seasonal variations of sunlight contribute to the shifts in seasonal cycle. Shifts in the seasonal cycle have important ecological and environmental implications, which should be considered in geoengineering impact analysis.