Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Anxiety and Burnout, and Coping Mechanisms among Clinical Year Medical Undergraduate Students in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and burnout, and the coping mechanisms among clinical year undergraduate medical students in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In total, 378 clinical year undergraduate medical students in UKM participated in this cross-sectional study from May to July 2021. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of questions on the participant’s sociodemographic data and items from the DASS-21, CBI, and Brief-COPE was distributed. Chi-square and Spearman’s correlation tests were used to calculate the correlation coefficient between both anxiety and burnout, and coping mechanisms. The prevalence of anxiety and burnout were 44.2% and 22.2%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the percentage of students with extremely severe anxiety in the presence and absence of burnout, 23.8% vs. 4.8% (p < 0.001). Among the three coping mechanisms, avoidant coping had a significant positive moderate correlation with both the presence of anxiety (r = 0.3966, p < 0.001) and the presence of burnout (r = 0.341, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, coping that was neither approach nor avoidant had a positive weak correlation with the presence of burnout (r = 0.176, p = 0.001). The prevalence of anxiety and burnout was concerning. Increased anxiety and burnout among students may negatively impact aspects of their personal, professional, and academic lives. Early recognition and preventive measures should be emphasised to prevent negative ramifications.
End-to-End Decoupled Training: A Robust Deep Learning Method for Long-Tailed Classification of Dermoscopic Images for Skin Lesion Classification

Due to its increasing incidence, skin cancer, and especially melanoma, is considered a major public health issue. Manually detecting skin lesions (SL) from dermoscopy images is a difficult and time-consuming process. Thus, researchers designed computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems to assist dermatologists in the early detection of skin cancer. Moreover, SL detection naturally exhibits a long-tailed distribution due to the complex patient-level conditions and the existence of rare diseases. Very limited research for handling this issue exists on SL detection. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end decoupled training for the long-tailed skin lesion classification task. Specifically, we initialized the training of a network with a novel loss function Lf able to guide the model to a better representation of the features. Then, we fine-tuned the pretrained networks with a weighted variant of Lf helping to improve the robustness of the network to class imbalance. We evaluated our model on the ISIC 2018 public dataset against existing methods for handling class imbalance and existing approaches for SL detection. The results demonstrated the superiority of our framework, outperforming all compared methods by a minimum margin of 2% with a single model.
Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Lung Cancer Cells Induce Transformation of Normal Fibroblasts into Lung Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Promote Metastasis of Lung Cancer by Delivering lncRNA HOTAIR

Human lung cancer (LC) cells A549/H358, normal lung epithelial cells BEAS-2B, and lung normal fibroblasts (NFs) were cultured, followed by transfection of H358 cells with HOTAIR shRNA. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) extracted from H358 cells were identified. The internalization of Dil-labeled-EVs by NFs was tested, and protein levels of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) surface markers, inflammatory cytokines, cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, and lncRNA HOTAIR levels were determined. A549 cells were cultured in an H358-EVs-treated conditioned medium of NFs (NFCM), followed by intravenous injection of A549 cells into nude mice. The lesions and Ki-67-positive cells in lung tissues were measured. The results showed that tumor cell-derived EVs (T-EVs) motivated the transformation of NFs into CAFs. Specifically, EVs can be internalized by NFs, and the protein levels of CAF surface markers and inflammation levels were elevated in H358-EVs-treated NFs. The proliferation, invasion, and migration of A549 cells cultured in T-EVs-treated NFCM were increased. H358-EVs carried HOTAIR into NFs and promoted the transformation of NFs into CAFs. Inhibition of HOTAIR partially reversed the promoting effect of H358-EVs on the transformation of NFs into CAFs and invasion and migration of LC cells. T-EVs promoted metastasis of LC in vivo by transforming NFs into CAFs.
Effects of Fermented Bamboo Shoot Processing Waste on Growth Performance, Serum Parameters, and Gut Microbiota of Weaned Piglets

Simple Summary Bamboo shoot processing waste is usually directly discarded, resulting in the waste of bamboo resources and environmental pollution. Fermented bamboo shoot processing waste (FBSPW) for feed processing is an important way to reuse bamboo shoot processing waste. In this study, to evaluate the feasibility of FBSPW as a feed additive for weaned piglets, we analyzed the effects of different concentrations of FBSPW added to feed on growth performance, serum parameters, and gut microbiota of weaned piglets. Our results showed that the addition of FBSPW significantly decreased the average daily feed intake, serum triglyceride content, and urea nitrogen of weaned piglets compared to the control. The cecum and cecal microbiota of weaned piglets fed the basal diet with 12% FBSPW were significantly different compared to the control. The addition of 12% FBSPW to weaned piglet feed could improve their nitrogen and lipid metabolisms and have beneficial effects on gut microbiota. Abstract Gut microbiota (GM) plays a vital role in the nutrition and metabolism of weaned piglets. Some feed additives can be used to adjust the composition of GM to improve the health of weaned piglets. In this study, we investigated the effects of adding fermented bamboo shoot processing waste (FBSPW) to diet on growth performance, serum parameters, and GM of weaned piglets. Seventy-two piglets were divided into four groups and were fed diets containing 0% (control), 4% (group A), 8% (group B), and 12% (group C) FBSPW for 50 days. We found that the addition of FBSPW significantly decreased the average daily feed intake, serum triglyceride content, and urea nitrogen of weaned piglets compared to the control. The cecum and cecal microbiota of weaned piglets fed the basal diet with 12% FBSPW were significantly different compared to the control. A basal diet with 12% FBSPW significantly reduced the taxon feature number, and the relative abundance of Tenericutes in the cecum and cecal microbiota of weaned piglets compared with the control. The addition of 12% FBSPW to weaned piglet feed could improve their nitrogen and lipid metabolisms and have beneficial effects on GM.
Modelling agricultural drought: a review of latest advances in big data technologies

Abstract This article reviews the main recent applications of multi-sensor remote sensing and Artificial Intelligence techniques in multivariate modelling of agricultural drought. The study focused mainly on three fundamental aspects, namely descriptive modelling, predictive modelling, and spatial modelling of expected risks and vulnerability to drought. Thus, out of 417 articles across all studies on drought, 226 articles published from 2010 to 2022 were analyzed to provide a global overview of the current state of knowledge on multivariate drought modelling using the inclusion criteria. The main objective is to review the recent available scientific evidence regarding multivariate drought modelling based on the joint use of geospatial technologies and artificial intelligence. The analysis focused on the different methods used, the choice of algorithms and the most relevant variables depending on whether they are descriptive or predictive models. Criteria such as the skill score, the given game complexity used, and the nature of validation data were considered to draw the main conclusions. The results highlight the very heterogeneous nature of studies on multivariate modelling of agricultural drought, and the very original nature of studies on multivariate modelling of agricultural drought in the recent literature. For future studies, in addition to scientific advances in prospects, case studies and comparative studies appear necessary for an in-depth analysis of the reproducibility and operational applicability of the different approaches proposed for spatial and temporal modelling of agricultural drought. HIGHLIGHTS The components and fundamentals of multivariate modelling of agricultural drought were discussed. The importance of hybrid artificial intelligence models is widely discussed in improving the performance of traditional machine learning models. Quantum machine learning algorithms are weakly explored in multivariate drought modelling. Therefore, future studies should explore this approach. The major challenge of multivariate modelling of drought frequency is mainly related to the difference in the return periods of the different variables (time-shifted and spatially effects).
量尺分數間距縮小法在題本難易不同時效果之探討(英文稿)Effects of Gaps-Minimizing Approaches on the Raw-to-Scale Score Conversions When Forms Vary in Difficulty

This study explored the various adjusting procedures for minimizing the size of gaps resulting from the raw-to-scale score conversions under test forms that varied in difficulty. The no adjustment, the fixed mean, the varying mean, and the varying mean/SD approaches were compared using the data simulated based on the three-parameter extended beta-binomial model for the five tests in the Basic Competence Test (or BCTEST) administered from 2001 to 2003. The BCTEST is a national standardized assessment in Taiwan and the forms of each of its tests varied slightly in difficulty over these years. The desired gap sizes were set at 3, 4, and 5 scale score points at the high end of the scale. The criteria for comparing the adjusting approaches over the years were by means of the summary statistics, reliability, overall SEM, SEMs by true score in proportion-correct score units, and the number of scale score points changed due to the truncation as well. The results showed that test form difficulty affected the performance of the various adjusting procedures to some extent and no one method could accomplish the goal of reducing the gap sizes at the upper end without negatively affecting the other scale score attributes. Imposing adjustments on the gaps at the high end of the scale would exert more effects on the easier forms than on the harder forms. The impact due to adjustments decreased as the forms increased in difficulty. Overall, the varying mean/SD strategy was judged the most preferable. Findings from this research have fostered the understanding of the gaps issue and have raised greater awareness of the role that test form difficulty plays in establishing the score scales. Key Words BCTEST, form difficulty, gaps, raw-to-scale score conversions, scale score 。 《詳全文》 量尺分數間距縮小法在題本難易不同時效果之探討 本研究針對在題本難易不同的情況下，探討使用量尺分數間距縮小法，縮小由原始分數轉換至量尺分數後所產生的間距之效果。 本研究透過三參數extended beta-binomial模式，模擬產生一如民國90-92年期間基本學力測驗五個學科的考生分數分配，評鑑「無調整法」、「同等平均數法」、「不同等平均數法」、以及「不同等平均數及標準差法」這四種方法在不同測驗年間的表現。 基本學力測驗為一標準化測驗，各學科在這幾年內的題本難易度略有不同。 本研究設定將量尺高分一端縮小分數間距至3, 4, 5分，評鑑的準則包含量尺分數描述統計值、測驗信度、整體測量誤差以及在不同真分數下的測量標準誤大小，還有調整分數間距後對低分一端所更動的量尺點數。 研究結果指出，題本難易會影響各間距縮小法的表現，其中沒有任何一種方法能達到縮小量尺高分一端分數間距的目標，而卻不會帶來任何負面的效果。 調整量尺分數的間距對於較容易的題本所產生的影響大於較困難的題本；題本難度增加後，各間距縮小法之影響性也隨之降低。 整體而言，「不同等平均數及標準差法」似乎是最好的選擇。 本研究的結果應能促進對分數間距議題的了解，並也喚起了對題本難易度在建立量尺時所扮演的角色的注意。 關鍵詞 分數間距、原始至量尺分數轉換、基本學力測驗、量尺分數、題本難易。
The development and psychometric properties of the Learning Agility Scale for pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT Learning agility is a relatively novel concept and has the potential to be considered an important characteristic of an effective teacher. Thus, a scale to measure it might be beneficial especially for selecting and recruiting teachers. Based on this notion, the purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure the learning agility of pre-service teachers. Two independent participant groups took part in the study: 311 pre-service teachers in the exploratory phase and 252 pre-service teachers in the confirmatory phase. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that 15 items had significant loadings under five factors explaining 54.64% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable fit. Convergent and divergent validity were also established. It was concluded that the Learning Agility Scale is a promising instrument to assess the learning agility of pre-service teachers, which paves the way to making more informed selections among teacher candidates during the recruitment process.
Association of Healthy Eating Index-2015 and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Patterns with Insulin Resistance in Schoolchildren

Background: Diet quality patterns are associated with a lower incidence of insulin resistance (IR) in adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between two diet quality indices and IR in schoolchildren and to identify the best diet quality index associated with a lower risk of IR. Methods: A total of 854 schoolchildren (8–13 years) were included in a cross-sectional study, who completed a three-day dietary record to assess their diet. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin were also measured, and anthropometric data were collected. Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and adjusted DASH (aDASH) were calculated as diet quality indices. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used, and IR was defined as HOMA-IR > 3.16. Results: The prevalence of IR was 5.5%, and it was higher in girls. The mean HEI-2015 and DASH scores were 59.3 and 23.4, respectively, and boys scored lower in both indices. In girls, having a HEI-2015 score above the 33rd percentile was associated with a lower risk of IR (odds ratio [95% CI]: 0.43 [0.19–0.96], p = 0.020). Conclusion: Greater adherence to a healthy dietary pattern, as assessed by a higher HEI-2015 score, was associated with a lower risk of IR in schoolchildren, especially in girls.
Grade-level differences of peer and dating victimization among transgender, gender expansive, female, and male adolescents

Abstract A staggering number of adolescents in the United States report victimization within peer contexts (e.g., physical, verbal, or cyber forms of bullying) and dating relationships (e.g., physical, or psychological abuse from dating partners). However, little research has examined grade-level differences in forms of victimization by gender, inclusive of transgender and gender expansive adolescents. Eighth to twelfth graders (N = 4,464; n = 1,116 per gender identity) from a statewide survey were compared by gender identity and grade on self-reported rates of verbal, physical, and cyber peer victimization, as well as physical and psychological dating violence victimization. A log-binomial regression model was conducted to assess the prevalence ratio of peer and dating violence victimization by grade, and by comparing transgender and gender expansive youth to male and female youth. Across grade levels, transgender and gender expansive youth reported higher levels of victimization compared to male and female youth in those grades. Our results demonstrate that gender minority youth report rates of victimization across adolescence that differ from their male and female peers. This research is critical for moving beyond the gender binary to have more gender responsive and developmental approaches to violence prevention efforts.
Investigating the velocity structure and X-ray observable properties of simulated galaxy clusters with PHOX

Non-thermal motions in the intra-cluster medium (ICM) are believed to play a non-negligible role in the pressure support to the total gravitating mass of galaxy clusters. Future X-ray missions, such as ASTRO-H and ATHENA, will eventually allow us to directly detect the signature of these motions from high-resolution spectra of the ICM. In this paper, we present a study on a set of clusters extracted from a cosmological hydrodynamical simulation, devoted to explore the role of non-thermal velocity amplitude in characterising the cluster state and the relation between observed X-ray properties. In order to reach this goal, we apply the X-ray virtual telescope PHOX to generate synthetic observations of the simulated clusters with both Chandra and ATHENA, the latter used as an example for the performance of very high-resolution X-ray telescopes. From Chandra spectra we extract global properties, e.g. luminosity and temperature, and from ATHENA spectra we estimate the gas velocity dispersion along the line of sight from the broadening of heavy-ion emission lines (e.g. Fe). We further extend the analysis to the relation between non-thermal velocity dispersion of the gas and the L_X-T scaling law for the simulated clusters. Interestingly, we find a clear dependence of slope and scatter on the selection criterion for the clusters, based on the level of significance of non-thermal motions. Namely, the scatter in the relation is significantly reduced by the exclusion of the clusters, for which we estimate the highest turbulent velocities. Such velocity diagnostics appears therefore as a promising independent way to identify disturbed clusters, in addition to the commonly used morphological inspection.
Effect of intercropping on cassava bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis in Togo

Bacterial blight is one of the biotic constraints to cassava production, affecting yield and cuttings. To contribute to preventing farmers from yield losses, the present study investigated the effect of intercropping cassava with common staple crops in Togo on the development of cassava bacterial blight under field conditions in four agroecological zones of the country. Cassava was intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.) in the forest-savanna transition zone at Davié, in the forest lowland zone at Adéta, in the forest highland zone at Danyi, and in the wet savanna zone in Sotouboua. Additionally, cassava was intercropped with taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott. ) in the forest highland zone at Danyi. Border plants of cassava for each treatment were inoculated with a bacterial suspension of 107 cfu/ml. Bacterial blight severity was significantly reduced compared to sole cassava in the forest highland in cassava-taro and cassava-maize intercropping (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01 in 2000 and 2001, respectively), in the forest lowland in cassava-maize intercropping (p = 0.002 in 2001), and in cassava-maize intercropping in the wet savanna zone (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01 in 2000 and 2001, respectively), with generally no significant negative effect on cassava root yield. Though significant, disease reductions by intercropping generally were low (10 to 24%). Since no varieties with complete resistance to the disease had been identified among local and local improved varieties across ecozones in Togo, the combination of medium resistant varieties and an intercropping system, both adapted to the respective ecozone, can be recommended to farmers as part of integrated control measures against bacterial blight of cassava. Keywords: Cassava, bacterial blight, intercropping, control, Togo.
T-dualizing the deformed and resolved conifold

In a previous paper, we used T-duality to construct a new type of 1/4-BPS solution describing a pair of NS5-branes intersecting in 1 + 3 dimensions and localized in all other directions except for a single transverse circle. This led to an explicit solution to a sourced Monge–Ampere equation, of which there are few known examples. In this paper, we refine this formalism and apply it to two important generalizations: the resolved and deformed conifolds. In doing so, we construct two new solutions describing, respectively, a pair of NS5-branes separated in a transverse direction and a pair of NS5-branes with a smooth ‘diamond’ profile. We show how the parameter of the resolved conifold (size of S2) maps to a transverse separation of the NS5-branes, while the modulus of the deformed conifold (size of S3) maps to the deformation parameter of the diamond web.
Coupled scalar fields in the late Universe: the mechanical approach and the late cosmic acceleration

In this paper, we consider the Universe at the late stage of its evolution and deep inside the cell of uniformity. At these scales, we consider the Universe to be filled with dust-like matter in the form of discretely distributed galaxies, a minimally coupled scalar field and radiation as matter sources. We investigate such a Universe in the mechanical approach. This means that the peculiar velocities of the inhomogeneities (in the form of galaxies) as well as fluctuations of other perfect fluids are non-relativistic. Such fluids are designated as coupled because they are concentrated around inhomogeneities. In the present paper we investigate the conditions under which a scalar field can become coupled, and show that, at the background level, such coupled scalar field behaves as a two component perfect fluid: a network of frustrated cosmic strings with EoS parameter w=−1/3 and a cosmological constant. The potential of this scalar field is very flat at the present time. Hence, the coupled scalar field can provide the late cosmic acceleration. The fluctuations of the energy density and pressure of this field are concentrated around the galaxies screening their gravitational potentials. Therefore, such scalar fields can be regarded as coupled to the inhomogeneities.
Poroelastic Mechanical Behavior of Crystal Mush Reservoirs: Insights Into the Spatio‐Temporal Evolution of Volcano Surface Deformation

Characterizing the physical properties and mechanical behavior of melt reservoirs is essential for enhancing geophysical models that aim to understand the evolution of subvolcanic systems and support hazard forecasting. Increasing evidence suggests that shallow magmatic reservoirs consist of variably packed crystal frameworks with small volumes of interstitial melt, commonly referred to as “mushes. ” Current volcano deformation models often implement static magma sources with a cavity and thus provide little insight into dynamic internal reservoir processes; they also ignore the presence of crystals, melt and other fluids, and therefore the likely poroelastic mechanical response to melt addition or withdrawal. Here we investigate the influence of poroelastic mechanical behavior on reservoir pressure evolution and resultant spatio‐temporal surface deformation. We consider the melt reservoir to be largely crystalline (10%–50% melt fraction) with melt distributed between crystals; we show that the presence of crystals affects the spatial and temporal mechanics of magma reservoir behavior. In contrast to classical models for volcanic surface deformation, our results suggest that a poroelastic surface deformation response continues to develop after withdrawal/upward emplacement of melt has terminated, and importantly that the withdrawal/injection point can affect the evolution of the relative magnitudes of vertical and radial deformation over time. These protracted displacements are caused by melt diffusion, which depends principally on mush hydraulic properties and melt characteristics. Following an intrusion/withdrawal event, a steady state is eventually reached when the fluid pressure is uniform in the mush reservoir.
Integral transforms, reproducing kernels and their applications

Introduction Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces Isometrical Identities and Inversion Formulas Applications to the Approximation of Functions Applications to Analytic Extension Formulas and Real Inversion Formulas for the Lapace Transform Applications to Source Inverse Problems Appendix 1: Applications to Representations of Inverse Functions Appendix 2: Natural Norm Inequalities in Nonlinear Transforms Appendix 3: Stability of Lipschitz Type in Determination of Initial Heat Distributions