Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infrared studies of gas phase and surface processes of the enhancement of catalytic methane decomposition by low temperature plasma

Catalyst enhancement by atmospheric pressure plasma is a recently emerging field of research that embodies a complex system of reactive species and how they interact with surfaces. In this work we use an atmospheric pressure plasma jet integrated with a nickel on Al2O3/SiO2 support catalyst material to decompose methane gas by partial oxidation reaction. We use Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy analysis of the gas phase post reaction to measure the loss of methane and the production of CO, CO2, and H2O and diffuse reflectance Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTs) in situ analysis of the catalyst surface as a function of both catalyst temperature and plasma operating parameters. We find reduction of methane by both plasma alone, catalyst alone, and an increase when both plasma and catalyst were simultaneously used. The production of CO appears to be due primarily to the plasma source as it only appears above 2.5 W plasma dissipated power and decreases as catalyst temperature increases. CO2 production is enhanced by having the catalyst at high temperature and H2O production depends on both plasma power and temperature. Using DRIFTs we find that both heating and plasma treatment remove absorbed water on the surface of the catalyst. Plasma treatment alone however leads to the formation of CO and another IR spectral feature at 1590 cm−1, which may be attributed to carboxylate groups, bonded to the catalyst surface. These species exhibit a regime of plasma treatment where they are formed on the surface and where they are significantly removed from the catalyst surface. We see the formation of a new spectral feature at 995 cm−1 and discuss the behavior and possible origins of this feature. This research highlights the potential for plasma regeneration of catalyst materials as well as showing enhancement of the catalytic behavior under low temperature plasma treatment.
Use of the Community of Inquiry Framework to Measure Student and Facilitator Perceptions of Online Flipped Classroom Compared with Online Lecture Learning in Undergraduate Medical Education

Background The COVID-19 pandemic and a movement away from traditional lecture-based learning have increased the use of online flipped classroom (FC) and active learning models in medical education. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework for online learning may be used to evaluate the effectiveness and strengths of the online FC model compared with other learning formats. Methods An observational survey study was conducted to measure medical student and facilitator perceptions of an online FC endocrinology tutorial compared with online lecture experiences. For the tutorial, students were instructed to watch short, pre-recorded lecture videos on thyroid pathophysiology prior to class. During class, small groups of students were paired with a faculty facilitator in online Zoom rooms for case discussion. Students were surveyed using the CoI framework to assess elements of cognitive, social, and teaching presence between the two online learning modalities. Facilitators were also surveyed. Survey questions were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Results Fifty-three out of 92 students (58% response rate) and seven out of eight facilitators (88% response rate) completed surveys. In general, students felt that online FC learning improved cognitive, teaching, and social presence compared with online lecture. Areas of cognitive presence (mean score 3.9 ± 1.0 SD), such as stimulating curiosity and applying concepts, were highly rated. Certain elements of social presence (3.6 ± 0.9) and teaching presence (3.7 ± 0.9), such as expression of emotion and communication of expectations, garnered lower ratings. All surveyed facilitators felt that online FC was more effective and enjoyable to teach than online lectures but did not feel it was superior to in-person instruction. Conclusion Medical students and facilitators viewed an online FC tutorial in endocrinology positively. Most, but not all, areas of the CoI framework were enhanced with the online FC tutorial compared with online lecture-based learning.
Baseline scenario for gas, odor, dust and particulate matter emissions from swine buildings in Québec- Part I : emissions inventory

A rapidly changing and increasing livestock production has entailed, worldwide, fruitful efforts in terms of innovations and technologies in order to minimize the environmental impacts of meat production at both the local, regional and global scale. This is especially true for the pig sector. This context of innovation has brought up the need, among the leading stakeholders of the pig sector of the province of Quebec, to assess and compare the environmental performances of the technologies and practices implemented in-barn. This means that the progresses and shortcomings need to be measured and compared to a reference situation. The aim of this project was to define such a baseline scenario for the province of Quebec as regarding gas, odor, dust and particulate matter emissions for the specific case of the pig building, looking at year 2006 as the “reference year”. All stages of production of a typical farrow-to-finish farm were considered, and such a “typical” Quebec barn was defined. This study details a methodology based on emissions inventory in order to define this baseline scenario, presents the results of the application of this methodology and discusses its main limitations.
Single-use flexible ureteroscope provides an alternative treatment for upper urinary calculi: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single-use flexible ureteroscope and reusable flexible ureteroscope for upper urinary calculi. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis that had a comprehensive search in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and WanFang databases from 2000/01/01 to 2023/06/01 for available randomized controlled trials. “Ureteroscopes,” “Flexible Ureteroscope,” “Single-use,” and “Upper Urinary Calculi” were used as the major keywords for the search. Review Manager 5.0 and STATA 12.0 were used for calculation and statistical analysis. Results: A total of 9 randomized controlled trials comprising 1293 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Single use-FURS had better results in stone-free rate (relative risk: 1.08, 95% confidence interval: [1.02, 1.15], P = .02) and postoperative infection (relative risk: 0.41, 95% confidence interval: [0.23, 0.72], P = .002). Operative time, hemoglobin decline, postoperative serum creatinine, postoperative hospital stay, and overall complication after surgery showed no significant differences between the 2 procedures (P > .05). Conclusion: Single-use flexible ureteroscope provides a valuable alternative to reusable flexible ureteroscope in upper urinary calculi with its better visual field performance and manipulation, opening a new technological revolution for kidney stone treatment.
Impact of Social Determinants of Health on the Emerging COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) caused a global pandemic in the months following the first four cases reported in Wuhan, China, on December 29, 2019. The elderly, immunocompromised, and those with preexisting conditions—such as asthma, cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD), or obesity—experience higher risk of becoming severely ill if infected with the virus. Systemic social inequality and discrepancies in socioeconomic status (SES) contribute to higher incidence of asthma, CVD, hypertension, CKD, and obesity in segments of the general population. Such preexisting conditions bring heightened risk of complications for individuals who contract the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from the virus (2019-nCoV)—also known as “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2). In order to help vulnerable groups during times of a health emergency, focus must be placed at the root of the problem. Studying the social determinants of health (SDOH), and how they impact disadvantaged populations during times of crisis, will help governments to better manage health emergencies so that every individual has equal opportunity to staying healthy. This review summarizes the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comparative Study of LSTM and Transformer for A-Share Stock Price Prediction

Forecasting stock prices in capital markets holds great signiﬁcance for the economic development and social stability of a country, necessitating a robustpredictivemodel.Thisstudypresentsacomprehensivecomparisonbetween LongShort-TermMemory(LSTM)andTransformerneuralnetworkarchitec-turesforpredictingA-sharestockpricesintheChinesecapitalmarket.Although bothLSTMandTransformerhavedemonstratedsuccessinvariousapplications, researchcomparingtheirperformanceinstockpricepredictionremainslimited.In thispaper,weemploybothLSTMandTransformermodelsondailyandminute frequencydatatopredicttheclosingpricesoftheShanghaiCompositeIndex. OurﬁndingsindicatethatalthoughLSTMoutperformsTransformerintermsof MeanAbsoluteErrorandMeanSquaredError,ittendstosimplifytheproblem byfallingintothetrapofautocorrelation.Conversely,Transformerlearnsunique dependencies,demonstratingpotentialforcapturingtheinternalrelationshipsof securitiespricechanges.OurresultssuggestthatTransformerisamorepromising modelforstockpriceprediction,asitsself-attentionmechanismmayprovidevalu-ableinsightstoinvestors,ﬁnancialpractitioners,andfundmanagers.Thisstudy notonlycontributestotheexistingliteratureonstockpricepredictionbutalso servesasafoundationforfutureresearchintheChinesecapitalmarket,beneﬁting researchersandpractitionersinﬁnance,economics,andmachinelearning.
Distribution of Human Papillomavirus Genotypes among the Women of South Andaman Island, India

Background: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes various types of cancer in both men and women. Woman with HPV infection has a risk of developing invasive cervical cancer. Globally, HPV 16 and 18 were predominant. This study aims to find the distribution of various HPV types in South Andaman. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among women in South Andaman, where cervical scrapes were collected after collecting written informed consent. Detection of HPV genotypes was carried out by using a PCR assay. Further, sequencing analysis was performed using MEGA11 to identify various genotypes in this territory. Result: Of these 1000 samples, 32 were positive for HR-HPV 16, and four were positive for HR-HPV 18. Fifteen HPV genotypes were detected using molecular evolutionary analysis. Six cases were identified with multiple genotypes. The most prevalent genotype is HPV 16 which belongs to Lineage-A and sub-lineage A2. HPV 18 identified in South Andaman belonged to the lineage A1 to A5. Discussion: Various HPV types were identified among women in South Andaman. Global burden of cervical cancer associated with various HPV sub-lineages. HPV-16 A1 sub-lineage was globally widespread, whereas sub-lineages A1, A2 and D1 prevailed in South Andaman. Conclusions: HR-HPV identified in this study enlightens the importance of HPV vaccination among women in remote places. These findings will help to strengthen public health awareness programs and prevention strategies for women in remote areas.
Sex and Foot Posture Affects Ground Reaction Forces during a Single-leg Drop Landing

ECKBURG, MEREDITH L. , M.S., June 2008, Athletic Training Education Sex and Foot Posture Affects Ground Reaction Forces During a Single-Leg Drop Landing (83 pp.) Director of Thesis: Andrew Krause This investigation sought to determine if both sex and foot posture affect vertical ground reaction forces (VGRF) and ankle kinematics during a 30 and 45 cm single leg drop landing. Sex differences have been reported in drop landing research, but the role of foot posture remains unclear. Thirty subjects performed five acceptable trials from each height. Kinetics and kinematics were examined by collecting VGRF data and 2D motion analysis. Data were collected for maximum VGRF, toe contact (F1), and heel contact (F2); and maximum ankle dorsiflexion, and ankle dorsiflexion at F1 and F2. A two-way MANOVA showed no interaction between sex and foot posture. However, a main effect was observed for sex. Females demonstrated greater F1 VGRF at 30 cm and maximum VGRF, F1, and F2 at 45 cm than did males. A main effect was also observed for foot posture. Supinators demonstrated greater F1 VGRF at 45 cm than did pronators. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Andrew Krause Assistant Professor of Recreation and Sport Sciences
SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research The German Socio-Economic Panel study Refuting the Cliché of the Distrustful Manager

Although trust is fundamental to social and organizational functioning, the media often portray managers as distrusting, suggesting that distrust of others is a typical personality variable of successful leaders. This study puts the cliché of the distrustful manager to the test. Both selfreport data (N = 32,926) and behavioral data (N = 924) from the German Socio-Economic Panel refute this cliché. Analyses reveal that individuals in managerial positions neither show a lower level of trust before, nor a systematic reduction in trust after attaining such positions. Moreover, analyses demonstrate that managers are generally more trusting than non-managers. This selection effect implies that individuals who trust others are more successful in achieving managerial positions than their less trusting counterparts.
Trace Element Geochemistry and Sr-Nd Characteristics of Mesoproterozoic Mafic Intrusive Rocks from Rondônia, Brazil, Sw Amazonian Craton: Petrogenetic and Tectonic Inferences

The Amazonian Craton comprises an Archean domain surrounded by four successively younger Proterozoic tectonic provinces. Within the Rio-Negro-Juruena province the Serra da Providencia Intrusive Suite (1.60 and 1.53 Ga) consists of A-type rapakivi granites, charnockites and mangerites genetically associated with diabase dikes, gabbros and amphibolites. The original mafic melts were derived from a depleted mantle source (e Nd(T) +2.5 to +2.8; e Sr(T) -12.1). Underplated mafic magma induced melting of a short-lived felsic crust, thus originating coeval felsic-mafic magmatism in a continental intraplate setting. The Colorado Complex, assigned to the Rondonian-San Ignacio province, comprises 1.35-1.36 Ga intrusive bimodal magmatism represented by monzonite gneisses associated with amphibolite, gabbro and metadiabase dikes intercalated with metasediments with detrital zircon that yield UPb ages of 1.35 to 1.42 Ga. Mafic samples display juvenile signatures (e Nd(T) 0.0 to +5.2; e Sr(T) -5.0 to -30.7) and are less contaminated than the Serra da Previdencia and Nova Brasilandia ones. The generation of the basaltic magma is related to the subduction of an oceanic slab below the peridotite wedge (intraoceanic arc setting). Fluids and/or small melts from the slab impregnated the mantle. The Nova Brasilandia Sequence (Sunsas-Aguapei province) comprises a metasedimentary sequence intruded by 1.10-1.02 Ga metadiabases, gabbros, meta-gabbros, and amphibolites associated with granitic plutons (bimodal magmatism). The original tholeiitic magmas, derived from a depleted source (e Nd(T) = +3.1 to +5.0), in a proto-oceanic setting, underwent subsequent contamination by the host rocks, as indicated by the isotopic and trace element data.
Do Changes in Regulation Affect Temporary Agency Workers’ Job Satisfaction?

This paper evaluates the impact on temporary agency workers’ job satisfaction of a reform that considerably changed regulations covering the temporary help service sector in Germany. We isolate the causal effect of this reform by combining a difference-in-difference and matching approach and using rich survey data. We find that the change of the law substantially decreased agency workers’ job satisfaction while regular workers’ job satisfaction remained unchanged. Further analysis reveals that the negative effect on agency workers’ job satisfaction can be attributed to a decrease in wages and an increase in perceived job insecurity. These results are also robust to the use of different specifications and placebo tests.
Learning style of medical students and their preferred teaching methodologies in a medical college in Nepal: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Introduction: Each individual learns differently. Honey and Mumford classified learning styles as activists, reflectors, theorists, and pragmatists. This study was conducted to find out the frequency of learning styles and preferred teaching methodology of students in a medical college in Nepal. Methods: Two hundred MBBS students participated in this study who were selected through a stratified sampling technique using students’ class year as a stratum, followed by a simple random sampling method. Honey and Mumford’s learning style questionnaire was used to determine learning styles. A self-developed questionnaire was used to find their preferred teaching methodology. Results: Of the total, 139 males and 61 females participated in the study where 9 (4.5%) students were activists, 21 (10.5%) were theorists, 112 (56%) were reflectors, and 24 (12%) were pragmatists. Out of all participants, 50 (25%) preferred interactive learning, 47 (23.5%) preferred problem-based learning, 59 (29.5%) preferred self-study, and only 2 (1%) students preferred one-way lectures and guest speakers each. Conclusion: The majority of students were reflectors (56%) and pragmatists (12%). Most students preferred self-study (29.5%) but one-way lectures were less preferred. Medical institutions should align teaching strategies with the learning styles of medical students to improve their understanding and performance.
SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research The German Socio-Economic Panel study Number of Siblings and Educational Choices of Immigrant Children : Evidence from First-and Second-Generation Immigrants

We document the educational integration of immigrant children with a focus on the link between family size and educational decisions and distinguishing particularly between firstand second-generation immigrants and between source country groups. First, for immigrant adolescents, we show family-size adjusted convergence to almost native levels of higher education track attendance from the first to the second generation of immigrants. Second, we find that reduced fertility is associated with higher educational outcomes for immigrant children, possibly through a quantity-quality trade-off. Third, we show that between one third and the complete difference in family-size adjusted educational outcomes between immigrants from different source countries or immigrant generations can be explained by parental background. This latter holds true for various immigrant groups in both France and Germany, two major European economies with distinct immigration histories. JEL classification: J13, J15, J24
CS-MRI Reconstruction Using an Improved GAN with Dilated Residual Networks and Channel Attention Mechanism

Compressed sensing (CS) MRI has shown great potential in enhancing time efficiency. Deep learning techniques, specifically generative adversarial networks (GANs), have emerged as potent tools for speedy CS-MRI reconstruction. Yet, as the complexity of deep learning reconstruction models increases, this can lead to prolonged reconstruction time and challenges in achieving convergence. In this study, we present a novel GAN-based model that delivers superior performance without the model complexity escalating. Our generator module, built on the U-net architecture, incorporates dilated residual (DR) networks, thus expanding the network’s receptive field without increasing parameters or computational load. At every step of the downsampling path, this revamped generator module includes a DR network, with the dilation rates adjusted according to the depth of the network layer. Moreover, we have introduced a channel attention mechanism (CAM) to distinguish between channels and reduce background noise, thereby focusing on key information. This mechanism adeptly combines global maximum and average pooling approaches to refine channel attention. We conducted comprehensive experiments with the designed model using public domain MRI datasets of the human brain. Ablation studies affirmed the efficacy of the modified modules within the network. Incorporating DR networks and CAM elevated the peak signal-to-noise ratios (PSNR) of the reconstructed images by about 1.2 and 0.8 dB, respectively, on average, even at 10× CS acceleration. Compared to other relevant models, our proposed model exhibits exceptional performance, achieving not only excellent stability but also outperforming most of the compared networks in terms of PSNR and SSIM. When compared with U-net, DR-CAM-GAN’s average gains in SSIM and PSNR were 14% and 15%, respectively. Its MSE was reduced by a factor that ranged from two to seven. The model presents a promising pathway for enhancing the efficiency and quality of CS-MRI reconstruction.
A High-Power Relativistic Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Coaxial Transit Time Oscillator With Stable Repetitive Operation at Low Guiding Magnetic Field

This article presents a millimeter-wave high power microwave (HPM) relativistic Ka-band coaxial transit time oscillator (TTO) capable of repetitive operation at a low guiding magnetic field. By utilizing small signal theory, the $2\pi $ /3 mode, being the third longitudinal mode of the TM01 mode, was selected as the operation mode of the buncher cavity, guaranteeing single mode operation without mode competition. Additionally, the coaxial structure and volume wave operation enable low guiding magnetic field operation, while a specially designed collector with an increased interaction surface facilitates repetitive operation. Furthermore, the relativistic Ka-band coaxial TTO was further investigated using the 2.5-D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation code CHIPIC, and microwave power and saturation time were compared for three different materials with varying conductivities, including perfect conductor, stainless steel, and half stainless steel, taking into account ohmic loss. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate that a 30.6-GHz, 110-MW, and 30-ns millimeter-wave HPM can be outputted by the proposed relativistic Ka-band coaxial TTO, when a voltage of 295 kV, a current of 4.1 kA, and a guiding magnetic field of 0.7 T are employed. The device can operate stably at a repetition rate of 10 Hz for 4 s and a repetition rate of 20 Hz for 1 s, maintaining long-term stability of its performance during 105 pulses.
Global well-posedness and stability of constant equilibria in parabolic–elliptic chemotaxis systems without gradient sensing

This paper deals with a Keller–Segel type parabolic–elliptic system involving nonlinear diffusion and chemotaxis in a smoothly bounded domain , , under no-flux boundary conditions. The system contains a Fokker–Planck type diffusion with a motility function , . The global existence of the unique bounded classical solutions is established without smallness of the initial data neither the convexity of the domain when , or , . In addition, we find the conditions on parameters, and , that make the spatially homogeneous equilibrium solution globally stable or linearly unstable.