Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Analysis of the Concept of Empathy Skill in Postgraduate Social Studies Theses

The skill of empathy is mentioned among the basic skills included in the Social Studies Course Teaching Program of the Ministry of National Education. The social studies course is one of the most important courses in which students are made to acquire the information, skills and values which are required to become an effective citizen. Communication has an important place in the achievement of these goals. Empathy is very important in the establishment of effective communication. For this reason, the study aimed to examine the concept of empathy, one of the basic skills included in the Social Studies Course Teaching Program. Afterwards, in the study, it was also aimed to reveal if the students taking postgraduate education in universities in Turkey investigated into the skill of empathy included in the social studies course teaching program in terms of carious variables. For this purpose, the master’s and doctoral theses written under the heading of empathy in the field of Social Studies Education at universities in Turkey between the years of 2000 and 2019 and recorded at the official website of the Higher Education Council National Thesis Center were examined. A total of 17 theses were reached. The data of the study was evaluated in tems of the publication year of the thesis, the gender of the researcher, the university where it was published, the sample groups, the methods of investigation and the subjects of investigation. In the study, the document analysis technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used.
Granular Description With Multigranularity for Multidimensional Data: A Cone-Shaped Fuzzy Set-Based Method

Information granules are fundamental, abstract, and easy-to-operate constructs supporting the human-centered handling way in granular computing (GrC). One of the basic properties of information granules comes with its hierarchy. Information granularity is the quantification expression of hierarchy of an information granule. Forming information granules with multigranularity to hierarchically describe the nature of data is an important task in GrC. In this article, a cone-shaped fuzzy set-based granular description method with multigranularity is proposed for multidimensional data. Its fundamental idea is to realize the synergy of quantification of information granularity and a hierarchical description of data by means of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha$</tex-math></inline-formula>–cuts of cone-shaped fuzzy sets. The proposed method first partition the entire data set into a series of data chunks. Then, some mutually nonoverlapping cone-shaped fuzzy sets are constructed by optimally determining their cores and support radii in terms of the coverage of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha$</tex-math></inline-formula>–cuts of these fuzzy sets to the data located in individual chunks and the corresponding specificity. Finally, by implementing <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha$</tex-math></inline-formula>–cuts processing for these constructed cone-shaped fuzzy sets, a collection of families of hyper-spherical information granules used to hierarchically describe the structural characteristics of the data set are completely emerged. Besides, the quality of the resulting families of hyper-spherical information granules is evaluated along the granular perspective and the application perspective, respectively. A series of experimental studies concerning several synthetic and publicly available data sets are covered. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed granular description method of data with multigranularity.
Patterns of Fouling on a Global Scale

The aim of this chapter is to seek and explain a possible trend in the distribution of biofouling assemblages at a global scale. For this, we have selected various case studies, one of them new, to provide an overview in plausible interpretations of the spatial variation of biofouling diversity.What types of biofoulers would settle on artificial panels deployed close to the tropics and those in higher latitudes? How fast is biomass accrual in these different locations? How do biofouling communities differ between regions with regard to taxonomic and functional properties? In an attempt to answer these questions, here we review the present understanding of diversity in biofouling communities at a global scale with special emphasis on the latitudinal gradient and on the relationship between region and local diversity in these assemblages.
Concept contextualism through the lens of Predictive Processing

ABSTRACT Concept contextualism is the view that the information associated with a concept is dependent on the context in which it is tokened. This view is gaining support in recent years. The received and contrary view is concept invariantism, according to which a concept is instantiated by a core of information that is stable across all contexts of use. While psychologists, cognitive scientists, philosophers, and linguists have proposed concept contextualism from different perspectives, no specific cognitive-computational model that provides a mechanism for the dynamics of context-sensitive concepts is available so far. In this paper, I make the case that an emerging cognitive paradigm, Predictive Processing (PP), has the resources to provide a plausible cognitive-computational model for concept contextualism and hence increase the plausibility of this view.
Wave-Tracking in the Surf Zone Using Coastal Video Imagery with Deep Neural Networks

In this paper, we propose a series of procedures for coastal wave-tracking using coastal video imagery with deep neural networks. It consists of three stages: video enhancement, hydrodynamic scene separation and wave-tracking. First, a generative adversarial network, trained using paired raindrop and clean videos, is applied to remove image distortions by raindrops and to restore background information of coastal waves. Next, a hydrodynamic scene of propagated wave information is separated from surrounding environmental information in the enhanced coastal video imagery using a deep autoencoder network. Finally, propagating waves are tracked by registering consecutive images in the quality-enhanced and scene-separated coastal video imagery using a spatial transformer network. The instantaneous wave speed of each individual wave crest and breaker in the video domain is successfully estimated through learning the behavior of transformed and propagated waves in the surf zone using deep neural networks. Since it enables the acquisition of spatio-temporal information of the surf zone though the characterization of wave breakers inclusively wave run-up, we expect that the proposed framework with the deep neural networks leads to improve understanding of nearshore wave dynamics.
Optimized Acid/Base Extraction and Structural Characterization of beta-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Optimized Acid/Base Extraction and Structural Characterization of β-glucan from Saccharomyces Cerevisiae by Shardrack O. Asare β-glucan is a major component of the fungal cell wall consisting of (1→3)-β linked glucose polymers with (1→6)-β linked side chains. The published classical isolation procedure of β-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is expensive and time-consuming. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop an effective procedure for the extraction of glucans. We have developed a new method for glucan extraction that will be cost effective and will maintain the native structure of the glucan. The method that we developed is 80% faster and utilizes 1 /3 of the reagents compared to the published classical method. Further, the method developed increases the yield from 2.9 % to 10.3 %. Our new process has a branching frequency of 18.4 down from 197 and a side chain of 5.1 up from 2.5. The data indicate a more preserved native structure of isolated glucans. 3 DEDICATION This research work is dedicated to God Almighty for his unconditional grace and mercies, my mother, Matilda Bekoe for her prayers and support, SSG Fred O. Bekoe for his support throughout my education, my sister and all my loved ones. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my profound gratitude to Dr. Eagle for their patience, understanding, and motivation. Secondly, a sincere thanks to Dr. Aleksey Vasiliev and Dr. Marina Roginskaya for serving as committee members. support throughout this project. Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to the faculty, staff, and all graduate students of the Chemistry Department at ETSU for their assistance and support.
A new meshless “fragile points method” and a local variational iteration method for general transient heat conduction in anisotropic nonhomogeneous media. Part II: Validation and discussion

Abstract In the first part of this two-paper series, a new computational approach is presented for analyzing transient heat conduction problems in anisotropic nonhomogeneous media. The approach consists of a truly meshless Fragile Points Method (FPM) being utilized for spatial discretization, and a Local Variational Iteration (LVI) scheme for time discretization. In the present article, extensive numerical results are provided as validations, followed by a discussion on the recommended computational parameters. The FPM + LVIM approach shows its capability in solving 2 D and 3 D transient heat transfer problems in complex geometries with mixed boundary conditions, including preexisting cracks. Both functionally graded materials and composite materials are considered. It is shown that, with appropriate computational parameters, the FPM + LVIM approach is not only accurate, but also efficient, and has reliable stability under relatively large time intervals.
Influence of Raw Material Drying Temperature on the Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Biomass Agglomeration Process—A Preliminary Study

For biomass compaction, it is important to determine all aspects of the process that will affect the quality of pellets and briquettes. The low bulk density of biomass leads to many problems in transportation and storage, necessitating the use of a compaction process to ensure a solid density of at least 1000 kg·m−3 and bulk density of at least 600 kg·m−3. These parameters should be achieved at a relatively low compaction pressure that can be achieved through the proper preparation of the raw material. As the compaction process includes a drying stage, the aim of this work is to determine the influence of the drying temperature of pine biomass in the range of 60–140 °C on the compaction process. To determine whether this effect is compensated by the moisture, compaction was carried out on the material in a dry state and on the materials with moisture contents of 5% and 10% and for compacting pressures in the 130.8–457.8 MPa range. It was shown that drying temperature affects the specific density and mechanical durability of the pellets obtained from the raw material in the dry state, while an increase in the moisture content of the raw material neutralizes this effect.
Use of Ultrasound as an Advanced Oxidation Process for the Degradation of Emerging Pollutants in Water

Emerging pollutants are compounds of increased environmental importance and, as such there is interest among researchers in the evaluation of their presence, continuity and elimination in different environmental matrices. The present work reviews the available scientific data on the degradation of emerging pollutants, mainly pharmaceuticals, through ultrasound, as an advanced oxidation process (AOP). This study analyzes the influence of several parameters, such as the nature of the pollutant, the ultrasonic frequency, the electrical power, the pH, the constituents of the matrix and the temperature of the solution on the efficiency of this AOP through researches previously reported in the literature. Additionally, it informs on the application of the referred process alone and/or in combination with other AOPs focusing on the treatment of domestic and industrial wastewaters containing emerging pollutants, mainly pharmaceuticals, as well as on the economic costs associated with and the future perspectives that make ultrasound a possible candidate to solve the problem of water pollution by these emerging pollutants.
Robust DOA Estimation for Passive Radar With Target Signals Mixed in the Reference Channel

In the frequency modulation (FM) radio-based passive radar system, the target signal mixed in the reference channel will have a negative impact on the target’s own direction of arrival (DOA) estimation. To solve this problem, this letter proposes a robust DOA correction method. First, the digital beamforming (DBF) is used to obtain the reference signal. Second, the influence of the mixed target signal on the array steering vector is analyzed analytically. Finally, the DOA correction method is given. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using simulations and real-life data.
Association Mapping in Plant Genomes

One of the many goals of plant geneticists and breeders pertains to the explanation of phenotypic variation as it relates to changes in DNA sequence (Myles et al., 2009). The development of molecular markers for the detection and exploitation of DNA polymorphisms in plant systems is one of the most significant developments in the field of molecular biology and biotechnology. Linkage mapping has been a key tool for identifying the genetic basis of quantitative traits in plants. However, for linkage studies, suitable crosses, sometimes limited by low polymorphism or small population size, are required. In addition, only two alleles per locus and few recombination events are considered to estimate the genetic distances between marker loci and to identify the causative genomic regions for quantitative trait loci (QTL), thereby limiting the mapping resolution. To circumvent these limitations, linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping or association mapping (AM) has been used extensively to dissect human diseases (Slatkin, 2008). This approach has received increased attention during the last few years. AM has the potential to identify a single polymorphism within a gene that is responsible for phenotypic differences. AM involves searching for genotype-phenotype correlations among unrelated individuals. Its high resolution is accounted for by the historical recombination accumulated in natural populations and collections of landraces, breeding materials and varieties. By exploiting broader genetic diversity, AM offers three main advantages over linkage mapping: mapping resolution, allele number and time saving in establishing a marker-trait association and its application in a breeding program (Flint-Garcia et al., 2003). Although AM presents clear advantages over linkage mapping, they are often applied in conjunction, especially to validate the associations identified by AM, thus reducing spurious associations.
Sperm cryopreservation of tiete tetra Brycon insignis (Characiformes): effects of cryoprotectants, extenders, thawing temperatures and activating agents on motility features

AbstractTheaimofthisstudywastotesttheeiectsofcryopro-tectants[dimethylsulphoxide(DMSO)andmethylgly-col], extenders (0.9% NaCl, 5% glucose, BeltsvilleThawing Solution TM and Merck III TM ), thawing tem-peratures (30 and 601C) and activating agents(0.29%NaCland1%NaHCO 3 )onthecryopreservationprocessoftietetetraBryconinsignissperm.Spermwasloaded in 0.5mL straws, frozen in nitrogen vapour at 170 1C and stored in liquid nitrogen. Post-thawsperm quality was evaluated in terms of subjectivemotilityrate,qualitymotilityscore(05nomovement;55rapidly swimming spermatozoa), duration of mo-tilityandvitality (eosin^nigrosin staining). Post-thawsperm motility rate was greater in methylglycol (76^88%), compared with DMSO (23^59%). In general,the highest quality motility scores were observedwhenspermwasthawedat 301Candtriggered in1%NaHCO 3 (3.5^4.3). Duration of motility was longerwhen triggered in 1% NaHCO 3 (95^120s) comparedwith0.29%NaCl(69^107s). Spermvitalitywasnotaf-fectedbyanyoftheparameterstestedandvariedfrom51% to 69% intact sperm. Brycon insignis sperm fro-zen in methylglycol combined with any of the exten-ders tested and using the methods described aboveyieldsmotilityabove57%andthatshouldlastlongen-oughtofertilizeoocytes.Keywords: ¢sh, semen, motility, duration of moti-lity, vitalityIntroductionMany South American ¢sh species migrate up-stream to ¢nd clean water and spawn. This processis known as piracema and occurs when the environ-ment is adequate to stimulate the ¢sh reproductivephysiology, such as hormonal stimulus (Godinho GShimo-da 2004), but nowadays this species is threatenedin nature and there is very little information aboutits reproductive behaviour. Knowledge of repro-ductive biology and physiology is critical for con-servation and species management, allowing the
WiFi/PDR integrated navigation with robustly constrained Kalman filter

Nowadays, global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) are widely used in location-based services (LBSs) as they can provide high-accuracy position services continuously. However, their performance deteriorates in indoor scenarios, in which GNSS signal reception is limited or completely impossible. In this paper, an enhanced constrained Kalman filter is presented to enhance the indoor positioning performance of a LBS and for use in a WiFi/pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) integrated navigation algorithm. A robust scheme for computing the gross error in constrained conditions is suggested to make the performance of the constrained condition model in the WiFi/PDR integrated system more robust. The results of simulation analysis indicate that the robustly constrained Kalman filter can reliably determine gross errors in constrained conditions. An indoor field experiment was conducted to test the performance of the proposed filter algorithm, and the results show that the improved filter can eliminate the effect of gross error from constrained conditions in the WiFi/PDR system.
Cadmium sulfide nanoparticle induces oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory effects in human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells

Cadmium sulfide nanoparticles (CdSNP) are increasingly used in biological applications. This study was undertaken to understand the mechanisms underlying adverse effects of CdSNP using human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial (A549) cells. Cellular toxicity was evaluated by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide and neutral red assays. Results showed that CdSNP reduced mitochondrial function and induced lysosomal activity in concentration and time-dependent manner. CdSNP produced oxidative stress as evidenced by reduction of glutathione (GSH) levels and increase in reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation levels. Induction of caspase-3 enzymes and condensed, fragmented nuclei was observed in CdSNP-treated cells. Furthermore, the levels of interleukin-8, tumor growth factor and DNA fragmentation were significantly higher in CdSNP exposed cells. Data indicated that toxicity of CdSNP noted in A549 cells may be mediated through oxidative stress. This study warrants more comprehensive assessment of CdSNP prior to industrial applications.
A Geometric Variable-Strain Approach for Static Modeling of Soft Manipulators With Tendon and Fluidic Actuation

We propose a novel variable-strain parametrization for soft manipulators, which discretizes the continuous Cosserat rod model onto a finite set of strain basis functions. This approach generalizes the recently proposed piecewise-constant strain method to the case of non-constant strain sections. As for its predecessor, the discrete model is based on the relative pose between consecutive cross-sections and is provided in its minimal matrix form (Lagrangian-like). The novel variable-strain model is applied to the static equilibrium of tendon and/or fluidic actuated soft manipulators. It is shown that, for a specific choice of strain basis, exploiting the actuator geometry, the system is trivialized, providing useful tools for control and actuator routing design. Comparisons with the full continuous Cosserat model demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.
Uptake of Toxin K28 and Early Endocytic Site Formation in S. cerevisiae By Susheela Yogini Carroll A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Copyright Information: All rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. Contact the author or original publisher for any necessary permissions. eScholarship is not the copyright owner for deposited works. Learn more at http://www.escholarship. org/help_copyright. html#reuse Uptake of Toxin K28 and Early Endocytic Site Formation in S. cerevisiae
Identification Characterization and Abiotic Stress Analysis of microRNAs in Nicotiana tabacum

microRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs with short sequences that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional levels by either binding to mRNAs for degradation or by inhibiting protein translation. miRNAs are highly evolutionarily conserved from lower mosses to higher flowering plants and have been shown to play an important role in plants by regulating growth and development developmental timing hormone signaling organogenesis and response to environmental stresses. Based on the conservation of mature miRNA sequences computational methods have been used to predict thousands of miRNAs in numerous plant species such as soybean maize cotton potato rice apple and switchgrass. In this project using tobacco as my model organism I first employed genome survey sequence analysis to identify conserved miRNAs in tobacco and then investigated their expression profiles during different growth conditions. My results identified 259 potentially conserved miRNAs in tobacco belonging to 65 miRNA families. In addition I also discovered antisense miRNAs as well as miRNA clusters in tobacco and predicted putative target genes for the newly identified tobacco miRNAs. Eleven of these miRNAs are highly expressed in young tobacco seedlings as well as under different environmental stress conditions. The expression profiles of tobacco miRNAs were significantly affected by Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles salt and drought stresses in a dosage-dependent manner. Some miRNAs for example miR395 exhibited a change in expression of one thousand fold after exposure to stress conditions. Abiotic stresses also affected the expression of two stress-related genes alcohol dehydrogenase and alcohol peroxidase. Given the results of this project I believe that miRNAs may play an important role in tobacco growth and development and that miRNAs may function in tobacco tolerance to environmental stresses.
The Geographical and Institutional Distribution of Ecological Research in the Tropics

We reviewed 1333 papers published in Biotropica and the Journal of Tropical Ecology from 1995 to 2004. Only 62 percent of tropical countries were represented in our survey, with 62 percent of the publications based on research conducted in only ten countries. Sixty‐two percent of papers had lead authors that were based at institutions outside the country where the research was conducted. Cross‐national collaboration was limited, accounting for only 28 percent of papers with multiple authors. To evaluate if our choice of focal journals could have biased our results, we also reviewed 652 papers published in Ecology, Oecologia, Conservation Biology, and Biological Conservation for five randomly selected years from the same time period. While some differences in authorship and the geographic distribution of research existed, the results from these journals generally mirrored patterns observed in the two focal ones—almost 54 percent of publications were based on research conducted in only ten countries, and most studies had lead authors from a developed country. The results of our review suggest that the geographical distribution of research in the tropics is unequal, and that some important regions remain understudied. The results also suggest a need for a greater focus on establishing collaborative relationships with scientists from tropical countries.