Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrient delivery to Lake Winnipeg from the Red—Assiniboine River Basin – A binational application of the SPARROW model

Excessive phosphorus (TP) and nitrogen (TN) inputs from the Red–Assiniboine River Basin (RARB) have been linked to eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg; therefore, it is important for the management of water resources to understand where and from what sources these nutrients originate. The RARB straddles the Canada–United States border and includes portions of two provinces and three states. This study represents the first binationally focused application of SPAtially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models to estimate loads and sources of TP and TN by jurisdiction and basin at multiple spatial scales. Major hurdles overcome to develop these models included: (1) harmonization of geospatial data sets, particularly construction of a contiguous stream network; and (2) use of novel calibration steps to accommodate limitations in spatial variability across the model extent and in the number of calibration sites. Using nutrient inputs for a 2002 base year, a RARB TP SPARROW model was calibrated that included inputs from agriculture, forests and wetlands, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and stream channels, and a TN model was calibrated that included inputs from agriculture, WWTPs and atmospheric deposition. At the RARB outlet, downstream from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the majority of the delivered TP and TN came from the Red River Basin (90%), followed by the Upper Assiniboine River and Souris River basins. Agriculture was the single most important TP and TN source for each major basin, province and state. In general, stream channels (historically deposited nutrients and from bank erosion) were the second most important source of TP. Performance metrics for the RARB SPARROW model are similarly robust compared to other, larger US SPARROW models making it a potentially useful tool to address questions of where nutrients originate and their relative contributions to loads delivered to Lake Winnipeg.
Toward a Holistic Pedagogical Approach in K-6 Education: Evidence From a Multiple-Case Study in Spain

ABSTRACT This article examines how a multidimensional, skill-driven curricular framework plays out in diverse primary school settings toward a holistic K-6 curriculum framework. Particularly, it explored how unplugged tasks involve imaginative pedagogies, computational thinking skills, new media literacy skills, and social-emotional skills across three different primary schools by fulfilling two learning conditions, without coding/programming and without using digital devices. Within-case and cross-case analyses were conducted by following the qualitative multiple-case study research design. The evidence stems from lesson analysis, observation field notes, and interview transcripts with 152 participants. We collected 94 lessons from the three schools and we analyzed the data by using a predefined coding scheme grounded upon four frameworks. We conclude that the detected teaching practices uncover promising trajectories by demonstrating a great potential to consider the proposed framework as an effective and age-appropriate pedagogical approach applicable to low-technology and coding-free learning environments. The study highlights the need of teacher professional development, especially on computational thinking in reference to cognitive/intellectual, emotional/affective, social, creative/imaginative, and material dimensions for conscious computational thinking practice implementation. Given the paucity of research on unplugged and, especially, non-programming/coding methods at primary education level, this study can open up prominent issues for further examination and validation.
Identification of LOC101927355 as a Novel Biomarker for Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia, a disorder with a heterogeneous physiopathology, can be attributed to maternal, fetal, and/or placental factors. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) refer to a class of non-coding RNAs, the essential regulators of biological processes; their differential expression has been associated with the pathogenesis of multiple diseases. The study aimed to identify lncRNAs, expressed in the placentas and plasma of patients who presented with preeclampsia, as potential putative biomarkers of the disease. In silico analysis was performed to determine lncRNAs differentially expressed in the placentas of patients with preeclampsia, using a previously published RNA-Seq dataset. Seven placentas and maternal plasma samples collected at delivery from preterm preeclamptic patients (≤37 gestational weeks of gestation), and controls were used to validate the expression of lncRNAs by qRT-PCR. Six lncRNAs were validated and differentially expressed (p < 0.05) in the preeclampsia and control placentas: UCA1 and HCG4 were found upregulated, and LOC101927355, LINC00551, PART1, and NRAD1 downregulated. Two of these lncRNAs, HCG4 and LOC101927355, were also detected in maternal plasma, the latter showing a significant decrease (p = 0.03) in preeclamptic patients compared to the control group. In silico analyses showed the cytoplasmic location of LOC101927355, which suggests a role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. The detection of LOC101927355 in the placenta and plasma opens new possibilities for understanding the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and for its potential use as a biomarker.
Development and Application of a Rational Design for Evaluation and Optimization of Animal Derived Component Free Media Formulation

Development and Application of a Rational Design for Evaluation and Optimization of Animal Derived Component Free Media Formulation Abdulmonem Isam Murayyan Advisors: University of Guelph, January2013 Adjunct Professor R. L. Dutton Professor Emiritus G. L. Hayward Associate Professor R. Mosser Cell culture media used in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals conventionally contain many animal derived components. These components can harbor adventitious agents which can be transmitted through biotherapeutics, employed in the medical treatment of immunocompromised patients. An ADCF (animal derived component free) medium formulation obviates this concern. A rational method for the rapid and efficient screening and optimization of ADCF media while preserving, if not enhancing, cellular growth and protein productivity is needed. CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cells, widely used as a production platform in industry, expressing a recombinant protein, were employed as a model system. Design of Experiment (DOE) and statistical analysis were employed to assess the impact of media formulation on cellular physiology. Metabolic flux, cellular growth, and protein productivity were evaluated as the measures of ADCF media formulation success. Measurements of extracellular metabolites were determined by HPLC and enzymatic methods. Recombinant protein production was measured by HPLC. This research demonstrates the successful screening and optimization of four plant hydrolysate mixtures (2 soy and 2 wheat) as a replacement for animal derived components.
Using songs to promote the affective domain in learning listening of EFL students

This qualitative study principally aimed to discover how songs can be used to promote students' affective domain in listening class activities. One English teacher and twenty-five 8th-grade students of a public junior high school in Greater Aceh, Indonesia, were involved in this study. The data were collected through classroom observation. This present study followed Krathwohl, Bloom, and Masia’s (1973) five observation criteria of the affective domain framework. Subsequently, the teacher and four selected students were interviewed for additional data. The results demonstrated that songs have a positive impact on students' affective domain. Students become enthusiastic about learning listening skills. They listened well and remembered the title of the new song (receiving phenomenon); actively participated in the classroom activities (responding phenomenon); demonstrated their problem-solving ability by working together (valuing); and effective time management (organization). Despite their ability to cooperate in group activities, they had no self-reliance when working individually (internalizing values). However, the students agree that the classroom environment was more comfortable and enjoyable. The results of the study suggest that teachers should consider using songs to not only teaches the knowledge but also the culture associated with the song itself when it comes to teaching listening. Aside from the cognitive aspects, teachers should also maintain and track students' progress in the affective domain.
Temperature evolution in cylindrical dielectric load heated in radio frequency applicator

The paper presents a numerical analysis based on the finite element method of the temperature evolution in a lossy dielectric tube heated in two types of radio-frequency (RF) applicators. A comparative study of the efficiency and of the absorbed power in the two installations is made. The simulation made for a load moving in the direction of maximum field non-uniformity shows that an important temperature uniformisation may be achieved.
Evaluation of Factors Affecting Microbial Growth Inhibition and Optimization Using Pineapple Leaves Juice

This study optimized microbial growth inhibition conditions using pineapple leaf juice (PLJ). The sugarcane press machine was used to press the PLJ. The study considered four factors to be analyzed by Two-level factorial design (TLFD), which are microbial inhibition time (0.5–5 h), the concentration of total phenolic content (TPC) (0.2563–0.5127 mg GAE/ mL), temperature (26–37 °C), and the ratio of PLJ to microbe (PLJ/M) (v/v) (1:1 and 1:3). Colony-forming unit (CFU) method was employed to measure microbial growth inhibition. The microbial growth inhibition was expressed as a percent in terms of CFU/mL. A central composite design (CCD) experimental design created using response surface methodology (RSM) determined the optimum temperature (35–39 °C) and microbial inhibition time (10–50 min) of microbial growth inhibition. The best conditions were 0.5 h of microbial inhibition time, 0.5127 mg GAE/mL of TPC, 1:1 PLJ/M, and a temperature of 37 °C. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that temperature (Factor C) has the greatest contribution (1.56%) to inhibiting microbial growth, accompanied by TPC concentration in PLJ (Factor B) with 1.27%, microbial inhibition time (Factor A) with 1.07% and PLJ/M (Factor D) 0.29%. Optimization studies show that at an optimum temperature of 37 °C and an inhibition time of 34.25 min, maximum microbial growth inhibition of 94.73% with a minimum value of 9.12×104 CFU/mL was achieved. This research suggests that PLJ can be utilized as a value-added natural product for application in the agricultural sector.
Improving the Ordinary Least Squares Estimator by Ridge Regression

In the presence of multicollinearity, ridge regression techniques result in estimated coefficients that are biased but have smaller variance than Ordinary Least Squares estimators and may, therefore, have a smaller Mean Squares Error (MSE). The ridge solution is to supplement the data by stochastically shrinking the estimates toward zero. In this study, we propose a new estimator to reduce the effect of multicollinearity and improve the estimation. We show by a simulation study that the MSE of the suggested estimator is lower than other estimators of the ridge and the OLS estimators.
Application Preparation of High-Performance Iron-Based Powder Metallurgy Sintered Materials in Sports Industry

Nowadays, the rapid development of sports science and technology has brought about the vigorous development of the sports industry, which is worth studying for a long time in the future. This article aims to use metallurgical sintering technology to prepare high-performance iron-based powder materials and apply them in the traditional sports industry to produce new sports equipment. This article proposes a metallurgical sintering method, that is, the use of a process of powdered iron-containing materials through a series of operations to finally obtain a new agglomerate and to obtain the required new physical and mechanical properties of materials or products. A new type of material is made and used in the traditional sports industry to meet the high-quality needs of sports equipment in the current era. According to survey statistics, my country’s sports industry has been developing rapidly in the past five years. It has increased from 1,901.13 billion yuan in 2016 to 2,869.35 billion yuan in 2020. Sports investment and financing events have also dropped from 313 to 105, but the entire sports industry’s investment is getting bigger and bigger. The number of employees in the national sports industry has also exceeded the 2 million mark. In the future, the sports industry is also an industry with great potential for development.
Surface Damage Coupling Mechanism of Plain Weave Art Ceramic Matrix Composites

In order to solve the problem of the surface damage coupling mechanism of ceramic matrix composites, a method oriented to the damage coupling mechanism of the plain weave art ceramic matrix is proposed by the author. First, the author uses the composite material prepared by a chemical vapor infiltration process as the research object, and the damage mechanical behavior of materials under simple and complex plane stress states is studied. Second, the calculation of the mechanical property parameters of the material components and the research on the mechanical behavior of the material in-plane shear mesodamage are studied; Finally, the research on the damage coupling effect of materials under complex stress state is conducted, as well as the decoupling test research of the damage coupling effect. It is demonstrated that based on 0 and 45° off-axis tensile stress-strain behavior, a prediction model of off-axis tensile stress-strain behavior of the material was established, and the prediction results were in good agreement with the experimental results.
Study on cage slip for rolling bearing under speed variation conditions

The rolling bearing failure from cage slip under fast speed variation is an important issue that has drawn a wide interest. To ensure the safe operation, cage slip needs to be detected. However, due to the limit of bearing working environment of high temperature, oil mist, and small mounting space, the conventional methods such as optical fiber, ultrasound, and eddy current detection are not always feasible. This paper presents a novel method to detect cage slip based on weak magnetic detection under the speed variation. The rolling bearing, which is in the earth magnetic field, can be magnetized weakly. By the detection of the weak magnetized bearing on the earth magnetic field disturbance, the roller speed information can be obtained. This method is not affected by the bearing work environment. Then, the signal processing technology based on the ridge detection is proposed. By the speed spectrum of inner raceway, the searched path can be re-grouped. And the searched boundary is determined by assuming the roller pure rolling. Combining the searched path and the boundary, the local neighborhood of the roller rotational instantaneous frequency (IF) is determined. By finding the magnitude maximum of the local neighborhood, the roller IF can be extracted. Finally, the time-varying spectrum of the cage slip can be evaluated under the speed variation. By the comparison with the traditional optical method, it illustrates that the cage slip goes through dramatic changes under speed variation and is almost unchanged under the stabilization stage.
InMotion hybrid racecar: F1 performance with LeMans

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that using advanced powertrain technologies can help outperform the state of the art in F1 and LeMans motor racing. By a careful choice and sizing of powertrain components coupled with an optimal energy management strategy, the conflicting requirements of high-performance and high-energy savings can be achieved. Design/methodology/approach – Five main steps were performed. First, definition of requirements: basic performance requirements were defined based on research on the capabilities of Formula 1 race cars. Second, drive cycle generation: a drive cycle was created using these performance requirements as well as other necessary inputs such as the track layout of Circuit de la Sarthe, the drag coefficient, the tire specifications, and the mass of the vehicle. Third, selection of technology: the drive cycle was used to model the power requirements from the powertrain components of the series-hybrid topology. Fourth, lap time sensitivity analysis: the impact of certain design decisions on lap time was determined by the lap time sensitivity analysis. Fifth, modeling and optimization: the design involved building the optimal energy management strategy and comparing the performance of different powertrain component sizings. Findings – Five different powertrain configurations were presented, and several tradeoffs between lap time and different parameters were discussed. The results showed that the fastest achievable lap time using the proposed configurations was 3 min 9 s. It was concluded that several car and component parameters have to be improved to decrease this lap time to the required 2 min 45 s, which is required to outperform F1 on LeMans. Originality/value – This research shows the capabilities of advanced hybrid powertrain components and energy management strategies in motorsports, both in terms of performance and energy savings. The important factors affecting the performance of such a hybrid race car have been highlighted.
Max Weber and his conservative critics: Social science and the problem of value relativism

In this paper some fundamental criticisms of Max Weber’s conception of the vocation of science are addressed. These well-known criticisms focus on his admission that science cannot demonstrate its own value, and his broader claim that there can be no rational basis for committing oneself to one set of ultimate values as against another. Instead, he insisted that the adoption of such values is necessarily a matter of individual decision. Influential critics have argued that this amounts to relativism, or even nihilism: that, if it were true, neither science nor anything else could have genuine value, all value-judgements would be arbitrary or entirely instrumental (e.g. a matter of self-interest). I will outline Weber’s position, and then examine the arguments of some of his critics: focussing particularly on Midgley and Strauss. This provides the basis for a careful reassessment of Weber’s position, and for some suggestions about how he could respond to these critics. It is argued that fundamental values operate in a dialectical relationship with specific evaluations, and that they arise naturally out of more or less universal features of human beings’ life experience. While this does not provide a compelling rational basis for commitment to those values, even less for prioritising one over another, it tells us why we often feel a need to uphold them. Furthermore, despite the fact that it does not guarantee agreement, rational clarification of these values and their implications, as well as appraisal of their relative significance in particular cases, is possible.
Validity of a Soft and Flexible 3D-Printed Nissen Fundoplication Model in Surgical Training

Rapid development of three-dimensional (3D) printing technique has enabled the production of many new materials for medical applications but the dry laboratory surgical training model made of soft and flexible materials is still insufficient. We established a new 3D-printed Nissen fundoplication training model of which materials simulate the real mechanical properties. In this study, 16 participants were divided into two groups: Experimental group and control group. The validity of model was tested using Likert scale by the experts and the experimental group. To evaluate the efficacy, performances of the experimental group were scored at the first, fourth, and eighth training by OSATS system and the duration of procedure was compared through the use of recorded video. Meanwhile, an ex vivo model was used to compare the performance of the experiment group and control group after the training in the same way. Our results showed that the 3D-printed model can support the future surgical applications, help improve surgical skills, and shorten procedure time after training.
How Does Visualisation Help App Practitioners Analyse Android Apps?

Behaviour analysis is essential for the security verification of suspicious Android applications, but analysts are usually faced with a huge obstacle when conducting the app behaviour analysis. They are expected to have comprehensive knowledge of different IT fields and a strong awareness of cyber threats. However, training a new security analyst typically requires a significant amount of time and can be extremely costly. Although there are tools available to assist analysts in studying Android behaviour and security, the completion of this task still heavily relies on the experience of the analysts. To address this problem, we recognise visualisation as a promising method and conduct a series of controlled experiments to demonstrate its effectiveness in the context of Android app behaviour and security analysis. We accordingly develop a visualisation tool based on apps’ call graphs (CG) (named VisualDroid) and conduct an experiment and a follow-up interview. Compared to existing solutions, the results suggest that the CG-based visualisation solution (VisualDroid) can lower the barriers to Android behaviour and security analysis. The user study reveals that the platform includes CG-based visualisation components leads to a statistically significant improvement in Android behaviour analysis and security awareness. More specifically, it improves APK Analyzer, JD-GUI, JD-GUI+FlowDroid by 71.4%, 35.7%, and 39.2% in terms of the effectiveness of behaviour analysis. Participants who use VisualDroid also show improvements in the aspect of security awareness with an increase of 155% against APK Analyzer, 96% against JD-GUI, and 59.3% JD-GUI+FlowDroid.
Investigation of an outbreak of COVID-19 among U.S. military personnel and beneficiaries stationed in the Republic of Korea, June-July 2021

On 28 May 2021, leisure travel restrictions in place to control coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were eased among vaccinated U.S. military personnel and beneficiaries stationed in South Korea (USFK) allowing access to bars and clubs which were off limits. We describe results from an investigation of the largest severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak as of November 2021 among USFK personnel following this change in policy. Data such as SARS-CoV-2 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results, demographic characteristics, symptom and vaccination histories, and genome sequences were analyzed. Of a total 207 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed among USFK members from 15 June to 27 July 2021, 113 (57%) eligible cases were fully vaccinated, of whom 86 (76%) were symptomatic. RT-PCR cycling threshold values were similar among vaccinated and unvaccinated members. Whole genomic sequencing of 54 outbreak samples indicated all infections were due to the Delta variant. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two sources of SARS-CoV-2 accounted for 41% of infections among vaccinated and unvaccinated members. Vaccinated personnel were not at risk of severe illness; however, 86% experienced symptoms following infection. There were no hospitalizations among COVID-19 cases, most of whom were young military service members. Rescinded restrictions were reinstated to control the outbreak. Masking was mandated among all personnel predating U.S. national recommendations for indoor masking in high COVID-19 transmission areas. Increased vaccination with continued vigilance and extension of COVID-19 mitigation measures are warranted to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.