Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Federated Truth Inference over Distributed Crowdsourcing Platforms

This work examines the truth inference problem in a distributed crowdsourcing scenario. Labeling tasks are outsourced to workers associated with different platforms, and truth inference is to be performed without sharing the workers’ individual responses with other platforms or the central coordinator. The reliability of the labels may vary over different workers and tasks, and is characterized by a Gaussian mixture model. A federated truth inference (FTI) algorithm is proposed based on a distributed implementation of the block expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. The messages sent by each local platform to the central coordinator contain aggregates of workers’ responses, instead of individual labels. The convergence of the FTI algorithm can be verified theoretically. A communication-efficient variant of the FTI scheme is also proposed by allowing the distributed platforms to perform multiple local EM computations before updating the global estimates at the central coordinator in each iteration. The effectiveness of our proposed schemes is demonstrated using both synthetic and real-world datasets.
Life table and predation rate of Harmonia axyridis spectabilis (col., Coccinellidae), fed on Aphis gossypii (Hem., Aphididae)

Abstract Due to the recent entrance of Harmonia axyridis to Iran necessitates elucidating the survival, development, and predation rate of the predator more fully. Therefore, the age-stage, two-sex life table and the stage-specific predation rate models were used to verify its potential as a biological control agent of Aphis gossypii. The life cycle lasted 92.33 days and the fecundity was 1375.79 eggs per female. The intrinsic rate of increase, net reproductive rate, mean generation time and finite rate of increase were 0.151 day−1, 642.033 female offspring, 42.671 days, and 1.161 day−1, respectively. Females and males consumed an average of 16570.57 and 10586.00 aphid nymphs, respectively. Net feeding and transformation rates were 13290.10 and 20.70 aphid nymphs, respectively. These findings compared to similar studies showed that this lady bird, H. axyridis which recently invaded Iran is highly capable to control A. gossypii.
The accuracy of commercially available upper and lower body bioelectrical impedance analyzers in men and women

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if upper body (UB) and lower body (LB) bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices yield similar estimates of BF% as whole body (WB) BIA. Approach: Ninety-four men and women had their body composition evaluated using a Baseline 12-1190 Body Fat Scale (Fabrication Enterprises Inc.) as the LB BIA device, an Omron HBF-306C Handheld Body Fat Loss Monitor (Omron Healthcare, Inc.) as the UB BIA device, and a Seca Medical Body Composition Analyzer 514 (Seca North America) as the WB BIA device as well as via air displacement plethysmography (ADP; BodPod; Life Measurement Inc.). Main results: in women, the BF% was greater for WB BIA compared to UB BIA and LB BIA (28.9 ± 5.0 versus 23.8 ± 4.4 versus 20.4 ± 5.9%; p < 0.001) with no differences between the WB BIA and ADP BF% (28.9 ± 5.0 versus 28.3 ± 7.5%; p = 0.982). In men, BF% was greater for WB BIA compared to UB BIA and LB BIA (19.1 ± 6.7 versus 15.5 ± 5.3 versus 14.9 ± 4.0; p < 0.001) with no differences between the WB BIA and ADP BF% (19.1 ± 6.7 versus 17.6 ± 7.8; p = 0.394). Significance: Our findings suggest that the UB and LB BIA devices used in this study underestimate BF% compared to a WB BIA device and ADP in men and women.
Taking Stock of Reality: Biased Perceptions of the Costs of Romantic Partners’ Sacrifices

When romantic partners sacrifice their own self-interest to benefit the relationship, the sacrificer or recipient may—for various reasons—be biased in how they perceive the costs that the sacrificer incurs. In Study 1, romantic couples (N = 125) rated their own and their partner’s costs after a conversation about a sacrifice in the laboratory, followed by extensive experience sampling in their natural environment. In Study 2, a preregistered experiment, individuals (N = 775) imagined a scenario in which they, their partner, or an unknown person sacrificed and rated the associated costs and benefits. Both studies demonstrated a consistent discrepancy between perceptions of own and partner sacrifice, driven primarily by people underestimating their own sacrifice costs and overestimating the benefits (Study 2). Results across studies showed that this underestimation bias helps people to feel better and feel more satisfied in the relationship when giving up their own goals and preferences for the relationship.
Distribution of Zingiberaceae in Crocker Range, Sabah, based on herbarium specimens

This research aimed to study the diversity of Zlngiberaceae In Crocker Range and subsequently produce locality and distribution maps based on voucher specimens housed in Kinabalu Park Herbarium (SNP). The maps were produced using ArcMap Software. Ecological and taxonomical data from 430 specimens of Zingiberaceae (14 genera, 76 species) were reviewed. The specimens reviewed were Alpinia (80), Etlingera (77), Globba (62), Amomum (54), Plagiostachys (35), Zingiber (31), Homstedtia (30), Hedychium (17), Boesenbergia (20), Burbidgea (8), Eleffariopsis (8), Curcuma (3), Kaempferia (3), and Geocharis (2). Nine locality maps of Zingiberaceae in Crocker Range were successfully produced: districts of Beaufort, Keningau, Kota Belud and Kota Marudu in one map, Papar, Penampang, Tambunan, Tenom, Tuaran and Ranau. There were 14 distribution maps of Zingiberaceae in Crocker Range generated. In total, 37 locality points of Zingiberaceae within Crocker Range were produced. Genus Globba has the widest distribution among all the genera in Crocker Range, while Kaempferia has the lowest distribution. Currently, Crocker Range has 121 species of Zingiberaceae. Out of this, 19 are new additions to the Zingiberaceae of Crocker Range, namely Alpinia galangal, Boesenbergia grandis, Curcuma domestica, Etlingera amomoides, E. baculutea, E. coccinea, E. elatior, E. maingayi, E. megolocheilos, E. nasuta, E. rosamaria, E. sayapensis, Hedychium coronarium, Homstedtia reticula, Kaempferia galangal, Plagiostachys viridisepala, Zingiber acuminatum, Z. gracile and Z. officinale.
Optimization of a Method for the Detection of Biomass-Burning Relevant VOCs in Urban Areas Using Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Forest fire smoke influence in urban areas is relatively easy to detect at high concentrations but more challenging to detect at low concentrations. In this study, we present a simplified method that can reliably quantify smoke tracers in an urban environment at relatively low cost and complexity. For this purpose, we used dual-bed thermal desorption tubes with an auto-sampler to collect continuous samples of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We present the validation and evaluation of this approach using thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) to detect VOCs at ppt to ppb concentrations. To evaluate the method, we tested stability during storage, interferences (e.g., water and O3), and reproducibility for reactive and short-lived VOCs such as acetonitrile (a specific chemical tracer for biomass burning), acetone, n-pentane, isopentane, benzene, toluene, furan, acrolein, 2-butanone, 2,3-butanedione, methacrolein, 2,5- dimethylfuran, and furfural. The results demonstrate that these VOCs can be quantified reproducibly with a total uncertainty of ≤30% between the collection and analysis, and with storage times of up to 15 days. Calibration experiments performed over a dynamic range of 10–150 ng loaded on to each thermal desorption tube at different relative humidity showed excellent linearity (r2 ≥ 0.90). We utilized this method during the summer 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments Experiment–Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) intensive experiment at the Boise ground site. The results of this field study demonstrate the method’s applicability for ambient VOC speciation to identify forest fire smoke in urban areas.
Are surfaces of silicon hardmasks adaptive?

Silicon hardmask (Si-HM) materials used in lithography processes play a critical role in transferring patterns to desired substrates. In addition, these materials allow for the tuning of optical properties such as reflectivity and optical distribution for better lithography. Si-HM materials also need to possess good compatibility with photoresists before and after optical exposure, during which the photoresist in the exposed area may change polarity. Therefore, Si-HM materials may benefit from adaptive or amphiphilic capabilities to keep both exposed and unexposed photoresist compatible with the substrate. In this work, we will demonstrate that Si-HM surfaces may be adaptive or amphiphilic through both experiments and computer simulation. Specifically, we will demonstrate that the functional groups (polar and nonpolar) at the Si-HM surface may be switchable, and the surface will be dictated by the environment to which the Si-HM is exposed. Knowing the adaptive capability of Si-HM materials will greatly facilitate the development of better underlayer materials for improved lithography.
Silent Expansion of Oil Palm Plantation: The Tragedy of Access Between Bundle of Right and Power

The Expansion of oil palm plantations is often performed on a large scale of the state front stage, carried out through the operation of big capital, supported by licensing documents and using the legal basis of the state law in the form of land cultivation right (hak guna usaha). This phenomenon is an expansion of oil palm plantations which have been understood by the public as a form of open expansion. This research is using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods which have found that there had been an expansion practice in other form, namely the silent expansion. This silent expansion is a form of tragedy of access where actors can establish oil palm plantations without the bundle of rights that are legal, but using a bundle of power behind the failure of state control over state property right. The expansion is done quietly, under-the-table, within a small area, without legal permit documents. In the final section, this paper describes the institutional response to the problem of silent expansion using formal policy instrument approach. Keywords: Bundle of power, bundle of right, silent expansion, state failure, tragedy of access DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-6-08 Publication date: March 31 st 2020
Renal replacement anticoagulant management: Protocol and analysis plan for an observational comparative effectiveness study of linked data sources

Acute kidney injury is common in critical illness. In patients with severe acute kidney injury, renal replacement therapy is needed to prevent harm from metabolic and electrolyte disturbances and fluid overload. In the UK, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is the preferred modality, which requires anticoagulation. Over the last decade, conventional systemic heparin anticoagulation has started being replaced by regional citrate anticoagulation for CRRT, which is now used in approximately 50% of ICUs. This shift towards regional citrate anticoagulation for CRRT is occurring with little evidence of safety or longer term effectiveness. Renal replacement anticoagulant management (RRAM) is an observational comparative effectiveness study, utilising existing data sources to address the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the change to regional citrate anticoagulation for CRRT in UK ICUs. The study will use data from approximately 85,000 patients who were treated in adult, general ICUs participating in the case mix programme national clinical audit between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2017. A survey of health service providers’ anticoagulation practices will be combined with treatment and hospital outcome data from the case mix programme and linked with long-term outcomes from the Civil Registrations (deaths), Hospital Episodes Statistics for England, Patient Episodes Data for Wales, and the UK Renal Registry datasets. The primary clinical effectiveness outcome is all-cause mortality at 90-days. The study will incorporate an economic evaluation with micro-costing of both regional citrate anticoagulation and systemic heparin anticoagulation. Study registration: NCT03545750
Moving between theory and practice: preparing early childhood pre-service teachers for teaching physical education

ABSTRACT The early years of a child’s life are critical in supporting their physical development. As a result, early childhood teachers have a profound responsibility and influence on the development of young children’s physical skills. However, up to this point, little attention has been placed on the development of early childhood teachers’ pedagogical skills for teaching physical education, and in particular, the dearth of training has most often occurred during pre-service teacher education. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the transformation of early childhood pre-service teachers’ attitudes and knowledge regarding physical education as well as their readiness for teaching physical education. To conduct this research, 42 pre-service teachers who attended a physical education course, which combined theoretical principles and practical applications, volunteered to participate in this study. The data were collected through pretest and posttest questionnaires, microteaching reflections, and focus group interviews. Also, each participating pre-service teacher taught a physical education lesson to their university peers, revised the lesson, and then repeated the lesson to a kindergarten class of children aged four to five years old. The research findings suggested that pre-service teachers who held negative attitudes regarding physical education, which stemmed from previous physical education experiences, reversed their attitudes after taking part in the practice-based course from this study. However, it was also determined that even though the personal and professional competencies of the pre-service teachers had improved, the practice-based course was insufficient in providing adequate training for the pre-service teachers’ readiness to teach physical education.
Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient

While much research has addressed the aboveground response of trees to climate warming and related water shortage, not much is known about the drought sensitivity of the fine root system, in particular of mature trees. This study investigates the response of topsoil (0–10 cm) fine root biomass (FRB), necromass (FRN), and fine root morphology of five temperate broadleaf tree species (Acer platanoides L., Carpinus betulus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. , Tilia cordata Mill. ) to a reduction in water availability, combining a precipitation gradient study (nine study sites; mean annual precipitation (MAP): 920–530 mm year−1) with the comparison of a moist period (average spring conditions) and an exceptionally dry period in the summer of the subsequent year. The extent of the root necromass/biomass (N/B) ratio increase was used as a measure of the species’ belowground sensitivity to water deficits. We hypothesized that the N/B ratio increases with long-term (precipitation gradient) and short-term reductions (moist vs. dry period) of water availability, while FRB changes only a little. In four of the five species (exception: A. platanoides), FRB did not change with a reduction in MAP, whereas FRN and N/B ratio increased toward the dry sites under ample water supply (exception: Q. petraea). Q. petraea was also the only species not to reduce root tip frequency after summer drought. Different slopes of the N/B ratio-MAP relation similarly point at a lower belowground drought sensitivity of Q. petraea than of the other species. After summer drought, all species lost the MAP dependence of the N/B ratio. Thus, fine root mortality increased more at the moister than the drier sites, suggesting a generally lower belowground drought sensitivity of the drier stands. We conclude that the five species differ in their belowground drought response. Q. petraea follows the most conservative soil exploration strategy with a generally smaller FRB and more drought-tolerant fine roots, as it maintains relatively constant FRB, FRN, and morphology across spatial and temporal dimensions of soil water deficits.
Spectral and accretion evolution of H1743−322 during outbursts in RXTE era

Aims. We study the spectral evolution of the H1743−322 during outbursts in the RXTE era. We aim to connect the variation of the spectral parameters with the accretion parameters along with the progress of the outbursts. We understand the evolution of the accretion parameters and hence the dynamics of the accretion process in light of the irradiated disc instability model. Methods. We provide a comprehensive study of all the outbursts of H1743−322 between 2003 and 2011. We performed spectral modelling of all the RXTE/PCA observations using phenomenological models. Also, we carried out spectral modelling by a hydrodynamic accretion flow model and estimated the accretion parameters. We applied the irradiated disc instability scenario in the presence of both Keplerian and sub-Keplerain accretion components to understand the evolution of accretion parameters. For this purpose, we propose a toy model for the time variation of the accretion rates following a powerlaw during outbursts. Results. All of the outbursts show spectral state transitions in the hardness-intensity diagram. The 2003 and 2004 outbursts are long-duration outbursts and relatively softer than the other outbursts. The 2008b and 2011 outbursts provide a unique opportunity to estimate the critical accretion rate (ṁdc) for triggering an outburst in this system within a narrow range of 0.076 < ṁdc < 0.086 (in Eddington units). In the absence of any dynamical measurement, we attempt to constrain a few orbital parameters of the system using an assumed mass and ṁdc in the range.
A High-Efficiency and Fast-Transient Low-Dropout Regulator With Adaptive Pole Tracking Frequency Compensation Technique

An advanced smooth pole tracking technique for a low dropout (LDO) regulator with a ceramic capacitor is presented in this article. Normally, the dominant pole is at the output of an LDO and becomes load dependent, which may cause a loop stability issue during the whole load-current application range. The proposed frequency compensation methodology with adaptive load resistor control of an error amplifier (EA) alleviates the problem and reduces the dependence of equivalent series resistance of an output capacitor. Moreover, combined with this compensation strategy, an ultrafast EA by utilizing a transconductance enhancement technique is proposed to greatly reduce output voltage spikes as well as response time of the LDO during transient. This circuit has been implemented in a 0.18-μm standard CMOS process and occupies an active chip area of 0.017 mm2. Experimental results show that it can deliver 150 mA load current at 200 mV dropout voltage. Good loop stability and transient responses are easily achieved without degrading other important LDO parameters.
Chinese Expert Consensus on Ultrasonographic Acquisition, Measurement, and Reporting System for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

a Department of Ultrasound, The Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, China; b Department of Orthopedics, The Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, China; c Department of Ultrasound, The Qilu Children’s Hospital of Shandong University, China; d Department of Ultrasound, The Hunan Children’s Hospital, China; e Department of Ultrasound, The Henan Children’s Hospital, China; f Department of Ultrasound, The Kunming Children’s Hospital, China; g Department of Ultrasound, The Shanxi Children’s Hospital, China; h Department of Ultrasound, The Guizhou Women and Children’s Hospital, China; i Department of Ultrasound, The Wuhan Women's and Children's Health Care Center (Wuhan Children’s Hospital), China; j Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, China Received December 16, 2019; revision received January 07, 2020; accepted January 14, 2020.
Development of the Perceived Middle School Teacher Behavior Scale

The present study aimed to develop a measurement instrument to determine the perceptions of middle school students on their teachers' behavior. The draft scale, developed as a result of the review of the relevant literature, collection of expert views and a pilot scheme, was applied to the students attending different grades in state middle schools under Malatya Provincial Directorate of National Education during the second semester of the 2014-2015 academic year. It was considered that middle school students possessed the ability to make selections, could distinguish good and bad and right and wrong due to their age group. To determine the scale content and face validity, expert views were obtained and for construct validity, Exploratory Factor Analysis (AFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (DFA) were conducted. Teacher behavior were categorized as indifferent teacher and authoritative teacher behavior based on the revealed factors. Findings obtained with the implementation of CFA revealed that the perceived teacher behavior scale (PTBS) construct had adequate fitness indices. It was found that the Pearson Correlation Coefficient between the scores obtained with the test-retest method was 0.86. Thus, it was observed that PTBS was a measurement tool that produced valid and reliable measurements and it was adequate to use the scale with middle school students to measure their perceptions on teacher behavior.
An Analog Photonic Down-Conversion Link With Simultaneous IMD3 Distortion Suppression and Dispersion-Induced Power Fading Compensation

A novel analog photonic down-conversion link based on a polarization modulator and a phase modulator with simultaneous linear optimization and chromatic dispersion-induced power fading compensation is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. By introducing an appropriate phase shift to the optical sidebands, chromatic dispersion-induced power fading is compensated, and third-order intermodulation distortion terms are eliminated in the same time. The scheme exhibits wide operating frequency range due to its no use of filters and frequency-dependent electrical or optical devices. The scheme is robust, as the operation of the polarization modulator and the phase modulator are independent of signal amplitude and bias voltage. Experimental results show that, for a 25-km transmission link, an improvement of more than 15.5 dB in spurious-free dynamic range is achieved and the dispersion-induced power fading is compensated at the same time. In addition, benefiting from the power compensation and significant suppression of IMD3, a 16QAM vector signal is demonstrated to have a good demodulation performance.