Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Downward professional mobility, cultural difference and immigrant niches: Dynamics of and changes to migrants’ attitudes towards interpersonal communication and work performance

Immigrants’ labour market participation is a crucial indicator of their assimilation within the host societies. The workplace is a key site of intercultural transmission, where migrants receive opportunities to recognise, evaluate and prospectively adapt to the norms, values and standards of the new socio-cultural field. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with Poles working below their skill level in Norway, this article analyses two work-related areas where cultural difference is encountered: (1) interpersonal communication and (2) work performance and attitude. Migrants take jobs in niche economies, thereby working below their qualifications. Degradation limits their opportunities to encounter non-migrants and hinders them from recognising the cultural codes typical for the host community. A purely occasional contact with non-migrants leads to numerous cultural misunderstandings and cultural distrust in the long term. Those migrants who work outside of immigrant niches more easily comprehend cultural differences; as a result, they more effectively adapt in Norway. In the Bourdieu-inspired theoretical framework, I propose to recognise ‘moments of consciousness’ of the habitus as key moments in the reflexive adaptation process, offering a new perspective on habitus change as an element of adaptation to a new socio-cultural working environment.
Assessment of spatiotemporal variations of ecosystem service values and hotspots in a dryland: A case‐study in Pakistan

Ecosystem services (ES) provided by dryland ecosystems store nearly half and one‐third of the Earth's terrestrial biomass and biodiversity, respectively. Pakistan is a typical dryland region with significant land degradation and dramatic changes in ES in recent decades, which has not been sufficiently investigated. This study explored the spatiotemporal variations in ecosystem service values (ESV) over Pakistan (2001–2018) by combining land use/cover data, economic modeling, and hotspot analysis. From the achieved results, the total ESV indicated an improvement in ES before 2012 and then showed a declining trend. The largest contribution was attributed to the increase in forest/shrubland by 16.17% (2001–2006) and 10.36% (2006–2012). However, the ESV decreased to 7.76% from 2012 to 2018, which was mainly attributed to the decrease in cropland and grassland. Heterogeneous changes were observed in ESV. The hotspot of ESV change (approximately an area of 32,578 km2) was mainly located in the southern and southeastern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), the northeastern part of Balochistan and the central and western parts of Sindh Province. The cold spot (approximately an area of 24,491 km2) showed a distribution in the northern part of KPK and Gilgit Baltistan, northeastern Punjab, coastal regions, and southeastern Sindh Province. We also found that although the total ESV and gross domestic product (GDP) indicated growth, the proportion of ESV from the total ESV and GDP (%ESV) exhibited a negative trend. The Provinces of Punjab and Balochistan retained the highest value of %ESV, while Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan were much lower. These results reflected the spatial imbalance of ecosystem protection and economic development in Pakistan. We recommend that necessary actions for conserving ES are important to strengthen ecological conservation in Pakistan. Additionally, further interdisciplinary research is needed to fully explore synergies in conserving ES and economical conservation.
Kinematic mapping and control scheme design of telemanipulation systems

This thesis presents two parts of work in the area of telemanipulation, which are the kinematic mapping of master-slave hand systems and the bilateral control scheme design. In a master-slave hand system, the motion of the slave robot hand is determined according to that of the human hand by the mapping algorithm. Previous works mainly focus on the systems with an anthropomorphic or semi-anthropomorphic robot hand. To enrich the study on mapping, the system with a three-fingered non-anthropomorphic robot hand is considered. The widely used fingertip position mapping is first applied, and the inefficiency is shown by the mapping results. A virtual circle mapping method is then proposed. The basic idea is to express the operator’s motion by a virtual circle determined by his/her three fingertips. The mapping results show that the proposed method is more effective for tele-controlling the non-anthropomorphic robot hands. The second part of the thesis focuses on the control scheme design. A combined impedance/direct control scheme is first proposed, which is then applied to design the bilateral controller for the teleoperation systems. An investigation on impedance control shows that the force tracking performance decreases when there is disturbances and environmental impedance uncertainties. A combined impedance/direct control is then proposed. If compared to impedance control, the proposed controller is more robust to environment uncertainties and disturbances. Moreover, it is not required to switch the control modes when the end-effector moves from free space to contact conditions, or vice versa. Finally, by applying the combined impedance/direct control scheme, a twochannel bilateral controller is proposed. The proposed bilateral control scheme has the following features. Firstly, perfect transparency can be achieved. Secondly, it does not need to switch the control modes during the transition of motion. A limitation is that the environment impedance is required to be known in order for perfect transparency. i ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library
Wideband filtering crossover using dual-mode ring resonator

A wideband filtering crossover using a dual-mode ring resonator is proposed. Two half-wavelength open stubs are used to produce transmission zeroes for the crossover passband. A high selectivity wideband filtering crossover with a fifth-order passband is designed and fabricated for verification. The measured results and theoretical expectations have good agreement.
Intrathecal/Intraventricular Colistin for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial CNS Infections in Pediatric Population: A Systematic Review

Central nervous system (CNS) infections constitute a life-threatening condition, especially in children. Treatment limitations exist for drug-resistant CNS bacterial infections. Inadequate CNS penetration and intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment failure represent a major clinical challenge. However, patients with antibiotic-resistant bacterial CNS infections may benefit from intrathecal (IT) or intraventricular (IVT) colistin. The authors aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of IT/IVT colistin therapy in the pediatric population, with or without other antibiotics, for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant CNS infections. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the electronic databases of PubMed, Ovid, and Embase for relevant articles using the following terms: “Colistin”, “CNS infection”, and “Outcome”, as well as their combinations. The retrieved articles were filtered by age (Child), language (English), route of administration (IT/IVT), and species (Humans). The present systematic review comprised 20 articles that included 31 children (19; 61.2% were boys) with multidrug-resistant CNS infection. Their ages ranged from less than one month to 18 years (median: 9 months). Acinetobacter baumannii was the main causative organism in 22 patients (70.9%), and infection occurred mainly after neurosurgical interventions (83.8%). An external ventricular drain was inserted to administer colistin into the ventricular system in 29 cases (93.5%). The median duration for colistin therapy was 18 days. Twenty-three patients (74%) recovered, while five patients (16%) had residual disability, and three patients (10%) died. The authors concluded that IT/IVT colistin therapy is safe and effective as either the primary or adjunct treatment for antibiotic-resistant cases with CNS infection.
CRISPR-Cas Mediated Genome Editing: A Paradigm Shift towards Sustainable Agriculture and Biotechnology

CRISPR–Cas genome editing technology developed from prokaryotes has transformed the molecular biology of plants past all assumptions. CRISPR–Cas, which is distinguished by its resilience, relatively high specificity, and easy implementation, enables specific genetic modification of crops, allowing for the creation of germplasms with favorable characters and the development of innovative, highly efficient agricultural systems. Moreover, many new biotechnologies in the framework of CRISPR–Cas platforms have bolstered basic research as well as synthetic biology toolkit of plants. In this article, initially, we provide a brief overview of CRISPR–Cas gene editing, emphasis on the modern, most specific gene-editing techniques, such as prime and base editing. Following that, the major role of CRISPR–Cas in plants in enhancing pesticide and disease resistance, quality, yield, breeding, and faster domestication are next discussed. In this review, we discuss the current advancements in plant biotechnology linked to CRISPR–Cas, such as CRISPR–Cas gene control, reagent conveyance, multiplexed gene editing, directed evolution, and mutagenesis. In the end, we talk about how this innovative technology may be used in the future.
NeuralHydrology - A Python library for Deep Learning research in hydrology

Since ancient times humans have strived to describe environmental processes related to water (Angelakis et al., 2012; Biswas, 1970). Throughout this history, hydrologists built various process-based prediction models that simulate processes from soil moisture to streamflow generation (a collection of historical references can be found in Loague (2010)). More recently, Deep Learning models have emerged as extremely powerful and more accurate alternatives to these traditional modeling approaches (Gauch et al., 2021; Klotz et al., 2021; Kratzert, Klotz, Shalev, et al., 2019; Kratzert, Klotz, Herrnegger, et al., 2019; Lees et al., 2021). For hydrologists, embracing this new data-driven paradigm is challenging (Beven, 2020; Nearing et al., 2021): not only are the models conceptually different, but they are also built, optimized, and evaluated with different strategies and toolsets.
Learning whiplash: Chinese College EFL learners’ perceptions of sudden online learning

As coronavirus disease 2019 swept through mainland China, students were forced to quickly switch to learning online. This study aimed to capture college Chinese English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) learners’ perceptions of rapidly switching to online learning at two colleges in China’s southern Guangdong Province. A bilingual (Chinese/English) online survey was used to collect data. The participants (n = 504) responded to a survey about their feelings and perceptions of sudden online learning, a term the authors call “learning whiplash. ” We asked students about how much they liked online at the beginning of learning online, how long students have been taking online courses, and how many online courses the students were currently taking. We also asked about the students’ perceptions of the quality of online learning when compared to physical learning. Finally, we asked students about getting drowsy and/or falling asleep during their online classes. We found that students were taking on average five to seven online courses and that they did not like learning online early in the epidemic. Our study confirmed that students preferred a hybrid learning environment. Seventy-nine percent of students admitted to getting drowsy and/or falling asleep during their online classes. Specific suggestions are given for teachers to keep students active and engaged in online learning. Practical guidance and strategies for creating vibrant online learning environments are provided. This research informs both the communities on online and e-learning as well as ESL/EFL teaching.
Challenges Faced by IIUM Postgraduate Students in Conducting the Qur’an Memorization and Working for Living During Their Study Period

This study looks at the difficulties that IIUM postgraduate students have when memorizing the Qur'an and working at the same time during their studies. The goal of this study is to find out how IIUM postgraduate students balanced Qur'an memorization and working activities during their studies, to identify the difficulties they faced, and to find out how they balanced Qur'an memorization and working activities. A case study was used in this study to create a qualitative design. The data was collected via methodical triangulation, and the data was gathered through verbal interviews. Two postgraduate students from IIUM were chosen to be interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to examine the data. The keywords were determined once the data from the interviews were transcribed. The researchers then identified the theme for further investigation before analyzing the data. The findings revealed that these students value Qur'an memorization but that there is no timetable for memorizing the whole Qur'an due to their busy schedules.
Two-photon absorption with tightly focused optical vortices

Unlike single photon absorption, the rate of multiphoton absorption processes is dependent on the polarization state of the exciting optical field. Multiphoton absorption spectroscopy is predominantly carried out with an exciting light source which is structured and polarized in a 2D sense in the transverse (x,y) plane, but homogeneous along the direction of propagation (z). Here we study two-photon absorption (TPA) with tightly focused optical vortices, where the spatial confinement generates significant longitudinal components of the electromagnetic fields in the direction of propagation, producing a 3D structured optical field at the focal plane. We discover that the additional polarization degree of freedom in the z direction for 3D structured light produces novel results in TPA compared to the preceding paraxial source excitation.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine and standards for electronic health records: One thing led to another

When Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. became Director in 1984, the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) was a leader in the development and use of information standards for published literature but had no involvement with standards for clinical data. When Dr. Lindberg retired in 2015, NLM was the Central Coordinating Body for Clinical Terminology Standards within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a major funder of ongoing maintenance and free dissemination of clinical terminology standards required for use in U.S. electronic health records (EHRs), and the provider of many services and tools to support the use of terminology standards in health care, public health, and research. This chapter describes key factors in the transformation of NLM into a significant player in the establishment of U.S. terminology standards for electronic health records.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Overconfidence Bias: The Case of Cyclical and Defensive Sectors

This research paper analyses the impact of COVID-19 to investigate the overconfidence bias in 12 cyclical and defensive sectors in pre- and during COVID-19 periods using daily data from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2020. The results of VAR show that in the pre COVID-19 phase overconfidence bias is more prevalent in all the cyclical sectors; in particular, MEDIA, METAL and REALTY have highly significant coefficients . In the defensive sectors, the VAR outcomes are not as strong as we expected, except for SERVICES. During the COVID-19 period, the investor shifted their focus to COVID-19-related opportunities, leading to a surge in the IT and PHARMA sectors. In both phases, METAL, MEDIA and REALTY exhibit overconfidence-driven stock trading behaviour. ENERGY is the only sector in both the phases that does not witness overconfidence bias.
Asymmetric Impact of Oil Prices and Stock Prices on Bank’s Profitability: Evidence from Saudi Islamic Banks

The soundness of financial institutions including banks depends on both internal factors and external factors. The profitability of the banks largely affected by external shocks like oil prices and stock prices. As an oil-exporting country, Saudi economy particularly its banking sector largely rely on the oil prices. This study examines the asymmetric impact of oil prices and stock prices on Saudi Islamic banks’ profitability for the period 2000-2020. Two Saudi Islamic banks’ profitability is examined by the factors like Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA) with the help of a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model. The estimated results are observed to be unbiased and robust. The results of this study show that OILP and STOCKP have significant role in determining the Islamic banks’ profitability in Saudi Arabia. Both higher oil prices and stock prices have positive influence on ROE and ROA of Saudi Islamic banks. This study suggest that development and efficiency of Saudi stock market is important and macroeconomic policy should support the country’s economic diversification. The management of Islamic banks need to focus on effective risk assessment and market monitoring tools to face the fluctuation of oil prices and their stock prices as these factors affect their profitability. Besides, Saudi Islamic banks need to diversify their investment portfolios into more productive and export oriented private sectors such as Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This strategic policy will enable Islamic banks to absorb any future shock of oil prices without affecting their profitability.
Southern China Winter Rainfall Modulated by South China Sea Warming

New insight into the contribution of anomalous South China Sea (SCS) warming is proposed to understand strong southern China (SC) winter rainfall. El Niño events, which weaken the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM), favor SC winter rainfall. However, the changes in SC winter rainfall are not always in phase with the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, making the prediction of East Asian climate challenging. Here, we show that the increased moisture associated with the warming SCS induced by the weakening western boundary current leads to increased meridional moisture transport to SC. Particularly, during the El Niño mature winter phase, this effect works jointly with a weakened EAWM to determine an increased rainfall over SC. Therefore, we suggest that the thermal state of the SCS should be considered when large‐scale tropical ocean‐atmosphere variability is utilized to predict SC winter rainfall.
Application of Wearable Sensors Technology for Lumbar Spine Kinematic Measurements during Daily Activities following Microdiscectomy Due to Severe Sciatica

Simple Summary The recurrence rate after lumbar spine disc surgeries is estimated to be 5–15%. Lumbar spine flexion of more than 10° is mentioned in the literature as the most harmful load to the operated disc level that could lead to recurrence during the first six postoperative weeks. The purpose of this study is to quantify flexions during daily living following such surgeries, for six weeks postoperatively, using wearable sensors technology. These data determine the patients’ kinematic pattern, reflecting a high-risk factor for pathology recurrence. The operated patients were measured to have 30% normal lumbar motion after the first postoperative week, while they were restored to almost 75% at the end of the sixth, respectively. Further in vitro studies should be carried out using these data to identify if such kinematic patterns could lead to pathology recurrence. Abstract Background: The recurrence rate of lumbar spine microdiscectomies (rLSMs) is estimated to be 5–15%. Lumbar spine flexion (LSF) of more than 10° is mentioned as the most harmful load to the intervertebral disc that could lead to recurrence during the first six postoperative weeks. The purpose of this study is to quantify LSFs, following LSM, at the period of six weeks postoperatively. Methods: LSFs were recorded during the daily activities of 69 subjects for 24 h twice per week, using Inertial Measurement Units (IMU). Results: The mean number of more than 10 degrees of LSFs per hour were: 41.3/h during the 1st postoperative week (P.W.) (29.9% healthy subjects-H.S.), 2nd P.W. 60.1/h (43.5% H.S.), 3rd P.W. 74.2/h (53.7% H.S.), 4th P.W. 82.9/h (60% H.S.), 5th P.W. 97.3/h (70.4% H.S.) and 6th P.W. 105.5/h (76.4% H.S.). Conclusions: LSFs constitute important risk factors for rLDH. Our study records the lumbar spine kinematic pattern of such patients for the first time during their daily activities. Patients’ data report less sagittal plane movements than healthy subjects. In vitro studies should be carried out, replicating our results to identify if such a kinematic pattern could cause rLDH. Furthermore, IMU biofeedback capabilities could protect patients from such harmful movements.
500 W average power, multicore fiber-based femtosecond CPA system

We present a rod-type, Ytterbium-doped, multicore fiber with 4x4 cores. This fiber is employed in a CPA setup for coherent beam combination of femtosecond pulses. High average powers of up to 507 W after combination and compression could be achieved at 10 MHz repetition rate. A high combination efficiency of 85% could be realized together with an excellent beam quality. Additionally, up to 600 μJ pulse energy was measured in a lower repetition rate configuration.
Optimizing Low-Complexity Analog Mappings for Low-Power Sensors With Energy Scheduling Capabilities

Power consumption is a major challenge for a massive deployment of wireless sensors in Internet of Things (IoT) networks. This article studies the use of analog joint source-channel coding (AJSCC) mappings in low-power sensing schemes. In particular, we propose a novel triangular mapping geometry as a low-complexity dimension reduction mapping. The proposed triangular mapping is employed for analog compression of multiple sensor readings into one signal and, thus, limits the need for power-hungry analog-to-digital conversion and processing at the sensing nodes. A comprehensive performance analysis of the proposed triangular mapping in terms of the mean squared error (MSE) performance is provided analytically and verified numerically. The problem of mapping adaptation to different source distributions is also studied. Moreover, the proposed triangular mapping is adopted in an energy scheduling problem in which the sensing nodes schedule their use of the received powers at different time instants and adjust the mapping parameters accordingly with the goal of minimizing the sum distortion at the receiver. We present a fast low-complexity algorithm for optimal energy scheduling and verify its performance in comparison with commercial convex optimization solvers. It is shown that the proposed mapping provides a very good MSE performance compared to the AJSCC benchmarks despite having a much lower complexity circuit implementation.