Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ranges of woody plant species and ferns on forested elevational gradients on Aotea-Great Barrier Island, New Zealand: the role of zones of permanent and temporary establishment

: The arrangement of plant species along elevational gradients is prominent in the debate between individualistic versus community-unit concepts in plant ecology. We obtained elevational ranges (upper and lower elevation limits) for woody species and ferns on the three highest mountains on Aotea (Great Barrier Island), Aotearoa-New Zealand. These data allowed potential species composition to be obtained for any elevation and were analysed using regression, ordination, and classification. Both woody plants and ferns demonstrated linear declines in richness with increasing elevation. The three mountains were distinct in ordination space, and their differences increased with elevation and were most marked in the fern flora. Site classifications indicated a change in composition at c. 300 m for woody plants on Hirakimata. The elevational distribution patterns of individual species differed considerably between mountains. In particular, the higher-elevation flora of the highest peak (Hirakimata) was largely absent from the other two summits, despite these being within the elevational ranges of most of the missing species. This pattern supports Steenis’s (1972) hypothesis that species will be absent from, or ephemeral on, mountains not sufficiently high to intersect their zone of permanent establishment. A second observed pattern was that widespread forest species at lower elevations often did not extend to their potential upper limits on Hirakimata. These two patterns are clear for both woody plant species and ferns. Combining Steenis’s hypothesis with inferred redistribution of elevational vegetation during the Last Glacial and Holocene periods can explain these distributional patterns
A Primal-dual affine scaling algorithm with necessary centering as a safeguard

An interior point algorithm for linear programming is proposed and analysed. At each iteration this algorithm finds a point in a wide neighborhood along a primal-dual affine scaling direction, and it adds a centering step only if the step along the affine scaling direction is too short. Moreover, the centering direction is computed with the old projection matrix which was obtained in the computation of the affine scaling direction. The best complexity upper bound to date is achieved by this algorithm
Netnography for the production and analysis of contradictions in a banking activity

Abstract This study is based on the Activity Theory and observed a Brazilian bank, describing the contradictions raised by netnography in an activity system - one of the bank’s employee online communication channels, called the Collaborative Forum. In this channel, employees exchange information, problems, and suggestions related to their activity. A specific topic for this investigation was created in the channel, and based on excerpts from the speeches, it was possible to identify tensions indicating contradictions, categorize them, and formulate contradiction hypotheses. This information supported a set of mirror data that provided initial empirical material for structuring this case. Netnography stands out as an innovative method in studies on formative intervention. Together with the theoretical-methodological foundations of the activity theory, netnography proved to be a potential tool for producing mirror data, providing opportunities for a preliminary survey of hypotheses that could help the interventionist researcher better understand an activity’s contradictions as a whole.
An SDP-based outlier recognition and localization algorithm

For node localization in wireless sensor networks, an optimization algorithm based on semidefinite programming is proposed. For the distance matrix with noise, the low rank matrix is restored by using the automatic outlier identification algorithm based on semidefinite programming. Then, based on the restored distance matrix, two new multi-source node location algorithms based on semidefinite programming, SDP-RLS and SDP-SRLS, are proposed, which effectively transform the non-convex nonlinear location problem into a convex optimal linear location problem. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm based on SDP has stronger robustness and higher positioning accuracy.
The level of physical activity of women during COVID-19 pandemic

Regularna aktywność fizyczna (physical activity – PA) niesie za sobą wiele korzyści zdrowotnych. Jednak podczas pandemii COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) zmieniły się styl życia, codzienna praca, zachowania społeczne, jakość życia, sposoby i formy spędzania wolnego czasu. Celem badania była ocena wpływu pandemii COVID-19 na poziom PA kobiet w okresie okołomenopauzalnym. Materiał badawczy stanowiło 126 kobiet przed wybuchem pandemii i 114 kobiet podczas pandemii COVID-19. Badania prowadzono na terenie Śląska. Narzędziem badawczym były skrócone wersje Międzynarodowego Kwestionariusza Aktywności Fizycznej (International Physical Activity Questionnaire – IPAQ) oraz Skali Oceny Menopauzy (Menopause Rating Scale – MRS). Istotną statystycznie korelację zaobserwowano w przypadku różnicy w umiarkowanym poziomie PA (627,32 MET-min/tydzień przed COVID-19 i 138,6 podczas COVID-19, p = 0,01) i chodzeniu (1952,25 MET-min/tydzień przed COVID-19 i 422,63 MET-min/tydzień podczas COVID-19, p = 0,03). Wyniki pokazały, że statystycznie uległ skróceniu czas poświęcany na umiarkowaną PA. Średnia liczba dni zmniejszyła się z 2,8 do 0,96 (p = 0,02), a średni czas trwania umiarkowanej PA z 39,92 do 15,61 minuty (p < 0,001). Pandemia COVID-19 istotnie wpłynęła na poziom PA kobiet w okresie okołomenopauzalnym. Kobiety ćwiczyły znacznie rzadziej, skrócono również czas poświęcany na PA. Jako formę PA badane najchętniej wybierały chód.
Mexican high school students' social representations of mathematics, its teaching and learning

This paper reports a qualitative research that identifies Mexican high school students’ social representations of mathematics. For this purpose, the social representations of ‘mathematics’, ‘learning mathematics’ and ‘teaching mathematics’ were identified in a group of 50 students. Focus group interviews were carried out in order to obtain the data. The constant comparative style was the strategy used for the data analysis because it allowed the categories to emerge from the data. The students’ social representations are: (A) Mathematics is…(1) important for daily life, (2) important for careers and for life, (3) important because it is in everything that surrounds us, (4) a way to solve problems of daily life, (5) calculations and operations with numbers, (6) complex and difficult, (7) exact and (6) a subject that develops thinking skills; (B) To learn mathematics is…(1) to possess knowledge to solve problems, (2) to be able to solve everyday problems, (3) to be able to make calculations and operations, and (4) to think logically to be able to solve problems; and (C) To teach mathematics is…(1) to transmit knowledge, (2) to know to share it, (3) to transmit the reasoning ability, and (4) to show how to solve problems.
Anisotropic waveguide theory for electrically tunable distributed feedback laser from dye-doped holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal

Anisotropic waveguide theory is developed for electrically tunable distributed feedback (DFB) laser from dye-doped holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) grating. The period grating structure, optical anisotropy of the liquid crystal (LC) and practical light propagation path in the HPDLC have been considered. The emitted lasing wavelength is deduced on basis of the dielectric anisotropy of the LC, transverse-magnetic (TM) light wave propagation in the core layer and DFB laser theory. An experimental method to determine the tilt angle of the LC and the lasing behaviours under different electric fields are used to verify the validity of the anisotropic numerical analysis. The results show that a more accurate agreement between the theoretical calculations and the experimental data is achieved. The anisotropic numerical analysis presented here is very useful when designing and optimising tunable lasers for optical communications and integrated optics.
Self-consistent effective-medium approximation for strongly nonlinear media

A self-consistent effective-medium theory is proposed for random dielectric composites of arbitrary nonlinear constitutive law. It is based on a Gaussian approximation for the probability distributions of the electric field in each component, and on second-order Taylor expansions with an integral remainder of the local energies. The effective energy is exact to second order in contrast. With power-law media with constitutive relation $\mathbf{D}=\ensuremath{\chi}{E}^{\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{-}1}\mathbf{E},$ the critical exponents are $s=t=(\ensuremath{\gamma}+1)/2. $ The theory reduces to Bruggeman's in the linear case $\ensuremath{\gamma}=1,$ and its percolation threshold is independent of the nonlinearity.
General Fieldorf „Nil” as a personal model in upbringing towards maturity

The outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia motivates us to consider how to preserve dignity in situations where life is under threat. Such a question is particularly relevant in the context of the war’s proximity to Poland, a bordering nation to both Russia and Ukraine. War means human tragedies, so it becomes important to have behavioural models for extremely dramatic situations. It is worth being reminded of heroes who had stayed true to their ideals even in the face of death. August Emil Fieldorf „Nil”, a leader in the Polish anti-Nazi resistance movement, was one such hero as he had been killed by the Soviet regime’s collaborators after WWII. The General was a Polish patriot who sacrificed his life for his homeland. What is most striking in his biography is his heroism. This qualifies him as a perfect personality model in upbringing towards higher values. In this paper it has been shown that General August Emil Fieldorf, an Indomitable Soldier, is a mature personal model, which can motivate the young generation to follow him. Maturity has been defined with a personality approach according to Zdzisław Chlewiński (1991), using the three following criteria: considering a man as a person, autonomy in thinking, ability to asses own motivations. It has been analysed how to motivate the youths to follow the General regarding the maturity. It has been demonstrated that the General’s example may motivate if one of the three following upbringing strategies is used: dissonance, witnessing, stimulation. The author has used Fieldorf’s biographies. It has been emphasized that the process of forming his personality had been very dynamic and lasted his whole life. The author claims that the Chlewiński’s concept my be used to select the next mature personal models.
Numerical methods for the first biharmonic equation and for the two-dimensional Stokes problem

We describe in this report various methods, iterative and "almost direct," for solving the first biharmonic problem on general two-dimensional domains once the continuous problem has been approximated by an appropriate mixed finite element method. Using the approach described in this report we recover some well known methods for solving the first biharmonic equation as a system of coupled harmonic equations, but some of the methods discussed here are completely new, including a conjugate gradient type algorithm. In the last part of this report we discuss the extension of the above methods to the numerical solution of the two dimensional Stokes problem in p- connected domains (p $\geq$ 1) through the stream function-vorticity formulation.
Pregnancy rates and clinical outcomes among women living with HIV enrolled in HPTN 052

ABSTRACT HPTN 052 was a multi-country clinical trial of cART for preventing heterosexual HIV-1 transmission. The study allowed participation of pregnant women and provided access to cART and contraceptives. We explored associations between pregnancy and clinical measures of HIV disease stage and progression. Of 869 women followed for 5.70 (SD = 1.62) years, 94.7% were married/cohabitating, 96% initiated cART, and 76.3% had >2 past pregnancies. Of 337 women who experienced pregnancy, 89.3% were from countries with lower contraceptive coverage, 56.1% first started cART with PI-based regimens and 57.6% were 25–34 years old. Mean cART duration and condom use were similar among pregnant and nonpregnant individuals. Adjusting for confounders, viral load suppression (VLS) was not (aHR(CI) = 0.82(0.61, 1.08)) and CD4 was slightly associated with decreased rates of first pregnancy over time (aHR(CI) = 0.9(0.84, 0.95)); baseline VLS was associated with increased (aRR(CI) = 2.48(1.71, 3.59)) and baseline CD4 was slightly associated with decreased number of pregnancies (aRR(CI) = 0.9(0.85,0.96)) over study duration. Partner seroconversion was univariably associated with higher rates of first pregnancy (HR(CI) = 2.02(1.32,3.07)). Despite a background of higher maternal morbidity and mortality rates, our findings suggest that becoming pregnant does not pose a threat to maternal health in women with HIV when there is access to medical care and antiretroviral treatment.
A nonlocal problem arising from heat radiation on non-convex surfaces

We consider both stationary and time-dependent heat equations for a non-convex body or a collection of disjoint conducting bodies with Stefan-Boltzmann radiation conditions on the surface. The main novelty of the resulting problem is the non-locality of the boundary condition due to self-illuminating radiation on the surface. Moreover, the problem is nonlinear and in the general case also non-coercive. We show that the non-local boundary value problem admits a maximum principle. Hence, we can prove the existence of a weak solution assuming the existence of upper and lower solutions. This result is then applied to prove existence under some hypotheses that guarantee the existence of sub- and supersolutions. Some special cases where the problem is coercive are also discussed. Finally, the analysis is extended to cases with nonlinear material properties.
Multi-Resolution Meshes Deformation Based on the Offset of Sketching

The 3D meshes deformation is the deformation on 3D mesh models under users want, and keeping the mesh details at the same time. In this paper, we present a technique for multi-resolution meshes deformation based on the offset of sketching. In order to decrease the computational cost, the proposed method reduces the number of vertices involved in the deformation. First, we construct a simplified mesh using a modified CPM algorithm; and then correct Laplacian coordinates rotation by the offset of sketching and generate the deformed models by solving linear system in least squares sense with Gauss-Seidel algorithm; finally, series of details are added to the deformed simplified mesh. In contrast with the traditional deformation, our method can achieve natural deformed models more efficiently.
Effects of poly(o-phenylenediamine) functionalized SiC on the corrosion protection ability of neat polyurethane coating system in the marine environment

Abstract A novel nanocomposite consisting of polyurethane (PU), poly(o-phenylenediamine) (PoPD), and silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles was investigated for its application in marine environment through electrochemical techniques. The PoPD/SiC nanofillers were characterized by TGA, XRD, SEM/EDX, and TEM analyses. The anticorrosion and mechanical properties of different coating formulation in marine environment were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). It was also found that the coating resistance of PU-PoPD/SiC nanocomposite was over 41 times higher than that of the PU coating. The PU-PoPD/SiC coatings on the brass showed low current of 1.9 I/nA due to copper dissolution and 6.8 I/nA due to zinc dissolution because of the well distribution of PoPD/SiC nanofiller in PU coating. The analyses of the resultant degradation products by SEM/EDX and XRD techniques confirmed the presence of Si which has a major role in protecting the brass surface against corrosion. Results showed that the PU composite with 2 wt. % PoPD/SiC hybrid nanofillers had outstanding coating performance. This nanocomposite demonstrated improved corrosion protection. As a result, the developed PU-PoPD/SiC nanocomposite has exceptional adhesion strength and anticorrosion properties and might be exploited to develop next-generation anticorrosive coatings.
The Impact of Big Five Personality towards Impulsive Buying Behavior

Purpose: This research aims to determine which type of The Big Five Personality impacted the impulsive buying behavior of TnT Rajut’s customers. Design/methodology/approach: This research proposes two strategies based on TnT Rajut’s SWOT analysis, social media activation and bundling price strategy. Findings: Based on the calculated data from respondents, it is shown that Openness to Experience, Extraversion, and Agreeableness impacted the impulsive buying behavior. Research limitations/implications: Meanwhile, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism didn’t impact impulsive buying behavior. Originality/value: This paper is original Paper type: Research Paper
Biodegradable Polyesters and Low Molecular Weight Polyethylene in Soil: Interrelations of Material Properties, Soil Organic Matter Substances, and Microbial Community

Conventional and also biodegradable polymer microplastics have started to be broadly present in the environment, if they end up in soil, they may influence both abiotic and biotic soil properties. In this study, the interactions of polyethylene wax together with three biodegradable polyesters PLA, PHB and PBAT with a soil matrix were investigated over a 1-year incubation period. Soil organic matter content was measured using UV–VIS, the microbial biomass amount was measured using qPCR, the mineralisation of polymers was measured using UGA 3000, the surface of polymers was observed with SEM, live/dead microorganisms were determined by fluorescent microscopy and microbial consortia diversity was analyzed using NGS. The amount of humic substances was generally higher in incubations with slowly degrading polyesters, but the effect was temporary. The microbial biomass grew during the incubations; the addition of PHB enhanced fungal biomass whereas PE wax enhanced bacterial biomass. Fungal microbial consortia diversity was altered in incubations with PHB and PBAT. Interestingly, these two polyesters were also covered in biofilm, probably fungal. No such trend was observed in a metagenomic analysis of bacteria, although, bacterial biofilm was probably formed on the PE520 surface. Different methods confirmed the effect of certain polymers on the soil environment.
Phase-detection-sensitivity enhancement of grating-coupled surface plasmon resonance sensor with light incident at nonzero azimuth angle

Abstract. We have numerically and experimentally demonstrated the enhancement of phase detection sensitivity of a grating-coupled surface plasmon resonance (GCSPR) sensor by using incident light at a nonzero azimuth angle. Phase detection measurements were performed using an electro-optic heterodyne interferometer. When the GCSPR sensor was rotated azimuthally by 0 deg and 58 deg, the phase detection sensitivities were approximately 3.2×10−7 RIU and 5.5×10−8 RIU, respectively. The azimuth angle of 58 deg was found to enhance the sensor sensitivity by a factor of 5.87 relative to the azimuth angle of 0 deg.
Acute Pericarditis Hiding an Esophageal Perforation

Esophageal perforations due to foreign body ingestion are uncommon; however, they can be associated with extremely high mortality rate. The most dreadful complication of this entity is the infection of adjacent structures, namely, the mediastinum and the pericardium. A prompt diagnosis and a precocious start of treatment are essential to the prognosis. Thus, a high degree of suspicion is required, especially in older patients. Therapeutic options are highly variable, depend on several factors, and should be individualized to every patient and their clinical status. Surgical treatment with esophageal exclusion and diversion, in extreme circumstances, is mandatory to control the infection source site and prevent further contamination. We report a case of esophageal perforation, presenting 48 hours after onset, that led to multifactorial shock (septic and cardiogenic) due to pericarditis with pericardial and pleural effusion.
Decompressive craniectomy index: Does the size of decompressive craniectomy matter in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction?

Background: Malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction is associated with high mortality, mainly due to intracranial hypertension. This malignant course develops when two-thirds or more of MCA territory is infarcted. Randomized clinical trials demonstrated that in patients with malignant MCA infarction, decompressive craniectomy (DC) is associated with better prognosis. In these patients, some prognostic predictors are already known, including age and time between stroke and DC. The size of bone flap was not associated with long-term prognosis in the previous studies. Therefore, this paper aims to further expand the analysis of the bone removal toward a more precise quantification and verify the prognosis implication of the bone flap area/whole supratentorial hemicranium relation in patients treated with DC for malignant middle cerebral infarcts. Methods: This study included 45 patients operated between 2015 and 2020. All patients had been diagnosed with a malignant MCA infarction and were submitted to DC to treat the ischemic event. The primary endpoint was dichotomized modified Rankin scale (mRS) 1 year after surgery (mRS≤4 or mRS>4). Results: Patients with bad prognosis (mRS 5–6) were on average: older and with a smaller decompressive craniectomy index (DCI). In multivariate analysis, with adjustments for “age“ and “time” from symptoms onset to DC, the association between DCI and prognosis remained. Conclusion: In our series, the relation between bone flap size and theoretical maximum supratentorial hemicranium area (DCI) in patients with malignant MCA infarction was associated with prognosis. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings.
High-speed full-range spectral-domain correlation mapping optical coherence tomography

We present a full range spectral-domain correlation mapping optical coherence tomography (cm-OCT) method to obtain complex conjugate free, full-range correlation mapping angiography. The mirror image elimination is based on linear phase modulation of B-frames by introducing a slight off-set of the probe beam with respect to the lateral scanning fast mirror’s pivot axis. An algorithm that exploits Hilbert transform to obtain complex-conjugate free image in conjunction with the cm-OCT algorithm is used to obtain full-range imaging of microcirculation within tissue beds in vivo. The proposed system is based on a high speed spectrometer at 92kHz with a modified scanning protocol to achieve higher acquisition speed to render cmOCT images with high-speed and wide scan range. The estimated sensitivity of the system was around 105dB near the zero-delay line with ~13dB roll-off from 0.5mm to 3mm imaging-depth position. The estimated axial and lateral resolutions are 12 μm and 25 μm, respectively. A direct consequence of this complex conjugate artifact elimination is the enhanced flow imaging sensitivity for deep tissue imaging application by doubling the imaging depth. In turn, this also provides additional flexibility to explore the most sensible measurement range near the zero-delay line.
Actions of hopf algebras on fully bounded noetherian rings

Let H be a finite dimensional Hopf algebra acting on a right noetherian algebra A and assume that the trace function [tcirc] : A → A H is surjective. Then A is right PBN if and only if so is A H . This extends the result of Garcia-del Rio for group actions which answered a question of Fisher-Osterburg, and the result of Nǎstǎsescu-Dǎscǎlescu for group graded algebras.