Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overcoming Academic Procrastination: A Behavioral-Cognitive Approach

Procrastination, the act of delaying tasks, is an issue affecting students regardless of skin color, age, or gender. Notably, these young students are a significant proportion in the United States that struggle with academic procrastination. This research paper adopts the framework of a behavioral-cognitive psychology approach, employing both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and operant conditioning to uncover how academic procrastination occurs. CBT is the forefront instrument proposed to identify the cognitive processes contributing to the behavior procrastination. The role of operant conditioning serves as a tool to unlearn the behavior. The aim of the study was to explore the potential of a behavioral-cognitive approach to addressing the external distractions that can cause academic procrastination. Based on the current literature available regarding how CBT and operant conditioning are applied, a conclusion was formed. The study contains a preliminary model that aims to reduce academic procrastination by unlearning the behavior and addressing the underlying causes. Further research on the impact operant conditioning holds to influence an individual is required to solidify the findings.
Recent Advances in Intranasal Administration for Brain-Targeting Delivery: A Comprehensive Review of Lipid-Based Nanoparticles and Stimuli-Responsive Gel Formulations

Abstract Addressing disorders related to the central nervous system (CNS) remains a complex challenge because of the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which restricts the entry of external substances into the brain tissue. Consequently, finding ways to overcome the limited therapeutic effect imposed by the BBB has become a central goal in advancing delivery systems targeted to the brain. In this context, the intranasal route has emerged as a promising solution for delivering treatments directly from the nose to the brain through the olfactory and trigeminal nerve pathways and thus, bypassing the BBB. The use of lipid-based nanoparticles, including nano/microemulsions, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid carriers, has shown promise in enhancing the efficiency of nose-to-brain delivery. These nanoparticles facilitate drug absorption from the nasal membrane. Additionally, the in situ gel (ISG) system has gained attention owing to its ability to extend the retention time of administered formulations within the nasal cavity. When combined with lipid-based nanoparticles, the ISG system creates a synergistic effect, further enhancing the overall effectiveness of brain-targeted delivery strategies. This comprehensive review provides a thorough investigation of intranasal administration. It delves into the strengths and limitations of this specific delivery route by considering the anatomical complexities and influential factors that play a role during dosing. Furthermore, this study introduces strategic approaches for incorporating nanoparticles and ISG delivery within the framework of intranasal applications. Finally, the review provides recent information on approved products and the clinical trial status of products related to intranasal administration, along with the inclusion of quality-by-design–related insights.
Dietary Magnesium Intake Is Inversely Associated With Ulcerative Colitis: A Case–Control Study

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in the gut. Limited observational data are available linking dietary magnesium intake and UC. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between dietary magnesium intake and UC in adults. Methods The current population-based case–control study was performed on 109 UC patients and 218 age (±2 years) and sex-matched controls. The diagnosis of UC was made according to the standard criteria by a gastroenterology specialist. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated self-administrated 106-item dish-based Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). We also used a pretested questionnaire to collect data on potential confounders. Results Individuals in the top tertile of magnesium intake were less likely to have UC compared with those in the bottom tertile. A significant inverse relationship was found between dietary magnesium intake and UC (odds ratio [OR]: 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18–0.59) in the crude model. This relationship was also observed when we took several potential confounding into account (OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.14–0.68). Conclusions Adherence to a magnesium-rich diet may have a role in preventing UC. However, further studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Conformational Changes and Unfolding of β-Amyloid Substrates in the Active Site of γ-Secretase

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia and is characterized by a presence of amyloid plaques, composed mostly of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides, in the brains of AD patients. The peptides are generated from the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which undergoes a sequence of cleavages, referred as trimming, performed by γ-secretase. Here, we investigated conformational changes in a series of β-amyloid substrates (from less and more amyloidogenic pathways) in the active site of presenilin-1, the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase. The substrates are trimmed every three residues, finally leading to Aβ40 and Aβ42, which are the major components of amyloid plaques. To study conformational changes, we employed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, while for unfolding, we used steered molecular dynamics simulations in an implicit membrane-water environment to accelerate changes. We have found substantial differences in the flexibility of extended C-terminal parts between more and less amyloidogenic pathway substrates. We also propose that the positively charged residues of presenilin-1 may facilitate the stretching and unfolding of substrates. The calculated forces and work/energy of pulling were exceptionally high for Aβ40, indicating why trimming of this substrate is so infrequent.
InnovatIon In motIon

This chapter introduces a benchmark evaluation targeting 1 the detection of violent scenes in Hollywood movies. The evaluation was implemented in 2011 and 2012 as an affect task in the framework of the international MediaEval benchmark initiative. We report on these 2 years of evaluation, providing a detailed description of the dataset created, describing the state of the art by studying the results achieved by participants and providing a detailed analysis of two of the best performing multimodal systems. We elaborate on the lessons learned after 2 years to provide insight on future work emphasizing multimodal modeling and fusion. Published in: Fusion in Computer Vision, eds. B. Ionescy et al., Advances in Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2014 Optimal Transportation for Example-Guided Color Transfer Oriel Frigo (Technicolor), Neus Sabater (Technicolor), Vincent Demoulin (Technicolor), Philippe Hellier (Technicolor)
Bias in Estimates of Global Mean Sea Level Change Inferred from Satellite Altimetry

Estimates of regional and global average sea level change remain a focus of climate change research. One complication in obtaining coherent estimates is that geodetic datasets measure different aspects of the sea level field. Satellite altimetry constrains changes in the sea surface height (SSH; or absolute sea level), whereas tide gauge data provide a measure of changes in SSH relative to the crust (i.e., relative sea level). The latter is a direct measure of changes in ocean volume (and the combined impacts of ice sheet melt and steric effects), but the former is not since it does not account for crustal deformation. Nevertheless, the literature commonly conflates the two estimates by directly comparing them. We demonstrate that using satellite altimetry records to estimate global ocean volume changes can lead to biases that can exceed 15%. The level of bias will depend on the relative contributions to sea level changes from the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets. The bias is also more sensitive to the detailed geometry of mass flux from the Antarctic Ice Sheet than the Greenland Ice Sheet due to rotational effects on sea level. Finally, in a regional sense, altimetry estimates should not be compared to relative sea level changes because radial crustal motions driven by polar ice mass flux are nonnegligible globally.
Statistical Comparison of Reference Evapotranspiration Methods: A Case Study from Srinagar in J&K, India

Evapotranspiration may be defined as the sum of evaporation rate from soil surface and the amount of water absorbed by plant roots and transpired from the surface of branches and leaves. There are almost fifty methods for estimating evapotranspiration; however, the methods present different results due to their various hypotheses and input data requirements in different climatic regions (Grismer, 2002). A large number of models were developed to estimate ETO for use in environments that lack direct ETo measurements (Pereira and Pruitt 2004, Gavilain et al., 2006). Although the combination based Penman-Monteith (P-M) equation is considered the best method (Allen et al., 1998) across a wide range of climates and is recommended by the FAO as the standard method. (Referred to as FAO-56 PM), there is evidence that other methods performed better for certain climates (AlGhobari, 2000, De Bruin and Stricker, 2000 and Lascano and van Bavel, 2007). Therefore, to reduce the uncertainty associated with the International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 9 (2017) pp. 3731-3737 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
World Journal of Stem Cells

Pulmonary diseases across all ages threaten millions of people and have emerged as one of the major public health issues worldwide. For diverse disease conditions, the currently available approaches are focused on alleviating clinical symptoms and delaying disease progression but have not shown significant therapeutic effects in patients with lung diseases. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) isolated from the human UC have the capacity for self-renewal and multilineage differentiation. Moreover, in recent years, these cells have been demonstrated to have unique advantages in the treatment of lung diseases. We searched the Public Clinical Trial Database and found 55 clinical trials involving UC-MSC therapy for pulmonary diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019, acute respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of these registered clinical trials and relevant published results and explore in depth the challenges and opportunitiesfaced in clinical application. Moreover, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in UC-MSC-based therapy for pulmonary diseases are also analyzed in depth. In brief, this comprehensive review and detailed analysis of these clinical trials can be expected to provide a scientific reference for future large-scale clinical application.
Health Educational Methods for Improving Self-Efficacy Among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: A Scoping Review

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with higher prevalence in low and middle-income countries. Self-efficacy (SE) is an essential element that affects a patients ability to manage their care, and low SE levels in patients with CHD can lead to poor health outcomes and quality of life. Planning suitable methods to improve SE in CHD patients is essential. Purpose This review explores health education methods to improve SE in patients with CHD. Methods Scoping review is reported based on the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). A literature search was conducted using relevant keywords from six primary databases, such as CINAHL Plus with Full Text and Academic Search Complete, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Taylor and Francis, and one search engine, Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria were full-text articles in English that were accessible, research articles with experimental designs. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist, and data synthesis was used thematically with an explorative, descriptive approach. Results Fifteen articles were found and included in the review. There are two types of interventions such as traditional and digital-based health education. The media used in traditional health education are booklets, pamphlets, posters, and workbooks. In addition, digital-based health education generally uses websites, social platforms, mobile applications, video players and sound clips. Conclusion This review found that traditional health education and digital-based interventions improve SE, knowledge, self-esteem and health literacy levels, in CHD patients. Health professionals, including nurses, may used both methods in improving self efficacy in CHD patients.
Optimizing Cr(VI) Reduction in Plastic Chromium Plating Wastewater: Particle Size, Irradiation, Titanium Dose

The preservation of the aquatic environment and water systems has been a fundamental objective that has led great scientists and researchers to seek new alternatives or techniques that allow the decontamination of water sources. The plastic chromium plating industries have been identified as important sources of contamination since their residues are characterized by having considerable amounts of hexavalent chromium Cr (VI), which alters the stability of water resources and can affect effluents on the surface and the subsoil. Given this problem, the need to improve the usual methods and techniques for wastewater treatment with more effective solutions, such as photocatalysis, which presents significant advantages over the inefficiency of traditional methods, is recognized. However, given the limited availability of research in the country that addresses the removal of hexavalent chromium from the wastewater of these industries, this work focuses on optimizing the process by varying conditions of variables such as particle size, catalyst dose, and irradiation time. The optimization of the photocatalysis process was evaluated using the Box-Behnken experimental design. The results show that contaminant removal occurred when the particle size was 0.177 mm. This particle size showed the highest photocatalytic activity, with 100% removal at 45 minutes. These findings represent a significant step towards solving the problem of contamination in this business sector by this pollutant and contribute to preserving our water resources. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-01-02 Full Text: PDF
Diversity of large mammals in the Marañón–Huallaga landscape, Peru: with notes on rare species

ABSTRACTPeru is one of the most biodiverse countries on earth. Its northern montane forests are home to levels of biodiversity similar to those in the much larger Amazonian lowlands. We carried out rapid surveys of large mammal presence at 9 sites between the Maranon and Huallaga river valleys in Amazonas and San Martin, Peru. We calculated alpha and beta diversity for all sites and tested the effect of different habitat types, size of survey area and altitudinal range on diversity levels among sites. We recorded the presence of 57 large mammal species representing 45 genera, 29 families and 10 orders. There were significant differences in the number of species recorded among sites, ecoregions and vegetation types. Positive correlations were found between alpha diversity and the size and altitudinal range of an area. We found a weak correlation between indices of beta diversity in different vegetation types with altitudinal range. Additionally, we present range extensions for several species.
A Computationally-Efficient Data-Driven Safe Optimal Algorithm Through Control Merging

This article presents a proactive approach to resolving the conflict between safety and optimality for continuous-time (CT) safety-critical systems with unknown dynamics. The presented method guarantees safety and performance specifications by combining two controllers: a safe controller and an optimal controller. On the one hand, the safe controller is designed using only input and state data measurements and without requiring the state derivative data, which are typically required in data-driven control of CT systems. State derivative measurement is costly, and its approximation introduces noise to the system. On the other hand, the optimal controller is learned using a low-complexity one-shot optimization problem, which again does not rely on prior knowledge of the system dynamics and state derivative data. Compared to existing optimal control learning methods for CT systems, which are typically iterative, a one-shot optimization is considerably more sample-efficient and computationally efficient. The share of optimal and safe controllers in the overall control policy is obtained by solving a computationally efficient optimization problem involving a scalar variable in a data-driven manner. It is shown that the contribution of the safe controller dominates that of the optimal controller when the system's state is close to the safety boundaries, and this domination drops as the system trajectories move away from the safety boundaries. In this case, the optimal controller contributes more to the overall controller. The feasibility and stability of the proposed controller are shown. Finally, the simulation results show the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Sonothrombolysis for Ischemic Stroke

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability globally, with ischemic stroke being the predominant mechanism. While spontaneous recanalization may occur, significant neuronal injury would have occurred in the interim. Intravenous thrombolysis administered within the first 4.5 h after stroke onset and endovascular thrombectomy within 24 h in patients with a salvageable penumbra improves functional independence. Ultrasound has been shown in both in vivo and in vitro models to enhance clot lysis, even more-so in the presence of thrombolytic agents. The use of transcranial Doppler and transcranial color-coded Doppler ultrasound in acute IS has been reported in case series, case-controlled studies, and clinical trials. While ultrasound at a frequency of 300 kHz increases the risk of intracranial hemorrhage, the 2 MHz range ultrasound aids thrombolysis and improves recanalization without significantly increasing the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Despite this, functional independence was not increased in clinical trials, nor was a benefit shown with the adjunctive use of microbubbles or microspheres. Nonetheless, newer technologies such as endovascular ultrasound, endovascular delivery of microbubbles, and thrombolytic-filled microbubbles await clinical trials. More evidence is needed before sonothrombolysis can be routinely used in the hyperacute management of ischemic stroke.
Advanced Dielectric Resonator Antenna Technology for 5G and 6G Applications

We review dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) designs. This review examines recent advancements across several categories, specifically focusing on their applicability in array configurations for millimeter-wave (mmW) bands, particularly in the context of 5G and beyond 5G applications. Notably, the off-chip DRA designs, including in-substrate and compact DRAs, have gained prominence in recent years. This surge in popularity can be attributed to the rapid development of cost-effective multilayer laminate manufacturing techniques, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) and low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). Furthermore, there is a growing demand for DRAs with beam-steering, dual-band functions, and on-chip alignment availability, as they offer versatile alternatives to traditional lossy printed antennas. DRAs exhibit distinct advantages of lower conductive losses and greater flexibility in shapes and materials. We discuss and compare the performances of different DRA designs, considering their material usage, manufacturing feasibility, overall performance, and applications. By exploring the pros and cons of these diverse DRA designs, this review provides valuable insights for researchers in the field.
Resolving Horizontal Rupture Directivity of Moderate Crustal Earthquake in Sparse Network With Ambient Noise Location

Earthquake rupture directivity can remove fault plane ambiguity in earthquake moment tensor solutions; thus, it is helpful to improve reliability of shake map and understanding the seismogenic processes. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to resolve the horizontal rupture directivity of moderate crustal earthquakes in two steps. The first step is to determine the two candidate fault planes from focal mechanism inversion. Then, rupture directivity is estimated via the difference between the hypocenter and the centroid location which is constrained on the candidate fault planes. Accurate centroid location is determined with ambient noise location method, in which the noise cross‐correlation functions (NCFs) provide a stable calibration for the path effects. This technique is applied to the 2011 Oklahoma earthquake, and the estimated centroid location is about 2–4 km southwest to the hypocenter, indicating that the mainshock ruptured along the 234° plane for about 4–8 km. The result is consistent with directivity estimation using a foreshock as reference event and also agrees with early aftershock distribution as well as finite fault inversion. More applications to the 2004 Parkfield earthquake and the 2014 Napa earthquake are performed to explore the effectiveness and limitation of this method. This method is helpful for determining rupture directivity of earthquakes in sparse network but requiring one or two nearby stations. Alternatively, temporary stations can be installed in the area of high seismic hazard, then a library of NCFs and path calibrations would be available for rapidly determining rupture directivity of future earthquakes.
Monolacunary Wells-Dawson Polyoxometalate as a Novel Contrast Agent for Computed Tomography: A Comprehensive Study on In Vivo Toxicity and Biodistribution

Polyoxotungstate nanoclusters have recently emerged as promising contrast agents for computed tomography (CT). In order to evaluate their clinical potential, in this study, we evaluated the in vitro CT imaging properties, potential toxic effects in vivo, and tissue distribution of monolacunary Wells–Dawson polyoxometalate, α2-K10P2W17O61.20H2O (mono-WD POM). Mono-WD POM showed superior X-ray attenuation compared to other tungsten-containing nanoclusters (its parent WD-POM and Keggin POM) and the standard iodine-based contrast agent (iohexol). The calculated X-ray attenuation linear slope for mono-WD POM was significantly higher compared to parent WD-POM, Keggin POM, and iohexol (5.97 ± 0.14 vs. 4.84 ± 0.05, 4.55 ± 0.16, and 4.30 ± 0.09, respectively). Acute oral (maximum-administered dose (MAD) = 960 mg/kg) and intravenous administration (1/10, 1/5, and 1/3 MAD) of mono-WD POM did not induce unexpected changes in rats’ general habits or mortality. Results of blood gas analysis, CO-oximetry status, and the levels of electrolytes, glucose, lactate, creatinine, and BUN demonstrated a dose-dependent tendency 14 days after intravenous administration of mono-WD POM. The most significant differences compared to the control were observed for 1/3 MAD, being approximately seventy times higher than the typically used dose (0.015 mmol W/kg) of tungsten-based contrast agents. The highest tungsten deposition was found in the kidney (1/3 MAD—0.67 ± 0.12; 1/5 MAD—0.59 ± 0.07; 1/10 MAD—0.54 ± 0.05), which corresponded to detected morphological irregularities, electrolyte imbalance, and increased BUN levels.