Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-traditional students: German and Indian mature women in higher education

Over the past decades, the number of non-traditional students attending higher education has grown worldwide. Governments and institutions encourage underrepresented students to enroll, often with two main goals: to boost national economic competitiveness and to enhance social inclusion in higher education for traditionally excluded groups, like older students. There is neither a policy nor academic consensus on what constitutes a mature student (O'Shea & Stone, 2011). In this study, we define mature women students as being 21 years or older when starting a bachelor's degree. The analysis of seven interviews conducted in Germany and India compares their sociodemographic profiles, their motivation for university study, the barriers they had to overcome, and the mechanisms of support they could count on, following the comparative method developed by Egetenmeyer (2012). The results show how structural conditions can facilitate or hinder mature women's access to and persistence in higher education.
Consequences of climate change for ecosystems and ecosystem services in the tropical Andes

The tropical Andes harbor extraordinary biological and cultural diversity, contained in a mosaic of ecosystems (Josse et al. 2009). The region’s complex topography, coupled with elevational and latitudinal gradients, results in varied physical conditions that create unique habitats and barriers for species movement. Temporal variability of climatic conditions, such as temperature, wind, and precipitation, also occurs across the tropical Andes over inter-annual and decadal time scales, as driven by the interplay between the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and Amazonian influences (Marengo et al. 2004). Both humans and biota have adapted to the heterogeneity of the tropical Andean landscape and fluctuations in climatic conditions. An estimated 45,000 plant and 3400 vertebrate species (excluding fishes) have been documented from tropical Andean ecosystems, representing approximately 15% and 12% of species known globally, respectively. Nearly half of these species are endemic (Myers et al. 2000). The wellbeing of human populations has been linked to the functioning of tropical Andean ecosystems over a history that extends more than 10,000 years. Today, millions of people depend on these ecosystems as a source of fresh water, food, cultural importance, and many other ecosystem goods and services (Josse et al. 2009). Recently, the range of natural climatic variability in the tropical Andes has started to exceed historically documented thresholds. Of particular concern is the general warming trend and its implications for the integrity of ecosystems and the human populations that depend on them. In this chapter, we explore current knowledge of the effects of climate change on tropical Andean ecosystems and ecosystem services. At present, other than unambiguous indications of a pronounced warming trend, the overall picture of the climatic future of the tropical Andes remains uncertain, making predictions about the fate of ecosystems difficult. Some studies on recent climate variability have been published, but much information remains observational or
Changes in intermediate water conditions in the northern South China Sea using Globorotalia inflata over the last 20 ka

Intermediate circulation is one of the crucial controls of thermohaline changes in seawater. Due to the lack of data for some of the more significant indicators, there has been little research into past intermediate waters in the South China Sea (SCS). In particular, little is known of the thermohaline properties of intermediate water. Here, we present paired Mg/Ca and δ18O data for the planktonic foraminifera Globorotalia inflata from core GHE27L in the northern SCS; these data provide records of temperature and residual δ18Oseawater (δ18Oresidual, being used as a proxy for salinity) to tentatively investigate changes in the intermediate water of the SCS over the last 20 ka. Our results show that G. inflata in the SCS grew principally within the 200–450 m water depth interval. Thermohaline changes recorded by G. inflata indicate warm and relatively freshening water during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 20–17.7 ka BP), changing to warm and saline waters between 17.7 and 13.6 ka BP. In general, waters during the 13.6–8.3 ka BP period were characterized by high temperatures and salinity, with obvious millennial‐scale fluctuations, after which, during the Holocene, they became cold and fresh. We suggest that the temperature and salinity of the intermediate water of the SCS recorded by G. inflata in core GHE27L were possibly associated with a switch in intermediate water masses. During the LGM, the intermediate water in the northern SCS was mainly impacted by North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), but that subsequently the influence of Antarctic Intermediate Water strengthened during the last deglaciation and Pre‐Boreal period (17.7–8.3 ka BP). After this period, NPIW was the principal control of the intermediate water of the SCS again.
The Physical Mechanism of Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Nanographene-Induced Chiral Inversion

Based on density functional theory (DFT) and wave function analysis, the ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis) spectra and Raman spectra of 1-meso and 1-rac obtained by the chiral separation of chiral nanographenes are theoretically investigated. The electron excitation properties of 1-meso and 1-rac are studied by means of transition density matrix (TDM) and charge density difference (CDD) diagrams. The intermolecular interaction is discussed based on an independent gradient model based on Hirshfeld partition (IGMH). The interaction of 1-meso and 1-rac with the external environment is studied using the electrostatic potential (ESP), and the electron delocalization degree of 1-meso and 1-rac is studied based on the magnetically induced current under the external magnetic field. Through the chiral separation of 1-rac, two enantiomers, 1-(P, P) and 1-(M, M), were obtained. The electrical–magnetic interaction of the molecule is revealed by analyzing the electron circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of 1-meso, 1-(P, P) and 1-(M, M), the transition electric dipole moment (TEDM) and the transition magnetic dipole moment (TMDM). It is found that 1-(P, P) and 1-(M, M) have opposite chiral properties due to the inversion of the structure.
Measuring and Assessing Sick Absence from Work: a European Cross‑sectional Study

This study analyses sickness absence in selected European countries. We suggested and applied three sick‑leave measures: global sickness absence rate, frequency rate, and absolute crude absence rate. To calculate the rates, open access data from Eurostat, the OECD, and the WHO were used. On the one hand, assessing sickness absence is a challenge in spite of accessible numbers of people and days of absence in public and employer registers. Simultaneously, a detailed understanding of sickness benefits and sick‑pay schemes is needed to elucidate cross‑country differences in sick‑leave rates. The long‑term dynamic trajectory (1970–2020) and regional differentiation effects on absenteeism among countries were considered. Using correlation coefficients and one‑way analysis of variance, a robustness check was performed, and the limitations of the proposed approach to measuring absenteeism were presented. The results evidence that the aforementioned indices present a unique and valid approximation to evaluate and monitor the state of sick absence and inequality in national policies.
Photoinduced Metal-Free Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for the Modification of Cellulose with Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) to Create Thermo-Responsive Injectable Hydrogels

Photoinduced metal-free ATRP has been successfully applied to fabricate thermo-responsive cellulose graft copolymer (PNIPAM-g-Cell) using 2-bromoisobuturyl bromide-modified cellulose as the macroinitiator. The polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) from cellulose was efficiently activated and deactivated with UV irradiation in the presence of an organic-based photo-redox catalyst. Both FTIR and 13C NMR analysis confirmed the structural similarity between the obtained PNIPAM-g-Cell and that synthesized via traditional ATRP methods. When the concentration of the PNIPAM-g-Cell is over 5% in water, it forms an injectable thermos-responsive hydrogel composed of micelles at 37 °C. Since organic photocatalysis is a metal-free ATRP, it overcomes the challenge of transition-metal catalysts remaining in polymer products, making this cellulose-based graft copolymer suitable for biomedical applications. In vitro release studies demonstrated that the hydrogel can continuously release DOX for up to 10 days, and its cytotoxicity indicates that it is highly biocompatible. Based on these findings, this cellulose-based injectable, thermo-responsive drug-loaded hydrogel is suitable for intelligent drug delivery systems.
Value of Automatically Derived Full Thrombus Characteristics: An Explorative Study of Their Associations with Outcomes in Ischemic Stroke Patients

(1) Background: For acute ischemic strokes caused by large vessel occlusion, manually assessed thrombus volume and perviousness have been associated with treatment outcomes. However, the manual assessment of these characteristics is time-consuming and subject to inter-observer bias. Alternatively, a recently introduced fully automated deep learning-based algorithm can be used to consistently estimate full thrombus characteristics. Here, we exploratively assess the value of these novel biomarkers in terms of their association with stroke outcomes. (2) Methods: We studied two applications of automated full thrombus characterization as follows: one in a randomized trial, MR CLEAN-NO IV (n = 314), and another in a Dutch nationwide registry, MR CLEAN Registry (n = 1839). We used an automatic pipeline to determine the thrombus volume, perviousness, density, and heterogeneity. We assessed their relationship with the functional outcome defined as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days and two technical success measures as follows: successful final reperfusion, which is defined as an eTICI score of 2b-3, and successful first-pass reperfusion (FPS). (3) Results: Higher perviousness was significantly related to a better mRS in both MR CLEAN-NO IV and the MR CLEAN Registry. A lower thrombus volume and lower heterogeneity were only significantly related to better mRS scores in the MR CLEAN Registry. Only lower thrombus heterogeneity was significantly related to technical success; it was significantly related to a higher chance of FPS in the MR CLEAN-NO IV trial (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31–0.98) and successful reperfusion in the MR CLEAN Registry (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78–0.99). (4) Conclusions: Thrombus characteristics derived from automatic entire thrombus segmentations are significantly related to stroke outcomes.
Evaluation and comparison of interpolated gauge rainfall data and gridded rainfall data in Florida, USA

ABSTRACT A variety of spatially continuous rainfall products are available but little evaluation of their accuracy has been published for areas with high spatial variability in rainfall. Five gridded rainfall products (PRISM, RTMA, and the interpolated Florida Automated Weather Network, FAWN, rainfall layers based on three interpolated methods) were assessed for Florida State. Point-to-pixel and pixel-to-pixel comparisons were performed to compare the five products. On average, the PRISM and RTMA products resulted in a better fit with the daily FAWN rainfall datasets, while FAWN-based interpolated products resulted in a better fit with the monthly FAWN rainfall datasets based on point-to-pixel analysis. Inverse distance weighting and ordinary kriging methods performed slightly better than the thin plate spline method in predicting daily rainfall. In general, monthly and seasonal rainfall amounts from PRISM and RTMA products were higher and lower, respectively, than reference rainfall amounts from FAWN gauge stations and FAWN-based interpolated products.
A review of recent advances in fault diagnosis based on deep neural networks

Bearings are essential components in mechanical systems, supporting the rotation of various machine parts in motors, wind turbines, vehicles, and industrial robots, making their health critical for system performance and reliability. Traditional diagnosis methods, such as vibration and acoustic analysis, along with temperature monitoring, often demand expertise and may struggle to detect early faults. However, the introduction of deep learning technology has created new opportunities for more effective bearing fault diagnosis. The application of deep learning-based bearing fault diagnosis in the industrial sector has gained significant attention and multiple types of deep learning networks have already been successfully implemented. This paper aims to provide a clear review of bearing fault diagnosis based on deep learning algorithms. This essay focuses on two of the most popular deep learning networks, Autoencoder and Convolutional Neural Networks. Their mechanism and applications are analyzed based on essays and research paper related to the field of bearing fault diagnosis. Finally, conclusions are presented to summarize the current development and point out faced challenges and future trends of these deep learning networks. It is also expected that this narrative not only serves as a cogent overview of the contemporary fault diagnosis technologies but also provides convenience and inspiration for further study in this field.
Assessment of surface and waste water quality for irrigation suitability:A case study of Jalgaon Urban area, Maharashtra (India)

A field investigation was carried out to determine the Physical and chemical characteristics of municipal and industrial waste water with reference to irrigation suitability of Jalgaon area, Northern Maharashtra, India. The surface water samples were collected from different location around Jalgaon city, where rampant use of waste water to irrigation. Water sampling was carried out in two season of the year for post monsoon 2010 and pre monsoon 2011. The collected water samples were analyzed their water chemistry including physicochemical parameters by standard analytical methods. After geochemical analysis of surface water samples evaluation of irrigation water quality parameter. The quality of waste water shows that the water is not suitable for agricultural purposes. The irrigation quality is evaluated based on salinity SAR, RSC, SSP, ESP, MR, Na % and permeability index. Entire area surface water can be used without treatment for irrigation they may be hazardous. Continuous use of waste water to irrigation in this area increases salinity hazard problems. Therefore the use of waste water for irrigation after treatment is a one the good option for solved the problems.
An Investigation of the Seismic Response of Earthen Levees with Cutoff Walls with a Focus on the Development of a High Performance Cutoff Wall Material.

xv CHAPTER 1 – Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation and Problem Statement 2 1.2 Proposed Solution and Research Approach 5 1.3 Overview of Dissertation 7 CHAPTER 2 – Dynamic Response of Levees with Conventional Cutoff Walls 13 2.1 Numerical Model and Parametric Analysis Input 15 2.2 Parametric Analysis Results 18 2.2.1 General Response and Failure Surface Development 19 2.2.2 Horizontal and Vertical Surface Displacements 23
Optimal Transport Based Impulse Response Interpolation in the Presence of Calibration Errors

Acoustic impulse responses (IRs) are widely used to model sound propagation between two points in space. Being a point-to-point description, IRs are generally estimated based on input-output pairs for source and sensor positions of interest. Alternatively, the IR at an arbitrary location in space may be constructed based on interpolation techniques, thus alleviating the need of densely sampling the space. The resulting IR interpolation problem is of general interest, e.g., for imaging of subsurface structures based on seismic waves, rendering of audio and radar IRs, as well as for numerous spatial audio applications. A commonly used model represents the acoustic reflections as image sources, often being determined using a sparse reconstruction framework employing spatial dictionaries. However, in the presence of calibration errors, such spatial dictionaries tend to inaccurately represent the actual propagation, limiting the use of these methods in practical applications. Instead of explicitly assuming an image source model, we here introduce a trade-off between minimizing the distance to an image source model and fitting the data by means of a multi-marginal optimal transport problem. The proposed method is evaluated on the early part of real acoustic IRs from the MeshRIR data set, illustrating its preferable performance as compared to state-of-the-art spatial dictionary-based IR interpolation approaches.
Integrated analysis and design of optimization and up-scaling of inductively coupled plasma synthesis of nanoparticles

This study is focused on radio-frequency inductively coupled thermal plasma (ICP) synthesis of nanoparticles, combining experimental and modelling approaches towards process optimization and industrial scale-up, in the framework of the FP7-NMP SIMBA European project (Scaling-up of ICP technology for continuous production of Metallic nanopowders for Battery Applications). First the state of the art of nanoparticle production through conventional and plasma routes is summarized, then results for the characterization of the plasma source and on the investigation of the nanoparticle synthesis phenomenon, aiming at highlighting fundamental process parameters while adopting a design oriented modelling approach, are presented. In particular, an energy balance of the torch and of the reaction chamber, employing a calorimetric method, is presented, while results for three- and two-dimensional modelling of an ICP system are compared with calorimetric and enthalpy probe measurements to validate the temperature ﬁeld predicted by the model and used to characterize the ICP system under powder-free conditions. Moreover, results from the modeling of critical phases of ICP synthesis process, such as precursor evaporation, vapour conversion in nanoparticles and nanoparticle growth, are presented, with the aim of providing useful insights both for the design and optimization of the process and on the underlying physical phenomena. Indeed, precursor evaporation, one of the phases holding the highest impact on industrial feasibility of the process, is discussed; by employing models to describe particle trajectories and thermal histories, adapted from the ones originally developed for other plasma technologies or applications, such as DC non-transferred arc torches and powder spherodization, the evaporation of micro-sized Si solid precursor in a laboratory scale ICP system is investigated. Finally, a discussion on the role of thermo-fluid dynamic fields on nano-particle formation is presented, as well as a study on the effect of the reaction chamber geometry on produced nanoparticle characteristics and process yield.
Daily urban mobility: a multi-level analysis of survey data

Riassunto: Questo lavoro presenta i primi risultati di un’indagine campionaria effettuata presso i residenti del comune di Pisa su un campione casuale di 373 intervistati nell’autunno del 2002. Fra le altre cose l’indagine ricostruiva tutti gli spostamenti effettuati in una giornata da ciascuno dei membri del nucleo familiare dell’intervistato. Un particolare valore informativo il lavoro assume in ordine agli aspetti meno indagati della fruizione dello spazio come ad esempio le difformità dell’uso dello spazio per maschi e femmine, per giovani e adulti. Per far questo abbiamo utilizzato un modello multilivello e come variabile di studio la distanza percorsa e il numero di spostamenti.
Implementing Fingerprint Attendance with Fuzzy Logic enhances employee attendance efficiency in a modern workplace

The implementation of fingerprint technology in attendance tools offers a cutting-edge solution for managing employee attendance in modern companies. This technology yields substantial advantages, such as enhanced operational efficiency, heightened precision, and reliable data security. The tool integrates advanced fingerprint sensor technology and fuzzy logic to identify employees and deliver more accurate attendance evaluations. The distinctiveness of an individual's fingerprint facilitates identification that is arduous to counterfeit, lessening the possibility of fraudulent activities and data manipulation. Ensuring the attendance data's unbreakable integrity enables direct amalgamation with the payroll framework, accelerating and simplifying the salary computation procedure. Furthermore, the introduction of a fingerprint attendance tool yields favourable outcomes including minimizing administrative expenses, boosting staff output, monitoring attendance in real-time, and promoting disciplinary behaviours. This attendance tool enables businesses to enhance their human resource management efficiency and enhance their employee work environment.
Animals in Respiratory Research

The respiratory barrier, a thin epithelial barrier that separates the interior of the human body from the environment, is easily damaged by toxicants, and chronic respiratory diseases are common. It also allows the permeation of drugs for topical treatment. Animal experimentation is used to train medical technicians, evaluate toxicants, and develop inhaled formulations. Species differences in the architecture of the respiratory tract explain why some species are better at predicting human toxicity than others. Some species are useful as disease models. This review describes the anatomical differences between the human and mammalian lungs and lists the characteristics of currently used mammalian models for the most relevant chronic respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, and tuberculosis). The generation of animal models is not easy because they do not develop these diseases spontaneously. Mouse models are common, but other species are more appropriate for some diseases. Zebrafish and fruit flies can help study immunological aspects. It is expected that combinations of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo (mammalian and invertebrate) models will be used in the future for drug development.
The Effect of Ease of Use and Service Quality on Customer Loyalty With Satisfaction as an Intervening Variable

This research examines the effect of ease of use and service quality on customer loyalty, with satisfaction as an intervening variable using mobile banking applications in Indonesia. The method used is quantitative descriptive with a purposive sampling technique. The sample for this research was 210 respondents. The data analysis method uses structural equation modelling SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) assisted by the AMOS version 25 and SPSS version 26 programs. This research shows that ease of use and service quality influence customer loyalty, ease of use and service quality influence satisfaction, and Satisfaction influences customer loyalty. Based on the research and data analysis results, it can be concluded that the ease of use and quality of m-banking services in Indonesia positively and significantly affect customer satisfaction, increasing customer loyalty to using m-banking applications.