Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Young Children’s Saving and Their Episodic Future Thinking

ABSTRACT Children’s ability to save emerges during the preschool years, but little is known about the different forms saving takes (and whether these relate) and the mechanisms driving its development. Because research with adults suggests that different aspects of future orientation increase adults’ propensity to save, we explored whether, in a sample of 71 3- to 5-year-olds tested in a university laboratory in Ottawa, Canada, the ability to mentally pre-experience the future (or “episodic future thinking”) predicted saving in two different contexts. In the first, using a “Saving marbles” task, we assessed children’s capacity to save for a larger reward in the near future. In the second, using a newly developed “Saving candies” task, we assessed children’s capacity to save a certain amount of resource for a more remote future time point, without necessarily reaping a larger future reward. Children were also given two delay of gratification tasks to determine whether these related to saving. Performance on both saving tasks was significantly related after controlling for age in months and verbal ability (r = .25, p = .041), a finding that suggests some coherence in early saving behaviors. However, we detected no significant associations between saving and delay of gratification. A series of regression analyses showed that episodic future thinking, as measured by three different tasks, did not predict saving. Our discussion focuses on why the capacity to think about the future may not predict saving in early development, and suggests viable avenues for future research in this area.
T Cells Contribute to Pathological Responses in the Non-Targeted Rat Heart following Irradiation of the Kidneys

Heart disease is a significant adverse event caused by radiotherapy for some cancers. Identifying the origins of radiogenic heart disease will allow therapies to be developed. Previous studies showed non-targeted effects manifest as fibrosis in the non-irradiated heart after 120 days following targeted X-irradiation of the kidneys with 10 Gy in WAG/RijCmcr rats. To demonstrate the involvement of T cells in driving pathophysiological responses in the out-of-field heart, and to characterize the timing of immune cell engagement, we created and validated a T cell knock downrat on the WAG genetic backgrou nd. Irradiation of the kidneys with 10 Gy of X-rays in wild-type rats resulted in infiltration of T cells, natural killer cells, and macrophages after 120 days, and none of these after 40 days, suggesting immune cell engagement is a late response. The radiation nephropathy and cardiac fibrosis that resulted in these animals after 120 days was significantly decreased in irradiated T cell depleted rats. We conclude that T cells function as an effector cell in communicating signals from the irradiated kidneys which cause pathologic remodeling of non-targeted heart.
Mung Bean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek) from Burkina Faso Used as Antidiabetic, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Agent

Chronic non-communicable diseases are becoming more and more recurrent and require the addition of functional foods in our eating habits. Legumes due to their composition in biomolecules could meet this need. Much used in Chinese medicine, the mung bean arouses interest in Burkina Faso. The objective of this study is to perform phytochemical profiling and to evaluate certain biological properties of the mung bean in its natural or germinated state. Qualitative phytochemical screening was carried out by precipitation and differential staining tests. The antimicrobial activity was tested on in vitro growth by the agar medium diffusion method. DPPH and FRAP methods were used to assess antioxidant activity. The antidiabetic activity of hydroethanolic extracts was evaluated on rats rendered diabetic by streptozotocin, with metformin as a reference molecule. Phytochemistry has revealed the presence of phenolic compounds and derivatives in the mung bean, whether in its natural state (MBN) or in its germinated state (MBG). Only the MBG exhibits antimicrobial activity on 70% of the strains used. It appears that the MBG has a reducing power of the DPPH radical with an IC50 of 28 mg/mL compared to the same extract of the MBN, which had an IC50 of 32.5 mg/mL with a difference (p < 0.05) between the extracts. MBN extracts at a dose of 300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg.bw) showed a reduction (p < 0.0001) in glycaemia and kept the body weight of the animals constant throughout the treatment. In addition, the MBN regulated the level of total cholesterol, tryglicerides of LDL, ASAT, ALAT, urea and creatine. These results show that the mung bean grown in Burkina Faso is a health food, which, integrated into dietary habits, could contribute to the prevention of chronic diseases.
Hardware-Efficient Direction of Arrival Estimation using Compressive Sensing

Compressed sensing (CS) based direction of arrival (DOA) estimation enables high performance with reduced hardware complexity. An important aspect affecting the performance of such systems is the measurement matrix that is used to reduce the number of samplers. Recent studies have proposed designing CS-DOA specific measurement matrices. However, these studies assume that each sensor is connected to each sampler channel. Such designs reduce the number of analog-to-digital samplers while increasing the number of other analog components required for mixing the sensor outputs. In this study, we tackle the problem of hardware-efficient measurement matrix design for CS based DOA estimation. We first propose constructing a hardware-efficient measurement matrix by projecting the hardware-inefficient full-matrix onto block-diagonal matrices. We rigorously derive the necessary equations and provide analytical solution for the proposed projection operation. Next, we propose a structured random permutation of the sensors to maximize the similarity between the full-matrix and the block-diagonal matrix. We thoroughly validate our proposed approach by comparing it to previously proposed block-diagonal Gaussian random matrices under a variety of simulated settings.
A Finite Element Approximation for Nematic Liquid Crystal Flow with Stretching Effect Based on Nonincremental Pressure-Correction Method

In this paper, a new decoupling method is proposed to solve a nematic liquid crystal flow with stretching effect. In the finite element discrete framework, the director vector is calculated by introducing a new auxiliary variable w, and the velocity vector and scalar pressure are decoupled by a nonincremental pressure-correction projection method. Then, the energy dissipation law and unconditional energy stability of the resulting system are given. Finally, some numerical examples are given to verify the effects of various parameters on the singularity annihilation, stability and accuracy in space and time.
What Quality-of-Life Dimensions Are Most Important to Older Adults from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds Receiving Aged Care Services? An Exploratory Study

There is little research on what aspects of quality of life (QoL) are most important to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) older adults. This study aimed to identify what QoL dimensions were most important to CALD older adults receiving aged care services, and therefore, how relevant a new six dimensions QoL instrument developed for use in aged care is to this population. A three-stage, mixed-methods study was undertaken. Stage 1: n = 3 focus groups with aged care providers. Stage 2: n = 30 semi-structured interviews with Italian-born older adults in ethno-specific residential aged care. Stage 3: survey of n = 63 older adults from mixed CALD backgrounds receiving community aged care services. Overall, older adults asserted the importance of the six dimensions of the new QoL instrument. The importance of ‘identity’ and ‘purpose and meaning’ were identified via the focus groups; however, the community-based CALD older adults identified these aspects of quality of life as more important than older Italians in residential care. Being in ethno-specific residential aged care where needs relating to language, food, and religion were met and they continued to live with others from their community may have meant that the meeting of cultural needs was more taken for granted.
Evaluation of the visual-manual resources required to perform calling and navigation tasks in conventional mode with a portable phone and in full- touch mode with an embedded system

Abstract This study investigates the differences in a driver’s visual-manual behaviour when performing secondary tasks while driving under the full-touch mode (FTM) and the conventional mode (CM). To this end, 30 participants were recruited to perform secondary tasks while driving two vehicles equipped with different HMI system interaction modes. The results show that compared to the CM, in the FTM, fewer visual-manual resources are required to perform the calling task, but for the navigation task, this requirement is higher. Additionally, in both modes, the driver exhibited self-regulation visual-manual behaviour when performing secondary tasks as the driving speed increased. However, the effect of the driving speed on visual-manual behaviour was greater in the FTM than in the CM. The main limitation of this study is that the effect of the difference between the two experimental vehicles on the findings was not considered, however, this does not affect the generalisation of the findings. Practitioner summary: Potential applications of this study include improving drivers’ knowledge about the effect of performing secondary tasks in different modes on driving safety, and this study also provides useful insights human-machine co-driving systems to develop user-friendly control strategies and for automotive companies to improve the full-touch interactive mode for automotive companies.
The rs41291957 polymorphism of miR-143/145 and cancer risk: a case-control study and meta-analysis

Abstract Recently, the rs41291957 polymorphism in the promoter region of miR-143/145 has been repeatedly investigated for its contribution to cancer susceptibility. However, the results remain conflicting rather than conclusive, which calls for further investigations. Therefore, we here conducted a case-control study and meta-analysis to explore the association between rs41291957 and cancer risk. In the case-control study, a total of 2277 cancer patients (lung, liver, gastric and colorectal cancers) and 800 normal controls were recruited, the genotyping of rs41291957 was performed with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and Sanger sequencing. In the meta-analysis, 5 previously published studies and our present study were included, the STATA 14.0 software was applied to conduct all statistical analyses. The results of case-control study showed that rs41291957 was significantly associated with the risk of gastric cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and colorectal cancer in Hubei Han Chinese population. The results of meta-analysis demonstrated that rs41291957 was significantly associated with overall cancer risk, especially colorectal cancer risk and lung cancer risk. Collectively, the rs41291957 polymorphism of miR-143/145 may be a plausible susceptible locus for cancer risk, which should be validated in future studies with larger samples in different ethnic populations.
Characterization of flexible temperature sensor fabricated through drop-on-demand electrohydrodynamics patterning

The fabrication and characterization of a temperature sensor on flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate is discussed. The device was printed by drop-on-demand (DOD) electrohydrodynamic (EHD) Patterning method using silver nanoparticles ink on a roll-to-roll (R2R) system on a mass scale. EHD patterning was performed at atmospheric pressure and room temperature in a single step. The ink viscosity was 300 cps and it contained 55 wt % of silver nanoparticles. The parameters for printing head speed, and DOD were optimized to create connected lines. The printed temperature sensor has the resistivity of 25.35 µΩ·cm and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is 0.0007687 °C−1. The micro sensor can be applied to many applications to measure temperature accurately of flat or curved surfaces.
Evaluating the effectiveness of game-based learning for teaching refugee children Arabic using the integrated LEAGUÊ-GQM approach

ABSTRACT Game-based learning (GBL) is widely utilised in various domains and continues to receive interest and attention from researchers and practitioners alike. However, there is still a lack of empirical evidence concerning its effectiveness, making GBL evaluation a critical undertaking. This paper proposes an integrated approach for planning and executing GBL evaluation studies and presents its application by evaluating the effectiveness of a GBL approach to improve the Arabic reading skills of migrant refugee children in an informal learning setup. The study focuses on how children’s age group, learning modality preference, and prior mobile experience affect their learning, usability, and gameplay performance. A quasi-experiment with a one-group pretest-posttest design was conducted with 30 children (5–10 years old) from migrant refugee backgrounds. The results show a statistically significant improvement in their reading assessment score. The results also outline a clear impact of children’s age groups on their learning gain, usability score, and total levels played. Moreover, learning modality preference and prior mobile experience both had a statistically significant effect related to usability and gameplay performance parameters. However, no effect was found on learning gain. Based on the findings, some design recommendations are suggested for more inclusive design focusing on user characteristics.
Collaborative Software Visualization for Program Comprehension

In the context of program comprehension, learning and working in teams, e.g., via pair programming, shared documentation, and discussions, can facilitate the comprehension tasks. So far, team collaboration is a relatively unexplored aspect in software visualizations, in particular approaches which are designed and explored to enable collaborative program comprehension.In this paper, we introduce our collaboratively usable software visualization environment for program comprehension. Related approaches are often limited to single-user modes, therefore neglect the advantages of multi-user collaboration, or allow only the use of a single type of device. Our approach addresses this topic and allows users to collaboratively explore software visualizations in a device-heterogeneous environment. User events, e.g., sharable pop-up information windows, are synchronized between each session participant, regardless of the employed device.To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first approaches that combines on-screen, virtual reality, and augmented reality modes in a single web-based SV tool for program comprehension. We conducted a user study to collect initial results regarding the perceived usefulness and enjoyment of co-explored software cities In that study, 20 participants collaboratively solved program comprehension tasks while using each mode consecutively. The results indicate that the majority of participants find our approach useful and enjoyable, with AR being the least favored mode. We provide each participant’s video recording, the study’s raw results, Jupyter Notebooks, and all steps to reproduce our evaluation as supplementary package. Furthermore, a live demo of our tool is available online.1 We invite other researchers to extend our open-source software and jointly research this novel approach.Video URL: https://youtu.be/MYAkRMWLVD8
Two-Dimensional Adaptive Beamforming Based on Atomic-Norm Minimization

Adaptive beamformers usually require a great number of snapshots to update the weight vectors for large phased array antennas and the training data can easily corrupted by target signals. These challenges hinder real-time applications and significantly degrade existing methods. In this context, we propose a two-dimensional (2-D) adaptive beamforming scheme based on atomic-norm optimization. The steering matrix is first reconstructed as a vector using Kronecker product. Then, the interference covariance matrix and target direction are estimated simultaneously by formulating an atomic-norm minimizing problem. This non-convex problem is solved efficiently using alternative optimization which decomposes it into two iterative stages. The proposed beamformer is free from the influence of target signals and able to adjust pointing direction adaptively. The superiority of the proposed method over other competitive methods are verified using numerical simulations.
Liquid-Metal-Based Magnetic Controllable Soft Microswitch with Rapid and Reliable Response for Intelligent Soft Systems

When combined with diverse sensors, soft robots significantly improve their functionalities and intelligence levels. However, most of the existing soft sensors require complex signal analysis devices or algorithms, which severely increase the complexity of soft robot systems. Here, based on the unique fluidic property of liquid metal, we propose a magnet-controllable soft microswitch that can be well-integrated into a soft robot system, e.g., a soft gripper to help it facilely detect and precisely grab objects. The microswitch consists of a flexible soft beam electrode and a fixed electrode, forming a soft microsystem. By tuning the cohesion force of the liquid metal between the electrodes, the microswitch can convert its states between an individual and a self-locking state. The microswitch can achieve a reasonable rapid response (~12 ms) and high switching frequency (~95 Hz). Furthermore, soft microswitches can be customized into logic units and also coupled to control a digital tube showing various numbers. Our work provides a new simple soft sensor unit that may enhance the intelligence of soft systems.
Line strengths and self-broadening of pure rotational lines of carbon monoxide measured by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

Pure rotational lines of carbon monoxide were observed using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Measurements were carried out at elevated pressures of 0.7–5.1 bar. Line intensities and self-broadening parameters of transitions from J′=3←2 to J′=22←21 were obtained. Good agreement with the HITRAN database was found.
Present state and perspectives in analytical methods for pesticide residues analysis in bee pollen: an overview

Abstract Pollen is a set of pollen grains with a microscopic structure derived from plants. In addition to being the main source of nutrition for bees, pollen has also recently become an important part of the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Pollen is gaining attention as a functional food as well as an important sample that has the potential to bioindicate the presence of contaminants in the environment, enabling monitoring of large areas due to the long distances traveled by bees. Pollen matrix is complex and complicated for analysis, therefore, its influence on analytes in samples must be considered. High yields of pesticide residues can be ensured by selecting a suitable sample preparation method, which includes extraction of analytes and purification of extract. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method (QuEChERS), which is the most applicable method for the determination of pesticide residues in bee pollen samples, includes an extraction step using extraction salts (MgSO4, NaCl) whose function is to separate the aqueous phase from the organic phase. The next step of QuEChERS is sample purification by using dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE). The dSPE method combines various sorbents depending on the type of analytes and the effects of the observed matrix. Other techniques used to extract pesticide residues from bee pollen are ultrasonic-assisted extraction, solid phase matrix dispersion, and the mini-salt-liquid extraction technique (SALLE). Gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) is most commonly used in combination with mass spectrometry (MS/(MS)) employing various mass analysers to determine pesticides.
Effect of Acute Judo Training on Countermovement Jump Performance and Perceived Fatigue among Collegiate Athletes

This study focused on the effect of acute Judo training on countermovement jump (CMJ) performance and perceived fatigue among a group of highly trained collegiate judo athletes. Twenty male judo athletes participated in this study (age: 20.65 ± 1.22 years, weight: 84.17 ± 28.45 kg). Participants were assessed for CMJperformance changes before, immediately after (0 h), 12 h after, and 24 h after judo training (JT) using unloaded CMJ(CMJunloaded) and loaded CMJ(CMJloaded). All the jumps were performed on a force plate, and the force–time curves were collected for further analysis. Respondents’ perceptions were evaluated using the modified rating of perceived exertion (mRPE) before, after (0 h), 12 h, and 24 h after JT. CMJparameters were analyzed at four measured points using a one-way repeated analysis of variance. Effect sizes (ES) and percentage changes before versus 24 h after JT were calculated for comparison. Associations between the CMJparameters and mRPE were analyzed using the Pearson product–moment correlation. The ratio of flight time to contact time significantly decreased, whereas the eccentric duration, concentric duration, and total duration significantly increased (p < 0.05) in both CMJs 24 h after JT. Compared with CMJunloaded, CMJloaded had a significantly lower (p < 0.05) flight time, jump height, peak velocity, and peak power. The mRPE and CMJloaded peak velocity showed moderate- to high-level negative correlation results both 0 and 24 h after training (r = −0.543, p < 0.05; r = −0.479, p < 0.05). In this study, we only observed the effect of fatigue on the neuromuscular (NM) system 24 h after JT. CMJloaded height may help to better determine fatigue state compared with CMJunloaded. According to the results, the neuromuscular effects of fatigue were not observed until 24 h after a single high-intensity training. Therefore, when arranging high-intensity special training or strength and conditioning training, one should reduce the volume of training appropriately to avoid fatigue accumulation and reduce the risk of sports injuries.
An improved SURF descriptor based on sector area partitioning

In order to improve the robustness and real time performance of SURF based image matching algorithms, a constructing method of SURF descriptor based on sector area partitioning in a circular region was proposed and the dimension of descriptors was reduced from 64 to 32. We compute the new descriptor in a circular local region (the radius set to 10s). Firstly, the local region is divided into 8 equal sector areas according to the dominant orientation in inverse time order. Secondly, Define the dominate orientation and its orthogonal orientation as x and y axis of the key-point’s local frame. Thirdly, compute the Haar wavelet response in x and y directions within the key-point local region. In order to reduce the boundary effect and outer noise, Haar wavelet response in the same Grid of different triangle is both assigned to each sector in different weight, and then a gaussian weighting function is used. Compute the histogram of Haar wavelet response and absolute Haar wavelet response, so each sector sub-region constitutes a vector with 4 dimensions. Finally, a descriptor with 32 dimensions is constituted and the descriptor is normalized to achieve illumination invariance. The experimental results indicate that the average matching speed of the new method increase of about 31.18.