Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of multiple representations on students' understanding of vector field concepts: Implementation of simulations and sketching activities into lecture-based recitations in undergraduate physics

Multiple external representations (e.g., diagrams, equations) and their interpretations play a central role in science and science learning as research has shown that they can substantially facilitate the learning and understanding of science concepts. Therefore, multiple and particularly visual representations are a core element of university physics. In electrodynamics, which students encounter already at the beginning of their studies, vector fields are a central representation typically used in two forms: the algebraic representation as a formula and the visual representation depicted by a vector field diagram. While the former is valuable for quantitative calculations, vector field diagrams are beneficial for showing many properties of a field at a glance. However, benefiting from the mutual complementarity of both representations requires representational competencies aiming at referring different representations to each other. Yet, previous study results revealed several student problems particularly regarding the conceptual understanding of vector calculus concepts. Against this background, we have developed research-based, multi-representational learning tasks that focus on the visual interpretation of vector field diagrams aiming at enhancing a broad, mathematical as well as conceptual, understanding of vector calculus concepts. Following current trends in education research and considering cognitive psychology, the tasks incorporate sketching activities and interactive (computer-based) simulations to enhance multi-representational learning. In this article, we assess the impact of the learning tasks in a field study by implementing them into lecture-based recitations in a first-year electrodynamics course at the University of Göttingen. For this, a within- and between-subjects design is used comparing a multi-representational intervention group and a control group working on traditional calculation-based tasks. To analyze the impact of multiple representations, students' performance in a vector calculus test as well as their perceived cognitive load during task processing is compared between the groups. Moreover, analyses offer guidance for further design of multi-representational learning tasks in field-related physics topics.
High expression of RNF169 is associated with poor prognosis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma by regulating tumour immune infiltration

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a highly deadly and aggressive tumour with a poor prognosis. However, the prognostic value of RNF169 and its related mechanisms in PAAD have not been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to explore prognosis-related genes, especially RNF169 in PAAD and to identify novel potential prognostic predictors of PAAD. Methods: The GEPIA and UALCAN databases were used to investigate the expression and prognostic value of RNF169 in PAAD. The correlation between RNF169 expression and immune infiltration was determined by using TIMER and TISIDB. Correlation analysis with starBase was performed to identify a potential regulatory axis of lncRNA-miRNA-RNF169. Results: The data showed that the level of RNF169 mRNA expression in PAAD tissues was higher than that in normal tissues. High RNF169 expression was correlated with poor prognosis in PAAD. In addition, analysis with the TISIDB and TIMER databases revealed that RNF169 expression was positively correlated with tumour immune infiltration in PAAD. Correlation analysis suggested that the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) AL049555.1 and the microRNA (miRNA) hsa-miR-324-5p were involved in the expression of RNF169, composing a potential regulatory axis to control the progression of PAAD. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses indicated that RNF169 plays a role in PAAD through pathways such as TNF, Hippo, JAK-STAT and Toll-like receptor signaling. Conclusion: In summary, the upregulation of RNF169 expression mediated by ncRNAs might influence immune cell infiltration in the microenvironment; thus, it can be used as a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in PAAD.
Cell numbers in the reflected blade of CA3 and their relation to other hippocampal principal cell populations across seven species

The hippocampus of many mammals contains a histoarchitectural region that is not present in laboratory mice and rats—the reflected blade of the CA3 pyramidal cell layer. Pyramidal cells of the reflected blade do not extend dendrites into the hippocampal molecular layer, and recent evidence indicates that they, like the proximal CA3 pyramids in laboratory rats and mice, partially integrate functionally with the dentate circuitry in pattern separation. Quantitative assessments of phylogenetic or disease-related changes in the hippocampal structure and function treat the reflected blade heterogeneously. Depending on the ease with which it can be differentiated, it is either assigned to the dentate hilus or to the remainder of CA3. Here, we investigate the impact that the differential assignment of reflected blade neurons may have on the outcomes of quantitative comparisons. We find it to be massive. If reflected blade neurons are treated as a separate entity or pooled with dentate hilar cells, the quantitative makeup of hippocampal cell populations can differentiate between species in a taxonomically sensible way. Assigning reflected blade neurons to CA3 greatly diminishes the differentiating power of all hippocampal principal cell populations, which may point towards a quantitative hippocampal archetype. A heterogeneous assignment results in a differentiation pattern with little taxonomic semblance. The outcomes point towards the reflected blade as either a major potential player in hippocampal functional and structural differentiation or a region that may have cloaked that hippocampi are more similarly organized across species than generally believed.
Association of schistosome infection with adiposity in Tanzania

Background Observational studies in humans have reported a link between schistosome infection and lower adiposity, but this may be explained by socioeconomic and demographic factors, intensity of infection, or common co-infections such as HIV. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that investigated the relationship between schistosome infection and adiposity in a large, well-described cohort of Tanzanian adults living with and without HIV. Cross-sectional data were collected among adults living in Mwanza, Tanzania who were enrolled in the Chronic Infections, Co-morbidities and Diabetes in Africa (CICADA) cohort study. Schistosome circulating anodic antigen, secreted by both Schistosoma mansoni and haematobium which are endemic to Tanzania, was quantified from stored samples. Schistosome infection diagnosed by serum circulating anodic antigen levels. The primary outcome was fat mass measured by bioimpedance analysis. Secondary outcomes included fat-free mass, waist circumference, mid-upper arm circumference, and body mass index. Results The study enrolled 1,947 adults, of whom 1,923 (98.8%) had serum available for schistosome testing. Of these, 873 (45.4%) had a serum circulating anodic antigen ≥30 pg/mL, indicating schistosome infection. Compared to uninfected individuals, those with schistosome infections had −1.1 kg [95% CI −1.9 to −0.3] lower fat mass after adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, tobacco use, education level, and socioeconomic status. Infected participants also had lower waist circumference, mid-upper arm circumference, and body mass index. Fat-free mass was not different between the two groups. Neither being HIV-infected, nor receiving antiretroviral therapy, modified associations between schistosome infection and adiposity. These associations were also not affected by Schistosoma worm burden. Conclusions Schistosome infection was associated with lower fat mass and less central adiposity without a difference in muscle mass, irrespective of confounders, HIV status, or the intensity of schistosome infection. Future studies should adjust for socioeconomic and demographic factors that are associated with schistosome infection and adiposity. Identifying mechanistic pathways by which schistosome infection reduces adiposity while preserving muscle mass could yield new strategies for obesity control and cardiovascular disease prevention.
Fluctuations and self-diffusion of sheared granular material flows

Experiments were performed in a shear cell device with adjustable lower wall velocity. Glass spheres with a mean diameter of 3 mm were used as granular materials. Image processing technology and a particle tracking method were employed to measure the average and fluctuation velocities in the streamwise and the transverse directions. Because of gravitation force, the flows consist of both a solid-like region with higher and more uniform velocities in the lower test section and a fluid-like region in the upper part. The velocity fluctuations were anisotropic and were greater in the streamwise direction. By tracking the movements of particles continually, the variation in the mean-square diffusive displacements with time was plotted and the self-diffusion coefficient was determined. The self-diffusion coefficients in the streamwise direction were much higher than those in the transverse direction. The dependence of the diffusion coefficients on the velocity fluctuations and the shear rate were discussed.
Efficacy of school-based interventions for mental health problems in children and adolescents in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Implementation of interventions to treat child and adolescent mental health problems in schools could help fill the mental health care gap in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Most of the evidence available come from systematic reviews on mental health prevention and promotion, and there is less evidence on treatment strategies that can be effectively delivered in schools. The aim of this review was to identify what school-based interventions have been tested to treat children and adolescents in LMICs, and how effective they are. Methods We conducted a systematic review including seven electronic databases. The search was carried out in October 2022. We included randomised or non-randomised studies that evaluated school-based interventions for children or adolescents aged 6–18 years living in LMICs and who had, or were at risk of developing, one or more mental health problems. Results We found 39 studies with 43 different pairwise comparisons, treatment for attention-deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD), anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Conduct disorder (CD). Pooled SMD were statistically significant and showed that, overall, interventions were superior to comparators for PTSD (SMD = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.37–0.86), not statistically significant for anxiety (SMD = 0.11; 95% CI = −0.13 to 0.36), ADHD (SMD = 0.36; 95% CI = −0.15 to 0.87), and for depression (SMD = 0.80; 95% CI = −0.47 to 2.07). For CD the sample size was very small, so the results are imprecise. Conclusion A significant effect was found if we add up all interventions compared to control, suggesting that, overall, interventions delivered in the school environment are effective in reducing mental health problems among children and adolescents. Systematic review registration [https://www.crd. york.ac. uk/prospero/display_record. php? RecordID=129376], identifier [CRD42019129376].
Dependence of image distortion in a liquid-cell atomic force microscope on fluidic properties

When the standard grating sample was tested in seven different fluids using a liquid atomic force microscope, it was observed that the images were significantly distorted. It was proposed as a modified squeeze-drag superposition model for the elucidation of image distortion. This model considers the net force between the cantilever and the sample for scanning with the y direction. It was found that the net force between the cantilever and the sample was strongly dependent on the kinematic viscosity of fluids. These image distortion phenomena were proven by the proposed model with the experiments.
Multiplier methods for convex programming

A combined primal-dual and penalty method is given for solving the nonlinear programming problem. The algorithm generalizes the "method of multipliers" and is applicable to problems with both equality and inequality constraints. The algorithm is defined for a broad class of "penalized Lagrangians," and is shown to be globally convergent when applied to the convex programming problem. The duality aspects are explored, leading to geometrical interpretations of the method and its relationship to generalized Lagrange multipliers. The rate of convergence is given and the method is shown to be superior to ordinary penalty methods.
Soil nitrogen and carbon storages and carbon pool management index under sustainable conservation tillage strategy

Agricultural practices are significant to increase the soil nitrogen and organic carbon sequestration to adapt and mitigate the climate change in a recent climate change scenario. With this background, we carried out research in the Longzhong Loess Plateau region of China. This research was conducted under a randomized complete block design, with three replicates. Adopt the method of combining outdoor positioning field test with indoor index measurement to explore the soil bulk density (BD), nitrogen components (viz., nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and nitrogen storage (NS), and carbon components [viz., soil organic carbon (SOC), easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and carbon storage (CS), carbon pool index (CPI), carbon pool activity (A) and carbon pool activity index (AI) and carbon pool management index (CPMI)] and C/N, ratio under different tillage practices [namely. , conventional tillage (CT), no tillage (NT), straw mulch with conventional tillage (CTS) and straw mulch with no tillage (NTS)]. Our results depicted that different conservation tillage systems significantly increased soil BD over conventional tillage. Compared with CT, the NTS, CTS and NT reduced soil NO3−-N, increased the soil NH4+-N, TN, MBN and NS, among them, NS under NTS, CTS and NT treatment was 25.0, 14.8 and 13.1% higher than that under CT treatment, respectively. Additionally, conservation tillage significantly increased SOC, EOC, MBC, CS, CPI, AI, CPMI and C/N, ratio than CT. Inside, CS under NTS, CTS and NT treatment was 19.4, 12.1 and 13.4% higher than that under CT treatment, respectively. Moreover, during the 3-year study period, the CPMI under NTS treatment was the largest (139.26, 140.97, and 166.17). Consequently, we suggest that NTS treatment was more sustainable strategy over other investigated conservation tillage practices and should be recommended as climate mitigation technique under climate change context.
Non-penetrating states of atomic oxygen

Atomic Rydberg transitions have been observed in the 1-5μm emission spectrum of an oxygen discharge. Proper analysis of these lines requires reinterpretation of previous 3d-nf measurements by explicit inclusion of the theoretical F-level fine structure in the experimental line profiles. The revised triplet-quintet differences in the nF levels are now seen to vary smoothly with n, analogous to the polarization energy in an Edlen plot. The new levels, 5g, 6g, 7g, and 7h also form a straight line according to the polarization formula, thereby confirming the ionization limit to a higher accuracy.
Community-based intervention via WeChat official account to improve parental health literacy among primary caregivers of children aged 0 to 3 years: Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background Parental health literacy is an important determinant of children's health, especially during the critical window of early development in the first 3 years. As the information communication technology develops, health education via social media is widely used to deliver health information. However, few studies have explored the effect of intervention via social media on parental health literacy. Objective This study aims to determine whether a WeChat official account-based health intervention can improve parental health literacy of primary caregivers of children aged 0 to 3 years in Minhang District, Shanghai, China. Methods The cluster randomized controlled trial includes all 13 community health centers (CHCs) in Minhang District, Shanghai. We take each CHCs as a cluster in the randomization. The CHCs are randomly allocated to the intervention or the control group through random sequence generation. Ninety primary caregivers of children aged 0 to 2 years will be recruited from each CHC, 1170 in total. Caregivers in the intervention group will be provided with a series of video clips and online reading material links on scientific parenting via a WeChat account. Caregivers in the control group will receive printed educational materials with similar contents to the intervention group. All the participants will access routine child health care and be followed up for 9 months. Online assessment of health literacy will be conducted for both groups before and after the intervention. The primary outcome is the change in the total scores of parental health literacy using a validated instrument. The data of secondary outcomes, such as exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months, anthropometric measurements, and disease conditions, will be extracted from routine health care records. Generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) will be used for data analyses. Discussion Compared with traditional health education, health intervention via WeChat official account could be a feasible and effective solution to improve parental health literacy. Trial registration This trial is registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR): (#ChiCTR2000031711) on April 07, 2020.
High rates of antibodies against Toscana and Sicilian phleboviruses in common quail Coturnix coturnix birds

Introduction Birds are involved natural cycle of a number of vector-borne viruses in both rural and urban areas. Toscana (TOSV) and Sicilian (SFSV) phleboviruses are sandfly-borne viruses in the genus Phlebovirus that can cause diseases in human. However, there is limited information on the role of the birds in sandfly-borne phleboviruses natural cycle and reservoirs ofthese viruses remain unknown. Methods In this study, we analyzed Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) sera from Spain to identify the seroprevalence of these two phleboviruses. We tested respectively, 106 and 110 quail serum against TOSV and SFSV from 2018, 2019, and 2021 from two locations in northern Spain with using virus neutralization test. Results We identified high neutralizing antibody rates for SFSV (45.45%) and TOSV (42.45%) with yearly fluctuation. Discussion This is the first identification of SFSV and TOSV neutralizing antibodies in wild birds. High seroprevalence rates of TOSV and SFSV in quail birds raises the question whether birds have a role as amplifying hosts in the natural cycle of phleboviruses.
Lagged response of summer precipitation to solar activity in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River

In the context of more frequent extreme precipitation worldwide, the Sun’s influence on global or regional rainfall patterns has attracted much attention. Due to its vital importance to Chinese industrial and agricultural production, the precipitation property in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLRYR) remains a hot issue. Although previous works have implied the plausible influence of solar activity on precipitation in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the time-lagged effect is still an open question. In this paper, we adopt the China-Z index (CZI) to represent the original precipitation data, which is proposed to monitor moisture conditions over China and is more sensitive to solar activity. We explore the lagged correlations between summer precipitation in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River and solar activity. The China-Z index in June-July is negatively correlated with the sunspot number in July of the preceding year, giving a time lag of 11 months. Based on the composite analysis, we suggest that solar activity possibly modulates the precipitation by influencing the local moisture and its vertical movement through the sea-land thermal contrast and the associated East Asian summer monsoon on a much larger scale.
Temperature-specific adaptations and genetic requirements in a biofilm formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative opportunistic pathogen often associated with nosocomial infections that are made more severe by this bacterium’s ability to form robust biofilms. A biofilm is a microbial community encompassing cells embedded within an extracellular polymeric substrate (EPS) matrix that is typically secreted by the encased microbial cells. Biofilm formation is influenced by several environmental cues, and temperature fluctuations are likely to be an important stimulus in the lifecycle of P. aeruginosa as it transitions between life in aquatic or soil environments to sites of infection in the human host. Previous work has demonstrated that human body temperature can induce a shift in the biofilm EPS relative to room temperature growth, resulting in an incorporation of a filamentous phage coat protein into the biofilm EPS. In this study, we sought to identify adaptations enabling biofilm formation at room temperature or temperatures mimicking the natural environment of P. aeruginosa (23°C and 30°C) relative to temperatures mimicking life in the human host (37°C and 40°C). We identified higher biofilm: biomass ratios at lower temperatures on certain substrates, which correlated with a higher relative abundance of apparent polysaccharide EPS content. However, the known genes for EPS polysaccharide production in P. aeruginosa PA14 did not appear to be specifically important for temperature-dependent biofilm adaptation, with the pelB gene appearing to be generally important and the algD gene being generally expendable in all conditions tested. Instead, we were able to identify two previously uncharacterized hypothetical proteins (PA14_50070 and PA14_67550) specifically required for biofilm formation at 23°C and/or 30°C relative to temperatures associated with the human host. These unstudied contributors to biofilm integrity may have been previously overlooked since most P. aeruginosa biofilm studies tend to use 37°C growth temperatures. Overall, our study demonstrates that temperature shifts can have dramatic impacts on biofilm structure and highlights the importance of studying environment-specific adaptations in biofilm physiology.