Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emotional Intelligence, Knowledge Management Processes and Creative Performance: Modelling the Mediating Role of Self-Directed Learning in Higher Education

Grounded on the Knowledge Based View (KBV), this study examines the effects of a knowledge management enabler (Emotional Intelligence) on knowledge management processes (KMPs) in research universities. It investigates the direct effect of KMPs on creative performance. This study further examines the mediating role of Self-directed Learning in a relationship between KMPs and creative performance. This study used a sample frame of 248 academic and administrative personnel from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan. The relationships were tested through a partial least squares structural equation modelling method. The results reveal that Emotional Intelligence (EI) as an enabler has a positive and significant impact on KMPs. However, a direct relation between self-directed learning and creative performance is insignificant. Also, established associations were found to be positive and significant. This study’s findings validate the academic experience of EI and suggest how academics and administrators of HEIs can value KMPs and the self-directed learning that strengthens creative performance. With the increased importance of EI and KMPs in HEIs, there is a lack of studies investigating the relationship between EI, KMPs and creative performance. This study empirically examines the interface of EI, KMPs and creative performance in HEI’s and enriches the existing literature by exploring the mediating role of self-directed learning.
Real-Time Removal of Topographic Artifacts in Scanning Microwave Microscopy

Near-field scanning microwave microscopy (SMM) employs microwave radiation to image and characterize samples down to the atomic scale, including soft biological structures or inorganic materials, such as ferroelectric films. However, SMM generally also senses sample topography; hypersensitivity to topography becomes problematic with additional parasitic contributions and may partially or completely mask nontopographic sample features in the data, such as contrast in electrical conductivity or permittivity. This work proposes a simple and effective procedure to remove unwanted parasitic effects from SMM images. Differently from existing procedures, the method is applicable either in postprocessing or in real time, i.e., during the scanning operation. This allows the immediate visualization of nontopographic sample features in the instrument screen. As a proof of concept, hafnium zirconium oxide (HfZrO) ferroelectric film with high surface roughness is studied; unwanted contributions were removed from SMM data, providing a clear map of the sample ferroelectric structure that was originally hidden.
Treatment outcomes of helical tomotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma in terms of intermediate-dose spillage

Background Although helical tomotherapy (HT) tends to increase intermediate-dose spillage by increasing of low-dose region, this has not been fully determined in the clinical setting. Therefore, we investigated treatment outcomes of HT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with respect to intermediate-dose spillage. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 20 HCC patients, who received high-dose radiotherapy (RT) using HT with radical intent between April 2014 and September 2017. In accordance with the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification, stage was 0 in 7 patients, A in 3 patients, B in 5 patients, and C in 5 patients. Baseline Child-Pugh class was A in 18 patients and B in 2 patients. The median tumor size was 2.5 cm (range, 1–11 cm). Helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) technique was applied in all patients: among these, 13 patients were treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). The median fraction size was 12 Gy (range, 2–15 Gy), and the median total dose was 50 Gy (range, 44–60 Gy). Intermediate-dose spillage was assessed by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group recommendation from 22 HT planning data, as follows: R50% means the ratio of the 50% prescription isodose volume to the planning target volume (PTV). Results The median follow-up period after HT was 22 months. The local progression-free survival (LPFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 89% and 59% at 1 year, and 82% and 30% at 2 years, respectively. The overall survival rate was 100% at 1 year and 85% at 2 years, respectively. In terms of intermediate-dose spillage, minor or major deviations were noted in the R50% of 20 HT plans (91%). However, 1 patient (5%) experienced classic radiation-induced liver disease, and severe toxicity ≥ grade 3 was not reported. Conclusions Although HT for HCC tends to increase intermediate-dose spillage, the treatment results were favorable with that reported in other published studies.
Artificial intelligence tools for analyzing emotionally colored information from customer reviews in the service sector

On the Internet, you can find millions of service reviews. This information can be useful to support decision-making for both potential customers and for managing a service business It is especially important to consider the emotional tone of such reviews, because emotions can attract or repel potential customers. The article discusses the actual task of the automatic processing of customer reviews and identifying emotionally colored information in it. In this paper we provide the definition of emotions and describe the results of the analysis of their classification. Further on, we identify six main emotions from the customer reviews. As our methodological basis we use a well-known approach for accounting emotionally colored information in customer reviews. This approach made it possible to set the task of automatic analysis of customer reviews, which we applied in this paper.
High‐Resolution C‐Isotope, TOC and Biostratigraphic Records of OAE 1a (Aptian) From an Expanded Hemipelagic Cored Succession, Western Tethys: A New Stratigraphic Reference for Global Correlation and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

A high‐resolution carbonate C‐isotope stratigraphy for the Aptian is presented for the Cau core (Spain). The biostratigraphically calibrated C‐isotope stratigraphy of the core is used to refine the previously defined C‐isotope segments of the Aptian. Thirteen C‐isotope segments have been identified and correlated, and further subdivisions are presented. Correlation with other sections worldwide demonstrates the robustness of the C‐isotope stratigraphy of the Cau core. The studied succession includes a continuous record of the early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE 1a). Its onset has been studied at an ultrahigh‐resolution scale (0.2–0.5 kyr spacing), revealing a succession of sharp δ13Ccarb negative spikes, interpreted as a record of pulses of volcanism and methane emissions. The largest spike was rapid (<10 kyr) and marks the base of OAE 1a, which occurs within a longer‐term falling δ13Ccarb trend. The C‐isotope profile across OAE 1a perfectly records the negative (C3/Ap3), positive (C4/Ap4), steady (C5/Ap5), and positive (C6/Ap6) segments that were defined from Cismon (Italy) and subsequently identified worldwide. The Ap7 to Ap14 segments record a C‐isotope negative excursion, coupled with high TOC contents, probably related to regional paleogeography. The links with global environmental changes, episodes of widespread deposition of organic matter, and ultimately to major volcanic episodes are discussed. We propose the Cau core as a new reference section for the Aptian, and specifically for OAE 1a, based on its expanded and well‐preserved sedimentary, geochemical and biotic archives, which provide further insights into the environmental and biotic changes that occurred during this time interval.
Agricultural soil management to reduce N2O emission

N2O is a greenhouse gas with a radiative forcing 298 times that of CO2 and is the substance that contributes most to the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer. Current global N2O emission from the earth surface is 18.5 Tg y−1. Soil N2O emission is 13 Tg y−1, in which agricultural soil N2O emission accounts for 7 Tg y−1. N2O is produced as byproduct during nitrification process and interim product during denitrification process, mainly produced by denitrification in soils with increasing fertilizer application, as evidenced in agricultural fields. N2O emission increased significantly during the practices of fertilizer application, compost application, and harvesting, and peaked at a soil temperature of 20 °C or higher and a water-filled pore space of 60-70%. N2O emissions increased due to a decrease in soil pH. Soil pH tended to increase with the application of compost, and N2O in the compost plot decreased over time compared to the chemical fertilizer plot. This is because the optimal pH of incomplete denitrifying bacteria causing nitrous oxide emission is lower than that of complete denitrifying bacteria. Therefore, it is recognized that the pH should be 6.5 or more to suppress the N2O. In order to make better handling of compost, compost pellet has been developed, because it was found that nitrogen addition into compost pellet reduces N2O emission. N2O emission is related to the amount of inorganic nitrogen in soil. N2O emission increases with organic matter decomposition in soil and nitrogen fertilizer application. In organic soil (peat), huge N2O emission of several 100 kgN ha−1 y−1 was found in vegetable fields in a tropical peat land. Organic matter decomposition increases with drop of ground water table level, enhancing N2O emission. An eight-year oil palm plantation study at a tropical peat land showed that NO3- N concentration decreased and N2O emissions decreased with the increase in oil palm yield. The yield of oil palm increased with the increase of water-filled pore space of the soil and N2O significantly decreased when the water-filled pore space became more than 70%. Therefore, following three managements are recommended to reduce N2O emission from agricultural soil: 1) Restrict excessive nitrogen application (apply nitrogen according to the amount of nitrogen taken up by crops); 2) Prevent excessive organic matter decomposition (maintain capillary water rise without excessively decreasing ground water table level in peatlands); 3) Prevent low pH of soil (apply compost to reduce chemical nitrogen fertilizer application).
Design and construction of a portable apparatus to measure thermal conductivity

The characterization of the thermal insulation properties of construction materials represents a fundamental step on building insulation assessment. The present work aims to design and build a portable apparatus, namely, Portable LAMBDA UNI, capable of measuring the thermal conductivity of insulation materials. This portable apparatus is based on the standard ASTM C 518, which is a secondary method for measuring thermal conductivity. The apparatus also measures the effective thermal conductivity of square prism thermal insulation materials of 60 mm per side and a maximum thickness of 14 mm. The thermal conductivity of the drywall and adobe with Stipa ichu was measured with the Portable LAMBDA UNI, with the values being 0.265 W m−1 K−1and 0.357 W m−1 K−1, respectively.
Promotion of the Application of BIM in China—A BIM-Based Model for Construction Material Recycling

The recovery rate of construction materials is only 5% in China, which will lead to environmental and economic problems. Researchers from other countries have recognized the potential of building information modelling (BIM) in optimizing construction material recycling. However, previous research did not take the whole life cycle into consideration and was not practical enough. In this research, a questionnaire was conducted to find out how construction waste is disposed of in construction projects. Then, the existing research results were analyzed to find out how to apply BIM in the whole-life-cycle disposal of construction materials. According to the results of the questionnaire, landfill is the most common way to dispose of construction materials in China; besides this, almost no construction projects use BIM in material recycling. Hence, a BIM-based dynamic recycling model is proposed. Information management of materials, demolition planning, and BIM were all combined in this model for the purpose of optimizing the application of BIM, thus developing a waste material disposal system to achieve higher recovery rates and sustainability. More positive measures should be taken to deal with the problem of construction waste; if not, more environmental and economic problems will follow.
Vertebrate species knowledge: an important skill is threatened by extinction

ABSTRACT Vertebrate species knowledge, a key factor for conserving biodiversity, is a compulsory part of school curricula. This study evaluated the vertebrate species knowledge of sixth-grade German grammar school pupils (aged 11–13) to investigate the influence of socio-demographic factors (gender, size of hometown, mother tongue), personal expectations (favourite school subject, performance in biology, expected test results) and possibilities to do nature observations (favourite playing area, number of excursions to nature) on identification skills. In addition, the study examined whether schoolchildren's taxonomic knowledge changed over the years. In a species identification test, participants (N = 984) scored an average of 14.18 ± 3.82 out of 25 points. The results showed that their species knowledge was significantly influenced by their personal expectations on test performance, the school, favourite playing area, mother tongue and gender. Hometown size, the number of excursions to nature, favourite school subject and performance in biology did not significantly affect children's species knowledge. Mammals had the highest identification rates, whereas birds and reptiles were rather unknown. These results were compared with a similar dataset in 2006 indicating a 15% loss in pupils’ species knowledge within the last decade. A change in the curriculum as a reason for this decline in taxonomic knowledge is discussed.
Understanding Cultural Preferences for Social Robots

This article presents a study of cultural differences affecting the acceptance and design preferences of social robots. Based on a survey with 794 participants from Germany and the three Arab countries of Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, we discuss how culture influences the preferences for certain attributes. We look at social roles, abilities and appearance, emotional awareness and interactivity of social robots, as well as the attitude toward automation. Preferences were found to differ not only across cultures, but also within countries with similar cultural backgrounds. Our findings also show a nuanced picture of the impact of previously identified culturally variable factors, such as attitudes toward traditions and innovations. While the participants’ perspectives toward traditions and innovations varied, these factors did not fully account for the cultural variations in their perceptions of social robots. In conclusion, we believe that more real-life practices emerging from the situated use of robots should be investigated. Besides focusing on the impact of broader cultural values such as those associated with religion and traditions, future studies should examine how users interact, or avoid interaction, with robots within specific contexts of use.
Soft Hybrid Suction Cup Capable of Sticking to Various Objects and Environments

A universal suction cup that can stick to various objects expands the areas in which robots can work. However, the size, shape, and surface roughness of objects to which conventional suction cups can stick are limited. To overcome this challenge, we propose a new hybrid suction cup structure that uses the adhesive force of sticky gel and the suction force of negative pressure. In addition, a flexible and thin pneumatic balloon actuator with a check valve function is installed in the interior, enabling the controllable detachment from objects. The prototype has an outer diameter of 55 mm, a weight of 18.8 g, and generates an adsorption force of 80 N in the vertical direction and 60 N in the shear direction on porous walls where conventional suction cups struggle to adsorb. We confirmed that parts smaller than the suction cup and fragile potato chips are adsorbed by the prototype. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through experiments in which a drone with the prototypes can be attached to and detached from concrete walls and ceilings while flying; the possibility of adsorption to dusty and wet plates is discussed.
Applications of convolutional neural networks for the detection and classification of fungal rice diseases

The article discusses the possibility of detecting and classifying rice fungal diseases by image using convolutional neural networks. Fungal diseases cause tremendous economic damage to rice growing and it is very important to determine the disease accurately and at an early stage in order to take timely measures to combat them. The paper compares four modern neural network architectures and shows that on a test sample that includes two classes of diseases – leaf blast and brown spot, as well as a class of healthy plants, the achievable classification accuracy can be more than 95%. Authors argue that the results obtained can be used to automatically detect fungal diseases in rice and to make a decision on the implementation of protective measures, which could be carried out with minimal labor and time.
Extraction and Composition of Dissolved Organic Matter in Poyang Lake and Its Effects on Morphological Changes of Heavy Metals

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is generally thought to impact the bioavailability of heavy metals. However, the source of wetland DOM and its interaction with heavy metals remain poorly understood. Fluorescence excitation emission matrices (EEMs)-fluorescence regional integration (FRI) coupling techniques and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was used to explore the source of DOM of Poyang Lake including water body, soil and plants, and the effects on morphological changes of heavy metals. The results showed that the best DOM extraction effect can be obtained with the soil-water mass ratio 1:10, centrifuged at 4 000 rpm for 30 min, and the 0.45 μm glass fiber filter by orthogonal test. There were four types of peaks of DOM in water body of Poyang Lake, which was input mainly by land source, while six types of peaks (ACTDBE) were observed in soil. Soil DOM is highly humified with large molecular weight. More types of fluorescent peaks were observed in plant and the content of DOM in plants was higher than that of water body and soil due to the plant proteins. The content of fulvic acid was less than tryptophan in DOM of Triarrhena lutarioriparia and Phragmites communis in Longkou, while the opposite were in other samples. Furthermore, pot experiment illustrated that DOM had an activation effect on Cd, Cu and Zn and a passivation effect on Cr and Pb with the increase of DOM content. After the addition of exogenous DOM, Cr, Pb and Zn were immobilized by the function together with DOM and plants, while Cd and Cu were activated.
Physics-based SNOWPACK model improves representation of near-surface Antarctic snow and firn density

Abstract. Estimates of snow and firn density are required for satellite-altimetry-based retrievals of ice sheet mass balance that rely on volume-to-mass conversions. Therefore, biases and errors in presently used density models confound assessments of ice sheet mass balance and by extension ice sheet contribution to sea level rise. Despite this importance, most contemporary firn densification models rely on simplified semi-empirical methods, which are partially reflected by significant modeled density errors when compared to observations. In this study, we present a new drifting-snow compaction scheme that we have implemented into SNOWPACK, a physics-based land surface snow model. We show that our new scheme improves existing versions of SNOWPACK by increasing simulated near-surface (defined as the top 10 m) density to be more in line with observations (near-surface bias reduction from −44.9 to −5.4 kg m−3). Furthermore, we demonstrate high-quality simulation of near-surface Antarctic snow and firn density at 122 observed density profiles across the Antarctic ice sheet, as indicated by reduced model biases throughout most of the near-surface firn column when compared to two semi-empirical firn densification models (SNOWPACK mean bias=-9.7 kg m−3, IMAU-FDM mean bias=-32.5 kg m−3, GSFC-FDM mean bias=15.5 kg m−3). Notably, our analysis is restricted to the near surface where firn density is most variable due to accumulation and compaction variability driven by synoptic weather and seasonal climate variability. Additionally, the GSFC-FDM exhibits lower mean density bias from 7–10 m (SNOWPACK bias=-22.5 kg m−3, GSFC-FDM bias=10.6 kg m−3) and throughout the entire near surface at high-accumulation sites (SNOWPACK bias=-31.4 kg m−3, GSFC-FDM bias=-4.7 kg m−3). However, we found that the performance of SNOWPACK did not degrade when applied to sites that were not included in the calibration of semi-empirical models. This suggests that SNOWPACK may possibly better represent firn properties in locations without extensive observations and under future climate scenarios, when firn properties are expected to diverge from their present state.
Online monitoring system for emergency diabetes mellitus patients

In this research, an online monitoring system was designed to detect emergency due to uncontrolled blood glucose fluctuations in patients with diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia in the morning causes dawn phenomenon and Somogyi effect. This incident is very fast, and its uncontrollable time of occurrence can inflict a fatal condition causing death. Unfortunately, there are no systems able to detect such events, currently. This study proposes an online monitoring system with the input of the patient’s blood glucose measurement into the smartphone. Blood glucose values are sent and stored in the webserver, and the results are used to determine the incidence of dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect. The study was able to produce an online monitoring system which can be monitored by nurses, doctors, and administrators via the dashboard.
Is Early Partnership Formation Instrumental for Fertility in Germany?

Using panel data from childless respondents of the German Family Panel (pairfam, n=3,802 respondents), this paper investigates whether fertility orientations (biographical orientations with respect to fertility) influence the risk of different partnership transitions among German men and women over the age of 18 (for n=14,572 observation periods between two panel waves). Significant influences are found for both gender and partnership transition types, and are generally stronger among men than women and for the transition to a coresidential as opposed to a romantic partnership. Uncertainty about anticipated fertility has a stronger negative impact on transition risks among men than among women. Results strongly suggest that the early stages of the partnership formation process are instrumental in terms of future fertility in Germany, at least to some degree. This indicates that a more comprehensive conceptualisation and analysis of fertility within the life course paradigm (as suggested by Huinink/Kohli 2014) should consider the impacts of fertility orientations on life course events in other dimensions, especially among men. Viewed more broadly, the results also underline two factors: the role of agency in coordinating life course dimensions in time and space in order to maximise individual welfare; and the importance of considering the impacts that anticipation of future life course events will have, as suggested by different theoretical approaches.