Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Self-Efficacy and Peer Support on Learning Enthusiasm and Digital Competence in Online Distance Learning: A Cross-National Study on Workers and MM Program Postgraduate Students

This study investigates the influence of self-efficacy and peer support on learning enthusiasm and digital competence in the context of online distance learning, specifically focusing on students at the Open University Graduate School. The research employing a quantitative method, conducted from October 2022 to January 2023. 68 students who are also working professionals across various fields were selected as respondents for the survey, through a purposive sampling technique. Data was processed by utilizing SEM-PLS. The results of the study demonstrate that self-efficacy does not have a significant impact on learning enthusiasm, but peer support does have a significant impact on learning enthusiasm. Self-efficacy, peer support, and learning enthusiasm do not cause significant changes in digital competency. This research has practical implications for the Open University. Considering that learning enthusiasm is positively and significantly influenced by peer support, the Open University can formulate learning programs that can encourage the formation of peer support for students to improve their performance and to enhance the digital learning experience.
Apollo 14 mineral ages and the thermal history of the Fra Mauro formation.

The thermal inertia of the Fra Mauro formation limits its rate of cooling. The calculations of Jaeger (1961) for the cooling of an extrusive sheet are used to estimate the time required for a central temperature drop of 10%. This time is found to be about 45 years. For a 90% temperature drop, the time is about 200 years. Analytical methods used in the investigations are discussed together with the diffusion of Rb and Sr within lunar basalt. Isochron diagrams for various minerals are presented.
Cardiovascular variability, sociodemographics, and biomarkers of disease: the MIDUS study

Introduction: Like heart rate, blood pressure (BP) is not steady but varies over intervals as long as months to as short as consecutive cardiac cycles. This blood pressure variability (BPV) consists of regularly occurring oscillations as well as less well-organized changes and typically is computed as the standard deviation of multiple clinic visit-to-visit (VVV-BP) measures or from 24-h ambulatory BP recordings (ABPV). BP also varies on a beat-to-beat basis, quantified by methods that parse variation into discrete bins, e.g., low frequency (0.04–0.15 Hz, LF). However, beat-to-beat BPV requires continuous recordings that are not easily acquired. As a result, we know little about the relationship between LF-BPV and basic sociodemographic characteristics such as age, sex, and race and clinical conditions. Methods: We computed LF-BPV during an 11-min resting period in 2,118 participants in the Midlife in the US (MIDUS) study. Results: LF-BPV was negatively associated with age, greater in men than women, and unrelated to race or socioeconomic status. It was greater in participants with hypertension but unrelated to hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes, elevated CRP, or obesity. LF-diastolic BPV (DBPV), but not-systolic BPV (SBPV), was negatively correlated with IL-6 and s-ICAM and positively correlated with urinary epinephrine and cortisol. Finally, LF-DBPV was negatively associated with mortality, an effect was rendered nonsignificant by adjustment by age but not other sociodemographic characteristics. Discussion: These findings, the first from a large, national sample, suggest that LF-BPV differs significantly from VVV-BP and ABPV. Confirming its relationship to sociodemographic risk factors and clinical outcomes requires further study with large and representative samples.
Applications of the R-Matrix Method in Integrable Systems

Based on work related to the R-matrix theory, we first abstract the Lax pairs proposed by Blaszak and Sergyeyev into a unified form. Then, a generalized zero-curvature equation expressed by the Poisson bracket is exhibited. As an application of this theory, a generalized (2+1)-dimensional integrable system is obtained, from which a resulting generalized Davey–Stewartson (DS) equation and a generalized Pavlov equation (gPe) are further obtained. Via the use of a nonisospectral zero-curvature-type equation, some (3+1) -dimensional integrable systems are produced. Next, we investigate the recursion operator of the gPe using an approach under the framework of the R-matrix theory. Furthermore, a type of solution for the resulting linearized equation of the gPe is produced by using its conserved densities. In addition, by applying a nonisospectral Lax pair, a (3+1)-dimensional integrable system is generated and reduced to a Boussinesq-type equation in which the recursion operators and the linearization are produced by using a Lie symmetry analysis; the resulting invertible mappings are presented as well. Finally, a Bäcklund transformation of the Boussinesq-type equation is constructed, which can be used to generate some exact solutions.
Comparison of the Level of Vitamin D in Preterm Infected and Uninfected Infants

Introduction: Despite the substantial progress in intensive cares, sepsis is still an important cause of neonatal mortality. Given the role of vitamin D in infection control; therfore, this study was conducted to compare vitamin D level in infected and uninfected preterm infants. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 87 preterm infants(45 infected infants and 42 uninfected infants) hospitalized in Mashhad Ghaem Hospital,Iran, during 2015-2017. The subjects were selected by using convenience sampling. The infected infants (n=45) included babies with clinical and laboratory findings compatible with infection and/or positive blood or cerebrospinal fluid cultures. The serum levels vitamin D were measured in all infants. A researcher-made questionnaire containing demographic, clinical and laboratory features of infants was used. In addition, independent t-test and chi-square test were applied. SPSS was used to perform the statistical data analysis. Results: 83% of infants had Vitamin D deficiency 34.5%, 26.4%, and 21.8% of whom exhibited severe (less than 10ngml), moderate (10.1-20ngml), mild deficiency (20.1-30ngml), respectively. The mean vitamin D level of infants was 23.319. 40ng/ml in the control group and 11.028. 64ng/ml in the case group (P=0.000). In the case group, the mean vitamin D was 8.145. 53ngml in early sepsis and 12.629. 75ngml in late-onset sepsis (P=0.121). 95% of infected infants and 71% of uninfected infants had vitamin D less than 30ngml (P=0.003). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is very common in preterm infants. Serum vitamin D levels in infants with sepsis were lower than those in uninfected infants. Therefore, the correction of Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to better control of neonatal infection.
Dealing with water scarcity in the next century

Reform of water policy is urgently needed to avert severe national, regional, and local water scarcities that will depress agricultural production and worsen water-related health problems. Water is abundant globally but scarce locally. Countries are considered water scarce when annual internal renewable water resources are less than 1,000 cubic meters per capita per year. Below this threshold, water availability is considered a severe constraint on socioeconomic development and environmental quality. Currently, some 30 countries are considered water stressed, of which 20 are absolutely water scarce. By 2020, the number of water scarce countries will likely approach 35. Equally worrisome, virtually all developing countries, even those with adequate water in the aggregate, suffer from debilitating seasonal and regional shortages that urgently need to be addressed. Cooperation between countries sharing the same water basin will become increasingly important as water becomes scarcer. Reconciliation is cheaper than armed conflict. A key to defusing potential international conflicts over water is national water policy reform to ensure the most efficient use of available water supplies. Countries must therefore begin the painful process of reforming national water policies and treating water as a scarce resource.
Large Scale 3D Mapping of Indoor Environments Using a Handheld RGBD Camera

The goal of this research is to investigate the problem of reconstructing a 3D representation of an environment, of arbitrary size, using a handheld color and depth (RGBD) sensor. The focus of this dissertation is to examine four of the underlying subproblems to this system: camera tracking, loop closure, data storage, and integration. First, a system for 3D reconstruction of large indoor planar environments with data captured from an RGBD sensor mounted on a mobile robotic platform is presented. An algorithm for constructing nearly drift-free 3D occupancy grids of large indoor environments in an online manner is also presented. This approach combines data from an odometry sensor with output from a visual registration algorithm, and it enforces a Manhattan world constraint by utilizing factor graphs to produce an accurate online estimate of the trajectory of the mobile robotic platform. Through several experiments in environments with varying sizes and construction it is shown that this method reduces rotational and translational drift significantly without performing any loop closing techniques. In addition the advantages and limitations of an octree data structure representation of a 3D environment is examined. Second, the problem of sensor tracking, specifically the use of the KinectFusion algorithm to align two subsequent point clouds generated by an RGBD sensor, is studied. A method to overcome a significant limitation of the Iterative Closest
MGAlign, a Reduced Search Space Approach to the Alignment of mRNA Sequences to Genomic Sequences

Alternative splicing is a cellular process that accounts for protein diversity in higher eukaryotes. As much as 60% of the human genome (Kan et al., 2001) and 41% of the mouse genome (FANTOM Consortium, 2002) are alternatively spliced. Methods currently available specifically for aligning mRNA sequences to their cognate genomic sequence has include sim4 (Florea et al., 1998) and Spidey (Wheelan et al., 2001).
DIM: long-tailed object detection and instance segmentation via dynamic instance memory

Object detection and instance segmentation have been successful on benchmarks with relatively balanced category distribution (e.g. MSCOCO). However, state-of-the-art object detection and segmentation methods still struggle to generalize on long-tailed datasets (e.g. LVIS), where a few classes (head classes) dominate the instance samples, while most classes (tailed classes) have only a few samples. To address this challenge, we propose a plug-and-play module within the Mask R-CNN framework called dynamic instance memory (DIM). Specifically, we augment Mask R-CNN with an auxiliary branch for training. It maintains a dynamic memory bank storing an instance-level prototype representation for each category, and shares the classifier with the existing instance branch. With a simple metric loss, the representations in DIM can be dynamically updated by the instance proposals in the mini-batch during training. Our DIM introduces a bias toward tailed classes to the classifier learning along with a class frequency reversed sampler, which learns generalizable representations from the original data distribution, complementing the existing instance branch. Comprehensive experiments on LVIS demonstrate the effectiveness of DIM, as well as the significant advantages of DIM over the baseline Mask R-CNN.
Stage migration: results of lymph node dissection in the era of modern imaging and invasive staging for lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES Lung cancer staging has improved in recent years. Assuming that contemporary detailed preoperative staging may yield a lower rate of stage change after surgery, we were interested to determine the impact of our lymph node dissections performed at the time of surgical resection. METHODS We retrospectively analysed a database in our surgical unit that prospectively captured information on all patients assessed and treated for lung cancer. We reviewed the data on patients who underwent lung cancer surgery with curative intent between January 2006 and August 2010 so as to reflect contemporary practice. Prior to potentially curative treatment, patients systematically underwent staging computerized tomography (CT), integrated positron emission tomography (PET) with CT and brain imaging. Enlarged and/or PET-positive nodes were subject to invasive evaluation to establish the nodal status in line with the current guidelines. This was performed by needle aspiration or biopsy usually with ultrasound guidance, endobronchial or endo-oesophageal ultrasound with needle biopsy; mediastinoscopy; mediastinotomy; video-assisted or open surgery. RESULTS Three hundred and twelve lung cancer resections were performed (a mean age of 68 years [range 42-86] and a male-to-female ratio of 1.14:1). Despite thorough preoperative evaluations, 25.3% of patients had a change in nodal status after lung resection and lymph node dissection; of which 20.8% of patients had a nodal status upstaging. Occult N2 disease was identified in 31 (9.9%) of 312 patients. Patients with cT1 tumours showed a nodal upstaging of 12.3% compared with 25.3% in cT2 tumours. There was no difference in the rate of N2 disease for different tumour histological types. CONCLUSIONS Despite systematic preoperative staging, there continues to be a high rate of nodal status change following surgical resection and lymph node dissection. If considering non-surgical treatments for the early stage lung cancer, the impact of this discrepancy should be considered. If not, errors in prognosis and in determining correct adjuvant treatment may arise.
What non-pharmacological and non-invasive pain management interventions are available for individuals from Turkish-speaking ethnic groups with non-malignant chronic pain? A scoping review of published literature

Objectives A scoping review was selected to explore what non-pharmacological and non-invasive pain management interventions are available for individuals from Turkish-speaking ethnic groups with chronic pain and what represents the most appropriate intervention. Inclusion Criteria Adults with non-malignant chronic pain from Turkish-speaking ethnic groups residing in or outside of Turkey. All non-pharmacological and non-invasive pain management interventions were considered. No limits were placed on geographic location, gender, sex or healthcare setting. Methods The MEDLINE database was searched for published literature in April 2022. An English language filter was applied. No limits were placed on study design or date of publication. Data was charted from eligible studies into a data extraction table. Key concepts were identified during data extraction by DN. Results Eleven studies were included in the final review. All were conducted within a quantitative research paradigm. The studies were completed in Turkey (7), Belgium (1), Sweden (1) and Switzerland (1). One was a multi-country review. No studies were conducted in the UK. The primary interventions were heterogenous and included: pain science education (2), cognitive behavioural therapy (2), transcranial magnetic stimulation (1), balneotherapy (1), extracorporeal shockwave therapy (1), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (1), wool therapy (1), exercise and patient dialogues (1) and aromatherapy massage and reflexology (1). Location of pain, outcome measures and timings of follow-ups were heterogeneous. Conclusions Intervention heterogeneity, exclusively quantitative methodology and absence of studies completed in the UK meant no conclusions could be made on what represents the most appropriate non-pharmacological and non-invasive interventions intervention for individuals from Turkish speaking ethnic groups with non-malignant chronic pain.
Using airborne thermal imaging data to measure near‐surface hydrology in upland ecosystems

Upland ecosystems are recognized for their importance in providing valuable ecosystem services including water storage, water supply and flood attenuation alongside carbon storage and biodiversity. The UK contains 10–15% of the global resource of upland blanket peatlands, the hydrology and ecology of which are highly sensitive to external anthropogenic and climatic forcing. In particular, drainage of these landscapes for agricultural intensification and peat extraction has resulted in often unquantified damage to the peatland hydrology, and little is understood about the spatially distributed impacts of these practices on near‐surface wetness. This paper develops new techniques to extract spatial data describing the near‐surface wetness and hydrological behaviour of drained blanket peatlands using airborne thermal imaging data and airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. The relative thermal emissivity (Ɛr) of the ground surface is mapped and used as a proxy for near‐surface wetness. The results show how moorland drainage and land surface structure have an impact on airborne measurements of thermal emissivity. Specifically, we show that information on land surface structure derived from LiDAR can help normalize signals in thermal emissivity data to improve description of hydrological condition across a test catchment in Exmoor, UK. An in situ field hydrological survey was used to validate these findings. We discuss how such data could be used to describe the spatially distributed nature of near‐surface water resources, to optimize catchment management schemes and to deliver improved understanding of the drivers of hydrological change in analogous ecosystems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical guidelines for the management of low back pain in primary care. An international comparison. Point of view

Study Design, Descriptive study. Objectives. To compare national clinical guidelines on low back pain. Summary of Background Data. To rationalize the management of low back pain, clinical guidelines have been issued in various countries around the world. Given that the available scientific evidence is the same, irrespective of the country, one would expect these guidelines to include more or less similar recommendations regarding diagnosis and treatment. Methods. Guidelines were included that met the following criteria: the targel group consisted of primary care health professionals, and the guideline was published in English, German, or Dutch, Only one guideline per country was included: the one most recantly published. Results. Clinical guidelines from 11 different countries published from 1994 until 2000 ware included in this review. The content of the guidelinea appeared to be quite similar regarding the diagnostic classification (diagnostic triage) and the use of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Consistent features were the early and gradual activation of patients, the discouragement of prescribed bed rest, and the recognition of psychosocial factors as risk factors for chronicity. However, there were discrepancies for recommendations regarding exercise therapy, spinal manipulation, muscle relaxants, and patient information. Conclusion. The comparison of clinical guidelines for the management of low back pain showed that diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations were generally similar. Updates of the guidelines are planned in most countries, although so far produced only in the United Kingdom. However, new evidence may lead to stronger conclusions and enable future guidelines to become even more concordant.
Linear Variable Differential Transformer in Harsh Environments—Analysis of Temperature Drifts for Different Plunger Materials

Linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs) are precise linear position sensors capable of measuring position over a wide range. The selection of the plunger material, whether magnetic or nonmagnetic, becomes relevant in environments characterized by high temperatures and temperature variations. Especially for sensors with larger measurement ranges, the sensitivity with respect to temperature increases. In this letter, we present an LVDT design for large displacements which offers a significantly reduced sensitivity with respect to the temperature. Our design uses a plunger made from solid copper. The proposed sensor design has improved linearity and lower temperature drift with respect to existing designs, e.g., sensors with ferrite based plungers. From simulations and experiments we demonstrate a temperature stability of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula><inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$28.5$</tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$25.5 \,\mu \mathrm{m}\mathrm{/}\mathrm{K}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, which is comparable to other LVDT designs, which use further temperature compensation techniques. We further study the benefit of our design even for nonuniform heat distributions.
Phenotypic and genomic characterization of Bathyarchaeum tardum gen. nov., sp. nov., a cultivated representative of the archaeal class Bathyarchaeia

Bathyarchaeia are widespread in various anoxic ecosystems and are considered one of the most abundant microbial groups on the earth. There are only a few reports of laboratory cultivation of Bathyarchaeia, and none of the representatives of this class has been isolated in pure culture. Here, we report a sustainable cultivation of the Bathyarchaeia archaeon (strain M17CTs) enriched from anaerobic sediment of a coastal lake. The cells of strain M17CTs were small non-motile cocci, 0.4–0.7 μm in diameter. The cytoplasmic membrane was surrounded by an S-layer and covered with an outermost electron-dense sheath. Strain M17CTs is strictly anaerobic mesophile. It grows at 10–45°C (optimum 37°C), at pH 6.0–10.0 (optimum 8.0), and at NaCl concentrations of 0–60 g l−1 (optimum 20 g l−1). Growth occurred in the presence of methoxylated aromatic compounds (3,4-dimethoxybenzoate and vanillate) together with complex proteinaceous substrates. Dimethyl sulfoxide and nitrate stimulated growth. The phylogenomic analysis placed strain M17CTs to BIN-L-1 genus-level lineage from the BA1 family-level lineage and B26-1 order-level lineage (former subgroup-8) within the class Bathyarchaeia. The complete genome of strain M17CTs had a size of 2.15 Mb with a DNA G + C content of 38.1%. Based on phylogenomic position and phenotypic and genomic properties, we propose to assign strain M17CTs to a new species of a novel genus Bathyarchaeum tardum gen. nov., sp. nov. within the class Bathyarchaeia. This is the first sustainably cultivated representative of Bathyarchaeia. We propose under SeqCode the complete genome sequence of strain M17CTs (CP122380) as a nomenclatural type of Bathyarchaeum tardum, which should be considered as a type for the genus Bathyarchaeum, which is proposed as a type for the family Bathyarchaeaceae, order Bathyarchaeales, and of the class Bathyarchaeia.