Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Traditional Process of Dates, COVID-19 Pandemic Observation, and Challenges in Sindh

This study brings to the front the reports on the importance of dates, its local processing, and associated all the challenges in the Thari Mirwah sub-district, Khairpur. A survey was planned to collect data based upon the interviews of local farmers. A questionnaire was structured with a total of 20 respondents (each of 4 per village). The demographic results show that the major proportions of the population under study were male (100 %). A 50 % of them were of an age ranging between 30-50 years. Almost, all the respondents were married, with a literacy rate of 20 %. The analysis showed that the dwellers make use of date fruit at variable stages of maturity and prepare different traditional dishes from the flesh of the fruit. Also, they responded that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were observable losses that occurred without any proper attention and influence on a timely harvest and supply chain of date fruit. It is concluded that a strong ethnobotanical relation exists between fruit trees and local dwellers of studied Taluka. Limited studies were conducted about the importance and challenges of date fruit in this area. It is recommended that the consumption of natural fruit with enormous antioxidants may help to trigger effective control over challenging issues of food insecurity or malnutrition, being an indigenous food source for the local population of the studied region.
Webinars for English Language Teachers During the Pandemic: Global Perspectives on Transitioning to Remote Online Teaching

The current pandemic closed schools worldwide, tasking teachers to engage learners remotely without time to prepare. This study focuses on a professional development webinar series for English language teachers worldwide. Access to geographically dispersed English language teachers created an opportunity to gain international perspectives on teachers’ challenges, perceptions, and needs related to transitioning to remote, online teaching. We found webinars were an effective way to provide just-in-time professional development for teachers globally, particularly about engaging students, providing feedback, developing online presence, and creating activities specific for online learning environments. The main challenges teachers reported facing were keeping their students engaged and progressing in the learning activities; unequal student access to technology and the internet; and learning and troubleshooting technology. At the same time, learning new technology and online resources was also what teachers most frequently reported enjoying about remote teaching.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Academic Stress and Perceived Classroom Climate in Spanish University Students

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several changes in society, especially in the educational context, where several learning methodologies and social interactions have been modified significantly. This fact could have had a negative impact on academic stress levels of students and the classroom climate, especially in the university context. The main aim of the present study was to identify changes in academic stress and the perceived classroom climate caused by COVID-19 in a sample of Spanish university students. Academic stress was evaluated trough the Stressor Academic Scale (SAS) and perceived classroom climate employing the Perceived Classroom Responsibility Climate (PCRC) questionnaire. A longitudinal study was conducted. 135 students (97 females and 38 males) from the Gastronomy (n = 31) and Criminology (n = 104) degrees were evaluated before and after the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain. Academic stress levels and perceived classroom climate were analyzed before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) the lockdown declaration. An increase in academic stress was found, especially in the categories regarding Teachers’ Methodological Deficiencies, Academic Over-Burden and Beliefs About Performances. Females and final year students suffered higher levels of academic stress. No differences were found between Time 1 and 2 in perceived classroom climate. The obtained results point out a significant increase of academic stress in university students due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. The implemented educational changes and the uncertainty that resulted from the pandemic could have a significant negative impact on mental health in this population, resulting in higher levels of academic stress, especially in females and final year students. Future studies should analyze the strategies that students are employing to cope with these educational challenges and intervention strategies to promote them in the context of higher education.
Comparative analysis of the performance of the GOFS, PSY4 and AMSEAS ocean model frameworks in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico coastal ocean

ABSTRACT This work compares the performance of three ocean model frameworks that currently produce outputs of the ocean properties specific to the US Caribbean ocean; the Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS), US Navy Coastal Ocean Model for the American Seas (AMSEAS) and the Daily Global Physical Bulletin (PSY4). Separate comparisons are done for the ocean properties in the open ocean and nearshore regions. For the open ocean, the model outputs are compared with the AVISO satellite altimetry data for the sea-surface height anomaly (SSHA), the OSCAR data for surface current velocities and the G1SST satellite data for sea-surface temperature (SST). For the nearshore analysis, the model outputs are compared with in-situ buoy measurements and HOBO logger data in the nearshore regions. Our analysis shows that the PSY4 produces the most realistic outputs of SSHA and surface current velocities in the open ocean, whereas all the models produce a strong correlation in terms of the seasonal variability of the surface temperature when compared to the G1SST data. The AMSEAS model, despite being a fine resolution regional model, underperforms in terms of the surface current velocity outputs in the open ocean due to the influence of the simulated submesoscale turbulence on the mesoscale variability. In the nearshore regions, none of the models produce agreeable outputs on the SSHA and current velocities. These findings provide useful insight on the applicability of the model outputs for various operations that require oceanographic data specific to the US Caribbean ocean.
Dose to pelvic lymph nodes in locally advanced cervical cancer during high-dose-rate brachytherapy with tandem-ring applicators

Purpose The present study aimed to assess the correlation between dose to pelvic lymph nodes and to point B with tandem-ring (TR) applicators for intra-cavitary brachytherapy treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. Material and methods Cervical cancer patients treated at brachytherapy department of Lucien Neuwirth Cancer Center, from 2015 to 2018, were included. Target delineation was performed in compliance with GEC-ESTRO guidelines. Revised American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) point A was determined (ARN (right) and ALN (left)) as well as Manchester point B. Prescription dose was 25-35 Gy in 5 fractions. Pelvic lymph nodes were delineated, then dose to points A and B, and dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters of delineated lymph nodes were extracted. Significant relationships or correlations between lymph nodes reference points, dosage to points B, and their DVH parameters were investigated. Results The mean dose and mean percentage of the prescription dose to the left and right points B were 4.6 ±0.18 Gy and 82.08 ±0.72%, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficient R = 0.81 (p-value = 0.00) between dose to ARN and ALN points and prescription dose was obtained. Negative correlation between CTVHR volume and difference between French and ABS prescription points was found. Conclusions Dose to point B can be a moderate surrogate for maximum, minimum, and median dose to the internal iliac and presacral lymph node, but cannot be for maximum dose to the obturator lymph node. Points B cannot be a reliable substitute for common and external iliac chains.
Lipschitz upper semicontinuity in linear optimization via local directional convexity

This work is focussed on computing the Lipschitz upper semicontinuity modulus of the argmin mapping for canonically perturbed linear programs. The immediate antecedent can be traced out from Camacho J et al. [2022. From calmness to Hoffman constants for linear semi-infinite inequality systems. Available from: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2107.10000v2. pdf], devoted to the feasible set mapping. The aimed modulus is expressed in terms of a finite amount of calmness moduli, previously studied in the literature. Despite the parallelism in the results, the methodology followed in the current paper differs notably from Camacho J et al. [2022] as far as the graph of the argmin mapping is not convex; specifically, a new technique based on a certain type of local directional convexity is developed.
PENGARUH KEPUASAN KERJA DAN JOB INSECURITY TERHADAP TURNOVER INTENTION KARYAWAN OUTSOURCING PT X

Abstract This study aimed to determine the effect of job satisfaction and job insecurity on the turnover intention of PT. X’s outsourcing employees. This research hypothesis is that job satisfaction and job insecurity affect the turnover intention of outsourcing employees of PT X. The subjects of this study are 54 PT. X’s outsourcing employees. The data collection method used in this study is a questionnaire consisting of 3 scales, namely job satisfaction scale, job insecurity scale and turnover intention scale. The job satisfaction scale consists of 16 items constructed by the researcher based on the job satisfaction aspect proposed by Luthans et al. (2021), the job insecurity scale consists of 10 items constructed by the researcher based on the job insecurity aspect proposed by Rowntree (2005), and the turnover intention scale consists of 10 items constructed by the researcher based on the turnover intention aspect proposed by Mobley (2011). The result of the analysis of research data for hypothesis testing using multiple linear regression is that there is a simultaneous and significant effect of job satisfaction and job insecurity on the turnover intention of PT. X’s outsourcing employees of 56.2% with a significance value of (p) <0.05. Keywords: job satisfaction; job insecurity; turnover intention; outsourcing employee Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh kepuasan kerja dan job insecurity terhadap turnover intention karyawan outsourcing PT X. Hipotesis penelitian ini adalah terdapat pengaruh kepuasan kerja dan job insecurity terhadap turnover intention karyawan outsourcing PT X. Subjek penelitian ini adalah 54 karyawan outsourcing PT X. Metode pengambilan data pada penelitian ini menggunakan kuesioner yang terdiri dari 3 skala, yakni skala kepuasan kerja, skala job insecurity dan skala turnover intention. Skala kepuasan kerja terdiri dari 16 butir aitem yang dikonstruksikan oleh peneliti berdasarkan aspek kepuasan kerja yang dikemukakan oleh Luthans et al., (2021), skala job insecurity terdiri dari 10 butir aitem yang dikonstruksikan oleh peneliti berdasarkan aspek job insecurity yang dikemukakan oleh Rowntree (2005), dan skala turnover intention terdiri dari 10 butir aitem yang dikonstruksikan oleh peneliti berdasarkan aspek turnover intention yang dikemukakan oleh Mobley (2011). Analisis data penelitian untuk pengujian hipotesis menggunakan regresi linier berganda, hasilnya terdapat pengaruh simultan dan signifikan kepuasan kerja dan job insecurity terhadap turnover intention karyawan outsourcing PT X sebesar 56,2% dengan nilai signifikansi (p) < 0,05. Kata kunci: kepuasan kerja; job insecurity; turnover intention; karyawan outsourcing
Diaphragmatic Activity and Respiratory Function Following C3 or C6 Unilateral Spinal Cord Contusion in Mice

Simple Summary Tetraplegia is one of the most devastating conditions that an individual can sustain and affects more than 2.5 million people worldwide. Tetraplegia not only affects mobility but also impacts spontaneous breathing such that survivors can be rendered ventilator dependent and have increased mortality. Although no treatment can restore respiratory function after tetraplegia, there is a need for more exploratory studies defining therapeutic approaches to ameliorate respiratory decline in tetraplegia. Here, we studied two models of tetraplegia mimicking human forms of injury, using spinal cord contusion in mice, either above the third cervical metameric segment (C3 model) or below the sixth cervical metameric segment (C6 model) innervation of the phrenic nerves. These nerves are responsible for contraction of the diaphragm, the main inspiratory muscle. Using measurements of spontaneous breathing and muscle activity of the diaphragm, we found reduced diaphragmatic activity in both models, but only the C3 model led to reduced spontaneous breathing similar to what is seen in humans with tetraplegia. Moreover, we found a decline in basal contractility of the diaphragm in the C3 model only. We conclude that the C3 model is an appropriate model to explore interventions aimed at restoring breathing following tetraplegia. Abstract The majority of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are cervical (cSCI), leading to a marked reduction in respiratory capacity. We aimed to investigate the effect of hemicontusion models of cSCI on both diaphragm activity and respiratory function to serve as preclinical models of cervical SCI. Since phrenic motoneuron pools are located at the C3–C5 spinal level, we investigated two models of preclinical cSCI mimicking human forms of injury, namely, one above (C3 hemicontusion—C3HC) and one below phrenic motoneuron pools (C6HC) in wild-type swiss OF-1 mice, and we compared their effects on respiratory function using whole-body plethysmography and on diaphragm activity using electromyography (EMG). At 7 days post-surgery, both C3HC and C6HC damaged spinal cord integrity above the lesion level, suggesting that C6HC potentially alters C5 motoneurons. Although both models led to decreased diaphragmatic EMG activity in the injured hemidiaphragm compared to the intact one (−46% and −26% in C3HC and C6HC, respectively, both p = 0.02), only C3HC led to a significant reduction in tidal volume and minute ventilation compared to sham surgery (−25% and −20% vs. baseline). Moreover, changes in EMG amplitude between respiratory bursts were observed post-C3HC, reflecting a change in phrenic motoneuronal excitability. Hence, C3HC and C6HC models induced alteration in respiratory function proportionally to injury level, and the C3HC model is a more appropriate model for interventional studies aiming to restore respiratory function in cSCI.
A Cross-Country Comparison of Old-Age Financial Readiness in Asian Countries versus the United States: The Case of Japan and the Republic of Korea

We pursue a cross-country comparison of relative financial readiness of older households in Japan and the Republic of Korea relative to the United States. Our comparative analysis, using macro-level and harmonized longitudinal household financial data, covers the principal financial channels of old-age support: public and private pension plans, family support, and self-management of private financial portfolios. We find that while all three countries have similar public pension systems, older Americans benefit from more developed and better-funded public and private pension systems, as well as individual management of risky financial portfolios. We find that educational and health attainments of household heads and household wealth lead to a greater tendency to hold and manage risky assets. Our decomposition analysis also shows that the gap in stock ownership in Asian countries relative to the United States can be attributed to lower levels of development in financial and pension markets. However, these gaps have been shrinking more recently.
Biosensing using Functionally Graded Piezoelectric MEMS Resonators

Nonlinear dynamics of a two-side electro-statically actuated capacitive micro-beam is studied. The piezoelectric actuation leads to the generation of an axial force along the length of the micro-beam and this is used as a tuning tool to shift the primary resonance of the micro-resonator. The governing equation of motion is derived by minimization of the Hamiltonian and generalized to the viscously damped systems. The periodic solutions in the vicinity of the primary resonance are detected and their stability is investigated. The basins of attraction conforming to three individual periodic orbits are determined. The outcomes show that the higher the amplitude of the periodic orbit, the smaller is the area of the attractor.
Design of 77 GHz half‐shorted horn antenna with metamaterial lens

In this article, we present new two‐layer and light‐weighted grid wire metamaterial lens implemented on the aperture of conical horn antenna to manufacture a small‐sized and high‐performance antenna applied in 77 GHz radar system. It could shorten half‐length of horn antenna without deteriorating its gain, broadband, and matching performance. The metamaterial lens is made by thin copper sheet whose thickness is only 0.1 mm. The measured results show that the metamaterial lens enhances the gain about 3.4 dB (@77 GHz) than short ordinary antenna with the same physical dimension, which equals to double its length. The high‐performance and small‐sized bulk make it suitable for 77 GHz radar system.
Adaptation to Urban Heat Islands Enhances Thermal Performance Following Development under Chronic Thermal Stress but Not Benign Conditions in the Terrestrial Isopod Oniscus asellus

The effects of chronic thermal stress during development on thermal performance traits are not well characterized under urban heat islands, despite these conditions being biologically relevant for how organisms experience the urban environment and the often strong linkages between thermal performance traits and fitness. Here we use the terrestrial isopod Oniscus asellus to examine the effects of chronic thermal stress during development on voluntary running speed of urban and rural isopods. We used a laboratory common-garden experiment design with two developmental acclimation temperature treatments (21°C, a benign treatment, and 29°C, a stressful treatment) and three test temperatures (19°C, 31°C, 40°C); we tested running speed of individuals from urban and rural populations under each of the temperature combinations. We found that for both urban and rural isopods, running speed across three test temperatures was reduced under developmental acclimation conditions of 29°C compared with 21°C. Importantly, however, urban isopods had a running speed advantage over the rural isopods under the 29°C developmental acclimation conditions at the lower two test temperatures. No population differences were detected under benign developmental acclimation conditions of 21°C. The evolution of higher heat tolerance in urban isopods further supported the interpretation of adaptation to heat stress. Convergence of urban and rural isopod running speed at the highest test temperature, however, suggests potential limits or constraints on adaptation. Our results indicate that thermal adaptation to urban heat islands can mitigate negative effects of chronic developmental thermal stress, even when overall performance is reduced compared with benign conditions.
Optical response of dielectric&metal-core/metal-shell nanoparticles: Near electromagnetic field and resonance frequencies

We study the diffraction of a monochromatic electromagnetic plane wave by a dielectric&metal-core/metal-shell nanoparticle surrounded by a dielectric medium. This problem was solved by using generalized Mie’s theory and both the scattering cross section and the square module of the electric field were calculated as a function of shell thickness. Numerically, the first particles studied were gold-core/silver-shell nanoparticles and their inverse configuration. The gold-core/silver-shell particle presented more variation of their optical properties. The second particles were vacuum-core/metal-shell surrounded by vacuum, symmetric configurations. In this case, the dispersive Drude dielectric function for the metal was used, and a comparative study between the positions of the resonance frequencies obtained from quasi-static limit and electrodynamic theory was performed. Thus, consequently the formula obtained from the quasi-static limit can be used to calculate the positions of the resonance frequencies instead of the electrodynamic theory, when the external radius is smaller than 20 nm.
Effects of Locations of Spur Dyke on Bed and Scour around Bridge Piers in Meandering Channel

Spur dykes are the structures which are used to protect the eroding bank of rivers. They are sometimes also used to safeguard the life of many structures such as bridge piers, abutments etc. The efficiency of spur dykes has been checked in straight channels by conducting model tests in laboratories by many investigators. Very few studies were done in curved channels. In present work an attempt has been made to study the effect of location of spur dyke on bed and scour around bridge pier in curved open channel (bend angle = 80o ) with time. Experiment has been carried out in 80o channel bend at constant discharge (3.5×10–3 m3 /s) and bridge pier is located at angular displacement ϴ = 60o . Here ϴ is the angle the line drawn at the inlet of any bend to the line joining the centre of curvature and any point on the outer portion of the bend. It is found that maximum scouring occurs at ϴ = 0o and 20o along inner wall and at ϴ = 60o and 80o along outer wall. It is also found that scouring around bridge pier is more in the vicinity of pier and decreases with increase in distance from pier. The most suitable location for spur dyke to protect bridge pier is at angular displacement ϴ = 20o . Scour developed rapidly during initial time and then rate of scouring decreases with elapse of time.
Efecto de la adición de nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) a la dieta de cerdas lactantes sobre la producción y calidad de la leche

It was evaluated the effect of adding prickly pears ( Opuntia ficus-indica ) to lactating sow’s diet on production and quality of milk. Twenty-two hybrid sows (Yorkshire x Landrace x Pietrain) close to farrowing were randomly selected and distributed in two groups (n=11): Control Group (GT) with a balanced concentrated ad libitum diet and Experimental Group (GE) with a 1% of prickly pear day -1 sow -1 (according to pre-farrowing sow’s live weight) plus ad libitum balanced concentrated per 21 days of lactation. The variables evaluated were milk production on 6, 10 and 15d postpartum, as well as lactose, protein and fat percentages on 3, 11 and 17 d of lactation. The data were analized using repited measures and the differences between groups were analized by least squares means. It was not observed differences among groups in milk production (P=0.4904), the milk production peak was observed at day 15 of lactation with 9.1 and 8.7kg for GE and GT, respectively. It was not observed effects of group on milk physical-chemical components: lactose (6.6±0.57), protein (4.5±0.40) and fat (7.9±1.6) (P>0.05). Adding prickly pears to lactating sows did not modify sow’s milk production and physical-chemical components din (protein, lactose and fat) which ensure the appropriated piglet development from birth to weaning (21days).