Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perception of men's need for preconception care—A qualitative exploration among health care providers and community members

Background Several studies have shown that suboptimal health in men can result in poor reproductive health outcomes. The factors associated include lifestyle exposures and poor health-seeking behavior. The poor reproductive health outcomes can be mitigated through preconception care (PCC). PCC services for men are however rare. This qualitative study explored views about men's need for PCC in Nigeria. Methods This exploratory qualitative study was done in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. Focus group discussions were held with 12 religious leaders, 22 men and 23 women of reproductive age at the community level. There were key informant interviews with two community leaders and 26 health workers including specialist physicians and nurses at the primary, secondary, and tertiary health care levels. Transcribed data were analyzed thematically using inductive coding on MAXQDA. Results The reasons participants proffered for men's health requiring attention included men's genetic contribution to pregnancy, treatment of low sperm count, and preventing transmission of infection to their partners. Participants stated however that men are often reluctant about accessing health services until complications arise. Opinions differed on men's need for PCC: while some believed that men need PCC, others expressed contrary views stating that men do not require PCC as the service is more appropriate for women. Conclusion Successful deployment and uptake of PCC services require the availability of the services and improved awareness about the need to optimize men's health along with that of their partners.
Ensemble-Based Error and Predictability Metrics Associated with Tropical Cyclogenesis. Part I: Basinwide Perspective

AbstractSeveral metrics are employed to evaluate predictive skill and attempt to quantify predictability using the ECMWF Ensemble Prediction System during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, with an emphasis on large-scale variables relevant to tropical cyclogenesis. These metrics include the following: 1) growth and saturation of error, 2) errors versus climatology, 3) predicted forecast error standard deviation, and 4) predictive power. Overall, variables that are more directly related to large-scale, slowly varying phenomena are found to be much more predictable than variables that are inherently related to small-scale convective processes, regardless of the metric. For example, 850–200-hPa wind shear and 200-hPa velocity potential are found to be predictable beyond one week, while 200-hPa divergence and 850-hPa relative vorticity are only predictable to about one day. Similarly, area-averaged quantities such as circulation are much more predictable than nonaveraged quantities such as vorticity. Signif.
Shoaling solitary internal waves: on a criterion for the formation of waves with trapped cores

Shoaling solitary internal waves are ubiquitous features in the coastal regions of the world's oceans where waves with a core of recirculating fluid (trapped cores) can provide an effective transport mechanism. Here, numerical evidence is presented which suggests that there is a close connection between the limiting behaviour of large-amplitude solitary waves and the formation of such waves via shoaling. For some background states, large-amplitude waves are broad, having a nearly horizontal flow in their centre. The flow in the centre of such waves is called a conjugate flow. For other background states, large-amplitude waves can reach the breaking limit, at which the maximum current in the wave is equal to the wave's propagation speed. The presence of a background current with near-surface vorticity of the same sign as that induced by the wave can change the limiting behaviour from the conjugate-flow limit to the breaking limit. Numerical evidence is presented here which suggests that if large solitary waves cannot reach the breaking limit in the shallow water, that is if the background flow has a conjugate flow, then waves with trapped cores will not be formed via shoaling. It is also shown that, due to a change in the limiting behaviour of large waves, an appropriate background current can enable the formation of waves with trapped cores in stratifications for which such waves are not formed in the absence of a background current.
A systematic review of studies on connected speech processing: Trends, key findings, and implications

Connected speech processing (CSP) is of great significance to individuals’ language and cognitive development. It is particularly crucial not only for clinical detection and treatment of developmental disorders, but also for the Foreign/second language teaching instructions. However, given the importance of this field, there is a clear lack of systematic reviews that summarize the key findings of previous studies. To this end, through searching in the scientific databases PsycInfo, Scopus, PubMed, ERIC, Taylor and Francis, and Web of Science, the present study identified 128 core CSP articles with high reference values according to PRISMA guidance and the following results were obtained through quantitative analysis and qualitative comparative synthesis: (1) The number of studies on CSP published per year showed an upward trend; however, most focused on English language, whereas the studies on other languages were comparatively rare; (2) CSP was found to be affected by multiple factors, among which speech speed, semantics, word frequency, and phonological awareness were most frequently investigated; (3) the deficit in CSP capacity was widely recognized as a significant predictor and indicator of developmental disorders; (4) more studies were carried out on connected speech production than on perception; and (5) almost no longitudinal studies have ever been conducted among either native or non-native speakers. Therefore, future research is needed to explore the developmental trajectory of CSP skills of typically developing language learners and speakers with cognitive disorders over different periods of time. It is also necessary to deepen the understanding of the processing mechanism beyond their performance and the role played by phonological awareness and lexical representations in CSP.
Optimal integration of kinematic and ball-flight information when perceiving the speed of a moving ball

In order to intercept a moving target such as a baseball with high spatio-temporal accuracy, the perception of the target's movement speed is important for estimating when and where the target will arrive. However, it is unclear what sources of information are used by a batter to estimate ball speed and how those sources of information are integrated to facilitate successful interception. In this study, we examined the degree to which kinematic and ball-flight information are integrated when estimating ball speed in baseball batting. Thirteen university level baseball batters performed a ball-speed evaluation task in a virtual environment where they were required to determine which of two comparison baseball pitches (i.e., a reference and comparison stimuli) they perceived to be faster. The reference and comparison stimuli had the same physical ball speed, but with different pitching movement speeds in the comparison stimuli. The task was performed under slow (125 km/h) and fast (145 km/h) ball-speed conditions. Results revealed that the perceived ball-speed was influenced by the movement speed of the pitcher's motion, with the influence of the pitcher's motion more pronounced in the fast ball-speed condition when ball-flight information was presumably less reliable. Moreover, exploratory analyses suggested that the more skilled batters were increasingly likely to integrate the two sources of information according to their relative reliability when making judgements of ball speed. The results provide important insights into how skilled performers may make judgements of speed and time to contact, and further enhance our understanding of how the ability to make those judgements might improve when developing expertise in hitting.
Phasic alertness boosts representational momentum

The final location of a moving object is always misremembered in the direction of the object’s motion; this occurrence is called representational momentum. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of phasic alertness on representational momentum by presenting a visual or auditory warning cue. In experiment 1, the mouse pointer paradigm was used, and the results showed that external warning cues increased forward displacement. Experiment 2 indicated that the effects of phasic alertness and speed of motion on representational momentum were independent. In experiment 3, the probe paradigm was used, and the results showed that external warning cues increased forward displacement as well as participants’ sensitivity to the difference between the target and probe positions. These findings prove that phasic alertness boosts rather than reduces representational momentum. We propose that phasic alertness might influence representational momentum by modulating the process of executive control in the retention interval.
A Hahn-Ramsey scheme for dynamical decoupling of single solid-state qubits

Spin systems in solid state materials are promising qubit candidates for quantum information in particular as quantum memories or for quantum sensing. A major prerequisite here is the coherence of spin phase oscillations. In this work, we show a control sequence which, by applying RF pulses of variable detuning, allows to increase the visibility of spin phase oscillations. We experimentally demonstrate the scheme on single NV centers in diamond and analytically describe how the NV electron spin phase oscillations behave in the presence of classical noise models. We hereby introduce detuning as the enabling factor that modulates the filter function of the sequence, in order to achieve a visibility of the Ramsey fringes comparable to or longer than the Hahn-echo T 2 time and an improved sensitivity to DC magnetic fields in various experimental settings.
The treatment choices of abdominal aortic aneurysm patients in China in the era of value-based healthcare

Background Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is often seen as the first choice treatment for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), particularly high-risk patients, yet the long-term survival rate and improvement in quality of life are still unclear. In order to seek the value of EVAR to the entire healthcare field, we conducted a retrospective study to evaluate whether the improvement EVAR can truly bring to the quality of medical care in the era of value-based healthcare. Methods We included AAA patients who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Vascular Surgery, First Hospital of China Medical University, from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2019 and evaluated surgery procedure data, short-term and long-term mortality, complications, prognoses, and medical costs. Results We analyzed 507 patients with AAA who underwent open repair (n = 232) or EVAR (n = 275) over a 15-year period. The operative time, blood loss, blood transfusion rate, and postoperative length of hospital stay of the EVAR group is significantly lower than which of the open repair group. Meanwhile, neither short-term nor long-term mortality rates shows significant differences between the two groups. On the other hand, the complication rate of the EVAR group was significantly higher than that of the open repair group. Lastly, the total cost of EVAR was significantly higher than that of open repair. Conclusion Existing evidence suggests that EVAR improves neither short-term nor long-term survival rate compared with open surgery. In contrast, the complication rate and the reintervention rate in the EVAR group were higher than those in the open surgery group. Moreover, the cost of EVAR and that paid by medical insurance were higher than those for open surgery. For patients with a long-life expectancy, in order to ensure that patients receive appropriate and effective care, surgeons should choose a suitable method that considers both the quality of medical care as well as the expense accordingly.
Effect of Drought Stress on Physiological Traits, Grain Yield of Durum ( Triticum durum Desf.) and Bread Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes

We aimed to study the influence of soil water deficit on gas exchange parameters, relative water content, photosynthetic pigment contents of flag leaf, as well as on assimilation area and dry matter of leaves, stem, spike and grain yield of durum and bread wheat genotypes in the 2014-2015 growing season. Water stress caused reduction of photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, an increase of intercellular CO 2 concentration. Water stress severely affected on relative water content, Chl a, b and Car (x+c) content, assimilation area formation and dry matter accumulation of sensitive wheat genotypes.
Dimension reduction in regression without matrix inversion

Regressions in which the fixed number of predictors p exceeds the number of independent observational units n occur in a variety of scientific fields. Sufficient dimension reduction provides a promising approach to such problems, by restricting attention to d < n linear combinations of the original p predictors. However, standard methods of sufficient dimension reduction require inversion of the sample predictor covariance matrix. We propose a method for estimating the central subspace that eliminates the need for such inversion and is applicable regardless of the (n, p) relationship. Simulations show that our method compares favourably with standard large sample techniques when the latter are applicable. We illustrate our method with a genomics application. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.
Analysing the digital capacity of Spanish schools using SELFIE

The digitalisation of education systems is a political and social priority at European level. This report summarises the results of an inter-institutional study (European Commission JRC and Spanish Ministry of Education and VET) on the digital capacity of Spanish schools using the questionnaires of the European SELFIE tool in a representative sample of 6040 school leaders, teachers and students from 492 primary and secondary schools. The data show that, in general, the first steps of the digitalisation process have already been completed, therefore areas such as supportive uses of internet for preparation of lessons and existence of basic infrastructure obtain high scores. On the other hand, data also show areas where there is more room for improvement such as collaborative uses of digital technologies, or its application in innovative assessment procedures. The results are useful to Spanish schools that have participated in SELFIE to contextualise and interpret better their own school-report results in the light of results of similar schools. They are also useful to obtain a pre-COVID baseline situation on the digitalisation of schools that can guide policies in a pandemic situation where digital technologies play a more important role. Finally, the experience and results presented here can be useful to governments, organisations and stakeholders considering to conduct a similar exercise using the SELFIE tool.
REFLECTING ON RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

In the last decades, the notion that leadership comprises responsible leadership has gained support and the academic debate has shed some light on the antecedents, processes, and multi-level outcomes of responsible leadership. Being at the intersection of the leadership and sustainability discourses, responsible leadership has benefitted from the increasing interests that both fields of study have received. Nevertheless, the debate has left several questions around the nature and development of responsible leadership unanswered. Among these questions we reckon an understanding of “responsible” in the definition of “responsible leadership,” the width of leaders’ responsibility and the depth of their impact including the role of personal alongside formal leadership, and the distinction between “responsible” and “non responsible” leaders. The aim of this theoretical paper is to further the academic discussion on leadership in the context of sustainability and its integration in higher education settings. We review the literature and explore the academic debate while step-by-step building a description of responsible leadership that could form the basis for leadership programmes in higher education. Then, borrowing insights from pro-environmental psychology, we share a tripartite description of responsible leadership, which centres around identity, behaviour and responsiveness. As a final step, we share our experience in building an undergraduate programme based on this tripartite description of responsible leadership. Here, we illustrate how the leadership description can be visualised in a figure and used to develop an undergraduate Liberal Arts and Sciences curriculum centred on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
PO solution for scattering by the complex object coated with anisotropic materials

The physical optics solution is presented for the calculation of scattering by the complex conducting bodies coat­ed with anisotropic materials, which is based on the tangential plane approximation and the equivalent currents on an anisotropic material backed by an infinite metal surface illuminated by the plane wave given in our previous work. The analytical scheme is proposed to realize fast computation of the solution. Numerical results for several coated bodies such as dihedral corner reflector and cone-cylinder geometry are given and discussed.
CECROPIA AND ITS BIOTIC DEFENSES

In all the world, the genus Cecropia is unrivaled for the number of myrmecophytes, or true “antplants” counted among its species (McKey & David­ son, 1993). Based on the proportion of Cecropia spe­ cies producing Mullerian bodies in at least some parts of their distribution, myrmecophytes comprise the vast majority (ca. 80%) of species in the genus; most nonmyrmecophytes occur at higher elevations and on islands, where their ants are missing (Wheeler, 1942). Geographically, myrmecophytic Cecropia occur throughout the latitudinal range of the genus, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Given that association with ants is so widespread taxonomically and geographically, it is likely that relationships with ants have been highly influential in the evolutionary diversification of Cecropia. Here, I review the benefits which Cecropia-ants and their hosts receive from their symbiotic partnerships. I then discuss how interspe­ cific variation in the ant-attractants of Cecropia might have evolved and then influenced relationships with particular ant taxa. Finally, I consider factors influ­ encing the diversity of ants, plants, and partnerships in these associations.
Identities for generalized Fibonacci numbers: a combinatorial approach

This note shows a combinatorial approach to some identities for generalized Fibonacci numbers. While it is a straightforward task to prove these identities with induction, and also by arithmetical manipulations such as rearrangements, the approach used here is quite simple to follow and eventually reduces the proof to a counting problem.
Ultrasonic wave interaction with a thin anisotropic layer between two anisotropic solids: Exact and asymptotic‐boundary‐condition methods

Boundary conditions introduced to model a thin anisotropic layer between two generally anisotropic solids are given. The model can be used to describe an imperfect anisotropic interface. The present results for anisotropic boundary conditions are a generalization of previous work valid for either an isotropic viscoelastic layer [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 89, 503–515 (1991)] or an orthotropic layer with a plane of symmetry coinciding with the incident plane [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 91, 1875–1887 (1992)]. The boundary conditions are represented by a 6×6 transfer matrix which relates six‐dimensional vectors formed from stresses and displacements on each side of the interface. The transfer matrix is obtained as an asymptotic representation of the three‐dimensional solution for a thin orthotropic layer of arbitrary orientation between two solids. Such boundary conditions couple the in‐plane and out‐of‐plane stresses and displacements on the interface even for isotropic bodies. Interface imperfections are modeled by an i.
Preparation and Ferroelectric Properties of Double-Scale PZT Composite Piezoelectric Thick Film

Dense and crack-free double-scale lead zirconate titanate (Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3, PZT) composite piezoelectric thick films have been successfully fabricated on Au/Cr/SiO2/Si substrates by a modified sol-gel method. The XRD analysis indicates that the thick film possesses a single-phase perovskite-type structure. The SEM micrograph shows that the surface is crack-free and the cross section is dense and clear. The thickness of the PZT thick film is about 4 μm. It also exhibits good ferroelectric properties, and has high direct current compression resistant properties. At the test frequency of 1kHz, the film has the coercive field of 50 kV/cm, the saturation polarization of 54 μC/cm2 and the remnant polarization of 30 μC/cm2.
Dual-concentric LiNbO3/P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer transducer for high-frequency ultrasound imaging

In this paper, a dual-concentric transducer made of LiNbO3 (lithium niobate) and P(VDF-TrFE) (poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)) copolymer for high-frequency ultrasound imaging is presented. Typically, LiNbO3 is a good transmitter because it has a high-electromechanical-coupling coefficient. Meanwhile, the P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer has been frequently used as a receiver because it has a high voltage constant and a low acoustic impedance capable of providing a transducer with a broad bandwidth. In the proposed dual-concentric transducer, the ultrasound is transmitted by an outer-ring-type transducer made of LiNbO3, and the reflected pulse echo signal is received by an inner-disk-type transducer made of the P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer. This study showed the feasibility of a dual-concentric LiNbO3/P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer transducer capable of simultaneously achieving a high sensitivity and a broad bandwidth.
New results in the use of a “reverse engineering” method in cosmologies with scalar field

The method of “reverse engineering” for designing potentials in cosmologies with “quintessence” scalar field is systematically used for several types of cosmologies (through the time behavior of the scale factor). The general recipe is introduced and then applied when matter other than the scalar field is present, and for tachyonic scalar fields. The possibility of using this method for prescribing initial data in numerical simulations in cosmology is investigated.
Evidence in meteorites for an active early sun

High-sensitivity noble gas mass-spectrometric analyses of meteorite grains having solar flare heavy ion tracks show large enrichments of spallation-produced Ne-21 and Ar-38 when compared to nonirradiated grains from the same meteorite. The enhanced spallation effects in the irradiated grains are due to irradiation by energetic protons early in the history of the solar system, before compaction of the host meteorite. They require a proton fluence (E greater than 10 MeV) of 10 to the 16th to 10 to the 18th/cu cm. These results are best explained by solar flare irradiation in the early solar system with a proton flux several orders of magnitude higher than contemporary solar flares. The Ne isotopic structure suggests a harder energy spectrum than is characteristic of contemporary flares. These observations provide direct evidence for an active early (T Tauri) sun. 27 references.