Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Update on Optic Neuritis: An International View

ABSTRACT Previously, optic neuritis was thought to be typical, i.e. idiopathic or multiple sclerosis (MS) related, associated with a good visual prognosis, or atypical, i.e. not associated with MS and requiring corticosteroids or plasma exchange for vision to recover. More recently, the importance of optic neuritis in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody disease has become more appreciated. The results of the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial (ONTT) has influenced how optic neuritis is treated around the world. For this review we surveyed the international literature on optic neuritis in adults. Our aims were first to find the reported incidence of optic neuritis in different countries and to ascertain what percentage of cases were seropositive for anti-aquaporin 4 and anti-MOG antibodies, and second, to document the presenting features, treatment, and outcomes from a first episode of the different types of optic neuritis from these countries, and to compare the results with the outcomes of the ONTT cohort. From these data we have sought to highlight where ambiguities currently lie in how to manage optic neuritis and have made recommendations as to how future treatment trials in optic neuritis should be carried out in the current antibody testing era.
Determinants of Access to Green Finance in Vietnam: An Empirical Research

Green finance plays an important role in environmental protection missions and fighting climate change. The Environment Fund in Vietnam is the main channel of preferential capital offered to firms for environmental protection. Unfortunately, it was previously unknown which criteria influenced these companies’ ability to obtain green financing. Using a survey method, we collected data through a structured questionnaire of 203 respondents that represent firms that had received concessional loans from 26 Environment Funds. A Multiple Linear Regression model was used to examine the determinants of access to concessional loans for environmental protection. We found relationships between age, size, ownership type, and industry sector, and access to green finance. Third-party guarantees were a significant factor in financing through Environment Funds. Moreover, we found commercial environmental projects face fewer green financing obstacles. Surprisingly, showing audited financial statements does not mitigate the information asymmetry between firms and these financial institutions. These findings suggest that Environment Funds should classify environmental project types to develop appropriate lending policies. In emerging markets, enterprises need to build a trusted relationship with financial institutions so that they can replace asset-based lending techniques, thereby increasing the firms’ accessibility to green finance.
Diversity of nematodes on banana (Musa spp.) in Kenya linked to altitude and with a focus on the pathogenicity of Pratylenchus goodeyi

Bananas (Musa spp.) are considered the most important fruit crop in Kenya, grown mostly by smallholder farmers. However, in the past two decades production has declined and has largely been attributed to plant pathogens, including plant-parasitic nematodes. To assess the understanding and awareness that banana farmers have of nematodes, a survey was conducted. The incidence, abundance and distribution of nematodes in relation to altitude were determined for different banana types on 180 farms and the pathogenicity of Pratylenchus goodeyi, originating from three different altitudinal locations, was compared on two banana cultivars. Just 2.3% of farmers were aware of nematode damage and symptoms, none of whom applied any management measures. The highest abundance of nematodes was recorded at an altitude range of 1601-2000 m a.s. l. , with Pratylenchus, Meloidogyne and Helicotylenchus being the predominant genera. Across all altitudinal locations, cooking banana had higher densities of nematodes than dessert bananas. In pots, P. goodeyi populations from Embu (1300 m a.s.l.) appeared more aggressive and with higher levels of multiplication than the population from Oyugis (1100 m a.s.l.). Cooking banana (‘Ng’ombe’) was more susceptible than dessert banana (‘Sukari Ndizi’). Nematode damage is more prominent in areas at higher altitude and on cooking banana cultivars. The findings provide key information in guiding informed and suitable management decision thresholds in relation to potential climate change.
EXAMINATION OF TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS OF COUNTRIES WITHIN THE SCOPE OF COMPARATIVE EDUCATION STUDIES: A SCOPING REVIEW STUDY

The aim of this research is to examine the various aspects of the article studies of countries on teacher training from past to present. For this purpose, articles on this subject were accessed via Google Scholar, Web of Science and ERIC. Comparative articles made by countries on teacher training between 2017-2021; The year they were published, the language they were published in, the number of authors, the distribution of authors by gender, the method, the countries that made the most research on the subject examined. While obtaining the data, articles related to the subject other than the subjects that compare the teacher training programs of the countries scanned as "Teacher Training", "Teacher Education", "Teacher Training Systems", "Teacher Training Programs", "Comparative Education" was not included in the study. In the study, the document analysis method was used within the scope of qualitative research design. In the data analysis part, the content analysis was included and the results were obtained were presented in tables. Keywords: Teacher Training, Comparative Education, Teacher Training Programs, Scoping Review
Optimized Synthesis Routes of MnOx-ZrO2 Hybrid Catalysts for Improved Toluene Combustion

In this contribution, the three Mn-Zr catalysts with MnxZr1−xO2 hybrid phase were synthesized by two-step precipitation route (TP), conventional coprecipitation method (CP) and ball milling process (MP). The components, textural and redox properties of the Mn-Zr hybrid catalysts were studied via XRD, BET, XPS, HR-TEM, H2-TPR. Regarding the variation of synthesis routes, the TP and CP routes offer a more obvious advantage in the adjustment of the concentration of MnxZr1−xO2 solid solution compared to the MP process, which directly commands the content of Mn4+ and oxygen vacancy and lattice oxygen, and thereby leads to the enhanced mobility of reactive oxygen species and catalytic activity for toluene combustion. Moreover, the TP-Mn2Zr3 catalyst with the enriched exposure content of 51.4% for the defective (111) lattice plane of MnxZr1−xO2 exhibited higher catalytic activity and thermal stability for toluene oxidation than that of the CP-Mn2Zr3 sample with a value of 49.3%. This new observation will provide a new perspective on the design of bimetal catalysts with a higher VOCs combustion abatement.
Visual Transformers for Primates Classification and Covid Detection

We apply the vision transformer, a deep machine learning model build around the attention mechanism, on mel-spectrogram representations of raw audio recordings. When adding melbased data augmentation techniques and sample-weighting, we achieve comparable performance on both (PRS and CCS challenge) tasks of ComParE21, outperforming most single model baselines. We further introduce overlapping vertical patching and evaluate the influence of parameter configurations. Copyright © 2021 ISCA.
Impacts of Firm Performance on Corporate Social Responsibility Practices: The Mediation Role of Corporate Governance in Ethiopia Corporate Business

In today’s globalized economy, the corporate company faces ever-increasing competitive and social pressures. This paper aims to identify the impacts of firms’ performance on corporate social responsibility practices using the mediating roles of corporate governance evidence from Ethiopia’s corporate business. The impacts of firms’ performance on CSR and corporate governance as a mediator variable were studied using a sample of TIRET corporate companies, in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. The structural equation model and multiple regression analysis were estimated and tested using 21 corporate companies. The derived model reveals how corporate governance mediates the favorable relationship between CSR and firm performance. The result indicates that a firm’s performance is the most significant influencing factor on CSR among the impacts examined in this study. Corporate governance has a positive role in serving as a legitimacy source for CSR practice. This study discusses the significance of results-based resource theory and presents the conclusion and implications. To solve the gaps in firm performance, return on asset, debts on capital structure, and governance, the corporate firms should identify unproductive enterprises and outsource non-core values. To overcome the existed inefficiency difficulties, this study proposed that corporate enterprises should be restructured, rebranded, reconsider their business models, and acquire technology-based firms. This paper contributes to CSR literature in the context of emerging economies. Firms, policymakers, and practitioners may take steps to improve CSR practice. In general, we conclude that in Ethiopia, including in the Amhara region, socially responsible corporate enterprises are more likely to be successful, and vice versa.
Joko Widodo’s Fleeting Maritime Ambitions: An Actor-Specific Analysis of Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum

This study seeks to understand why President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo decided to implement the Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) the way he did. It examines his foreign policy decisions through the actor-specific approach in foreign policy, specifically focusing on the role of the highest executive leader in making foreign policy decisions. This study seeks to understand why the GMF declined in its importance through the lens of actor-specific theory. It examines the relation between Jokowi’s psycho-milieu and his choices of foreign policy within the context of implementing the GMF vision by drawing from insights at the individual level, namely by understanding Jokowi’s political ‘self’. This study makes two observations. First, Jokowi’s inexperience in foreign policy led to a ‘hands-off’ approach in the issue areas observed. Second, his overt technocratic outlook contributed to ad-hoc decisions, which eventually impeded the development of key GMF policies. This study examines three issue areas related to the GMF: maritime policymaking, infrastructure development and diplomacy. Across these three areas, Jokowi has shown a tendency to avoid involvement in areas where he lacks expertise, which results in a haphazard implementation of the GMF.
“Sick but active, tired but healthy”. Narratives of body and self living with HIV

ABSTRACT Although studies have suggested that physical activity may diminish HIV-related fatigue, little is known about the physical experience or meanings attributed to either. We considered chronic fatigue and physical activity in terms of how they were experienced, interpreted and interrelated within narratives about living with HIV. Thematic analysis of 35 semi-structured interviews with people living with HIV in France led to the creation of four ideal-type narratives. The ideal types illustrated relations between diverse physical and social experiences of fatigue and physical activity. These dimensions of the HIV experience were part of larger identity narratives about the body and self, revealing tensions between the latter as healthy or ill, tired or active, vulnerable or robust, needing or heeding expected health behaviours. Illness narratives – and the meanings attributed to body and self – emerged as faceted by both physical experiences of the body and social experiences, and as situated within larger socio-political contexts and biopedagogies.
Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) Growth and Seed Production When in Competition with Peanut and Other Crops in North Carolina

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) is a highly competitive weed that can be difficult to manage in many cropping systems. Research to date has not quantified the growth and development of A. palmeri in a manner that allows direct comparisons across cropping systems. Research was conducted to compare the growth, development, and seed production of A. palmeri when competing with corn (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] when emerging with crops or emerging three weeks after crops emerge. Regardless of when A. palmeri emerged, seed production was greatest and similar in cotton and peanut and exceeded that of corn and soybean; seed production in soybean exceeded that of corn. However, seed production was approximately 10-fold greater when A. palmeri emerged with crops compared with emergence three weeks later. These results illustrate the importance of controlling weeds during the first three weeks of the season relative to contributions of A. palmeri to the weed seed bank and is the first report comparing seed production in presence of these crops in a manner allowing a statistical comparison of seed production and highlighting the importance of crop sequence for seed bank management.
Assessing fish community response to water quality and habitat stressors in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The degradation of freshwater ecosystems can be attributed to stressors associated with the increased demand for water and other aquatic resources. Freshwater ecosystems face such challenges in supporting agriculture, industry, and high-density urban areas in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa. In this study, the presence of fish species and their abundance was quantified at 40 sites in KZN on 16 major rivers systems. Surveys were done during a drought period between February 2015 and April 2016, as part of the River Health Programme, a national river monitoring assessment. The Fish Response Assessment Index (FRAI) was used to evaluate the condition of the sites, and redundancy analysis was used to evaluate the habitat, water quality and fish community relationships. The FRAI scores showed four sites to be in a ‘Seriously Modified’ condition. These areas were associated with intensive agricultural activities and urban environments. The presence of invasive fish species, abstraction and industrial use all had negative impacts on the ecological state of the rivers. When compounded by excessive water use, the drought resulted in poor fish community integrity, highlighting the vulnerability of fish communities in this region. The absence or low abundances of some indigenous fish alongside the high presence of invasive fish requires additional investigation. Results highlight the importance of mitigation measures against anthropogenic impacts should be enforced to ensure sustainable use of KZN water resources.
Solving the puzzle of null violent media effects.

Over the past half-century, many professional and scienti ﬁ c organizations have issued statements about the harmful effects of violent media on children and adolescents. Most pediatricians, media researchers, and parents also believe that violent media can be harmful. Although most studies report signi ﬁ cant violent media effects, some report null effects. In this article, we address the puzzle of why some studies obtain null effects. Some possible factors include the use of inappropriate or excessive number of covariates, small samples, trait measures when state measures are more appropriate, poor predictor and outcome measures, and poor procedures to control for suspicion. We also discuss statistical, methodological, and theoretical issues that underlie some “ failures ” to replicate in experimental, cross-sectional, and longitudinal studies. The differences between studies that do and do not report signi ﬁ cant violent media effects are explainable; sometimes they are intentional because different scholars have different objectives. We offer best practice suggestions for conducting violent media research, which we hope will be useful for editors, reviewers, researchers, pediatricians, politicians, parents, and others trying to evaluate violent media research. Finally, we also show the importance of our analyses and suggestions for other media research, for other research topics, and for the replication crisis in psychology. Public Policy Relevance Statement There are good theoretical and practical reasons to expect that exposure to violent media (e.g., TV programs, movies, video games) will increase aggression. This article proposes several solutions to the puzzle of why some studies ﬁ nd nonsigni ﬁ cant violent media effects, even though most studies ﬁ nd signi ﬁ cant effects.
The relationship between parenting style and social development among toddlers in Yogyakarta

Background: The development of children at preschool age is mentioned as the "Golden Period. " At this time, the development of creativity, social awareness, emotional, and intelligence goes swiftly, therefore the parenting provided by parents from an early age will affect the future child's developmentPurpose: the major aim of the study was to know the relationship between parenting style and social development among toddlers in YogyakartaMethods: The design of this research was observational analytic with a cross-sectional design. The subjects of this study were mothers who have children aged 4-6 years, the sample used was 50 respondents. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test. An instrument using VSMS (Vineland Social Maturity Scale). Results: The results of the statistical test revealed that authoritarian parenting risked the children's social development by 5.5 times compared to authoritarian parenting, while permissive parenting risked children's social development by 7,5 times compared to authoritarian parenting. There is a significant relationship between parenting and social development of children with the value of CI 95% = 1.298-41.420 (p = 0.02). While the mothers' age does not have a significant relationship with the children's social development (p-value = 0.07), as well as the mothers' employment status does not have a significant relationship with the child's social development (p-value = 0.13). Conclusion: This study shows that there is a significant relationship between parenting and the social development of children, however, there is no significant relationship between age and mothers' employment status on children's social development. Authoritarian parenting is the most effective parenting approach to children's social development compared to authoritarian and permissive parenting.
All you need is love: the relationship between agape and work outcomes

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to lay the necessary conceptual and empirical groundwork of agape in organizations. Specifically, the authors reviewed literature on agape; advanced formal definition of agape; explained the relationship of agape with related variables; developed a scale to measure agape and provided evidence of its reliability and construct validity; showed how agape uniquely predicted employee outcomes beyond transformational leadership; and showed how agape compensated for the lack of transformational leadership. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey with 214 working executives who rated their manager on transformational leadership and agape behaviours, and later indicated their own work attitudes. Next, the authors conducted a 20-min between-subjects vignette experiment with 147 business management students who were provided with a description of a supervisor and asked to indicate their work attitudes under the supervisor. Findings The authors advanced an operational definition and a scale to measure agape. The findings of this study indicated that agape was a unidimensional construct with high reliability. It had significant positive relationships with followers’ job satisfaction, faith and loyalty, team commitment, satisfaction and risk-taking; explained incremental variance in employee outcomes beyond transformational leadership; and compensated for the lack of transformational leadership. Research limitations/implications The present research has the potential to inform recruitment, selection, training, promotion and performance evaluation decisions in organizations. Originality/value The authors responded to calls for developing a clear and consistent conceptualization and operationalization of agape for improving scholarly research and leadership training and development.
Intertemporal and intratemporal consumption smoothing at retirement: micro evidence from detailed spending and time use data

Using detailed spending and time use data from the Netherlands, this paper analyzes the causal effect of retirement on spending and time use decisions. Both total consumption and disaggregated consumption categories are considered. We do not find empirical evidence for drops in households' total non-durable spending at retirement. Our estimates suggest increases in spending at retirement on goods that are complementary to leisure, but no decreases in spending on goods that are replaceable by home production. The quantitative implication of our empirical results for the Life-Cycle Model is an intertemporal elasticity of substitution for leisure below unity.
Cytotoxicity assessment of Bio-C Repair Íon+: A new calcium silicate-based cement

Background. Direct pulp capping is a method designed to preserve the exposed dental pulp. Due to good biological, physical, and mechanical properties, new versions of calcium silicate-based materials have been developed as pulp capping materials. The present study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of four calcium silicate-based pulp capping materials, of which the Bio-C Repair Íon+ is still in an experimental phase. Methods. Biodentine, MTA Repair HP, Bio-C Repair, and Bio-C Repair Íon+ cements were dispensed in a metallic matrix to produce 125-mm3 specimens, which were immersed in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) to obtain extracts. NIH 3T3 cells were cultured and exposed to the extracts for 24 hours and seven days. Cell viability was assessed by the methyl tetrazolium test (MTT). The mean values for the experimental and control groups (without treatment) were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey tests, considering a significance level of 5%. Results. All the tested materials demonstrated a reduction in cell viability (P < 0.05). According to ISO 10993-5: 2009 (E), Bio-C Repair Íon+ exhibited mild and moderate cytotoxicity in the 24- hour and 7-day analyses, respectively. Bio-C Repair and Biodentine showed mild cytotoxicity, and MTA Repair HP exhibited moderate cytotoxicity at both intervals. Conclusion. The highest cell viability was demonstrated by Biodentine, MTA, and Repair HP, in descending order. Bio-C Repair and Bio-C Repair Íon+ showed moderate cytotoxicity, similar to MTA Repair HP in the 7-day analysis.