Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maker movement contribution to fighting COVID‐19 pandemic: insights from Tunisian FabLabs

COVID‐19 is an unexpected and brutal pandemic that requires new innovation models to overcome the constraints of this crisis and address its multiple challenges. Open innovation does not replace a traditional closed R&D model; but in the current crisis situation, it can support an ecosystem stakeholders’ effort by leveraging several collaborations. Based on the Tunisian experience, this study illustrates how a crisis can spontaneously create these collaborations between the maker’s community, the users (public healthcare professionals) and key stakeholders (universities, civil society and the private sector among others). To investigate this research question, we adopted a qualitative approach based on a single embedded case study and collected data through participant observation technique. The case study describes a process of crisis‐driven innovation based on 3D printing technologies in order to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare professionals. It highlights two distinct phases describing the evolution from a local collaborative model to the creation of a national ecosystem able to design, manufacture and address the growing need of the public healthcare system. Our findings show with empirical evidence the crucial roles played by the makers’ community, FabLabs and engineers in the fight against the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study draws lessons on how a large health crisis can trigger national crisis‐driven innovation (CDI) initiatives, which helped structure the makers’ network and promote collaboration towards a common national goal. A collaborative framework for CDI initiated by the Tunisian makers’ community is proposed in this study and could be adopted in similar crisis contexts, in Global South and North settings.
Proje Tabanlı Öğrenme İle Kazanılan 21. Yüzyıl Becerilerine Yönelik Bir Nitel Araştırma

Project based learning (PBL) provides a basis for problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and innovation. With this aspect, PBL can be thought as a method using to achieve 21st century skills. The research aims to identify 21st century skills achieved by PBL in the direction of results of dissertations and papers. The research designed by qualitative method is a document analysis. Qualitative descriptive analysis was used to data analysis. The dissertations and papers were collected considering finding section including 21st century skills achieved by PBL. 168 scientific researches were analyzed and reviewed in the scope of this research. The results of the research show that academic achievement, attitude development, motivation, persistence, cooperation, problem solving, innovation and thinking skills are mostly studied in PBL research for 21st Century skills acquisition. According to finding of the research, communication, collaboration, research, information literacy, academic success, productivity, innovation-creativity, motivation, thinking skills, responsibility, problem solving and attitude improvement are the most frequent 21st century skills acquired by PBL.
Protesters on trial: examining factors influencing district court decisions in social protest litigation in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Social protests present democracies with a dilemma because their governments must balance respect for citizens’ right to free expression against maintenance of law and order. Drawing on litigation data from Taiwan between 1999 and 2018, this study empirically examines how Taiwanese courts decided on cases involving social protesters. Aggregate results reveal that Taiwan’s district courts convicted about 60% of the protesters prosecuted by the state, and approximately 93% of those found guilty were given probationary instead of prison sentences. There was a significant association between the type of crime with which they were charged and the court rulings, although that relationship varied over time. Considerable evidence consistently suggests that Taiwanese courts may be attempting to find a middle ground in trials involving social protesters, one in which the society’s laws and the individual’s right to dissent are both given due respect. This study concludes that further comparative research is needed to determine whether Taiwan’s judicial response to contentious political episodes is comparable to that of other democracies.
Security and privacy with K -step opacity for finite automata via a novel algebraic approach

As an important secretive attribute, opacity of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) has attracted considerable attention. Existing works on opacity mainly concentrate on the formal language method by assuming that the intruder tracks partial knowledge of observable transitions. In this paper, under the framework of Boolean semi-tensor product (BSTP) of matrix, we extend the verification of opaque property to algebraic mechanisms that have great advantages in problem description and solution. First, we show that how K -step opacity problem of nondeterministic finite automata (NFAs) can be transformed to the construction problem of a polynomial matrix that characterizes the state estimation eavesdropped by malicious intruders within the last K observations. Second, the necessary and sufficient condition of verifying K -step opacity is obtained, which is equivalent to validate the composition of elements within the polynomial matrix. Finally, the effectiveness of this result is demonstrated by an illustrative example. Taking together, the matrix-based method will be useful to deliver a novel theoretical tool for investigating the privacy-preserving problem in the related area of CPSs.
Multiscale Image Dehazing and Restoration: An Application for Visual Surveillance

: The captured outdoor images and videos may appear blurred due to haze, fog, and bad weather conditions. Water droplets or dust particles in the atmosphere cause the light to scatter, resulting in very limited scene discerni-bility and deterioration in the quality of the image captured. Currently, image dehazing has gained much popularity because of its usability in a wide variety of applications. Various algorithms have been proposed to solve this ill-posed problem. These algorithms provide quite promising results in some cases, but they include undesirable artifacts and noise in haze patches in adverse cases. Some of these techniques take unrealistic processing time for high image resolution. In this paper, to achieve real-time halo-free dehazing, fast and effective single image dehazing we propose a simple but effective image restoration technique using multiple patches. It will improve the shortcomings of DCP and improve its speed and efficiency for high-resolution images. A coarse transmission map is estimated by using the minimum of different size patches. Then a cascaded fast guided filter is used to refine the transmission map. We introduce an efficient scaling technique for transmission map estimation, which gives an advantage of very low-performance degradation for a high-resolution image. For performance evaluation, quantitative, qualitative and computational time comparisons have been performed, which provide quiet faithful results in speed, quality, and reliability of handling bright surfaces.
Individual Differences in Children’s Scientific Reasoning

Scientific reasoning is an important skill that encompasses hypothesizing, experimenting, inferencing, evaluating data and drawing conclusions. Previous research found consistent inter- and intra-individual differences in children’s ability to perform these component skills, which are still largely unaccounted for. This study examined these differences and the role of three predictors: reading comprehension, numerical ability and problem-solving skills. A sample of 160 upper-primary schoolchildren completed a practical scientific reasoning task that gauged their command of the five component skills and did not require them to read. In addition, children took standardized tests of reading comprehension and numerical ability and completed the Tower of Hanoi task to measure their problem-solving skills. As expected, children differed substantially from one another. Generally, scores were highest for experimenting, lowest for evaluating data and drawing conclusions and intermediate for hypothesizing and inferencing. Reading comprehension was the only predictor that explained individual variation in scientific reasoning as a whole and in all component skills except hypothesizing. These results suggest that researchers and science teachers should take differences between children and across component skills into account. Moreover, even though reading comprehension is considered a robust predictor of scientific reasoning, it does not account for the variation in all component skills.
Climate mediates the relationship between plant biodiversity and forest structure across the United States

Aim: Empirical biodiversity – forest structure relationships (BSRs) underlie the use of forest structure as a remotely sensible proxy of biodiversity. However, little is known about how BSRs generalize to continental scales or how climate interacts with structure to drive local patterns in plant diversity. Resolving these research gaps in macrosystems ecology will strengthen our understanding of the biogeography of plant diversity, with implications for global- scale biodiversity mapping. Location: USA. Time Contemporary. Major taxa Vascular plants and trees. Methods: We combined climate variables with field measurements and airborne lidar from all forest and woodland plots in the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) to characterize the role of climate in constraining BSRs across the United States. Spatial generalized linear mixed models were used to quantify the individual and joint effects of structure and climate on vascular plant and tree diversity. Results: These findings provide evidence for broad- scale BSRs across the USA; namely, between plant/tree diversity and forest structural metrics in the vertical and horizontal planes. Vascular plant diversity was positively related to horizontally heterogeneous and bottom- skewed canopies, whereas tree diversity was positively associated with canopy cover and structural heterogeneity. In addition, climate variables related to stress (negatively), energy (positively) and seasonality (negatively) affected broad- scale patterns in diversity, with water availability (but not temperature) exerting significant effects on structural conditions. climate and structure interact to explain variance in BSRs along coldness, mean temperature and evapotranspiration gradients.
Determination of COVID-19 Patients Using Machine Learning Algorithms

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), also known as Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-COV2) and it has imposed deep concern on public health globally. Based on its fast-spreading breakout among the people exposed to the wet animal market in Wuhan city of China, the city was indicated as its origin. The symptoms, reactions, and the rate of recovery shown in the coronavirus cases worldwide have been varied. The number of patients is still rising exponentially, and some countries are now battling the third wave. Since the most effective treatment of this disease has not been discovered so far, early detection of potential COVID-19 patients can help isolate them socially to decrease the spread and flatten the curve. In this study, we explore state-of-the-art research on coronavirus disease to determine the impact of this illness among various age groups. Moreover, we analyze the performance of the Decision tree (DT), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), Naive bayes (NB), Support vector machine (SVM), and Logistic regression (LR) to determine COVID-19 in the patients based on their symptoms. A dataset obtained from a public repository was collected and pre-processed, before applying the selected Machine learning (ML) algorithms on them. The results demonstrate that all the ML algorithms incorporated perform well in determining COVID-19 in potential patients. NB and DT classifiers show the best performance with an accuracy of 93.70%, whereas other algorithms, such as SVM, KNN, and LR, demonstrate an accuracy of 93.60%, 93.50%, and 92.80% respectively. Hence, we determine that ML models have a significant role in detecting COVID-19 in patients based on their symptoms.
Consumer Value Preferences in Healthcare: Insights for Value-centred Management

Advances in healthcare service research emphasize a value-driven approach in healthcare by pressing the need to acknowledge what matters to the patient against the conventional approach of what should be provisioned in the service. This research study adopts a consumer-centric perspective of value creation, and explores consumer value preferences in healthcare services, using netnography of online consumer reviews of cancer patients. Six different types of consumer value are identified, which carry varying consumer expectations. These are excellence, novelty, spirituality, ethics, privacy and control. The research findings confirm that all types of consumer values are not positive; rather, there is a presence of positive and negative (or must-be) elements. Privacy and ethics are identified as the negative or must-be type of consumer value, which creates not much satisfaction, but their absence is dissatisfying. Novelty and control are identified as positive value types whose absence may not be that problematic, but their enhancement creates greater customer satisfaction. The findings provide shreds of evidence to the claim that all value types are not positive, and consumers often make trade-offs between positive and negative value types while evaluating services. Future research is suggested in different healthcare contexts (e.g., chronic vs. non-chronic disease) to develop value-centred management strategies.
Empirical Assessment of Bacillus Calmette-Gu閞in Vaccine to Combat COVID-19

COVID-19 has become one of the critical health issues globally, which surfaced first in latter part of the year 2019. It is the topmost concern for many nations' governments as the contagious virus started mushrooming over adjacent regions of infected areas. In 1980, a vaccine called Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was introduced for preventing tuberculosis and lung cancer. Countries that have made the BCG vaccine mandatory have witnessed a lesser COVID-19 fatality rate than the countries that have not made it compulsory. This paper's initial research shows that the countries with a long-term compulsory BCG vaccination system are less affected by COVID-19 than those without a BCG vaccination system. This paper discusses analytical data patterns for medical applications regarding COVID-19 impact on countries with mandatory BCG status on fatality rates. The paper has tackled numerous analytical challenges to realize the full potential of heterogeneous data. An analogy is drawn to demonstrate how other factors can affect fatality and infection rates other than BCG vaccination only, such as age groups affected, other diseases, and stringency index. The data of Spain, Portugal, and Germany have been taken for a case study of BCG impact analysis. © 2021 Tech Science Press. All rights reserved.
Utilization of Lignin in Biopolymeric Packaging Films

Lignin is a byproduct of agricultural industries and only has limited applications. In this study, lignin was investigated for use in sustainable biopolymeric packaging film. Alkali lignin (AL) and lignosulfonate (LSS) were added to enzymatically modified soy protein isolate (SPI) biopolymeric film with different concentrations with the goal of improvement of film physical and functional properties. A radical scavenging activity test revealed that films containing LSS had values 28 and 6% higher than control and AL-based films, respectively; AL itself (not in films) had significantly higher radical scavenging activity than LSS. This indicates the activity of lignin is affected by interaction with SPI. The higher compatibility between LSS and enzymatically modified SPI resulted in a positive effect on surface smoothness, water absorption, and mechanical properties of LSS-based films. Films containing AL showed a high light absorption range in the UV region, and this UV-blocking ability increased with increasing level of lignin. Deconvoluted Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed that the addition of lignin resulted in some changes in the secondary structure of the protein matrix, which were aligned with X-ray diffraction results. The addition of lignin improved tensile strength (TS) and thermal stability of films compared to the lignin-free control. This improvement in TS and thermal stability was probably a result of new intermolecular interactions between lignin and SPI. Water vapor permeability of the films containing lignin decreased to 50% of the control because lignin played a role as a filler in the matrix. On the basis of our observations, the incorporation of lignin into biopolymeric film is capable of providing additional benefits and solutions to various industries, such as food, packaging, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals.
Drought responsiveness in two Mexican conifer species forming young stands at high elevations

Aim of study: To determine the response of high-altitudinal forests to seasonal drought. Area of study: Monte Tláloc, Estado de México and Rancho del Durazno, Municipality of Río Verde, San Luis Potosí, México. Materials and methods: In this study, we evaluate the response to drought and hydroclimate in two young Mexican conifers sampled at high elevation, correlating records of tree-ring growth and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Main results: The results show that Pinus teocote and Abies religiosa are vulnerable to the precipitation regime and warm conditions of winter-spring. The physiological response mechanisms seem to be differentiated between the species, according to the effects of drought stress. The NDVI demonstrated the different temporal responses of the species according to their inherent physiological mechanisms in response to hydroclimatic limitations. This differentiation can be attributed to the spatial variation present in the particular physical and geographic conditions of each area. The dry and warm seasonal climates reveal P. teocote and A. religiosa to be species that are vulnerable to drought conditions. However, further evaluation of the resistance and resilience of these species is necessary, as well as disentanglement of the effects of associated mechanisms that can influence the predicted processes of extinction or migration. Research highlights: Pinus teocote and Abies religiosa are vulnerable to the seasonal drought conditions. These results are of particular importance given the climatic scenarios predicted for elevated ecotones. Tree-ring widths and NDVI improved the response of radial growth to the climate, enhancing our understanding of forest growth dynamics. The response to climatic variability depends on the particular species.
Nurses’ knowledge and performance regarding colostomy care among old age in Beni-Suef

Background A colostomy is a surgery that makes a temporary or permanent opening called a stoma. A stoma is a path that goes from the large intestine to the outside of your abdomen. Aim of study: the study aimed to assess knowledge and performance of nurses about colostomy care among old age in Beni-Suef. Subjects and methods: A descriptive design was used to achieve the aim of the current study. The study was conducted in surgical departments male and female at Beni-Suef university hospital, Beni-Suef specialized hospital, and health insurance hospital. Convenient sample was used for this study; include all nurses (78 nurses) working in surgical departments at Beni-Suef university hospital (44 nurses), Beni-Suef specialized hospital (13 nurses), and health insurance hospital (21 nurses). Three tools for data collection were used to carry out the current study namely; socio-demographic questionnaire sheet, questionnaire sheet for nurses’ knowledge regarding colostomy care, and ostomy care observation checklist. Results: More than half (57.7%) of studied nurses their ages were less than 30 years. More than two thirds (67.9%) of studied nurses are females. More than half (60.3%) of them had nursing health institute. Conclusion and recommendations: Nearly half of nurses had satisfactory level of total knowledge about colostomy care. , more than one third of nurses had satisfactory level of total performance about colostomy care. Periodic assessment for knowledge of nurses about colostomy care among old age in Beni-Suef. Periodic assessment for performance of nurses about colostomy care among old age in Beni-Suef
Exploring the Relationship Between Organizational Politic and Knowledge Sharing in Brazilian Modular Consortium

This research aimed to explore the relationship between employees' perceptions of organizational politics (POPS) and their predisposition to involve in knowledge sharing (KS) behaviors at individuals and workgroups level in the Brazilian automotive Modular Consortium. The sample included 144 shop floor employees of Modular Consortium (six connected companies in assembly lines). The POPS-KS relationship was analyzed using different referents, seeking to understand how individuals and groups respond to the presence of organizational politics, and POPS and KS were tested in a Brazilian context, shedding new light on potential cultural influences impacting this relationship. The results evidenced that positive interpersonal communication can contribute to KS, and in turn, KS can counteract the negative impacts of POPS. There was a positive relationship between POPS-KS, indicating that POPS may have functional effects in facilitating KS of individuals and workgroups. Key findings and implications for future research were discussed.
Effectiveness of Tax Sanctions and Examination of Taxpayers On Taxpayer Compliance With Quality of Service as Moderating Variable

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of tax sanctions and taxpayer audits on taxpayer compliance with service quality as a moderating variable. The analytical tool used is tabulating the questionnaire, collecting data in the form of validity testing and reliability testing. The hypothesis in this study is that there is an effect of tax sanctions and tax audits on taxpayer compliance with service quality as a moderating variable. Testing this hypothesis using the SmartPLS analysis tool. The results obtained based on the validity test showed that all statements on the questionnaire were declared valid. To test the reliability test of all variables obtained from Composite Realibility or Cronbach's Alpha value is declared realible. And for hypothesis testing based on R-Square and T-statistics, it shows that not all hypotheses are accepted. The result of the hypothesis states that Tax Audit has an effect on taxpayer compliance. And there is no effect between tax sanctions on taxpayer compliance, tax sanctions on taxpayer compliance moderated by service quality, and tax audits moderated by service quality.