Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is computer-mediated communication more powerful than face-to-face discussion in mobilizing political participation? A study examines participation in electoral campaigns and political advocacy in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Using a representative Taiwan sample from the 2019 Asia Barometer Survey, this study investigated the effect of political interest on two types of political participation (i.e., participation in electoral campaigns and political advocacy) based on the communication mediation model. Findings showed that three communication channels (i.e., news involvement, on-line political expression, and off-line political discussion) mediate the positive relationship between political interest and participation through different paths. When people are more interested in politics, they will be more likely to read political news, leading to more on-line political expression, which then motivates higher level of political participation. In parallel, political interest could also increase political participation first through news involvement and then through off-line political discussion. More importantly, compared with the total indirect effects on participation in electoral campaigns, political interest could exert stronger indirect effect on participation in political advocacy through the three communication channels under study. In addition, the mediating effect of on-line political expression is more powerful than off-line political discussion in mobilizing participation in political advocacy. However, in terms of participation in electoral campaigns, indirect effect through on-line and off-line communication showed no significant difference. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Extension Of The Rough Set Approach To Multicriteria Decision Support

Abstract The original version of the rough sets theory has proved to be particularly useful in the analysis of multiattribute classification problems under inconsistency following from information granulation, i.e. objects having the same description but belonging to different classes. It fails, however, when attributes with preference-ordered domains (criteria) have to be taken into account. In order to deal with problems of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), such as sorting, choice or ranking, the authors have extended the original rough sets theory in a number of directions. The main extension is the substitution of the indiscernibility relation by a dominance relation which permits approximation of ordered decision classes in multicriteria sorting. Second extension was necessary to approximate preference relations in multicriteria choice and ranking problems; it requires substitution of the data table by a pairwise comparison table, where each row corresponds to a pair of actions described by binary relations on particular criteria. In all these MCDA problems, the extended rough set approach ends with a set of “if. , then. ” decision rules playing the role of a preference model. It is more general than the classical functional or relational model and more understandable for the users. These rules have a more general syntax than the rules following from the original rough set approach and they are able to handle two kinds of inconsistencies, one with respect to indiscernibility and another with respect to dominance, instead of the first one only. In the extended rough set approach, discretization of quantitative attributes is not necessary and it is possible to consider attributes and criteria within the same decision problem. The paper summarizes these extensions and concentrates on description of the rough set approach to the multicriteria sorting problem, illustrated by a case study of airline company financial ratings.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Adult Patients in the PETHEMA Registry with Relapsed or Refractory FLT3-ITD Mutation-Positive Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Simple Summary Most adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) relapse after achieving complete remission with chemotherapy; however, there is no standard second-line (salvage) treatment. We retrospectively investigated 404 patients aged ≥18 years with relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML with an FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutation, treated at a PETHEMA (NCT02607059) site between 1998 and 2018. Patients received salvage treatment with intensive therapy (n = 261), non-intensive therapy (n = 63) or supportive care (n = 80). Complete remission was achieved by 48% of patients who received intensive therapy vs. 19% with non-intensive therapy. Intensive/non-intensive therapy prolonged overall survival significantly compared with supportive therapy. Of evaluable patients, 22% received an allogeneic stem-cell transplant after complete remission. The majority of patients with FLT3-mutated R/R AML received intensive salvage therapy, with the best outcomes being obtained when intensive salvage treatment was combined with stem-cell transplant. Abstract This retrospective study investigated outcomes of 404 patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)-internal tandem duplication (ITD) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) enrolled in the PETHEMA registry, pre-approval of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Most patients (63%) had received first-line intensive therapy with 3 + 7. Subsequently, patients received salvage with intensive therapy (n = 261), non-intensive therapy (n = 63) or supportive care only (n = 80). Active salvage therapy (i.e., intensive or non-intensive therapy) resulted in a complete remission (CR) or CR without hematological recovery (CRi) rate of 42%. More patients achieved a CR/CRi with intensive (48%) compared with non-intensive (19%) salvage therapy (p < 0.001). In the overall population, median overall survival (OS) was 5.5 months; 1- and 5-year OS rates were 25% and 7%. OS was significantly (p < 0.001) prolonged with intensive or non-intensive salvage therapy compared with supportive therapy, and in those achieving CR/CRi versus no responders. Of 280 evaluable patients, 61 (22%) had an allogeneic stem-cell transplant after they had achieved CR/CRi. In conclusion, in this large cohort study, salvage treatment approaches for patients with FLT3-ITD mutated R/R AML were heterogeneous. Median OS was poor with both non-intensive and intensive salvage therapy, with best long-term outcomes obtained in patients who achieved CR/CRi and subsequently underwent allogeneic stem-cell transplant.
Heat kernels, theta identities, and zeta functions on cyclic groups

We prove a theta relation analogous to the classical Poisson-Jacobi theta inversion formula and deduce two formulas for the associated zeta functions. The proof is based on determinations of the heat kernel on Z and on Z/mZ. The theta identity gives in particular an interesting formula for certain sums of Bessel functions.
Energy performance of healthcare facilities in 3 climatic zones in Cyprus

Safeguarding affordable and energy-efficient medical services has emerged as a crucial necessity to sustain national healthcare systems, especially in view of the current pandemic. While a set of national standards and guidelines aim to set minimum energy requirements for the building facilities, more insight into the healthcare sector’s energy consumption in Cyprus is deemed necessary, since it is the 4th most energy-demanding sector per square meter in this country. This is the first extended research on energy consumption in healthcare facilities across the different climatic zones of Cyprus and the types of fuel favoured in each zone, which marks the novelty of this work. The findings of the study highlight that the coastal and inland climatic zones are the most energy-challenging regions, with more than 60% of the final energy needs covered by electricity. On the contrary, in the mountainous region, approximately 80% of the final energy needs are covered by oil and attributed mainly to heating purposes. The average national primary energy consumption of healthcare facilities was found to be 497 kWh/m2 in air-conditioned spaces. Therefore, this study highlights that the mean primary energy consumption per building surface is approximately 4 times higher than the national threshold for nZEBs; compelling critical consideration of intervention for their energy enhancement. Moreover, healthcare facilities in mountainous regions in Cyprus are heavily reliant on conventional fuel; an unreliable and highly polluting energy option. The work demonstrates the prominent challenge and high potential for energy retrofit of the examined facilities and their upgrading to nZEB-Hospitals, towards the endeavour to a climate-neutral energy transition.
The roles of social-emotional skills in students' academic and life success: A multi-informant and multicohort perspective.

Social-emotional skills have been shown to be beneficial for many important life outcomes for students. However, previous studies on the topic have suffered from many issues (e.g., consideration of only a small subset of skills, single-informant, and single-cohort design). To address these limitations, this study used a multi-informant (self, teacher, and parent) and multicohort (ages 10-15 from Finland, N = 5,533) perspective to study the association between 15 social-emotional skills and 20 educational (e.g., school grades), social (e.g., relationships with teachers), psychological health (e.g., life satisfaction), and physical health outcomes (e.g., sleep trouble). Results showed that (a) there was a modest level of interrater agreement on social-emotional skills, with the highest agreement between students and parents (mean r = .41); (b) inclusion of multi-informant ratings substantially enhanced the ability of social-emotional skills in predicting outcome variables, with parent- and self-rated skills playing important, unique roles; (c) by modeling skills at the facet level rather than at the domain level, we identified the key skills for different outcomes and found significant variation in facets' predictive utility even within the same domain; and (d) although the older cohort showed lower levels of most social-emotional skills (9/15), there were only minor changes in the interrater agreement and predictive utility on outcomes. Overall, self-control, trust, optimism, and energy were found among the four most important skills for academic and life success. We further identified the unique contribution of each skill for specific outcomes, pointing the way to effective and precise interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Improved yields and essential oil composition of ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi L.) and soil fertility properties in intercropping systems

ABSTRACT Legume-based intercropping systems have been proposed as sustainable and eco-friendly systems with potential to improve crop production and soil fertility. A field experiment was conducted in two growing seasons (2017 and 2018) to determine optimal intercropping patterns of ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi L.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) to increase yield and quality of the ajowan and to improve soil properties. The treatments evaluated in this study were sole cropping of ajowan (A) and fenugreek (F), replacement intercropping series of A:F (1:1, 4:4, 3:1, and 1:3 ratios) and additive intercropping series of A:F (100:12.5, 100:25, 100:37.5, 100:50, 100:62.5, 100:75, and 100:87.5 ratios). The results showed that the highest biological yield (4172.7 kg ha−1), seed yield (1009.7 kg ha−1), and essential oil yield (42.0 kg ha−1) of ajowan were obtained in the additive pattern A:F 100:25. The highest concentrations of thymol and γ-terpinene, the major chemical components of ajowan essential oil, were recorded for the A:F 100:25 intercropping pattern. Total LER and ATER indices were above one in all of the intercropping patterns. The concentrations of soil total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TON), available forms of NO3 − and NH4 +, Mg2+, K+, as well as basal respiration (BR) and substrate-induced respiration (SIR) in the A:F 100:25 intercropping pattern were greater than for the fenugreek and ajowan sole crops. Overall, the analysis showed that the A:F 100:25 additive intercropping pattern had positive and strong effects in terms of increased yield and quality of ajowan and improvement of soil fertility.
Antibacterial activity of cinnamon oil against multidrug-resistant foodborne pathogens and anti-quorum sensing potential

The antimicrobial resistance due to Salmonella and other foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, witnessed in recent years, has become a significant health concern. Bacteria use chemical signals to communicate each other and regulate their behavior including virulence. Depending increased antibiotic resistance, new drug development strategies being investigating and the usability of active ingredients of various medicinal and aromatic plants is especially tested as an alternative. The aim of this study was to determine the anti-quorum sensing (QS) activity of cinnamon oil (CO) on pigment production of Chromobacterium violaceum and to evaluate antibacterial activity against multidrug resistant (MDR) S. enterica serotypes. Anti QS activity was tested using biosensor strain and antibacterial activity was determined by microdilution method according to EUCAST standards. CO was found effective on QS mechanisms of Chromobacterium violaceum with pigment inhibition. Nineteen foodborne pathogens isolated from different poultry/cow sourced foods and serotyped as S. enterica serovar Infantis (15), Kentucky (1), Newport (1), Telaviv (1), and Typhimurium (1). S. enterica Infantis strains were found resistant to three or more antibiotics and categorized as MDR. The results concluded that CO has strong antibacterial activity against all S. enterica serotypes with MIC between 0.125 µg ml-1 and 1.0 µg ml-1. This research demonstrates CO is a potential candidate for developing new antimicrobial agents, antiseptic solutions or natural food preservatives against MDR Salmonella isolates also a potential as an anti-QS agent.
Effects of magnesium borate on the mechanical performance, thermal and chemical degradation of polyethylene terephthalate packaging material

This study is on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) compounded with magnesium borate (MB) (Mg2B2O5) powders between (0.2–3.2% by weight) which were synthesized via sol-gel technique at laboratory-scale. The MB/PET composites were characterized in terms of chemical, thermal degradation, and mechanical properties. Their phases and chemical structures were identified by X-ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared analyses. The MB added into PET matrix significantly reduced PET degrading to acetaldehyde, carboxylic acids and diethylene glycol. However, while at 0.2 wt. % MB isophthalic acid (IPA) decreased and at higher MB concentrations there were higher IPA levels. The added MB increased the composites intrinsic viscosity (IV) compared to the pure PET. The highest IV (0.701 dL/g) was at the 0.2 wt. % MB/PET composite. Both Tg and Tm temperatures trended down up to 3.2 wt. % MB. Compared to pure PET, glass transition temperature (Tg) decreased to 80.4°C (at 3.2 wt.% MB) from 81°C, whereas melt temperature (Tm) decreased to 248.5°C (at 3.2 wt.% MB) from 249.4°C. The MB/PET composite tensile strength increased by 11.31% to a 60 MPa maximum at 0.2 wt. % MB compared to neat PET (53.9 MPa). However, at 0.4 wt. % and higher MB the dispersion was insufficient causing the MB powders to aggregate in the PET matrix, resulting in reduced tensile strength.
Service Quality Before and After the Implementation of the PLN Mobile Application at PT PLN (Persero) Customer Service Unit

Pesatnya perkembangan teknologi informasi akhir-akhir ini sangat mempengaruhi kebutuhan masyarakat modern akan suatu layanan untuk dapat memberikan kemudahan, kecepatan, dan kepraktisan dalam memperoleh suatu produk layanan. Selain itu, situasi pandemi Covid-19 memaksa kita untuk tetap tinggal dan mengurangi aktivitas di luar saat ini untuk mengurangi klaster virus Covid-19. Karena tuntutan tersebut, perusahaan membutuhkan inovasi untuk meningkatkan kualitas pelayanan dalam menjaga kepuasan pelanggan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membandingkan kualitas pelayanan pelanggan sebelum dan sesudah penerapan PLN Mobile pada PT PLN (Persero) Unit Pelayanan Kuta Badung Bali. Penelitian kuantitatif ini menggunakan metode kuesioner yang diisi melalui Google Form dengan sistem Cluster Random Sampling. Teknik analisis data menggunakan Paired Sample T-Test. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan: (1) Tingkat kualitas pelayanan pelanggan dalam Pedoman PLN dikategorikan “Cukup”, artinya tidak efektif dalam mendapatkan pelayanan dari PT PLN (Persero) Kuta. (2) Tingkat kualitas pelayanan pelanggan setelah penerapan PLN Mobile dikategorikan “Sangat Tinggi”, artinya pelanggan puas dalam efisiensi waktu dengan pelayanan PLN dari PT PLN (Persero) Kuta. (3) Terdapat pengaruh yang kuat dengan perbedaan yang signifikan terhadap kualitas pelayanan pelanggan sebelum dan sesudah penerapan PLN Mobile.
MANAJEMEN MUTU DALAM PENYELENGGARAAN PENDIDIKAN

Latar belakang penelitian ini adalah pengelolaan untuk standar proses belum optimal dilaksanakan dengan baik, dan pengelolaan standar tenaga pendidik dan kependidikan belum maksimal diantaranya guru masih banyak tidak menguasai dalam penggunaan Teknologi Informasi (TI) sebagai sarana pendukung pembelajaran.Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui perencanaan, pelaksanaan, dan pengawasan manajemen mutu dalam penyelenggaraan pendidikan di SMPN 1 Karawang Barat. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode studi kasus yakni penelaahan secara empiris yang menyelidiki suatu gejala dalam latar kehidupan nyata. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa manajemen mutu dalam penyelenggaraan pendidikan di SMPN 1 Karawang Barat sudah dilakukan berdasarkan fungsi-fungsi manajemen. Perencanaan manajemen mutu dalam penyelenggaraan pendidikan di SMPN 1 Karawang Barat mengacu kepada standar pengelolaan pendidikan yang menjadi ketetapan Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan (BSNP) sehingga mencerminkan standar pengelolaan yang unggul dan berdaya saing. Pelaksanaan program pengelolaan pendayagunaan pendidik dan tenaga kependidikan yaitu melalui MGMP, workshop, in house training, pelatihan-pelatihan, penerapan sistem reward and punishment yang jelas bagi Guru, Tenaga Kependidikan dan Siswa. Pengawasan dan evaluasi terhadap manajemen mutu pendidikan pada SMPN 1 Karawang Barat adalah terkait input seperti sarana prasarana, peserta didik, tenaga pendidik, pembiayaan dan lain-lainnya belum sesuai dengan standar yang diharapkan untuk mencapai kualitas pendidikan.
Realist Perspectives on Nile Politics: Conflict and Cooperation between Ethiopia and Egypt

ABSTRACT In Northeast Africa, great power interests have often impeded local capabilities for effective statecraft in anarchy. However, construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile presents a revealing case study of evolving domestic constraints on foreign policy. Three realist perspectives may be drawn upon to analyze Nile Politics and the GERD through the prism of statecraft and statebuilding in contemporary Ethiopia. In the neoclassical realism analysis, Nile policymaking emerges as a murky outcome of elite preferences and threat constructions. In the subaltern realism analysis, Ethiopia’s construction of the GERD, in defiance of Egypt, is the culmination of a decade-long statebuilding project resulting in improved capabilities for statecraft. In the constructivist realism analysis, Nile politics reveal Ethiopia’s evolving interests and ideational constraints informing variations in preferences for assertive foreign policy orientation. Notably, and in contrast to the association of mainstream constructivist approaches with optimistic outcomes in international politics, analysis of the Nile conflict through constructivist realism reveals the most pessimistic outlook on peaceful resolution, compared to other approaches. Subaltern realism reveals the most optimistic outlook on the outcome of this conflict, due to greater incentives for cooperation introduced by statebuilding constraints in Ethiopia’s increasingly unstable contemporary polity.
Chromospheric dynamics based on infrared solar brightness variations

The NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory was used to observe far-infrared continuum brightness fluctuations in the lower chromosphere due to solar 5 minute oscillations on the quiet sun. Brightness measurements made at 50, 100, 200, and 400 microns show a strong correlation with visible-line Doppler measurements from photospheric and chromospheric altitudes. The motion of the chromosphere is nearly in phase over a large range of heights, while the infrared brightness lags the Doppler velocity by phases varying from significantly less than 90 deg at low altitudes to nearly 90 deg at higher altitudes. It is proposed that this is the result of a nonadiabatic response of the chromospheric gas to compression and may indicate an important mechanism for wave dissipation. Thermal relaxation times ranging from about 40 s at 340 km above the tau(5000) = 1 photosphere to about 300 s at 600 km are proposed.
Psychometric Validation of a Teamwork Skills Scale in a Vocational Training Context

The ability to work in a team is currently one of the most demanded competencies of professionals and, therefore, constitutes one of the key transversal aspects to be targeted by educational systems. This is especially important at stages prior to job insertion. The aim of the present study was to validate a scale measuring perceptions of teamwork skills within a sample of students undertaking vocational training in the south of Spain. For this, both exploratory (n = 879) and confirmatory (n = 1,843) factor analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS® 26 and IBM Amos Graphics® 23.0 software packages. This permitted a scale to be developed which was formed of ten indicators of teamwork skills. These indicators were grouped into three dimensions, namely, teamwork behaviors, ratings the importance of teamwork and self-perceptions of teamwork capabilities. Adequate fit indices were obtained (KMO = 0.845; CFI = 0.984; NFI = 0.978; IFI = 0.984; RMSEA = 0.037; and SRMR = 0.044). Thus, a robust and reliable scale is presented that rates student perspectives of essential aspects of Vocational Training, such as teamwork skills.
Preliminary Survey of Larval Trematodes in Freshwater Snails of Phitsanulok Province in Lower Northern Thailand

Background: Freshwater snails serve as intermediate hosts for a variety of trematodes that cause illness in the human and animal populations. Several species of freshwater snails in Thailand have been found to have larval trematode infections. We aimed to investigate a freshwater snail in Phitsanulok Province and report on its current status of larval trematode infection. Methods: Freshwater snails were collected from six localities (rice field and irrigation canal) by handpicking and using a count per unit of time sampling approach. The snails were identified by their external shell morphology. The shedding method was applied to observe the cercariae, which were photographed under a light microscope to determine their morphological types. Results: A total of 211 snails were classified into seven genera. The most abundant snail species was Lymnaea sp. , representing 31.3% of the sample, followed by Physella sp. , Bithynia sp. , Pomacea canaliculata, Filopaludina martensi, Indoplanorbis exustus, and Melanoides tuberculata, in that order. From the sample, 21 snails (9.95%), including Bithynia sp. , Lymnaea sp. , I. exustus, and M. tuberculata, were infected with cercarial trematodes, which could be categorized into four types, namely amphistome, parapleurolophocercous, echinostome, and xiphidiocercaria. Amphistome emerged from Bithynia sp. , and I. exustus was the most common cercaria to be recovered, representing 80.9% of all infected snails. Conclusion: This study presents the current prevalence of cercariae in infected snails within the studied area. It is important to manage intermediate host snails in order to restrict trematode life cycle completion.