Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trust, acceptance, and power: a person-centered client case study

ABSTRACT This case study examines the author’s therapeutic experience with one client presenting with anxiety, whilst working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this work shows the interrelation between theory, practice, and research in the author’s counseling psychology training with a person-centered/experiential approach. Firstly, the beginning of therapy contextualizes the work with a formulation and presents the initial phase of the therapeutic relationship. Secondly, the development of therapy explores how empathic understanding was fostered with a focus on the themes of trust, acceptance, and power to illustrate the client’s process of change and the therapeutic alliance. Thirdly, a prospective ending is outlined as therapy was still ongoing at the time of writing. Finally, the therapeutic experience is evaluated within an understanding of counseling psychology practice as an ethical enterprise.
Collagen Supplements for Aging and Wrinkles: A Paradigm Shift in the Fields of Dermatology and Cosmetics

Introduction Slowing the aging process by use of collagen supplements has become a driving force in the field of dermatology and cosmetics. Generally, oral and topical collagen are used in anti-aging products, as reported in the literature. Objectives The overarching goal of this research is to collate the consequences of oral collagen with those of topical collagen in reducing or delaying the aging process. Methods We executed an electronic search in Google Scholar and PubMed. We considered a study eligible if it was original research, published in English between 2010 and 2020, and if it provided information on the topic of collagen and aging. We retrieved 12 full-text articles, and these were assessed by reviewers independently. Results All human studies included in the review were randomized controlled trials mainly conducted in high- to middle-income countries which highlighted that both oral and topical collagen supplements help to delay the aging process, with no differences arising between the two types of collagen. The evidence from the reviewed studies suggested that both collagen supplements improve skin moisture, elasticity, and hydration when orally administered. Additionally, collagen reduces the wrinkling and roughness of the skin, and existing studies have not found any side effects of its oral supplements. Conclusions Both oral and topical collagen can contribute to reducing or delaying skin aging. Future epidemiological studies with large sample sizes and thorough follow-up measures would be required to comprehensively understand the potential effects of these two types of collagen on the aging process.
Migration and crop change: evidence from Brazil using a spatial equilibrium model

Climate-change forecasts for Brazil points to sizable and spatially heterogeneous changes in temperature. This is likely to spur migration and spatial changes in crop patterns. We develop a unique tractable model that integrates both migration and agricultural adaptation as responses to climate change. Our model considers that workers’ locational choice is impacted by climate change through three channels: a direct amenity-value channel, as well as the indirect agricultural wages and housing prices channels. The impacts from indirect channels are affected by how farmers adapt to the new climate. Our simulations predict up to an 18.25% increase in micro-region migration rates, with barely no effect from crop change. On the other hand, agricultural adaptation has important impacts in employment in agriculture. The South macro-region is predicted to have an increase in agriculture share of employment when farmers change crop patterns, this includes a reduction in agriculture area dedicated to the production of Maize and an increase the area dedicated to Coffee in the region. Our results help to identify populations most vulnerable to climate change and the regions where most gains from agricultural adaptation may come from. JEL Classification: Q15, Q54, R13, R14.
Evaluation of Antioxidants and Antimicrobial Properties of Indigenous Plants: Elaeocarpus sphaericus and Ficus religiosa

Elaeocarpus sphaericus (Rudraksha) and Ficus religiosa (Peepal) are the two different indigenous and religious plants found in Nepal. These plants are rich in antimicrobial as well as anti-inflammatory properties. The present study was done to determine the antioxidants, anti-microbial properties, as well as to analyze the various phytochemicals found in the methanolic extracts of leaves of the sampled plants. The Antioxidants levels were determined by the DPPH Scavenging Assay. The methanolic extracts of the plants showed antioxidant properties i.e., 98.01 and 122.3 μg/ml for Rudraksha and Peepal, respectively. Likewise, the Antibiotic Susceptibility test was performed by Well-Diffusion assay in Mueller Hinton agar (MHA) plates. The zone of inhibition against the Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus) bacterial isolates were observed, supporting the antimicrobial activity of the plant. Additionally, various qualitative tests were performed for determining the presence/absence of the phytochemicals. Both Peepal and Rudraksha extracts gave positive tests for Flavonoids, Terpenoids, Cyclic glycosides, volatile oils, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, anthraquinone, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, and reducing sugars, and phenols. Likewise, Saponins were found to be positive only in Peepal extracts with negative result for Phlabotannins and proteins. Thus, this research will help for utilizing the two religiously important plants i.e. Rudraksha and Peepal, for further researches in the medical field and preparation of various ayurvedic medicines.
Influence of Nutritional Intakes in Japan and the United States on COVID-19 Infection

The U.S. and Japan are both democratic industrialized societies, but the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths per million people in the U.S. (including Japanese Americans) are 12.1-times and 17.4-times higher, respectively, than those in Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of diet on preventing COVID-19 infection. An analysis of dietary intake and the prevalence of obesity in the populations of both countries was performed, and their effects on COVID-19 infection were examined. Approximately 1.5-times more saturated fat and less eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid are consumed in the U.S. than in Japan. Compared with food intakes in Japan (100%), those in the U.S. were as follows: beef 396%, sugar and sweeteners 235%, fish 44.3%, rice 11.5%, soybeans 0.5%, and tea 54.7%. The last four of these foods contain functional substances that prevent COVID-19. The prevalence of obesity is 7.4- and 10-times greater in the U.S. than in Japan for males and females, respectively. Mendelian randomization established a causal relationship between obesity and COVID-19 infection. Large differences in nutrient intakes and the prevalence of obesity, but not racial differences, may be partly responsible for differences in the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 between the U.S. and Japan.
Nutritional and Nutraceutical Properties of Mexican Traditional Mole Sauce

Mole sauce is one of the traditional Mexican foods; it is a complex mixture of ingredients of diverse origins that directly influence its nutritional value. The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant properties and nutritional components in five varieties of mole from Hidalgo in Mexico namely verde (V), ranchero (R), almendrado (A), casero (C), and pipian (P). Proximal chemical analysis and determination of the color index and the content of total starch, dietary fiber, mineral content (Ca, Na, K, and Mg), total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity by ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) and DPPH (2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) were carried out. All the five varieties of mole reported less than 25% moisture content while fat content varied from 42.9% to 58.25%. The color index ranged from a deep orange to a deep red color. A fair percentage of dietary fiber was found in all mole varieties with a low amount of starch as well. The presence of mostly insoluble dietary fiber, high phenolic content (36.13–79.49 mg GAE/100 g), and high antioxidant activity could be considered important strengths to boost the consumption of these traditional preparations. This research will contribute to a better scientific knowledge of traditional Mexican sauces as functional foods or nutraceuticals that could be used to avoid health disorders.
Understanding the intention to donate online in the Chinese context: The influence of norms and trust

Due to the advancement of information and communication technologies, online donations have become unprecedentedly convenient, making money received from individual online donations an important form of revenue for many charitable organizations in China. However, factors contributing to people’s online donation intentions, in turn impacting donating behavior, have been under-examined. The current study aims to understand factors influencing online donation intention in the Chinese cultural context by combining constructs from the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; including the original TPB constructs and moral norm) and trust-related constructs (i.e., trust in charity organizations and trust in technology). The moderation effect of past donation behavior on the relationship between trust and donation intention was also explored. A total of 721 Chinese participants completed the online survey. SPSS was used to perform hierarchical multiple regressions. The results showed that attitude, perceived behavioral control, moral norm, and subjective norm were all positively related to online donation intention. Moral norm was found to be a stronger predictor than subjective norm, raising the amount of explained variance of the original TPB model. Trust in charity organizations was found to positively predict donation intention while trust in technology was not. The results also revealed that past donation behavior moderated the effect of trust in charity organizations on donation intention. This study not only adds to the body of knowledge on charitable donation in the online context by incorporating two trust-related constructs into the extended TPB model, but also highlights the different roles moral and subjective norms play in predicting people’s prosocial behavior in the context of Chinese culture.
Ameliorative effect of tocotrienol and selenium yeast against the adverse effect of florfenicol in broilers’ liver

The prolonged use of florfenicol can lead to detrimental side effects in poultry. This work focuses on the role of tocotrienol and selenium yeast to mitigate the adverse effects of florfenicol in broilers’ liver. One hundred and fifty, one-day-old Cobb broiler chicks where equally divided in 5 experimental groups according to the following experimental design: Group (1) control group chicks fed to a balanced diet only. Group (2) Chicks treated with florfenicol (20 mg/kg b.w.) per bird for 3 successive days and the florfenicol was administered in other groups by the same dose and for the same period of time. Group (3) chicks treated with florfenicol and tocotrienol (170 mg/kg b.w.) for 7 successive days. Group (4) Chicks treated with florfenicol and selenium yeast (0.15mg /kg b.w., on feed) for 7 successive days. Group (5) Chicks treated with a combination of florfenicol, tocotrienol and selenium yeast. Chickens treated with florfenicol exhibited an increased level in hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), as well asa decreasedlevel in hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH). Tocotrienol and selenium yeast decreased the MDA and increased SOD and GSH in hepatic tissue as well as return ALP, cholesterol, triglyceride and VLDL to their normal levels. Treated chicks with tocotrienol returned serum (ALT) to normal activity but serum total protein and albumin levels were increased. Theselenium yeast treated groups showed an increase of serum total globulin. Histopathologically, florfenicol treated group had focal hepatic leukocytic infiltration and focal coagulative necrosis of hepatocytes but chickens with the combination of tocotrienol and selenium yeast had activated Kupffer cells and revealed less evident necrotic changes in liver. In conclusion, tocotrienol and selenium yeast administrated alone or in combination highlightedimproved antioxidant effects and mitigated the lipid peroxidation in broilers’ liver treated with florfenicol. Thus, tocotrienol and selenium yeastcan improve the safety of using florfenicol in broiler chickens under experimental conditions.
Item Nonresponse in Web Versus Other Survey Modes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Nonresponse is a fundamental issue in survey research, due to the trend of declining response rates across survey modes. This issue is particularly serious for web surveys: A recent meta-analysis found that unit nonresponse in web surveys is, on average, higher by 12 percentage points than in other modes (Daikeler et al., 2020). Although the issue of unit nonresponse in web and other survey modes has been investigated in several meta-analyses, item nonresponse has not been examined meta-analytically, a gap addressed by this paper. Are web surveys at a disadvantage compared to other survey modes in terms of item nonresponse as well? To address this question, 13 eligible experimental manuscripts reporting 23 effect sizes were identified in a comprehensive literature search. Meta-analytic findings showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the average item nonresponse rate in web versus other survey modes. However, six moderator variables were found to statistically significantly affect the relation between the survey mode and the item nonresponse rate, namely, the target population, the number of contacts, the mode to which the web survey mode was compared, the survey sponsor, the age of the survey, and the baseline item nonresponse rate of the compared mode. The main practical implication is that while web and other survey modes differ in terms of unit nonresponse (on average), item nonresponse rates in web surveys are similar compared to other modes.
MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS AFFECTING RURAL WOMEN TO START-UP NEW VENTURE IN LIVESTOCK SECTOR

Entrepreneurship is an engine for the economic growth of any country. Now rural people are focusing more on livestock and value-added products as compared to conventional crops. In Pakistan, livestock is a source of security and opportunity for employment and net cash for rural women. This study investigates the motivational factors affecting rural women to start up new ventures in the livestock sector. In this study, the triangulation approach was used for data collection. A multi-stage sampling technique was used for the collection of quantitative data from three districts of Punjab Pakistan through a structured interview schedule. A total of 396 women respondents were selected by using a simple random sampling technique. Study results revealed that women entrepreneurs faced many hurdles such as lack of training, credit, access to resources, freedom of mobility, and lack of decision-making power. Bivariate analysis showed that age, education, income, family support, livestock management training, micro-credit, participation in decision-making played a key role in women’s entrepreneurship. Adequate training must be given to women entrepreneurs at the farm level, and guidance at all stages can be effective ways to cope with the problems of women entrepreneurs that hinder success in entrepreneurship. Keywords: Women, livestock, Entrepreneurship, startup venture, Punjab, Pakistan
Volcanic Climate Warming Through Radiative and Dynamical Feedbacks of SO2 Emissions

Volcanic flood basalt eruptions have been linked to or are contemporaneous with major climate disruptions, ocean anoxic events, and mass extinctions throughout at least the last 400 M years of Earth's history. Previous studies and recent history have shown that volcanically‐driven climate cooling can occur through reflection of sunlight by H2SO4 aerosols, while longer‐term climate warming can occur via CO2 emissions. We use the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry‐Climate Model to simulate a 4‐year duration volcanic SO2 emission of the scale of the Wapshilla Ridge member of the Columbia River Basalt eruption. Brief cooling from H2SO4 aerosols is outweighed by dynamically and radiatively driven warming of the climate through a three orders of magnitude increase in stratospheric H2O vapor.
Rye Flour and Rye Bran: New Perspectives for Use

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is abundantly cultivated in countries like Europe and North America, particularly in regions where soil and climate conditions are unfavorable for the growth of other cereals. Among all the cereals generally consumed by human beings, rye grains are characterized by the presence of the highest content of fiber. They are also a rich source of many phytochemical compounds, which are mainly distributed in the outer parts of the grain. This review focuses on the current knowledge regarding the characteristics of rye bran and wholemeal rye flour, as well as their applications in the production of both food and nonfood products. Previous studies have shown that the physicochemical properties of ground rye products are determined by the type of milling technique used to grind the grains. In addition, the essential biologically active compounds found in rye grains were isolated and characterized. Subsequently, the possibility of incorporating wholemeal rye flour, rye bran, and other compounds extracted from rye bran into different industrial products is discussed.
A combined scheme of narrow-band interference suppression for satellite spread-spectrum communication system

A novel narrow-band interference suppression scheme based on overlapped and windowed DFT was proposed for an OQPSK-modulated satellite spread-spectrum communication system.Several windows which satisfy the perfect reconstruction condition were simulated,and the relation between their performance and sidelobe characteristic was deeply analyzed.Several new transform-domain algorithms,such as the CME,preexcision algorithm,and FCME,were analyzed in aspects of efficiency and complexity of implementation.Finally,a combined scheme of Hann window and the pre-excision algorithm was suggested,and its BER performance was improved by almost 5dB as compared to the conventional Cappoza scheme.
Practice-Based Knowledge for REDD+ in Vanuatu

Abstract The rural populations of small island developing states in the Pacific region are amongst the most exposed to the harsh realities of climate change. Forest management, tree planting, and agroforestry are some of the most promising strategies to build local resilience while providing food and income security in these remote areas. In this paper, we outline the contextual reasons for why deforestation and forest degradation continues, and provide practice-based approaches for REDD + to address deforestation. Our transdisciplinary methods include the construction of seven land use models to compare business-as-usual scenarios with respective REDD + strategies across Vanuatu’s five REDD + islands, combined with a case study of Vanuatu’s first REDD + project. Close collaboration between international researchers, local government officials, and Ni-Vanuatu non-governmental organizations and communities allowed for information sharing across epistemologies, adding local, place-based knowledge to scientific inquiry, responding to calls for more ‘locally led’ approaches to climate adaptation in Vanuatu.
Multi-disciplinary characterizations of the BedrettoLab – a new underground geoscience research facility

Abstract. The increased interest in subsurface development (e.g., unconventional hydrocarbon, engineered geothermal systems (EGSs), waste disposal) and the associated (triggered or induced) seismicity calls for a better understanding of the hydro-seismo-mechanical coupling in fractured rock masses. Being able to bridge the knowledge gap between laboratory and reservoir scales, controllable meso-scale in situ experiments are deemed indispensable. In an effort to access and instrument rock masses of hectometer size, the Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geosciences and Geoenergies (“BedrettoLab”) was established in 2018 in the existing Bedretto Tunnel (Ticino, Switzerland), with an average overburden of 1000 m. In this paper, we introduce the BedrettoLab, its general setting and current status. Combined geological, geomechanical and geophysical methods were employed in a hectometer-scale rock mass explored by several boreholes to characterize the in situ conditions and internal structures of the rock volume. The rock volume features three distinct units, with the middle fault zone sandwiched by two relatively intact units. The middle fault zone unit appears to be a representative feature of the site, as similar structures repeat every several hundreds of meters along the tunnel. The lithological variations across the characterization boreholes manifest the complexity and heterogeneity of the rock volume and are accompanied by compartmentalized hydrostructures and significant stress rotations. With this complexity, the characterized rock volume is considered characteristic of the heterogeneity that is typically encountered in subsurface exploration and development. The BedrettoLab can adequately serve as a test-bed that allows for in-depth study of the hydro-seismo-mechanical response of fractured crystalline rock masses.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Reporting Quality

This article examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial reporting quality. Our findings show that firms with higher levels of corporate social responsibility are associated with higher accuracy of financial forecasts, fewer earnings surprises, and greater coverage by financial analysts. Empirical results hold after we account for potential endogeneity in this relationship. Additional analyses reveal that firms with lower agency concerns, higher customer awareness, more long-term institutional investors, and fewer financial constraints have a stronger positive relationship between CSR and financial reporting quality. Finally, we document the economic implications of this relationship for firm risk and information disclosure. JEL Classification Codes: G10, G32, M14, M40
Customer satisfaction – dilemma of comparing multiple scale scores

Most businesses use customer satisfaction scores. It is difficult to compare scores obtained on one scale with another. For instance, if an organisation is rated 4 on a 5-point scale and another organisation is rated 3 on a 4-point scale, should they be considered equal or different? If the approximation is applied, e.g. considering a score of 8 on a 10-point scale as 80% on a percentage scale, it can be incorrect. This study suggests a mechanism by which customer satisfaction responses from one scale can be converted to an estimated response on another scale. Ten satisfaction scales of varying length are compared by collecting responses from over 400 participants. Data are analysed using correlation and polynomial regression methods. Methodology and matrix to convert scores are prescribed. Merits and demerits of different scales are presented. It is observed that the 10-point ordinal scale is more suitable for the measurement of satisfaction and for inter-scale conversion. A percentage scale is also a good option for this purpose. Scales of less than 7-point length are not proved good from a score conversion perspective. The study will help individuals, organisations, and business analytics companies analyse customer satisfaction data measured on multiple scales.