Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sustainability and regional security in the context of Lithuania

The article explores the relationship between sustainable development and the regional security complex. Problems of sustainability are widely analysed since the goals of sustainable development are based on the same principles that are relevant to every country. Implementation of the sustainable development goals contributes to the understanding that the contemporary lifestyle, consumption, globalisation and the use of natural resources may have a significant impact on the quality of life of future generations. Therefore, the state’s responsibility is to ensure economic, social, environmental, cultural and political security for the present and future generations in all regions. However, the regional security complex has not been analysed sufficiently. The goal of this article is to analyse the relationship between sustainability and regional security in terms of the situation in Lithuania with regards to its economic, social and military security. The regional security complex and sustainable development may be determined and analysed by way of observing the same factors and indicators. Indicators describing economic, social and political security are analysed to reach the objective of the article. Authors of the article have chosen segmentation and classification methods such as decision making trees to conduct the research. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the economic and social factors are directly related to the political (military) security in the regions of Lithuania. Therefore, further research could focus on clarifying the full regional security complex that is relevant to each region in Lithuania.
Assessing and assisting prospective adoptive parents: Social workers’ communicative strategies in adoption assessment interviews

The assessment of prospective adoptive parents is a complex task for professional social workers. In this study, we examine the structure and function of professional social workers’ follow-up questions in assessment talk with adoption applicants. The analysis shows that adoption assessment through interviews involved a delicate and complex task that was accomplished by using a particular genre of institutional talk. This both invited the applicants’ extended and ‘open-ended’ responses and steered these responses and their development towards the institutionally relevant topics. Detailed interaction analysis demonstrates that social workers used a broad range of question types to steer and guide applicants’ responses, organising talk about specific assessment topics. On the basis of initial open-ended topic initiations and applicants’ responses, the social workers steered topic development by using follow-up moves such as polar questions and clarifying questions that asked for specification, challenged applicants’ ideas, confirmed their knowledge and encouraged self-reflection. These follow-up moves allowed social workers to achieve the progression of talk into relevant areas of investigation and constituted a central and characteristic feature of assessment interviews. We suggest that they allow social workers to accomplish two hybrid institutional goals: i) the assessment of applicants’ suitability and ii) applicants’ preparation for future parenthood.
MGIDI and WAASB indices: The useful approaches for selection of salt-tolerant barley genotype at the early growth and maturity stages

Salinity stress is one of the major limiting abiotic stresses that decrease crop production worldwide. To recommend genotypes for cultivation under saline stress conditions, comprehensive understanding of genetic basis and plant responses to this stress is need. In the present study, a total of 20 barley genotypes were investigated to isolate potential salt-tolerant genotypes at the early growth stage using hydroponic system, and adult plant under field conditions. Different growth and physiological traits including root fresh and dry weights (RFW and RDW), shoot fresh and dry weights (SFW and SDW), relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), relative chlorophyll content (SPAD index), root and shoot Na+ (RN and SN), root and shoot K+ (RK and SK), root and shoot K+:Na+ ratios (RKN and SKN), root-to-shoot Na+ translocation (RTSN), root-to-shoot K+ translocation (RTSK), stomatal conductance (GS), transpiration rate (TE), and photosynthesis rate (PN) were measured. Barley seedling were treated with two salinity levels (0 mM NaCl (as control conditions) and 200 mM NaCl (as stress conditions)) for 30 days. Moreover, the yield performance and stability of investigated barley genotypes were evaluated across five environments during the 2018–2020 cropping seasons. Salinity stress significantly decreased growth and physiological traits in all seedling plants; however, some salt-tolerant genotypes showed the lowest reduction in measured traits. Multivariate analysis grouped measured traits and tested genotypes into different clusters. The multi-trait genotype–ideotype distance index (MGIDI) selected genotypes G12, G14, G6, G7, and G16 as the salt-tolerant barley genotypes. Considering the results of the AMMI analysis showed that grain yields of tested barley genotypes were influenced by environment (E), genotype (G) and GE interaction effects. Based on the weighted average of absolute scores of the genotype index (WAASB) and other stability statistics, G7, G8, G14, and G16 were selected as superior genotypes. Considering the outputs of MGIDI and WAASB indices revealed that three genotypes G7, G14 and G16 can be recommended as new genetic resources for improving and stabilizing grain yield in barley programs for the moderate climate and saline regions of Iran. In conclusion, our results suggest that the using MGIDI index in the early growth stage can accelerate screening nurseries in barley breeding programs.
INFLUENCE OF QUALITY OF WORK LIFE, PERCEIVED UNION EFFECTIVENESS AND JOB SECURITY ON UNION COMMITMENT AMONG BANK EMPLOYEES

This study investigates the influence of quality of work-life, perceived union effectiveness, job security on union commitment among bank employees in Malaysia. This study is motivated by the decline of union density ii worldwide in recent times. Specifically, the objective of the study is to examine the influence of quality of work life, perceived union effectiveness, job security as well as descriptive generational differences and union branch differences on union commitment. To achieve the research objectives, primary data was collected through survey questionnaire which was distributed to all five branches of the National Union ~f Bank Employees (NUBE) in Malaysia. The data were collected from 350 respond end using simple random sampling. The data was analyzed using multiple regression analysis, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA test. The finding of the stuff indicates that quality of work-life, perceived union effectiveness and union brunches had a positive and significant influence on union commitment. On the other hand, job security had shown insignificant influence on union commitment. Thus the representatives or the leaders in NUBE should focus more on the job insecurity of member in banking sector and should not discourage the younger generation to participate in the union activities. Membership declining dilemma can be sort out by giving priorities to important issue such as job security among banking employees.
Impact of a Curriculum-integrated Dance Program on Literacy and Numeracy: A Mixed Methods Study on Primary School Children

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the changes in literacy and numeracy levels on schoolchildren across four New Zealand primary schools. A total of 187 schoolchildren aged 8–9 years were assigned to either a dance group (n = 101) or control group (n = 86). The dance group (DG) from each school participated in a six-week, curriculum-integrated dance program with their teacher during school time. Mathematics and reading aptitude were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention timepoints using standardized questionnaires. DG participants shared their perceptions of the dance program through journal reflections and focus group interviews. Intervention effects were assessed using generalized linear models, and children’s perceptions of the program were thematically analyzed. The intervention had positive effects on reading for children with special needs and those of Asian descent. Children’s reflections suggest that the dance program may have deepened their understanding of mathematics and enhanced their English vocabulary and comprehension.
General Quantum Field Theory of Flavor Mixing and Oscillations

We review the canonical transformation in quantum physics known as the Bogoliubov transformation and present its application to the general theory of quantum field mixing and oscillations with an arbitrary number of mixed particles with either boson or fermion statistics. The mixing relations for quantum states are derived directly from the definition of mixing for quantum fields and the unitary inequivalence of the Fock space of energy and flavor eigenstates is shown by a straightforward algebraic method. The time dynamics of the interacting fields is then explicitly solved and the flavor oscillation formulas are derived in a unified general formulation with emphasis on antiparticle content and effect introduced by nontrivial flavor vacuum.
Health-related quality of life of COVID-19 survivors at 6 months after hospital discharge: a cohort study

Background: COVID-19 is a multi-systemic disease that is highly contagious and pathogenic. The long-term consequences of it are not yet clear, as is whether society and life can return to a healthy state. Long-term assessment of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is essential. This study aimed to investigate HRQoL and its risk factors in COVID-19 survivors at a follow-up of 6-month. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted among 192 COVID-19 patients with confirmed age ≥ 18 years who were discharged from various hospitals in Wuhan from January to April 2020. The demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and laboratory results of the study subjects were obtained from the hospital's medical records. Survivors' HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form 36 (SF-36), cognition was assessed using the ascertain dementia eight-item informant questionnaire (AD8), and survivors' pulmonary function were examined. All participants in this study completed the survey and testing at Hubei Provincial Hospital of Chinese and Western Medicine. SF-36 scores were compared with the Chinese norm, and logistic regression and multivariate analysis were used to investigate the factors affecting HRQoL in COVID-19 survivors. Results: SF-36 showed significant differences in HRQoL between COVID-19 survivors and the general Chinese population ( P< 0.05). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that age was negatively correlated with physical functioning (PF), role-physical limitation (RP) and social functioning (SF) ( P <0.05). Bodily pain (BP), vitality (VT), SF and role-emotional limitation (RE) were negatively correlated with females ( P <0.05). Length from discharge to follow‐up was positively correlated with PF and RP ( P <0.05). Abnormal cognitive function was negatively correlated with PF, RP, general health (GH), VT, SF, RE and mental health (MH) ( P <0.05). Abnormal Carbon Monoxide Diffusing Capacity (DLCO%<80%) was significantly negatively correlated with PF and SF ( P <0.05). In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between Coronary heart disease and RP, GH, VT and RE ( P <0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age(OR 1.032) and AD8 scores (OR 1.203)were risk factors associated with a low physical component summary (PCS) score. Length from discharge to follow‐up (OR 0.971) was the protective factor for PCS score. Abnormal cognitive function (OR 1.543) was a significant determinant associated with a mental component summary (MCS)<50 in COVID-19 patients. Conclusions: The HRQoL of COVID-19 survivors remains to be improved at six-month follow-up. Future studies should track HRQoL in older adults, women, patients with abnormal DLCO, and abnormal cognitive function for a long time and provide them with rehabilitation advice and guidance.
COVID-19 misinformation and the 2020 U.S. presidential election

Voting is the defining act for a democracy. However, voting is only meaningful if public deliberation is grounded in veritable and equitable information. This essay investigates the politicization of public health practices during the Democratic primaries in the context of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, using a dataset of more than 67 million tweets. We find the public sphere on Twitter is politically heterogeneous and the majority—liberal and conservative alike—advocates for wearing masks and vote-by-mail. However, a small, but dense group of conservative users push anti-mask and voter fraud narratives.
Gas Plasma Technology Augments Ovalbumin Immunogenicity and OT‐II T Cell Activation Conferring Tumor Protection in Mice

Reactive oxygen species (ROS/RNS) are produced during inflammation and elicit protein modifications, but the immunological consequences are largely unknown. Gas plasma technology capable of generating an unmatched variety of ROS/RNS is deployed to mimic inflammation and study the significance of ROS/RNS modifications using the model protein chicken ovalbumin (Ova vs oxOva). Dynamic light scattering and circular dichroism spectroscopy reveal structural modifications in oxOva compared to Ova. T cells from Ova‐specific OT‐II but not from C57BL/6 or SKH‐1 wild type mice presents enhanced activation after Ova addition. OxOva exacerbates this activation when administered ex vivo or in vivo, along with an increased interferon‐gamma production, a known anti‐melanoma agent. OxOva vaccination of wild type mice followed by inoculation of syngeneic B16F10 Ova‐expressing melanoma cells shows enhanced T cell number and activation, decreased tumor burden, and elevated numbers of antigen‐presenting cells when compared to their Ova‐vaccinated counterparts. Analysis of oxOva using mass spectrometry identifies three hot spots regions rich in oxidative modifications that are associated with the increased T cell activation. Using Ova as a model protein, the findings suggest an immunomodulating role of multi‐ROS/RNS modifications that may spur novel research lines in inflammation research and for vaccination strategies in oncology.
Hyperspectral image, video compression using sparse tucker tensor decomposition

Hyperspectral image and videos provide rich spectral information content, which facilitates accurate classiﬁcation, unmixing, temporal change detection, and so on. However, with the rapid improvements in technology, the data size has increased many folds. To properly handle the enormous data volume, efﬁcient methods are required to compress the data. This paper proposes a multi-way approach for compression of the hyperspectral image or video sequence. In this approach, a differential representation of the data is ﬁrst obtained. In the case of hyperspectral images, the difference between consecutive bands is obtained and in case of videos, the difference between consecutive frames is computed. In the next step, a sparse Tucker tensor decomposition is performed and the sparse core tensor obtained. Finally, the core tensor and the corresponding factor matrices are truncated and the data encoded to obtain the compressed version for transmission. The compression method utilises the multi-way structure of the data and hence can be extended for hyperspectral videos. Experimental results on several real data imply that the proposed compression approach obtains better efﬁciency in terms of compression ratio, signal to noise ratio.
Oral Health Status After Orthodontic Treatment: a Retrospective Study

Orthodontic appliances in the oral cavity may cause problems such as white spot lesions, dental plaque, periodontal disease and root resorption. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between orthodontic treatment and oral health parameters including visible dental plaque, gingival recession and white spot lesions (WSLs). A total of 170 patients (86 females, 84 males) were randomly selected to determine visible dental plaque, gingival recession and white spot lesions by using pre-treatment and post-treatment oral photographs. Except of previously extracted teeth, maxillary and mandibular incisors, canine, 1st and 2nd premolars and 1st molar were evaluated. There was a significant difference between the T0 (before treatment) and T1 (after treatment) groups in visible plaque (P< 0.001). The distribution of gingival recession frequencies according to Miller classification before treatment did not differ from the after treatment (P=.082). A statistically significant increase in the severity of WSL was detected between the two time points (P< 0.001). Males have been shown to have higher WSL incidence after treatment. In conclusion, the present study showed that visible dental plaque and white spot lesions significant increase after orthodontic treatment. Considering the relationship between oral health and orthodontic treatment, clinicians and patients should know the risks and take precautions.
Effects of land fragmentation on farm efficiency in three agro-ecological zones of Embu County in Kenya

This paper is based on a study that was carried out to evaluate the effect of land fragmentation on farm efficiency in three agro-ecological zones of Embu County in Kenya from July 2017 to March 2018. The study used data collected from 384 farm-households that were randomly selected from three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) in the Embu County, using the multistage stratified sampling method. The AEZs were the Sunflower-Cotton Zone, the Coffee Zone and the Tea Zone, based on the official classification system in Kenya. Farm technical efficiency was measured using non-parametric data envelopment analysis. The multinomial regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of farm size and other factors on farm efficiency. Farm size was found to have a negative and significant effect on farm efficiency in the Coffee Zone (p=0.013, β=0.879) and Tea Zone (p=0.046, β=1.016), but was insignificant in the Sunflower-Cotton Zone. However, the study revealed that the impact of farm size on farm efficiency varies within and across different agro-ecological zones. Other key factors that were found to significantly affect farm efficiency in combination with farm size are distance to market outlet, household head’s level of education and age and farm access to credit and irrigation water. Similarly, the impact of these factors was found to vary in and across the three zones. For improvement of farm efficiency in the study area, this study recommends that the remaining large farms in the Tea Zone be managed as smaller semi-autonomous blocks. Other recommendations made were increasing access to agricultural education, markets, credit and irrigation water. Key words: Land fragmentation, farm size, agro-ecological zones, technical efficiency, mixed farming.
Second language motivational self system of sixth graders in Turkey: A correlational study

Motivation is one of the most salient key notions in foreign and second language (L2) contexts. Behind the learning continuum lie various factors, and motivation is one of the primary affective factors having influence on language acquisition (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011; Henry & Cliffordson, 2013; Thompson & Erdil-Moody, 2014). It is equally important to understand the notion of L2 motivation in sixth graders and its relationship with certain factors (e.g., school type, gender) in L2 contexts. This study contributes to this line of research by examining the relationship between the variables of school type, gender, intended effort, and the L2 motivational self system (L2MSS; Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) of sixth graders in Turkey. Although research in this strand has been done in various L2 contexts DOI: 10.1002/tesj.518
Investigation on the Properties of Cement Mortars with Fluid Petroleum Catalyst Residue (FPCR)

Fluid petroleum catalyst residue (FPCR) is a by-product material produced in the industry of petroleum. This research presents an experimental work to investigate the effect of FPCR as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in five replacement levels of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% from the dry weight of cement. For this purpose, the setting times and compressive strength were examined at ages of 3, 7, and 28 days to assess the performance of mortar samples concerning reference mix (mix with zero replacement). The findings exhibited that the compressive strengths of mortar with 10% FPCR replacement at early and later ages increased compared with the control OPC. The 10% replacement level of FPCR has almost the same initial setting time to that of OPC, while there was a slight reduction in the final setting time. The developed mortars had significant changes in their microstructures with time, as observed by the imaging from SEM. The cost of the cement industry and its negative impacts, including CO2 emissions, can be reduced considerably as a result of this study.
Chinese national civilized city and corporate social responsibility: will civilized city promote corporate social responsibility?

ABSTRACT The continuous improvement of China’s status in the world economy has also promoted China’s urban construction. The Chinese government proposes to build a more civilized and more sustainable city, and awards National Civilized City Award (NCCA) to cities that meet the standards. In order to obtain the title of NCCA, local governments use administrative power and formulate relevant laws to have a profound impact on local enterprises, such as assuming more corporate social responsibilities. Based on the data of listed enterprises in China from 2012 to 2018, the PSM-DID method is used to empirically test the impact of NCCA on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The result shows that the NCCA campaign has significantly improved the CSR of local enterprises; NCCA has a greater positive impact on CSR to customer and environmental. The research links the creation of a civilized city with CSR for the first time, reflecting the Chinese characteristics that policies have a significant impact on enterprises.
Climate-Responsive Green-Space Design Inspired by Traditional Gardens: Microclimate and Human Thermal Comfort of Japanese Gardens

Urban green spaces can provide relaxation, exercise, social interaction, and many other benefits for their communities, towns, and cities. However, green spaces in hot and humid regions risk being underutilized by residents unless thermal environments are designed to be sufficiently comfortable. Understanding what conditions are needed for comfortable outdoor spaces, particularly how people feel in regard to their thermal environment, is vital in designing spaces for public use. Traditional gardens are excellent examples of successful microclimate design from which we can learn, as they are developed over the generations through observation and modification. This study analyzed how Japanese gardens affect people’s thermal stress on extremely hot summer days. Meteorological data was collected in three Japanese gardens, and human thermal comfort was evaluated through physiological equivalent temperature (PET). Statistical analysis examined the relationship between spatial configurations of the gardens and thermal comfort. Our study revealed that Japanese gardens can efficiently ameliorate thermal stress. Spatial analysis showed that garden elements affect thermal comfort variously depending on time of the day and spatial distribution.