Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Awareness of the EFL Learner of Contrastive Linguistics Between English and Arabic: A Case Study

Corpus-based contrastive linguistics has rarely been thoroughly explored with regards to cognitive awareness of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Arabic first language (L1) speaking learners. The current study, based on an intervention, quasi-experimental quantitative research design, aims at presenting a pedagogical implementation of learners’ awareness driven instructions on contrastive linguistics between English and Arabic languages interchangeably. A purposefully selected sample of 69 beginner level (A1 CEFR) Saudi EFL learners were placed into an experimental group (n = 35) and a control group (n = 34). Learners in the experimental group were exposed to four grammatical contrastive linguistics criteria (between English and Arabic) over a 14-weeks semester duration, and the control group underwent a normal taught course with no intervention over the same teaching duration. Both groups were assessed via purposefully designed, 20-items grammar test before and after the 14-weeks duration. The gathered data was analysed with one sample and independent samples t-tests. The analysis revealed the outperformance of the experimental group compared to the control group in all four grammatical contrastive linguistics criteria. The study concludes with pedagogical implications on the principle of utilising contrastive linguistics as a pedagogical tool in an EFL context.
Selected ‘Starter Kit’ energy system modelling data for Mali (#CCG)

Energy system modelling can be used to assess the implications of different scenarios and support improved policymaking. However, access to data is often a barrier to starting energy system modelling in developing countries, thereby causing delays. Therefore, this article provides data that can be used to create a simple zero order energy system model for Mali, which can act as a starting point for further model development and scenario analysis. The data are collected entirely from publicly available and accessible sources, including the websites and databases of international organizations, journal articles, and existing modelling studies. This means that the dataset can be easily updated based on the latest available information or more detailed and accurate local data. These data were also used to calibrate a simple energy system model using the Open Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS) and three stylized scenarios (Fossil Future, Least Cost and Net Zero by 2050) for 2020–2050. The assumptions used and results of these scenarios are presented in the appendix as an illustrative example of what can be done with these data. This simple model can be adapted and further developed by in-country analysts and academics, providing a platform for future work.
TaxiBJ21: An open crowd flow dataset based on Beijing taxi GPS trajectories

Crowd flow prediction has been a significant problem in smart cities. Real‐world datasets are the basis of designing data‐driven models, for example, machine learning and deep learning models. However, some well‐known datasets, for example, TaxiBJ, become unavailable when the original sharing links are deleted as the data providers move to new jobs. As an alternative choice, TaxiBJ21 is proposed in this letter for future crowd flow prediction studies. This new open dataset contains the taxi inflow and outflow matrices in Beijing for 3 months, with the same data format as TaxiBJ and can be used in the current literature seamlessly. In this letter, the process of constructing TaxiBJ21 is introduced and three baselines including two simple historical models and a multilayer perceptron neural network are evaluated on this new dataset as benchmarks. Both the data and baselines are publicly available in a Github repository.
Marketing Differences Study Motivations between Luso and Brazil Students

Motivation to learn is one of the most relevant aspects of student success in the learning process. Measuring motivation is essential in all higher education institutions (HEI). It is also important for teachers to understand the best way to encourage and motivate their students to make enforces in their constant learning. This study’s general objective is to understand if there are differences in motivation to study Marketing curricular units between Portuguese (PT) and Brazilian (BR) students. We applied the Academic Motivation Scale to 156 students (82 PT and 74 BR) to measure their motivation and understand significant differences. The results showed that both groups of students are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to study Marketing, although Brazilian students have higher motivation indices. This study contributes to the evolution of knowledge in higher education. It allows institutions to take short, medium and long-term measures on how to increase their students’ motivation levels. The use of the scale adapted to Marketing is also one of the contributions to future studies.
Violation of Conditional Independence in the Many-Facets Rasch Model

ABSTRACT Estimation of parameters for the many-facets Rasch model requires that conditional on the values of the facets, such as person ability, item difficulty, and rater severity, the observed responses within each facet are independent. This requirement has often been discussed for the Rasch models and 2PL and 3PL models, but it becomes more complex with more facets. To show how violation of conditional independence may be exhibited, three scenarios with different types of dependency are developed: (a) raters rating the same work, (b) a residual ability shared by two tasks, and (c) score on one task dependent on observed score on a previous task.
Acute revascularization in ischemic stroke: Updated Swiss guidelines

In acute ischemic stroke, intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and acute endovascular therapy (EVT) have been shown to reduce long-term disability in randomized trials. International guidelines are partially not up to date and may not address situations for which there is limited scientific evidence. The goals of the present guidelines are to summarize the current scientific data for acute revascularization treatments to make sure that all Swiss Centers apply a similar, evidence, or consensus-based treatment standard. A multidisciplinary working group of the Swiss Stroke Society (SSS) searched and reviewed the literature on new randomized controlled trials (RCTs), large case series, meta-analyses, and other guidelines since the previous recommendations in 2009 to elaborate the consensus guidelines. The new RCTs have confirmed the effectiveness of IVT in various populations up to 4.5 h and proven the benefit of acute EVT up to approximately 8 h. For patients with unknown onset (including wake-up stroke), IVT and EVT can be effective up to 24 h after last proof of good health if patients are selected with advanced neuroimaging. Multiple case series and meta-analyses allow narrowing down the indications and relative and absolute contraindications to optimize the benefit–risk ratio of acute revascularization.
Localized-state ensemble model analysis of InGaN/GaN quantum well structures with different dislocation densities

The influence of dislocations on luminescence of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells was investigated by temperature-dependent and time-resolved room-temperature photoluminescence measurements and analyzed via localized-state ensemble model. The results show that dislocations decrease non-radiative recombination time and do not affect either radiative recombination time or non-radiative recombination mechanism. Moreover, dislocation-related broadening, increasing linearly with increased dislocation density, was found to take place. However, a significant part of spectral width (∼55 meV) is not defined by either dislocation-induced or alloy- and thermally-induced broadening, revealing the existence of other broadening mechanisms (e.g. carrier–carrier scattering-induced broadening).
Participation, involvement and peer relationships in children with special educational needs in early childhood education

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to obtain new information about the diversity of everyday activities and social relations among children with special education needs (N = 145) in Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) units. In this research children´s daily activities, involvement, target of attention and social relations during play and other social activities in different groups formed according to children’s special educational needs are investigated. Results revealed that children with problems in self-regulation and children with major disabilities spent less time with peers and in various social activities than children with developmental language disorder and children without special education needs. The results suggest that inclusive practices are still only under development within the Finnish ECEC units. Practical implications of the results concerning ways to support children’s equal participation in daily activities in early childhood education and in building peer relationships, regardless of the amount of needed support are discussed.
COX-2 Regulates the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Activated Hepatic Stellate Cells through CDC27

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an important rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs), which can be upregulated by various stimuli. COX-2 has been shown to be involved in the occurrence and development of hepatic fibrosis by regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in previous studies. The aims of the study are to study the mechanism of how COX-2 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of HSCs and to provide new targets for the prevention and treatment of hepatic fibrosis. A short hairpin RNA targeting COX-2 was constructed, and the changes in proliferation and apoptosis of liver tissue cells and HSCs were observed, respectively. COX-2-shRNA-1 significantly suppressed the proliferation of HSCs in vivo. Moreover, knockdown of COX-2 significantly suppressed cell proliferation and accelerated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro. Among those differential genes related to cell proliferation and apoptosis, CDC27 and Sh3kbp1 were upregulated, but Plcd4 was suppressed. Mechanistically, the influence of COX-2 on HSCs partly depends on upregulating CDC27. Our results demonstrated that COX-2 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of activated hepatic stellate cells through the CDC27 pathway. This study contributes to our understanding of the effect of COX-2 for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.
Who’s at the Party? Group Sentiments, Knowledge, and Partisan Identity

In studying US partisanship, scholars often invoke a groups approach, wherein individuals’ group memberships affect their identification with the Democratic and Republican Parties. While this literature implies that partisanship stems from citizens’ sentiments toward the groups that constitute the parties’ membership, this particular proposition has not been thoroughly investigated. We, in turn, propose a group sentiments model of partisanship—a subtheory of the groups approach—wherein citizens harbor feelings toward many social groups and have reasonably accurate knowledge about how such groups align with the parties. When these factors are combined, the direction and strength of citizens’ partisanship are altered. Using cross-sectional and experimental data, we show that citizens’ sentiments toward politically aligned groups shape their partisanship irrespective of their own group memberships, revealing the importance of sentiments toward social in-groups and out-groups. Thus, apart from containing “people like me,” citizens also care about which party contains “people I like. ”
Observation of antennal sensilla of Heterolocha jinyinhuaphagaChu by scanning electron microscope

Types,morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla on male and female moth of Heterolocha jinyinhuaphagaChu were observed with scanning electron microscope.The results show that nine types of antennal sensilla are found on male and female moth of H.jinyinhuaphagaChu,which are sensillum trichodeum,sensillum chaeticum,sensilla squamiformia,sensilla cavity,sensilla coeloconica,sensilla auricillic,sensilla cavitata-peg,sensilla furcatea,sensillum basiconca.Among them,sensillum trichodeums are the most,and sensilla furcatea is only found on the antenna of male moth.
Selected ‘Starter Kit’ energy system modelling data for Tanzania (#CCG)

Energy system modelling can be used to assess the implications of different scenarios and support improved policymaking. However, access to data is often a barrier to starting energy system modelling in developing countries, thereby causing delays. Therefore, this article provides data that can be used to create a simple zero order energy system model for Tanzania, which can act as a starting point for further model development and scenario analysis. The data are collected entirely from publicly available and accessible sources, including the websites and databases of international organizations, journal articles, and existing modelling studies. This means that the dataset can be easily updated based on the latest available information or more detailed and accurate local data. These data were also used to calibrate a simple energy system model using the Open Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS) and three stylized scenarios (Fossil Future, Least Cost and Net Zero by 2050) for 2020–2050. The assumptions used and results of these scenarios are presented in the appendix as an illustrative example of what can be done with these data. This simple model can be adapted and further developed by in-country analysts and academics, providing a platform for future work.
Effects of Constant Heat Stress on Performance,Carcass Traits,Nutrition Content and Myofiber Characteristics of Longissimus Dorsi in Finishing Pigs

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of constant high temperature stress on performance,carcass traits,texture profile analysis,nutrition content and myofiber characteristics of longissimus dorsi in finishing pigs. Castrated 24 male Landrace× Yorkshire sow s× Duroc boars( DLY) pigs w ere selected from8 litters w ith body w eight of( 79.0±1.5) kg,and randomly divided into 3 groups w ith 8 replicates per group and 1 pig per replicate. Within each litter the three pigs w ere allocated to one of three groups: control( CR)group( constant optimal ambient temperature at 22 ℃ + ad libitum feeding),heat stress( HS) group( constant high ambient temperature at 30 ℃ + ad libitum feeding) and pair-fed( PF) group( constant optimal ambient temperature at 22 ℃ + pair-fed). Each group had 8 pigs. The experiment lasted for 21 d. The results show ed as follow s: 1) the average daily gain( ADG) of HS group w as significantly reduced( P0.05) and the average daily feed intake( ADFI) of HS group w as significantly low er( P0.01) than that of CR group.2) No significant differences w ere observed on carcass w eight and length,backfat thickness and skin depth among three groups( P 0.05),w hile the 24 h marbling score in longissimus dorsi of HS group has a low er trend than CR group( P0.10). 3) The shear force of HS group w as significantly increased compared w ith the CR and PF groups( P0.01),the longissimus dorsi of HS group had the tendency of low er adhesiveness and hardness than that of PF group( P0.10). 4) Compared w ith CR group,the intramuscular fat( IMF) content in longissimus dorsi of HS and PF groups w ere significantly decreased( P0.01),and the crude protein( CP)content w as significantly increased( P0.05). 5) The ratio of type Ⅱx in longissimus dorsi of PF group w as significantly low er than that of CR group( P0.05),and the ratio of type Ⅰ in longissimus dorsi muscle of HS group had low er trend than that of PF group( P0.10). In conclusion,constant high temperature stress has a significant influence on apparent pork quality and muscle nutrition content of finishing pigs.
To Care or Not to Care? Which Factors Influence the Distribution of Early-Flowering Geophytes at the Vienna Central Cemetery (Austria)

Cemeteries not only serve as burial sites but also as a habitat for many animal and plant species, as the specific management of cemeteries creates conditions that hardly exist anywhere else. So-called stinzen plants are those plant species that show a connection to old garden cultures and need precisely these conditions. Many stinzen plants are early-flowering geophytes. We examined which factors influence the distribution and abundance (=cover values) of early-flowering geophytes at the largest cemetery in Austria, the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna, and tried to identify such stinzen populations. In spring 2020, we performed two vegetation surveys in 143 plots and recorded the occurrence and abundance (in %) of early-flowering geophytes. Then, we collected four variables for each plot: (1) cemetery type (architectural cemetery, park cemetery, and memorial), (2) care intensity, (3) type of use (path between graves, abandoned graves, free space between road and grave, and open meadow area with adjacent graves), and (4) distance to the next path. We recorded a total of nine different early-flowering geophyte species. All nine species were found on plots with very low care intensity. Only two species were found on paths between graves. Six species are listed as threatened on Vienna’s Red Data List. Two species, Eranthis hyemalis and Galanthus nivalis, are ornamental plants. Plots in the park cemetery have significantly lower average cover values of early-flowering geophytes than plots in the other two cemetery types. This can be explained by high maintenance measures and increased visitor pressure due to its location. Additionally, the data revealed that high care intensity seems to harm early-flowering geophytes. This study showed that cemeteries are refugia for protected species in urban areas and should, therefore, be considered in urban nature conservations.
Racial and socioeconomic disparities among patients undergoing hip arthroplasty: a New York State population analysis

Background: Hip arthroplasty places a large economic burden on the United States healthcare system, and there is a need to better understand influencing factors to help prepare for and limit expenditures. We aimed to assess racial and socioeconomic factors that influence hospital charges and length of stay using the New York State population. Methods: This study used the publicly available New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database to identify hip replacement cases from 2013 to 2016 in New York State. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine characteristic differences between white and black patients. Multivariable linear models were used to identify predictive variables for hospital charges and length of stay. Results: White patients had lower mean length of stay (3.61 vs. 4.35, P<0.0001) and hospital charges ($55,988 vs. $67,742, P<0.0001). Medicaid patients were more likely to be black compared to the privately insured (OR: 4.37, CI: 4.08 to 4.68). Black race predicted higher hospital charges and length of stay (P<0.0001). Medicaid predicted longer length of stay (P<0.0001). Conclusions: Racial and insurance-based disparities exist among hip replacement patients, and these factors influence length of stay and hospital charges. These tendencies should be noted by healthcare administrators to limit the economic burden of hip arthroplasty. Level of Evidence: Level III
Impact of mandatory corporate social responsibility on corporate financial performance: the Indian experience

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure on the firm’s financial performance in the aftermath of insertion of Section 135 in the Companies Act, 2013 for Indian listed companies. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, fixed effect panel regression model and principal component analysis on a data set of 153 non-financial companies listed in BSE-500 companies for a period of 2015–2019. Findings The empirical results of the paper suggest that the mandatory CSR expenditure negatively impacts the company’s profitability. Practical implications The study has important implications for regulators and listed companies. Firstly, the mandatory CSR expenditure acts as a burden onto the on-going activities of the firms. CSR activities, therefore, should be integrated with the existing skillsets and expertise of the firms. Secondly, the government can encourage CSR activities by making the expenditure tax deductible. Moreover, the Schedule VII list of activities has a scope to become more inclusive rather than the present exhaustive list. Originality/value The paper highlights the gap in the expectation and actualisation of the CSR mandate by studying the recent data of the sample companies of the BSE-500 index. The paper adds to the CSR literature in the emerging market context.
COVID-19 and Ethnic Inequalities in England

Ethnic minorities have been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of both mortality risks and economic impacts. This has been widely recognised in the UK and elsewhere, and there has been extensive analysis of mortality risks and a burgeoning number of reports reflecting on the wider inequalities associated with them. Yet, despite occupation being flagged as a key differentiator in the experience of ethnic minority groups, there has been little systematic investigation of how far the occupations of both immigrants and British-born ethnic minorities are linked to the negative consequences of the pandemic. In addition, most analysis has focused on the consequences of lockdowns and mortality risks for individuals, rather than considering the implications for the wider household and family. In this paper, I argue that, while not the only factors shaping vulnerability to COVID-19, we can shed further light on ethnic inequalities in the experience of COVID-19 if we pay greater attention to employment patterns and occupational distributions across ethnic groups and within families. It is also relevant to ascertain the extent to which these patterns do or do not dissipate across generations to identify enduring cleavages within the population and the longer, as well as the shorter, term implications of the pandemic for ethnic inequalities.