Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monetary policy, exchange rate, renewable energy and economic growth: An empirical analysis of Vietnam

Article history: Received: November 30, 2020 Received in revised format: April 3 2021 Accepted: April 4, 2021 Available online: April 6, 2021 The aim of this study is focused on how monetary, energy consumption and other factors affect economic growth of the country of Vietnam. Based on collected secondary data covering from the World Bank and Vietnam’s General Statistics Office from 1985 to 2019, and some data collected from the State Bank of Vietnam, Vector Autoregressive Model was considered to apply in order to investigate this relationship. Results show that there exists an association among monetary policy, renewable energy and the country’s economic growth. Especially, the country’s exchange rate shows no influence on its economic growth while interest rate has negative effects and particularly money supply and renewable energy have a positive influence on the same direction and has a strong impact on economic growth. © 2021 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada
Yield Curve Shifts and the Cross-Section of Global Equity Returns

We document a new cross-sectional anomaly that links international government bond and equity markets. Using a unique long-run dataset of 61 countries for the years 1900–2019, we demonstrate that past bond yield changes predict future stock index returns in the cross-section. The quintile of countries with the largest decline (or smallest increase) in government bond yields outperforms the quintile of countries with the smallest decline (or largest increase) by 0.63% per month. Our findings support the behavioral roots of this effect, suggesting that investors underreact to yield changes, and slow-moving capital prevents arbitrageurs from eliminating the anomaly. Global investors can employ this bond yield change effect to enhance international asset allocation decisions.
The Values of Character Education in Children’s Novel Guha Karang Legok Pari

In the Local Content Curriculum of Sundanese Language and Literature (Revised Edition 2017), novels should be taught in elementary, junior high, and high school/vocational schools. The problem is that teachers find it difficult to find novel reading materials that are suitable for children in elementary schools. Therefore, a study of children’s novel Guha Karang Legok Pari (GKLP) by Hidayat Susanto was conducted to determine whether the novel is appropriate to be employed as teaching material in elementary schools. With descriptive methods of qualitative-analysis, library studies techniques, and field studies, this research aims to find out the story structure and characters education values in Hidayat Susanto’s GKLP children’s novel. The results showed that (1) GKLP novel is suitable for novel learning in elementary school as the language is simple, the content is loaded with information about the cultural background of the lives of the children of a fishing village, (2) the story structure is complete, the story characters have exemplary characters by children, and (3) in general the novel represents character education values of the nation that corresponds to the purpose and outlook of life of Sundanese people i.e. hurip, waras, cageur, bageur, bener, pinter, ludeung. Then, the character education values of the nation are packaged in purbatisti-purbajati Sundanese concepts that include Gapura Pancawaluya, Trisilas, dan Catur Diri Insani.
Characteristics, Classification and Suitability of Soils for Major Crops of Kiar–Nagali Micro-watershed in North-West Himalayas

Four typical pedons representing major landforms of Kiar-Nagali micro-watershed, developed from sedimentary rocks comprising ferromagnesian shale and dolomites/dolomitic limestone and occurring at different elevations under varying land uses were studied for their morphological characteristics and physico-chemical properties and suitability for locally preferred crops. The soils are neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 7.2–7.6), mixed in mineralogy, shallow to very deep and have thermic temperature and udic moisture regimes. Texture, organic carbon, CEC and base saturation ranged from silty loam to loam, 4.5 to 23.5 g kg−1 9.8 to 14.8 cmol(p+)kg−1 and 56.6 to 74.8%, respectively. Evidences of clay illuviation in sub-soils are observed in majority of the soils. Soils were classified as Typic Udorthents, Dystric Eutrudepts and Typic Dystrudepts. As per Storie's Index the soil productivity potential of the micro-watershed area varies from non-agricultural to good. Nagali-I soils are found to be unfit for cultivation. Nagali-II and Kundla soils have good productivity potential. The land capability classes ranged from II to VIII. The agricultural land belongs to class II and III. The lands had limitations of slope and texture. Kundla and Nagali-II soils were highly suitable for commercial vegetables crops viz., pea and tomato and marginally suitable for growing wheat and maize. The growing of pastures/forest trees/medicinal plants will be more effective/remunerative on Nagali-I soils.
Chronic kidney diseases among homeless and slum dwellers in Accra, Ghana

Introduction chronic kidney disease is an important risk factor for cardiovascular-related morbidity and death. In Ghana, relatively little is known about the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in homeless and slum dwellers in the major cities of the country. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of CKD among homeless people in Nima and Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana, and to evaluate the association between socio demographic characteristics and CKD. Methods we recorded information on individuals' socio-demographic characteristics and anthropometric indices, and took blood samples from a total of 512 homeless participants for serum creatinine measurement. Renal function was estimated according to the 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and Cockcroft–Gault (C-G) equations. Results participants with normal serum creatinine (SCr), made up of 232 males and 280 females totaling 512 took part in the study. Those with normal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were 86% and 84.6% by means of the C-G and MDRD equations respectively. According to the C-G formula, kidney damage and mild to severe renal insufficiency was found in 13.2% of the participants and 4 participants (0.8%) had renal failure. On the other hand, 15.4% of the participants were found to have some kidney damage and mild to severe renal insufficiency according to the MDRD formula with no participant suffering from kidney failure. Conclusion the prevalence of CKD among the homeless Ghanaians was significant, especially among those with hypertension, diabetes and human immunodeficiency syndrome virus (HIV) infection.
Criteria to Distinguish Endogenous Telomerase-Positive Totipotent Stem Cells from Exosomes as Major Players in Regenerative Medicine

Endogenous adult-derived Totipotent Stem Cells (TSCs) and tissue-resident exosomes are major players in the field of regenerative medicine. TSCs provide the undifferentiated building blocks for tissue repair, while exosomes provide the directions on how these building blocks should be used to accomplish this feat, i.e., restoration of fully functional tissue. Both TSCs and exosomes have been extensively characterized with respect to composition and function. While they have similar characteristics in four categories, they differ with respect to each other in a myriad of other categories. The following is criteria used by this lab to distinguish telomerase-positive totipotent stem cells from bioactive factor-containing exosomes.
Pandemic Fatigue: Measurement, Correlates, and Consequences

With no effective treatment or vaccine widely available, most national COVID-19 response strategies have relied on people’s willingness to comply with health-protective behaviours and behavioural restrictions. Despite generally high levels of public compliance, several countries have reported a recent upsurge in the number of people who no longer sufficiently adhere to restrictions or keep themselves informed about COVID-19. This developing trend has been attributed to Pandemic Fatigue. Using quota-representative survey data from Denmark and Germany (overall n = 12,191), we introduce a psychometrically sound measure of Pandemic Fatigue, show who experiences it, identify related emotions and perceptions, and shed light on the relation between Pandemic Fatigue and four COVID-19-related health-protective behaviours. Further, based on a preregistered online experiment with US participants (n = 1,584), we establish a causal link between Pandemic Fatigue and people’s intention to comply with recommended heath-protective behaviours.
Performance Evaluation of RBF Networks with Various Variables to Forecast the Properties of SCCs

In the present study, Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural networks were applied to forecast the compressive strength and elastic modulus of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC). To construct the models, different experimental specimens of diverse kinds of SCC were gathered from the literature. The data used in the networks were classified into two different sets of input parameters. The results revealed that the proposed RBF models can accurately forecast the properties of SCCs with low test error. Furthermore, a comparison between models with two different sets of inputs proves that the selected parameters as input variables, straightly impress the precision of the networks, in the prediction of the intended outputs.
THE EFFECT OF ARSENIC AND HEAVY METALS ON GROWTH AND METAL ACCUMULATION BY ARTICHOKE (CYNARA SCOLYMUS L.) AND SAVORY (SATUREJA HORTENSIS L.)

The present investigation assessed the effects of a metalloid (arsenic) and two heavy metals (cadmium and mercury), on the growth and metal accumulation in two medicinal plant species, artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) and Savory (Satureja hortensis L.). The experiment was conducted hydroponically in spiked solution with different concentrations of arsenic (0, 20, 100, and 500 μM), cadmium (0, 10, 50, 250, and 500 μM) and mercury (0, 5, 25, and 50 μM) for four weeks. Under elevated arsenic and heavy metal stresses, root and shoot biomass of artichoke and savory were reduced. Shoot dry weight was significantly (p<0.05) decreased at arsenic supply levels of 20-500 μM, cadmium levels of 10-500 μM and mercury levels of 5-50 μM compared to the control plants. Similar response patterns to arsenic, cadmium and mercury supply levels were noted for root dry weight in the two plant species. Arsenic and heavy metal accumulated by the plants root and shoot linearly increased with increasing their supply levels. More accumulation of arsenic, cadmium and mercury was observed in roots than shoots in artichoke and savory. Artichoke had higher metalloid and heavy metal uptake, bioaccumulation factor, and root-to-shoot translocation efficiencies than those of savory. This can be attributed to a greater accumulating capacity in artichoke. Overall results indicated that metal phytoextraction using the artichoke can be applied to clean up soils moderately contaminated by arsenic, cadmium and mercury in polluted lands.
Effect of Commercial Grade Methyl Parathion on the Survival of Pseudomonas at Varying Temperature and pH

The wide-spread use of methyl parathion as an agricultural insecticide has been causing an increased level of contamination in soil, vegetation and groundwater reservoirs and as well as adverse effects on human, flora, fauna and ecosystems. Therefore, eco-friendly and cost-effective bioremediation system are needed to remove these pollutants from the contaminated sites and mitigate its hazardous. For this purpose, a lab scale study was conducted to investigate the effect of high concentrations of commercial grade methyl parathion (50 EC) on growth of indigenous soil Pseudomonas IES-Ps-1 under different environmental conditions such as pH and temperature. To determine the tolerance limit, Pseudomonas IES-Ps-1 was grown in nutrient broth supplemented with methyl parathion (0, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 and 1200 mg/l). The detailed pH (6, 7, 9) and temperature (25, 30 and 35 oC) studies were conducted using higher methyl parathion (400 and 800 mg/l). No growth was observed at 1000 and 1200 mg/l of pesticide after 96 hrs of incubation compared to other concentrations of 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg/l. The maximum growth for both 400 and 800 mg/l of pesticide was observed at pH 7 and 30 °C. The maximum removal of total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand for 400 mg/lof pesticide were found 50 and 52 % while those for 800 mg/l were 46 and 49 % respectively. Hence, this study concluded that indigenous soil bacterium Pseudomonas IES-Ps-1 could serve as an efficient candidate at 30 °C and pH 7 in development of a bioremediation system for the removal of toxic effects of methyl parathion like pesticides from contaminated sites.
Total neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (consolidation chemotherapy during the interval after chemoradiotherapy) for distal rectal cancer increases the rates of complete response

Objective To compare the safety and efficacy between neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and total neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (TNT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Methods Patients with cT3/T4 or TxN+M0 rectal cancer were randomized to receive CRT/TNT. In CRT group, we planned pelvic radiotherapy (50.0Gy in 25 fractions) with two cycles of concurrent CAPOX followed by total mesorectal excision (TME). In TNT group, 3 cycles of CAPOX were administered 2 weeks after the completion of CRT before TME. The primary endpoints of my study were pathological complete response (pCR) rates in the two cohorts. Results A total of 197 patients were included in our study. Eighty-one patients received CRT while one hundred and sixteen patients received TNT (consolidation chemotherapy). Nine patients did not undergo surgery because of the distant metastases (1 patient (1.2%) in CRT group, 2 patients (1.7%) in TNT group) or clinical complete response (cCR) (2 patients in CRT group, 4 patients in TNT group). The rate of pathological complete response in TNT was significantly higher than the rate in CRT (32.7% vs12.8%, P =0.002). No grade 4 or serious adverse events were observed. There was no statistically significant difference in the grade 3 acute toxicities of neoadjuvant treatment and surgical complications between the two groups (all P >0.05). Conclusions Our data suggests that total neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (consolidation chemotherapy) is effective and safe for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer and is associated with high rates of pathological complete response. The long-term follow-up and survival outcomes for patients are necessary to be evaluated in future prospective randomized trial.
Enhancing self-regulated learning in higher education

Higher education's key task is empowering students for in-depth learning, critical thinking, and assuming responsibility for learning and their future professional work. To attain these goals, students must acquire the ability to regulate their learning. This article presents the concept of self-regulated learning and the learning models and factors that contribute to the adequate application of self-regulating strategies. The latter depends on both students’ individual characteristics and contextual factors. Self-regulated learning processes can be learned and lead students to more meaningful learning, greater satisfaction in studying, and better learning outcomes.
Independent Components Analysis “Artifact Correction” Distorts EEG Phase in Artifact Free Segments

EEG artifact is defined as any electrical potential that is not produced by the brain, e.g., eye movement or head movement or muscle, 50 Hz-60 Hz line noise, etc. The most commonly used method of artifact elimination from an EEG recording is to delete the parts of the EEG recording that contain artifact and thereby leave the artifact free parts of the recording unchanged. Recently, Independent Components Analysis (ICA) has been used to decompose the original EEG into a set of components and then subjectively identify components that statistically load on one or more Independent Components (ICs) and using a smaller set of ICs then replace the original EEG recording with a different time series referred to as the ICA replacement or ICA-R. The purpose of this study is to mathematically and empirically test the distortion of the artifact free parts of the EEG when using ICA-R to replace the entire EEG digital record. The results of Joint-Time-Frequency-Analysis (JTFA) and the FFT spectral analyses demonstrated that ICA-Replacement of the original EEG produced phase distortions at each and every time point of the recording between all channel pairs. In contrast, the standard method of deleting the segments of an EEG recording that contain artifact did not distort the artifact free segments of the EEG recording. Conclusions are that ICA Replacement (ICA-R) is a severe distortion of the phase differences and time differences of the electrophysiology of the human scalp recorded Electroencephalogram (EEG) and invalidates all subsequent analyses that rely upon the imaginary part of the crossspectrum including scalp coherence, phase and network analyses that are dependent on the physics of electrical and magnetic fields.
Social Axioms: A Traditional Literature Review

The study was conducted to perform a comprehensive overview of the available documented studies on social axioms to identify the relevant literature and research gaps in the field of social axioms. The empirical studies carried out in the different countries that have been classified by publication years, research designs, and methods of studies. The paper presents a review of 72 published articles in journals of the different countries during 2002 to date, thus, an exploration reveals that social axioms play a considerable role in social behaviors and health of individuals, and they function differently in different cultures. This review would be helpful for the future researchers to direct their work towards the significance of social axioms in the different domains of life. Implications of this review have been discussed.
Leverage, capital and profitability of the banks: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Article history: Received: November 30, 2020 Received in revised format: April 3 2021 Accepted: April 4, 2021 Available online: April 4, 2021 The study examines the effect of leverage and capital on the profitability of selected Saudi Arabian Banks during the period 2014 and 2019. The banks have been selected based upon their size in terms of total assets. The profitability elements, such as Earnings per Share (EPS), Return on Assets (ROA), and Return on Equity (ROE) are the dependent variables; Total Debt Ratio (TDR), Tier 1 Capital Ratio (Tier 1 CAP), and Debt to Equity Ratio (DE) are the independent variables, and firm size is the control variable. The study estimates a pooled regression analysis to analyze the effect of these variables. The results of the study show that there is a positive relationship between the different profitability variables and Debt to Equity Ratio. The Total Debt Ratio is having positive association with ROA and ROE, and has an insignificant negative relationship with the EPS, and the Tier 1 capital ratio is having positive association with ROA and ROE, and has an insignificant relationship with the EPS. © 2021 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada
CO2 Capture from the Tail Gas of Hydrogen Purification Unit by Vacuum Swing Adsorption Process, Using SAPO-34

The idea of CO2 capture was proposed through a multistep vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) process from the tail gas of a hydrogen purification unit with the composition of H2, 25%; CO2, 55%; CH4, 17%; CO, 1%; and N2, 2 mol %, using a SAPO-34 molecular sieve. The experimental isotherms and dynamic breakthrough curves were obtained on the lab scale to estimate the equilibrium and kinetic parameters of the adsorption. The VSA process was designed and simulated on the basis of dynamic adsorption–desorption mass and energy balances in the gas and solid phases. Then, the purity of the desorbed CO2, the recovery of CO2, and the productivity of the process with energy consumption were determined at the cyclic steady state condition. The operational conditions such as weight-hourly space velocity (WHSV), feed pressure, vacuum pressure, and purge to feed ratio were investigated and optimized by the method of fractional factorial design to achieve 90% CO2 purity with more than 70% recovery. The simulation process was p.
Work Alienation During COVID-19: Main Factors and Conditions (An Example of University Professors)

Background. e economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic pose a threat to psychological well-being in di"erent spheres of life. In accordance with Self-Determination ! eory, it is assumed that working conditions during a pandemic frustrate the psychological needs of people in the workplace, thereby increasing their alienation. Objective. To study the in#uence of working conditions on work alienation among employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. As factors of working conditions, we studied workplace distancing (isolation), temporary #exibility of work, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), and job insecurity. Design. e study had a correlation design, used a survey, and consisted of two parts. e $rst part studied a sample of 62 university professors for dynamics of work alienation at three periods of time. e second part studied 104 subjects for the e"ect of workplace distancing (isolation), temporary #exibility, ICT, and job insecurity on work alienation. Results. In the $rst part of the study, it was found that work alienation increased during the pandemic. e second part showed that workplace distancing, temporary #exibility of work, ICTs, and job insecurity are signi$cant predictors of work alienation among university professors. Conclusion. Changes in working conditions during a pandemic have negative consequences for employees in the form of alienation from work. is $nding can have practical application in recommendations for organizations planning structural changes or transfer of employees to telecommuting.