Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Comparison Effects on Academic Self-Concepts—Which Peers Matter Most?

Social comparisons with peers are important sources of self-development during adolescence. Many previous studies showed that students’ academic self-concepts (ASC) form by contrasting one’s own achievement with the average of one’s class or school (the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect [BFLPE]). Based on social comparison theory, however, we would expect some peers to be more likely social comparison targets than other peers, for example, because they are more visible or students perceive them as similar to themselves. In this study, we used sociometric data to analyze which peers play the most important role for social comparison effects on ASC. We examined how the average achievement of friends, study partners, peers perceived as popular by the student, as well as same-gender and same-ethnic peers affect the general ASC and how these effects compare to the effect of the classroom’s average achievement. The study was based on a German longitudinal sample of 2,438 students (44% no recent immigrant background, 19% Turkish immigrant background, 10% Eastern European immigrant background, 27% other immigrant background) from 117 school classes that were followed from grade 9 to 10. Results from longitudinal social network analysis do not confirm substantial incremental effects of specific types of peers, while class average achievement showed a stable negative effect (confirming the BFLPE). In addition, we could provide evidence for social selection effects based on ASC. We conclude that classrooms provide a specific setting that imposes social comparisons with the “generalized peer” rather than with specific subgroups of peers.
A numerical approach for solving fractional optimal control problems with mittag-leffler kernel

In this work, we present a numerical approach based on the shifted Legendre polynomials for solving a class of fractional optimal control problems. The derivative is described in the Atangana–Baleanu derivative sense. To solve the problem, operational matrices of AB-fractional integration and multiplication, together with the Lagrange multiplier method for the constrained extremum, are considered. The method reduces the main problem to a system of nonlinear algebraic equations. In this framework by solving the obtained system, the approximate solution is calculated. An error estimate of the numerical solution is also proved for the approximate solution obtained by the proposed method. Finally, some illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and validity of the proposed scheme.
Entrepreneurial Skills to Be Successful In the Global and Digital World: Proposal for a Frame of Reference for Entrepreneurial Education

For most professionals to be successful in the current job market, they need some entrepreneurial skills (ES). This study aimed to describe and systematize these skills, considering the current globalization and digital transformation phenomena. The documental analysis and the critical reflection on the collected data allowed us to identify the socio-economic and socio-cultural reasons for the relevance of this problem. Consequently, to elaborate a frame of reference that is intended to be adequate to the needs of the professionals of the current global and digital era. The results pointed to a tripartite ES model - to be open to novelty, to create solutions to emerging problems, and to communicate effectively - which integrates the following skills: creativity and innovation, the spirit of initiative, self-efficacy and resilience, strategic planning, and evaluation, resolution of problems and decision-making, transformational leadership, clear and visual communication, teamwork and networking, and digital communication. In the continuation of this study, an ES scale will be created and validated according to this model, which will make it possible to measure the degree of development of these competencies.
Influence of Laboratory Compaction Method on Compaction and Strength Characteristics of Unbound and Cement-Bound Mixtures

During road construction, granular materials for the unbound base course (UBC) and cement-bound base course (CBC) are mostly compacted by vibratory rollers. A widespread laboratory test for determining the optimal moisture content (OMC) and maximum dry density (MDD) of the mixture for installation in UBC and CBC is the Proctor test. Considering that the Proctor test does not produce any vibrations during compaction, this paper compares the Proctor test and the vibrating hammer test. The examination was conducted on UBC and CBC with varying cement content and aggregate types. All mixtures were compacted by both methods with the aim of determining the compaction and strength characteristics. The results indicated the high comparability of the two test methods for mixtures with natural aggregate in terms of MDD, OMC, density and strength characteristics (California bearing ratio (CBR) for UBC and 28-day compressive strength for CBC). For mixtures with higher cement content, the OMC difference depending on the laboratory compaction method used can be significant, so the laboratory compaction method should be chosen carefully, particularly for moisture-susceptible materials. This paper also reveals that by increasing the proportion of rubber in the mixture, the compaction and strength characteristics differ significantly due to the compaction method. Therefore, when using alternative and insufficiently researched materials, the compaction method should also be chosen carefully.
Comparative Pharmacognostical, Physicochemical And Antibacterial Studies On Seeds Of Holarrhena Antidysenterica Wall And Wrightia Tinctoria R.Br.

Holarrhena antidysenterica Wall, an ingredient of the formulation Kurchi Bismuth iodide, has often been confused and adulterated with another member of the same family, that is Wrightia tinctoria R.Br. A comparative study was carried out on both the seeds which included pharmacognostical and physiochemical evaluation. The antibacterial screening of the various extracts of the seeds of H. antidysenterica and W. tinctoria were carried out and the chloroform and methanolic extracts of both the seeds were found to possess antibacterial activity. The determination of bitter-value was carried out only on the seeds of H.antidysenterica, since its seeds were found to be bitter compared to the seeds of W.tinctoria which are tasteless.
Strategic Groups and Performance in Higher Education in Brazil

Abstract The private on-campus higher education industry in Brazil faces numerous challenges and an increasingly competitive business scenario. Therefore, it becomes critical to verify the potential existence of strategic business groups in this industry, measure their fit to Porter’s and Mintzberg’s typologies, and assess the performance of the stuck-in-the-middle (SITM) group vis-à-vis other groups’ performances. Statistical tests using proxies based on data from the 2016 to 2020 period and associated with 21 business units distributed throughout Brazil suggest the existence of strategic groups in this industry and their fit to the typologies of the study. According to the literature, the SITM group performed below other strategic groups in general, albeit with statistically significant lower results only in comparison to the “focus on differentiation” strategic group. The research results enhance the debate about strategic groups and performance and point to existing strategic risks and opportunities for Brazilian private institutions. In addition, they provide a robust analytical model of performance in the sector for discussion and future use.
The Influence of Oil Prices on Equity Returns of Canadian Energy Firms

Using monthly data from January 2000 to August 2018, this paper examines how the Canadian oil and gas industry and individual firms’ equity prices react to oil price fluctuations, which are measured by the traditional West Texas Intermediate (WTI) benchmark and the Canada-specific Western Canadian Select (WCS) benchmark. The findings provide support for the view that oil price movements are an important factor in explaining the equity returns of the overall industry and for many individual oil and gas firms in Canada. Both WTI and WCS measures provide statistically significant evidence, but the results support that WTI may still be the more relevant measure for Canadian-based firms. We also find that the spread between WTI and WCS has a minimal impact on the firms’ equity returns. Additional tests for asymmetric impacts of oil price movements on Canadian oil and gas equity returns have provided little evidence, whereas time-varying impacts are found for a handful of firms. The empirical findings predicated on the holistic view of the impacts of oil price fluctuations on equity market returns will enhance investor confidence and strengthen the Canadian economy.
Seroprevalence and immunological memory against SARS-CoV-2 in lung cancer patients: the SOLID study

Background At present, we did not find any articles that studied seroprevalence and its persistence several months later in lung cancer patients in the setting of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Most patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) go on to develop antibodies (Abs) against viral proteins. However, it is not known how long these Abs last nor whether cancer treatments could affect the duration of immune response. Methods This prospective, longitudinal, multicenter serological study in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection was carried out in 50 Spanish hospitals. Eligibility criterion was the diagnosis of any lung cancer. The determination of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Abs was performed by qualitative immuno-enzymatic assay using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit from NovaLisa whose Abs target the recombinant antigen N of the nucleocapsid of SARS-CoV-2. The first Ab determination was performed between April 21 and June 3, 2020. The second Ab determination was performed in all previously seropositive patients, between September 10 and November 20, 2020. Study objectives were to prospectively determine seroprevalence in unselected lung cancer patients during the first wave of the pandemic; the persistence of immunity; protection or lack thereof against reinfection; and the influence of treatments on maintenance or loss of immunity. Results Of 1,500 patients, 128 were seropositive, overall prevalence of 8.5% seropositivity [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.2–10.1%]. Seventy-five percent were in active cancer treatment. Forty-seven point seven percent of IgG positive participants had experienced a symptomatic illness suspected of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 (95% CI: 38.8–56.6%). A second determination was performed on average 4.5 months later [interquartile range (IQR), 4.0–5.0 months] and obtained for 104 of the initially seropositive patients (81%), it could not be obtained in 24 patients, the majority due to death caused by disease progression (73%). In the second determination, IgG was not detected in 30.8% of patients. The severity of the infection, the need for hospitalization (P=0.032) and the presence of symptoms at diagnosis (P=0.02) were associated with persistence of immunity in the second determination. No variables or treatments received were associated with Abs loss. Conclusions Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 does not appear to be compromised by treatment and persists beyond 4 months. Neither do mortality rates appear to be particularly high in this unselected population. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04407143.
Yttrium aluminium garnet under pressure: Structural, elastic, and vibrational properties from ab initio studies

The structural, elastic, and vibrational properties of yttrium aluminumgarnet Y3Al5O12 are studied under high pressure by ab initio calculations in the framework of the density functional theory. The calculated ground state properties are in good agreement with the available experimental data. Pressure dependences of bond length and bulk moduli of the constituent polyhedra are reported. The evolution of the elastic constants and the major elastic properties, Young and shear modulus, Poisson's ratios, and Zener anisotropy ratio, are described. The mechanical stability is analyzed, on the light of “Born generalized stability criteria,” showing that the garnet is mechanically unstable above 116 GPa. Symmetries, frequencies, and pressure coefficients of the Raman-active modes are discussed on the basis of the calculated total and partial phonon density of states, which reflect the dynamical contribution of each atom. The relations between the phonon modes of Y3Al5O12 and the internal and external molecular modes of the different polyhedra are discussed. Infrared-active modes, as well as the silent modes, and their pressure dependence are also investigated. No dynamical instabilities were found below 116 GPa.
Interspecific-Competition Strongly Constrains Species-Richness and Species-Abundance Evenness in a Tropical Marine Molluscan Community Inhabiting Caulerpa Beds, as Compared to Coral-Reefs

Increasing species-richness at the local scale (within species communities) is accommodated, first, by the diversification of the niches respectively associated to species. Yet, in case of excessive supply in colonizing species issued by dispersal from the regional pool, the corresponding increase in the number of solicited niches may lead to some “niche-overcrowding” resulting in significant niche-overlaps. Then, strong interspecific competition for shared resource can arise, triggered by the density in individuals among those species co-occurring at niche-overlaps. Accordingly, the accommodation of species-richness within a local community involves a balance between (i) the positive contribution of improved niche-diversification and (ii) the negative consequence of induced interspecific-competition at increasing niche-overlaps, once the number of colonizing species becomes too large. This balance can strongly differ according to the local ecological conditions, are expected to strongly influence the range of “overcrowding-free” diversification of niches. So that, concretely, each community requires a specific analysis, in order to disentangle and quantify the Original Research Article Béguinot; AJEE, 14(4): 26-46, 2021; Article no.AJEE. 68388 27 respective contributions to this balance of the niche-diversification and the intensity of interspecificcompetition to this balance. And, in particular, their respective roles upon both the species-richness and the degree of unevenness of species abundance within community. Beyond its speculative interest, this deeper understanding of the process involved in the hierarchic-like organization of species within community also answers more practical concerns, in particular the stability of species-richness, partly dependent on the intensity of interspecific-competition. In this perspective, we quantify and compare how species-richness accommodation proceeds in two major taxonomic groups: Bivalves and Gastropods respectively, both belonging to a same molluscan community inhabiting Caulerpa beds, in the intertidal-zone of Siquijor Island (Philippines). Then, after having compared these two different taxonomic groups, the influence of environmental conditions on species-richness accommodation is addressed, showing that “Caulerpa-beds” habitat features far-less rewarding to Gastropods communities than can be the classical “coral-reef” habitat.
Expert solution for effects of input parameters on multiphase flow correlations

Oil and gas production represents an essential source of energy. Optimization of oil and gas production systems requires accurate calculation of pressure drop in tubing and flowlines. Many empirical correlations and mechanistic models exist to calculate pressure drop in tubing and flowlines. Previous work has shown that some correlations provide more accurate results under certain flow conditions, PVT data, and well configurations than others. However, the effects of errors in input data on the selection of which correlations to use have not been investigated. This paper studies different multiphase flow correlations to determine the effects of their input parameters on (1) the accuracy of calculated pressure drop and (2) the selection of best correlation. A database consisting of 33 oil wells and 32 gas wells was selected, and a commercial software was used to build different well models. A total of 715 well models were constructed and used to investigate the effects of errors in correlations inputs on both the calculated bottomhole pressure and the selection of best correlation(s). The methodology was based on perturbing the values of the selected input parameters and calculating the new predicted bottomhole flowing pressure. Then, the effects of error in input parameters on how the calculated bottomhole pressure was different from observed data were quantified. The effect of this error in input parameters was also checked against the algorithm that selects the best correlation(s). It was found that errors in input GOR have the greatest effects for oil wells, while gas specific gravity and the tubing roughness are the most effective parameters for gas wells. The results were integrated into a rule-based expert system. A new set of data, consisting of 220 cases from 10 new oil wells and 10 new gas wells, was used to validate the expert system. The expert system was found to predict the best correlation(s) with a success rate of 80%, and it also identifies the input parameters whose error would affect the value of calculated bottomhole pressure significantly. Finally, the rules of the expert system were programmed into a VBA-Code to ease its use.
Open-chest Pulsed Electric Field Ablation of Cardiac Ganglionated Plexi in Acute Canine Models

This study aimed to evaluate the safety and acute effect on markers of cardiac autonomic tone following pulsed electric fields (PEFs) delivered to epicardial ganglionated plexi (GP) during a cardiac surgical procedure. Ablation of GP as a treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) has shown promise, but thermal ablation energy sources are limited by the risk of inadvertent collateral tissue injury. In acute canine experiments, median sternotomy was performed to facilitate the identification of 5 epicardial GP regions using an anatomy-guided approach. Each site was targeted with saline-irrigated PEF (1000 V, 100 μs, 10 electrocardiogram [ECG]-synchronized pulse sequences). Atrial effective refractory period (AERP) and local electrogram (EGM) amplitude were measured before and after each treatment. Histology was performed on samples from treatment-adjacent structures. In 5 animals, 30 (n = 2) and 60 (n = 3) pulses were successfully delivered to each of the 5 target sites. There was no difference in local atrial EGM amplitude before and after PEF application at each site (1.83 ± 0.41 vs. 1.92 ± 0.53 mV, P = .72). The mean AERP increased from 97 ± 15 ms at baseline to 115 ± 7 ms following treatment at all sites (18.6% increase; 95% confidence interval, 1.9–35.2; P = .037). There were no sustained ventricular arrhythmias or acute evidence of ischemia following delivery. Histology showed complete preservation of adjacent atrial myocardium, phrenic nerves, pericardium, and esophagus. Use of PEF to target regions rich in cardiac GP in open-chest canine experiments was feasible and effective at acutely altering markers of cardiac autonomic tone.
Survival analysis by tumor response from real-world data in advanced gastric cancer treated with nivolumab: The DELIVER trial (JACCRO GC-08).

4044 Background: The phase III ATTRACTION-2 trial demonstrated survival benefit of nivolumab (Nivo) as third- or later-line treatment in previously treated advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, with response rate (RR) of 11% (Kang YK, et al. Lancet 2017). It has been shown that some tumors grow rapidly after Nivo treatment, but the proportion and survival are still uncertain. We therefore prospectively investigated clinical outcomes from real-world data of Nivo treatment in advanced gastric cancer (GC). Methods: The DELIVER trial was a prospective, multicenter, observational study which assessed patients (pts) with advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma treated with Nivo alone and ECOG PS 0-2 (UMIN000030850). The aims were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Nivo treatment in real world. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), secondary endpoints were RR, disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), tumor growth rate (TGR) at 1st evaluation, and safety. The sub-group analyses were performed for survival according to tumor response and clinical factors. The survival data was fixed at the timepoint of 1 year after the last enrollment. Results: In 501 pts enrolled from Mar 2018 to Aug 2019, 487 pts were evaluable (median age 70y, 71% male, ECOG PS0/1/2 42/44/14%, no. of prior regimen 1/2/≥3 2/39/59%, 21% HER2-pos, 42% pts with ascites). Median OS was 5.8 months (m) (95%CI 5.3-7.0) with 1y-survival rate of 30%, and median PFS was 1.8 m (95%CI 1.7-2.0), at 454 events for PFS and 389 events for OS. The DCR were 39.4%, and RR was 14.2% in 282 pts with measurable lesions. Median OS and PFS by tumor response (CR/PR/SD/PD) were Not Reached (NR)/NR/11.3/4.1m and NR/11.7/3.8/1.4m, respectively. A sub-group analysis of OS by clinical factors is the following: male/female; 6.5/5.0m ( p= 0.002), tub/por/sig; 8.1/5.4/4.1m ( p< 0.0001), albumin < 3.5/≥3.5; 4.2/8.9m ( p< 0.0001), w/peritoneal mets/w/o; 4.9/8.4m ( p< 0.0001), and w/ascites/w/o; 3.7/8.9m ( p< 0.0001). These findings were also observed in PFS. In 219 evaluable pts for TGR, 20.5% pts were identified as hyper-progressive disease (HPD). An exploratory approach by logistic regression analysis indicated that level of free-T3 in blood before Nivo treatment was higher in the HPD compared to the non-HPD group (2.5 vs. 2.2 pg/ml, p= 0.005). Survival time was comparable between the HPD group and PD without HPD group. Median period from 1st evaluation to death was 2.8 m for HPD, 5.7 m for non-HPD, and 2.4 m for PD at 1st evaluation without HPD. Conclusions: The real-world data of Nivo treatment in advanced GC indicated comparable survival to previous result in a clinical trial. Differences in survival time by tumor response or some clinical factors were observed in Nivo treatment. In addition, our study revealed the rate of HPD and the prognosis in advanced GC pts treated with Nivo. Clinical trial information: UMIN000030850.