Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Boundary Layer Parameterizations to Simulate Fog Over Atlantic Canada Waters

In this study, a series of fog events that occurred near Halifax, Canada, during 20 June to 31 July 2016 are investigated using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model Version 3.8. 1 (WRF), in comparison with in situ and satellite remotely sensed observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. We evaluate five planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes available in WRF. Results show that these five PBL schemes lead to overestimates in liquid water content, especially the nonlocal schemes, and that they are biased early, in terms of the predicting the onset of fog, and late, in terms of fog dissipation, although their spatial patterns of fog are in good agreement with those suggested by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer imagery. The Kunkel equation is used to calculate visibility, based on WRF modeling of liquid water content. Comparisons with observed visibility show that this methodology sometimes fails to predict fog dissipation. We present a modification of this formulation for visibility that shows improved agreement with observations and more accurate fog dissipation. Continued improvements in the PBL scheme and visibility parameterization are needed for more accurate fog prediction.
Simulation of an Acid Gas Removal Unit Using a DGA and MDEA Blend Instead of a Single Amine

Abstract Most of the industrial acid gas removal (AGR) units employ chemical absorption process for the removal of acid gases from the natural gas. In this study, two gas processing plants operational in Saudi Arabia have been selected where two different amines n1amely, diglycolamine (DGA) and monoethanol amine (MDEA) are used to achieve the sweet gas purity with less than 4 ppm of H2S. This study performed a feasibility simulation of AGR unit by utilizing the amine blend (DGA+MDEA) for both plants instead of a single amine. The study used a commercial process simulator to analyze the impact of process variables such as amine circulation rate, amine strength, lean amine temperature, regenerator inlet temperature, and absorber and regenerator pressure on the process performance. The results reveal that when the MDEA (0–15 wt. %) is added to DGA, marginal energy savings can be achieved. However, significant operational energy savings can be made when the DGA (0–15 wt. %) is blended with MDEA being the main amine.
The effect of Illness representation promoting program on treatment adherence among patients with end stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis

This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effect of the illness representation promoting program on treatment adherence among patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving hemodialysis (HD) in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. Ninety subjects who met the inclusion criteria were recruited and assigned into two groups according to the day of HD. The experimental group received the illness representation promoting program for 2 weeks while the control group received usual care. Treatment adherence was measured by using the Treatment Adherence Questionnaire (TAQ), a selfreport questionnaire composed of four dimensions, modified from previous studies by the researcher. The TAQ was content validated by three experts and internal consistency was tested in 20 patients with ESRD receiving HD who met the same inclusion criteria as the actual sample, yielding Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of . 83. Testing assumption showed that the data set of treatment adherence in the experimental group were not normally distributed. Therefore, a Mann-Whitney U Test was conducted to determine the between-group effect of the intervention. A Friedman’s Test with post hoc analysis by Wilcoxon Rank Test was used to report the within-group effect of the intervention. This study had two main results. Firstly, the patients in the experimental group had better treatment adherence than those in the control group at week four (Z = -2.97, p = .00). Secondly, the treatment adherence mean score at week four was significantly higher than before the intervention for patients in the experimental group (Z = -5.34, p = .00). According to these results, the illness representation promoting program had been evident in its effectiveness in enhancing treatment adherence among patients with ESRD receiving HD. It is thus recommended that the program should be implemented in nursing practice.
Seroprevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Female Sex Worker in Yavatmal (Maharashtra) region

India has the third highest number of estimated people living with HIV in the world. According to the HIV Estimations 2012, the estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS in India was 20.89 lakh, with an estimated adult (15–49 age group) HIV prevalence of 0.27% in 2011. India has demonstrated an overall reduction of 57% in the annual new HIV infections among adult population from 2.74 lakh in 2000 to 1.16 lakh in 2011, reflecting the impact of various interventions and scaled-up prevention strategies under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP). This HIV infection is not only common in males but also in females and in female commercial sex workers facing the major problem. Hence the present study was conducted to study the impact of Targeted Interventions on HIV in female sex workers.
Using CloudSat‐CPR Retrievals to Estimate Snow Accumulation in the Canadian Arctic

Snow is a critical contributor to our global water and energy budget, with profound impacts for water resource availability and flooding in cold regions. The vast size and remote nature of the Arctic present serious logistical and financial challenges to measuring snow over extended time periods. Satellite observations provided by the Cloud Profiling Radar instrument—installed on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellite CloudSat—allow the retrieval of snowfall rates in high‐latitude regions, which have been used to estimate surface snow accumulation. In this study, a validation of CloudSat‐derived terrestrial snow estimates is presented at four Environment and Climate Change Canada weather stations situated in the Arctic for the common period 2007–2015. Comparisons of monthly climatological snow accumulation show mean biases of less than 1.5‐mm snow water equivalent annually. Monthly time series exhibit correlations above 0.5 and root‐mean‐square error below 10‐mm snow water equivalent at the two highest‐latitude stations (Eureka and Resolute Bay) with correlations falling below 0.5 south of 70°N. CloudSat was also found to underestimate annual mean snow accumulation at the majority of sites, suggesting a potential negative bias in CloudSat's accumulation estimates, or underestimation related to sampling. These results imply that CloudSat can provide reliable estimates of snow accumulation across similar high‐latitude regions above 70°N.
Are healthcare accreditation surveys reliable

Purpose â€" The purpose of this article is to test whether healthcare accreditation survey processes are reliable. Design/methodology/approach â€" The study uses multiple methods to document stakeholder experiences and views on accreditation survey reliability. There were 29 research activities, comprising 25 focus groups, three interviews and a survey questionnaire. In total, 193 stakeholders participated; 134 in face-to-face activities and 56 via questionnaire. All were voluntary participants. Using open-ended questioning, stakeholders were asked to reflect upon accreditation survey reliability. Findings â€" Stakeholders perceived healthcare accreditation surveys to be a reliable activity. They identified six interrelated factors that simultaneously promoted and challenged reliability: the accreditation program, including organisational documentation and surveyor accreditation reports; members' relationship to the accrediting agency and survey team; accreditation agency personnel; surveyor workforce renewal; surveyor workforce management; and survey team conduct including coordinator role. The six factors realised shared expectations and conduct by accreditation stakeholders; that is, they enabled accreditation stakeholder self-governance. Practical implications â€" Knowledge gained can be used to improve accreditation program reliability, credibility and ongoing self-governance. Originality/value â€" The paper is a unique examination of healthcare accreditation surveys the reliability. The findings have potential application to reliability in other healthcare areas. Â© 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Pre- and Post-Accident 14C Activities in tree rings near the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant

ABSTRACT Areas affected by routine radiocarbon (14C) discharges from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) and accidental releases in March 2011 were investigated by analysis of cores from Japanese cypress and cedar trees growing at sites 9 and 24 km northwest of the plant. 14C concentrations in tree rings from 2008–2014 (before and after the accident) were determined by accelerator mass spectrometry, with 14C activities in the range 231–256 Bq kg−1 C. Activities during the period 2012–2014, after FDNPP shutdown, represent background levels, while the significantly higher levels recorded during 2008–2010, before the accident, indicate uptake of 14C from routine FDNPP operations. The mean excess 14C activity for the pre-accident period at the sites 9 and 24 km northwest of the plant were 21 and 12 Bq kg−1 C, respectively, indicating that the area of influence during routine FDNPP operations extended at least 24 km northwest. The mean excess tree-ring 14C activities in 2011 were 10 and 5.8 Bq kg−1 C at 9 and 24 km northwest, respectively, documenting possible impact of the FDNPP accident on 14C levels in trees.
Tech in Fin Before FinTech: Blessing or Curse for Financial Stability?

Motivated by the world-wide surge of FinTech lending, we analyze the implications of lenders’ information technology adoption for financial stability. We estimate bank-level intensity of IT adoption before the global financial crisis using a novel dataset that provides information on hardware used in US commercial bank branches after mapping them to their parent bank. We find that higher intensity of IT-adoption led to significantly lower non-performing loans when the crisis hit: banks with a one standard deviation higher IT-adoption experienced 10% lower non-performing loans. High-IT-adoption banks were not less exposed to the crisis through their geographical footprint, business model, funding sources, or other observable characteristics. Loan-level analysis indicates that high-IT-adoption banks originated mortgages with better performance and did not offload low-quality loans. We apply a simple text-analysis algorithm to the biographies of top executives and find that banks led by more “tech-oriented” managers adopted IT more intensively and experienced lower non-performing loans during the crisis. Our results suggest that technology adoption in lending can enhance financial stability through the production of more resilient loans.
Are general practitioners in primary health care aware of hypertension treatment guidelines

Background: Only 14% of patients on anti-hypertensive drugs achieve the recommended blood pressure level. Guidelines help clinicians managing patients with hypertension. Objective: The primary purpose of the study was to survey general practitioners in Kuwait about their awareness, and to disclose their reasons for not implementing specific guidance within the WHO/ISH guidelines. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional survey that was carried in the five health regions of Kuwait. All PHC physicians who were currently working as GPs were asked to participate in the study. Data was collected out using a structured self-administered questionnaire, including clinically oriented questions formulated on the basis of the 1999 World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension, as standard reference Results: The study revealed that 39.6% and 50.9% of GPs were very familiar or somewhat familiar respectively with the guidelines, 91.3% were in agreement with WHO/ISH guidelines. More than three quarters (84.5%) of the GPs indicated that they always or usually follow these guidelines when treating patients. Regarding the correct choice of the 20 guidelines statements,only 10.6% of the GPs answered correctly less than ten of the 20 statements, 55.0% answered 10 to less than 15, and 34.4 % answered ≥ 15 statements, none choose correctly the 20 statements. Conclusion: The results of this survey indicate that there is a need to establish nationwide educational and quality monitoring programs to facilitate the correct implementation of hypertension guidelines in PHC clinical practices in Kuwait.
Extending Disposition Theory of Sports Spectatorship to ESports

Just as theorists predicted, developments in sports spectatorship technology have changed the way we think about and enjoy sports. Each year, eSports amasses a larger following. Though its existence traces back to the early 1980s, competitive gaming has emerged recently as a superpower that is seemingly impossible to ignore. But why do hundreds of thousands of people gather at their computers, or at sold-out arenas to watch players compete at video games? In this study, eSports are analyzed through the lens of the disposition theory of sports spectatorship. The results indicate that the enjoyment of watching eSports competitions operates similarly to that of traditional sports spectatorship. Familiarity with the teams and the sport or game being viewed seems to be an important factor in how eSports are enjoyed, and evidence suggests that watching eSports engenders the same or similar reactions as does watching traditional sports. This study aims to pave the way for future, more robust research on eSports spectatorship and why people enjoy watching other people play video games.
CAREER DECISION AND READINESS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF LAO PDR

Background and Purpose: In Lao PDR, young people have been striving to earn higher degrees, especially in economics or business administration, in the hope of having more opportunities to be employed in the public sector. Meanwhile, they also assume a high risk of unemployment, since the government intends to limit the number of approved civil servants. As labor demand is smaller than labor supply, there will be labor surplus and, even worse, the labor market is moving away from its equilibrium. This raises the questions of why young people aspire to work in the government and how they react to this phenomenon. Methodology: This research study involved a field survey which collected data from final year undergraduate students studying in the faculties of economics and business administration using a crosssectional questionnaire. The survey was conducted from June to August 2018. A descriptive analysis was employed to identify determinants of education and career decisions together with level of career readiness. Findings: The research findings from a sample of 571 undergraduate students, majoring in economics and business administration at four public universities in 2018, revealed that the most influential factors affecting career preference are job security and prestige. As competition among government applicants increases, they seem not to be well-prepared in terms of employability skills. Contributions: These research findings will be useful for the improvement of national policies relating to education and labor market development that aim to alleviate labor market inefficiency. Keywords: career decision, readiness, employability skill, undergraduate, Lao PDR Cite as: Onphanhdala, P., Philavong, V. , & Sengkhamkhoutlavong, B. (2020). Career decision and readiness in undergraduate students of Lao PDR. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 5(1), 1-26. http://dx.doi. org/10.24200/jonus.vol5iss1pp1-26
Multivariate analysis of variance for multilevel data: a simulation study comparing methods

Abstract Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) is widely used to test the null hypothesis of equal multivariate means across 2 or more groups. MANOVA rests upon an assumption that error terms are independent of one another, which can be violated if individuals are clustered or nested within groups, such as schools. Ignoring such nesting can result in Type I error inflation, biased parameter estimates, and underestimated standard errors. This simulation study compared two approaches for testing the MANOVA null hypothesis of no group mean differences, when data come from a multilevel structure, under a variety of conditions. Results indicated that the multilevel MANOVA method of Snijders and Bosker, as well as an approach based on multilevel structural equation modeling (SEM) controlled Type I error under most conditions. In addition, the SEM based method yielded slightly higher power than did the multilevel MANOVA, under some conditions. Implications for practice are discussed.
Theoretical model of spintronic device based on tunable anomalous Hall conductivity of monolayer CrI 3

Based on density functional theory, we study the intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) of monolayer (ML) CrI 3 in different magnetic configurations. We find that ML CrI 3 in both the in-plane and off-plane ferromagnetic (FM) states hosts significant AHC, with quantum plateaus occurring at topologically nontrivial bandgaps. In the in-plane FM state, the AHC of ML CrI 3 depends sensitively on the magnetization direction. First, the sign of AHC can be inverted whenever the magnetization angle increases by 60 °. Second, the AHC vanishes if the magnetization angle is equal to the odd times of 30 °. By doping electrons and applying moderate strain, one can switch the magnetic ground state between the off- and in-plane FM states and manipulate the magnitude and sign of the AHC. Based on these features of AHC of ML CrI 3, we propose a theoretical model to realize the functions of spintronic devices such as the reversible spin transport, magnetic sensors, or magnetic read-in head.Based on density functional theory, we study the intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) of monolayer (ML) CrI 3 in different magnetic configurations. We find that ML CrI 3 in both the in-plane and off-plane ferromagnetic (FM) states hosts significant AHC, with quantum plateaus occurring at topologically nontrivial bandgaps. In the in-plane FM state, the AHC of ML CrI 3 depends sensitively on the magnetization direction. First, the sign of AHC can be inverted whenever the magnetization angle increases by 60 °. Second, the AHC vanishes if the magnetization angle is equal to the odd times of 30 °. By doping electrons and applying moderate strain, one can switch the magnetic ground state between the off- and in-plane FM states and manipulate the magnitude and sign of the AHC. Based on these features of AHC of ML CrI 3, we propose a theoretical model to realize the functions of spintronic devices such as the reversible spin transport, magnetic sensors, or magnetic read-in head.
Drug utilization study in diabetology outpatient setting of a tertiary hospital

Objective : To evaluate drug utilization in a diabetology outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted for four months in the Government General Hospital, Chennai. Drug use indicators and defined daily dosage (DDD) were calculated in this study. Results: A total of 708 prescriptions were collected and the average number of drugs per prescription was 1.95. 74.38% of generics and 94.48% of essential drugs have been prescribed. The prescribing frequency of second generation sulfonylureas were more when compared to biguanides . The average consulting and dispensing time were 9.28 min and 14.17 sec. 52.76% of patients knew their dosage schedule. The DDD/1000/day for lente insulin was the highest (8.8) and carbamazepine was the lowest (0.06). Conclusion: In the present study setup, the incidence of polypharmacy was very low. An increase in the percentage of patients knowing correct dosage schedule will improve the present health care of diabetics attending a special clinic in a tertiary health care facility.
Synaptic learning and memory functions in SiO2:Ag/TiO2 based memristor devices

In this study, a TiO2 thin layer is deliberately inserted in the Pt–Ag/SiO2:Ag/p++-Si memristor to achieve enhanced resistive switching performance in terms of retention and cyclic endurance characteristics. The memristor device exhibits a bidirectional analog switching behavior corresponding to a wide dynamic range of synaptic weight modulation as potentiation and depression under the consecutive positive or negative DC bias sweeps and pulse trains. Moreover, the learning and memory functions, including paired-pulse facilitation and pulse repetition-induced short-term memory to long-term memory transition, are also demonstrated. The relation of the memory stability to the repeated input pulse stimulus and the device conductance with time have also been revealed by the stretched exponential relaxation model. It is shown that the conductance of our newly fabricated Pt–Ag/SiO2:Ag/TiO2/p++-Si memristor device can be modulated by successive Ag-filament growth and dissolution in the SiO2:Ag/TiO2 bilayer oxide structure, which is essential for potential applications in memory devices and artificial neural systems.
A natural antisense to brain-derived neurotrophic factor impairs extinction of drug seeking

BACKGROUND Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is critical for the extinction of drug-seeking. Expression of the Bdnf gene is highly regulated via interactions with non-coding RNA, which themselves are altered following drug exposure. Here we investigate whether a novel long non-coding RNA antisense to Bdnf prevents extinction of drug-seeking. METHODS: Strand-specific RNA sequencing identified a novel long non-coding RNA antisense to exon IV of the Bdnf gene in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex of 8 adult male rats. We then assessed asBdnf-IV expression using strand-specific reverse transcription and quantitative polymerase chain reaction following acquisition, extinction or abstinence from intravenous nicotine self-administration (N = 116). A functional role of the asBdnf-IV in extinction of nicotine-seeking was established by infusing gapmer oligonucleotides into the infralimbic cortex prior to extinction and testing for the effect of these infusions on reinstatement and reacquisition of nicotine-seeking (N = 36). RESULTS RNA sequencing identified the presence of a novel long non-coding RNA antisense to exon IV of the Bdnf gene (asBdnf-IV). Expression of asBdnf-IV was elevated following intravenous nicotine self-administration but not experimenter-administered nicotine. Elevated asBdnf-IV persisted across abstinence and to a greater extent following extinction training, suggesting an interaction between abstinence and extinction learning. In support of this, knockdown of the asBdnf-IV across extinction, but not abstinence, significantly attenuated nicotine-primed reinstatement of nicotine-seeking. CONCLUSIONS asBdnf-IV accumulates in the infralimbic cortex across self-administration training, interferes with the inhibitory learning that underpins extinction of drug-seeking, and predisposes animals to drug relapse.