Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Algorithmic Agents in the Hybrid Media System: Social Bots, Selective Amplification, and Partisan News about COVID-19

Social bots, or algorithmic agents that amplify certain viewpoints and interact with selected actors on social media, may influence online discussion, news attention, or even public opinion through coordinated action. Previous research has documented the presence of bot activities and developed detection algorithms. Yet, how social bots influence attention dynamics of the hybrid media system remains understudied. Leveraging a large collection of both tweets (N = 1,657,551) and news stories (N = 50,356) about the early COVID-19 pandemic, we employed bot detection techniques, structural topic modeling, and time series analysis to characterize the temporal associations between the topics Twitter bots tend to amplify and subsequent news coverage across the partisan spectrum. We found that bots represented 8.98% of total accounts, selectively promoted certain topics and predicted coverage aligned with partisan narratives. Our macro-level longitudinal description highlights the role of bots as algorithmic communicators and invites future research to explain micro-level causal mechanisms.
Design hazard identification and the link to site experience

The training, development and routes to charteredship of building design engineers have undergone a major transformation in recent years. Additionally, the duration and quality of site experience being gained by designers is reducing. While accident causation is often complex, previous research shows a potential link between design and construction accidents. The effectiveness of the UK’s Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations is being questioned, and designers regularly do not recognise the impact they can make on site safety. A newly developed hazard perception test was used to determine if students and design practitioners are able to identify hazards in designs and to establish if site experience impacts hazard identification. The results of the tests show an association between the ability to identify and mitigate hazards and possession of site experience. The results provide empirical evidence that supports previous anecdotal evidence. The results also question if the design engineer.
Defining the features of amplitude and phase spectra of dangerous factors of gas medium during the ignition of materials in the premises

This paper theoretically substantiates research into the spectral features of the dynamics of the main dangerous parameters of a gas environment when igniting materials in a laboratory chamber. Studying such spectral features is based on the calculation of the direct discrete Fourier transform for discrete measurements, equal in number, over the current intervals of observation of the hazardous examined parameter of the gas medium before and after the material is ignited. In this approach, a Fourier discrete transform makes it possible to determine the instantaneous amplitude and phase spectra for the time intervals under consideration. This makes it possible to explore the peculiarities of the distribution of amplitudes and phases of harmonic components in the spectrum of the dynamics of dangerous parameters of the gas environment before and after the ignition of materials. The results of experimental studies established that the nature of the amplitude spectrum is low-informative and not sensitive enough to fires. The main contribution to the amplitude spectrum of the dynamics of the investigated hazardous parameters of the gas environment in the chamber is made by the frequency components in the range of 0–0.2 Hz. The contribution to the amplitude spectrum of frequency components over 0.2 Hz is insignificant and decreases with increasing frequency. It is established that from the phase spectrum, the nature of the random scattering of phases for frequency components exceeding 0.2 Hz is informative. It was found that the nature of the phase spread for these frequency components in the spectrum depends on the type of ignition material. The results reported here could prove useful when devising new effective technologies for detecting fires in the premises of objects in various fields to protect against fires. This is explained by the fact that for the detection of fires in the premises, high-frequency components are important, characterized by the increase in dangerous parameters of the gas environment
Enhanced water oxidation reaction activity of Mn3O4 nanocrystals in an alkaline medium by doping transition-metal ions

Designing low-cost, Earth-abundant, and non-precious catalysts for electrochemical water oxidation reactions is particularly important for accelerating the development of sustainable energy sources and, further, can be fed to fuel cells. In the present work, we report the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of a metal-oxide catalyst, Mn3O4, and study the effect of transition metal doping (Cu and Fe) on the OER activity of Mn3O4 in an alkaline medium. The Mn3O4 and transition metal (Cu and Fe) doped Mn3O4 catalysts were prepared using a hydrothermal reaction technique. Powder x-ray diffraction studies revealed that these compounds adopt a tetragonal spinel structure with an I41/amd space group, and this is further supported with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic measurements. These results are further supported by high-resolution transmission electron microscopic measurements. The electrochemical measurements of these catalysts reveal that the transition metal (Cu and Fe) doped Mn3O4 catalysts show better OER activity than pristine Mn3O4 (MO). The transition metal (Cu and Fe) doped Mn3O4 catalysts exhibit lower overpotential for the OER (η MCO = 300 mV and η MFO = 240 mV) than the MO (η MO = 350 mV) catalyst. The better performance of Fe-doped Mn3O4 is further supported by turnover frequency calculations.
Host Responses Following Infection with Canadian-Origin Wildtype and Vaccine Revertant Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is caused by Gallid herpesvirus-1 (GaHV-1) or infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) and was first described in Canadian poultry flocks. In Canada, ILTV infection is endemic in backyard flocks, and commercial poultry encounters ILT outbreaks sporadically. A common practice to control ILT is the use of live attenuated vaccines. However, outbreaks still occur in poultry flocks globally due to ILTV vaccine strains reverting to virulence and emergence of new ILTV strains due to recombination in addition to circulating wildtype strains. Recent studies reported that most of the ILT outbreaks in Canada were induced by the chicken-embryo-origin (CEO) live attenuated vaccine revertant strains with the involvement of a small percentage of wildtype ILTV. It is not known if the host responses induced by these two ILTV strains are different. The objective of the study was to compare the host responses elicited by CEO revertant and wildtype ILTV strains in chickens. We infected 3-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens with the two types of ILTV isolates and subsequently evaluated the severity of clinical and pathological manifestations, in addition to host responses. We observed that both of the isolates show high pathogenicity by inducing several clinical and pathological manifestations. A significant recruitment of immune cells at both 3 and 7 days post-infection (dpi) was observed in the tracheal mucosa and the lung tissues of the infected chickens with wildtype and CEO vaccine revertant ILTV isolates when compared to uninfected controls. Overall, this study provides a better understanding of the mechanism of host responses against ILTV infection.
The asymptotic distribution of robust maximum likelihood estimator with Huber function for the mixed spatial autoregressive model with outliers

Abstract There is a wide range of outliers in spatial data, and these potential outliers will have a great impact on parameter estimation and corresponding statistical inference. Relying on the framework of maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), we investigate the asymptotic distribution of robust ML estimator under the mixed spatial autoregressive models with outliers and compare it with that of the ML estimator. Furthermore, based on the asymptotic theoretical result, we conduct the confidence interval of robust MLE and MLE. Similar to the results of MLE, we construct the second-order-corrected robust confidence interval using the parametric and semi-parametric bootstrap method. Simulation studies using Monte Carlo show that the robust estimator with the Huber loss function is more accurate and outperforms the MLE in most sample settings when data is contaminated by outliers. Then the use of the method is demonstrated in the analysis of the Neighborhood Crimes Data and the Boston Housing Price Data. The results further support the eligibility of the robust method in practical situations.
Environmental Regulation and Product Attributes: The Case of European Passenger Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards

Energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions standards apply to many consumer durables, such as refrigerators and passenger vehicles. Welfare analysis of these standards is complicated by the fact that product manufacturers choose a wide range of product attributes, many of which are unobserved by the researcher. Whereas the literature has considered the effects of standards on product prices, energy efficiency, and perhaps one or two other attributes, we show that in a differentiated product market, standards can affect virtually any product attribute, and those effects have ambiguous implications for consumer welfare. This paper implements a novel strategy to estimate the causal welfare effects of standards on product attributes. Considering European carbon dioxide emissions standards for passenger vehicles, we find that these standards have reduced fuel consumption and emissions. However, the standards have unintentionally reduced vehicle quality, which undermines 26% of the welfare gains of the standards.
Efficient Remote Compressed Spectrum Mapping in 3-D Spectrum-Heterogeneous Environment With Inaccessible Areas

In this letter, we investigate the problem of remote spectrum mapping with inaccessible areas, whose goal is to estimate the spatial power of the unreachable area with a small amount of sampled data in the reachable area. First, we establish a remote compressed spectrum mapping (RCSM) model considering the constraint of unreachable areas. Then, in contrast with traditional random or fixed sampling, we propose an optimization algorithm for sampling location selection within the accessible area, by directly optimizing from the perspective of matrix determination maximization. Its computational complexity is further reduced without loss of performance. Finally, we develop a spatial power estimation algorithm for inaccessible areas based on alternating direction method of multipliers. Numerical results verify the superiority of our RCSM algorithm in estimation performance and computational efficiency.
A finite element analysis of impact damage in composite laminates

Abstract In this work, stress-based and fracture mechanics criteria were developed to predict initiation and evolution, respectively, of intra- and inter-laminar cracking developed in composite laminates subjected to low velocity impact. The Soutis shear stress-strain semi-empirical model was used to describe the nonlinear shear behaviour of the composite. The damage model was implemented in the finite element (FE) code (Abaqus/Explicit) by a user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT). Delamination (or inter-laminar cracking) was modelled using interface cohesive elements and the splitting and transverse matrix cracks that appeared within individual plies were also simulated by inserting cohesive elements between neighbouring elements parallel to the fibre direction in each single layer. A good agreement was obtained when compared the numerically predicted results to experimentally obtained curves of impact force and absorbed energy versus time. A non-destructive technique (NDT), penetrant enhanced X-ray radiography, was used to observe the various damage mechanisms induced by impact. It has been shown that the proposed damage model can successfully capture the internal damage pattern and the extent to which it was developed in these carbon fibre/epoxy composite laminates.
Angular MET sensor for precise azimuth determination

This paper describes using a MET-based low-noise angular motion sensor to precisely determine azimuth direction in a dynamic-scheme method of measuring Earth’s rotation velocity vector. The scheme includes installing a sensor on a rotating platform so that it could scan a space and seek for the position of highest Earth’s rotation vector projection on its axis. This method is very efficient provided a low-noise sensor is used. We take a low-cost angular sensor based on MET (molecular electronic transduction) technology. Sensors of this kind were originally developed for the seismic activity monitoring and are well-known for very good noise performance and high sensitivity. This approach, combined with use of special signal processing algorithms, allowed for reaching the accuracy of 0.07° for a measurement time of 200 seconds.
Prevalence of High Level Gentamicin Resistance among the Clinical Isolates of Enterococci Species

Enterococci infections, have drawn attention of clinicians due to rapid increase in high level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR). This resistance predicts failure of β-lactam antibiotic and aminoglycoside combination, which is the current treatment of choice for serious enterococci infections. This led us to investigate about the prevalence of HLAR enterococci in our hospital setting in Shimoga, Karnataka. All the clinical samples received at Microbiology laboratory, McGan hospital, Shivamogga between June 2016 and December 2016 was considered for the study. Enterococci were identified and further speciated by following conventional method. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of all the isolates was determined according to CLSI guidelines. High level gentamicin resistance was detected by disc diffusion method using 120µg gentamicin disc. A total of 64 Enterococci species were isolated from the clinical specimens. On speciation, Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) accounted for 72% (46) of the total isolates, 24%(16) of the isolates were Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium)and 4% (2) isolates were Enterococcus durans (E. durans). High level gentamicin resistance was noted in 42% (27) among the total isolates. E. faecium was found to be more resistant compared to E. faecalis. E. durans was a sensitive strain. Our study reconfirms the high prevalence of HLAR in the clinical setting. The study stresses on the need for regular screening of HLAR in all Enterococci infections and revise the battery of drugs for its treatment according to the report.
Effects of a Bacillus-based direct-fed microbial on in vitro nutrient digestibility of forage and high-starch concentrate substrates

Abstract Two experiments evaluated the effects of a Bacillus-based direct-fed microbial (DFM) on in vitro dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF; experiment 1) and starch (experiment 2) digestibility of a variety of ruminant feedstuffs. In experiment 1, 10 forage sources were evaluated: ryegrass, alfalfa hay, leucaena, corn silage, spinifex, buffel grass, flinders grass, Mitchell grass, Rhodes grass hay, and Queensland bluegrass. Experimental treatments were control (forages with no probiotic inoculation; CON) and forage sources inoculated with a mixture containing Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis (3.2 × 109 CFU per g; DFM). In vitro DM and NDF digestibility were evaluated at 24- and 48-h post-treatment inoculation. Treatment × hour interactions were noted for IVDMD (in vitro dry matter digestibility) and IVNDFD (in vitro neutral detergent fibre digestibility) (P ≤ 0.05). More specifically, DFM inoculation increased (P ≤ 0.03) IVDMD at 24 h in four forages and increased 48-h IVDMD (P ≤ 0.02) in alfalfa hay, ryegrass, leucaena, and Mitchell grass hay, but opposite results were observed for Queensland bluegrass (P < 0.01). A 24- and 48-h IVNDFD increased following DFM inoculation (P ≤ 0.02) in five forage sources, but reduced for Queensland bluegrass (P < 0.01). When the forages were classified according to their quality, main treatment effects were detected for IVDMD (P ≤ 0.02) and IVNDFD (P < 0.01). In experiment 2, five common cereal grains were evaluated—high-density barley (82 g/100 mL), low-density barley (69 g/100 mL), corn, sorghum, and wheat—under the same treatments as in experiment 1. In vitro starch digestibility (IVSD) was evaluated at 6- and 12-h following treatment inoculation. Treatment × hour interactions were observed for starch digestibility in three out of five concentrate sources (P ≤ 0.001). Inoculation of DFM yielded greater 24-h starch digestibility for high-, low-density barley, and wheat (P ≤ 0.02), but also greater at 48 h in wheat (P < 0.0001). Moreover, mean starch digestibility improved for corn and sorghum inoculated with DFM (P < 0.01). Using a Bacillus-based DFM (B. licheniformis and B. subtilis) improved the mean in vitro DM and NDF digestibility of different forage sources of varying qualities (based on crude protein content). Similarly, IVSD was also greater following DFM inoculation, highlighting the potential of this probiotic to improve nutrient digestibility and utilization in the beef and dairy cattle herd.
Does the Board of Commissioners’ Characteristics Relevant to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure in Indonesian Banks?

Research aims: This study aims to investigate empirical evidence of the board of commissioners’ characteristics (independent commissioners, educational level of the president commissioner, and board of commissioner meetings) on sustainable finance disclosure.Design/Methodology/Approach: This study used panel data regression with 205 observations distributed in balanced panel data. The main data analysis was 164 data in 2015-2018, as the voluntary disclosure period. In addition, additional analysis was carried out for 41 data in 2019 as a mandatory disclosure period to achieve robust results.Research findings: The regression results revealed that the independent commissioners and board of commissioner meetings had a significant positive effect on sustainable finance disclosure. Meanwhile, the educational level of the president commissioner did not show a significant effect on sustainable finance disclosure. In additional tests, the educational level of the president commissioner and board of commissioner meetings did not affect the sustainable finance disclosure after being mandatory. Theoretical contribution/Originality: The results of this study can be used as additional support for agency theory and stakeholder theory. Moreover, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this research is the first to use The Financial Services Authority (OJK) regulation 51/POJK.03/2017 as a guideline to measure sustainable finance disclosure. Practitioner/Policy implication: The research result can be used by OJK to evaluate regarding banking commitments in disclosing sustainable finance in Indonesia. Research limitation/Implication: The weakness in this study is the measurement of sustainable finance disclosure using content analysis techniques so that there is an element of author subjectivity in it. For further research, it is hoped that several readers will be able to provide measurements related to the disclosure.
Improving instructional video design: A systematic review

Instructional videos are increasingly part of the teaching practices of educators across all sectors. The most common theoretical lens used to design and evaluate instructional videos has been to apply principles emerging from the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. However, these principles have been largely developed from research using instructional media other than videos. In addition, there is no comprehensive list of principles that have been shown to improve learning from instructional videos. Therefore, this paper seeks to identify principles of video design that are empirically supported in the literature. A systematic literature review was conducted, with a final analysis of 113 papers describing 28 principles. While some of the existing cognitive theory of multimedia learning principles, notably coherence, segmenting and learner control, have been found to improve learning from instructional videos in a variety of contexts, others, such as redundancy and modality, are not supported. These findings serve as clear guidance to instructional designers creating educational video content. In addition to describing the breadth of research in the field, this paper also found that the development of the research field suffers from a lack of coherence and is in urgent need of clear nomenclature and improved reporting of media and research design. Implications for practice or policy: Instructional videos that are shorter, segmented, coherent and paired with learning activities are more likely to lead to improved learning gains in students. Researchers reporting on the use of videos should provide comprehensive descriptions of media, including links to the media where possible. Designers of instructional videos should critically evaluate design principles established for non-video media.
Body-Size Perception among First-Generation Chinese Migrants in Italy

Body-size perception is an important factor in motivating people to lose weight. Study aim was to explore the perception of body image among first-generation Chinese migrants living in Italy. A sample of 1258 Chinese first-generation immigrants and of 285 native Italians living in Prato, Italy, underwent blood pressure measurements, blood tests (with measurement of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides), and anthropometric measurements. Body-size perception was investigated with Pulvers’ figure rating scale using logistic or linear multivariable regression adjusted for age, gender, BMI, education and years spent in Italy. Chinese migrants had lower BMI and discrepancy score (preferred minus current body size) than Italians (p < 0.05 for both). After a logistic regression analysis, the discrepancy score remained lower in the Chinese than in the Italian cohort independently from BMI and other confounders (OR 0.68; 95%CI 0.50 to 0.92). In the Chinese cohort, female gender, BMI and years spent in Italy were positive determinants of discrepancy score (desire to be thinner), while age showed negative impact (p < 0.05 for all). Overweight is an important risk factor for diabetes, a very prevalent condition among first-generation Chinese migrants. The present study offers useful information and suggests the need for prevention programs specifically addressed to men.