Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Evaluation of Real-time DustTrak Monitors for Outdoor Particulate Mass Measurements in a Desert Environment

ABSTRACT Using the filter-based gravimetric technique as the reference method, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of the TSI DustTrak DRX® aerosol monitor, which offers real-time measurements, and establish suitable factors for bias correction in real-world operating conditions. Overall, the DustTrak demonstrated high precision in tracking the PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations; however, the measurements significantly deviated from those obtained via the reference method, showing an overestimation by a factor of ~2 for the fine fraction and an underestimation by ~20% for the coarse one. Applying a correction factor based on a constant proportion produced an acceptable level of accuracy, but utilizing one adjusted for humidity achieved even better results. These factors can also be used to enhance the accuracy of DustTrak measurements under comparable conditions, i.e., for aerosol with similar properties in similar environments. Additionally, the proposed approaches can serve as a model for field calibration and measurement data correction in other studies employing various types of real-time optical monitors.
Towards Understanding the Students' Acceptance of MOOCs: A Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT)

Massive Open student’s courses (MOOC) have stimulated the efforts made for improving the learning techniques and enhancing it the spectrum for students learning. Unfortunately, the acceptance of MOOC as a learning instrument re-mained low, which is perceived as an entertainment tool rather than an academic tool, particularly in developing countries. The study evaluated the student’s adap-tation of MOOC as an academic tool. It developed an understanding of the asso-ciated factors which impact the students’ decision towards utilizing MOOC as a learning instrument. It initially investigated the constructs of the native UTAUT, subsequent to which is derived theory from the literature, amplifying the UTAUT theory scope by instigating e-learning factors associated with MOOC, such as at-titude and self-efficacy. Based on the established framework, a survey was con-ducted where 150 MOOCs’ students were recruited. The collected data were sta-tistically analyzed using SPSS. The results showed that acceptance of the MOOCs was substantially affected by its performance expectancy, effort expec-tancy, social influence, self-efficiency, attitude, and facilitating conditions. It also suggested that efforts should be introduced to promote the use of MOOCs among the academic institutes in Saudi Arabia.
Metaphor, metonymy and evaluation as political devices in American and Spanish parliamentary political discourse

The present study explores the interplay of metaphor, metonymy and evaluation in an American and Spanish parliamentary speech by President Obama and PM Rajoy, aiming at convincing the public of economic victory through positive selfevaluation and other-deprecation. A further objective is to investigate whether there is a relationship between the speakers’ ideological positions and the entities that are evaluated. Within the general framework of CDA for parliamentary debates (van Dijk, 2005), we use Martin and White’s Appraisal scheme as an analytical tool. The results reveal that both political candidates used evaluation in their speeches as a tool to justify and persuade the audience of their economic decisions. On the other hand, both politicians used evaluation, not as an expression of their own ideological traits, but also as an ideological tool that would favor their intentions of rising to power.
PROGRAMMING PROCESS OF DANCE PERFORMANCES IN DUTCH SUBSIDIZED THEATERS

There is little literature addressing the function of intermediaries in the performing arts. This research explores the programming processes of dance performances in Dutch subsidized presenting theaters. The programmatic choices of eleven theaters have been analyzed by conducting semistructured interviews to their respective dance programmers. This research takes a stakeholder perspective on the programming process and contributes to literature introducing mechanisms to reduce incomplete information in terms of quality and demand uncertainty. Furthermore, a new model of stakeholders’ goals’ tensions is suggested to better understand the conflicts that dance programmers in presenting theaters need to manage.
Exploring the Influence of Teacher-Student Interaction on University Students’ Self-Efficacy in the Flipped Classroom

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of teacher-student interaction on undergraduate students’ self-efficacy in a Chinese university setting. Students came from natural science, management, economics, medicine, engineering and humanities. The empirical results demonstrate that teacher-student interaction has positive impact on students’ self-efficacy and their preference of the flipped classroom. Furthermore, the positive relationship between teacher-student interaction and students’ self-efficacy is partially mediated by students’ preference of the flipped classroom. Educators should focus on student-centered learning and motivate students’ preference of the flipped classroom. Students should be encouraged to actively participate in the flipped learning as well. It contributes to the reform of the flipped classroom and improvement of teaching quality in the universities.
THE IMPACT OF TRUST IN CASH WAQF CONTRIBUTION: A CASE STUDY OF WAKAF SELANGOR MUAMALAT (WSM) SERVICE OF BANK MUAMALAT MALAYSIA BERHAD (BMMB)

This study aims to explore the WSM service of BMMB in relation to trust and cash waqf contribution. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of trust in managing cash waqf fund particularly WSM service of BMMB and secondly to provide a significant input to the existing waqf practitioners on how trust perceives the donor behavior towards cash waqf contribution. The qualitative approach was used to obtain the experiences on the current practice of WSM waqf service introduced by BMMB. It is based on a literature review and in-depth interview with a number of BMMB’s staffs in waqf management department. Based on the in-depth interview findings, this study reveals that the organizational structure of JMC members, WSM waqf fund disclosure and involvement of Islamic financial institution, in this case BMMB, was significantly important and effective in waqf affairs. The findings indicate that trust and commitment to contribute were interrelated. This can be seen in the collection trend of WSM fund for two consecutive years. Hence, trust plays a significant role in defining donors’ willingness to engage in cash waqf giving commitment. Additionally, the results confirmed that the strong background of JMC members, WSM waqf fund information disclosure practice and involvement of Islamic financial entity have significant positive effects in waqf affairs which resulting and attracting consistence waqf fund contribution from donors. Moreover, the findings showed that the appropriateness of commitment-trust theory (CTT) in the case of WSM fund management. Commitment of BMMB in this charitable motive has been paid off by public. Finally, the results revealed that the given trust is a proof that corporate entity through WSM cash waqf management model is viable affiliation and with the assistance of State Islamic Religious Council (SIRC), both institutions shall work together in serving ummah in a very professional way. The results of this study help our understanding of how trust affects the donor behavior in cash waqf contribution. This study further provides several recommendations to address the issue and challenge in administrating WSM cash waqf fund.
Pattern of Congenital Heart Diseases in Children with Congenital Malformations: An Echocardiographic study from a Tertiary Health facility in Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: Children with congenital malformations (CM) may have congenital heart diseases (CHDs) which may be initially asymptomatic. These need to be recognised and managed early in order to reduce unnecessary morbidity in affected patients. We report the pattern of CHDs in children with congenital malformations who had echocardiography over a one year period in UDUTH, Sokoto. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out in the Paediatric Cardiology Unit from 1 January to 31 December 2019. Children presenting with CM were recruited and had echocardiagraphic screening for CHDs. Data were analysed with SPSS 23 version. Statistical significance was taken at p < 0.05. Results: 81 children were seen with CM, comprising 42 females and 39 males (M:F=0.93:1); age range of 2 days to 13 years. Most frequent malformationswere anorectal malformations (ARM) in 28 (34.6%), Down syndrome in 17 (21.0%), multiple CM 10 (8.1%) and ocular abnormalities in 4 (4.9%). Thirty two (39.5%) of the patients with CM were diagnosed with CHD, out of which 24 (29.6%) had cardiac murmur. Most frequent CHD was atrioventricular septal defect in 9 (28.1%) followed by ventricular septal defect in 8 (25.0%) and patent arterial duct in 4 (12.5%). CHDs were found in all (100%) those with ocular abnormalities, in 76.5% of Down syndrome and in 14.3% of patients with ARM. Presence of murmur was significantly associated with CHD (χ=18.0; p=0.001; OR=8.2; 95% C.1=2.8 – 24.1). Conclusion: Congenital malformations, particularly Down syndrome and ocular abnormalities, are significantly associated with CHDs. Cardiac murmurs were suggestive of CHD in children with congenital malformations.
Growth and Yield of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) on Peat Soil Supplemented with Cow Manures and Palm Oil Bunches Fertilizer

Lettuce is generally used as a salad, fresh vegetables or green vegetables which have many health benefits. Efforts to increase the production are carried out by expanding growing areas using marginal land, such as peat lands. The application of organic matter to peat soils can increase soil fertility by improving physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. The objectives of this experiment were to determine the optimum dose of cow manure, empty fruit bunches of oil palm (EFB), and the interaction between cow manure and EFB on the growth and yield of lettuce. The research was conducted in Bengkulu City from June to August 2019. This study was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD), consisted of two factors and repeated three times. The first factor was cow manure with three levels, included 0, 15, and 30 tons ha. The second factor was the dose of EFB fertilizer consisted of four levels, namely 0, 5, 10, and 15 tons ha. The result showed that there was an interaction of cow manure with EFB on the leaf length of lettuce. The longest leaf of 18.674 cm was observed at cow manure at 15 tons ha without EFB fertilizer. The best dose of cow manure for growth and yield of lettuce was 15 tons ha. The EFB fertilizer of oil palm did not affect the growth and yield of lettuce. Akta Agrosia
Purpose – There is a growing attention toward the importance of women’s participation on corporate boards in enhancing board governance and decision-making quality. The literature lacks sufficient empirical evidence on the relationship between women’s involvement on boards

Purpose – There is a growing attention toward the importance of women’s participation on corporate boards in enhancing board governance and decision-making quality. The literature lacks sufficient empirical evidence on the relationship between women’s involvement on boards and firms’ risk. This paper aims to investigate the influence of board gender diversity on firms’ risk. Design/methodology/approach This paper explores the influence of women’s participation on corporate boards on firms' stock return volatility. The examined firms are all non-financial firms listed on the FTSE 350 index between 2008 and 2013. The Bloomberg database is used to collect the needed variables. Panel data is employed through a regression model to estimate relationships. One-step Arellano and Bond and the generalized method of moments are used to control for reverse causality and the existence of endogenous variables. Findings The results suggest that women’s participation on corporate boards favorably impacts firms’ risk by reducing firms’ stock return volatility. We also find that the influence of women on reducing stock return volatility is higher in four particular industries recognized by their close proximity to consumers (consumer goods, consumer services, health care, and utilities). Originality/value The study contributes to the growing literature on women on boards and offers solid empirical evidence of the correlation between board gender diversity and firms’ risk. The empirical results provide economical and statistical validity to the ''voluntary business-led'' approach of Davies reports and to the recommendation by the UK corporate
Towards Layered Events and Schema Representations in Long Documents

In this thesis proposal, we explore the application of event extraction to literary texts. Considering the lengths of literary documents modeling events in different granularities may be more adequate to extract meaningful information, as individual elements contribute little to the overall semantics. We adapt the concept of schemas as sequences of events all describing a single process, connected through shared participants extending it to for multiple schemas in a document. Segmentation of event sequences into schemas is approached by modeling event sequences, on such task as the narrative cloze task, the prediction of missing events in sequences. We propose building on sequences of event embeddings to form schema embeddings, thereby summarizing sections of documents using a single representation. This approach will allow for the comparisons of different sections of documents and entire literary works. Literature is a challenging domain based on its variety of genres, yet the representation of literary content has received relatively little attention.
Prevalence of Anti-Nuclear Antibody Pattern-One Year Experience in a Tertiary Care Center

Autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent part as self, thereby allowing immune response against its own cells or tissues. The exact cause of autoimmune disorders is not yet known. However, this condition may arise due to genetic disorders, certain bacteria and viruses that affect the T-suppressor cell system, medications that affect T-suppressor cells, sequestrated antigens produced within the body etc. Anti-Nuclear Antibodies (ANAs) are unusual antibodies detectable in the blood that have the capability of binding to certain structures within the nucleus of the cells. ANA have been categorized in to 2 main groups. Which include antibodies against single and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and histones, and auto antibodies that target other nuclear antigens named as ENA (Extractable Nuclear Antigen) as originally they were extracted from the nuclei with saline? ENA further sub classified as Ribonucleoproteins (RNP), SSA/Ro, or SSB/La, Scl-70, Jo-1, Sm [1].
Surface Modification of TiO2 with Ascorbic Acid for Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: Theory and Experiment

Abstract The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 particles was improved by surface modification with L(+)-ascorbic acid (AA), through the formation of a charge-transfer complex on the photocatalyst particles. In order to characterize and describe the effect of surface modification by AA on the electronic and structural properties of TiO2, a combination of experimental structural methods and DFT calculations were used. Surface modified photocatalysts with different AA contents were prepared by an incipient wet impregnation method and characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM and UV-DRS. In the theoretical part of the study, a neutral, stoichiometric cluster Ti9O18 cut from the anatase bulk structure and a new model for the surface modified AA-Ti9O18 were developed. The DFT calculations were carried out by the hybrid B3LYP functional, which combines HF and Becke exchange terms with the Lee-Yang-Parr correlation functional by using double-zeta, LanL2DZ basis set. The formation process of the complex and its effect on the electronic structure of TiO2 were examined. The optimized geometries, the frontier-orbital energies, energy gaps, Mulliken charge distributions of the atoms on the surface were determined. The photocatalytic activity of the AA-modified TiO2 photocatalyst was also determined by investigating the kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation of hydroquinone, an environmentally important pollutant, in the presence of bare and surface modified TiO2.
Electro-osmotic dewatering of soaked hemp stems

ABSTRACT Hemp stems were immersed in water as a pretreatment to enhance the production of hemp fiber. To reduce the high moisture content, the soaked hemp stems were dewatered using a bench-type electro-osmotic roller press. Variables like applied voltage (12, 24, and 36 V), roller pressure (1000, 2000, and 3000 kPa), and duration of soaking of hemp stems (12, 24, and 36 h) were subjected to investigation and the percentage of total water expelled due to electro-osmotic dewatering (EOD) at various levels of experiments was recorded. Hemp stems soaked for 24 h treated at a roller pressure of 2,000 kPa at an applied voltage of 36 V showed the maximum water removal after EOD process. The water removal was found to be increasing with increase in applied voltage and roller pressure. Soaking time up to 32 h leads to an increase in water removal and then it started decreasing. The probable reason for that was the penetration of surface water into micropores and its adhesion to the lignocellulosic bonds. Electro-osmotic permeability of hemp stems at various levels of voltages, roller pressures, and soaking times was studied and the result proved that electro-osmotic permeability was inversely proportional to applied voltage and it was independent of the applied pressure.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES THE DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL SPENDING IMPACTS C

We use estimates across all known “credibly causal” studies to examine the distributions of the causal effects of public K12 school spending on test scores and educational attainment in the United States. Under reasonable assumptions, for each of the 31 included studies, we compute the same parameter estimate. Method of moments estimates indicate that, on average, a $1000 increase in per-pupil public school spending (for four years) increases test scores by 0.044 , highschool graduation by 2.1 percentage points, and college-going by 3.9 percentage points. The pooled averages are significant at the 0.0001 level. When benchmarked against other interventions, test score impacts are much smaller than those on educational attainment— suggesting that test-score impacts understate the value of school spending. The benefits to marginal capital spending increases take about five-to-six years to materialize, but after this, are similar to those of non-capital spending increases. The marginal spending impacts are much less pronounced for economically advantaged populations. Consistent with a cumulative effect, the educational attainment impacts are larger with more years of exposure to the spending increase. Average impacts are similar across a wide range of baseline spending levels—providing little evidence of diminishing marginal returns at current spending levels. To speak to generalizability, we estimate the variability across studies attributable to effect heterogeneity (as opposed to sampling variability). This heterogeneity explains about 40 and 70 percent of the variation across studies for educational attainment and test scores, respectively, which allows us to provide a range of likely policy impacts. A policy that increases per-pupil spending for four years will improve test scores 92 percent of the time, and educational attainment even more often. We find suggestive evidence consistent with small possible publication bias, but demonstrate that any effects on our estimates are minimal. C. Kirabo Jackson Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy Annenberg Hall, #204 2120 Campus Dr. Evanston, IL 60208 and NBER kirabo-jackson@northwestern.edu Claire Mackevicius Northwestern University Evanston, IL 60208 cmackevicius@u.northwestern.edu
Prospective evaluation of pin site infections in 39 patients treated with external ring fixation

Abstract Introduction: Pin site infection is a common complication to external ring fixation. While the aetiology is well described, monitoring of onset, location, and the distribution of infection among the pin sites still needs further attention. The present pilot study evaluates the feasibility of a prospective registration procedure for reporting, evaluating, and monitoring of pin site infections in patients treated with external ring fixation. This may promote communication between team members and assist decision-making regarding treatment. Methods: A total of 39 trauma, limb deformity, and bone infection patients (15 female, 24 males; mean age 49 years (range: 12–88)) treated with external ring fixation were followed in the outpatient clinic using the pin site registration tool. Pin site infection (Checketts and Otterburn (CO) grade, onset, location), use of oral or intravenous antibiotics, and any unplanned procedures due to pin sites complications (wire removal and/or replacement, premature frame removal, amputation, etc.) were registered until frame removal. Results: The mean (SD) frame time was 164 (83) d (range: 44–499). We performed 3296 observations of 568 pin sites. Pin infection was registered in 171 of the 568 pin sites (30 %), of which 112 (65 %) were categorized as CO 1, 42 (25 %) as CO 2, 9 (5 %) as CO 3, and 8 (5 %) as CO 5. Neither CO 4 nor CO 6 was observed. A total of 35 patients (90 %) encountered CO 1–3 at least once during the observation time, while 1 patient (2.5 %) developed a major infection at eight pin sites (CO 5). Antibiotics were administered to 22/39 (56 %) of the patients. Conclusion: In an effort to monitor pin site infections in this complex patient group and to ensure the best clinical outcomes, our registration procedure in the outpatient clinic helped to recognize pin site infections early and eased communication between team members providing a concise overview of the treatment course.
Determination of Quinolone Antibiotics in Bovine Liver Using Agilent SampliQ QuEChERS Kits by LC-MS-MS

This paper presents an analytical method which allows the determination of 11 quinolone antibiotic residue in bovine liver: pipemidic acid, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, lomefloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, cinoxacin, oxolinic acid, nalidixic acid, and flumequine. The procedure involves a rapid and efficient pretreatment by SampliQ QuEChERS kits. The homogenized liver sample was initially extracted in a buffered aqueous, 5% formic acid acetonitrile system. An extraction and partitioning step was performed after the addition of salts. Cleanup was done using dispersive solid phase extraction (dispersive-SPE). The final extracts allowed determination of all compounds in a single run using LC-ESI-MS-MS operating in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Norfloxacin was selected as the internal standard. The accuracy of the method, expressed as recovery, was between 62 and 113%. The precision, expressed as RSD, was between 2.2 and 13.4%. The established limit of quantification (LOQ) was 5 ng/g and is significantly lower than the respective Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for quinolones in food producing animals. Author Limian Zhao, and Joan Stevens Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2850 Centerville Road Wilmington, DE 19808 USA Application Note