Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methodological Problems of Using Arabic-Language Twitter as a Gauge for Arab Attitudes Toward Politics and Society

Public opinion research in the Middle Eastern context has seen a proliferation of data research that aims to track changes in the state of Arab attitudes. Yet, it remains unclear what is being measured and how representative the data is. This article aims to address this question by reviewing the extent to which and how the existing literature has addressed the issues of representativeness of Twitter communities and the validity of opinion measures derived from sentiment analysis in the Middle Eastern context. While some studies aim no further than to gauge the dynamics of Twitter debates, many others seek to generalize the larger public opinion trends. This raises questions about how representative Twitter users are of the general public, how asymmetric social media use is, and how participation routines vary. Furthermore, to what extent can sentiment analysis translate individual tweets into meaningful measures of expressed opinion, and how sensitive are means of aggregating opinions from sentiment analysis to variation in terms of tone and amount of text within and across individuals? Following a comprehensive review of existing research in the context of the Middle East, this article also aims to derive a clearer understanding of how collective Twitter opinion relates to public opinion and make some suggestions of ways to design sampling and coding procedures, as well as validation exercises to address measurement bias and error.
Chemical characteristics of Middle Permian formation water and hydrocarbon preservation conditions in Northwest Sichuan

The analysis of the chemical characteristics of the Middle Permian formation water in 10 wells in the northwest of Sichuan Basin indicates that: the TDS of the Middle Permian formation water in Northwest Sichuan increases longitudinally with the burial depth of the formation, and the formation water is mainly of CaCl2 type (Surin classification), Cl-Na-Ca type and Cl-Ca-Na type (Shukarev classification). The rNa+/rCl− and rSO4 2-*100/rCl− of the formation water are 0.05-0.95 and 0-5 respectively, reflecting strong water-rock interaction and strong sealing conditions. The analysis of the chemical characteristics of formation water and the preservation conditions of oil and gas shows that the overall preservation conditions of the Middle Permian in Northwest Sichuan are good, most of which is located in the “preservation zone”; longitudinally, the preservation conditions of Qixia Formation are better than those of Maokou Formation; areally, the preservation conditions of Shuangyushi and Jiulongshan regions are good; the sealing property of the strata in Hewanchang region is poor.
Automation and public support for workfare

Automation has permeated workplaces and threatens labour in the production process. Concurrently, European governments have expanded workfare which imposes stringent conditions and sanctions on unemployed workers after the onset of austerity. We explore how automation risk affects workfare support. Recent research finds that most routine workers ‘survive’ in their routine jobs. Despite avoiding unemployment, routine workers may face the threat of status decline as automation erodes the value of routine work. They may respond by differentiating themselves from lower-ranked social groups such as unemployed workers. Such boundary drawing may manifest views that the unemployed are less deserving of welfare. We thus posit that routine workers may support workfare to assuage their fears of status decline. We further explore if worsening economic hardship, proxied as rising unemployment rates over time, increases their support for workfare. We conducted pooled and multilevel analyses using data from the European Social Survey. We find that routine workers significantly support workfare. We also find that routine workers support workfare when economic hardship worsens, but oppose it when conditions ameliorate. Findings suggest that status threat is an important channel by which automation risk may affect workfare support, but its impact depends on social context, hence yielding country-differences. Worsening economic hardship may exacerbate routine workers’ status decline fears, and intensify their harsh views against unemployed workers. Automation risk may thus have a greater impact on workfare support under such conditions. Policymakers can use these findings to assess how workfare may be publicly received and under various economic conditions.
Simple direct method for the determination of total mercury levels in blood and urine and nitric acid digests of fish by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A simple direct method was developed to determine Hg by ICP-MS in diluted urine, diluted blood and HNO3 digests of fish. Wash-out times of 80% within 5% for urine. There was successful participation in three QA schemes for urine and one for blood. NIST Albacore Tuna gave 95% recovery of the target, 0.95 µg g–1, and good precision, 0.90±0.01 µg g–1 (n=3). The method did not discriminate between inorganic and organic Hg. Detection limits for Hg, using 3σ at or near the blank level, were 0.13 µg l–1 in blood, 0.27 µg l–1 in urine and 0.004 µg g–1 in fish. The developed methods were used to analyse samples collected from four sites in the Tapajos Valley of Brazil in an EC funded study of exposure to Hg as a result of gold mining. All but one of the subjects (n=106) had Hg levels in either blood or urine that exceeded the upper 95% limits for non-exposed subjects, 55% had blood Hg levels above the 95% limit in industrial workers (19 µg l–1) and 17% exceeded the urine Hg limit at which industrial workers should be removed from exposure (50 µg l–1). Subjects living in a fishing village, Jacareacanga, 100 km from mining activities, had significantly higher blood Hg levels (mean 81 µg l–1) than the other three groups (p<0.004), presumed to be related to fish consumption. Fish Hg levels were similar to those found in other polluted areas, mean 0.379 mg kg–1 (n=52). The EC study provided the strongest evidence to date in 1991 that Hg in fish in the Amazon basin posed much more of a general health problem than Hg vapour since it affected a larger proportion of the population than just the gold miners, ancillary workers and traders. The methods were also used in the routine clinical analysis of blood and urine samples within the UK National Health Service. Investigations included a case of acute mercury poisoning in a 28-month-old boy who had swallowed a battery who had an initial blood Hg of 394 nmol l–1 and urine Hg of 16 nmol mmol–1 creatinine. He was successfully treated with the chelating agent British Anti-Lewisite.
Trauma―Focused Treatment for PTSD With Comorbid Psychosis: A Case Report

Post-traumatic stress disorder is often a condition left untreated in patients also meeting criteria for psychotic disorders. While many clinicians who treat patients with these co-occurring conditions choose to avoid treatment targeting symptoms of PTSD for fear of de-stabilizing these individuals or exacerbating psychotic symptomatology, little is currently known about how patients respond to treatment for PTSD in the context of ongoing psychotic symptoms. Additionally, research is scarce regarding the clinical profile of individuals who develop psychotic symptoms secondary to a traumatic stressor, in the absence of any premorbid symptomatology. The purpose of this case report is to outline the case of an individual, “Mary” who developed psychotic symptoms secondary to a traumatic stressor in her middle age and to describe her response to treatment targeting her symptoms of PTSD. Mary presented with core symptoms of PTSD that emerged following a traumatic car crash. She developed psychotic symptoms (auditory and visual hallucinations) several weeks later. Mary underwent a treatment course of Prolonged Exposure targeting her symptoms of PTSD, with careful work done to monitor any changes in psychotic symptomatology while engaging in this treatment. Standardized measures such as the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5 (PCL-5) and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales were administered to assess Mary’s progress throughout treatment. This case report provides a comprehensive summary of Mary’s 16-week course of Prolonged Exposure therapy, which resulted in a significant reduction in PTSD symptomatology as demonstrated by a 72% decrease in scores on the PCL-5 from the initiation to the conclusion of treatment.
Proposta para o alinhamento entre o plano estratégico institucional de um laboratório farmacêutico oficial e o departamento de ti

As organizações, quer sejam públicas ou privadas, necessitam de estratégias bem definidas para seus negócios, bem como um plano de gestão de seus recursos. Para o setor farmacêutico, não é diferente, haja vista que se trata de um setor que movimenta US$ 1,3 trilhões anualmente Quintiles and IMS Health, Inc. [IQVIA] (2019). Os Laboratórios Farmacêuticos Oficias (LFO) entram nesse contexto, com maior responsabilidade, pois gerenciam recursos públicos como devolutiva à Sociedade de medicamentos negligenciados pelas empresas farmacêuticas privadas. Contudo, a estratégia também deve estar alinhada com os demais setores da corporação, já que é sabido que falta de alinhamento estratégico em empresas acaba fazendo com que muitos recursos humanos e financeiros sejam empregados em projetos e iniciativas não tão relevantes para o negócio. Nesse sentido, a Tecnologia da Informação (TI) deve estar não só nas corporações, como também alinhada ao negócio de fato. Na busca pelo alinhamento entre a área de TI e o núcleo do negócio de um LFO, este trabalho pretende propor um modelo de alinhamento estratégico, tomando por base pontos dos modelos de Broadbeck e Hoppen (2003) e Kearns e Sabherwal (2006) estruturados sob a ideia trazida pelo modelo sistemático de Moreira (2002). Como resultado, uma sistemática para o alinhamento foi montada, assim como aplicada de maneira parcial no LFO em questão. O presente trabalho, portanto, além de contribuir diretamente para a estratégia organizacional do LFO, também contribui socialmente para todas as demais empresas ou setores públicos que desejarem aplicar o método para otimizar seus processos e práticas gerenciais e estratégicas.
A hybrid global maximum power point tracking of partially shaded PV system under load variation by using adaptive salp swarm and differential evolution – perturb & observe technique

ABSTRACT In this paper, a new global maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique is proposed with the integration of salp swarm algorithm (SSA), differential evolution (DE), and perturb and observe (P&O) algorithms. In the proposed method, algorithm control parameters are tuned adaptively to avoid the unnecessary power oscillations even after reaching global peak (GP) region by SSA due to the dependence of algorithm control parameter on iteration count maximum. In order to identify the GP region accurately with few search agents, SSA is integrated with modified DE. Further in the GP region identified, tracking is shifted to variable step P&O which results in more accurate tracking of maximum power point (MPP) with reduced power oscillations in the steady-state tracking. In order to get the rapid tracking of MPP during load changes direct duty ratio calculation is adapted without reinitializing the GP region identification stage. The robustness of the proposed method is tested with complex shading conditions and load variations. The main features of the proposed algorithm: fast, accurate, and low power oscillations during tracking are tested with MATLAB/Simulink model and by using hardware prototype developed.
Controladores LQR-gain scheduling para sistemas LPV com incertezas politópicas

In this work we investigate the action of time-varying parametric uncertainties in all matrices of a linear time-continuous system and, therefore, a linear parameter-varying state feedback gain and quadratically stabilizing is proposed. The method is based on the Quadratic Linear Regulator (LQR) and can be seen as a simpler alternative to other conventional literature approaches via Parameter-Dependent Lyapunov Functions (PDLF), since the gain matrix is not dependent on the inversion of a literal matrix. The algorithm is based on relaxed LMI formulations of the LQR-based LPV problem in order to reduce the conservatism of the Common Quadratic Lyapunov function (CQLF). Finally, practical analyzes on active suspension illustrate the efficiency of the proposal in the presence of time-varying failures in actuators. Resumo: Neste trabalho é investigado a ação de incertezas paramétricas variantes no tempo em todas as matrizes de um sistema linear cont́ınuo no tempo e, portanto, um ganho de realimentação de estados linear variante com parâmetros (LPV) e quadraticamente estabilizante é proposto. O método é baseado no regulador linear quadrático (LQR) e pode ser visto como uma alternativa de projeto mais simples que outras abordagens convencionais da literatura via funções de Lyapunov dependentes de parâmetros (PDLF), pois a matriz de ganhos não depende da inversão de uma matriz literal. O algoritmo é baseado em formulações LMIs relaxadas do problema LPV-baseado no LQR, afim de reduzir o conservadorismo da função de Lyapunov quadrática comum (CQLF). Finalmente, análises práticas em uma suspensão ativa ilustram a eficiência da proposta na presença de falhas variantes no tempo em atuadores.
Bioelectronic Implants and Their Role in Modern Medicine

Humanity turned to medicines millions of years ago, when medicinal plants were used for healing. In the century before last, a significant contribution to medicine was made by various fields of science; in particular, here one can name a device that has long been used to deliver medicine to the body – a syringe. Today, the use of injections of drugs of biological origin is a common practice for the treatment of chronic diseases, but the injection procedure itself is often associated with painful perceptions, and the field of injection is limited. Modern advanced therapies are genetic, electronic and cellular therapies that can meet the needs of caregivers, as well as the patients themselves. It is well known that digital processes in healthcare are currently undergoing intensive development, and in this context, innovative bioelectronic devices are being used to implement new strategies for personalized injection therapy. This paper examines aspects of the development of innovative methods of drug delivery to the patient's body, such as optogenetic therapy, optogenetic Review Article Nenasheva et al.; JPRI, 32(33): 23-31, 2020; Article no.JPRI. 63370 24 methods, and genetic therapy. For these purposes, bioelectronic implants are used today, in which electronics and optogenetics interact with the help of light, transmitting a certain induction signal to each other. By controlling the synthetic optogenetic pathway in the cell, drugs can be delivered to a particular organ within a clearly limited space or time. Present technology is revolutionary in medicine, as it can replace a traditional syringe, increasing the accuracy of dosage and time of drug administration, while reducing the involvement of the human factor to a minimum. The technology under consideration also acts as minimally invasive, which minimizes the patient's discomfort when taking medications.
A Biomimetic, Copolymeric Membrane for Cell‐Stretch Experiments with Pulmonary Epithelial Cells at the Air‐Liquid Interface

Chronic respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide, but only symptomatic therapies are available for terminal illness. This in part reflects a lack of biomimetic in vitro models that can imitate the complex environment and physiology of the lung. Here, a copolymeric membrane consisting of poly(ε‐)caprolactone and gelatin with tunable properties, resembling the main characteristics of the alveolar basement membrane is introduced. The thin bioinspired membrane (≤5 μm) is stretchable (up to 25% linear strain) with appropriate surface wettability and porosity for culturing lung epithelial cells under air–liquid interface conditions. The unique biphasic concept of this membrane provides optimum characteristics for initial cell growth (phase I) and then switch to biomimetic properties for cyclic cell‐stretch experiments (phase II). It is showed that physiologic cyclic mechanical stretch improves formation of F‐actin cytoskeleton filaments and tight junctions while non‐physiologic over‐stretch induces cell apoptosis, activates inflammatory response (IL‐8), and impairs epithelial barrier integrity. It is also demonstrated that cyclic physiologic stretch can enhance the cellular uptake of nanoparticles. Since this membrane offers considerable advantages over currently used membranes, it may lead the way to more biomimetic in vitro models of the lung for translation of in vitro response studies into clinical outcome.
Curricular design for competencies in basic education in Uruguay: Positions and current debates (2008–2019)

ABSTRACT State Basic Education in Uruguay has always been characterised by universal, homogeneous curricular designs, articulated according to subject matter and academic content. Currently, following international trends, a curricular design based on competencies has been encouraged. This article aims to analyse the main features of the new curricular guidelines in elementary (or primary) school, as well as the main debates around them. Criticisms posted by teachers are examined with a post-critical focus on the curricular field, drawing from analysis of documents and interviews with key stakeholders. The main findings reveal three central points of debate: the structuring core of the curricula, assessment methods and the position of the teacher. Also, a hybrid model of curricular policy for basic education has emerged which has generated conflict amongst teaching communities.
Multilevel governance and women's legislative representation

Research shows that electoral systems, gender quotas and a country’s socio-economic development affect women’s legislative representation (WLR). Less attention is paid to the effects of the rise of regional political arenas and multilevel politics on WLR. Due to less costly and competitive electoral campaigns, women can have easier access to regional legislatures. We argue that this relationship is mitigated by the distribution of competences between the different levels of the political system and that decentralization’s effect on WLR at the regional level is dependent on the regions’ political power. To test this, we use an original dataset on WLR in 383 regional parliaments in 19 European countries from 1970 to 2018. Results of the three-level models show that more political authority vested into regions leads to a lower level of WLR in the legislatures of the more politically powerful regions in comparison with not only the regions possessing less authority but also with the national parliament. Possible explanations for this effect, such as the attractiveness of these positions to the mostly male political elite and, consequently, increased costs and competitiveness of electoral campaigns, are suggested.
Reduction of Selenium Oxyanions in Wastewater Using Two Bacterial Strains

The biological reduction of selenium oxyanions is capable of reducing both selenate and selenite to insoluble elemental selenium. In this process, however, bacteria inevitably require expensive chemicals such as yeast extract in almost all cases. Therefore, the reduction of selenium oxyanions with inexpensive alcohol would be more practical. A Pseudomonas sp. strain 4C‐C isolated from a sludge in a wastewater treatment facility was able to reduce selenate to selenite using ethanol as an electron donor for its anaerobic respiration, but could not reduce selenite to elemental selenium. Paracoccus denitrificans JCM‐6892, on the other hand, was observed to be able to reduce selenite to elemental selenium in the presence of ethanol, but not selenate to selenite. Therefore, a mixture containing a suspension of Pseudomonas sp. strain 4C‐C and P. denitrificans JCM‐6892 cells allowed selenate to be reduced to insoluble elemental selenium via selenite in the presence of ethanol and was also capable of reducing nitrate to nitrogen gas. Aiming at simplicity of the recovery process of insoluble elemental selenium, a polymeric gel immobilized mixture of the two bacterial strains was examined using ethanol as an electron donor. The immobilized mixture could therefore reduce not only selenate to elemental selenium, but also nitrate to nitrogen gas in a single step. The gel that immobilized the microbial mixture changed its color during the process to bright red and no red elemental selenium was left in the wastewater. This indicates that the reduced elemental selenium was completely absorbed in the gel. This simple bacterial combination would therefore be effective in the presence of ethanol to reduce selenium oxyanions in various wastewaters containing selenium and the other oxyanions.
Modeling and Simulation of Mono-Layer Coating

Coating simulations of nano-suspended particles are implemented using the DEM-CFD method. A new model of capillary interactions, accounting for the microscale interface deformation implicitly but allowing a rather fast calculation time, is implemented. The drying of a nano-suspension liquid layer is modeled and implemented to the DEM code, allowing transient examination of mono-layer aggregation. The effect of particle size on the coating process is investigated. The main contrast in particle size was received in terms of the transition periods to the finite structure. It was found that the non-dimensional liquid height is a correlative parameter between the cases. Aggregation appears to start at approximately the same non-dimensional liquid height. Furthermore, a firm final structure was obtained at a similar liquid level, way before the drying is complete, indicating that the liquid level has a significant control on the assembly until this point.