Positive Contribution Research Articles

Dry needling combined with exercise therapy: Effects on wrist flexors spasticity in post-stroke patients - A randomized controlled trial.

The positive contribution of dry needling (DN) in conjunction with exercise therapy for patients with stroke and spasticity remains uncertain. To examine the effects of DN combined with exercise therapy on wrist flexor spasticity and motor function in patients with stroke. Twenty-four participants with stroke were randomly assigned to either the DN and exercise therapy group or the DN alone group. Assessments were conducted at baseline, after the 4th treatment session, and 3 weeks post-treatment. A significant Group×Time interaction was observed for wrist active range of motion (ROM) (P = 0.046), favoring the DN with exercise therapy group (∼10° at baseline, ∼15° immediately after the 4th session, and 15.4° at follow-up). The improvements in spasticity, passive ROM, and H-reflex latency were sustained during follow-up. However, there were no significant between-group differences in any outcome at any measurement time point. The combined DN and exercise therapy did not exhibit superiority over DN alone concerning spasticity severity and motor function. However, it demonstrated additional advantages, particularly in improving motor neuron excitability and wrist passive extension.

Microbiome-based classification models for fresh produce safety and quality evaluation.

Identification of generalizable indicators for produce safety (PS) and produce quality (PQ) improves the detection of produce contamination and quality decline. However, effective sequencing read loss during microbiome data preprocessing and the limited sample size of individual studies restrain statistical power to identify important features contributing to differentiating PS and PQ phenotypes. We applied machine learning-based models using individual and integrated k-mer hash and amplicon sequence variant (ASV) data sets for PS and PQ classification and evaluated their classification performance and found that random forest (RF)-based models using integrated 7-mer hash data sets achieved significantly higher PS and PQ classification accuracy. Due to the limitation of taxonomic analysis for the 7-mer hash, we also developed RF-based models using feature-selected ASV-based taxonomic data sets, which performed better PS classification than those using the integrated 7-mer hash data set. The RF feature selection method identified 480 PS indicators and 263 PQ indicators with a positive contribution to the PS and PQ classification.

Few-Shot Learning for Cross-Target Stance Detection by Aggregating Multimodal Embeddings

Despite the increasing popularity of the stance detection task, existing approaches are predominantly limited to using the textual content of social media posts for the classification, overlooking the social nature of the task. The stance detection task becomes particularly challenging in cross-target classification scenarios, where even in few-shot training settings the model needs to predict the stance toward new targets for which the model has only seen a few relevant samples during training. To address the cross-target stance detection in social media by leveraging the social nature of the task, we introduce cross-target text-net (CT-TN), a novel model that aggregates multimodal embeddings derived from both textual and network features of the data. We conduct experiments in a few-shot cross-target scenario on six different combinations of source-destination target pairs. By comparing CT-TN with state-of-the-art cross-target stance detection models, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our model by achieving average performance improvements ranging from 11% to 21% across different baseline models. Experiments with different numbers of shots show that CT-TN can outperform other models after seeing 300 instances of the destination target. Further, ablation experiments demonstrate the positive contribution of each of the components of CT-TN toward the final performance. We further analyze the network interactions between social media users, which reveal the potential of using social features for cross-target stance detection.

Joint Effects of Winds and Tides on Near-Inertial Internal Waves in the Northern South China Sea: A Three-Dimensional Numerical Study

Abstract Joint effects of winds and tides on near-inertial internal waves (NIWs) are numerically investigated via a series of three-dimensional quasi-realistic simulations in the northern South China Sea (NSCS). Model results demonstrate that in the presence of wind-induced NIWs, more tidal energy is transferred to NIWs, while in the presence of tide-induced NIWs, the extreme wind (cyclone) would inject less near-inertial kinetic energy (NIKE). The interaction between wind-induced and tide-induced NIWs produces total NIKE more (or less) than a linear superposition of that generated by wind and tide forcing alone at different sites in the NSCS. Specifically, near the Luzon Strait, both tides and winds make positive contributions to the local near-inertial energy input, resulting in more than 30% enhancement of total NIKE (>0.5 kJ m−2). However, in some deep-water regions along the cyclone paths, energy is transferred from cyclones to NIWs and also from NIWs to internal tides. Due to this “energy pipeline” effect, tide- and wind-induced NIWs contribute to weakening of total NIKE (∼0.3 kJ m−2 or 30%). Additionally, sensitivity experiments with varying initial tidal phases indicate that the interaction between wind-induced NIKE and tide-induced NIKE is robust in most of the model domain (over 80%) under different phase alignments between wind- and tide-induced NIWs. From the perspective of cyclones, tide-induced NIKE is comparable to wind-induced NIKE in the Luzon Strait before the arrival of cyclones, while tide-induced NIKE is two orders of magnitude smaller than wind-induced NIKE in most of the NSCS after the arrival of cyclones. Overall, our results highlight the joint effects of wind and tide forcing on the local NIW dynamics in the NSCS. Significance Statement Near-inertial internal waves (NIWs) are ubiquitous phenomena in stratified water, which can significantly influence the ocean mixing, especially across the thermocline. NIWs are generated mainly by wind forcing near the sea surface, but also by internal tide breaking in the ocean interior. Hence, a question that arises is whether winds or tides play dominant roles in generating NIWs. In fact, due to the interaction between wind- and tide-induced NIWs, the total near-inertial kinetic energy (NIKE) is not merely a linear superposition of that generated by winds and tides forcing alone. By carrying out numerical experiments, we find that extreme winds can help to transfer more energy from tides to NIWs, while tides would suppress energy transferring from winds to NIWs. As a result, this fact is crucial in accurately reproducing NIW dynamics in a targeted region, thereby determining redistribution of local ocean mixing intensity.

The Mediating Role of Work Engagement in The Relationship Between Employees' Social Courage Behaviors and Job Satisfaction

The main purpose of this study was to reveal the mediating effect of work engagement in the effect of employees' social courage behaviors on job satisfaction. In this study, which is based on a quantitative research method, the data were collected by questionnaire method. The employees of a municipality located within the borders of Adıyaman province constitute the research universe. Questionnaires collected through face-to-face interviews were analyzed with the help of statistical programs. Data were collected from 365 participants. As a result of the statistical analysis, it was determined that the relationship between social courage and job satisfaction was partially mediated by work engagement.

Explainable machine learning for predicting stomatal conductance across multiple plant functional types

Stomatal conductance (gs) is a key leaf-level function controlling water, carbon, and energy exchange between vegetation and the surrounding environment. Conventionally, semi-empirical models have been used to model gs, but these models require re-parameterization as ecosystems undergo phenological changes over the growing season. In contrast, machine learning (ML) models offer a potential path to overcome this problem but are less interpretable than process-based models. This study explores ML as an approach to develop flexible and robust models of gs for a range of plant functional types (PFTs), including C3 crops, C3 grasses, shrubs, and tree species across different continents. An explainable machine-learning approach (eXML) was used here to provide novel interpretations and insights into the ML model formulations and relative predictor importance. We contrast the performance of three ML architectures: extreme gradient boosting, random forests, and neural networks. Models were developed and examined using many combinations of environmental and physiological predictors. The results demonstrated that ML models significantly outperform conventional semi-empirical models in predicting gs responses to the environment, while not requiring re-parameterization as is required in the semi-empirical paradigm. Particular focus is placed on models formulated around predictor sets that are: (a) relevant to gs estimation in modern terrestrial biophysical simulation models, and (b) composed of variables describing environmental and physiological drivers that can be remotely sensed non-invasively. “Generalized” models developed using data from all four PFTs demonstrated strong predictive performance using only three predictor variables, capturing 63–80 % of the variability in stomatal conductance across all ML architectures. Four predictor variables resulted in models capturing 79–83 % of gs variability, and models developed using all five predictor variables examined here were able to capture as much as 87 % of gs variability across all PFTs. Uncertainty in gs predictions was quantified using quantile regression. Shapley additive explanations was applied to unravel instance-based positive and negative contributions of environmental and physiological predictors to gs modeling, while illustrating that the models are consistent with the underlying ecophysiology. This work demonstrates the power of ML to introduce a new paradigm in the simulation of highly dynamic ecophysiological processes critical to environmental prediction.

Enhancing microbial desalination cell performance through co-culture optimization and response surface methodology (RSM) in high saltwater feed concentration

Enhancing microbial desalination cell performance through co-culture optimization and response surface methodology (RSM) in high saltwater feed concentration

How to deal with invasive species that have high economic value?

How to deal with invasive species that have high economic value?

Empirical Analysis of Human Capital Development and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria (1981-2022)

This study examined the impact of human capital development on poverty reduction in Nigeria covering the period 1981-20222. Data for the research were annual times series data on total education expenditures, total health expenditures, and inflation extracted from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin 2020 and poverty rate, out-of-pocket expenditures, and human development index collected from World Development indicators. The methodology adopted in the study is linear regression with the application of the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique. Other diagnostic tests which include unit-root test, autocorrelation, and normality test were carried out in the study. The major findings of the study were that total education expenditures (TOEDXP) have a positive and insignificant contribution to poverty reduction in Nigeria, total health expenditures (TOHEXP) have a positive and insignificant contribution to poverty reduction in Nigeria, and out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE) have a positive and insignificant contribution to poverty reduction in Nigeria. It is therefore the recommendation of the study that the government should also increase its expenditure on health and education. It is a fact that health is wealth and therefore, there is a need to provide a good environment, health facilities, an increased rate of doctor to patient ratio, health workers motivation and increased remuneration amongst others and also government should increase its expenditure on education as this would improve the standard of living of the citizens.

Assessing the Role of Services, Incentives and Tax Knowledge Moderation on Tax Compliance

Objective: This research aims to investigate the impact of tax services and tax incentive policies on the level of tax compliance, by considering the tax knowledge factor as a moderating variable.
 Time and Place of Research: Participants involved in this research are MSMEs who specialize in selling used cars in the Tangerang area and its surroundings. This research uses a quantitative approach by distributing surveys to 250 used car entrepreneurs in the Tangerang area and surrounding areas 2024.
 Methods: The data collection procedure using non-probability sampling involves the use of convenience sampling to distribute it. The analytical method used in this research involves the use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques utilizing smart PLS 3 software.
 Conclusion: The findings from this research indicate that tax services do not make a positive contribution to tax compliance. However, tax incentives have a significant impact on the willingness to comply with tax obligations. Understanding taxes cannot influence the relationship between tax services and tax compliance, or between tax incentives and tax compliance. In addition, knowledge about taxes cannot influence the relationship between tax services and tax compliance, nor between tax incentives and tax compliance.

The effect of the digital economy service industry on regional economic resilience: evidence from three major urban agglomerations in China

ABSTRACT The digital economy has become an important driving force for countries to rebuild economic development during COVID-19. However, its effect on regional economic resilience is still unclear. The purpose of this paper is to study the theoretical mechanism of the digital economy service industry affecting regional economic resilience and to construct an econometric model to empirically test the overall impact of the digital economy on regional economic resilience, as well as the threshold effect of the level of manufacturing development. The study finds that (1) the digital economy service industry has a significant positive impact on regional economic resilience. (2) With improvement in the level of manufacturing development, the positive contribution of the digital economy service industry to the regional economic resilience is enhanced, and the effective coupling of the digital economy service industry and the manufacturing industry can improve the regional economic resilience to a greater extent. Therefore, this paper proposes that, to improve the resilience of the regional economy, we should not only improve the level of digital technology of the digital economy service industry, but also focus on the application of digital technology in the real economy, especially in the manufacturing industry, encourage the digital transformation of enterprises, and improve the digital governance capacity of the government.

‘Opening up’ Corpus Linguistics

Despite a multitude of empirical studies pointing to the benefits of integrating corpora in second language (L2) teaching and learning, corpus use in the pre-tertiary L2 classroom remains the exception rather than the norm. This much-discussed research-practice gap can be attributed to the limited physical, intellectual and social accessibility of both corpus research and corpus resources. To address this issue, I explore the potential of Open Education in a course aimed at imparting corpus literacy to pre-service EFL teachers. I present the design of a course focused on the collaborative creation of a new Open Educational Resource (OER): a guide to creating corpus-informed teaching materials. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of three iterations of this course in enhancing the physical, intellectual, and social accessibility of corpus linguistics for L2 education. Analyses of pre- and post-course surveys, students’ OER chapter submissions, and reflection statements show that the semester-long course successfully developed participants’ technical and pedagogical corpus literacy. The findings suggest that the adoption of OER-enabled pedagogy in an initial teacher education course can make a positive contribution to bridging the corpus research-teaching gap.

Physical and mechanical properties of grain of spring barley varieties in the conditions of Tatarstan

The aim of the work is to analyze the physical and mechanical properties of grain of spring barley varieties cultivated in the conditions of the Predkamsk zone of the Republic of Tatarstan. The research was conducted in Tatarsky Research Institute of Agriculture FRC of Kazan Research Center RAS in 2015–2022. In the conditions of the Predkamsk zone, on average over the years of research, the late maturing variety Endan was characterized by reliably high values of 1000 grain weight (48.5 g), the early maturing variety Kamashevsky – reliably high values of natural grain weight (686, 3 g/l), convergence from 2.8 x 20 mm sieve (33.9 %) and coarseness (70.02 %), medium maturing variety Raushan – higher variability in 1000 grain weight (18.6 %), convergence from 2.8 and 2.5 x 20 mm sieves (55.6 and 29.7 %, respectively) and coarseness (39.5 %). The direct dependence of the mass of 1000 grains, runoff from the sieve 2.8 x 20 mm and coarseness on the sum of precipitation (r = 0.41/0.58/0.56, respectively), GTC (r = 0.40/0.58/0.55, respectively) and inverse dependence of these physical and mechanical properties on the average daily air temperature (r = -0.51/-0.62/-0.63, respectively) of the interphase period "earing-full ripeness" were established at 1% significance level. Judging by the value of the coefficient of determination (r2), the most closely related to the average daily air temperature are the signs "mass of 1000 grains", "drift from the sieve 2.8 x 20 mm" and "coarseness". The analysis of path coefficients revealed a high direct positive contribution (0.87) of 2.8 x 20 mm sieve runoff and an average direct positive contribution (0.43) of 2.5 x 20 mm sieve runoff to grain yield. Under the conditions of the Predkamsk zone, the prevailing contribution to the total variance of the traits "drift from the sieve 2.8 x 20 mm", "coarseness", "weight of 1000 grains", "bulk grain weight", "drift from the sieve 2.5 x 20 mm" was made by the factor "year", which accounted for (in descending order) 81.7...80.3...76.6...76.2. 68.7 %, respectively.

The Role of Cooperatives in Improving Smallholder Participation in Agri-Food Value Chains: A Case Study of One Local Municipality in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Increases in demand for food, product development, and agribusiness growth provide new opportunities for smallholder farmers in the developing world. Yet, the smallholder farming sector is still confronted by numerous constraints, including low quality and lower levels of produce. Agricultural cooperatives and other farmer organisations have been identified as crucial vehicles to link smallholder farmers with the evolving food systems. However, little is known about their contribution to enhancing their members’ participation in sustainable agri-food chains. This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in empowering smallholder farmers to participate in sustainable agri-food chains in Eastern Cape, South Africa. In achieving this, the study adopted a multi-stratified sampling procedure to select 119 cooperative members in the study area. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a binary regression model. Our findings revealed that the majority (70%) of cooperatives were participating in crop production. Most (75%) of the cooperative members were old, with a mean average of 52 years. Additionally, the majority (93%) of members reported that agricultural cooperatives contributed positively to their livelihoods. The results of the probit model established that quality, quantity, level of education, and access to information influenced the level of participation in storage, processing, and distribution levels at different levels of significance. Although the findings of this research reported a positive contribution of cooperatives to their members, the study identifies a greater need for cooperatives to be inclusive of young people and improve government support. Also, the study recommends a blended financing model that will cater to smallholder farmers who do not have collateral. Finally, the study recommends that the current extension and advisory services be tailored to cater to the training needs of smallholder farmers.

Machine learning – Driven surface grafting of thin-film composite reverse osmosis (TFC-RO) membrane

Machine learning – Driven surface grafting of thin-film composite reverse osmosis (TFC-RO) membrane

Predators control pests and increase yield across crop types and climates: a meta-analysis.

Pesticides have well-documented negative consequences to control crop pests, and natural predators are alternatives and can provide an ecosystem service as biological control agents. However, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding whether such biological control can be a widely applicable solution, especially given ongoing climatic variation and climate change. Here, we performed a meta-analysis focused on field studies with natural predators to explore broadly whether and how predators might control pests and in turn increase yield. We also contrasted across studies pest suppression by a single and multiple predators and how climate influence biological control. Predators reduced pest populations by 73% on average, and increased crop yield by 25% on average. Surprisingly, the impact of predators did not depend on whether there were many or a single predator species. Precipitation seasonality was a key climatic influence on biological control: as seasonality increased, the impact of predators on pest populations increased. Taken together, the positive contribution of predators in controlling pests and increasing yield, and the consistency of such responses in the face of precipitation variability, suggest that biocontrol has the potential to be an important part of pest management and increasing food supplies as the planet precipitation patterns become increasingly variable.

Role of Sumenep Community Related Development of Culture-Based Tourism in Sumenep Regency

Sumenep is currently beginning to reveal its identity to the people of Indonesia, with its new motto Sumenep City of Keris. This motto is being promoted to the community to introduce the culture of the city. However, it is unfortunate that the opportunity of the keris industry in Sumenep Regency cannot provide a positive contribution to the economic welfare of the population in Sumenep Regency, mainly due to the lack of support from the Sumenep Regency Government in formulating policies, which is still not optimal. The sensitivity of the local government is indeed being tested, especially with the existence of Republic of Indonesia Emergency Law Number 12 of 1951. After Sumenep City declared itself as the city of keris, it is feared that there will be many people who will need legal protection if they want to bring heritage items such as keris in the future. This emergency law is also considered outdated or obsolete by researchers because it no longer suits the current situation and conditions. In this study, the researcher used normative research methods with legislative approach and case approach. The legal materials used are primary and secondary legal materials using descriptive analysis techniques, systematic techniques, and argumentation techniques. The goal is for the local government to educate and introduce the Culture and Local Wisdom in Sumenep Regency to the elements of the community, and for the people of Sumenep Regency to develop tourism based on Culture and Local Wisdom in Sumenep Regency.

Stationary sources exhaust gases sensors application by MoTeSe monolayer doped with ZrO2(1,2) cluster: A DFT study

Stationary sources exhaust gases sensors application by MoTeSe monolayer doped with ZrO2(1,2) cluster: A DFT study

CREATING STUDENTS’ LOYALTY IN THE AVIATION CAMPUS

CREATING STUDENTS’ LOYALTY IN THE AVIATION CAMPUS

Contribution of Choir Practices to the Integration Process of Immigrant Students

This study aimed to identify to what extent the choirpractices ‘mplemented in schools contributed to the integration process of immigrant students. In this study, action research, one of the qualitative research methods, was used as research design and homogeneous sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling types, as the sample group. An questionnaire form consisting of 12 open-ended questions and a demographic information form with 3 questions were applied to the study group. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the interviewdata.In line with the results obtained from this study, it was found that the choir practicesimplemented in schools contributed to the sense of belonging of immigrant students and their recognition in their social environment. Furthermore, it was also found that thechoir practices generated positive emotions that supportedstudents’ self-confidence, personal and spiritual development. Moreover, it was revealed that choir practice had positive contributions to students' Turkish reading, writing and speaking skills, the development of their vocabulary, acquisition of cooperative working habits and family and peer relations. In line with these results obtained, it was also found that some of the participants included in the choir practice were exposed to peer bullying. 
 Keywords: Immigrant students, integration, music education, choir practice