Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Purification Performance of the Kossodo Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ouagadougou

The efficiency of a wastewater treatment system is classically measured by the quality of its discharge into the aquatic environment. This quality can only be achieved if certain aspects are taken into account, such as the design and operation of the system in place. The objective of the present work is to evaluate the purification performance of this system after 17 years of operation. It should be noted that the lagoon plant (WWTP) has a total of eight basins, three of which are anaerobic (ANA). The evaluation of the physicochemical and microbiological parameters in the anaerobic basins and in the maturation basins allowed us to note slightly basic pH values in the maturation basins (8.7 to 9.2) against values from 6.8 to 7.4 in the anaerobic basins. Also, the values in terms of organic and bacteriological pollution have also evolved. For COD and BOD 5 , we obtained respectively abatements of more than 73% for filtered COD, 55% for gross COD and 81% for BOD 5 even if the residual concentrations do not
Player Mobility and Competitive Balance Regulation in Professional Sports Leagues

Competitive balance regulation is more widespread in North American than in Europan sports leagues. The present paper addresses the question whether this observation can be explained with the help of differences in the degree of player mobility. Using an extended version of the workhorse contest model of sports leagues, the paper shows that the answer depends on the kind of competitive balance regulation. While player mobility may help to explain the difference with respect to salary regulation (e.g., salary caps), the choice of revenue sharing schemes turns out to be independent of player mobility.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Medicine Practices in Saudi Arabia

Background The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the largest global healthcare crises in nearly a century. To face this global health emergency, health institutions have had to readjust their functioning while ensuring the continuity of care and protecting medical staff and patients. Our aim in this study was to assess the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on family medicine and its practice in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted during the period from June 30, 2020, to July 20, 2020, by posting an online survey on social media platforms (WhatsApp and Twitter) and emailing physicians individually to collect data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family medicine and primary care practices during the period of lockdown in Saudi Arabia. Results A total of 382 primary healthcare (PHC) providers participated in the study (males: 213 (55.8%); females: 169 (44.2%)). The mean age and standard deviation of the population were 38.27±7.46. Most participants were from governmental health sectors. Participants revealed that they have a good level of knowledge regarding COVID-19. However, they indicated confusion regarding the knowledge due to changing recommendations or multiple-source information. Only 57.3% of respondents received relevant training on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The most frequently used PPE were surgical masks (100%) and gloves (98.4%). The highly protective N95 masks were used by only 55.7%. Many health care workers indicated a high rate of stress and anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic. Data obtained are suggestive that there was a reduction in outpatient visits and a reduction in consultation time. Canceled physical examinations of the patients during the consultation were encountered most of the time. There was no shortage of medications, nasopharyngeal swabs, or sanitizers. However, an occasional lack of PPEs occurred. 64.4% of the respondents used online consultations with their patients. A shortage of health care workers during the pandemic in family medicine clinics was encountered by 63.3% of the participants. Conclusion Family medicine practices are adversely affected by pandemics and lockdowns following them. It has been reported that COVID-19 interferes with preventive, chronic, and acute care visits and increases mental health visits. Outpatient visits have also decreased as well as the amount of time spent in consultations. In addition, the transition from in-person clinics to telemedicine has happened. Perhaps these changes will delay the diagnosis and prescription refills.
Nonlinear discrete-time hazard models for women's entry into marriage

We propose a hazard model for entry into marriage, based on a bell-shaped function to model the dependence on age. We demonstrate near-aliasing in an extension that estimates the support of the hazard and mitigate this via re-parameterization. Our proposed model parameterizes the maximum hazard and corresponding age, thereby facilitating more general models where these features depend on covariates. For data on women's marriages from the Living in Ireland Surveys 1994–2001, this approach captures a reduced propensity to marry over successive cohorts and an increasing delay in the timing of marriage with increasing education.
Predicting the Timing of Water Main Failure Using Artificial Neural Networks

AbstractEffective management of aging water distribution infrastructure is essential for preserving the economic vitality of North American municipalities. Historical failures within Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, reveal a seasonal pattern to water main failures, with the majority of failures occurring during the very cold winter months. Extensive installation of cement mortar lining and cathodic protection have extended the life span of aging water mains and reduced escalating failure rates. Artificial neural networks are found to be capable of predicting the time to failure for individual pipes using a range of pipe-specific attributes, including diameter, length, soil type, construction year, and the number of previous failures. The developed models have correlation coefficients ranging from 0.70–0.82 on instances reserved for evaluating predictive performance and have utility on an asset-by-asset basis when planning water main inspection, maintenance, and rehabilitation. Simulated failure scenarios ind.
An 820 pin PGA for ultra large-scale BiCMOS devices

A high pin count, high performance PGA has been developed for next-generation ASIC devices which apply half-micron BiCMOS technology and have a maximum usable gate count of 300 K. In view of the advances in CMOS and BiCMOS ULSI technologies, high performance packages are required. This new package has been designed with due consideration of all package functions. Packages for high-end devices need to satisfy the following requirements: high electrical performance, low thermal resistance and high pin count in keeping with easy routing of PWB. The body size of the developed package is 60/spl times/60 mm/sup 2/. Surface mount type pin joint was adopted to realize high wiring density of a printed wiring board. This package has 820 pins with 50 mil pitch, and 5 rows. A small pin diameter of 0.2 mm and a short pin length of 3.0 mm were used for surface mounting. <<ETX>>
Numerical Simulation of Integrated Impingements Cooling Structure: Heat Removal at the Impingement and Pin Surfaces

Turbine blade cooling is crucial in order to maintain its temperature below melting point. Integrated impingement cooling (IIC) is one method to achieve this. Present study deals with 3-dimensional transient numerical simulations of the IIC structure for high performance turbine. Cooling performance of four newly proposed IIC configurations along with two configurations by Funazaki and Hamidon (2008) have been investigated using k-ε turbulence model via commercial CFD package, Ansys Fluent. The simulations were validated against the experimental data of Funazaki and Hamidon (2008) and good agreement between the numerical results and the experimental data was observed. Pin configuration of STAG1 and STAG3 gave the highest heat transfer coefficient at the target plate and pin surfaces respectively. Evidently, conductive pin that acts as fin can improve the overall heat transfer of the IIC system studied.
Modelling of raisin berries by some physical and statistical characteristics

A b s t r a c t. The relationships between mass and size and other parameters of raisin berries are needed for grading or classifying purposes. In this study, the mass of raisin berries was measured and predicted by applying different physical characteristics with 12 linear and nonlinear models in two different classifications. It is also possible to statistically characterise raisin berries on the basis of dimension for classifying and separating targets. For this reason, the Weibull distribution model was used to describe the process under study. The results showed that from the economic and agronomical point of view, a suitable grading system of raisin berries mass could be selected based on the major diameter as the nonlinear relation: M = 0.068 e 0.157 L , R 2 = 0.769. The information
THE EFFECTS OF MATHEMATICS ANXIETY ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY TWO STUDENTS IN JOS NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE

Mathematics has been viewed as a tough subject due to factors like anxiety and methods used for teaching. Anxiety itself has resulted to poor performance in the subject Mathematics. This study was designed to investigate the effects of Mathematics anxiety on the achievement of senior secondary two (SS2) students in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. The study was guided by one research question and one hypothesis. The hypothesis was formulated based on the research question and was tested at 0.05alpha level of significance. Survey research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 120 senior secondary two students was selected from a population of 4234 for the study. Two instruments were used in gathering data for the study. The instruments were; the Mathematics Anxiety Scale Questionnaire (MASQ) adopted from Driscoll and Mathematics Achievement Scores (MAS). The MASQ instrument were 4-point Likert type Scales. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS software. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question while chi-square for testing independence was adopted to test the hypothesis. The findings showed that Mathematics anxiety exists among senior secondary two students and has great effects on their achievement in Mathematics. The findings also revealed that there is a significant relationship between anxiety and students’ achievement in Mathematics. The educational implications were pointed out and the following recommendations were made; The Government through the ministry of education should direct teachers to identify Mathematics anxiety among Secondary School Students develop means of helping them overcome the anxiety for effective teaching and learning of mathematics in schools, workshops or refreshed courses should be organised for all Mathematics teachers annually at National, State and local offices level so as to guide mathematics teachers to create positive attitude toward Mathematics for effective teaching and learning of Mathematics, teachers should always find ways of creating and sustaining students interest in Mathematics, among others.
The Effect of Berberine on Metabolic Profiles in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective Rhizoma Coptidis is an herb that has been frequently used in many traditional formulas for the treatment of diabetic mellitus (DM) over thousands of years. Berberine, the main active component of Rhizoma Coptidis, has been demonstrated to have the potential effect of hypoglycemia. To determine the potential advantages of berberine for diabetic care, we conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of patients with type 2 DM. Methods Eight databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Database (SinoMed), Wanfang Database, and Chinese VIP Information was searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting clinical data regarding the use of berberine for the treatment of DM. Publication qualities were also considered to augment the credibility of the evidence. Glycemic metabolisms were the main factors studied, including glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasm glucose (FPG), and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2hPG). Insulin resistance was estimated by fasting blood insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and body mass index (BMI). Lipid profiles were also assessed, including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), along with inflammation factors such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and adverse events were applied to evaluate the safety of berberine. Results Forty-six trials were assessed. Analysis of berberine applied alone or with standard diabetic therapies versus the control group revealed significant reductions in HbA1c (MD = −0.73; 95% CI (−0.97, −0.51)), FPG (MD = −0.86, 95% CI (−1.10, −0.62)), and 2hPG (MD = −1.26, 95% CI (−1.64, −0.89)). Improved insulin resistance was assessed by lowering FINS (MD = −2.05, 95% CI (−2.62, −1.48)), HOMA-IR (MD = −0.71, 95% CI (−1.03, −0.39)), and BMI (MD = −1.07, 95% CI (−1.76, −0.37)). Lipid metabolisms were also ameliorated via the reduction of TG (MD = −0.5, 95% CI (−0.61, −0.39)), TC (MD = 0.64, 95% CI (−0.78, −0.49)), and LDL (MD = 0.86, 95% CI (−1.06, −0.65)) and the upregulation of HDL (MD = 0.17, 95% CI (0.09, 0.25)). Additionally, berberine improved the inflammation factor. Conclusion There is strong evidence supporting the clinical efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of DM, especially as an adjunctive therapy. In the future, this may be used to guide targeted clinical use of berberine and the development of medications seeking to treat patients with T2DM and dyslipidemia.
Work effectiveness in relation with communication, workload, and work discipline

This study aims to determine the effect of Aeronautical Communication Officer Competence, Workload, and Work Discipline on the Work Effectiveness of Apron Movement Service Personnel at Soekarno - Hatta International Airport Cengkareng. Data collection techniques were carried out by distributing questionnaires using a Likert measurement scale. This research was conducted on 68 respondents using a quantitative descriptive approach and hypothesis testing. The collected data was then analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis techniques through SmartPLS (Partial Least Square) software. The results of this study indicate that the Competence of Aeronautical Communication Officer, Workload and Work Discipline of Apron Movement Service Personnel have a positive and significant impact on the Work Effectiveness of Apron Movement Service Personnel at Soekarno - Hatta International Airport.
Treatment of mine rejected-brine wastewater by indigenous halophilic bacterial species under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

This study investigated the treatment of brine wastewater under aerobic and anaerobic conditions by indigenous halophilic bacterial strains. Series of experiments were conducted in batch reactors containing synthetic brine solutions as well as in batch reactors with natural brine wastewater supplemented with and without glucose as a source of carbon to ascertain the removal efficiency of halophilic bacteria under various environmental conditions such as pH (3–10), temperature (20°C–40°C), aeration (shaking speed of 100 rpm) and NaCl concentrations (0.8%–25% w/v). Culture-based methods and molecular techniques were used to identify the selected halophilic bacterial strains isolated from brine wastewater samples. The 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that these isolated strains were closely related to Alishewanella tabrizica (97%), Bacillus anthracis (97%), Pseudomonas alcaliphila (98%), Serratia nematodiphila (98%) and Pseudomonas mendocina (98%). These halophilic bacteria showed the ability to grow in a wide pH range from 3 to 10 (with an optimum value of pH 8) and a temperature range from 20°C to 40°C (with an optimum temperature of 28°C). Furthermore, A. tabrizica and B. anthracis were able to grow at NaCl concentrations of up to 10%, while P. alcaliphila, S. nematodiphila and P. mendocina could grow at NaCl concentrations of up to 20%. The results of the experimental studies for chemical content removal from brine wastewater showed that all the target halophilic bacteria were able to reduce the concentration of most chemical pollutants (B, Ba, Ca, Cu, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, S, Si, Sr, U and Zn), which had initial concentrations ranging between 360 and 2,000 mg/L. No significant differences (p > 0.05) between bacterial isolates for the removal of pollutants in both anaerobic and aerobic conditions were noted in synthetic brine and natural brine with exception of natural brine media supplemented with glucose. This indicated that the type of media did not significantly affect the target isolates in their ability to remove pollutants. Moreover, the target isolates were able to remove high concentrations of chemical oxygen demand at a range of 69.58%–100% under aerobic conditions and at a range of 56.62%–98.68% under anaerobic conditions.
Prosodic realization of tonal target and F0 peak alignment in Mandarin neutral tone

Neutral tone in Mandarin is generally believed to lack tonal identity and exhibit more variability in its phonetic realization. We examined the tonal target of neutral tone in a prosodic word consisting of a full syllable (S) and one, two, or three neutral-tone syllables. In the experiment, the test words, presented in isolation and embedded in a carrier sentence, were read in two intonation patterns: declarative and interrogative. The results showed: (1) the tonal target of neutral tone is L(ow) at the end of the intonation phrase in declarative intonation and M(id) in question intonation; (2) its phonetic realization is influenced by intonation patterns, the tone of S and the number of neutral-tone syllables in the prosodic word; (3) the influence of the tone of S is more robust in shorter sequences than in longer ones with three neutral-tone syllables; (4) placement of the F0 peak in T2 (LH) and the neutral tone immediately following T3 (L) is susceptible to the number of neutral-tone syllables. It seems clear from our study that while the tonal target of neutral tone is related to prosodic structure, its actual F0 scaling is sensitive to prosodic manipulations such as intonation patterns and prosodic word length. In addition, tonelessness of neutral tone allows for more freedom in the alignment of the F0 peak, whose temporal coordination with its segmental host is, nevertheless, subject to both phonological and phonetic constraints.
Measurement and Identification of Pre‐Sliding Friction Dynamics

∗ K.U. Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Division P.M.A., Celestijnenlaan 300B, 3001 Heverlee (Leuven), Belgium, E-mail: farid.al-bender@mech.kuleuven. ac.be + Department of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering, University of Patras, GR 265 00 Patras, Greece, E-mail: {driz,fassois}@mech.upatras. gr † University of Sheffield, department of Mechanical Engineering, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, U.K., E-mail: K.Worden@sheffield.ac. uk ‡ Third Physical Institute, University of Gottingen, Burgerstrasse 42/44, 37073 Gottingen, Germany, E-mail: parlitz@physik3.gwdg. de (September 1, 2003)
Viral infection engenders bona fide and bystander lung memory B cell subsets through permissive selection

Lung-resident memory B cells (MBCs) provide localized protection against reinfection in the respiratory airways. Currently, the biology of these cells remains largely unexplored. Here, we combined influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection with fluorescent-reporter mice to identify MBCs regardless of antigen specificity. scRNA-seq analysis and confocal imaging revealed that two main transcriptionally distinct subsets of MBCs colonize the lung peribronchial niche after infection. These subsets arise from different progenitors and are both class-switched, somatically mutated and intrinsically biased in their differentiation fate towards plasma cells. Combined analysis of antigen-specificity and B cell receptor repertoire unveiled a highly permissive selection process that segregates these subsets into “bona fide” virus-specific MBCs and “bystander” MBCs with no apparent specificity for eliciting viruses. Thus, diverse transcriptional programs in MBCs are not linked to specific effector fates but rather to divergent strategies of the immune system to simultaneously provide rapid protection from reinfection while diversifying the initial B cell repertoire.
Possibilities of dried distillers' grains with solubles application in animal feed

The possibility of utilization of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) in animal feed was investigated. Samples of maize hybrids ZP 548 and ZP 655b, and DDGS obtained from hybrids ZP 548 and ZP 548c were used as components of the feed. The total protein content ranged from 12.42% to 31.18%, moisture from 5.49% to 9.55, and ash content from 1.85% to 4.37%. The contents of NDF, ADF, ADL, hemicellulose and cellulose fibers ranged from: 13.90% to 48.13%; 2.9% to 20.69%; 0.27% to 2.44%; 10.69% to 30.17%, 2.62% to 18.32%, respectively. In vitro, dry matter digestibility ranged from 55.20% to 89.76%. It was concluded that the samples of DDG obtained from red and yellow maize hybrids kernel are very suitable as components for the preparation of animal feed.
Mechanisms of acrolein induces toxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells: Oxidative stress, DNA damage response, and apoptosis

Acrolein is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant that produced by the incomplete combustion of cigarette smoke, forest fires, petroleum fuels, plastic materials, and cooking fumes. Inhalation is a common form of people exposure to acrolein, increasing evidence demonstrates that acrolein impairs the cardiovascular system by targeting vascular endothelial cells. However, the molecular mechanism of the cytotoxicity of acrolein exposure on vascular endothelial cells remains unclear. This work focused on the toxicity of acrolein on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The molecular mechanism was studied based on oxidative stress, DNA damage response (DDR), and mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. After HUVECs were treated with 12.5, 25, and 50 μM acrolein for 24 h, cell viability, cell colony formation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and adenosine triphosphate content significantly reduced, and acrolein increased intracellular reactive oxygen species, apoptosis rate, and 8‐hydroxy‐2 deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) level. Furthermore, p38MAPK and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase signaling pathways were activated in response to oxidative stress. Moreover, acrolein induced G0/G1phase arrest, promoted the expression of γ‐H2AX, activated the DDR signaling pathway (Ataxia‐Telangiectasia‐Mutated [ATM] and Rad‐3‐related/Chk1 and ATM/Chk2), and triggered the consequent cell cycle checkpoints. Finally, the protein expression of Bax/Bcl‐2 and cleaved Caspase‐3 was up‐regulated, suggesting apoptosis was induced by triggering the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. All these results indicated that acrolein induced HUVECs cytotoxicity by regulating oxidative stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis. This study provides a novel perspective on the mechanism of acrolein‐induced cardiovascular toxicity, it will be helpful for the prevention of acrolein‐induced cardiovascular disease.