Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Federal Wealth Policy and the Perpetuation of White Supremacy

Since its inception, the U.S. government has strongly promoted the expansion of White wealth. These past policies have created the current wealth gaps in which White households typically hold >10 times the wealth held by Black or Latinx households. The tradition continues today. Using nine tax deductions, the federal government currently supports household wealth accumulation by nearly $640 billion annually. Although they make no overt mention of race, these tax exemptions are designed specifically to help wealthier households. Using evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances, this article estimates the racial shares of these tax benefits and shows a clear pattern of racial favoritism. In addition, repeated efforts to eliminate the estate and gift taxes mean more intergenerational wealth is tax-exempted. As in the past, our current federal wealth policies are promoting White supremacy.
The quick carotid scan for prevention of strokes due to carotid artery disease

There are approximately 800,000 strokes in the United States (U.S.) annually. This number has remained the same for decades despite efforts at prevention. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 80% of strokes could be prevented. A prime reason for failure of prevention is that the three immediate modifiable causes of strokes, carotid artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation (AFib), and hypertension (HTN) are asymptomatic in 80% of cases prior to the stroke. Strokes occur predominantly in seniors and the only possible means of reducing strokes on a large scale is to screen seniors for the asymptomatic disease so that it can be preemptively managed. We present a quick, accurate and cost-effective method of screening the senior population for asymptomatic carotid disease. The technique is a quick carotid scan (QCS). The QCS is a 1-minute long, image only, rapid, color flow ultrasound scan of the cervical carotid arteries that had a sensitivity of 97% when evaluated at New York University (NYU). Once identified by the QCS the approximately 8% of those screened found to have a positive QCS can then be referred for a full carotid duplex ultrasound (DUS). Those patients with a positive DUS can then be referred for further evaluation and appropriate stroke prevention management. The use of a full carotid DUS for screening widely for carotid disease is too time consuming and too costly. Approximately 160,000 or nearly 20% of the 800,000 strokes that occur annually in the U.S. are due to CAD that could in large part be prevented by screening the senior population with the QCS, finding those with CAD, evaluating them, and preemptively managing them prior to the occurrence of the stroke
Understanding behavioral intention to use mobile wallets in vietnam: Extending the tam model with trust and enjoyment

Abstract Mobile wallet (M-wallet), as an innovative alternative payment, is trendy in developed economies because it provides users with the ease, safety, and fast completion of daily financial activities. However, M-wallets have still been seen in the infancy stage in Vietnam. Therefore, the study aims to discover the main factors shaping behavioral intention to use mobile wallets in Vietnam. The extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with perceived enjoyment and trust was considered as a theoretical foundation for this study. The primary empirical data from 332 respondents were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and enjoyment have positive and significant impacts on behavioral intention to use M-wallets, whereas trust showing no direct effect.
LiSBOA (LiDAR Statistical Barnes Objective Analysis) for optimal design of lidar scans and retrieval of wind statistics – Part 2: Applications to lidar measurements of wind turbine wakes

Abstract. The LiDAR Statistical Barnes Objective Analysis (LiSBOA), presented in Letizia et al. ( 2021 ) , is a procedure for the optimal design of lidar scans and calculations over a Cartesian grid of the statistical moments of the velocity field. Lidar data collected during a field campaign conducted at a wind farm in complex terrain are analyzed through LiSBOA for two different tests. For both case studies, LiSBOA is leveraged for the optimization of the azimuthal step of the lidar and the retrieval of the mean equivalent velocity and turbulence intensity fields. In the first case, the wake velocity statistics of four utility-scale turbines are reconstructed on a 3D grid, showing LiSBOA's ability to capture complex flow features, such as high-speed jets around the nacelle and the wake turbulent-shear layers. For the second case, the statistics of the wakes generated by four interacting turbines are calculated over a 2D Cartesian grid and compared to the measurements provided by the nacelle-mounted anemometers. Maximum discrepancies, as low as 3 % for the mean velocity (with respect to the free stream velocity) and turbulence intensity (in absolute terms), endorse the application of LiSBOA for lidar-based wind resource assessment and diagnostic surveys for wind farms.
Application of microsatellite markers for hybrid verification and genetic analysis of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

The legitimacy of parents and progenies used in crop improvement programmes is vital for any meaningful progress in selection. While acknowledging the shortcomings of controlled pollination in oil palm breeding and commercial seed production, the legitimacy of 20 oil palm progenies from the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) breeding programme was determined using 16 fluorescently-labeled microsatellite markers. The genotyping of parents and progenies was conducted by capillary electrophoresis using the ABI 3730 DNA Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems, USA). Results revealed a complementary expression of the parents’ alleles in 18 out of the 20 individual progenies screened, confirming their hybridity and genetic identity. The two illegitimate progenies detected could be attributed to pollination and planting errors, respectively. A subset of three sufficiently informative loci (sMg00016, sMg00179 and sMo00102) was identified for routine quality control genotyping. The detection of illegitimate progenies provided ample evidence to substantiate the importance of assessing hybrid fidelity in breeding programmes. Furthermore, the usefulness of microsatellite markers as a reliable technique for routine assessment and unambiguous identification of oil palm crosses was established. The implications of microsatellitebased hybrid identification in oil palm varietal improvement programmes have been adequately discussed.
Preferential export of permafrost-derived organic matter as retrogressive thaw slumping intensifies

Enhanced warming of the Northern high latitudes has intensified thermokarst processes throughout the permafrost zone. Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS), where thaw-driven erosion caused by ground ice melt creates terrain disturbances extending over tens of hectares, represent particularly dynamic thermokarst features. Biogeochemical transformation of the mobilized substrate may release CO2 to the atmosphere and impact downstream ecosystems, yet its fate remains unclear. The Peel Plateau in northwestern Canada hosts some of the largest RTS features in the Arctic. Here, thick deposits of Pleistocene-aged glacial tills are overlain by a thinner layer of relatively organic-rich Holocene-aged permafrost that aggraded upward following deeper thaw and soil development during the early Holocene warm period. In this study, we characterize exposed soil layers and the mobilized material by analysing sediment properties and organic matter composition in active layer, Holocene and Pleistocene permafrost, recently thawed debris deposits and fresh deposits of slump outflow from four separate RTS features. We found that organic matter content, radiocarbon age and biomarker concentrations in debris and outflow deposits from all four sites were most similar to permafrost soils, with a lesser influence of the organic-rich active layer. Lipid biomarkers suggested a significant contribution of petrogenic carbon especially in Pleistocene permafrost. Active layer samples contained abundant intrinsically labile macromolecular components (polysaccharides, lignin markers, phenolic and N-containing compounds). All other samples were dominated by degraded organic constituents. Active layer soils, although heterogeneous, also had the highest median grain sizes, whereas debris and runoff deposits consisted of finer mineral grains and were generally more homogeneous, similar to permafrost. We thus infer that both organic matter degradation and hydrodynamic sorting during transport affect the mobilized material. Determining the relative magnitude of these two processes will be crucial to better assess the role of intensifying RTS activity in CO2 release and ecosystem carbon fluxes.
Study of Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Artocarpus heterophyllus

In today’s world, search for natural medicines is increasing as a result of drug resistance of pathogens and also due to negative consequences of antibiotic. Presence of phytochemicals, antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity of Artocarpus heterophyllus was carried out in this study. Leaf of this plant was subjected to warm extraction with three different solvents namely methanol, aqueous methanol and ethyl acetate. Leaf extract showed the presence of coumarin, alkaloid, terpenoid in methanol solvent; tannin, coumarin, saponin in aqueous methanol extract and coumarin, terpenoids in ethyl acetate solvent. Further, antimicrobial activity was assessed through disc diffusion method with six pathological bacteria and two fungi strains in four different concentrations of plant extract. Largest ZOI of 16mm was obtained against B. subtilis in 200mg/ml concentration for ethyl acetate extract. Antioxidant potential was measured by DPPH (Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay. DPPH free radical Scavenging Activity was expressed in % inhibition with L Ascorbic acid as standard and leaf extract in methanol showed the best activity.
Vitamin B12 and transcobalamin in bovine milk: Genetic variation and genome-wide association with loci along the genome

Graphical Abstract Summary: This study reports significant associations between the log-transformed transcobalamin content in the Danish Holstein milk and 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across Bos taurus autosomes (BTA). Of these 28 significantly associated SNPs, 24 were on BTA17, where strong associations were detected, with −log10(P-value) up to 62.93. The QTL region on BTA17 spanned between 71.71 and 71.79 Mbp.
Ethanol Production from Gmelina arborea Wood Wastes by Saccharomyces cerevisiae using Submerged Fermentation

Lignocellulose wastes are the most abundant residues on the surface of the earth. This project studies the possibility of ethanol production from a forestry waste. Wood wastes from Gmelina arborea were treated with dillute sulfuric acid to break down the lignin component. Fermentation for ethanol production was done using baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 204508/S288c) for 120 hours using submerged fermentation, and the pH, reducing sugar, specific gravity and lignin content were determined using standard techniques. Ethanol concentration and yield were measured via vinometer and ethanol standard curve techniques. From the results, the highest pH was obtained at 72 hours of the fermentation period. The reducing sugar content and specific gravity decreased over the fermentation time . The acid-pretreated wood wastes gave a maximum ethanol concentration of 3.84 % and a yield of 7.60 ml/g as measured from the vinometer and ethanol standard curve methods at 72 and 96 hours of fermentation, respectively. About 13.6% v/v of ethanol was recovered from the distillation process employed to separate the components of the product generated after fermentation. The observations in this research reveal the possibility of producing ethanol from G. arborea wood wastes and under optimized culture conditions. This could serve as an alternate means of biofuel generation and hence value addition to the wastes.
Metronomic 5-Fluorouracil Delivery Primes Skeletal Muscle for Myopathy but Does Not Cause Cachexia

Skeletal myopathy encompasses both atrophy and dysfunction and is a prominent event in cancer and chemotherapy-induced cachexia. Here, we investigate the effects of a chemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluorouracil (5FU), on skeletal muscle mass and function, and whether small-molecule therapeutic candidate, BGP-15, could be protective against the chemotoxic challenge exerted by 5FU. Additionally, we explore the molecular signature of 5FU treatment. Male Balb/c mice received metronomic tri-weekly intraperitoneal delivery of 5FU (23 mg/kg), with and without BGP-15 (15 mg/kg), 6 times in total over a 15 day treatment period. We demonstrated that neither 5FU, nor 5FU combined with BGP-15, affected body composition indices, skeletal muscle mass or function. Adjuvant BGP-15 treatment did, however, prevent the 5FU-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and p65 NF-B subunit, signalling pathways involved in cell stress and inflammatory signalling, respectively. This as associated with mitoprotection. 5FU reduced the expression of the key cytoskeletal proteins, desmin and dystrophin, which was not prevented by BGP-15. Combined, these data show that metronomic delivery of 5FU does not elicit physiological consequences to skeletal muscle mass and function but is implicit in priming skeletal muscle with a molecular signature for myopathy. BGP-15 has modest protective efficacy against the molecular changes induced by 5FU.
Predictors of Work Efficiency in Structural Firefighters

Objective: Develop a novel work efficiency (WE) metric to quantify firefighter physical ability and identify correlates of WE. Methods: Physical fitness and anthropometric measurements were taken on 19 male firefighters. Firefighters performed a timed maximal effort simulated fireground test (SFGT). WE was quantified as: (1/[Air depletion × SFGT completion time]) × 10,000. Regression analyses were used to identify predictors of WE. Results: WE was significantly correlated to age, relative body fat, fat mass, occupational experience, jump height, inverted row repetitions, relative bench press and squat strength, treadmill time to exhaustion, relative ventilatory threshold, and relative peak oxygen consumption. Treadmill time to exhaustion and relative lower body strength accounted for the greatest variance in WE (R2 = 0.72, root mean square error = 0.07). Conclusion: Aerobic endurance and relative lower body strength were related to an occupationally-specific assessment of firefighter physical ability.
Évaluation de la qualité de composts à base de biomasses feuillées de deux espèces agroforestières à Cassou, Centre-Ouest, Burkina Faso

Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. and Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp. are species of the leguminosae group which are promoted in agroforestry. This study aimed at assessing the quality of leafy biomass composts of these two species in order to use them as green manure. For this, composts based on leafy biomasses of Albizia lebbeck and Gliricidia sepium have been characterized. The phytotoxicity tests of the composts was carried out using a germination test of Zea mays (L) and Arachis hypogaea (L). The effect of composts on the growth of Adansonia digitata L. and Sclerocarya birrea (A.Rich.) Hochst. subsp. Also evaluated. Comparison of means tests and repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare types of composts. The results show that these composts were not toxic. The average carbon, nitrogen, pHe and C / N ratios of the composts of Albizia lebbeck and Gliricidia sepium were in accordance with international standards. The effect of Gliricidia sepium compost W. B. KABORE et al. / Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 14(9): 3297-3307, 2020 3298 on the growth of Adansonia digitata and Sclerocarya birrea was better than that of Albizia lebbeck and cow dung (P <0.05). The compost from the leafy biomass of Gliricidia sepium is of very good quality while that of Albizia lebbeck is of fairly good quality. The biomasses of these two species therefore constitute good material for composting. These results can be used to improve crop production in agroforestry. © 2020 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.
Prevalence Of Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs)-Producing Escherichia Coli Isolated From UTI Patients Attending some Selected Hospitals In Minna, Nigeria

Globally, urinary tract infections are one of the most common infections in need of urgent clinical attention. The prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)- producing Escherichia coli isolated from urine samples of some UTI patients and s of apparently healthy individuals in Minna, Nigeria, is investigated. Standard microbiological techniques were used to conduct this study. A total of 170 catch midstream urine samples submitted to the Medical Microbiology Laboratories of 4 different hospitals (and samples from healthy individuals) were randomly collected for 5 months and examined for microbial growths. Female patients (65.9%) submitted more urine samples for UTI test than their male counterpart (34.1%). The age ranges of 21 -30 (26.5%) and 31 - 40 (25.3%) had the highest percentages of infection rate while those within the ages 1- 10 (3.5%) and ≥ 71 (2.3%) were the least infected. This study observed a prevalence of 23.5% of E. coli in Minna metropolis and a significant number (30%) of healthy individuals (HI) was observed to harbor the E. coli in their urine. The isolates were highly susceptible to Gentamicin (65%), Ofloxacin (65%), Tetracycline (62.5%), Cotrimoxazole (62.5%), and Streptomycin (57.5%). Mildly susceptible to Pefloxacin (37.5%), Chloramphenicol (37.5%), and Ciprofloxacin (35%). There were significant resistance to most of the beta-lactames tested [Cefuroxime (80%), Amoxicillin (42.5%), Augmentin (40), Cefotaxime (20%) and Ceftaxidime (7.5%)]. Two of the isolates were resistant to all the 13 antibiotics tested; 70% (28) of the isolates had multiple antibiotics resistance index (MARI) ≥0.3. Multidrug resistance was expressed in 37.5% of the isolates tested. The study showed a vast resistant pool in the environment. Only 25% of the E. coli isolated from the urine samples produced beta-lactamases phenotypically, most of which expressed resistance to more than 5 of the antibiotics tested and had MARI of ≥ 0.5. Further evaluation showed that 25% (10/40) of the E. coli isolated from the UTI patients in Minna, Nigeria, were ESBL- producers and could harbor one or two of the genes. TEM gene was expressed in 70% (7) of the isolates that produced ESBL phenotypically, 60% 6) harbored CTXM gene, 20% (2) had the OXA gene while none of the bacteria harbored the SHV gene. The study established a 5.9% ESBL prevalence among the E. coli isolated from UTI in the environment studied. This study established that E. coli is one of the prevalent bacteri urea majorly isolated from UTI patients in Minna. The prevalent E. coli are multidrug resistant and could harbor more than one ESBL gene . keywords: Escherichia coli, Minna, UTI, ESBL, Multidrug resistance
Conceptualizing Self-control on Problematic Social Media Use

With increasing concerns about problematic social media use, self-control is expected to become an effective approach for excessive users to decrease possible harm for their well-being. This article explores the current literature on the conceptualization of self-control on social media. For this, 25 papers from seven academic databases were analyzed in the chronological order in a systematic literature review. The sequence of applied frameworks demonstrates a gradual switch from theories of planned behavior to theories justifying non-planned behavior and self-control failures. This finding explains the emphasis of recent studies on the impulsive behavior of excessive social media users and the application of dual-system theories. However, research design of selected articles included mainly self-report tools to investigate impulsive self-control failures which may result in contradictory findings and deficient theoretical grounding for self-control interventions. All investigated papers claim a negative impact of social media self-control failures on personal well-being.
A Bibliometric Analysis of Sustainability and Risk Management

Sustainability practices in a working environment represent superior quality performances, while risks remain to be a challenge. Our study’s primary purpose is to deploy the bibliometric method to analyze the related literature. Bibliometric parameters analyzed using the VOSviewer software were employed to identify citations relevant to sustainability and risk contexts’ critical themes. From 1990–2020, a reflection of 1233 documents appeared in Scopus on sustainability practices and risk management. We searched the current papers, authors, institutes, and keywords on VOSviewer. The bibliometric search provided us an understanding, which reflected that the collected works on literature of sustainability and risk factors, in general, is suggestively increasing. Mainly, in our report, we highlighted six major streams, related to topics such as the moral responsibilities and sustainability development, blockchain technology and minimization of risks, social sustainability and supply chain, environmental impacts, safety engineering and risk identification, and optimization and sustainability practices. The primary purpose of using streams was to cite the key authors and their contributions to the related literature. This bibliometric analysis was developed to obtain further understanding regarding the importance of sustainability to the individual, firms, and the entire economy. Moreover, the factors associated with risk also sought to be examined to prevent or at least minimize its negative impact. It was identified in this paper that sustainability remains an issue in the global perspective that has been challenging the individual and/or the organization’s point of views. Risk factors were also identified as inevitable; hence, everyone must be socially responsible to minimize the negative impact on the economy.