Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Macroeconomic Variables on Environment Quality during COVID-19 Pandemic

The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects every part of human life, including the physical world. The measures taken to control the spread of the virus have had a significant impact on slowing economic activity and the quality of the environment. This study discusses the macroeconomic variables on environmental quality during the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between economic growth, human quality, poverty, and global trade on the quality of the environment in Indonesia. The data used a cross-sectional study for 34 provinces in Indonesia during 2020, while it analyzed the data using a multiple linear regression approach. The study results found that human quality has a positive effect on environmental quality in Indonesia, while the economic growth, poverty, and global trade variables have a negative effect. Novelty in this study examines the factors in the economy that affect the environment in the pandemic era.
Room-Temperature Synthesis of Air-Stable Near-Infrared Emission in FAPbI3 Nanoparticles Embedded in Silica

Hybrid organic−inorganic and all-inorganic metal halide perovskite nanoparticles (PNPs) have shown their excellent characteristics for optoelectronic applications. We report an atmospheric process to embed formamidinium CH(NH2)2PbI3 (FAPbI3) PNPs in silica protective layer at room temperature (approximately 26 °C) employing (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES). The resulting perovskite nanocomposite (PNCs) achieved a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield of 58.0% and good stability under atmospheric moisture conditions. Moreover, the PNCs showed high PL intensity over 1 month of storage (approximately 26 °C) and more than 380 min of PNCs solutions in DI water. The studied near-infrared (NIR) light-emitting diode (LED) combined a NIR-emitting PNCs coating and a blue InGaN-based chip that exhibited a 788 nm electroluminescence spectrum of NIR-LEDs under 2.6 V. This may be a powerful tool to track of muscle and disabled patients in the detection of a blood vessel.
Convergent evolution of elaborate nests as structural defences in birds

The ‘hanging-basket’ nests of some weaverbird and icterid species are among the most complex structures built by any animal, but why they have evolved remains to be explained. The precarious attachments and extended entrance tunnels characteristic of these nests are widely speculated to act as structural defences against invasion by nest predators, particularly tree-climbing snakes, but this hypothesis has yet to be systematically tested. We use phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate the role of nest structure in developmental period length, a proxy for offspring mortality, in the weaverbirds (Ploceidae) and icterids (Icteridae), two bird families in which ‘hanging-basket’ nests have independently evolved. We find that more elaborate nest designs, particularly those with entrance tunnels, are associated with longer developmental periods in both families. This finding is robust to potentially confounding effects of body mass, phylogenetic relationships and nest location. We provide the first comparative evidence for the role of elaborate nest designs in reducing offspring mortality from nest invasion. More broadly, our findings highlight the importance of offspring mortality risk in shaping diversity in birds’ nest designs and suggest that complex structures built by animals can buffer against environmental hazards and facilitate the evolution of slower life histories.
A collective case study: How regular teachers provide inclusive education for severely and profoundly deaf students in regular schools in rural New South Wales | NOVA. The University of Newcastle's Digital Repository

This thesis reports a collective case study of the school educational experiences of five severely and profoundly deaf students who were enrolled in regular schools in rural areas of New South Wales. The students ranged in age from 6 to 18 years. Three issues were examined: (1) The impact of the philosophy of inclusive education and the question of why students with high degrees of deafness and high support needs were enrolled in regular schools in rural areas; (2) The specific linguistic an educational support needs of deaf students; and (3) The ability of the regular schools and teachers to cater for the educational needs of the deaf students in those settings. The case studies revealed that to considerably varying extents in different situations, the students were afforded inclusive educational opportunities. The extent of inclusiveness of students’ educational experiences was shown to vary according to a number of variables. The variables identified included: the type and quality of communication with the deaf student, teaching style, accessibility of content, particular lesson type, and the type and extent of curriculum adaptations employed. As a result of the analysis of the data from the five cases, a number of generalistions were possible. These generalisations were that (a) students with the ability to access spoken communication auditorily were more easily included than students using manual communication; (b) reduction of linguistic and academic input occurred as a response to student inability to access class programs because of reduced linguistic capabilities, resulting in the deaf students receiving different and reduced information to the hearing students; (c) communication between a deaf student and his or her class teacher needed to be direct for the most successful inclusion to occur; (d) teaching style needed to be interactive or experiential for successful language learning and literacy development to occur; (e) curriculum adaptations needed to involve provision of visual support for lesson material to be highly effective; (f) lessons/subjects easily supported by visual means, such as mathematics or practical subjects, when taught hierarchically, going from the known to unknown in achievable steps, meant teaching style could be either transmission or interactive, for lesson activities to be considered inclusive; (g)
The Use of Chemical Admixtures in Concrete. Part II: Admixture-Admixture Compatibility and Practical Problems

Different combinations of admixtures can produce concretes having high flow, good cohesion, and self-leveling properties; they can be placed underwater, can expand and induce compressive stresses or reduced shrinkage, and can be placed and cured at sub-zero temperatures. Thus, correct combinations of admixtures produce custom-made concrete for particular jobs. This article, the second in a series, explores admixture-admixture compatibilities; the first article in this series discussed admixture-cement compatibilities. Topics include compatibility problems with viscosity-enhancing admixtures, compatibility problems with water reducing admixtures (WRA) or damproofing admixture combinations, shrinkage compensating concretes for flat slab applications, accelerated setting in concrete containing calcium nitrite and superplasticizers, and decreased air contents in silica fume concrete. The authors also consider problems caused by admixture side effects and poor practice, including surface finishing problems, plastic shrinkage, and the effect of retempering of concrete on the air void system. The authors conclude that it is vital to understand both admixture-cement and admixture-admixture interactions so that the best use of materials can be achieved, field problems are avoided, and more accurate prediction of concrete properties is made possible.
Stress and coping – Perceptions of final year nursing students returning to clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa

Background The novel nature of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic places challenges on nursing students as they try to complete the clinical requirement of their training. Nursing faculties need to understand these challenges to support and equip nursing students to enter the workforce. Aim To explore and describe the anticipated and subsequent perceptions of final year Bachelor of Nursing students returning to clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. Setting The study was conducted at two universities in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Both universities offer 4-year Bachelor of Nursing programmes accredited by the South African Nursing Council and were in ‘hot spot areas’ for SARS-CoV-2. Methods A qualitative study with focus groups discussions of final year undergraduate nursing students from both universities were conducted. Data were analysed through content analysis using Lazarus and Folkman’s Stress Appraisal Coping Model. Results Five focus groups discussions with a total of 25 participants were conducted. Three themes with eight sub-themes emerged, the key themes being: primary appraisal and anticipation of returning to clinical practice; contextual influence on primary appraisal and reappraisal to facilitate positive return to clinical practice. Conclusion Primary perceptions of returning to clinical practice revolved around uncertainty and stress. However, through preparation and the process of reappraisal, participants were able to adapt and cope with the challenges in returning to clinical practice during the pandemic. Contribution It is important to recognise the role of faculty in supporting nursing students’ transition into situations of uncertainty such as the pandemic.
The optimization of inlet and outlet port locations of a vented square cavity

In this study, mixed convection heat transfer and local and global entropy generation in aventilated square cavity have been investigated numerically. The natural convection effect isachieved by a constant heat flux imposed at the bottom wall and cooled by injecting a coldfollow. In order to investigate the effect of port location, four different placementconfigurations of the inlet and outlet ports are studied. In each case, external flow enters intothe cavity through an inlet port in the left side of the cavity and exits from the opposite side.The other boundaries are assumed adiabatic. The cavity is subjected to laminar flow of water.The investigation has been carried out for the Re=1000, and the Richardson number with therange of 0.0001(Global Entropy Generation), Heat Transfer Irreversibility (HTI) and Fluid FrictionIrreversibility (FFI) are calculated and compared. Then, the optimum inlet/outlet configurationhas been selected based on the minimum GEG and the maximum heat transfer.
5.1.2 A Framework for Visualizing Systems Engineering Research Coverage

This paper describes the evolution of a framework suitable for categorizing and displaying systems engineering (SE) research topics. The paper follows the journey traversed in the evolution of the framework and its progressive evaluation. It also provides the key influences and the rationale for each iteration. The framework was synthesised and refined in three stages. Firstly, the research team gathered a number of research‐oriented SE taxonomies and compared and contrasted these with a SoSE capabilities framework that was an outcome from earlier research. This resulted in a new synthesis that was then evaluated for coverage against a set of SE research agendas. The evaluation informed further refinements that reorganised some of the categories and broadened the elements of SE capability somewhat. The final step was to validate and hone the framework though a process of mapping a representative sample of papers from the Systems Engineering journal onto the framework. The resulting mapping gave confidence that the framework is sufficiently comprehensive for its intended purpose.
Impact of Organizational Culture on Job Satisfaction; The Case of Sri Lankan Local Government Sector

Organizational culture is one of the most important factors in obtaining competitive advantage and sustainable performance for an organization. The organizational culture comprises a set of behaviors and attitudes of employees in the organization and it is the glue that keeps the organization together. This affects well-being, and functioning of the organization. Public sector organizations of Sri Lanka have long been criticized for their deep-rooted practices, which makes them inefficient and ineffective. Further research has revealed that employee dissatisfaction prevailing among these state sector organizations is one of the main reasons behind organizations not performing to their full potential. Thus, the focus of this study was to identify the impact of organizational culture on employee job satisfaction in state sector enterprises/ organizations in Sri Lanka. The conceptual model developed in the present study was based on Denison Organizational Cultural Survey (DOCS) which identifies four organizational cultural traits namely, involvement, consistency, adaptability, and mission as independent variables. While the dependent variable, employee job satisfaction was based on the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. Based on these two models, a structured questionnaire was developed and self-administered to a sample of 150, secondary level employees in the local government sector. The results show that the three traits measuring organizational culture, namely; involvement, adaptability, and mission were positively related employee job satisfaction. Based on the findings, it was concluded that organizational culture is important in determining and improving the level of employee job satisfaction, which is asserted by the positive contribution of involvement, mission, and adaptability towards employee job satisfaction.
Simulating Canopy Temperature Using a Random Forest Model to Calculate the Crop Water Stress Index of Chinese Brassica

The determination of crop water status has positive effects on the Chinese Brassica industry and irrigation decisions. Drought can decrease the production of Chinese Brassica, whereas over-irrigation can waste water. It is desirable to schedule irrigation when the crop suffers from water stress. In this study, a random forest model was developed using sample data derived from meteorological measurements including air temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), and photosynthetic active radiation (Par) to predict the lower baseline (Twet) and upper baseline (Tdry) canopy temperatures for Chinese Brassica from 27 November to 31 December 2020 (E1) and from 25 May to 20 June 2021 (E2). Crop water stress index (CWSI) values were determined based on the predicted canopy temperature and used to assess the crop water status. The study demonstrated the viability of using a random forest model to forecast Twet and Tdry. The coefficients of determination (R2) in E1 were 0.90 and 0.88 for development and 0.80 and 0.77 for validation, respectively. The R2 values in E2 were 0.91 and 0.89 for development and 0.83 and 0.80 for validation, respectively. Our results reveal that the measured and predicted CWSI values had similar R2 values related to stomatal conductance (~0.5 in E1, ~0.6 in E2), whereas the CWSI showed a poor correlation with transpiration rate (~0.25 in E1, ~0.2 in E2). Finally, the methodology used to calculate the daily CWSI for Chinese Brassica in this study showed that both Twet and Tdry, which require frequent measuring and design experiment due to the trial site and condition changes, have the potential to simulate environmental parameters and can therefore be applied to conveniently calculate the CWSI.
Management of genitourinary trauma – current evaluation from the Sub-Saharan region: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Trauma is a major cause of morbidity globally and the sixth leading cause of death, accounting for 10% of all mortalities. The genitourinary trauma is estimated for approximately 10% of all patients presenting with trauma, and the kidney is the most injured genitourinary organ globally. However, there is a paucity of data on genitourinary injury from the Sub-Saharan, and there may be variations from common genitourinary organs injured in developed nations. AIM To provide insight on the epidemiology and management of genitourinary trauma in Sub-Saharan Africa with recommendations based on international guidelines. METHODS A thorough literature search of genitourinary trauma was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar and African Journal Online. RESULTS A total of 30 studies from the Sub-Saharan region were eligible for the study and reviewed for epidemiology, biodata, types of injury, mechanisms of injury, treatment and follow-up. After evaluating 21904 patients presenting with urological emergencies, approximately 6.6% of cases were due to genitourinary trauma. The commonest injury was urethral 42.9% (22.2-62.2%) followed by injury to the external genitalia (penis, scrotum, testes) 25.1% (8.8-67.7%). CONCLUSION Genitourinary injury in Sub-Saharan Africa is underreported, and the presence of more trauma registries, trained urologists and trauma facilities could improve the overall standard of care as well as providing data for research and development in the field.
The effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on the composition of the troposphere as seen by In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) at Frankfurt

Abstract. The European research infrastructure IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) equips commercial aircraft with a system for measuring atmospheric composition. A range of essential climate variables and air quality parameters are measured throughout the flight, from take-off to landing, giving high-resolution information in the vertical in the vicinity of international airports and in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere during the cruise phase of the flight. Six airlines are currently involved in the programme, achieving a quasi-global coverage under normal circumstances. During the COVID-19 crisis, many airlines were forced to ground their fleets due to a fall in passenger numbers and imposed travel restrictions. Deutsche Lufthansa, a partner in IAGOS since 1994 was able to operate an IAGOS-equipped aircraft during the COVID-19 lockdown, providing regular measurements of ozone and carbon monoxide at Frankfurt Airport. The data form a snapshot of an unprecedented time in the 27-year time series. In May 2020, we see a 32 % increase in ozone near the surface with respect to a recent reference period, a magnitude similar to that of the 2003 heatwave. The anomaly in May is driven by an increase in ozone at nighttime which might be linked to the reduction in NO during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The anomaly diminishes with altitude becoming a slightly negative anomaly in the free troposphere. The ozone precursor carbon monoxide shows an 11 % reduction in MAM (March–April–May) near the surface. There is only a small reduction in CO in the free troposphere due to the impact of long-range transport on the CO from emissions in regions outside Europe. This is confirmed by data from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) using retrievals performed by SOftware for a Fast Retrieval of IASI Data (SOFRID), which display a clear drop of CO at 800 hPa over Europe in March but otherwise show little change to the abundance of CO in the free troposphere.
A mode-preserving perfectly matched layer for optical waveguides

For numerical simulation of wave propagation in optical waveguides, we develop a mode-preserving boundary condition for the popular perfectly matched layer, which truncates the unbounded transverse plane. The method is particularly useful for single-mode longitudinally varying wave-guiding structures and it is easy to use for step-index planar waveguides. With this boundary condition, accurate numerical solutions can be obtained in a much smaller computational window. Numerical results based on the beam propagation method for a tapered waveguide are used to demonstrate the capacity of this boundary condition.
Do Sustainability Standards Exclude Small Farms? Modelling the Kenyan Floricultural Sector

This study simultaneously addresses two issues: (a) defining what counts as ‘small farms’ in the rose sector, taking the geographical and socioeconomic context into account and (b) whether the requests for certification form barriers for small farms. We focus on small farms, as they are of fundamental importance for social and economic development and significantly contribute to the environmental sustainability of agriculture and land use. An agent-based model is used for analyzing an agricultural production and supply chain. The model identifies the minimum farm size needed to cover increased costs due to sustainability certifications. The model is applied to the case study of rose production in Kenya. Kenya is one of the world’s leading flower producers. Almost all Kenya’s floricultural production is exported, and the export of stem roses accounts for about 80% by weight of Kenya’s floricultural exports. Environmental and social sustainability certification is increasingly required for farms, especially those in developing countries that want to export their products. Our findings suggest that sustainability standards disadvantage small Kenyan rose farms and constitute a further obstacle to their entry into the international rose market. In this specific context, standards limit market access for farms smaller than 4 hectares. The agent-based model proposed in this study can be adjusted to help determine the definition of ‘small farms’ in need of extra support in other sectors.
In Situ Heating Neutron and X‐Ray Diffraction Analyses for Revealing Structural Evolution during Postprinting Treatments of Additive‐Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel

Herein, lab‐scale X‐ray diffraction and in situ heating neutron diffraction analyses for evaluating the structural changes at postprinting nanostructuring and structural relaxation upon heating, respectively, in an additive‐manufactured (AM) 316L stainless steel are conducted. The nanostructured AM steel after nanostructuring by high‐pressure torsion reached crystallite sizes of 23–26 nm, a dislocation density of ≈45 × 1014 m−2 and a microstrain of >0.008. A limited amount of deformation‐induced ε‐martensite was observed at a local region in the nanostructured AM steel. The time‐resolved neutron diffraction experiment upon heating successfully visualizes the sequential structural relaxation and linear thermal lattice expansion in the nanostructured AM steel. In practice, by calculating the changes in crystallite sizes, microstrains, and dislocation densities, the relaxation behaviors of the nanocrystalline AM steel is observed: 1) recovery with slow stress relaxation with increasing hardness up to 873 K, 2) recrystallization with accelerated stress relaxation at 873–973 K; and 3) grain growth above 973 K with (iii′) total stress relaxation in lattices up to 1023 K. In addition, this manuscript makes connections between the critical subjects in materials science of advanced manufacturing, metal processing and properties, and novel time‐resolved characterization techniques.