Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvement of attention deficit hyper active disorder for deaf female children by intake pumpkin seeds

The study aims to investigate the effect of intake pumpkin seeds as sources of magnesium and iron on improvement of the nutritional status and attention deficit of deaf female children with hyper active disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The range of sample age was 10-12 years for 40 female children who born deaf, suffering from ADHD and their hearing loss was 91 decibel or more. The investigated ADHF deaf female children were selected from El Amal school for the deaf and hard of hearing, Elsayeda Zenab. They were divided into two groups; the control group and the experimental one (20 female for each). The study used the data for each child; the personal and socio-economic, the food habits, the diet history, 24 recall and the clinical signs. In addition to the Attention Deficit Disorder Connected with Hyperactivity for Deaf Children test (ADDCHDC). The nutritional intervention was 50g from pumpkin seeds that contained an approximately 100% of Recommended Dietary intake (RNI) from magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe). Pumpkin seeds were used for three months with experimental group. The results indicated that deficiency in the average intake pre dietary intervention in experimental and control group for Mg comparing with RNI was 12.5 and 13%, respectively, and in Fe was (38.5) in both groups. However, Mg levels were higher in the experimental group post dietary intervention than control group (138 and14.5%, respectively). Also, Fe level was 149% in experimental group and 36.8% compared with RNI. On the other hand, the improvement in degree of ADDCHDC test for experimental group (post dietary intervention) was better than that in control group (65 and 95, respectively). There were statistically significant differences between pre and post dietary intervention to experimental group on Mg level and ADDCHDC test degree at (P <0.01) and at (P <0.05) in Fe.In conclusion, increments for intake of pumpkin seeds 50g /day, which give 100% RNI for magnesium and iron, improved attention deficit hyper active status for deaf children with ADHD.
Review of foam fractionation as a water treatment technology

ABSTRACT Foam fractionation is a well-developed technology used to separate surface-active compounds from solution by exploiting their affinity for the air–water interface. The technology was founded in the 1940s and has since evolved into a key technology for treatment of many different pollutants from a variety of different industries such as textiles and dyes, heavy metals, proteins in food processing waste and even per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The technology has even progressed from a standard batch process to a continuous process with an applied reflux to being presently used as an in-situ groundwater remediation and soil remediation process. This review provides a snapshot of the historical evolution of foam fractionation, a discussion of the mechanism behind foam fractionation, the effect of key operating variables on the performance parameters, identification of the key transport processes that take place within a foam fractionation system, a review of the modeling of foam fractionation as a water treatment technology and a review of the applications of foam fractionation as a water treatment technology.
Knowledge, attitude and self-reported practice of healthcare workers on infection control in a health facility in Akure, Nigeria

Background: Infection control is pivotal in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), one of the leading causes of morbidity with growing prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. Objectives: We investigated the knowledge, attitude and self-reported hygiene practices towards hospital infection control among healthcare workers (HCWs) at the State Specialist Hospital, Akure, Nigeria. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study involving self-administered, structured questionnaires administered to 137 randomly selected HCWs (19 doctors, 66 nurses and 52 health assistants) was conducted in 2015. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis at 5% level of significance. Results: Mean age of HCWs was 39.81 ± 8.69 years. Majority (84.7%) was trained on hand hygiene and was knowledgeable about HAIs (86.9%), modes of transmission (57.7%) and effectiveness of hand hygiene (94.9%). However, about half (48.9%) of the HCWs reported did not adhere to hand hygiene often, because of the distance between a water source and the wards. This study also showed that there are relationships between categories of respondents and their knowledge of routes of HAI transmission (P < 0.01) and practice of hand hygiene after contacts with hospital surfaces (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Hospital and hand hygiene can be improved by ensuring water supply located close to the wards. There is need for the provision of clear guidance on procedures for hospital hygiene and sanitation.
Feeding strategies with total mixed ration and concentrate may improve feed intake and carcass quality of Hanwoo steers

Abstract This study examined the impact of using total mixed ration (TMR) and concentrate on feed intake, daily gain, carcass yield grade, and carcass quality grade of Hanwoo steers and its subsequent economic efficiency. Thirty six 7-month-old Hanwoo steers were assigned to one of the four treatment groups, and each group was divided into three repeated pens, with each repeated pen comprising three steers. The treatment groups were: 1) separate feeding with commercial concentrate and forage (namely, SCF) for the entire experimental period; 2) TMR feeding for a growing period followed by SCF for the early and late fattening period (namely, TMRGSCF); 3) TMR feeding for growing and an early fattening period followed by SCF for the late fattening period (namely, TMREFSCF); and 4) TMR feeding for the entire experimental period (namely, TMRW). The results showed that the SCF treatment had significantly (p < 0.05) higher feed intake during the growing period than other treatments. In contrast, the total feed intake had little difference during early and late fattening as well as the whole period regardless of feeding strategies. Daily gain showed no difference during the growing period. However, it was significantly higher in SCF and TMREFSCF treatments for the early and late fattening period, respectively (p < 0.05). The daily gain during the total raising period is in the order of TMREFSCF > TMRGSCF > SCF > TMRW. Carcass characteristics, including carcass weight, loin eye muscle area, and carcass yield grade, did not significantly differ among different treatments. However, TMRW treatment, wherein TMR was fed for a long time, showed that the cold carcass weight was less compared with other treatments, but carcass yield grade was higher with thinner backfat. Backfat thickness was in the order of SCF > TMRGSCF > TMREFSCF > TMRW, showing that the thickness reduced with longer TMR feeding (p < 0.05). TMRGSCF, which numerically had a higher carcass quality grade, showed higher economic efficiency, whereas SCF showed low economic efficiency. In conclusion, it was more feasible to apply TMR strategy in the growing and early fattening period and then SCF for the early or late fattening period to improve carcass yield, quality grade, and economic efficiency.
Effects of Nitrate Supplementation on Nutrition, Performance and Methane Mitigation in Ruminants: A Review -

Nitrate supplementation is a viable option to mitigate enteric methane emission and also to improve animal performance. It is a well established fact that bacteria from the rumen are able to use nitrate as electron acceptors, instead of carbon dioxide and when nitrate is used as an alternative electron acceptor, methane production is reduced. The reduction of nitrate to ammonia, consumes eight electrons and each mole of nitrate reduced could thus lower methane production by 1 mole. In addition, to inhibiting methane production, the end product of nitrate production ammonia, is an essential nutrient for the rumen microbial population for protein synthesis and for the growth of microbial cells. Microbial protein in turn is the source of amino acids, absorbed and used for animal growth, reproduction and milk production. Urea, which is quickly converted to ammonia in the rumen, is often included in ruminant diets as a nitrogen supplement. The replacement of urea with nitrates in ruminant diets is feasible, subject to the management of nitrate supplementation. A further useful feature of nitrate supplementation is that, small amounts of nitrogen oxides produced during the nitrate metabolism in the rumen inhibit the activities of some methanogens, potentially increasing the level of inhibition of methane production where nitrate is only a proportion of the total fermentable nitrogen in a diet.
Storm‐Scale and Seasonal Dynamics of Carbon Export From a Nested Subarctic Watershed Underlain by Permafrost

Subarctic catchments underlain by permafrost sequester a major stock of frozen organic carbon (C), which may be mobilized as the Arctic warms. Warming can impact C export from thawing soils by altering the depth and timing of runoff related to changing storm and fire regimes and altered soil thaw depths. We investigated C export in a first order headwater stream (West Twin Creek) and its receiving third order river (Beaver Creek) in interior Alaska using discrete sampling of dissolved organic and inorganic C (DOC and DIC) and 15‐min collection of specific conductance (SC), fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) and water discharge (Q). Storm SC‐Q relationships displayed negative slopes, indicating solute limitation and limited influence of seasonal soil thaw on storm runoff chemistry. Concurrently, fDOM‐Q displayed positive slopes that decreased over the summer, indicating flushing of a limited fDOM pool. Baseflow DIC increased over the season concurrent with soil thaw, with higher DIC at the larger scale indicating greater influence of deeper, mineral‐rich flow paths. Storm and seasonal trends were generally similar at both scales. The biggest difference was in fDOM, which displayed higher concentrations and slower depletion in the first order stream. Improved process understanding from this study can be used to better predict carbon export and cycling by stream networks as northern forests and arctic regions continue to warm.
The Effects of Tunnel Technology on Crop Productivity and Livelihood of Smallholder Farmers in Nepal

Technologies-based production practices are critical for agricultural growth and sustainable development in low-income countries like Nepal. In the last few years, tunnel house has been increasingly promoted as tools to enhance smallholder farmers’ livelihood and tackle climate adversaries. However, little is known about what factor determines its adoption and whether it helps smallholders adapt to climate change and experience better livelihood. We address these gaps using the cross-sectional survey data collected from 62 adopters and 92 non-adopters in three municipalities of Bagmati Province. We employed descriptive analysis and probit model and found out that age, farm size, and ethnicity strongly influence the technology adoption amongst smallholder farmers. Additionally, treatment model and ordinary least square (OLS) regression were utilized to examine tunnel technology’s effect. Our study shows that tunnel significantly increases production by 32 tons/year/hectare and protects crops from climate change effects such as heavy rainfall and temperature change. Likewise, tunnel technology increases the net crop income by $1700/year/hectare. However, the economic benefit is not substantial compared to technology’s adoption cost as adopters incur enormous costs of $12,000/year/hectare on equipment, labor and resources. These results suggest policymakers should concentrate on reducing the technology’s cost, which could be achieved through subsidies, financial support, or price control mechanisms. Ensuring technology’s affordability can contribute to smallholder farmers’ sustainable livelihood in Nepal and countries with similar contexts.
Energy‐related
 financial literacy and electricity consumption: Survey‐based evidence from Finland

We provide new insights into (i) the level of energy-related financial literacy in Finnish households, (ii) the sociodemographic characteristics that affect energy-related financial literacy, and (iii) whether energy-related financial literacy influences household electricity consumption. We use a data set consisting of energy-related financial literacy questions combined with monthly electricity consumption data. We draw from the recent literature on energy-related financial literacy and suggest two new variables based on subjective perceptions on energy-related financial literacy. Gender has a strong association with energy-related financial literacy. Our results also indicate that households of respondents with higher levels of energy-related financial literacy tend to consume less electricity when we control for other factors such as dwelling and household characteristics. This implies that measures to promote energy-related financial literacy might guide consumers' decisions toward energy efficiency and conservation.
Microbiological Efficacy of Hessian Bag on Leafy Vegetables during Distribution in (Aguleri) Anambra State

Vegetables are highly perishable commodities that easily get spoilt or deteriorate during handling along the supply chain from the producer to the final consumer. This study aims to compare the microbiological efficacy of hessian bags and non hessian bags on leafy vegetables (Telfairia occidentalis) Ugu and (Ocimum gratissimum) Nchuanwu leaves using hessian bags and non-hessian bagsduring distribution. Standard procedures on microbial count, isolationof microorganisms, purification of microbial isolates, biochemical identification of isolateswasused to identify the microorganisms present. The microbial load of the leafy vegetables from farmland to consumer increased progressively along the distribution chain. Staphylococcus species were the predominant bacteria in the leafy vegetables from the farmland. Other bacteria found were Pseudomonas, Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus spp, Escherichia coli and fungi Penicillium spp, Aspergillus niger, Rhodotorula spp, Fusarium spp, Mucor spp. The study showed that the microbial contents of the vegetables increased across the distribution line from farmland to consumer irrespective of the use of hessian bags.
Responses of Sap Flux Densities of Different Plant Functional Types to Environmental Variables Are Similar in Both Dry and Wet Seasons in a Subtropical Mixed Forest

Subtropical mixed forest ecosystems are experiencing dramatic changes in precipitation and different plant functional types growing here are expected to respond differently. This study aims to unravel the water use patterns of different plant functional types and their responses to environmental changes in a typical subtropical mixed forest in southern China. Diurnal and seasonal sap flux densities of evergreen broad-leaved trees (EBL), deciduous broad-leaved trees (DBL), and conifers (CON), as well as environmental variables, were recorded simultaneously from May 2016 to March 2019. The results showed that the sap flux density of EBL was significantly higher than those of CON and DBL in all seasons, irrespective of dry or wet seasons. Path analysis revealed that seasonal differences in sap flux density were mainly due to variations in photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). At saturating PPFD, changes in sap flux density during the day were in response to vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Regression analyses showed that sap flux density increased logarithmically with PPFD, irrespective of functional type. The hysteresis loops of sap flux density and VPD were different among different plant functional types in wet and dry seasons. Our results demonstrated converging response patterns to environmental variables among the three plant functional types considered in this study. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the water use strategies of different plant functional types in subtropical mixed forests.
Biocrude Production via Non-Catalytic Supercritical Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Fucus vesiculosus Seaweed Processing Residues

The potential of using cold water brown macroalgae Fucus vesiculosus for biocrude production via non-catalytic supercritical hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was studied. Demineralization, residue neutralization, and high value-added product (alginate and fucoidan) extraction processes were carried out before using the biomass for HTL biocrude production. Acid leaching was carried out using three demineralization agents: distilled water, dilute citric acid solution, and the diluted acidic aqueous by-product from a continuous HTL pilot facility. Alginate was extracted via H2SO4 and NaCO3 bathing, and fucoidan was extracted using CaCl2. Experimental data show that none of the leaching agents was greatly efficient in removing inorganics, with citric acid leaching with extensive neutralization reaching the highest ash removal efficiency of 47%. The produced 6 sets of biocrudes were characterized by elemental and thermogravimetric analyses. Short (10-min retention) HTL and the extent of leaching residue neutralization were also investigated. Highest biocrude yields were recorded when liquefying non-neutralized citric acid leaching, alginate, and fucoidan extraction residues. On the other hand, thermochemical conversions of short retention time HTL, full neutralization extent, and baseline (dried raw macroalgae) biomass performed worse. Specifically, the highest biocrude yield of 28.2 ± 2.5 wt. % on dry ash-free feedstock basis was recorded when liquefying alginate extraction residues. Moreover, the highest energy recovery of 52.8% was recorded when converting fucoidan extraction residues.
Attitudes of Afghan Civil Servants Towards Learning English: A Case Study of Afghanistan

The present study attempts to investigate the attitudes of Afghan civil servants towards learning English in their work environment. It also studies the effects of English for the quality of their work and the tasks they do in their offices. Moreover, the study aims to determine the respondents’ attitudes towards learning English by their gender, age, level of education, and the experience of using English at their work places. The data were collected from 508 Afghan civil servants who were working in different ministries through a questionnaire containing 20 items. For the data analysis, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was used. Descriptive statistics, sample T-test, and a one-way ANOVA test were conducted to answer the questions. The findings of the study yielded that Afghan civil servants have positive attitudes towards learning English. The study also revealed that the attitudes of Afghan civil servants towards learning English are positive by their gender, age, level of education, and their experience of using English at their work places. Furthermore, the study reports that there is no any statistically significant difference in the attitudes of Afghan civil servants by their gender, age, level of education, and experience of using English at their work places.
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Doctoral Students’ Thesis/Dissertation Progress

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for doctoral students who were proposing, conducting, or writing up their doctoral thesis, dissertation, or other culminating project. Background: For doctoral students, the process of designing, implementing, and writing a culminating project is a key part of the learning experience. These projects typically require students to direct their own learning and to manage setbacks, obstacles, and challenges as they arise. During the COVID-19 pandemic, doctoral students around the globe had to undertake this key learning experience in the context of a global crisis. Methodology: During August and September 2020, 235 doctoral students from around the world completed an online questionnaire consisting of demographic questions and three open-ended questions about their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis involved several cycles of In Vivo Coding of the data, which yielded codes, categories, and eventually themes. At each stage, the researchers collaborated to generate the codes, and the categories and themes arose through several rounds of discussion. Contribution: Our study adds to the small body of knowledge on doctoral students’ experiences from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic by identifying categories of experience through qualitative, open-ended survey questions. The study highlights doctoral students’ challenges and how these were either exacerbated or mitigated by pandemic-induced changes. Findings: Our survey respondents described impacts on their culminating projects’ progress in five major categories: research design, access to resources, workload, mental health, and finances. Recommendations for Practitioners: The five categories of impacts emerging from our participants’ responses may be useful for faculty and administrators of doctoral programs to consider in reviewing their programs’ responses to the pandemic and making future plans for providing academic continuity in crisis situations as well as re-evaluating the priorities and structures of doctoral program to better support students overall moving forward. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research is needed to better understand how the pandemic impacted individual students’ research and writing processes, including adaptive strategies. Impact on Society: Institutions need to be aware of systemic strain on doctoral students under the best of conditions and be especially aware of the impacts of a crisis and plan contingencies to assist students with a focus on the areas of finances, resource access, workload, research design, and mental health. Future Research: Future research should seek out additional perspectives of male doctoral students. Additionally, data capturing perspectives from students at other points in time are needed as the pandemic continued to unfold after this study’s data collection period.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Continuous Electric Vehicles Charging Control With Dynamic User Behaviors

This paper aims to crack the individual EV charging scheduling problem considering the dynamic user behaviors and the electricity price. The uncertainty of the EV charging demand is described by several factors, including the driver’s experience, the charging preference and the charging locations for realistic scenarios. An aggregate anxiety concept is introduced to characterize both the driver’s anxiety on the EV’s range and uncertain events. A mathematical model is also provided to describe the anxiety quantitatively. The problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) with an unknown state transition function. The objective is to find the optimal sequential charging decisions that can balance the charging cost and driver’s anxiety. A model-free deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based approach is developed to learn the optimal charging control strategy by interacting with the dynamic environment. The continuous soft actor-critic (SAC) framework is applied to design the learning method, which contains a supervised learning (SL) stage and a reinforcement learning (RL) stage. Finally, simulation studies verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach under dynamic user behaviors at different charging locations.