Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing attitudes and high-risk practices to HIV/AIDS infection among the people of Lake Chad basin, Borno State, Nigeria

A cross sectional quantitative survey that obtained information on high risk behaviours which expose individuals to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) especially HIV was carried out in Lake Chad Basin of Borno among 1,790 volunteers. A well-structured questionnaire was developed and used to collect the desired baseline socio-demographic characteristics by direct interview of respondents in their houses among the populations living in the ordinary households, the mobile population and vulnerable population group (VPG) not living in the households were interviewed in their places of abode with discretion. The mean age range of the participants was 32.5 years (SD + 2.21) ranging from 15 to 49 years. 1,234 (68.9%) of the respondents were males while 556 (31.1%) were females. The prison inmates had the highest prevalence of STIs, 37% of the respondents didn’t know that they were at risk of contracting HIV. The knowledge of HIV status was higher among the males (80.2%) than the females (19.3%). The use of male and female condom was higher among the rural (19.2%) than the urban (10.8%) respondents. This study revealed high risk practices among the respondents even though there is tremendous HIV test intake across both the general and vulnerable populations, there is need for more awareness as rate of risk perception is very low.
High-resolution palaeomagnetic results of Ethiopian trap series from Lima Limo section: implications for the Oligocene geomagnetic field behaviour and timing of volcanism

We present high-resolution palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic results from 92 successive volcanic units on a 2 km tall Lima Limo (LL) section of the Oligocene Ethiopian flood basalts (OEFB). A total of 85 well-defined flow-mean characteristic remanent magnetization directions representing seven stable magnetic polarity zones with six transitional/excursional directions were determined. These results indicate the identification of four more polarity reversals than previous palaeomagnetic studies; the resulting magnetostratigraphy has, therefore, more polarity zonation. Comparison of this result with the most recently revised geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS, hereafter GPTS2016), by using available radiometric age data, could not find a unique correlation. Instead, it strongly suggests the recording of at least one very brief polarity chron or putative geomagnetic excursion. Our magnetostratigraphic interpretation infers that the relative timing between the OEFB eruptions and the Oi-2 global cooling estimated two possible scenarios: one where the lowermost reverse-polarity (R1) interval for the LL section is correlated to Chron C11r of GPTS2016, same as the interpretations of earlier studies, would make a causal linkage between the OEFB eruptions and the Oi-2 cooling less possible; and, the eruption timing estimated in another scenario correlating the R1 to Chron C12r might preserve the probability of its causal influence in the Oi-2 cooling. The resulting overall mean pole for the LL section of this study, 78.2° N in latitude and 213.0° E in longitude (A95 = 3.4°, N = 79), is closer to other co-eval palaeomagnetic poles from different regions and the reference pole of Africa. Our analysis of geomagnetic palaeosecular variation (PSV) shows that, compared to the Plio-Pleistocene, the Early Oligocene has higher degrees of PSV but its slightly weaker latitude dependence.
The Empirical Influences of Tibetan Plateau Soil Moisture on South Asian Monsoon Onset

The South Asian High (SAH) location and intensity are linked with the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Yangtze River basin latent heating. The existing feedbacks of SAH variability is rarely linked with TP soil moisture regulated energy fluxes. In this study, remotely sensed soil moisture and global atmospheric reanalysis products are used to quantify the relationship between the TP spring (April, May, June) soil moisture with SAH and South Asian (SA) monsoon onset during 1988–2008. The diagnostic analysis infers that the SAH exhibits a significant correlation (R ≥ 0.90) with TP spring soil moisture and monsoon onset indices (R≥ -0.56−-0.61). During the early and late monsoon onset, a significant anomalous soil moisture regime influenced the surface energy fluxes, which affected the vertical diabatic heating profile. The diabatic heating profile affects the TP ascending motion and SAH intensity, which leads to regional monsoon circulation changes and onset. An asymmetric SAH movement in the upper troposphere appears before the early and late monsoon onset composites and drives the lower tropospheric westerlies/easterlies winds towards the continental SA. The wind shear and transition from prevailing easterlies into westerlies during the pre-onset, onset, and post-onset pentad results in strong/weak ascent in the Bay of Bengal and advances into continental regions. The onset- mechanism further suggested intensified/weaker westerlies/easterlies during early/late onset composites. The SAH intensity and movement are linked with TP soil moisture, which exhibits teleconnections with the regional circulation pattern. A detailed model experiment will be conducted to verify the influence of soil moisture as a driver of energy fluxes and SA monsoon onset.
Use of WhatsApp®, a Simple and Widely Distributed Social Media, for Distance Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience and Perception from a Sub-Saharan African Setting

Background: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to palliate to the lockdown and cover academic programs, the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Dschang (FMPS-UDs) in Cameroon has implemented e-learning using WhatsApp®. We aimed to describe the opinion of students and lecturers about it after its implementation at the FMPS-UDs.Methods: We designed a uniform scheme to teach using WhatsApp® during the university lock-down, and both the students and the teaching staff of the FMPS-UDs received clear information on the implementation. At the end of the online-teaching period of two and a half months prior to the reopening of the university, we surveyed our students and teaching staff. Sociodemographic characteristics and opinions about e-learning were collected using a standard questionnaire. Results: We enrolled 229 students and 40 lecturers of the FMPS-UDs. Students reported a poorer internet connection (p<0.001, p-homogeneity< 0.001) despite an increased expenditure related to internet use. Electronic devices were broadly used before the implementation of mobile learning. The use of course materials was more challenging among students because of the size/format of lecture notes and the internet connection/cost (all p<0.05). Perception of discipline compared to classroom-based lessons was similar in students and lecturers (all p>0.05). While lecturers were mainly [n(%)=16(40%)] more comfortable conveying the contents of their lectures, students tended to be less prone to actively participate [n(%)=137(59.8%)]. The motivation and satisfaction of the latter group toward e-learning were modest compared to classroom-based lectures while their feedback about the organization was positive. Conclusion: E-learning using WhatsApp® could be an effective alternative to conventional classroom-based lessons in SSA. The use of a blended-learning program including classroom-based sessions could help improve its limitations.
Modeling of Biological Particle Mixing in a Fluidized‐Bed Biofilm Reactor

Performance of fluidized‐bed biofilm reactors (FBBRs) greatly depends on the amount of biomass attached to the inert core support particles and overall bed voidage. Thus, for proper design of an FBBR, it is important to know the biological particle (bioparticle) mixing and bed expansion behavior, which in turn influence bed volume and consequently the residence time of the liquid phase. This paper first investigates the superiority of some of the predominantly used fluidization correlations for biological beds to predict bed voidage and, second, it investigates the implications of bioparticle mixing in FBBRs. The fluidization correlation suggested by Foscolo et al. (1983) was found to be superior to the more widely used Richardson and Zaki (1954) correlation to predict FBBR bed voidage. Furthermore, from the three different sets of published experimental results of bed voidage applied in this study, the fluidization correlation suggested by Foscolo et al. (1983), along with the terminal settling velocity equation suggested by Mulcahy and Shieh (1987), was found to be superior to other sets of correlations used in this study to predict bed voidage in an FBBR, having the lowest mean deviation of 12.7%. A mathematical model for fluidization of a binary bioparticle mixture is also presented in this paper to model the interaction of a variety of parameters, including upflow superficial liquid velocity, core support particle size and density, and biofilm thickness. Numerical simulations using this model revealed that, for sand‐like core support particles (density ranging from 1500 to 2700 kg/m 3), a complete segregation would likely occur in the bed with larger bioparticles at the top and smaller ones at the bottom. For charcoal‐ or polymer‐like core support particles (density ranging from 1050 to 1300 kg/m 3), a homogeneous bed made up of both larger and smaller bioparticles would likely occur. Comparison of the model predictions with published experimental results suggested excellent agreement.
Binding of SARS-CoV-2/SARS-CoV spike protein with human ACE2 receptor

SARS-CoV-2 virus is the serious health concern throughout the world. A comprehensive investigation of binding of SARS-CoV-2 active site with host receptor protein hACE2 is important in designing effective drugs. In the present work, the major amino acid binding partners between the virus CTD and host receptor have been studied and are compared with SARS-CoV RBD binding with hACE2. Our investigation show that some unique hydrogen bond pairs which were not reported in previous work. Along with hydrogen bonding, salt-bridges, hydrophobic interactions and contributions of electrostatic and van der Waals contacts play significant role in binding mechanism. The binding affinity of SARS-CoV-2 CTD/hACE2 is greater than SARS-CoV RBD/hACE2. This outcome is also verified from the free energy estimation by using umbrella sampling.
Business Ethics Decision-Making: Examining Partial Reflective Awareness

The aim of this research was to examine partial reflective awareness in ethical business choices in Croatia. The ethical decision-making is interlinked with sustainable practices, but it is also its prerequisite. Thus, better understanding of business ethics decision-making provides a basis for designing and implementing sustainability in a corporate setting. The research was done on student populations who will soon carry important roles and make important decisions for individuals, organizations, and society. The field research was conducted using Kohlberg’s scenarios. The results reveal that the process of decision-making goes through the lenses of respondents’ own preferred ethics. However, the reflective awareness of respondents’ preferred ethics is skewed and regularities in that deviations point out to the relevance of the context characteristics and arousal factors. In addition, the individuals do not use all available information in the assessment process. The revealed partial reflective awareness contributes to explanation of why people have problems with justifying their choices. As there are many examples of unethical behavior in the environment that remain unpunished, it is necessary to raise awareness of the issue. Improvement in reflective awareness would contribute to more sustainable ethical choices and reveal a possibility of an intervention design within the higher education framework.
DETERMINANTS OF PROFITABILITY: A CASE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN PAKISTAN

Purpose of the study: This study aims to investigate the impact of bank-specific and macro-economic factors on commercial banks profitability in Pakistan. Methodology: This study uses both internal and external factors as independent variables. Internal factors are inclusive of capital adequacy, operational efficiency, deposit ratio, liquidity, leverage, number of branches, and bank size, while external indicators are pertaining to GDP, rate of inflation, interest rate, and rate of foreign exchange. Return on assets, return on equity, and net interest margin is employed as proxies for measuring profitability. Balanced panel data of 25 commercial banks over a period ranging from 2009 to 2018 is analyzed through descriptive statistics and fixed effects regression model. Main Findings: The empirical findings revealed that among internal factors, capital adequacy ratio, deposit ratio, leverage ratio, liquidity ratio, and bank size significantly affect the return on asset, while in the case of macro-economic factors, inflation rate, exchange rate, and GDP have a significant impact on return on asset. On the other hand, return on equity is significantly affected by deposit ratio, leverage ratio, and operational efficiency, whereas among macro-economic factors, only the inflation rate had a significant effect on return on equity. Furthermore, in the case of net interest margin, among internal factors, capital adequacy ratio, deposit ratio, bank size, and the number of branches have a significant impact on net interest margin, whereas, among macro-economic factors, interest rate, inflation rate, and exchange rate significantly affected net interest margin. Applications of this study: This study has greater importance for government, bank managers, investors, academicians, and scholars. Originality/Novelty: In this study, the number of branches is taken as a novel factor in Pakistan's case and bridges the gap in the banking literature of Pakistan.
Stress control in thick AlN/c-Al2O3 templates grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Stress evolution was studied in up to ~3 µm thick AlN templates, comprising ∼65 nm thick AlN nucleation layers (NLs) and thick buffer layers (BLs), grown using different growth modes and conditions by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA MBE) on c-Al2O3. Growth of both the NL and BL in a standard PA MBE mode at N-rich conditions (at flux ratio Al/N2* ∼ 0.5) led to instant generation of a relatively high tensile stress (∼1.5 GPa) which is maintained throughout the entire growth. On the contrary, NLs, grown using a migration-enhanced epitaxy (MEE), demonstrated a transition from the initial compressive stress to stress-free growth, which is usually observed in the Volmer–Weber films. Further growth of thick AlN BLs on the MEE–NLs at various Al/N2* ratios revealed a wide variety of stress evolution processes. The BL growth by using metal-modulated epitaxy (MME) at Me-rich conditions with Al/N2* ∼ 1.33 led to a gradual decrease in the initial compressive stress in the 2D AlN layers, whereas standard PA MBE growth of 3D BL at N-rich conditions (Al/N2* ∼ 0.92) exhibited a fast transition from the initial compressive stress to tensile stress. Moreover, we succeeded in achieving the quasi-stress-free growth of a 3.1 µm thick AlN BL using the MME growth mode at the optimum flux ratio Al/N2* = 1.05. These results were compared with the results of other authors and explained using a kinetic approach to description of stress evolution during PA MBE of AlN/c-Al2O3 templates, taking into account several simultaneously acting competitive mechanisms of continuous generation of tensile and compressive stresses.
Bullying and psychosocial adjustment among children with and without asthma

Abstract Children with asthma face serious mental health risk, but the pathways remain unclear. This study aimed to examine bullying victimisation and perpetration in children with asthma and a comparison sample without a chronic health condition, and the role of bullying in moderating psychosocial adjustment outcomes for those with asthma. A sample of children with (n = 24) and without asthma (n = 39), and their parents, were recruited from hospital clinics. Parents rated children’s psychosocial adjustment; children provided self-report of bullying victimisation and perpetration; from which co-occurring bully/victim status was derived. No differences in mean perpetration or victimisation were found, but children with asthma were more likely to be bully/victims (involved both as target and perpetrator), compared to those without asthma. Children with asthma who were victims of bullying had greater peer problems and overall adjustment problems; bully/victims did not show this pattern. Children with asthma may be more likely to be bully/victims, and those who are victims of bullying may be at elevated risk for psychosocial adjustment problems and require particular support in this area from school counsellors and psychologists.
Adaptive Single-Pole Auto-Reclosing Scheme Based on Secondary Arc Voltage Harmonic Signatures

This paper presents an advanced adaptive single-pole auto-reclosing (ASPAR) scheme based on harmonic characteristics of the secondary arc voltage. For analysis of the harmonics, short-time Fourier transform (STFT), which is a universal signal processing tool for transforming a signal from the time domain to the frequency domain, is utilized. STFT is applied to extract the abnormal harmonic signature from the voltage waveform of a faulted phase when a transient or permanent fault occurs on a power transmission line. The proposed scheme uses the total harmonic distortion (THD) factor to determine the fault type based on the variation and distortion characteristics of the harmonics. Harmonic components in the order of odd/even are also utilized to detect the secondary arc extinction time and guide the reclosing operation. Based on these factors, two coordinated algorithms are proposed to reduce the unnecessary dead time in conventional auto-reclosing methods and enable an optimal reclosing operation in the event of a single-pole to ground fault. The proposed ASPAR scheme is implemented using the electromagnetic transient program (EMTP), and various simulations are conducted for actual 345 and 765 kV Korean study systems.
Exchange Rate Regimes in the ASEAN: Would a Currency Union Outperform the Independent Managed Floating Regimes?

This paper compares the macroeconomic and welfare performances of the currency union against those from the independent managed floating regime using a two open-country DSGE model with the foreign currency denomination of private debt. The model is calibrated on the average data from the five founding members of the ASEAN and the performance of regimes is assessed under the effects of supply and demand shocks. We find that the macroeconomic and welfare performances of the ASEAN economies under the independent managed floating regimes are comparable to those under a currency union. This is explained by the stability of the intra-regional nominal exchange rates arising from the similarity of policy rules under the independent managed floating regimes. Our findings suggest that the choice of exchange rate targeting regimes with coordinated policies for the ASEAN countries would be an effective way to move towards a currency union.
Soil Bacterial Community Diversity and Composition as Affected by Tillage Intensity Treatments in Corn-Soybean Production Systems

Our understanding on the effects of tillage intensity on the soil microbial community structure and composition in crop production systems are limited. This study evaluated the soil microbial community composition and diversity under different tillage management systems in an effort to identify management practices that effectively support sustainable agriculture. We report results from a three-year study to determine the effects on changes in soil microbial diversity and composition from four tillage intensity treatments and two residue management treatments in a corn-soybean production system using Illumina high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Soil samples were collected from tillage treatments at locations in the Southern Coastal Plain (Verona, MS, USA) and Southern Mississippi River Alluvium (Stoneville, MS, USA) for soil analysis and bacterial community characterization. Our results indicated that different tillage intensity treatments differentially changed the relative abundances of bacterial phyla. The Mantel test of correlations indicated that differences among bacterial community composition were significantly influenced by tillage regime (rM = 0.39, p ≤ 0.0001). Simpson’s reciprocal diversity index indicated greater bacterial diversity with reduction in tillage intensity for each year and study location. For both study sites, differences in tillage intensity had significant influence on the abundance of Proteobacteria. The shift in the soil bacterial community composition under different tillage systems was strongly correlated to changes in labile carbon pool in the system and how it affected the microbial metabolism. This study indicates that soil management through tillage intensity regime had a profound influence on diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in a corn-soybean production system.
Influence of Climate Change on the Flood Disasters in Bursa, Turkey

The recent increase in the frequency and intensity of the floods resulted from huge precipitation events in Bursa Province, Turkey, is the main motivation of this study. For this purpose, the daily precipitation values from the historical data recorded between 1971 and 2000 together with the projected data of the NorESM1-M general circulation model under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios between 2031 and 2100 were used to calculate eight extreme precipitation events. The Spearman's rho and the Mann-Kendall trend tests were used to detect the trend in the indices. The results of the trend tests showed that any change is not expected in the total amount of the yearly precipitation amount, whereas the occurrence of the intense and short duration precipitation events is expected to be more probable by the end of the current century, compared to the last 30 years of the previous century. The positive significant trends were detected in some indices. However, the magnitude of the change in the climatic parameters and the increase in the number of extreme precipitation events cannot solely explain the increase in the number of destroying flood events in the province. Other parameters such as the dramatic increase in urbanization as a result of rapid population growth during the past years (since 1960) may have a more prominent effect on the increase of the flood risk in the province which is in need of comprehensive modeling and investigation.
Growth of Dianthus and Petunia in Media Amended with Composted Urban Waste

Abstract Bedding plant growers have the opportunity to utilize composted urban waste as a component in bedding plant media. Growth of Dianthus chinensis L. (dianthus) and Petunia × hybrida Hort. (petunia) was evaluated in media with 0, 30, 60, or 100% compost made from biosolids and yard trimmings. Dianthus and petunia shoot dry mass, size, and height increased as the percentage of compost in the medium increased from 0 to 60% but decreased at 100% compost. However, dianthus and petunia growth was greater in 100% than 0% compost. Initial nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and soluble salt concentrations linearly increased as the percentage of compost in the medium increased from 0 to 100%. Soluble salt concentrations in 100% compost were 28× greater than in 0% compost and 2× greater than in 30 and 60% compost. Media containing compost made from biosolids and yard trimmings produced larger dianthus and petunia plants than plants grown in peat, vermiculite, perlite me.