Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Studies on physical and mechanical properties of untreated (raw) and treated areca leaf sheaths”

ABSTRACT Presently, the world is looking for non-polluting, non-toxic, renewable, low density, corrosion resistant, eco-friendly, and low-cost material as replacement for the most challenging elements like plastics and its derivatives. Meanwhile, some of the composites were also made with some challenging facts concerning biodegradability properties. Thereby this is an attempt to make use of natural sources in the composite preparation and reduce the extra burden caused by unwanted materials on the earth. In this study, economical filler materials such as untreated and alkali treated Areca Leaf Sheaths (ALS) are studied for physical and mechanical characterization. Among these, alkali treated-oven dried ALS samples have shown improved results in terms of density, thickness and mechanical properties as compared to untreated-sun dried samples. From XRD, FTIR, and SEM analysis, it was concluded that, the surface modification will enhance the micro-fibrillation of the areca leaf sheath fibers and this will increase the mechanical properties.
Supporting Indigenous researchers: a practical guide for supervisors

Indigenous health is a pressing social justice issue for Australia. The Australian Government and leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations have committed to a concerted agenda to achieve Indigenous health equality over a generation, and close the equity gap in service provision by 2018. Fundamental to the process of addressing health and social disadvantage is the production and exchange of knowledge - the work of research. The challenge of finding ways to improve Indigenous health requires knowledge of the highest quality generated through processes that take into account the realities of Indigenous lives and Indigenous communities, of government policy making and bureaucracy, and that are built out of collaboration, respect and trust. It is a large and complex task - and the pool of researchers available to carry out this work is small. We need more skilled researchers with the expertise to work in these complex areas, and we particularly need more skilled Indigenous researchers. One of the primary aims of the CRCAH is to build the capacity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research workforce. We need more skilled researchers, and we need researchers of the highest quality. [This guide] raises critical research issues and speaks to researchers in a way that is real and relevant. It brings together the advice and experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and relates their learnings to accepted practices in workforce development and management.
THE FORMATION BEHAVIOR OF A SINGLE BUBBLE IN POWER-LAW FLUIDS

Abstract - The formation behavior of a single bubble in power-law fluids (carboxymethyl cellulose solution, CMC) and Newtonian fluids (glycerol solution) was experimentally investigated via a high-speed camera. The effects of liquid property, orifice diameter and gas flow rate on bubble volume and aspect ratio were observed. It was found that the formation time and detaching volume increased with the increase of fluid viscosity. The increase of bubble aspect ratio during the bubble formation process was complex, with main emphasis on the decrease in the initial stage and an increase in the final stage along with the shear thinning property variation. Nevertheless, the bubble detaching volume, instantaneous volume and formation time increased following the increase of orifice diameter and gas flow rate. On the contrary, the bubble aspect ratio decreased with the orifice diameter increase but increased with a higher gas flow rate. Keywords : Bubble formation; Power-law fluids; Rheological property; Bubble volume; Aspect ratio.
Submesoscale processes in the Baltic Sea

Recently discovered, ocean submesoscales have attracted attention due to their ability to change the upper ocean stratification and induce a downscale cascade of energy. Those motions have been studied mainly in the context of open ocean simulations and idealized configurations; however, their response during cooling and strong winds, is still unclear. Here, realistic simulations of the central Baltic Sea revealed not only that submesoscales are abundant in the basin but also that they are able to maintain shallow mixed layers during storms and quickly restratify between multiple wind events.
Impact of biochar on the metabolic networks of a PHE-degrading microbial community and its influencing mechanism on soil biogeochemical cycles

Background: Straw pyrolysis into biochar are beneficial for resource recovery and soil improvement. However, little is known about how biochar influences polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) metabolic pathways and biogeochemical cycles in PAH-contaminated agricultural soil. Here we assessed the influence of biochar and bacterial inoculant on the soil physicochemical properties, the microorganisms involved in the metabolism of PAH and C, N, P and S cycling.Results: The addition of biochar and bacterial inoculant improved soil fertility and crop nutrition. The community metabolism of phenanthrene was revealed by modeling a gene network based on shotgun metagenomes. Biochar addition in soil promoted the abundance of various phenanthrene-degrading microorganisms involved in multiple steps of phenanthrene catabolism, thereby promoting phenanthrene degradation. Meanwhile, biochar addition increased nitrate reduction and degradation of relatively easily decomposable organic carbon, including cellulose, but it also inhibited lignin and chitin degradation and C and N fixation, while the addition of bacterial inoculant partially mitigated biochar’s inhibitory effects in element cycle and inhibited N2O emission, which alleviated the greenhouse effect.Conclusions: When bioremediating PAH-contaminated soil, recommendation is to use biochar combined with functional microorganism. This work contributes to expand the current knowledge of the treatment of contaminated soil and provide some empirical evidence for the treatment of contaminated soil by biochar and bacterial inoculant.
Helplessness Among University Students: An Empirical Study Based on a Modified Framework of Implicit Personality Theories

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and within a very short period of time, teaching in the 2020 summer term changed from predominantly on-site to online instruction. Students suddenly faced having to adapt their learning process to new demands for which they may have had both insufficient digital skills and a lack of learning resources. Such a situation carries the risk that a substantial number of students become helpless. The aim of our empirical study was to test a hybrid framework of helplessness that includes both objective causes of helplessness and students' subjective interpretations of them. Before lectures or courses began, students of a full-scale university were invited to participate in an online survey. The final sample consists of 1,690 students. Results indicate that objective factors as well as their subjective interpretations contribute to the formation of helplessness.
Assessing the evidence on the differential impact of menthol versus non-menthol cigarette use on smoking cessation: A systematic review

Background: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines to examine the Key Question: Does menthol cigarette use have a differential impact on smoking cessation compared with non-menthol cigarette use? Methods: The original protocol was registered on March 22, 2016 (updated January 10, 2019; PROSPERO: CRD42019119301). Six databases were queried from inception to December 14, 2018.Results: Fifty-seven studies (27 rated “good”, 27 rated as “fair”, and three studies rated as “poor” individual study quality) that compared menthol and non-menthol smokers were qualitatively synthesized across the following cessation measures (total adjusted studies; strength of evidence grade): duration of abstinence (2; low); quit attempts (14; insufficient); rate of abstinence/quitting (28; moderate); change in smoking quantity/frequency (3; insufficient); and return to smoking/relapse (2; insufficient). Overall, the qualitative synthesis failed to show a consistent trend for the association of menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation across the outcomes. Further, meta-analytic results found no difference between menthol and non-menthol cigarette use and the two measures of quit attempts and duration of abstinence.Implications: The overall strength of evidence for an association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation was graded as “low”, based on deficiencies of indirectness and inconsistency in the available body of evidence. Therefore, there is no consistent, significant, or differential association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation.
Characteristics and Outcome of Children Admitted with Sars- Cov-2 Infection: Experiences from a Pediatric Public Hospital in Western India  

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 infection in children is asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. Clinical characteristics and outcome of children admitted with COVID 19, especially with underlying illnesses, has not been studied. ObjectiveTo study the clinical characteristics and outcome of children admitted, with SARS-CoV-2 infection, to a paediatric multispecialty hospital in Mumbai, the epicentre of the COVID19 pandemic in India. Design and SettingRetrospective observational study of medical records of 969 children admitted between 19 March and 7 August 2020.ParticipantsClinico-demographic characteristics and outcome of COVID 19 positive children admitted during the study period. Variables compared between children who were previously healthy (Group I) and children with co-morbidity (Group II). Main outcomeCOVID 19 disease severity characterisation and factors predicting outcome as discharge or death was studied.Results123 (71M) tested SARS-CoV-2-positive by RT-PCR with median age of presentation of 3 years [IQR 0.7– 6 years]. 47 (38%) had co-morbidities and were more severely affected (p = 0.0146). MIS-C/ KD was common in Group I. Thirty nine (31.7 %) needed intensive care. Fourteen (11.4%) died. Male sex, respiratory manifestation, pulseox saturation <94% at admission, need for ventilation, inotrope, hospital stay of <10 days were independent mortality predictors. Regression analysis revealed oxygen saturation <94% at admission (OR 35.9, 95% CI 1.5-856) and hospital stay <10 days (OR 9.1, 95% CI 1.04 -99.1) as predictors of mortality.ConclusionCOVID 19 in children although considered mild, presence of co-morbidities causes severe disease. Pulseox saturation <94% on admission, hospital stay <10days are predictors of mortality.
Behaviours in the Stock Market: An empirical study

This study has two main purposes. Its first purpose is to analyse the influence of sociodemographic characteristics and investment experience of individual and institutional investors on their investment behaviours in the stock market. The second purpose of the present paper is to study the impact of the investment behaviours on the investment decisions following the market selloff in March 2020 that preceded the emergence of COVID 19. Additionally, this study seeks to analyse the potential impact of the social distancing measures on the herd mentality influencing the investment decision. Quantitative techniques were used to address those research problems. Firstly, a survey was designed based on existing literature in the field of behavioural finance. Then, the survey was distributed online to more than a thousand investors, of whom 124 completed it. Out of those 124 participants, 104 met the criteria to be selected and be part of the sample studied. Lastly, a data analysis was performed on the collected data using both descriptive and inferential statistics. This study shows that most of the sociodemographic characteristics of the investors as well as their experience have an impact on the level of influence behavioural biases have on their investment decision. Another finding of the present paper is that institutional investors are not influenced by the same set of behavioural factors than individual investors. This paper proves that institutional investors tend to remain more unbiased and tend to base their investment decisions on the fundamentals of the underlying stock, whilst individual investors are influenced by the availability, the gambler’s fallacy, and the loss aversion biases. In regard to the influence of the investment behaviours on the investment decisions following the emergence of the coronavirus, several correlations were found between the behavioural factors influencing the investment decision and the decisions taken by the investors. It shows the influence of the behavioural biases on actual investment decisions taken by investors following the market selloff in March 2020. Finally, this study found not significant impact of the social distancing measures on the herding behaviour. This study fills several gaps in the literature. One of those gaps is that it compares the influence of a wide spectrum of investment behaviours between individual investors and individual investors, which has never been performed for such a wide range of behaviours. A second gap is that it analyses the actual impact of the behavioural factors on the investment decisions that preceded the emergence of the coronavirus.
Utilization of antibacterial edible coating and nano-silver to enhance the quality of fresh and dried onion

The effect of edible coating on shelf life of fresh and dried onion was studied using different coating materials such as carboxy methyl cellulose (A), alginate (B), starch (C), carboxy methyl cellulose incorporated into nano-silver (D) , alginate incorporated into nano-silver (E), starch incorporated into nano-silver, (F) and nano-silver (G). Chemical analysis included (moisture content, total soluble solids, total sugars, total phenol content, vitamin C), and microbial analysis included (total count of bacteria, fungi and yeasts) were determined. The results indicated that the lowest percentage of weight loss at the end of the storage period was an average of 0.12%, 0.16% for fresh onions (whole slices) for treatment (D). The lowest percentage weight gain for dried onion was an average of (0.03%) for treatment (D)at the end of the storage period. The fresh onion color value 277 did not change until the end of the storage period for the treatments (D, E, F, G). Also, the color value was constant until the end of the storage period for the dried onion slices under all treatments except for the control treatment where the average color value decreased up to 313. It was noticed that treatment (D) preserved the largest percentage in both total soluble solids, total sugars, total phenols, vitamin C and also pungency until the end of the storage period of fresh and dried onion samples. Lowest value for total bacterial count was an average 1.91 CFU x 10 /g for the treatments (D, E, F, G) this is in the case of fresh onions (whole – slices). Also, these treatments kept dried onion slices without bacterial growth until the end of the storage period. The lowest value for the total count for fungi and yeasts was with a mean 0.97 CFU x 10 / g for the treatments (D, E, F, G) this is in the case of fresh onions (whole slices) for treatment. Also, these treatments kept dried onion slices without fungi and yeast growth until the end of the storage period. Sensory evaluation of the quality overall acceptability was excellent for all treatments (D, E, F, G). It was observed that the treatments (A, B, C) were average and that the control samples were not acceptable. The moisture content decreased from 86% to 9% during the drying period, which ranged between 4-6.5 hours under the influence of different treatments, while the drying rates in the first stage of the drying process ranged between 0.494 to 0.3196 Kg/ hour under the influence of different treatments, while was lowest specific energy consumption during the drying process is 12.61 Kj / (Kg at treatment (G). The lowest cost of evaporating one kilogram of water during the drying process was 1.71 LE/Kg for treatment (G) and the largest percentage of moisture absorption during rehydration was 56.8% for treatment G.
An observational study of balance and proprioception function in patients with spinocerebellar ataxias type 3

BackgroundPostural instability is one of the most disabling features of spinocerebellar ataxias type 3 (SCA3) and often leads to falls that reduce mobility and functional capacity. This study aimed to quantitatively analyse static and dynamic balance and proprioception function on postural control in patients with SCA3 using the Pro-kin system and optimise rehabilitation programmes for them.MethodsEight-one clinically diagnosed SCA3 patients (38 women, 43 men; aged 39.00 ± 9.66) and 62 healthy controls were studied and evaluated using the Pro-kin system (PK254P, Tecnobody S.r.l, Dalmine, Italy). The measurements included (1) a static balance test in two visual feedback conditions: eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC); (2) a dynamic balance test measuring limits of stability (LOS); and (3) a proprioception function test to obtain proprioceptive measurements on a multiaxial balance evaluator for both right and left lower limbs.ResultsCompared to controls, SCA3 patients showed significantly higher values of all static balance outcome variables with eyes open and eyes closed, implying postural instability. SCA3 patients showed significantly higher values in the standard deviation of body sway along the medio-lateral (ML) axis and in the velocity of body sway along the anterior-posterior (AP) axis. The overall scores and the scores for all eight LOS components were significantly lower in the SCA3 patients than in the controls. The mean values of AP index (API), ML index (MLI), Stability index (SI) and average trace error (ATE) were significantly greater in SCA3 patients compared to HC subjects, while API showed a trend toward higher values.ConclusionsSCA3 patients have a significant postural control disorder, and are likely to fall on the AP plane and prefer performing postural adjustments in the ML direction; a decreased proprioception function in the knee and ankle is also evident. Visual cues and proprioception should be emphasized in balance rehabilitation training. Attention should also be paid to improve muscle strength and range of motion.Trial registrationThe Chinese clinical test registration center. ChiCTR1800020133. Registered 15 december 2018 - Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr. org.cn/showprojen.aspx? proj=33950
Estimating the Knowledge and Attitude of Parents about their Children?s Asthma and Evaluating the Impact of their Education Status in Baghdad/ Iraq

Background: Parents have an essential role in treating their children's asthma.Therefore, caregivers should gain large knowledge that enable them identifying the risk factor particular for each child and bypass them as a strategy for secondary prevention to controlasthma attacks.Methods:children diagnosed with asthma aged between 1-12 years who attend chest clinic in Baghdad hospitals,were included in this studyparental level of knowledge regarding asthma in childhood was assessed by application of 17-item asthma knowledge questionnaire (ANQ). During the study, the parents responded to eachitem on a Likert-type scale of 5 points with answers ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree. ” Responses to each item were thus graded from 1 to 5 and greater weight was assigned to correct answers.Results:A total number of 260 parents have completed the questionnaire of asthma knowledge regarding their children, the age of children participants in this study ranged from 1 to 12 years with 56 (21.53%) with an age less than two years and a higher percentage was achieved by those who aged more than 3 years,with a male predominance over female by about 2.1:1. Duration of asthma since diagnosis ranged from 2 months to 11 years before beginning this study, with about half of children 126 (48.46%) present with symptoms between 1-2 years. The mean score for the first section (myths and beliefs regarding asthma) with regard to parents’ level of education showed higher knowledge score that was noted among groups with higher education, and, thus, was statistically significant (p=0.009). In the second section of the score (knowledge about asthma), the mean was greater for the groups of parents who completed their university studies (23.5 ± 3.2) and was statistically significant (p= 0.027). Conclusion: In this study there was a significant correlation between level of education of parents and score of AKQ, as the parents present with higher education can obtain knowledge easier, but despite of that most parents are highly educated but a lot of them were have misconception and lack of informationregardinguse if inhalers and factors that triggering asthma of their children which necessitate to provide more effective education programs
Dynamics of biochemical and immunological blood markers in patients with pseudoarthrosis of the femoral neck after total hip arthroplasty

The importance of biomarkers to predict recovery following total hip arthroplasty (THA) is still unclear to clinicians. To assess the preoperative biomarkers of patients with pseudoarthrosis of the femoral neck and their dynamics in the early postoperative period after THA, 50 patients aged 33 to 82 years old, 18 males and 32 females diagnosed with pseudoarthrosis of the femoral neck after failed internal fixation and failed conservative management were studied. The control group consisted of 30 healthy people aged 27 to 50 years, 13 males, 17 females. Patients’ blood was examined for biochemical markers upon admission, and then on the 7th and 14th days after surgery. Their blood serum content of total protein, albumin, glycoproteins, sialic acids, chondroitin sulfates, haptoglobin, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, GGT, acid phosphatase, thymol index; interleukins (IL-1, IL-4 and IL-6.) and C-reactive protein was measured. The content of glycoproteins in the blood exceeded the norm by 2.3 times, chondroitin sulfate by 4.7 times, sialic acids by 1.5 times, haptoglobin by 55.8%, fibrinogen by 19.1%, globulin by 19,6%, alkaline phosphatase activity by 72.3%, IL-1 by 94.7 and IL-6 by 3 times, C-reactive protein by 2.6 times. After THA there was a gradual decrease in blood biochemical and immunological markers. The most informative laboratory markers were glycoproteins, chondroitin sulfates, sialic acids, haptoglobin, activity of alkaline phosphatase, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-4, and C-reactive protein. Subsequent research is required to validate these dynamics.
The Impact of Race on Speech Perception and Accentedness Judgments in Racially Diverse and Non-Diverse Groups

Linguistic ideologies are informed by social stereotyping (Fiske et al. 2007) to maintain the standard variety, which is often interpreted as morally superior to nonstandard varieties (Hill 2008). Consequently, these ideologies racialize nonstandard varieties (Rosa 2016), leading to even more negative stereotypes (Giles & Watson 2013). One outlet of such stereotypes can be observed with accentism. This study examines whether seeing a White or a South Asian face impacts listeners’ perception of American, British, Indian English and to what extent listeners’ social network diversity plays a role in predicting their perception of speech. Results showed that intelligibility scores decreased and accentedness judgments increased for all varieties when speech was paired with South Asian faces. However, listeners who have racially less diverse social network have the highest accentedness judgments. Currently, there is a pressing question to understand how to account for the emergence of different English varieties and their differing pronunciations. Results here shed light on to how these varieties are perceived. The implications will be discussed in light of language teaching and linguistic practices.