Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Capacity Building Efforts of Library and Information Professionals in University Libraries in Nigeria

This study assessed the capacity building efforts of library and information professionals in university libraries in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and a structured questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The exact population of the study is 238 librarians in the university libraries in SouthSouth, Nigeria. The total enumeration sampling technique which involves studying the entire respondents was employed for the study. Two hundred and thirty eight copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents; the researchers were able to retrieve only 211 questionnaires. Hence there was 89% response rate. The data collected for this study were analyzed using simple percentage and frequency counts using tables. The findings of the study revealed that the capacity building needs of library and information professionals in university libraries were majorly troubleshooting new technologies, academic research, internet search skills, e-library management, and library automation, among others. Additionally, findings show clearly that on the job training, in-house training, participation in professional association, lecture/ discussion and exercises, and job rotation were the major methods of building the capacity of library and information professionals. It was recommended that sufficient funding should be allocated to university libraries for the organization of capacity building programmes for library and information professionals, among others.
Water quality of several feeder rivers between two seasons in Tasik Chini, Pahang

Water quality analysis of the seven feeder rivers in Tasik Chini was carried out from October 2004 to December 2005. A total of nine sampling sites were selected in this study, namely: Sungai Datang (St. 1), Sungai Cenahan (St. 2), downstream of Sungai Gumum (St. 3), mid of Sungai Gumum (St. 4), Sungai Kura-kura (St. 5), Sungai Melai (St. 6), Sungai Jemberau (St. 7), upstream of Sungai Paya Merupuk (St. 8) and downstream of Sungai Paya Merupuk (St. 9). Eleven water quality parameters were selected and analyzed in-situ and ex-situ during two sampling seasons. Laboratory analyses were carried out according to the HACH and APHA. Results of the study indicated that the pH content ranged from 3.2 to 6.32, dissolved oxygen from 0.27 to 6.4 mg/L, conductivity from 14.33 to 85.7 μS/cm and temperature from 24.1 to 32.1oC. Total dissolved solids ranged from 22.67 to 184 mg/L, total suspended solids from 1.17 to 79.11 mg/L and turbidity from 4.67 to 28.67 NTU. Nutrients such as ammonical nitrogen (0.01 to 0.57 mg/L), nitrate (0.7 to 2.9 mg/L), phosphate (from not detectable to 0.50 mg/L) and sulphate (from not detectable to 2.0 mg/L) were also studied. This showed that most of the feeder rivers have contributed to high nutrient values in Tasik Chini. Statistically, the relationship between water quality parameters were correlated as very weak and moderately correlated (R2 = 0.40). Phosphate and sulphate were significantly correlated as positive slope; turbidity and nitrate showed negative slope with discharge during both the seasons (R2 = 0.651; R2 = 0.624). Recent activities such as deforestation, mining, agriculture and tourism have taken place in the surrounding areas of the lake. These activities were expected to influence the stability of the water quality of the feeder river of Tasik Chini.
Exploring which test-taker characteristics predict young L2 learners’ performance on listening and reading comprehension tests

Test-taker characteristics (TTCs), or individual difference variables, are known to be a systematic source of variance in language test performance. Although previous research has documented the impact of a range of TTCs on second language (L2) learners’ test performance, few of these studies have involved young learners. Given that young L2 learners undergo rapid maturational changes in their cognitive abilities, are susceptible to affective factors in unique ways, and have little autonomy with respect to the context of L2 acquisition, the relationship between their personal attributes and their test performance merit separate research attention. To fill this gap, we investigated the extent to which sixth-grade, Korean-L1, EFL learners’ (n = 107) TTCs predicted their performance on tests of L2 listening and reading comprehension. The TTCs under investigation included three cognitive characteristics (aptitude, phonological working memory, L1 competence), one affective factor (motivation), and two demographic variables (socioeconomic status and gender). Results showed that aptitude and phonological working memory significantly predicted participants’ performance on both L2 listening and reading comprehension tests, whereas motivation predicted performance on the L2 listening comprehension test only. These findings suggest that higher aptitude, phonological working memory, and motivation contribute positively to young learners’ L2 outcomes.
“Squeezing the Life Out of Each Day”: Emerging Adult Women’s Work-Family Expectations in STEM

Work-family conflict can create challenges for women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Little is known, however, about how young women in STEM reason about future work-family conflict. The current study examines work-family conflict expectations among undergraduate and graduate women in STEM. Participants (N = 156) responded to open- and closed-ended survey questions about work-family conflict and academic attitudes. Qualitative analyses revealed two orientations relative to work-family conflict. Women with a challenge orientation anticipated work and family strain, whereas women with an opportunity orientation anticipated that balancing work and family would enhance their lives. Women differed in the strategies they planned to employ to resolve future work-family conflict and in their levels of quantitative constructs such as STEM identity. Findings suggest avenues for improving STEM retention such as mentoring interventions with exposure to role models who are balancing work and family.
“Teachers Act Like We’re Robots”: TikTok as a Window Into Youth Experiences of Online Learning During COVID-19

Social media, and especially popular youth-focused platforms like TikTok, can offer a valuable window into youth experiences, including their perceptions of online learning. Building on a large-scale thematic analysis of 1,930 TikTok videos posted in March-June 2020, this study examines how young people shared their experiences of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that youth portrayed online coursework as overwhelming and relentless against the traumatic background of the pandemic. They sought support, empathy, and authenticity from teachers, and both received and provided emotional and educational support to peers on the platform. Students’ home contexts emerged as particularly salient, making visible the intersections between young people’s home, school and social lives. By facilitating a grounded, bottom-up understanding of students’ experiences and perceptions—shared in their preferred spaces and modes of expression—this research stresses the need to attend to youth perspectives to craft more equitable and empowering educational futures.
Application of Artiﬁcial Intelligence to Determined Unconﬁned Compressive Strength of Cement-Stabilized Soil in Vietnam

: Cement stabilized soil is one of the commonly used as ground reinforcement solutions in geotechnical engineering. In this study, the main object was to apply three machine learning (ML) methods namely gradient boosting (GB), artiﬁcial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) to predict unconﬁned compressive strength (UCS) of cement stabilized soil. Soil samples were collected at Hai Duong city, Vietnam. A total of 216 soil–cement samples were mixed in the laboratory and compressed to determine the UCS. This data set is divided into two parts of the training data set (80%) and testing set (20%) to build and test the model, respectively. To verify the performance of ML model, various criteria named correlation coefﬁcient (R), mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used. The results show that all three ML models were effective methods to predict the UCS of cement-stabilized soil. Amongst three model used in this study, optimized ANN model provided superior performance compare to two others models with performance indicator R = 0.925, RMSE = 419.82 and MAE = 292.2 for testing part. This study can provide an effective tool to quickly predict the UCS of cement stabilized soil with high accuracy.
Influence of production method on the sensory profile and consumer acceptance of Australian sparkling white wine styles

Background and Aims There is considerable diversity amongst the styles of sparkling white wine produced in Australia, from relatively simple, fruit-forward sparkling wines to those that exhibit complexity due to yeast autolysis and ageing. This study profiled the sensory characteristics and quality of sparkling white wines made via the different methods of production (carbonation, Charmat, transfer and Methode Traditionelle) and determined consumer preferences for Australian sparkling white wine styles. Methods and Results The sensory profiles and quality ratings of 50 Australian sparkling white wines were determined by descriptive analysis and expert panels, respectively. A subset of wines representative of the variation observed in sensory profiles, comprising two Methode Traditionelle wines, two transfer wines, a Charmat wine and a carbonated wine, were subsequently selected for preference testing to determine consumer liking. Conclusions The production method strongly influenced the sensory profile, and therefore quality, of the sparkling white wines studied. Mean hedonic ratings ranged from 4.1 to 5.1 (on a 9 cm scale), with the Charmat wine liked the most; however, segmentation based on consumers' individual liking scores identified four consumer clusters with preferences for distinct styles of sparkling white wine. Significance of the Study This is the first study to profile the stylistic variation amongst Australian sparkling white wines and, importantly, to determine consumer preferences for different styles of sparkling wine. Research findings enable industry to understand better the preferences of different segments of the consumer market for sparkling wine.
Male mate choice in the annual killifish Millerichthys robustus and its relationship with female polymorphism, size and fecundity

In the classic theory of sexual roles, females are more careful in their choice of a mate because their reproductive investment is relatively higher. However, increasing evidence shows that males can also be choosy. Mate choice can be based on physical characteristics, such as body size and color ornaments, which have been documented as factors that also influence the maintenance of polymorphism. Here, we experimentally tested whether males of the annual killifish Millerichthys robustus preferentially choose females according to variations in ocelli number on the base of the caudal fin, or according to body size, in classical dual decision experiments. We demonstrated that there is a strong preference of the males of M. robustus for females with greater numbers of ocelli on the base of the caudal fin (females with 5–7 versus 1–2 ocelli) and for females of larger body size. We also tested whether female body size or number of ocelli are linked to higher fecundity or increased egg size, quantifying the number of embryos produced by the females of each experimental group and measuring the size of their eggs. Our results revealed that large females with more ocelli produced more and larger eggs than large females with fewer ocelli, and than small females regardless of the number of ocelli. These results may suggest that males of M. robustus that choose large-sized females can mate with genetic quality in parameters directly related to biological success, such as higher egg production of large-sized eggs. This is probably related to a higher hatching percentage, and larger subsequent larvae with rapid growth rates. We therefore propose that large body size and high number of ocelli on the base of the caudal fin in females could have evolved through male mate choice.
Urban structure in transition: evidence from Poland, 1983–2011

ABSTRACT This paper investigates changes in the spatial structure and explores the link between the initial shape and other characteristics of city-regions of Poland and heterogeneity in the changes of urban structure. Shifting attention to the former socialist country offers an opportunity to illuminate the link between a rapid and systemic political–economic transition and the development of city-regions. The results suggest that increasing polycentricity is not the main trend in Poland, and show that the context and initial stage of spatial structure indeed matter in shaping trajectories of urban change. Irrespective of the systemic transition, the spatial structure of city-regions is relatively slow to change.
Selection of a nonaqueous two-phase solvent system for fractionation of xylo-oligosaccharide prebiotics using a conductor-like screening model for real solvents

ABSTRACT Fractionation of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) using a liquid–liquid solvent system can be a difficult endeavor due to the high solubility of XOS in water. Use of a nonaqueous solvent system is a solution for XOS fractionation. XOS are gaining attention as a prebiotic food additive and are abundant in agricultural residues. We describe the use of a molecular modeling approach to determine which solvents and at what volume ratio to use for XOS fractionation. The conductor-like screening model for real solvents was used to predict the partition coefficients of xylose and two major functional XOS—xylobiose and xylotriose, based on the structure of the compounds and the composition of solvents in a panel of nonaqueous biphasic solvent systems. Eleven common solvents used in countercurrent chromatography were used to build 12 biphasic solvents model systems that were then evaluated and compared using shake flask experiments to determine which could fractionate the three XOS from a mixture. The model and experimental results indicate that a heptane/n-butanol/acetonitrile system at a volume ratio of 9:4:5 would result in a partition coefficient close to the region of optimal separation for a countercurrent chromatography fractionation. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
A four-year observation of corneal densitometry after implantable collamer lens V4c implantation

Background To observe the changes in corneal densitometry (CD) with a Pentacam after implantable collamer lens (ICL) V4c implantation in myopia patients, and to investigate potential influencing factors. Methods We reviewed 65 eyes of 33 patients (mean age, 29.08±5.54 years) with myopia or myopic astigmatism who underwent ICL V4c implantation. Clinic parameters and Pentacam images of corneal topography and CD were obtained pre- and postoperatively. Results After an average of 52±2.2 months follow-up, the efficacy and safety indexes assessed at the last follow-up were 1.03±0.18 and 1.21±0.21, respectively. Except in the central annular zone of 0–2 mm, the CD values increased significantly at postoperative day 1 and decreased significantly until postoperative 1 year (P<0.05). The increase in CD values at different annular zones at postoperative day 1 was ranked as: 0–2 mm <2–6 mm < 6–10 mm. No significant difference was observed in corneal density at 1 week, 1 month, and 1-year follow-up when compared with the preoperative value (P>0.05). The CD value at 4 years follow-up increased significantly and correlated positively with age and preoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity, and negatively with preoperative spherical equivalent and intraocular pressure (IOP) (P<0.05). Conclusions ICL V4c implantation demonstrated safety and efficacy for myopia correction. The CD value increased at 4 years postoperatively and correlated with age, preoperative spherical equivalent, uncorrected distance visual acuity, and IOP.
A New Composite Material on the Base of Carbon Nanotubes and Boron Clusters B12 as the Base for High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes

We explore the quantum capacitance, stability, and electronic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with B12 icosahedral boron clusters by first-principle calculation methods implemented in the SIESTA code. After the optimization of the built supercells, the B12 clusters formed bonds with the walls of the carbon nanotubes and demonstrated metallic properties in all cases. The network of carbon nanotubes with its large area and branched surface is able to increase the capacity of the electric double-layer capacity, but the low quantum capacity of each nanotube in this network limits its application in supercapacitors. We found that the addition of boron clusters to both the outer and inner walls increased the quantum capacitance of carbon nanotubes. The calculation of the transmission function near the Fermi energy showed an increase in the conductivity of supercells. It was also found that an increase in the concentration of boron clusters in the structure led to a decrease in the heat of formation that positively affects the stability of supercells. The calculation of the specific charge density showed that with an increase in the boron concentration, the considered material demonstrated the properties of an asymmetric electrode.
Improving heat transfer and water recovery performance in high‐moisture flue gas condensation using silicon carbide membranes

Desulfurated flue gas in coal‐fired power plants contains profuse water vapor and latent heat, the recovery of which is crucial. Herein, a novel use of silicon carbide (SiC) membranes to construct a transport membrane condenser (TMC) for simultaneous water and waste heat recovery from high‐moisture flue gas is reported. The performances of water and heat recovery were systematically compared between typical dense heat exchange materials (304 stainless steel and perfluoroalkoxy [PFA]) and porous ceramic membranes (Al2O3 membrane and SiC membrane). Porous ceramic membranes showed higher heat transfer performance than dense materials, suggesting a non‐negligible mass transfer effect on heat transfer. Compared with the Al2O3 membrane, the SiC membrane exhibited better water and heat recovery performance because of its superior thermal conductivity. Using the SiC membrane as the heat exchange material, a water flux of 11.3‐44.4 kg·m−2·h−1 and a water recovery efficiency of 46.5%‐76.9% were achieved. The thermal resistance from the gas boundary layer dominated the heat transfer process in SiC membrane condensers as the thermal resistances from the membrane and condensate film were markedly reduced. This study forms a basis for future investigations on heat transfer enhancement of membrane condensers used for industrial moisture recovery.
Book review: The Tenacity of the Couple Norm: Intimate Citizenship Regimes in a Changing Europe

employing women sufficiently significant to be analysed, but also that she uses that industry and the voices of its workforce to tell a general story about modernisation, (de)industrialisation, and (de)construction of labour rights and welfare provision. Bonfiglioli’s aim to increase the visibility of the (female) workers’ struggles is also highly commendable. The importance of such efforts is apparent from the example of the revolt of the workers of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian detergent factory Dita. Following its bankruptcy in 2013, its workers did not just protest but restarted production and kept the factory running in a self-organised manner until its resale in 2017. However, the section ‘History’ on the factory’s webpage (https://dita.ba/historija/) fails to mention those admirable efforts. It is thanks to books like this that such examples of resistance and resilience are kept alive in written. Further socially engaged and empathic, yet critical and academically sound, works of this kind are sorely needed.
A Novel Approach for Design and Investigation of Dual Material Stack Gate Oxide TFET using Oxide Strip Layer Mechanism

In this paper, for the first time, we use a distinctive approach based on oxide strip layer in dual material stack gate oxide-tunnel field-effect transistor (DMSGO-OSL-TFET) to improve the DC, analog/RF, and linearity performance. For this, a stack gate oxide with workfunction is considered to enhance the ONstate current (ION ) and reduce the ambipolar current (Iamb). For this case, the gate electrode is tri-segmented, named as tunnel gate (M1), control gate (M2) and auxiliary gate (M3) with different gate lengths (L1, L2, L3) and work functions (φ1, φ2, φ3), respectively. To maintain dual-work functionality, the possible combinations of these work functions are considered. Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations are performed and noted that the workfunction combination (φ1 = φ3 < φ2) outperforms compared to other structures. Where φ1 on the source side is used to enhance the ION , while φ3 (equal to φ1) is used on the drain side to minimize the Iamb. To further enhance the device performance, a high-K oxide strip layer is considered on the drain side to suppress the (Iamb) whereas, a low-K oxide strip layer is used at the source junction to maximize the ION . Moreover, length of gate segments, oxide strip layer height, and thickness are optimized to achieve a better ION , switching ratio, subthreshold swing (SS) and reduce the (Iamb) which helps in the gain of device and design of analog/RF circuits. The proposed device as compared to dual material control gate-oxide strip layer-TFET (DMCG-OSL-TFET) shows improvement in ION /IOF F (∼ 4.23 times), 84 % increase in transconductance (gm), 136 % increase in cut-off frequency (fT ), 126 % increase in gain bandwidth product (GBP), point subthreshold swing (15.8 mV/decade) and other significant improvements in linearity performance parameters such as gm3, VIP3, IIP3, IMD3 making the proposed device useful for low power switching, analog/RF and linearity applications.
Flood Hazard Assessment for the Tori Levee Breach of the Indus River Basin, Pakistan

Levee breaches are some of the most common hazards in the world and cause the loss of lives, livelihoods, and property destruction. During the 2010 flood in Pakistan, the most devastating breach occurred at Tori Levee on the right bank of the Indus River, downstream of the Guddu Barrage, which caused residual floods in northern Sindh and the adjoining regions of the Balochistan province. In this study, 2D unsteady flow modeling performed for Tori Levee breach computed residual flood inundation by coupling a HEC-RAS (Hydrological Engineering Centre—River Analysis System) 2D hydraulic model with remote sensing and Geographic Information System techniques. The model performance was judged by comparing the observed and simulated water levels (stage) during peak flow at seven different gauging stations located within the Indus River reach and daily flood extents and multi-day composites. The quantitative values for the calibration and validation of the HEC-RAS model showed good performance with a range of difference from 0.13 to −0.54 m between the simulated and observed water levels (stage), 84% match for the maximum flood inundation area, and 73.2% for the measure of fit. The overall averages of these values for the daily flood comparison were 57.12 and 75%, respectively. Furthermore, the simulated maximum flow passed through the Tori Levee breach, which was found to be 4994.47 cumecs (about 15% of peak flow) with a head water stage of 71.56 m. By using the simulated flows through the Tori Levee breach, the flood risk maps for the 2010 flood identified hazard zones according to the flood characteristics (depth, velocity, depth times velocity, arrival time, and duration). All the flood risk maps concluded the fact that the active flood plain was uninhabitable under flood conditions.