Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth Performance of Red Sokoto Bucks Fed Inclusion levels of Raw and Soaked Roselle ( Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Seeds in Rice Offal Based Diets.

This study was carried out to evaluate the growth performance of red Sokoto bucks fed two (2) inclusion levels of rawwater soaked and lime soaked Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds in rice offal based diets. A total of twenty one (21) red Sokoto bucks were randomly allotted into seven treatments with three (3) bucks per group while a group with zero inclusion of the seeds served as a control diet in a 2x3 factorial arrangement using a completely randomized design (CRD). The results showed there was a significant (P<0.05) difference in all parameters except for daily water intake. The increase in dietary inclusion levels for water soaked and lime soaked Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds increased significantly (P<0.05) the feed intake total weight gain and feed conversion ratio when compared to the control group while a decrease in performance was observed with increase in dietary inclusion levels of raw Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds. It could be concluded that the dietary inclusion levels of 10% and 20% water soaked and lime soaked and 10% raw Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds improved growth performance of Red Sokoto bucks compared to the 20% inclusion level of raw Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds and the 20% dietary inclusion levels of water soaked Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds was found to be the best in terms of growth performance and feed intake. Keywords : Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds, Soaking, Red Sokoto bucks, Performance
Metals in Sewage Sludge and their Potential Effects in Agriculture

Metals accumulate in sewage sludges from domestic and industrial sources. Where such sludges are used in agriculture, the metals may contaminate land to such an extent that the quality and yield of crops is affected. Control of the industrial sources of sludge applications will avoid these problems. The paper reviews available information in the chemistry of the most significant potentially toxic metals in soils and their effects on crops including contamination of the food chain ending with man. The paper emphasises the large body of information available but underlines the need for more data if greater certainty is to evolve in the guidelines produced for the agricultural use of sludge and trade effluent control.
Dosing Free Nitrous Acid as an Alternative Sulphide Control Technology for Pressure Sewers in Germany

Sulphide build-up in pressure sewers has been identified as the main cause for the occurrence of odour and corrosion in sewer systems. Despite the efforts to optimize commonly used control technologies such as nitrate and iron salts to reduce sulphide emission, continuous addition of these chemicals is still required. A biocidal agent such as free nitrous acid can be added intermittently, less frequently, and in smaller quantities whilst achieving total sulphide control. So far, laboratory and field studies in Australia and the USA have successfully proven and applied the use of this control technology, exhibiting its strong biocidal effects during intermittent addition. In this study, nine trials were made to assess the application of the free nitrous acid (FNA) as an alternative sulphide control technology in Germany. The sewer pilot plant of the Berlin Water Utility Company was used to perform the trials at a technical scale using a supply of raw sewage. FNA exposure times ranging from 5 to 24 h in varying concentrations were investigated. The effectiveness of the FNA treatment was monitored using the online hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gas and dissolved-sulphide sensors installed in the sewer pilot plant. Effective sulphide control was only possible during dosing periods, with rapid resumption of sulphide production for the trials with exposure times of <12 h and concentrations ranging from 0.08 to 0.56 mg HNO2-N L−1 suggesting a slight inhibitory effect. A more pronounced biocidal effect was observed for the trials exposed to FNA treatment for 24 h at concentrations >0.29 mg HNO2-N L−1. Overall, the trials of this study demonstrated that the biofilms were FNA resistant and that the concentrations and exposure times used were inadequate to develop an effective intermittent dosing strategy.
Keluarga tradisional Jepang dalam perspektif sejarah dan perubahan sosial

Buku ini berisi sistem keluarga tradisional Jepang yang tumbuh dan berkembang dalam masyarakat sejak jaman feodal. Sistem keluarga ini berpijak pada kesadaran diri. Dalam buku ini tampak usaha penulis untuikl mengungkapkan bahwa meskipun secara de jure sistem keluarga tradisional telah dihapus, namun konsep itu dalan pranata kebudayaan Jepang masih eksis.
Ternary memory property of novel polyimide with backbone carbazole moiety and pendant triphenylamine moiety

The polyimide (TPA-Cz PI) was synthesized by the reaction of 9-(4′-(4′-diphenylamino)phenylbenzyl)-3,6-diaminocarbazole with 2,2′,3,3′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride through a classical two-step polymerization process. It exhibited excellent organo-solubility and self-extinguishing property. The synthesized TPA-Cz PI shown excellent film formation. The TPA-Cz PI film sandwiched between an indium tin oxide bottom electrode and Al top electrode. And the fabricated memory device exhibited ternary rewritable storage property in the bias with good data retention and the current ratio of 104:102:1 for ON2, ON1, and OFF states. Its current conduction mechanism by the I-V curves of different conduction models based on the experimental data was analyzed and used to illuminate the physical nature of resistance switching effects. The experimental result indicates that field-induced conformational ordering of the TPA-Cz PI chains and charge-transfer interaction between electron-donor and electron-withdrawing are responsible for the switching behavior. This work can provide a sketch for the design and selection of ternary state resistance random access memory materials in future research.
CoLES: Contrastive Learning for Event Sequences with Self-Supervision

We address the problem of self-supervised learning on discrete event sequences generated by real-world users. Self-supervised learning incorporates complex information from the raw data in low-dimensional fixed-length vector representations that could be easily applied in various downstream machine learning tasks. In this paper, we propose a new method "CoLES", which adapts contrastive learning, previously used for audio and computer vision domains, to the discrete event sequences domain in a self-supervised setting. We deployed CoLES embeddings based on sequences of transactions at the large European financial services company. Usage of CoLES embeddings significantly improves the performance of the pre-existing models on downstream tasks and produces significant financial gains, measured in hundreds of millions of dollars yearly. We also evaluated CoLES on several public event sequences datasets and showed that CoLES representations consistently outperform other methods on different downstream tasks.
Forecasting COVID-19 cases in Algeria using logistic growth and polynomial regression models

The novel Coronavirus respiratory disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still expanding through the world since it started in Wuhan (China) on December 2019 reporting a number of more than 84.4 millions cases and 1.8 millions deaths on January 3rd 2021.In this work and to forecast the COVID-19 cases in Algeria, we used two models: the logistic growth model and the polynomial regression model using data of COVID-19 cases reported by the Algerian ministry of health from February 25th to December 2nd, 2020. Results showed that the polynomial regression model fitted better the data of COVID-19 in Algeria the Logistic model. The first model estimated the number of cases on January, 19th 2021 at 387673 cases. This model could help the Algerian authorities in the fighting against this disease.
Wool fibres for the sorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor air

This thesis reports the investigations of sheep wool’s ability to sorb volatile and very volatile organic compounds (v/VOCs). Indoor air quality and occupants health can be adversely affected by the presence of even low gaseous concentrations of v/VOCs. Sheep wool’s fibres, with their keratinous chemical functionalities, provide platforms for sorption of the said compounds. Wools from different breeds of sheep are studied with regards to the sorption of four volatile organic compounds in their gaseous state, which represents a wide range of polarity and basic chemical diversity: formaldehyde, toluene, limonene and dodecane. A gas-tight set-up was constructed and analytical techniques were optimised. It was found that there is variation between the different wool types in addition to difference between scoured and unscoured wools. Total sorption capacity of formaldehyde is also examined, with variations opposing the trend seen for the sorption of the more non-polar VOCs at low concentrations. Sorption patterns were studied with respect to increasing concentrations. Characteristics of the different wool types are reported and linked to the observed sorption behaviour. Moisture uptake is studied across different wool types and the use of the Vrentas-Vrentas mathematical model is discussed. The mean cluster size of water molecules in the wool fibres is compared. The sorption kinetic behaviour of the wool fibres is analysed using the Parallel Exponential Kinetic model, and the sorption parameters were used to calculate the modulus of the wool fibres. Chemical and mechanical modifications along with the use of additives are studied to enhance wool’s sorption ability. Adding polar functionalities onto the fibres’ surface hinders total sorption capacity of formaldehyde and the sorption of all four v/VOCs at low concentrations. Adding a large non-polar functionality also hinders total sorption capacity of formaldehyde, but increases the sorption at low concentrations of non-polar compounds without reducing the sorption of polar formaldehyde. Ball milling increases surface area and the sorption of all four compounds at low concentrations. Carbon fibre as an additive excels at the sorption of non-polar compounds, whereas a coating of chitosan increases the total sorption capacity of formaldehyde without effecting the sorption patterns of any of the v/VOCs at low concentrations. The effect of the modifications on other fibre properties is also reported.
ToF‐SIMS and computation analysis: Fragmentation mechanisms of polystyrene, polystyrene‐d5, and polypentafluorostyrene

We studied the time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry fragmentation mechanisms of polystyrenes—phenyl‐fluorinated polystyrene (5FPS), phenyl‐deuterated polystyrene (5DPS), and hydrogenated polystyrene (PS). From the positive ion spectra of 5FPS, we identified some characteristic molecular ion structures with isomeric geometries such as benzylic, benzocyclobutene, benzocyclopentene, cyclopentane, and tropylium systems. These structures were evaluated by the B3LYP‐D/jun‐cc‐pVDZ computation method. The intensities of the C7H2F5+ (m/z = 181), CyPent‐C9H3F4+ (m/z = 187), CyPent‐C9H4F5+ (m/z = 207), and CyPent‐C9H2F5+ (m/z = 205) ions were enhanced by resonance stabilization. The positive fluorinated ions from 5FPS tended to rearrange and produce fewer fluorine‐containing molecular ions through the loss of F (m/z = 19), CF (m/z = 31), and CF2 (m/z = 50) ion fragments. Consequently, the fluorine‐containing polycyclic aromatic ions had much lower intensities than their hydrocarbon counterparts. We propose the fragmentation mechanisms for the formation of C5H5+, C6H5+, and C7H7+ ion fragments, substantiated with detailed analyses of the negative ion spectra. These ions were created through elimination of a pentafluoro‐phenyl anion (C6F5−) and H+, followed by a 1‐electron‐transfer process and then cyclization of the newly generated polyene with carbon‐carbon bond formation. The pendant groups with elements of different electronegativities exerted strong influences on the intensities and fragmentation processes of their corresponding ions.
An exploration of child and youth care workers’ experiences of developing attachments and belonging in children placed in child and youth care centres in Tshwane

Young people in care (YPIC) come from backgrounds of loss, separation, neglect and abuse and they have faced adversity emanating from family structures and sometimes perpetrated by the same people who are supposed to be protecting them. As such, their attachment systems have been disrupted and a myriad of psycho-emotional problems ensue. Attachments and belonging are critical to normal social, psychological and emotional development of children; hence the South African welfare system requires the implementation of the Circle of Courage (CoC) in CYCCs. Attachments form in close relationships, and children are capable of re-establishing attachments with new and sensitive caregivers, but history has taught most of them to be wary of close relationships for their own safety. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of child and youth care workers (CYCWs) in developing attachments and belonging for children in child and youth care centres (CYCCs). The findings of this study points out that the task before CYCWs is a challenging one. They indicated that their hope is to produce individuals who are law-abiding citizens who can thrive on their own and also transfer good child care practices to break the circle of abuse. However, first encounters between YPIC and CYCWs were reported to be hostile and characterized by outright rejection and anxiety on the part of the YP coming into care. The CYCWs who participated in this study indicated that they understood the concept of belonging and attachment in terms of the CoC and also Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. They also indicated that they understood it as a strong bond between them, a working relationship, or a comfort zone. They normally try to create a welcoming environment for YPIC, provide physical contact or touch, meet their physiological needs, explain circumstances that brought them together and verbalize their love to YPIC. They indicated that these simple acts help to build bridges between CYCWs and YPIC and create bonds and connections that make it possible for them to relate responsively and sensitively to each other. Table of
Effects of Traffic Control Devices on Rural Curve Lateral Position

This study investigated, by means of a dynamic driving simulator experiment, road users’ behavior inside the curves of rural two-lane highways related to different advance warning signs, perceptual measures, and delineation treatments. These treatments were intended to warn drivers of the presence of low radius curves and to affect their behavior, improving vehicle control and lane-keeping. Five surrogate measures of safety were used in the evaluation of the design alternatives in relation to lateral position performance: standard deviation of lateral position, maximum encroachment in the shoulder, maximum encroachment in the opposite lane, relative length of shoulder encroachment, and relative length of opposite lane encroachment. Statistical tests were performed to verify whether the surrogate measures of safety were significantly different between alternatives. The analysis was divided into three phases. In the first phase, all the measures were preprocessed, testing normality and homoscedasticity assumptions. In the second phase, the presence of an overall effect considering all the alternatives was evaluated using analysis of variance and the Kruskal–Wallis test. In the third phase, Student’s t- and Mann–Whitney tests were used to assess which alternatives showed statistically significant effects. The results demonstrated that the perceptual measures, namely colored transverse strips, dragon teeth markings, and colored median island, were the most effective treatments. Field tests to establish the perceptual measures’ effectiveness on real roads are strongly advised. Implementation of the measures tested in the driving simulator should be carried out on similar rural highways to validate the results.
Examination of PCDD/F Formation in Thermal Systems Using Simple Mathematical Models

A set of empirical models which accounts for the formation of gas phase polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD and PCDF), and solid phase PCDD/F by the de novo mechanism is described.In each case, competing formation and destruction reactions are considered to operate.The effect of the time-temperature history on their formation is then examined.At high temperatures, steady-state is reached in fractions of a second, resulting in the observed low product concentrations.Rapid cooling as found in furnaces produces higher PCDD/F nett formation rates than slower cooling over the same temperature range, but with less overall yield.In addition, a cooling process will result in more PCDD/F production than heating at the same rate. Thus the conventionally-regarded temperature “windows” for formation are misleading, as in practical conditions PCDD/F are produced at higher temperatures.Simulations carried out of a pilot scale municipal solid waste (MSW)incinerator, a commercial fluidised bed boiler burning wood as a fuel, and of the laboratory scale thermal “annealing” of particulates taken from iron ore sintering off-gases illustrate the effects.There is sufficient promise in the approach to suggest that better characterisation of particulates will lead to acceptable predictions.
Spatialized flood resilience measurement in rapidly urbanized coastal areas with a complex semi-arid environment in northern Morocco

Abstract. Enhancing resilience is critical for coastal urban systems to cope with and minimize flood disaster risks. This issue is certainly more important in Africa, where the increase in flood frequency is a significant concern for many areas. In this context, urban planners need accurate approaches to set up a standard for measuring the resilience to floods. In Morocco, this issue is still not fully covered by the scientific community despite the obvious need for a new approach adapted to local conditions. This study applied a composite index and geographic-information-system approach to measure and map resilience to floods in three northern coastal municipalities. The approach is also based on a linear ranking of resilience parameters, offering a more optimal classification of spatial resilience variation. The results allowed us to identify specific areas with different resilience levels and revealed the relationship between urban dimensions and the flood resilience degree. This approach provides an efficient decision-support tool to facilitate flood risk management, especially in terms of prioritizing protective actions.
The Meiotic Behavior of an Alien Chromosome in Triticum aestivum- Haynaldia villosa Monosomic Addition Lines

By the combination of cytological analysis and using genomic in situ hybridization technique to identify alien chromosome in wheat Haynaldia villosa monosomic addition lines, we studied the meiotic behavior of the alien chromosome. The results indicated that the frequency of bivalent pairing was lower than the values expected in PMCs of two monosomic addition lines, the frequency of wheat chromosomes unpairing was increased, the wheat homologous chromosome pairing was interfered by the added chromosome 6V at metaphase I. The chromosome 6V was lagging in 20.3%～29.3% of PMCs, sister chromatids 6V early divided in 29.0%～ 34.1% of PMCs, the single chromosome 6V in 18.2%～26.1% of PMCs went to a pole randomly, the frequency of breaking in chromosome 6V was 1.2%～2.9%. Meanwhile, it was also found that several wheat chromosomes showed earlier division, lagging and breaking in a few PMCs. It revealed that the added chromosome 6V influenced the behavior of wheat chromosomes at anaphase. It was also found the translocation was produced between 6V and wheat chromosomes in 1.2% of PMCs. It offered evidence for translocation between wheat and Haynaldia villosa 6V chromosomes.
Model of skeletal muscle cramp and its reversal

In an accompanying paper [2], we developed the Shorten [3] model of skeletal muscle by incorporating equations such as surface calcium fluxes. In further research in this paper, we succeeded in reproducing muscle cramp, as well as its prevention and reversal, by investigating muscle contraction and cramp, in which calcium regulatory networks are involved, using the extended model in comparison with the original model. Incorporation of data from a traditional medicine from root extracts of paeony and licorice and one of its pure chemicals was modeled. The sensitivity analysis of the extended model shows the robustness of the calcium regulatory networks. Muscle cramp, in the extended model, requires calcium influx via the L-type calcium channel and it will not occur without calcium influx. Reduced calcium influx can delay or prevent cramp. Increased interstitial potassium is implicated in developing and maintaining cramp. Mechanism of reversal of cramp requires wash-out of extracellular potassium via increased blood flow, followed by calcium efflux via sodium-calcium exchange. This paper shows the first successful quantitative electrophysiological and mechanical model of cramp and of its reversal.
Spatio-temporal modeling of COVID-19 epidemic

In autumn and winter 2020–2021 there was a growth in morbidity with COVID-19. Since there are no efficient medications and mass vaccination has only just begun, quarantine, limitations on travels and contacts between people as well as use of personal protection equipment (masks) still remain priority measures aimed at preventing the disease from spreading. In this work we have analyzed how the epidemic developed and what impacts quarantine measures exerted on the disease spread; to do that we applied various mathematical models. It was shown that simple models belonging to SIR-type (S means susceptible; I, infected; and R, recovered or removed from the infected group) allowed estimating certain model parameters such as morbidity and recovery coefficients that could be used in more complicated models. We examined spatio-temporal epidemiologic models based on finding solutions to non-stationary two-dimensional reaction-diffusion equations. Such models allow taking into account uneven distribution of population, changes in population mobility, and changes in frequency of contacts between susceptible and infected people due to quarantine. We applied obtained analytical and numerical solutions to analyze different stages in the epidemic as well as its wave-like development influenced by imposing and canceling quarantine limitations. To take into account ultimate rate at which the disease spreads and its incubation period (when an infected person is not a source of contagion), we suggest using equations similar to the Cattaneo-Vernotte one. The suggested model allows predicting where the front of morbidity spread is going to occur, that is, a moving frontier between areas where there are infected people and areas where they are absent. Use of such models provides an opportunity to introduce differential quarantine measures basing on more objective grounds. At the end of 2020 mass vaccination started in some countries. We estimated a necessary number of people that had to be vaccinated so that new waves of COVID-19 epidemic would be prevented; in our estimates, not less than 80% of the country population should be vaccinated. Correct prediction of epidemic development is becoming more and more vital at the moment due to new and more contagious COVID-19 virus strains occurring in England, South Africa, and some other countries. Our research results can be used for predicting spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases; they can make for taking the most efficient measures for successful control over epidemics.