Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Approach for the Green Biosynthesis of Silver Oxide Nanoparticles Ag2O, Characterization and Catalytic Application

In this paper, a facile and green approach for the synthesis of silver oxide nanoparticles Ag2O NPs was performed using the extract of the wild plant Herniaria hirsuta (H. hirsuta). Different spectral methods were used for the characterization of the biosynthesized Ag2O NPs, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy gave a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of Ag2O NPs is 430 nm, estimation of direct and indirect forbidden gap bands are respectively 3.76 eV and 3.68 eV; Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral analysis revealed the groups responsible for the stability and synthesis of Ag2O NPs. The morphology of Ag2O NPs was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showing a nearly spherical shape of Ag2O NPs, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) study confirmed the crystallinity of Ag2O NPs with a crystallinity size of 15.51 nm. The catalytic activity of Ag2O NPs, as well as the rings number were studied by the degradation of methylene blue dye. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Iranian EFL Teachers' Attitudes towards the Effectiveness of ELT Conferences

This study was an attempt to evaluate the attitude of Iranian conference participants regarding the effect of ELT conferences on their professional development and teaching practices. To this end, an appropriate questionnaire was administered to 192 conference participants selected through convenience sampling. The collected data was statistically analyzed, and the obtained results revealed that the participants believed that ELT conferences in Iran have positive effects on the participants' professional development and teaching practices in terms of familiarity with the existing trends in the ELT, motivation for conducting further studies and application of conference materials in their teaching. The results also showed that the participants noted a number of drawbacks in such events, including the low quality of papers and presentations, attendance just for the sake of getting a certificate, and theoretical rather than practical orientation, which might be the cause of demotivation for teachers to attend upcoming conferences. To remove these drawbacks, the participants offered some suggestions such as providing guidelines for presentations and double-blind review papers, holding more workshops, internationalizing the conferences, and attracting more keynote speakers and foreign presenters.
Salt Stress Relief and Growth-Promoting Effect of Sweet Pepper Plants (Capsicum annuum L.) by Glutathione, Selenium, and Humic Acid Application

Three pot experiments were carried out at a private farm in Abu Homos, El-Beheira Governorate during 2018 and 2019 and 2020 growing seasons to examine the role of Glutathione, Selenium, and Humic Acid solely in the first two seasons and in combinations in the third season in elevation the impact of salinity on vegetative growth (leaves fresh weight, leaves dry weight and leaf area), chemical composition (chlorophyll, N, P, Ca, K, Na, Proline contents, K/Na ratio) and yield of sweet pepper cultivar “Madrid”. The results illustrated that the growth parameters, chemical composition and yield of sweet pepper decreased by increasing salinity level. The results of the mitigation treatments of Glutathione, Selenium, and Humic acid, showed that the application of either Selenium alone in the first two seasons or combined with Glutathione in the third season showed significant effects for increasing plant growth, nutrient contents and yield under the highest salinity level.
Direct and large-eddy simulation of inert and reacting compressible turbulent shear layers

Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) and Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of inert and reacting, temporally evolving, turbulent shear layers were performed and analyzed. The DNS were done at three different convective Mach numbers Mc = 0.15, 0.7 and 1.1. The focus of the analysis of the DNS data was on the influence of compressibility and heat release on the turbulence structure and scalar mixing. The emphasis of the LES study at low convective Mach number was on the validation of a deconvolution approach in the form of a single explicit filtering step as LES subgrid model for convective transport and its performance in combination with differently accurate models for the chemical source term and the molecular transport of mass and energy.
Neural Network Optimization Algorithms to Predict Wind Turbine Blade Fatigue Life under Variable Hygrothermal Conditions

Moisture and temperature are the most important environmental factors that affect the degradation of wind turbine blades, and their influence must be considered in the design process. They will first affect the resin matrix and then, possibly, the interface with the fibers. This work is the first to use a series of metaheuristic approaches to analyze the most recent experimental results database and to identify which resins are the most robust to moisture/temperature in terms of fatigue life. Four types of resin are compared, representing the most common types used for wind turbine blades manufacturing. Thermoset polymer resins, including polyesters and vinyl esters, were machined as coupons and tested for the fatigue in air temperatures of 20 °C and 50 °C under “dry” and “wet” conditions. The experimental fatigue data available from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for wind turbine-related materials have been used to build, train, and validate an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict fatigue life under different environmental conditions. The performances of three algorithms (Backpropagation BP, Particle Swarm Optimization PSO, and Cuckoo Search CS) are compared for adjusting the synaptic weights of the ANN and evaluating the efficiency in predicting the fatigue life of the materials studied, under the conditions mentioned above. For accuracy evaluation, the mean square error (MSE) is used as an objective function to be optimized by the three algorithms.
Development of a position tracking drive system for controlling PMSM motor using dSPACE 1104-based variable structure

In industrial electric drive systems, it is common to find objects that need to solve the problem of angular position control, moving the object from one position to another asymptotically with no over-correction and guarantee. calculation of maximum fast impact. This is a multi-target optimization problem with many different solutions. This paper presents a method of constructing a PMSM motor position controller with a variable structure using dSPACE 1104 card. The system consists of a position control loop with a variable structure that is an outer loop and a speed control loop degree is the inner loop. In which, the speed adjustment loop uses adaptive law to compensate for uncertain functions and build a sliding mode observation to estimate load torque, friction and noise. The results of the simulation study were verified on Matlab-Simulink environment and experimented on dSPACE 1104 card to check the correctness of the built controller algorithm. The research results in the paper are the basis for the evaluation and setting up of control algorithms, design of electric drive systems in industry and the military.
Effort-reward Imbalance and Burnout among EFL Teachers in Iran

Understanding the relationship between job stressors and burnout among English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher using the Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model in Iran is under-researched. Through a cross-sectional research design, the study aimed at investigating the EFL teachers’ burnout using the variables in ERI model. To this aim, 105 EFL teachers filled in ERI questionnaire and Maslach Burnout Inventory Educators Survey (MBI-ES). The quantitative data were analyzed through Pearson correlation coefficient analysis to examine the relationship between variables in ERI model and burnout dimension. The results indicated that there was a positive significant relationship between effort and overcommitment and all three burnout dimensions but a negative relationship between reward subscale and depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. The multiple regression analysis was also used to identify ERI subscales as predictors of burnout dimensions. The results revealed that ERI model variables had a moderate amount of variation in depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment and a small amount of variation in emotional exhaustion.
Open-Innovation Practices: Diversity in Portuguese SMEs

This study aimed to explore the diversity of open-innovation practices that are adopted in Portuguese SMEs considering the outside-in, inside-out, and coupled paradigms. A quantitative study was carried out considering a sample of 187 Portuguese SMEs. The findings revealed that these organizations favored the adoption of the outside-in paradigm. The inside-out model was the least relevant, especially for smaller companies (i.e., small and micro-companies). The most adopted outside-in practices were the integration of external knowledge from suppliers and clients; in the inside-out model, licensing processes were more important; while in the coupled model, joint ventures and network consortiums stood out. The increase in the innovation capacity of these organizations was highlighted as the most relevant benefit, while the lack of resources and difficulties in integrating knowledge emerged as challenges. This study is especially relevant for the establishment of public-support policies that promote the involvement of Portuguese SMEs in open-innovation processes.
Singles in the city: happily ever after?

More people than ever are living in cities, and in these cities, more and more people are living alone. Using the example of Vienna, this paper investigates the subjective well-being of single households in the city. Previous research has identified positive and negative aspects of living alone (e.g., increased freedom vs. missing social embeddedness). We compare single households with other household types using data from the Viennese Quality of Life Survey (1995–2018). In our analysis, we consider overall life satisfaction as well as selected dimensions of subjective wellbeing (i.e., housing, financial situation, main activity, family, social contacts, leisure time). Our findings show that the subjective well-being of single households in Vienna is high and quite stable over time. While single households are found to have lower life satisfaction than two-adult households, this result is mainly explained by singles reporting lower satisfaction with family life. Compared to households with children, singles are more satisfied with their financial situation, leisure time and housing, which helps to offset the negative consequences of missing family ties (in particular with regard to single parents).
The role of the moon on close encounters and impacts of near-earth asteroids with the earth

Diese Arbeit untersucht wie der Mond die Dynamik von erdnahen Asteroiden (NEAs) beeinflusst. Es wird berechnet inwieweit der Mond in der Lage ist die Bahnen von NEAs zu verandern, und ob er die Erde vor potentiellen Impaktoren schutzen kann oder nicht. Zwei Arten von numerischen Experimenten werden benutzt. Erstens werden Langzeitberechnungen fur einen Grosteil der vorhandenen NEA Population durchgefuhrt. Die Berechnungen erstrecken sich uber 10 Mio. Jahre und vergleichen das dynamische Verhalten der NEAs in An-/Abwesenheit des Mondes. In einer Reihe von dynamischen Modellen werden alle wichtigen storenden Planeten berucksichtigt. Die zweite Art von Experimenten untersucht NEAs in der Nahe des Erde-Mond Systems im eingeschrankten kreisformigen Dreikorperproblem. Die Simulationen sind zweigeteilt, ein Teil untersucht die Ablenkung von ankommenden Impaktoren, der andere Teil uberpruft den lunaren Beitrag zu Einschlagen. Eine grose Anzahl von Testpartikeln wird erzeugt, deren Anfangsbedingungen verschiedenen Verteilungen gehorchen. Fur das Erde-Mond System werden drei Konfigurationen getestet: (i) das tatsachliche System, (ii) eine Konfiguration mit erhohter Mondmasse, sowie (iii) eine mit reduziertem Mondabstand.
Surgical Techniques for Rectal Prolapse

Complete rectal prolapse or rectal procidentia is a debilitating disease that presents with fecal incontinence, constipation, and rectal discharge. Definitive surgical techniques described for this disease include perineal procedures such as mucosectomy and rectosigmoidectomy, and abdominal procedures such as rectopexy with or without mesh and concomitant resection. The debate over these techniques regarding the lowest recurrence and morbidity rates, and the best functional outcomes for constipation or incontinence, has been going on for decades. The heterogeneity of available studies does not allow us to draw firm conclusions. This article aims to review the surgical techniques for complete rectal prolapse based on the current evidence base regarding surgical and functional outcomes.
Robot-Assisted Glovebox Teleoperation for Nuclear Industry

The nuclear industry has some of the most extreme environments in the world, with radiation levels and extremely harsh conditions restraining human access to many facilities. One method for enabling minimal human exposure to hazards under these conditions is through the use of gloveboxes that are sealed volumes with controlled access for performing handling. While gloveboxes allow operators to perform complex handling tasks, they put operators at considerable risk from breaking the confinement and, historically, serious examples including punctured gloves leading to lifetime doses have occurred. To date, robotic systems have had relatively little impact on the industry, even though it is clear that they offer major opportunities for improving productivity and significantly reducing risks to human health. This work presents the challenges of robotic and AI solutions for nuclear gloveboxes, and introduces a step forward for bringing cutting-edge technology to gloveboxes. The problem statement and challenges are highlighted and then an integrated demonstrator is proposed for robotic handling in nuclear gloveboxes for nuclear material handling. The proposed approach spans from tele-manipulation to shared autonomy, computer vision solutions for robotic manipulation to machine learning solutions for condition monitoring.
Analysis of Bobbing Displays in the Grahami Series Anoles from Jamaica and Grand Cayman

Abstract: Behavioral biologists have long been fascinated with the diversity of animal signals produced in the contexts of courtship and same-sex competition. In these contexts many lizards engage in conspicuous bobbing displays, and numerous studies have been devoted to describing these displays. Traditionally, bobbing displays are partitioned into units whose durations (and sometimes head amplitudes) are measured. Recently, Macedonia et al. (2019) introduced use of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) as an alternative to unit-based variables for characterizing species-specific traits in display structure of Galápagos Lava Lizards (Microlophus spp.). The relative success of the two methods was not compared directly, however, because the homology of display units among species was uncertain. Here we overcome this problem using the “grahami series” of Anolis lizards—a monophyletic radiation of seven species on Jamaica and Grand Cayman. Our study had three primary goals. Our first goal was to discover whether DFT-based measures, unit-based measures, or their combination provided the best means to capture taxon-specific distinctiveness in display structure. To this end, we quantified bobbing displays and used nested analyses of variance (ANOVAs) to determine if particular variables were reliably superior at differentiating populations within a species. We then used principal components analysis to reduce the number of measurement variables, and entered the components into discriminant function analyses to determine which approach best discriminated among taxa. Results showed that no one type of measurement, or measurement combination, emerged as being consistently better at discriminating taxa across comparisons. Our second goal was to test a hypothesis that arose from our findings in Galápagos Lava Lizards—that the DFT may decrease in effectiveness as bobbing display structure increases in complexity. For this test we used four simple and compound display types from the species Anolis reconditus. Results of discriminant function analyses provided mixed support for the hypothesis, and we suggest that a definitive test of DFT performance and display complexity should utilize synthetic displays in which attributes of display structure are varied systematically. Last, we show how bobbing display structure maps onto alternative DNA-based phylogenies of the grahami series anoles. Whereas some species produced derived display types unanticipated from displays of more basal species in this adaptive radiation, others exhibited features that linked them to a particular population of a species in their clade.
The role of sp2/sp3 hybrid carbon regulation in the nonlinear optical properties of graphene oxide materials

Rational regulation of localized sp2/sp3 hybrid carbon structure in graphene oxide systems plays a very important role in developing advanced carbon-based hybrid materials. Here, we report a simple ethanol solvothermal method toward precise control of the growth of the sp2 hybrid carbon configurations/clusters in the sp3 carbon matrix so as to regulate the structure of electronic energy bands in the graphene oxide system. The results of morphology observation, XPS, solid-state 13C MAS NMR, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy proved that controllable generation of the sp2 hybrid carbon configurations/clusters can be achieved based on an executive oxidation/reduction strategy. Upon excitation by a 532 nm laser with 4 ns pulses, the obtained reduced graphene oxide (160-rGO-6) with a large number of sp2 hybrid carbon configurations displays greater nonlinear reverse saturable absorption response and a higher nonlinear absorption coefficient β of 560 cm GW−1 than graphene oxide with different oxidation degree (GO-X, X = 6, 8, 10 and 12), and reduced graphene oxide with relatively few sp2 hybrid carbon configuration ratios (Y-rGO-6, Y = 80, 100, 120, 140 and 180). The significantly enhanced nonlinear reverse saturable absorption of 160-rGO-6 is attributed to the two photon absorption and excited state absorption originating from the sp2 hybrid carbon configuration system.
Abundant cold anticyclonic eddies and warm cyclonic eddies in the global ocean

Mesoscale eddies are ubiquitous features of the global ocean circulation and play a key role in transporting ocean properties and modulating air-sea exchanges. Anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies are traditionally thought to be associated with anomalous warm and cold surface waters, respectively. Using satellite altimeter and microwave data, here we show that surface cold-core anticyclonic eddies (CAEs) and warm-core cyclonic eddies (WCEs) are surprisingly abundant in the global ocean – about 20% of the eddies inferred from altimeter data are CAEs and WCEs. Composite analysis using Argo float profiles reveals that the cold cores of CAEs and warm cores of WCEs are generally confined in the upper 50 meters. Interestingly, CAEs and WCEs alter air-sea momentum and heat fluxes and modulate mixed layer depth and surface chlorophyll concentration in a way markedly different from the traditional warm-core anticyclonic and cold-core cyclonic eddies. Given their abundance, CAEs and WCEs need to be properly accounted for when assessing and parametrizing the role of ocean eddies in the Earth’s climate system.
A Hybrid Approach Based on Fuzzy TOPSIS-AHP for Ranking and Classifying MOOC Key Acceptance Factors

This investigation is done during COVID-19 to identify, rank, and classify MOOC (massive open online course) key acceptance factors (KAFs) from an Indian perspective. A systematic literature review identifies 11 KAFs of MOOC. One more novel factor named ‘contingent instructor’ is proposed by the authors considering pandemic and new normal post-COVID-19. The paper implements two popular fuzzy MCDM (multiple-criteria decision-making) techniques, namely fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy AHP, on 12 KAFs. The fuzzy TOPSIS approach is used to rank factors. Affordability, performance expectancy and digital didactics are found as the top three KAFs. Fuzzy AHP classified KAFs into three groups, namely high, moderate, and low influential. Examination of the literature indicates that this study is among the first attempt to prioritize and classify MOOC KAFs using fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy AHP approach. The results offer managerial guidance to stakeholders for effective management of MOOC, resulting in higher acceptance rate. Likewise, this investigation will upgrade the comprehension of MOOC KAFs among academicians. © 2021 IGI Global. All rights reserved.
Isometric Handgrip Exercise Training Improves Spirometric Parameters and Pulmonary Capacity

Decline in normal physiological pulmonary function has been attributed to premorbid conditions such as prehypertension. Research evidence suggests that physical activity reduces age-related decline in pulmonary function and improves the efficiency of the lungs in prehypertensive patients. However, there is a scarcity of data evidence relating to isometric exercise and pulmonary function. Furthermore, the interrelationship between the intensity and duration of isometric exercise and pulmonary function in these patients is still uncertain. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the effect of isometric handgrip exercise on pulmonary function capacity in adults with prehypertension. To determine the effectiveness of isometric handgrip exercise on pulmonary function capacity in adults with prehypertension. A quasi experiment using a pre- and post-exercise method was carried out in two out-patients hospital settings. The sample comprised 192 sedentary pre-hypertensive subjects, aged between 30–50 years, that were randomly distributed into three groups of 64 participants each. The subjects performed, for 24 consecutive days, an isometric handgrip exercise at 30% Maximum Voluntary Contraction (M.V.C.). At the end of the 24 days, group one (GP1) discontinued, while group two (GP2) continued the exercise protocol for another 24 consecutive days and group three (GP3) continued with the exercise protocol for another 24 consecutive days but at 50% M.V. C. Determinants of lung function (outcomes) were Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 s (FEV1), Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC Ratio and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR). The study shows that there was no statistically significant difference in the pre- and post-exercise outcomes for FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC Ratio and PEFR after 24 days for group 1. In group 2, there was a statistically significant difference in the FVC [(mean = 0.12 ± 0.12), (p = 0.002)], FEV1 [(mean = 0.15 ± 0.17), (p = 0.003)] and PEF [(mean = 0.85 ± 0.35), (p = 0.001)] after 48 days. In group 3, there was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.001) in all the outcomes assessed after 48 days. There was a between groups difference in favour of group 2 compared with group 1 for outcomes of FEV1 [(mean = 0.142 ± 0.68), (p = 0.005)] and PEF [(mean = 0.83 ± 0.19), (p = 0.0031)]. There was statistically significant difference in favour of group 3 compared to group 2, by increasing the exercise intensity from 30% to 50% M.V. C. , for outcomes of FVC [mean change = 0.10 ± 0.052), (p = 0.005)], FEV1/FVC [mean change = 3.18 ± 0.75), (p = 0.017)] and PEF [(mean change = 0.86 ± 0.35), (p = 0.001)] after 48 days. Isometric handgrip exercise (after 48 days at 30% to 50% M.V.C.) improves outcomes of pulmonary function capacity in adults with prehypertension. Meanwhile, duration and/or increase in intensity of the isometric effort significantly contributed to the affects attained.