Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occurrence of diversity of bacteria during anaerobic fermentation of cow dung and corn cob

Microbial succession refers to the changing microbial population in a natural of disturbed system. The aim of this study was to isolate and determine bacterial succession in anaerobic fermentation. Cow dung was collected from Oja-Oba in Ekiti State, Nigeria while the corn cob was collected from Ajayi Farms in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, and transported to Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) Farms, where it was ground into smaller pieces. One hundred kilograms of cow dung was mixed with water and transferred to digester A, 100 kg of corn cob was transferred to digester B and 50 kg each of cow dung and corn cob were transferred into digester C. Microorganisms were isolated using pour plate method from day 1 of the fermentation period and at 5 days intervals for the 30 days fermentation period. The bacterial isolates were identified on the basis of their morphological, biochemical characteristics and molecular analysis (DNA extraction, Polymerase Chain Reaction and gene sequencing). Some of the bacteria isolated were Escherichia coli CFT073, Arthrobacter citerus strain NEB577, Klebsiella aerogenes strain AR 0018, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 and Acinetobacter lactucae strain ANC405. Microbial succession of bacteria also showed the dominant organisms belong to Phylum Proteobacteria, followed by phylum Firmicutes and phylum Acinetobacteria. The amount of gas compressed after fermentation in the digesters varied. Digester A- 60kg, Digester B- 12.5kg and Digester C- 64kg with percentage weight of gas of 54%, 50% and 56% respectively. The result from this experiment clearly showed that the anaerobic fermentation of cow dung and corn cob involved the interaction between diverse microbial populations at various stages of fermentation.
Improved constrained min-max optimization for MPC tracking control in industrial networked process systems

Based on a modified min-max optimization strategy, an improved design of model predictive tracking control (MPC) is proposed to guarantee the performance of industrial process control systems when the networked system suffers from communication faults. Packet losses and uncertainties exist in the networked control system, which may deteriorate the performance of the systems and even cause a safety accident. To handle with this problem, an extended state space model is utilized in the proposed MPC design for enhancing control performance firstly. Then an improved min-max optimization approach is adopted for obtaining the optimal solution of the corresponding MPC method, where two separate optimization steps are proposed to enhance the control system operation. Different from MPC strategies that employ traditional state space models, the state variables can be tuned additionally for the modified MPC design because the tracking error information and the state variables are united in the improved model. As a consequence, extra degree of freedom is acquired for the relevant MPC scheme, and then better control performance is expected. Simulations on the temperature regulation process under model/plant mismatches and packet losses are simulated to evaluate the validity of the proposed MPC method finally.
Observations of cometary parent molecules with the IRAM radio telescope

Several rotational transitions of HCN, H2S, H2CO, and CH3OH were detected in comets P/Brorsen-Metcalf 1989 X, Austin (1989c1) and Levy (1990c) with the Institute for Millimeter Radioastronomy (IRAM) 30-m radio telescope. This allows us to determine the production rates of these molecules and to probe the physical conditions of the coma.
WIYN Open Cluster Study. VII. NGC 2451A and the Hipparcos Distance Scale

We provide new evidence that NGC 2451A is undoubtedly a young open cluster, although sparsely populated. New cluster membership has been derived from relative proper motions of 5868 stars. In total, 136 stars down to V ∼ 15 have membership probability Pμ ≥ 2%. New CCD BV photometry indicates that about 70 stars are indeed main-sequence stars of NGC 2451A. This is also supported by our measurements of radial velocities. A total of 34 very likely cluster members yield a mean heliocentric radial velocity for NGC 2451A equal to +22.9 km s-1. The high quality of our BV photometry, a confirmation of cluster membership from proper motions and radial velocities, and a recently obtained metallicity estimate for several cluster stars allow us to perform a precise isochrone fit. The Yale isochrones, updated by the latest available input physics, have been fitted to the cluster's color-magnitude diagram, yielding a distance modulus V0 - MV in the range 6.35 to 6.38, which is in excellent agreement with the distance modulus (m - M)0 = 6.38 derived from the Hipparcos data recently by van Leeuwen and Robichon et al. For NGC 2451A the isochrone fit yields an age of 60 ± 20 Myr; hence, the cluster appears to be somewhat younger than the Pleiades. We also present alternative evidence suggesting that the cluster could be slightly older than the Pleiades. The most important result of this study is an excellent match between the main-sequence fitting and Hipparcos distances to NGC 2451A. If we consider noticeable similarities between NGC 2451A and Pleiades, then the Hipparcos distance anomaly for Pleiades may not require an explanation of astrophysical nature.
Entanglement Entropy of Systems with Spontaneously Broken Continuous Symmetry

We study entanglement properties of systems with spontaneously broken continuous symmetry. We find that in addition to the expected area law behavior, the entanglement entropy contains a subleading contribution which diverges logarithmically with the subsystem size in agreement with the Monte Carlo simulations of A. Kallin et. al. (Phys. Rev. B 84, 165134 (2011)). The coefficient of the logarithm is a universal number given simply by $N_G (d-1)/2$, where $N_G$ is the number of Goldstone modes and $d$ is the spatial dimension. This term is present even when the subsystem boundary is straight and contains no corners, and its origin lies in the interplay of Goldstone modes and restoration of symmetry in a finite volume. We also compute the "low-energy" part of the entanglement spectrum and show that it has the same characteristic "tower of states" form as the physical low-energy spectrum obtained when a system with spontaneously broken continuous symmetry is placed in a finite volume.
Mechanisms of Regulation in Intraflagellar Transport

Cilia are eukaryotic organelles essential for movement, signaling or sensing. Primary cilia act as antennae to sense a cell’s environment and are involved in a wide range of signaling pathways essential for development. Motile cilia drive cell locomotion or liquid flow around the cell. Proper functioning of both types of cilia requires a highly orchestrated bi-directional transport system, intraflagellar transport (IFT), which is driven by motor proteins, kinesin-2 and IFT dynein. In this review, we explore how IFT is regulated in cilia, focusing from three different perspectives on the issue. First, we reflect on how the motor track, the microtubule-based axoneme, affects IFT. Second, we focus on the motor proteins, considering the role motor action, cooperation and motor-train interaction plays in the regulation of IFT. Third, we discuss the role of kinases in the regulation of the motor proteins. Our goal is to provide mechanistic insights in IFT regulation in cilia and to suggest directions of future research.
A Latent Class Analysis of University Lecturers’ Switch to Online Teaching during the First COVID-19 Lockdown: The Role of Educational Technology, Self-Efficacy, and Institutional Support

The switch to emergency remote teaching (ERT) due to the first COVID-19 lockdown demanded a lot from university lecturers yet did not pose the same challenge to all of them. This study sought to explain differences among lecturers (n = 796) from universities in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK in their use of educational technology for teaching, institutional support, and personal factors. Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), lecturers’ behavior (educational technology use), environment (institutional support), and personal factors (ERT self-efficacy, continuance intentions, and demographics) were examined. Latent class analysis was employed to identify different types of lecturers in view of educational technology use, while multinomial regression and Wald chi-square test were used to distinguish classes. The largest latent class were Presenters (45.6%), who focused on content delivery, followed by Strivers (22.1%), who strived for social interaction, Routineers (19.6%), who were ready for online teaching, and Evaders (12.7%), who evaded using technology for educational purposes. Both personal factors and perceived institutional support explained class membership significantly. Accordingly, Evaders were older, less experienced, and rarely perceived institutional support as useful. Routineers, the Evaders’ counterparts, felt most self-efficient in ERT and held the highest continuance intentions for educational technology use. This research suggests that universities engage lecturers in evidence-based professional development that seeks shared visions of digital transformation, networks and communities, and design-based research.
Interaction of palladium/ hydrogen and palladium/ deuterium to measure the excess energy per atom for each isotope

A search for the products of fusion reactions that could be triggered by sparking in hydrogen isotopes produced a negative result with no signatures above background being found. Very significant excess energy production in both hydrogen/palladium and deuterium/palladium systems is reported. The conditions of occurrence for this excess energy production are discussed, and the formation of a tightly bound state of the hydrogen (deuterium) atom is put forward to explain the results. 7 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.
Medium-mass nuclei with {Delta} excitations under compression

The ground state properties of {sup 90}Zr, {sup 100}Sn, and {sup 132}Sn at equilibrium and at large amplitude compression are investigated. We use a realistic effective baryon-baryon Hamiltonian that includes N-N, N-{Delta}, and {Delta}-{Delta} interactions. We perform the calculations in no-core model spaces within the framework of the constrained spherical Hartree-Fock approximation. We specifically investigate the sensitivity to the sizes of the nucleon and {Delta} model spaces. At equilibrium, we find no case of mixing between nucleons and {Delta}'s in our largest model space of eight major nucleon shells plus 16 {Delta} orbitals. On the contrary, there is mixing in {sup 90}Zr, and {sup 132}Sn in the smaller model space of seven major nucleon shells plus eight {Delta} orbitals. Expanding the nucleon model space has a larger effect on reducing the static compression modulus and softening the nuclear equation of state than increasing the number of {Delta} states. Most of the excitation energy delivered to the system during compression is employed by two nuclei with a neutron excess (i.e., {sup 90}Zr, {sup 132}Sn) to create massive {Delta} resonances. On the other hand, in the {sup 100}Sn nucleus most of the excitation energy goes to a simple reduction in the binding,more » suggesting a suppressed role for the {Delta} states. Under extreme compression, at a density 2--3 times the normal nuclear density, the excitation of nucleons to {Delta}'s increases sharply up to 10% of the total number of constituents. At fixed excitation energy under compression, the number of {Delta} excitations is not dependent on the number of {Delta} states over the range studied. The {Delta}-excitation results are consistent with heavy-ion collision data, and suggest an important mean field mechanism for subthreshold pion production in particle-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions. « less
Comparison of oxidative stress biomarkers in Oreochromis mossambicus in minimally and highly disturbed aquatic environments in the Matabeleland region, Zimbabwe

Owing to their ability to provide a functional measure of organismal response to chemical stressors, oxidative biomarkers are useful in ecotoxicological studies to assess disturbance in aquatic environments. This study assessed the use of oxidative stress biomarkers in Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852) (Perciformes: Cichlidae) to distinguish between minimally and highly disturbed aquatic environments. A water quality index (WQI) and overall index of pollution (OIP) were used to characterize the target sites, namely the Mananda Dam (control, reference site) and Lower Mguza Dam (disturbed site). Forty male O. mossambicus samples were collected from each dam between April and August 2013. Values for the WQI and OIP indices were significantly higher for the Lower Mguza Dam than for the Mananda Dam (p < 0.05). Oxidative stress biomarker evaluation results showed that the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) as well as the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the liver of O. mossambicus were significantly higher in fish collected from Lower Mguza Dam than those collected from Mananda Dam (p < 0.05). The activities of DT-diaphorase (DTD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly inhibited in fish from the Lower Mguza Dam, when compared to those collected from the Mananda Dam (p < 0.05). From these findings, it is evident that oxidative stress biomarkers, such as antioxidant enzyme activity and MDA accumulation, can be used to differentiate minimally and highly disturbed aquatic environments.
Antibacterial activity of florfenicol composite nanogels against Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants

Background Florfenicol might be ineffective for treating Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants (SCVs) mastitis. Objectives In this study, florfenicol-loaded chitosan (CS)-sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) composite nanogels were prepared to allow targeted delivery to SCV infected sites. Methods The formulation screening, the characteristics, in vitro release, antibacterial activity, therapeutic efficacy, and biosafety of the florfenicol composite nanogels were studied. Results The optimized formulation was obtained when the CS and TPP were 10 and 5 mg/mL, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of the optimized florfenicol composite nanogels were 87.3% ± 2.7%, 5.8% ± 1.4%, 280.3 ± 1.5 nm, 0.15 ± 0.03, and 36.3 ± 1.4 mv, respectively. Optical and scanning electron microscopy showed that spherical particles with a relatively uniform distribution and drugs might be incorporated in cross-linked polymeric networks. The in vitro release study showed that the florfenicol composite nanogels exhibited a biphasic pattern with the sustained release of 72.2% ± 1.8% at 48 h in pH 5.5 phosphate-buffered saline. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of commercial florfenicol solution and florfenicol composite nanogels against SCVs were 1 and 0.25 µg/mL, respectively. The time-killing curves and live–dead bacterial staining showed that the florfenicol composite nanogels were concentration-dependent. Furthermore, the florfenicol composite nanogels displayed good therapeutic efficacy against SCVs mastitis. Biological safety studies showed that the florfenicol composite nanogels might be a biocompatible preparation because of their non-toxic effects on the renal tissue and liver. Conclusions Florfenicol composite nanogels might improve the treatment of SCV infections.
Back to ‘Traditional’ Family Values? Trends in Gender Ideologies in Russia, 1994–2012

Abstract Previous studies on individual-level gender ideologies in Russia have produced conflicting results, with some suggesting re-traditionalisation and others noting increasing egalitarianism. This research explores changes in the Russian population’s views on gender division of labour between 1994 and 2012, moving beyond unidimensional conceptualisations of gender ideology that juxtapose traditionalism with egalitarianism. The findings evidence highly class-specific gender-ideology trajectories. Only lower classes increased their support for separate spheres. Amongst the more educated and affluent, ‘re-traditionalisation’ instead entailed increased endorsement of both joint breadwinning and gender-essentialist views of women’s caring roles at the expense of support for the housewife/male-breadwinner model and for egalitarianism.
Feasibility of At-Home Virological and Serological Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Children

Abstract Longitudinal virological and serological surveillance is essential for understanding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) transmission among children but requires increased test capacity. We assessed the uptake of serial at-home testing in children (2–17 years) via mailed SARS-CoV-2 antibody and molecular tests. Completion rates demonstrated the feasibility and sustainability of at-home testing across age groups.
To Give or Not to Give? The Influence of Board Giving on Nonprofit External Donations

Many nonprofits encourage or require their boards to give, using board giving as a signal of governance commitment to boost external donations. However, nonprofit boards are uncertain about whether their giving really is necessary and effective for improving external fundraising. This exploratory study uses a longitudinal sample and draws on signaling theory and the crowding-in hypothesis to predict whether, and under what conditions, board giving leads to external donations for arts-related nonprofits. The results indicate a positive relationship between board giving and nonprofit external donations. Moreover, the results show that the positive effect of board giving is more pronounced in commercial nonprofits and that corporate donors react to board giving more positively than foundation and individual donors. These results suggest that the use of board giving as a fundraising strategy would be the most effective when commercial, arts-related nonprofits ask corporate donors for donations.
Coercive field of 0.955Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.045PbTiO3 single crystal and its frequency dependence

Domain switching behavior of 0.955Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.045PbTiO3 ferroelectric single crystal has been investigated using the ultrasonic technique in addition to the polarization hysteresis measurements. The ultrasonic technique makes it possible to extend the coercive field measurement to frequencies as low as 10−5 Hz, revealing the existence of a saturated coercive field Esc, which representing the intrinsic switching barrier.
Unpacking EFL Teachers’ TPACK thru the Distance Education

Abstract: The growth of distance education provides an accessibility of teaching-and-learning-process involving the use of ICT. Hence, teachers’ competencies regarding the integration of ICT also one of the key success of teaching. Through TPACK, this study aims at investigating EFL teachers’ skills on technology integration and their preferable ICT based learning system amidst distance education. Moreover, this study also intends to analyze whether EFL teachers’ TPACK are significantly different in terms of teaching categories and gender. This survey study implicated 139 in-service EFL teacher in the city of Malang, East Java, Indonesia. The data were collected through questionnaire and analyzed by computing the frequency, ANOVA, and t-test. The finding revealed that the EFL teachers’ TPACK was decent. Furthermore, gender and teaching categories were not regarded as the factors that influenced EFL teachers’ TPACK. Lastly, Google Classroom was perceived as the most preferable ICT based learning system according to the teachers. Regarding the result of analysis, recommendation for teachers and educational stakeholders were also made in this study.Abstrak: Perkembangan Pendidikan Jarak Jauh (PJJ) menawarkan aksesibilitas proses belajar-mengajar yang sangat melibatkan penggunaan TIK. Karenanya, kompetensi guru terhadap integrasi TIK juga diangap sebagai salah satu kunci keberhasilan pembelajaran. Melalui TPACK, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menginvestigasi ketrampilan guru EFL terkait integrasi teknologi dan sistem pembelajaran berbasis TIK yang guru EFL gunakan saat Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh (PJJ). Selain itu, penelitian ini juga bermaksud untuk menganalisa perbedaan TPACK guru EFL berdasarkan kategori mengajar dan gender. Penelitian survei ini melibatkan 139 guru EFL di Kota Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia. Pengumpulan data dilakukan menggunakan kuesioner dan dianalisa dengan menghitung frekuensi jawaban responden, ANOVA, dan t-test. Hasil penlitian menunjukkan bahwa TPACK guru EFL baik. Kemudian, gender dan kategori mengajar bukanlah faktor yang membedakan TPACK guru EFL. Terakhir, Google Classroom merupakan media pembelajaran yang paling disukai oleh guru. Berdasarkan hasil analisa, rekomendasi untuk guru dan beberapa pihak terkait juga dibuat dalam penelitian ini.
Spatial patterns and fire response of recent Amazonian droughts

There has been an increasing awareness of the possibility of climate change causing increased drought frequency in Amazonia, with ensuing impacts on ecosystems and human populations. This debate has been brought into focus by the 1997/1998 and 2005 Amazonian droughts. We analysed the spatial extent of these droughts and fire response to the 2005 drought with TRMM and NOAA‐12 data, respectively. Both droughts had distinct fingerprints. The 2005 drought was characterized by its intensification throughout the dry season in south‐western Amazonia. During 2005 the annual cumulative number of hot pixels in Amazonia increased 33% in relation to the 1999–2005 mean. In the Brazilian state of Acre, at the epicentre of the 2005 drought, the area of leakage forest fires was more than five times greater than the area directly deforested. Fire leakage into flammable forests may be the major agent of biome transformation in the event of increasing drought frequency.
Can self-esteem mediate the association between social support and different levels
of physical activity in adolescents?

The aim was to analyze the mediation role of self-esteem in the interaction between social support from the best friend, friends, and parents, and physical activity (PA). Participants were N=444 adolescents of both genders (male= 205), aged between 12-18 years (M= 16.02; SD= 1.57). Structural equation modeling, serial mediation and multigroup analysis were used to test the proposed hypothesis. Self-reported instruments were used to collect both PA social support and self-esteem. Self-esteem mediates partially the interaction between different social supports and vigorous PA, independently of adolescent sex. Interestingly, self-esteem was fully mediating the interaction between parents’ social support and vigorous PA in female adolescents. In contrast, self-esteem revealed no mediation in the interaction between social support and light and moderate PA. In conclusion, self-esteem mediates the relationship between social support and vigorous PA, the strength of mediation is higher in girls than in boys, in both genders the mediation is higher when the social support came from parents.
Circular Polarization and Quantum Spin: A Unified Real-Space Picture of Photons and Electrons

A classical circularly polarized electromagnetic wave carries angular momentum, and represents the classical limit of a photon, which carries quantized spin. It is shown that a very similar picture of a circularly polarized coherent wave can account for both the spin of an electron and its quantum wave function, in a Lorentz-invariant fashion. The photon-electron interaction occurs through the usual electromagnetic potentials, modulating the frequency and wavevector (energy and momentum) of this rotating spin field. Other quantum particles can also be represented either as rotating spin fields, or as composites of such fields. Taken together, this picture suggests an alternative interpretation of quantum mechanics based solely on coherent wave packets, with no point particles present.