Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Charge Transfer Transitions and Circular Magnetooptics in Ferrites

The concept of charge transfer (CT) transitions in ferrites is based on the cluster approach and takes into account the relevant interactions, such as the low-symmetry crystal field, spin–orbital, Zeeman, exchange and exchange-relativistic interactions. For all its simplicity, this concept yields a reliable qualitative and quantitative microscopic explanation of spectral, concentration, temperature and field dependencies of optic and magneto-optic properties ranging from the isotropic absorption and optical anisotropy to circular magneto-optics. In this review paper, starting with a critical analysis of the fundamental shortcomings of the “first-principles” density functional theory (DFT-based) band theory, we present the main ideas and techniques of the cluster theory of the CT transitions to be main contributors to circular magneto-optics of ferrites. Numerous examples of comparison of cluster theory with experimental data for orthoferrites, iron garnets and other ferrites are given.
Assessment of the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate medical students in India

BACKGROUND: Medical students who are prone to psychological stress due to their overburdened curriculum, are at an increased risk of getting adversely affected by the pandemic. The present study was planned to assess the anxiety level among undergraduate medical students across the country using generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this online survey, anonymous data was collected through Google forms from undergraduate students from all the phases of MBBS course across the country from August 15, 2020, to October 15, 2020. Section I collected various demographic information, section II included GAD-7 questionnaire for assessing anxiety and section III had open- ended questions about their impending fear, uncertainties, and apprehensions. The data was expressed in percentage and association among the variables was determined using Chi-square test. Thematic analysis of the open-ended responses was done. RESULTS: Among the sample of 1208 students, 81% were from urban areas. During the pandemic, 77% were residing with their parents and 71% parents having stable jobs. Eighty percent students had no relative diagnosed with COVID-19, whereas 52% students had family members with comorbidity. The GAP score showed mild, moderate, and severe anxiety in 27, 24, and 16% students, respectively. Anxiety was significantly associated with rural setting and with COVID-19 positive or comorbid family member (P < 0.05). Open ended responses revealed that majority of the students were finding it difficult to cope with the academic stress at home but still did not want to join back. CONCLUSION: With such a high incidence of anxiety among medical students, it is pertinent to safeguard the mental health and implement efficient approaches to upkeep the scholastic, physical, emotional, and professional well-being of medical students during such vulnerable times.
Mapping of DTPA Extractable Micronutrients in Sugarcane Soils of Sudhalagunta Sugar Factory, Andhra Pradesh, India – A GIS Approach

Sugarcane is the most important commercial crop grown in India and plays vital role in agricultural and industrial economy. In Andhra Pradesh, more than 50% of sugarcane is produced from Chittoor district for sugar and jaggery production. Sugarcane is heavy nutrient requirement crop and also removes considerable amount of nutrients through biomass. Continuous application of straight fertilizers, limited use of organic manures as well as non recycling of crop residues causes micronutrient deficiencies in soil. Keeping this in view, the present study was taken up to study the physico-chemical properties and DTPA extractable micronutrients and mapping of these nutrients. Soil samples along with geo reference coordinates were collected and analyzed for physico-chemical properties and DTPA extractable micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu). The digital soil maps for DTPA extractable micronutrients were generated with geo reference coordinates by using GIS approach. The analytical data of soils in Sudhalagunta sugar factory zone, Chittoor district showed that 80% of samples were slightly alkaline in reaction followed by 13% of samples were neutral in reaction. Regarding electrical conductivity, 16% of soils were slightly saline in nature. Among micronutrients, except DTPA-Zn, all cationic micronutrients were existed in above critical limit in this factory zone, 11% of soils showed Zn deficiency. Similar trend was noticed in plant Zn content. 18.4% of plant samples showed Zn deficiency. Remaining micronutrients were in sufficient range. Digital maps for DTPA - Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu have prepared.
Solo Fathers and Mothers: An Exploration of Well-Being, Social Support and Social Approval

Research has begun to explore the experiences of single mothers by choice who choose to start a family alone and do so using donated gametes. However, very little is known about the experiences of single fathers by choice, and even less is known about how their experiences might compare to mothers in the same position. This exploratory study of single mothers (n = 19) and fathers (n = 17) by choice examined mental health and social support among mothers who used sperm donation, and fathers who used egg donation and surrogacy, to become parents. Data relating to their reasoning for pursuing solo parenthood, mental health, and social support were analyzed quantitatively. To further explore fathers’ experiences of being a solo parent, a thematic analysis was conducted exploring their descriptions of social responses to their family type. Regarding parental mental health, no statistically significant differences were found between mothers and fathers, and both groups of parents had sought out supportive networks, both before becoming a parent, and as a single parent. Fathers’ responses indicated that they received both supportive and negative reactions, although they generally perceived the majority of interactions to be positive. However, frequent references made by members of the public, or by the media, to their family type being new or different served to reproduce social scripts about normative family types. The study findings, despite the small sample size, contribute to a new understanding of the well-being and experiences of both mothers and fathers who choose to start their family and parent alone.
Long-Term Weight Loss Outcome of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Predicted by the Percentage of Excess Weight Loss at 6 Months in Chinese Patients with Body Mass Index ≥ 32.5 Kg/m2

Purpose To evaluate the predictive effect of the initial weight loss on the long-term weight loss in Chinese patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 32.5 kg/m2 who underwent LSG. Patients and Methods The follow-up was completed via phone or WeChat for outpatients and at the hospital for inpatients. We evaluated the BMI, percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), and type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia statuses. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed on the relationship between the initial and long-term weight loss. The optimal cut-off value was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results We enrolled 307 patients, with a median preoperative BMI of 39.68 (35.68, 45.47) kg/m2. %EWL ≥ 50% was regarded as successful weight loss, and 76.55% of the patients lost their weight successfully. (Reviewer #1, comment #4) %EWL at 6 months and 5 years were positively correlated (P < 0.001). Further, the following linear equation could express the relationship: (%EWL5 years = 29.193 + 0.526 × %EWL6 months). %EWL ≥ 58.57% at 6 months was the best predictor of successful weight loss at 5 years after LSG (Reviewer #1, comment #5) (sensitivity, 73.62%; specificity, 73.61%; AUC value, 0.780). Internal verification of the prediction model revealed satisfactory results in terms of discrimination and calibration. Conclusion In Chinese patients with BMI ≥ 32.5 kg/m2 who underwent LSG, %EWL at 6 months and 5 years were correlated. %EWL ≥ 58.57% at 6 months was a predictor of successful long-term weight loss.
Mother Figures in Charles Dickens’ Novel “David Copperfield”: A Pragma-Discoursal Analysis of Social Deixis

The theme of motherhood and mother figures constitutes a core pillar in the novel “David Copperfield”. Relying on the context in which the different deictic expressions of person, social, time and place construct the language used to portray mother figures, a pragma-discoursal study can best fit in the interpretation of literary texts. This article aims at identifying specifically the social deixis mostly used by the mother figures Clara Copperfield, Clara Peggotty and Miss Betsey in Charles Dickens’ novel “David Copperfield” and how they determine mothers’ roles in relation to David’s life from early childhood. The data involve three extracts selected from three chapters of the novel. Based on Fillmore’s (1975) and Levinson’s (1983) models of social deictic expressions, a mixed method approach in conducted. The article concluded that David Copperfield used basically the family social deixis to represent the three mother figures (Clara Copperfield, Clara Peggotty and Miss Betsey) stating clearly that mother roles such as loving, caring and nurturing are not necessary to be performed by the biological mother.
Design and Characterization of a Planar Micro-Conveyor Device Based on Cooperative Legged Piezoelectric MEMS Resonators

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and performance of a hybrid piezoelectric planar micro-conveyor based on Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) bridge resonators and featuring 3D-printed vertical legs. The device includes two cooperating silicon plate resonators with an area of 5 × 1 mm2, actuated by an integrated aluminum-nitride (AlN) piezoelectric thin film. An optimally designed array of 3D-printed projection legs was attached to the plates, to convert the standing-wave (SW) vertical vibrations into horizontal rotations or translations of the supported slider. An open-loop control strategy based on burst-type driving signals, with different numbers of sinusoidal cycles applied on each of the resonators, allowed the cooperation of the two bridges to set up prescribed trajectories of small flat objects, up to 100 mg, with positional accuracy below 100 nm and speeds up to 20 mm/s, by differential drive actuation. The effect of the leg tip and sliders’ surface finish on the conveyor performance was investigated, suggesting that further optimizations may be possible by modifying the tribological properties. Finally, the application of the micro-conveyor as a reconfigurable electronic system, driven by a preprogrammed sequence of signals, was demonstrated by delivering some surface-mount technology (SMD) parts lying on a 65 mg glass slider.
Kiswahili Communication Strategies in Response to Covid-19 in Tanzania

When life circumstances change, language use will definitely change to reflect those new developments. Over 2020–2021, strategies adopted by Kiswahili users in Tanzania resulted in new linguistic features of the nation’s lingua franca in response to COVID-19. New communication strategies were necessary for two reasons: the contagion was novel; and the pandemic was presented as an unprecedented threat to human life that necessitated, politically and socially, unprecedented warnings and prohibitions. As a result, at some point political persuasions and alliances affected the way people talked about the contagion. Due to structural and procedural changes imposed by the pandemic, there emerged some new expressions and an increase in the frequency of use of other expressions.
Cosmological attractors and initial conditions for inflation

Inflationary $\alpha$-attractor models in supergravity, which provide excellent fits to the latest observational data, are based on the Poincare disk hyperbolic geometry. We refine these models by constructing Kahler potentials with built-in inflaton shift symmetry and by making a canonical choice of the goldstino Kahler potential. The refined models are stable with respect to all scalar fields at all $\alpha$, no additional stabilization terms are required. The scalar potential $V$ has a nearly Minkowski minimum at small values of the inflaton field $\varphi$, and an infinitely long dS valley of constant depth and width at large $\varphi$. Because of the infinite length of this shift-symmetric valley, the initial value of the inflaton field at the Planck density is expected to be extremely large. We show that the inflaton field $\varphi$ does not change much until all fields lose their energy and fall to the bottom of the dS valley at large $\varphi$. This provides natural initial conditions for inflation driven by the inflaton field slowly rolling along the dS valley towards the minimum of the potential at small $\varphi$. A detailed description of this process is given for $\alpha$-attractors in supergravity, but we believe that our general conclusions concerning naturalness of initial conditions for inflation are valid for a broad class of inflationary models with sufficiently flat potentials.
Ge1-xSnx alloys pseudomorphically grown on Ge(001)

Ge1−xSnx alloys were grown on Ge(001) substrates in a conventional rf sputtering system. We determined the in-plane and in-growth lattice parameters, as well as the alloy bulk lattice parameter of the alloys for different Sn concentrations by high resolution x-ray diffraction. The Sn concentration was determined assuming Vegard’s law for the alloy lattice parameter. At low concentrations, we observed that Ge1−xSnx layers have pseudomorphic characteristics for layer thickness from 320 to 680 nm. These characteristics of Ge1−xSnx layers agree with the People and Bean critical thickness model. This structural study opens the possibility of growing dislocation-free Ge1−xSnx alloys below the critical thickness.
Isolation and Identification of Lactococcus lactis and Weissella cibaria Strains from Fermented Beetroot and an Investigation of Their Properties as Potential Starter Cultures and Probiotics

The presence of certain microorganisms in dairy products or silage is highly desirable. Among them are probiotic strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which show many beneficial features, including antimicrobial properties that support the development of beneficial microflora; in addition, owing to their biochemical activity, they influence the nutritional, dietary, and organoleptic properties of food products. Before being placed on the market, each strain requires separate testing to determine its probiotic properties and effectiveness. The aim of this study was to isolate LAB strains from a pickled beetroot sample that could be used in the dairy industry and with the potential to be considered as a probiotic in the future. Two strains identified using the MALDI technique were selected—Lactococcus lactis and Weissella cibaria. The optimal growth conditions of the strains were determined, and their proteolytic properties were assessed with the use of the o-PA reagent and spectrophotometry. The lipid profile was analyzed using the SALDI (surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization) technique and silver nanoparticles. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to assess the ability of the strains to synthesize beneficial metabolites, such as B vitamins (B2, B3, and B9) or lactic acid, and gas chromatography was used to analyze the substances responsible for organoleptic properties. Moreover, the ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic strains was also tested in the selected strains. Both tested strains demonstrated the desired properties of starter cultures for future use in functional food production, showing that fermented plant products can serve as valuable potential probiotic sources.
Preserved Vestibular Function in Mice with Loss of α-9 Subunit of the α-9/10 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (α-9/10 nAChR)

Background: The α-9/10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is known to be the primary channel through which both vestibular and auditory efferents mediate the inhibition of their respective peripheral hair cells and afferents. With respect to the auditory system, the deletion of the α-9 subunit results in abnormalities in the development of properly functioning cochlear hair cells. Given the high degree of similarity between the au- ditory and the vestibular systems, we hypothesize that α-9 knockout mice should have impaired vestibular hair cell development and consequently compromised vestibular-mediated functions. Methods: In order to characterize vestibular function in α-9 knockout alert mice, we quantified the vestibu- lo-ocular reflex (VOR) through both gain and phase. Additionally, the optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) was sim- ilarly assessed as a control. VOR in light (VORl) was also quantified to further evaluate VOR and OKN efficacy. Furthermore, as information from the vestibular system mediates postural regulation and head stabilization, we assessed these properties through rotor rod and balance beam paradigms. Results: Surprisingly, the loss of the α-9 subunit in knockout mice did not result in any attenuation in VOR gain nor deviations in phase compared to wild type. OKN and VORl’s gain and phase values remain similarly unchanged, confirming preserved function within the vestibular nucleus. Descending vestibulospinal infor- mation seems to be unaltered as well, as no significant difference was observed in postural testing. Limitations: The α-9 knockout mice used specifically had exon 1 and exon 2 of the α-9 gene targeted, which could potentially limit generalizability. Also, frequencies greater than 3Hz were not tested. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that α-9 knockout mice still maintain normal vestibular function.
Model-Based Performance Analysis of Membrane Reactor with Ethanol Steam Reforming over a Monolith

Membrane reactors (MR) with an appropriate catalyst are considered to be an innovative and intensified technology for converting a fuel into the hydrogen-rich gas with the simultaneous recovery of high-quality hydrogen. Characteristics of an asymmetric membrane disk module consisting of a gas-tight nanocomposite functional coating (Ni + Cu/Nd5.5WO11.25-δ mixed proton-electron conducting nanocomposite) deposited on a gas-permeable functionally graded substrate has previously been extensively studied at lab-scale using MRs, containing the catalyst in a packed bed and in the form of a monolith. The catalytic monolith consisted of a FeCrAl substrate with a washcoat and an Ni + Ru/Pr0.35Ce0. 35Zr0.35O2 active component. It has been shown that the driving potential for hydrogen permeation across the same membrane in a monolithic catalyst –assisted MR is greater compared to the packed bed catalyst. This paper presents results of the study where a one-dimensional isothermal model was used to interrelate catalytic and permeation phenomena in a MR with ethanol steam reforming over the monolith, operating at atmospheric pressure and in the temperature range of 700–900 °C. The developed mathematical reaction–transport model for the constituent layers of the catalyst-asymmetric membrane assembly together with a Sieverts’ equation for the functional dense layer, taking also into account the effect of boundary layers, was implemented in a COMSOL Multiphysics environment. Good agreement with the experimental data of the lab-scale MR with reasonable parameters values is provided. In numerical experiments, concentration profiles along the reactor axis were obtained, showing the effect of the emerging concentration gradient in the boundary layer adjacent to the membrane. Studies have shown that a MR with a catalytic monolith along with appropriate organization of a stagnant feed flow between the monolith and the membrane surface may enhance production and flux of hydrogen, as well as the efficiency characteristics of the reactor compared to a reactor with packed beds.
Interface engineering of antimony selenide solar cells: a review on the optimization of energy band alignments

Earth-abundant and environmentally benign antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has emerged as a promising light-harvesting absorber for thin-film photovoltaic (PV) devices due to its high absorption coefficient, nearly ideal bandgap for PV applications, excellent long-term stability, and intrinsically benign boundaries if properly aligned on the substrate. The record power conversion efficiency of Sb2Se3 solar cells has currently reached 9.2%, however, it is far lower than the champion efficiencies of other chalcogenide thin-film solar cells such as CdTe (22.1%) and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (23.35%). The inferior device performance of Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells mainly results from a large open-circuit voltage deficit, which is strongly related to the interface recombination loss. Accordingly, constructing proper band alignments between Sb2Se3 and neighboring charge extraction layers through interface engineering to reduce carrier recombination losses is one of the key strategies to achieving high-efficiency Sb2Se3 solar cells. In this review, the fundamental properties of Sb2Se3 thin films, and the recent progress made in Sb2Se3 solar cells are outlined, with a special emphasis on the optimization of energy band alignments through the applications of electron-transporting layers and hole-transporting layers. Furthermore, the potential research directions to overcome the bottlenecks of Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cell performance are also presented.
The satsang dispositif: Mooji’s teachings, power, authority, and self-transformation

ABSTRACT This article seeks to contribute to the study of power and authority in the context of the contemporary sociology of religion. It provides a discursive and ethnographic account of the neo-Advaita guru Mooji and his teachings, with a focus on the main practice he advocates, namely the satsang. The article explores the guru–disciple relationship, the authoritarian and charismatic role of the teacher, and the devotees’ processes of disciplining and self-transformation as they attempt to reach self-realisation or enlightenment. Following a Foucauldian framework, the article introduces the concept of the satsang dispositif, the main disciplining, confessional, and self-transformative apparatus characterising Mooji’s teachings. The article ends by summarising the findings of the case study presented, discussing their relevance to the study of contemporary spiritualities in general and underlining the importance of questioning the claims of spiritual seekers regarding self-determination and self-actualisation.