Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbial Colonization and Degradation of Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystem: A Review

Abstract A major apprehension is over microplastic pollution in the aquatic environment. These microplastics particles represent a novel medium in the aquatic environment, providing a substratum for various organic contaminants and for colonization of microorganisms. Microorganisms form a biofilm on the exterior of pollutants, consequential in a region known as a plastisphere, in which they interrelate and generate acid and different enzymes for microplastic degradation. The use of microbes for microplastic degradation has become a contentious exit indication as society focuses more on environmentally friendly pollution reduction methods. After both substantial and elemental degradation, biodegradation occurs, weakening the arrangement of polymers. Natural resource microbes have a significant effect on the reduction of plastic waste in the environment. The current review article discusses microbial colonization and degradation of microplastics present in aquatic ecosystems and the processes involved. While studying and considering how these microplastic particles have now turn out to be a recent environmental position within various aquatic environments, we emphasized the significance of colonization and microbial-assisted degradation of aquatic microplastics in this article.
Mirau-Based CSI with Oscillating Reference Mirror for Vibration Compensation in In-Process Applications

We present a Mirau-type coherence scanning interferometer (CSI) with an oscillating reference mirror and an integrated interferometric distance sensor (IDS) sharing the optical path with the CSI. The IDS works simultaneously with the CSI and measures the distance changes during the depth scanning process with high temporal resolution. The additional information acquired by the IDS is used to correct the CSI data disturbed by unwanted distance changes due to environmental vibrations subsequent to the measurement. Due to the fixed reference mirror in commercial Mirau objectives, a Mirau attachment (MA) comprising an oscillating reference mirror is designed and built. Compared to our previous systems based on the Michelson and the Linnik interferometer, the MA represents a novel solution that completes the range of possible applications. Due to its advantages, the Mirau setup is the preferred and most frequently used interferometer type in industry. Therefore, the industrial use is ensured by this development. We investigate the functioning of the system and the capability of the vibration compensation by several measurements on various surface topographies.
Private Demand for Covid-19 Vaccine: A Contingent Assessment from a Low-and Middle-income Country

This study aimed to estimate Iranian willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from May 2nd to 20th, 2020 among the general population of Iran to estimate WTP for hypothetical COVID-19 vaccines. Four scenarios with different levels of efficacy and duration of protection were presented to respondents in the payment card scale of the contingent valuation method (CVM). With the corresponding WTPs under diﬀerent scenarios, mean, trimmed mean, median WTP values, and vaccine demand was estimated. A semi-log regression model was employed to identify key factors. The vaccine acceptance rate and positive WTP were about 70% and 80%, respectively. The reluctant individuals believed free vaccination is a government responsibility. The highest trimmed mean and median WTP values were the US $15 and $4 for the vaccine with more than 80% efficacy and one-time vaccination. The median decreased to the US $2 in less effective scenarios. The vaccine demand was price-inelastic. Price, self-assessment virus risk, age, gender, education, income, and working in the health sector were significant factors. Given the price inelasticity of the COVID-19 vaccine, providing free vaccination by the Iranian government is highly recommended, particularly for low-income and vulnerable individuals.
Geographic Information System–Based Community-Level Method to Evaluate the Influence of Built Environment on Traffic Crashes

Most current research analyzing traffic crashes is done at either the spot level or the regional level. Less attention is placed at the community level. In addition, the effects of changes in land use, population growth, and transportation networks on community traffic safety have not been systematically studied. Although a number of studies have defined some variables to describe the influence of the built environment on traffic crashes, no research has looked at this problem through a comprehensive framework of relevant built-environment variables. This study explored a geographic information system–based community-level method to understand the effects of the built environment on traffic crashes. The census block group was selected as the analysis unit for the study. The framework of D transportation variables, including the dimensions of density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, and distance to transit, was used to characterize the built environment. The crash and built-environment data were processed in a geographic information system, and the negative binomial model was applied. The results showed that density had little influence on any type of crash; however, the mixed land use was positively associated with all crash categories. Furthermore, street length and number of segments under the design variables resulted in positive coefficients. However, the number of intersections was negative to all crash types. Moreover, whereas the number of bus stops showed a positive influence on crashes, the coefficient that designated the distance of crashes from bus stops and commercial sites was negative.
Shift Work: An Occupational Health and Safety Hazard

Shift work is a major feature of modern work practices. It involves individuals working at times considered unconventional for most workers, such as at night. Although the community often benefits from such work practices, shift work can be hazardous, for both the workers and the community. The thesis reviews the main problems of shift work, especially when involving night work. These are: an increased risk for accidents and errors; increased sleepiness and fatigue due to difficulties sleeping; increased health problems; and disruption to family and social life. Strategies to limit the risk associated with these hazards are also reviewed, and include using knowledge of circadian principles to plan shift schedules, sleeping schedules and meal times; planned napping; consideration of the work environment; and newer techniques such as using bright lights and melatonin. While this information is known to the research community, it has not filtered down to many shift work workplaces and thus has had little if any positive effect on actual shift work practices. For a change in shift work practices to occur, the research knowledge must become available to every shift work workplace, as must some incentive or motivation to ensure that workplaces make the necessary changes. The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) laws provide such a framework. Considering shift work as an OHS hazard would ensure that all shift work workplaces identified the hazards of shift work, conducted a risk assessment to identify the risk associated with the hazards, and then implemented the appropriate strategies, from the hierarchy of shift work hazard control measures, for both employers and employees, to fulfil their duty of care to minimise the risks. Considering shift work as an OHS issue would ensure that the research information was used as intended - to improve the safety, performance, and quality of life of all shift workers. The present thesis reviews the shift work research and introduces an OHS perspective as a method to manage shift work effectively.
Worker Health Monitoring Through Whole Body Counter Examination for Safety and Radiation Protection (2017-2019 Data)

Radiation protection is an action or effort taken to reduce the effects of damaging radiation exposure. Therefore, it is necessary to routinely monitor the condition of workers, among others, with a whole-body counter (WBC) either for daily activities or in a radiation emergency. In this research 78 male and female workers with an average age of 44.51 years old who have been worked for 1 up to more than 30 years at the Center for Technology of Radiation Safety and Metrology (PTKMR) - BATAN in 2018-2019 have been determined with standard procedures. The results showed that the average K-40 count for the year 2018 was 3767.35 ± 975.33 Bq. Among the 80 participants tested, internal radio-isotopic contamination with Cs-137 was detected in one person, but the levels were marginal and just exceeded the detection limit (250 Bq/body). This average value was lower than that of the previous year (2017) i.e. 4274.74 ± 740.85 Bq for 43 respondents. There is no positive correlation between radioactivity with the bodyweight of respondents but correlated positively with body mass index. It is concluded that the radio-activities of the workers of PTKMR are still within a normal range.
Diet Adherence among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Concept Analysis

Objectives To analyze the concept of diet adherence and its components in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods The Walker and Avant (2011) method of concept analysis was used. Scientific databases were queried for research articles in the English language published during 2010–2020 using the search terms: compliance, adherence, treatment adherence, diet adherence, T2DM, and concept analysis. The tools that measure diet adherence and its attributes were identified and evaluated. Results The concept of diet adherence implies the process of following a diet plan by means of self-monitoring, maintaining, and preventing relapses. Diet adherence is facilitated by antecedents which comprise motivation, understanding the dietary recommendations, developing appropriate health beliefs, self-efficacy, setting achievable goals, and receiving social support. Successful diet adherence brings consequences in health as reflected in improved T2DM-specific clinical parameters and enhanced health-related quality of life. Conclusions Patients with T2DM often have poor diet adherence due to failure to understand, implement, and maintain the required antecedents, such as motivation, understanding, health beliefs, self-efficacy, practical goals, and social support. Healthcare providers need to ensure that the patients understand the concept of diet adherence and implement it in their daily lives. Further research is needed into diet adherence and its components to evolve more effective measures to be communicated to T2DM patients.
Degradation of tunnel-thin silicon dioxide films

The transition of a charge transport mechanism in ultrathin (2-3 mn) SiO/sub 2/ films from Fowler-Nordheim injection to direct tunneling was found to result in the enhancement of a charge-to-degradation from /spl sim/10/sup 3/ to /spl sim/10/sup 7/ C/cm/sup 2/. Tunnel MOS structures were examined at high current density (200-1000 A/cm/sup 2/).
Traffic Signal Control via Reinforcement Learning for Reducing Global Vehicle Emission

The traffic signal control problem is an extensively researched area providing different approaches, from classic methods to machine learning based ones. Different aspects can be considered to find an optima, from which this paper emphasises emission reduction. The core of our solution is a novel rewarding concept for deep reinforcement learning (DRL) which does not utilize any reward shaping, hence exposes new insights into the traffic signal control (TSC) problem. Despite the omission of the standard measures in the rewarding scheme, the proposed approach can outperform a modern actuated control method in classic performance measures such as waiting time and queue length. Moreover, the sustainability of the realized controls is also placed under investigation to evaluate their environmental impacts. Our results show that the proposed solution goes beyond the actuated control not just in the classic measures but in emission-related measures too.
A Comparative Study of Thyroid Hormone Levels among the Normal Healthy Persons, Depression and Schizophrenia

Background: Thyroid disorders can induce virtually any psychiatric symptom or syndrome, although no consistent associations of specific syndromes and thyroid conditions are found. Abnormal thyroid hormone levels are common in psychiatric disorders Material & Method: T3, T4, TSH levels were measured in a sample of 90 (ninety) cases who attended Department of Psychiatry, RIMS hospital. The sample consists 30 (thirty) cases each from three-group viz., Controls consisting of normal healthy persons, Schizophrenia, and Depression. Data was collected for a period of 1 year from the subjects who were fulfilling the DSM IV TR diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia and depression. All the study subjects were evaluated for socio demographic variables on semi structured Proforma. Thereafter the laboratory assessments of T3, T4, TSH levels were conducted in the Dept. of Biochemistry, RIMS. Result: The blood level of T3 and T4 was seen highest among schizophrenic groups followed by control and depressive groups. Highest level of TSH was noticed in the depressive groups followed by controls and schizophrenia Conclusion: This study shows that there is an abnormality in thyroid hormone levels in the psychiatric disorders of depression and schizophrenia. In depression, T3 and T4 levels are lower but higher in case of schizophrenia. TSH is higher in depression and lower in schizophrenia.
Phase stability of Cs-Si-O and Cs-Si-Fe-O compounds on stainless steel

ABSTRACT During a severe accident (SA) such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, fission products (FPs) can be retained on the surface of structural materials in reactors. Cesium (Cs) is an important FP, and various Cs compounds such as Cs silicates are formed on the surface of stainless steel (SS) in a reactor during a SA. We calculated total energies of Cs-Si-O compounds for evaluation of phase stability within an adiabatic approximation. The calculations indicate that Cs6Si10O23 is the most stable of the Cs-Si-O compounds. We calculated, furthermore, total energies of Cs-Si-Fe-O compounds. These calculations indicate that Cs-Si-Fe-O compounds are more stable than C-Si-O compounds and that CsSi2FeO6 is the most stable of these C-Si-O and Cs-Si-Fe-O compounds within an adiabatic approximation. The results of our present calculations and our previous experiments lead to the conclusion that Cs-Si-Fe-O compounds can be stably formed on SS surface by Cs chemisorption.
CONVENTIONAL vs COMPLEX TRAINING: A SET BY SET AND SESSIONAL COMPARISON OF KINETIC AND KINEMATIC VARIABLES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of complex sets on kinetic and kinematic variables in a countermovement jump (CMJ) compared to a conventional training session. Twenty-three recreationally trained males completed two familiarisation and two experimental conditions. No significant differences (p <0.05) occurred in the CMJ peak jump height, peak force, peak power and peak velocity obtained from three sets of four CMJ’s which either preceded (conventional training) or followed (complex training) three sets of four back squats with a five repetition maximal load.
Remote Microgrids for Energy Access in Indonesia—Part I: Scaling and Sustainability Challenges and A Technology Outlook

Although Indonesia’s electrification ratio reached 99.2% in 2020, it has shown stagnating electrification since 2018. This is because most of the remaining areas that need to be electrified are remote and have unique characteristics that hamper implementation of microgrids for providing energy access. Furthermore, not only the deployment but also the long-term sustainability of microgrids is crucial for ensuring continuity of energy access. This paper aims to investigate the scaling and sustainability challenges of remote microgrid development in Indonesia by analyzing microgrids in the Maluku and North Maluku provinces. This study is a two-part publication; the first part focuses on identifying challenges in Indonesia’s remote microgrid development, while the second part focuses on potential technology solutions. In the first part, an assessment of energy access within a multi-tier framework was conducted, which was then analyzed using a multi-dimensional (institutional, social, technical, economic, environmental, and policy) approach adapted from the literature. The framework was expanded by mapping the challenges onto specific phases of the microgrid development, which is intended to be helpful for the parties involved in specific phases. It is shown that the challenges related to unclear land status, lack of social engagement, preliminary survey, technical and practical knowledge, and O&M procedures—especially for remote microgrids with renewable energy sources—are the most prominent issues. Additionally, issues caused by electrical events and environmental conditions such as relatively humid and high-temperatures, and uncontrolled vegetation, rodents, insects, and lizards are often found. Furthermore, a high-level technological outlook to address some of these issues is presented.
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement remediates anhedonia in chronic opioid use by enhancing neurophysiological responses during savoring of natural rewards

Abstract Background Neuropsychopharmacologic effects of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) in the context of chronic pain may result in subjective anhedonia coupled with decreased attention to natural rewards. Yet, there are no known efficacious treatments for anhedonia and reward deficits associated with chronic opioid use. Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), a novel behavioral intervention combining training in mindfulness with savoring of natural rewards, may hold promise for treating anhedonia in LTOT. Methods Veterans receiving LTOT (N = 63) for chronic pain were randomized to 8 weeks of MORE or a supportive group (SG) psychotherapy control. Before and after the 8-week treatment groups, we assessed the effects of MORE on the late positive potential (LPP) of the electroencephalogram and skin conductance level (SCL) during viewing and up-regulating responses (i.e. savoring) to natural reward cues. We then examined whether these neurophysiological effects were associated with reductions in subjective anhedonia by 4-month follow-up. Results Patients treated with MORE demonstrated significantly increased LPP and SCL to natural reward cues and greater decreases in subjective anhedonia relative to those in the SG. The effect of MORE on reducing anhedonia was statistically mediated by increases in LPP response during savoring. Conclusions MORE enhances motivated attention to natural reward cues among chronic pain patients on LTOT, as evidenced by increased electrocortical and sympathetic nervous system responses. Given neurophysiological evidence of clinical target engagement, MORE may be an efficacious treatment for anhedonia among chronic opioid users, people with chronic pain, and those at risk for opioid use disorder.
Hierarchical auditory perception for species discrimination and individual recognition in the music frog

Abstract The ability to discriminate species and recognize individuals is crucial for reproductive success and/or survival in most animals. However, the temporal order and neural localization of these decision-making processes has remained unclear. In this study, event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured in the telencephalon, diencephalon, and mesencephalon of the music frog Nidirana daunchina. These ERPs were elicited by calls from 1 group of heterospecifics (recorded from a sympatric anuran species) and 2 groups of conspecifics that differed in their fundamental frequencies. In terms of the polarity and position within the ERP waveform, auditory ERPs generally consist of 4 main components that link to selective attention (N1), stimulus evaluation (P2), identification (N2), and classification (P3). These occur around 100, 200, 250, and 300 ms after stimulus onset, respectively. Our results show that the N1 amplitudes differed significantly between the heterospecific and conspecific calls, but not between the 2 groups of conspecific calls that differed in fundamental frequency. On the other hand, the N2 amplitudes were significantly different between the 2 groups of conspecific calls, suggesting that the music frogs discriminated the species first, followed by individual identification, since N1 and N2 relate to selective attention and stimuli identification, respectively. Moreover, the P2 amplitudes evoked in females were significantly greater than those in males, indicating the existence of sexual dimorphism in auditory discrimination. In addition, both the N1 amplitudes in the left diencephalon and the P2 amplitudes in the left telencephalon were greater than in other brain areas, suggesting left hemispheric dominance in auditory perception. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis that species discrimination and identification of individual characteristics are accomplished sequentially, and that auditory perception exhibits differences between sexes and in spatial dominance.
Multiwavelength light source with precise frequency spacing using mode-locked semiconductor laser and arrayed waveguide grating filter

We report here a multiwavelength light source using semiconductor mode-locked lasers with the optical frequency spacing of 100 GHz. In this light source, a mode-locked semiconductor laser was used for the original light source, which gave multimodes with constant frequency spacings. The output from the mode-locked laser was fed into silica-based arrayed waveguide grating filter (AWG) with the free spectral range of 100 GHz and 16 channels of input/output ports.
USING HISTORICAL AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR MONITORING OF ENVIRONMENT CHANGES: A CASE STUDY OF BOVAN LAKE, EASTERN SERBIA

Useful and important information for the spatial, ecological, and many other changes in the living environment may be obtained using the analysis of historical aerial photography, with comparison to contemporary imagery. This method provides the ability to determine the state of elements of the space over a long period, encompassing the time when it was not possible to acquire the data from satellite imagery or some other contemporary sources. Aerial images are suitable for mapping spatial phenomena with relatively limited spatial distribution because they possess a high level of details and low spatial coverage. With a comparative analysis of aerial imagery from the past, contemporary aerial imagery, and other sources of aerial imagery, we can obtain information about the nature and trends of the observed phenomena as well as directions of future actions, considering changes detected in the environment, whether they are preventive or corrective in nature. This paper gives the methodological framework for the appliance of the existing knowledge from various fields, intending to use historical aerial photography for monitoring of environmental changes of the Bovan Lake in Eastern Serbia.
Quality management practices of ISO vs non-ISO companies: a case of Indian industry

This empirical study is a first attempt to find the differences between ISO and non‐ISO organizations in India. Four areas of study include technology management, causes of poor quality, participation in the quality improvement programs and quality control techniques used. The results of this study indicate that statistically significant differences do exist between ISO and non‐ISO organizations under all the four categories specifically in training, using quality in the strategic planning, product design and team building.