Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION: A PANACEA TO ROAD ASSETS MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA

The globalisation of trade and rise in national income has resulted in increased demand for transport infrastructure and services. Given its high and diverse functionality and wide range of beneficiaries, road infrastructure and services have become essential components of national transport systems. However, lack of access to basic all-weather, reliable and safe road infrastructure is a major challenge in developing countries. Therefore, this study focused on public-private collaborative management of road infrastructure in Nigeria. The research methodological approach adopted an extensive review of relevant literature and questionnaire survey. A critical evaluation of secondary data helped to articulate the characteristics of various models of public-private collaboration. The study population comprised public, private sectors and end-user stakeholders purposively selected from the geo-political zones of Nigeria. Primary data were analysed through SPSS version 20 along with inferential (Kruskal-Wallis Test) and descriptive (Relative Importance Index) statistical tools. The study uncovered new meaning and understanding in ‘trust’, and strongly advocated for an effective stakeholders’ collaboration in financing, construction, operation, maintenance and management of viable road infrastructure and services.
Preparing engineering students for the challenges of the SDGs: what competences are required?

ABSTRACT Despite the emerging discussions about the growing role of engineers in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a lack of agreement on which competences should be prioritised to prepare engineering students to resolve future sustainability challenges. This study examined and compared the views of key stakeholders of engineering education (Academics, Employers and Students) using twelve focus groups in Denmark, Finland, France and Ireland. The findings were mapped against competences identified in previous studies to highlight gaps and opportunities for development. The results confirm the strong emphasis on normative, strategic and systems thinking competences in engineering. However, the outcomes also lack acknowledgement of anticipatory competence, contradicting the future oriented perspective required to achieve sustainable development. The findings can be used by educators to inform programme development and to implement opportunities for students to develop the competences necessary to support sustainable development and the SDGs.
Agro-morphological characterization of beans of the phaseolus genus and identification of their cultivated species in Benin (West Africa)

The local cultivars of the Phaseolus genus present within the local communities constitute a considerable source of genes and consequently of genetic diversity which would lead to success of the varietal creation of beans. ¶Nevertheless, these resources suffer from a significant genetic erosion because of the climatic requirement but also of the difficulties related to their cultivation methods. ¶The objective of this study is to identify the phenotypical distinctive features of the species of the Phaseolus genus cultivated in Benin for a permanent management. ¶To achieve this goal, an agro-morphological characterization was carried out on two years (2019-2020) from March to August of each, at Ahossougbéta (Abomey-Calavi) following a completely randomized blocks design with three replications. Data were collected on¶ twenty-three measured characters on 88 accessions. Data were subjected to the descriptive analysis, the analysis of variance and the multivariate analyses. Results showed a great variability among the accessions for the studied cultivars. ¶ Three major groups were identified and were characterized by the AFD. ¶ The studied cultivars were characterized more by the shape of the first leaves, the color of the flowers, the color of the integuments, the width of the pods, times of flowering and appearance of the pods and the width and the length of the pods. These results are significantly important for the classification of beans species of the Phaseolus genus. In addition, morphological and molecular genetic characterizations are necessary within each specie in order to define strategies for the improvement and the conservation of their genetic resources in Benin.
EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONAL KNEE BRACE ON BIOMECHANICAL PARAMETERS FROM DIFFERENT HEIGHTS OF DROP LANDING

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences of the kinematic, and kinetic between wearing FKB and non-braced during the drop landing tasks. Subjects were required wearing FKB and non-braced to perform a single leg drop landing task from heights of 10, 30, and 50cm. Our findings indicated that wearing functional knee braces or not didn’t significantly affect biomechanical parameters during drop landing for healthy subjects. As box height increased, body position would change to a softer landing posture to buffer the impacts. This mechanism did not affect by wearing FKB. Therefore, no matter wearing FKB or not, poor landing mechanism, such as stiff landing, was the main reason to increase the possibility of ACL injuries.
Lactobacilli Strain Mixture Alleviates Bacterial Vaginosis through Antibacterial and Antagonistic Activity in Gardnerella vaginalis-Infected C57BL/6 Mice

The present study investigated the anti-bacterial vaginitis (BV) effects of a mixture of five lactobacilli strains (LM5), containing equal amounts of Ligilactobacillus salivarius MG242, Limosilactobacillus fermentum MG901, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MG989, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MG4272, and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus MG4288), in HeLa cells and Gardnerella vaginalis (GV)-infected BV mice. All strains produced lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide, and were resistant to nonoxynol-9. LM5 significantly inhibited GV growth by 80%, exhibited good adhesion to HeLa cells, and significantly inhibited GV adhesion to these cells. In GV-infected mice, LM5 administered orally at 5 × 109 CFU/mouse significantly inhibited GV proliferation in the vaginal tract and significantly reduced myeloperoxidase activity, pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) levels, and nitric oxide levels in vaginal tissue lysates. Histopathological analysis of vaginal tissues revealed that LM5 markedly suppressed the exfoliation of vaginal epithelial cells. Overall, these results suggest that LM5 might alleviate BV by direct antibacterial and antagonistic activity in vaginal tissues of GV-infected mice.
No Warfare: Let us render unto metaphor’s paradox we live by

This essay discusses metaphor as a cognitive paradox. It is divided into two parts. The first part outlines a schema explaining the paradox that the authors call ‘prodigal-within-prodigy’ in terms of how metaphor conception creates a contextual opposition within mutuality. They argue that such [re]cognition of paradoxical context actually helps mutualize mainstream oppositions we come across in metaphor literature: cognitive linguistic vs.psycholinguistic/cultural, empirical vs. intuitive, inductive vs.deductive, realization of what we call the real-world. In the second part, the authors discuss how the prodigal-prodigy schema could resolve the conflicting positions on metaphor—disengaging from what Gibbs (2017) calls Metaphor Wars. In this regard, to assess the scope of this cognitive paradox vis-à-visa disengagement from warfare, a set of ‘critical methodological concerns’ raised on metaphor conception (Gibbs, 2009) are discussed. This discussion points to contemporary debateson metaphor conception thatunderlie ‘conceptual metaphor theory’, ‘traditional theory of metaphor’, ‘deliberate metaphor theory’, and ‘contemporary.new and improved theory’ of metaphor, among others. The authors claim, with examples from earlier work (Abdullah, 2016), how a cognitive paradox creates ‘metaphorical truth-values’ that sustain the spatiotemporal context. Towards the scope of evolving a unified theory of metaphor, this paper reaffirms Gibbs’ argument that no single explanation in literature alone can comprehend the scopeof metaphor in thought and practice.
Phytochemical Profiling and Assessment of Anticancer Activity of Leptocarpha rivularis Extracts Obtained from In Vitro Cultures

Plant cell culture is a source of plant material from which bioactive metabolites can be extracted. In this work, the in vitro propagation of Leptocarpha rivularis, an endemic Chilean shrub with anticancer activity, is described. Different media were tested and optimized for the introduction, propagation, and rooting steps of the micropropagation process. At the end of this process, 83% of plants were successfully acclimatized under greenhouse conditions. Callus induction from the internodal stem segment was performed using various combinations of phytohormones. Green-colored, friable, and non-organogenic callus was generated with a callus induction index higher than 90%. The chemical composition of extracts and callus, obtained from clonal plants, was assessed and the results indicate that the phytochemical profiles of extracts from micropropagated plants are like those found for plants collected from natural habitats, leptocarpine (LTC) being the major component. However, no LTC was detected in callus extract. HeLa and CoN cells, treated with LTC or extract of micropropagated plants, exhibit important diminution on cell viability and a drastic decrease in gene expression of IL-6 and mmp2, genes associated with carcinogenic activity. These effects are more important in cancer cells than in normal cells. Thus, micropropagated L. rivularis could be developed as a potential source of efficient antiproliferative agents.
Chromosome Damage in Relation to Recent Radiation Exposure and Radiation Quality in Nuclear Power Plant Workers

Ionizing radiation is a well-known carcinogen that causes genomic instability. However, the biological and carcinogenetic effects of occupational radiation exposure at low doses have not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to assess chromosomal instability in power plant workers exposed to occupational radiation at low doses in South Korea. Chromosomal aberrations in the lymphocytes of 201 nuclear power plant workers and 59 sex-matched controls were measured. Chromosomal aberrations in the lymphocytes of 201 nuclear power plant workers (mean age: 41.4 ± 10.0 years) and 59 sex-matched controls (mean age: 47.2 ± 6.0 years) were measured. A total of 500 metaphases for each subject were scored randomly. The means of recent 1.5-year, recent 5.5-year, and cumulative exposed radiation doses among workers were 8.22 ± 7.0 mSv, 30.7 ± 22.0 mSv, and 158.8 ± 86.1 mSv, respectively. The frequency of chromosome-type and chromatid-type aberrations was significantly higher in workers than that in the control group (p < 0.001), and the frequency of chromosome-type aberrations among workers increased in a radiation dose-dependent manner (τ = 0.16, p = 0.005). Poisson regression analyses revealed that chromosome-type aberrations were significantly associated with recent 1.5-year dose after adjusting for confounding variables such as age, smoking, and alcohol intake, even when only the exposed worker was considered. Frequency of multi-aberrant cells (two or more chromosome aberrations within a cell) increased according to cumulative neutron exposure. Our study demonstrates that chromosome damage can be induced in nuclear power plant workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation at low doses below the occupational permissible dose limit. Furthermore, an increase in multi-aberrant cells may provide evidence for chronic neutron exposure in nuclear power plant workers. This study was performed to obtain baseline data for a surveillance program of workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation long-term.
Switching Coefficients or Automatic Variable Selection: An Application in Forecasting Commodity Returns

In this paper, we conduct a thorough investigation of the predictive ability of forward and backward stepwise regressions and hidden Markov models for the futures returns of several commodities. The predictive performance relative a standard AR(1) benchmark is assessed under both statistical and economic loss functions. We find that the evidence that either stepwise regressions or hidden Markov models may outperform the benchmark under standard statistical loss functions is rather weak and limited to low-volatility regimes. However, a mean-variance investor that adopts flexible forecasting models (especially stepwise predictive regressions) when building her portfolio, achieves large benefits in terms of realized Sharpe ratios and mean-variance utility compared to an investor employing AR(1) forecasts.
Good Medication Adherence and its Association with Meaning in Life among Thai Individuals with Schizophrenia

Objective: To study medication adherence, meaning in life, the association of medication adherence and meaning in life among Thai individuals with schizophrenia.Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed all outpatient individuals with schizophrenia that followed up at the Psychiatric outpatient clinic, Songklanagarind Hospital. Three questionnaires were used:1) Demographic information 2) Medication adherence questionnaire and 3) The meaning in life questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated using proportions, median and inter-quartile range (IQR) or mean and standard deviation (S.D.). Results: According to the study period; from December 2020 to March 2021, there were 110 respondents. Most of the respondents (94.5%) attended regular follow-ups, via doctor’ appointments. The majority of them were male (56.4%), single (76.4%), and Buddhist (82.7%). The mean age was 42.3+11.8 years. According to the medication adherence questionnaire, all participants (100%) had good medication adherence scores. Concerning meaning in life, most of the participants had high scores in all subparts of meaning in life; the presence of meaning in life and looking for something that made their lives feel purposeful and meaningful. There was no relationship between meaning in life scores and demographic characteristics (p-value>0.050). As all participants (100%) had good medication adherence scores, the association between medication adherence and meaning in life could not be established in this study.Conclusion: Most individuals with schizophrenia had good medication adherence as well as meaning in life. The search for meaning in life and meaning in taking medications may decrease negative medication attitudes and change the meaning of the illness.
A SIMPLIFIED APPROACH TO NONLINEAR DYNAMIC INVERSION BASED FLIGHT CONTROL

This paper describes the theoretical development of a simplified form of Non-linear Dynamic Inversion (NDI). The approach is based upon manipulations of the basic equations describing flight mechanics, and requires minimal a priori knowledge of the vehicle aerodynamic characteristics, with the exception of control powers, and inertias. The method deals implicitly with vehicle non-linearities, and appears to offer excellent properties of robustness to uncertainties in the mathematical model. The behaviour of a longitudinal control law is illustrated using a nonlinear aircraft model.
USE INTENTION OF FINTECH SERVICES FOR E-WALLET USERS: AN EXAMINATION WITH AN EXTENDED TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL

Financial Technology (Fintech) has increased, follows by various innovations that lead to efficient, safe, fast, and convenience. One type of Fintech in Indonesia is a non-cash payment using an electronic wallet (e-wallet). People started to do the transaction through their mobile using electronic wallet (e-wallet) in daily life. However, people still prefer to use cash transaction caused by the security concern also e-wallet application often experiences an error during transaction. Thus, there is a need to investigate the people's acceptance of using this e-wallet to make a transaction. This study aims to evaluate one of Indonesia's e-wallet services using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). TAM emphasizes perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and behaviour intention to use. It also investigates the perceived risk and Trust as TAM's external variables to test the technology's acceptance. A quantitative research method was employed utilizing the survey method. Data was collected from a sample of 113 e-wallet users in the Jabodetabek area. This study used The Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis method. From this study was discovered that the Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Risk, and Trust are essential factors for predicting the user's intention to use an e-wallet as a mobile payment application. This study's recommendation reduces the potential risk of the e-wallet application, provides training, and socialization about e-wallet transactions. Additionally, the government may provide regulation or a system that can guarantee users' security of transactions. Keywords: e-wallet, Fintech, perceived risk, Trust, TAM
Eating Disorder Day Programs: Is There a Best Format?

The use of a Day Program (DP) format (i.e., intensive daily treatment with no overnight admission) has been shown to be an effective treatment for eating disorders (EDs). The disadvantages, however, include higher cost than outpatient treatment (including costs of meals and staff), greater disruption to patients’ lives, and the use of a highly structured and strict schedule that may interrupt the development of patients’ autonomy in taking responsibility for their recovery. This study investigated whether reducing costs of a DP and the disruption to patients’ lives, and increasing opportunity to develop autonomy, impacted clinical outcomes. Three sequential DP formats were compared in the current study: Format 1 was the most expensive (provision of supported dinners three times/week and extended staff hours); Format 2 included only one dinner/week and provision of a take-home meal. Both formats gave greater support to patients who were not progressing well (i.e., extended admission and extensive support from staff when experiencing feelings of suicidality or self-harm). Format 3 did not provide this greater support but established pre-determined admission lengths and required the patient to step out of the program temporarily when feeling suicidal. Fifty-six patients were included in the analyses: 45% were underweight (body mass index (BMI) < 18.5), 96.4% were female, 63% were given a primary diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (or atypical anorexia nervosa), and mean age was 25.57 years. Clinical outcomes were assessed using self-reported measures of disordered eating, psychosocial impairment, and negative mood, but BMI was recorded by staff. Over admission, 4- and 8-week post-admission, and discharge there were no significant differences between any of the clinical outcomes across the three formats. We can tentatively conclude that decreasing costs and increasing the opportunities for autonomy did not negatively impact patient outcomes, but future research should seek to replicate these results in other and larger populations that allow conclusions to be drawn for different eating disorder diagnostic groups.
Analysis of the Impact of Finite Intermediate Frequency on Optical PSK Synchronous Heterodyne Communication Systems

The impact of finite intermediate frequency on optical PSK synchronous heterodyne communications systems has been investigated. In this analysis, the bit error ratio for PSK heterodyne systems is determined for the case where performance is impaired by finite intermediate frequency (IF). Our theoretical study reveals that the sensitivity penalty at an IF center frequency selected to be f,F = 1/Γ and 2/T (T = bit time) is only 0.5 dB and 0.2 dB, respectively, for a single-pole RC post-detection filter. For a post-detection filter employing a matched filter there is no sensitivity penalty for an IF center frequency value selected as low as f,F = 0.5/T. While matched filters are not physically realizable the theoretical results provide a useful reference for comparing system performance obtained with practical filters.
Clinical Comparative Evaluation of the LabTurboTM AIO® Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction and World Health Organization-Recommended Assays for the Detection of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

Purpose Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent behind coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Single-plex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assays are widely used for COVID-19 detection but exhibit decreased sensitivity and specificity in detecting the rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants; in contrast, multiplex RT-PCR reportedly yields better results. Here, we aimed at comparatively analyzing the clinical performance of the LabTurboTM AIO COVID-19 RNA testing kit, a multiplex quantitative RT-PCR kit, including a three-target (E, N1, and RNase P), single-reaction, triplex assay used for SARS-CoV-2 detection, with that of the WHO-recommended RT-PCR assay. Materials and Methods Residual, natural, nasopharyngeal swabs obtained from universal transport medium specimens at SARS-CoV-2 testing centers (n = 414) were collected from May to October 2021. For SARS-CoV-2 qRT-PCR, total viral nucleic acid was extracted. The limit of detection (LOD) and the comparative clinical performances of the LabTurboTM AIO COVID-19 RNA kit and the WHO-recommended RT-PCR assay were assessed. Statistical analysis of the correlation was performed and results with R2 values >0.9 were considered to be highly correlated. Results The LOD of the LabTurboTM AIO COVID-19 RNA kit was 9.4 copies/reaction for the target genes N1 and E. The results obtained from 102 SARS-CoV-2-positive and 312 SARS-CoV-2-negative samples showed 100% correlation with previous WHO-recommended RT-PCR assay results. Conclusion Multiplex qRT-PCR is a critical tool for detecting unknown pathogens and employs multiple target genes. The LabTurboTM AIO COVID-19 RNA testing kit provides an effective and efficient assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection and is highly compatible with SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Application of Fuzzy Subtractive Clustering for Optimal Transient Performance of Automatic Generation Control

Abstract Automatic Generation Control (AGC) is a very imperative problem in power system operation for providing electric power with high quality and reliability. In this paper, the three-area multi-units AGC is studied. For optimal transient performance of AGC, fuzzy logic damping controller has been used. An efficient approach, namely fuzzy subtractive clustering is used here, which minimizes the number of rules and membership functions of the fuzzy system. This technique provides a mechanism to obtain the reduced rule set covering the whole input/output space as well as membership functions for each input variable. In this paper, a fuzzy subtractive clustering approach is shown to reduce 5, 5, 5 rules to 3, 2, 2 rules, respectively. Finally, the results have been compared.
The influence of age and gender on normalized foot arch height of Korean children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Both the non-normalized and normalized arch height have been used to compare foot arch height among children. This study measured changes in foot dimensions, including length and the non-normalized and normalized arch height, among children and adolescents aged 8–19 years. Three-dimensional scanning data of 1451 children and adolescents were obtained. Four normalized arch height indices were calculated: the navicular height/total foot length, navicular height/instep length, instep height/total foot length and instep height/instep length. The current study found a significant positive relationship between foot length and non-normalized arch height. The normalized arch height increased linearly up to the age of 16 years. The proportion of pes planus also decreased with age. Current findings shed light on normative foot development in children and adolescents.