Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and Characterization of Bismuth Borate-Barium Titanate Glass Ceramics

Objectives: In the present investigation, transparent novel glass embedded with ferroic matrix was prepared by melt-quenching method. Among all the glasses, selective glass ceramic is also prepared. Optical and electrical measurements were carried out on the samples. Methods: We have prepared the transparent glass composition of (100-x)[0.55Bi 2 O 3 -0.30B 2 O 3 -0.15TiO 2 ] +xBaTiO 3 ; with x=0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 wt. %. Appropriate amounts of reactant mixture were well mixed in agate mortar and melted in a porcelain crucible. The composition is quickly quenched by pouring on pre-heated stainless-steel plate and pressed with another plate. Diﬀerential Thermal Analysis was made on the glasses. Detailed optical absorption and impedance measurements were made on the said above glass matrix. Findings: From the XRD spectra, amorphous and crystalline nature was established on the glass and glass ceramic sample. Optical absorption spectra show that with increasing the BaTiO 3 in the glass matrix, it results into structural compactness by means of non-bridging oxygen. The results are consistent with the oxygen packing density values. Impedance spectroscopic plots have shown broad peaks and therefore these materials are being considered as special type multicomponent glass ceramics. Disorder nature of the samples was also discussed with the help of dc-conductivity plots. Among all the samples, 60-BBT-40BT has shown broad spectroscopic peak. Therefore, this sample was annealed at 700 o C, and the XRD pattern resembles with Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 Aurivillius phase, instead of BaTiO 3 phase. Detailed impedance measurements were also made on the glass ceramic. Novelty: Dielectric ceramic-glass are being used to fabricate energy storage capacitors; however, further studies are needed in order to improve pore-free microstructures. In view of this, transparent glass matrices are embedded with ferroic materials namely BaTiO 3 and the combined optical and electrical results would be useful for future promising optoelectronic materials by means of one-to-many applications.
The Importance of Species Selection in Cover Crop Mixture Design

Abstract Cover crops are increasingly being included in crop rotations as a mechanism to promote diversity and provide agroecosystem services, including weed suppression. Recently, cover crop mixtures have increased in popularity in an attempt to provide a greater diversity in ecological services as compared with monocultures. Several recent studies, however, have failed to detect a positive effect of cover crop diversity on biomass production or weed suppression. Here we assessed biomass productivity and weed suppression in 19 cover crops seeded as monocultures and 19 mixtures of varying species composition and functional richness (two- and three-species mixtures) of full-season cover crops in Atlantic Canada. Cover crop biomass production and weed suppression varied by species identity, functional diversity, and species richness. As cover crop biomass increased regardless of diversity, weed biomass declined. Highly productive forbs and grasses provided the greatest weed suppression in monoculture. In line with previous observations, mixtures were not more productive or weed suppressive on average than the most productive monocultures. We observed that the inclusion of the highly productive species buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and sorghum–sudangrass [Sorghum × drummondi (Nees ex Steud.) Millsp. & Chase] in a mixture increased stand evenness, productivity, weed suppression, and spatiotemporal stability. Taken together, our results suggest that effects of diversity on mixture productivity and weed suppression are species specific. This further demonstrates the importance of species selection in cover crop mixture design.
Operating on Quality, Access, and Cost: Managing Better Health Systems

AARON HUGH RATCLIFFE: Operating on Quality, Access, and Cost Managing Better Health Systems (Under the direction of Dr. Ann Marucheck and Dr. Wendell Gilland) Current spending in the US health system has reached 17.9% of GDP and the need for improved decision-making to help lower costs and improve quality is widely recognized. This dissertation, Operating on Quality, Access, and Cost: Managing Better Health Systems takes a hierarchical approach to e ective healthcare decision-making by examining three broad areas for healthcare improvement: health systems design, health systems maintenance, and clinical operations. We examine how e ective operational strategies for improving health service delivery take into account interrelationships between quality, access, and cost of care. At the design level, we employ competitive queueing models to study the impact of inter-provider competition on quality, wait-time and social welfare. At the maintenance level, we use queueing network analysis to study the relationship between screening guidelines and capacity planning for colorectal cancer. At the operations level, we employ stochastic modeling to analyze appointment allocation policies to improve outpatient clinics' responsiveness to patients' needs.
Patient Perspectives on the Appropriate Use of Prescribed Opioids in Chronic Non-Malignant Pain: Analysis of Online Forums Using Theoretical Domains Framework

Purpose In view of concerns about the harmful effects of long-term use and patient misuse of opioids in chronic non-malignant pain, this study provides insight into patients’ perspectives on their experience of living with chronic non-malignant pain (CNMP), prescribed opioid use, and optimisation. Patients and Methods Data were collected from active UK-based CNMP specific or general health forums that do not require registration, with more than 100 members. English written thread posts between 2016 and 2020 were systematically searched from the forum search bar using different keywords and then analysed using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Results Findings showed that chronic pain is a dominant, life-altering experience with physical, psychological and social impact. Findings highlighted that opioid optimisation is facilitated by patients’ knowledge and understanding, practical coping strategies and supportive relationships with healthcare providers and others in their surroundings. The study found that barriers to opioid optimisation included lack of availability of alternatives, difficulties accessing health services and broken relationships with clinicians. Conclusion Analysis of CNMP patients’ posts on online forums highlighted the devastating impact of pain on social functioning, relationships and mental health. Patients emerged as knowledge seekers prepared to engage in opioid optimisation.
The Impact of Using Different Doses of Biomass Ash on Some Physical Properties of Podzolic Soil under the Cultivation of Winter Oilseed Rape

This two-year study was focused on the effect of the application of different biomass ash doses on selected soil physical properties, i.e., soil moisture (SM), bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR), and soil stability in water measured by the content of readily dispersible clay (RDC), following control and mineral NPK fertilization in the cultivation of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. napus). A one-factor field experiment conducted on podzolic soil (control, NPK, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 kg K2O·ha−1) showed that the use of biomass combustion ash significantly improved soil moisture at all depths and variants, and especially at a depth of 30–35 cm in the 500 kg·ha−1 variant, i.e., by 2.99% v/v, compared to NPK. In turn, the moisture content in the 30–35 cm layer increased by 3.19% v/v in all variants in both years compared to the control. In 2020 and 2021, bulk density in the 0–5 cm layer treated with a dose of 500 kg·ha−1 exhibited a positive 0.15 and 0.12 Mg·m−3 decrease, respectively, compared to the control. In both years, the BD values in the 30–35 cm layer were reduced by 0.14 and 0.16 Mg·m−3 compared to the control. The PR values decreased in the treatments with doses of 300, 400, and 500 kg·ha−1, especially in 2021. The RDC content was found to decline in both years, i.e., 2020 and 2021, upon the application of even the lowest dose (100 kg·ha−1) in all the analysed layers. The reduction in the RDC content, especially in the 0–5 cm layer, is very important for soil structure stability and to protect the soil environment. This layer is most susceptible to crusting, which results in poor aeration and weak plant emergence during drought and/or periods of excessive moisture. It may also increase surface runoff and intensify soil erosion processes.
ACO and PSO Algorithms Applied to Gateway Placement Optimization in Wireless Mesh Networks

Abstract. In this paper, we study the challenging problem of optimizing gateway placement for throughput in Wireless Mesh Networks and propose a novel algorithm based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for it. A gateway placement algorithm was proposed based on ACO, we generate the locations of gateway randomly and independently then calculate the probability and pheromone values of ants will choose to go from current gateway i to next client j. After each iteration, the pheromone values are updated by all the number of ants that have reached to the destination successfully and found the optimal solution. Our algorithm was proposed based on PSO, we calculate the fitness value of each scheme and update them step by step with the best method to quickly find the optimal. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm has achieved much better than previous studies. Keywords: Wireless Mesh Networks, Gateway Placement, Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO).
Tooth loss and Longevity in Korean elderly people aged 85 and older

It was aim of this cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between tooth loss and longevity in elderly person aged 85 and older. Among 218 aged 85 years and older residents on nine longevity villages in Jejudo, responders in direct interview were 146 subjects. In addition to the number of remnant teeth, life style, dietary habit, current diseases and medication, daily living activities and screening for dementia and depression were gathered from all participants. The anthropometries, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and blood glucose level were also measured. The mean age of study participants was 89 years (SD 3.2) and 85% women. The frequencies of 5 and more remnants of teeth would not different between group aged 85 to 87 years and group aged 90 years and older. And, the dentate group had less suffering from current illness, fewer cases of suspected dementia, more never smokers, fewer skip of meal per week, and higher body mass index than the edentulous group. The results suggested that the remnants of self teeth might be a factor of longevity and of quality of life in elderly people.Therefore, care services for dental health would be necessary to promote health status in elderly people.
Maternal Dietary Inflammatory Index during Pregnancy Is Associated with Perinatal Outcomes: Results from the IMPACT BCN Trial

The information available on the effects of maternal dietary habits on systemic inflammation and adverse maternal outcomes is limited. We aimed to evaluate whether Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) score during pregnancy is associated with maternal body mass index (BMI), Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence, and perinatal outcomes. At 19–23 weeks’ gestation, 1028 pregnant women were recruited. Dietary information was assessed using a 17-item dietary score to evaluate MD adherence and a validated 151-item food frequency questionnaire. DII score was established according to 33 food and nutritional proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory items. Participants were distributed into tertiles according to the DII score, where a lower DII score (first tertile) represented an anti-inflammatory diet and the third tertile represented the more proinflammatory diet. Maternal characteristics and perinatal outcomes were collected, and newborns’ birthweight percentiles were calculated. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess the association of the DII score with maternal and perinatal characteristics, setting the third tertile as the reference group. Women in the third tertile showed lower adherence to MD score compared to the first tertile: median (25th to 75th percentile) 9 (7 to 11) vs. 6 (4.25 to 8), p < 0.001. The proinflammatory diet was significantly associated with a higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (adjusted β = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.31 to 1.45) and lower newborn’s birthweight percentile (adjusted β = −9.84th; 95% CI: −19.6 to −0.12). These data show that a proinflammatory diet profile may be associated with maternal overweight and fetal undergrowth.
Study of a polymorphic phase transition in KNNLiTaLa0.01 by Raman spectroscopy

ABSTRACT Using Raman spectroscopy, the study of a polymorphic phase transition in the KNNLiTaLa0.01 compound is presented. An analysis of the behavior with temperature, wavenumber and half width at full maximum of the individual bands, corresponding to the vibration modes of the (Nb/Ta)O6 octahedra of the KNNLiTaLa0.01 compound’s structure, is performed. This analysis determined that the polymorphic phase transition of the KNNLiTaLa0.01 compound occurs in the 90 to 105°C temperature interval. Using the Hard Mode Spectroscopy method, the value of the critical exponent of the order parameter was determined to be β ≈ ½, indicative of a second order transition.
The Effect of Formal Education and Adversity Intelligence on Marital Satisfaction on Working Women

Formal education has shaped various types of women in this era of globalization. Formal education has a very decisive role in the development of human potential to the fullest. The low level of education is one of the factors causing poverty and adversity. Through education, people have the opportunity to explore their potential in order to obtain a more decent life. Therefore, because the current workforce is not monopolized by men who have dual roles in addition to being housewives and helping to earn a living. The basis of the large number of women making a living is influenced by the need to survive when their husbands cannot provide for a living and the existence of adversity intelligence that makes working women see opportunities in every difficulty that exists. This study seeks to determine the effect of Formal Education and Adversity Intelligence on the marital satisfaction of working women. The quantitative method was used in this study to conduct the research. The population in the study of women working in the Boyolali area of the city amounted to 500 people. The sampling method used purposive sampling so that the total sample was 170 people. Research findings of formal education have implications for marital satisfaction among working women, where the higher the formal education, the lower the level of marital satisfaction. In terms of adversity intelligence, the lower the level of marital satisfaction, the greater the level of adversity intelligence of working women. Furthermore, there is a 34.7 per cent correlation between formal education and adversity intelligence in the context of working women's marital satisfaction.
Homogeneity of Photosynthetic Features in Canopy-Forming Macroalgae of The Order Fucales from Shallow and Sheltered Environments

ABSTRACT Photosynthetic features of different canopy-forming macroalgae of the order Fucales (Phaeophyceae) living in shallow and sheltered environments show a high homogeneity when compared with other morphologically similar species living across a depth gradient. Photosynthesis at saturation (situated around 5 mg O2 gAFDM 1 h1) and photosynthetic efficiency [around 0.4 mg O2·m2 s (µmol photon·gAFDM·h)-1] are relatively low, while dark respiration (around 1 mg O2 gAFDM 1 h1) and light at compensation (around 24 µmol photon·m-2·s-1) are relatively high, as it corresponds to the characteristics of “sun” plants. C:N and C:P ratios suggest a strong nutrient limitation for growth and photosynthesis, in agreement with the low dissolved nutrient levels usually found in shallow Mediterranean waters. Homogeneity in photosynthetic features points to a good local adaptation of the different species to the prevailing light conditions but opens the question of which are the factors allowing the coexistence of different species of Fucales in sheltered and shallow Mediterranean environments.
Antimicrobial Peptides and Cationic Nanoparticles: A Broad-Spectrum Weapon to Fight Multi-Drug Resistance Not Only in Bacteria

In the last few years, antibiotic resistance and, analogously, anticancer drug resistance have increased considerably, becoming one of the main public health problems. For this reason, it is crucial to find therapeutic strategies able to counteract the onset of multi-drug resistance (MDR). In this review, a critical overview of the innovative tools available today to fight MDR is reported. In this direction, the use of membrane-disruptive peptides/peptidomimetics (MDPs), such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), has received particular attention, due to their high selectivity and to their limited side effects. Moreover, similarities between bacteria and cancer cells are herein reported and the hypothesis of the possible use of AMPs also in anticancer therapies is discussed. However, it is important to take into account the limitations that could negatively impact clinical application and, in particular, the need for an efficient delivery system. In this regard, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) is proposed as a potential strategy to improve therapy; moreover, among polymeric NPs, cationic ones are emerging as promising tools able to fight the onset of MDR both in bacteria and in cancer cells.
The influence of internal audit, motivation, and work environment on employee performance

This study aims to determine the effect of internal audit, motivation, and work environment on employee performance at PT Sreeya Sewu Indonesia. The research population is all employees of PT Sreeya Sewu Indonesia who work for the company, located in Bogor, West Java, with a sample of 39 respondents. Methods of data analysis and hypothesis testing use multiple regression methods. The study results prove that internal audit, motivation, and work environment positively and significantly affect employee performance. The result of the study shows company must continue to improve planning and supervision in each audit implementation. The company also must pay attention to salary increases, pension plan, provide opportunities for promotions, and give appreciation toward employee performance. Another thing that must be considered by the company is to pay attention to the improvement of employees’ knowledge.
Isoquercitrin Attenuates Osteogenic Injury in MC3T3 Osteoblastic Cells and the Zebrafish Model via the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE Pathway

Isoquercitrin (IQ) widely exists in natural products, with a variety of pharmacological activities. In this study, the anti-apoptotic and antioxidative activities of IQ were evaluated. IQ showed protective activity against 2, 2′-azobis [2-methylpropionamidine] dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced cell damage, as well as a marked reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS). The evidence of IQ regulating Keap1-Nrf2-ARE and the mitochondrial-mediated Caspase 3 pathway were found in the MC3T3 osteoblastic cell line. Furthermore, IQ significantly decreased ROS production, apoptosis, and lipid peroxidation in AAPH-treated 72 h post-fertilization (hpf) zebrafish, as observed via DCFH-DA, acridine orange (AO), and a 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino) propane (DPPP) probe, respectively. In AAPH-treated 9 day post-fertilization (dpf) zebrafish, IQ strongly promoted osteogenic development, with increased concentrations by calcein staining, compared with the untreated group. In a molecular docking assay, among all signal proteins, Keap1 showed the strongest affinity with IQ at −8.6 kcal/mol, which might be the reason why IQ regulated the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway in vitro and in vivo. These results indicated that IQ promotes bone development and repairs bone injury, which is valuable for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases.
Is This Stalking? Perceptions and Victimization Experiences of Stalking and Intrusive Behaviors in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Ghana

Many studies of stalking and intrusive behaviors are conducted with samples from individualist Western cultures, and limited information is available on such behavior in collectivist cultures. By using a sample of 1143 adults (440 males and 703 females) from Hong Kong (n = 305), mainland China (n = 464), and Ghana (n = 374), this study compares perceptions and experiences of stalking and intrusive behaviors as well as the frequency and duration of the participants’ worst experiences with such behaviors. The lifetime prevalence rate of stalking victimization for the overall sample was 34.6%, 22.3% for the Hong Kongers, 32.3% for the mainland Chinese, and 47.3% for the Ghanaians. Relative to the Hong Kongers and Ghanaians, the mainland Chinese were more likely to judge most intrusive activities as unacceptable. However, the mainland Chinese were generally less likely to have experienced the listed intrusive activities than their counterparts. The Ghanaians, in contrast, reported significantly more victimization experiences than the Hong Kongers and the mainland Chinese, especially with aggression and surveillance, unwanted attention, and persistent courtship and imposition types of behaviors. Furthermore, the mainland Chinese and Ghanaians generally reported significantly higher frequencies of stalking and intrusive behavior in their worst experiences than did the Hong Kongers. Conversely, the Hong Kongers and Ghanaians reported significantly more persistent types of stalking and intrusive behaviors than the mainland Chinese. The results of this study indicate the need for anti-stalking legislation in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Ghana, given the devastating nature and consequences of stalking and intrusive behaviors there.
The impact of the shift to distance learning on the seven principles of good practices in university education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract This study aimed to know the level of impact of the shift to distance learning on the seven principles of good practices in university education taking the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic into consideration from the viewpoint of students of faculties of education. The research method used for this study was descriptive, a well structured questionnaire was developed for this, which was then administered to 435 students. The results revealed that the level of impact of the shift to distance learning on these principles taking the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration from the standpoint of the students was average. The study also revealed that the impact of the transition to distance learning on these principles, taking the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration due to the variables of academic level, appreciation, devices used in distance learning and software used in distance learning, and that there are differences due to the variable type of university in favour of public universities, was not statistically significant. The study recommendations, most notably the development of a national strategy for the development of distance learning to maintain its sustainability after the end of the corona pandemic. Keywords: Distance learning, good practices, university education, coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic.