Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Response of a Baroclinic Anticyclonic Eddy to Relative Wind Stress Forcing

Including the ocean surface current in the calculation of wind stress is known to damp mesoscale eddies through a negative wind power input, and have potential ramifications for eddy longevity. Here, we study the spin-down of a baroclinic anticyclonic eddy subject to absolute (no ocean surface current) and relative (including ocean surface current) wind stress forcing by employing an idealised high-resolution numerical model. Results from this study demonstrate that relative wind stress dissipates surface mean kinetic energy (MKE) and also generates additional vertical motions throughout the whole water column via Ekman pumping. Wind stress curl-induced Ekman pumping generates additional baroclinic conversion (mean potential to mean kinetic energy) that is found to offset the damping of surface MKE by increasing deep MKE. A scaling analysis of relative wind stress-induced baroclinic conversion and relative wind stress damping confirms these numerical findings, showing that additional energy conversion counteracts relative wind stress damping. What is more, wind stress curl-induced Ekman pumping is found to modify surface potential vorticity gradients that lead to an earlier destabilisation of the eddy. Therefore, the onset of eddy instabilities and eventual eddy decay takes place on a shorter timescale in the simulation with relative wind stress.
Ozonation--an important technique to comply with new German laws for textile wastewater treatment

The German textile industry is challenged by the introduction of new governmental regulations in the field of textile wastewater treatment This causes a large increase of water costs in comparison with other European countries. Many economic experts even see Germany seriously endangered as a place of textile production, however there are also opportunities with the development of high performance cleaning technologies as a result of these governmental measures. In particular the required separate treatment of selected wastewaters of different fmishing processes bas some good perspectives since specialized wastewater techniques can be applied efficiently. For instance the separation of unfixed reactive dyes is the ideal basis for ozone oxidation. Ozonation being a sludge-free method to decompose dyestuff, fmishing products, and other organic materials is of increasing importance because of the limited space for disposal of sludges. Other advantages of ozone treatment are the improvement of biodegradability, reduction of aromatic and halogenated organic compounds and also a significant decrease of chemical oxygen demand. The ozonation of textile wastewaters in combination with inexpensive biological processes has the potential to play a major role in the future. Partial replacement of coagulation/precipitation can be expected.
DETERMINANTS OF FIRM’S PROFITABILITY: IN THE CASE OF SELECTED ETHIOPIAN TANNERY COMPANIES

Purpose: The general objective of this study is to investigate the determinants of profitability in the case of selected Ethiopian Tannery Companies. Methodology: The study employed an explanatory research design with a quantitative approach to assess the relationship between profitability and its determinant factors. The study had a population size of 29 Tannery Companies in Ethiopia. To undertake this research paper, the researcher used non-probabilistic sampling specifically the judgmental sampling method was used to select eight (8) sample Tannery Companies. Balanced panel data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, correlation, and Multiple Linear regression analysis. Ordinary Least square model in the form of multiple regression analysis was applied to analyze the annual data generated from the financial statements of the selected Tannery Companies covering a period from 2008 - 2017 G.C. In this study, ROA was used as the measure of profitability. Findings: The paper includes tangibility, firm size, liquidity, leverage, growth rate, and inventory turnover as independent factors that determine the profitability of Tannery Companies in Ethiopia. The result from the empirical examination found that only Tangibility, Inventory Turnover, and Firm growth rate have a statistically significant effect on the companies (ROA), whereas Liquidity, Leverage, and Firms size have a statistically insignificant effect on the profitability of Ethiopian Tannery Companies. Conclusion: Besides, the study suggested that companies that give more attention to the statistically significant variables of the sectors such as firm growth rate, inventory turnover, and tangibility. While the results may not be generalizable to all Ethiopian Tannery Companies found in the country, the findings should provide valuable information to managers for developing their strategies with regard to firm-specific determinants.
Safety and Tolerability of Ivermectin and Albendazole Mass Drug Administration in Lymphatic Filariasis Endemic Communities of Tanzania: A Cohort Event Monitoring Study

Ivermectin and albendazole (IA) combination preventive chemotherapy to all at-risk populations is deployed to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. Although safety monitoring is imperative, data from Sub-Saharan Africa is scarce. We conducted a large-scale active safety surveillance of adverse events (AEs) following IA mass drug administration (MDA) to identify the type, incidence, and associated risk factors in Tanzania. After recording sociodemographic, clinical, and medical histories, 9640 eligible residents received single-dose IA combination preventive chemotherapy. Treatment-associated AEs were actively monitored through house-to-house visits on day 1, day 2, and day 7 of MDA. Events reported before and after MDA were cross-checked and verified to identify MDA-associated AEs. 9288 participants (96.3%) completed the seven-day safety follow-up, of whom 442 reported 719 MDA-associated AEs. The incidence of experiencing one or more type of MDA-associated AE was 4.8% (95% CI = 4.3–5.2%); this being significantly higher among those with Pre-MDA clinical events than those without (8.5% versus 4.1%, p < 0.001). AEs were mild (83.8%), moderate (15.9%), and severe (0.3%), and most resolved within 72 h. The incidence of experiencing one, two, ≥ three types of AEs were 2.8%, 1.3%, and 0.6%, respectively. The most common AEs were headache (1.23%), drowsiness (1.15%), fever (1.12%), and dizziness (1.06%). A chronic illness, or clinical manifestation of lymphatic filariasis, or being female or pre-existing clinical symptoms were independent significant predictors of AEs. IA combination preventive chemotherapy is safe and tolerable, and associated AEs are mild-to-moderate and transient, with few severe AEs. Safety monitoring during MDA campaigns in individuals with underlying clinical conditions is recommended for timely detection and management of AEs.
In-Vitro Evaluation of Cervical Micro Leakage of the Class II Bulk Fill Restorations

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the bulk fill flow composite and restorative technique on cervical microlekage of class II bulk fill restorations.Standardized class II cavities (2x3x3mm)were prepared and divided into 8 groups (n=5) and restored. Following the restorative procedures, aging in distilled water for 5 weeks and immersed in basic fuchsine for 24h. The infiltration level of the dye within the tooth/filling at cervical area was analyzed by using a stereomicroscope. Data were statistically evaluated (p≤0.05). % Microlekage of the groups from higher to less is Quixfil, SDR, Grandio flow, Grandio, X+tra fil, X+tra base. Quixfil showed significantly higher leakage than Grandio and X-tra fil (p=0,011). X-tra base showed significantly less leakage than Grandio flow and SDR(P=0,008). It is possible to conclude that using bulk fill flow as an intermediary base provided lower microleakage, indicating better sealing of the tooth-restoration below CEJ.
EVALUATING THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT OF PERSONS IN KADUNA STATE

The constraints faced by IDPs were many ranging from inadequate housing, poor medical health care, hazardous work, vulnerability of women and children to trafficking and sexual exploitation, discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, class or gender as well as break in social relations. The aim of the study was to assess the nature of internal displacement in terms of causes and consequences of the internally displaced persons in Kaduna State. The sample population was drawn from the three senatorial zones. Purposive/availability sampling was used in selecting the settlements. The results had shown movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from one local government to another and from neighboring states into the study area. The study also revealed that the level of integration between the IDPs and the host communities is higher in rural areas as a result of the small size of the settlements which allows easier cohesion between the communities. The study recommended for public awareness on the large number of IDPs presence in the society and the need to empower them. The virtue of tolerance and forgiveness should be encouraged among the people to strengthen mutual co-existence in the society.
Sc-Containing (Scandate) Thermionic Cathodes: Fabrication, Microstructure, and Emission Performance

Although thermionic emission has been studied for more than 100 years, recent interest in novel electron devices for military and civilian use has led to a surge in demand for cathodes with enhanced emission properties (e.g., higher current density, more uniform emission, lower operating temperatures, or extended in-service longevity). Sc-containing “scandate” cathodes have been widely reported to exhibit superior emission properties compared to previous-generation thermionic cathodes, including oxide, B-, and M-type cathodes. Despite extensive study spanning several decades, the mechanism by which the addition of Sc enhances cathode emission remains ambiguous, and nonuniform emission, low reproducibility, and inconsistent longevity continue to prevent widespread commercial integration of scandate cathodes into electron devices. This first part of a two-part review explores approaches that have been used for fabricating Sc-containing thermionic cathodes and the microstructures and emitting properties that result.
The Effect of Technology Acceptance Model and E-service Quality on Customer Trust and Implications on Consumer Loyalty of Kai Access Users

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the transportation sector to go online which eventually resulted in a high economic downturn. PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), as a leading state-owned transportation company continues evaluating its services in order to deliver a priority service that are expected to be able to produce priority improvements in the future, therefore PT. KAI (Persero) carries out a communication strategy to find out mutual information feedback from consumers because communication is a tool for interacting and exchanging information with one another. To support Indonesian government’s social distancing policy, PT. KAI issues a new policy on social distancing practice and non-cash payment, ultimately aiming at minimizing the viral spread. In this regard, the strategy is to form the Technology Acceptance application feature to create customer trust, which in turn will develop KAI customers’ loyalty. This study recruited 100 train passengers in the company’s operating region 2 as participants. PLS-SEM was applied to analyze the data, showing that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and e-service quality significantly affected consumer trust. While perceived usefulness was found to not affect the customer loyalty, the perceived ease of use, e-service quality, and consumer trust exhibited significant, positive effect on consumer loyalty.
Human-Centric Role in Self-Driving Vehicles: Can Human Driving Perception Change the Flavor of Safety Features?

Autonomous vehicles are expected to generate significant revenues for the global economy in the next decade. Recently, industry experts warned that autonomous vehicles are losing momentum. Self-driving is stalling. Fusing human sentiment and driving perception into a holistic approach to the development of human-centric autonomous vehicles could regain the market’s trust. In this article, we try to explain why the traditional approach to self-driving vehicles, which focuses only on perfecting vehicle performance, sends engineers back to the whiteboard.
Users’ Perceptions on Mobility, Comfort and Usability of Manual Wheelchairs

The objective of this study was to assess the users’ perceptions on the extent to which the wheelchair meet their mobility needs and overall satisfaction. Fifteen manual wheelchair users were interviewed with a questionnaire comprising questions about their perceptions on aspects of the daily wheelchair usage such as comfort and mobility. The results show that, in general, users experience seating and mobility problems related to their wheelchair. Participants reported problems to move independently in ramps, steps and with wheelchair transfers. Moreover, discomfort and pain were also reported as problems resulting from the prolonged use of wheelchairs. For the majority of the subjects, their wheelchairs are not ideally suitable to them, suggesting problems in the wheelchair prescription and provision. The results demonstrate that, from the users’ point of view, both mobility and comfort problems affect users’ experience with the wheelchair in daily usage. Such problems evidence the existing problems with the current design of manual wheelchairs. Designers and manufacturers may benefit from this knowledge when designing and producing wheelchairs that are most suitable to users’ characteristics, needs and expectations.
Productivity Losses Due to Diabetes in Urban Rural China

Background: Productivity losses due to diabetes are increasing in China, but research about the impact of diabetes on productivity in urban and rural areas requires further in-depth study. This article provides the first estimate of the cost of productivity losses attributed to diabetes in individuals 20–69 years old in urban and rural areas of China. Methods: The human capital approach is employed to measure the productivity losses attributed to absenteeism, presenteeism, labor force dropout, and premature deaths due to diabetes of the 20–69-year-old population of males and females in urban and rural areas of China. Based on the life table modelling, we calculate the years of potential life lost and working years of life lost of people with diabetes. Results: In 2017, we estimated that there were 100.46 million people with diabetes, with the total cost of productivity losses being USD 613.60 billion, comprising USD 326.40 billion from labor force dropout, USD 186.34 billion from premature death, USD 97.71 billion from absenteeism, and USD 27.04 billion from presenteeism. Productivity loss was greater in urban (USD 490.79 billion) than rural areas (USD 122.81 billion), with urban presenteeism (USD 2.54 billion) greater than rural presenteeism (USD 608.55 million); urban absenteeism (USD 79.10 billion) greater than rural absenteeism (USD 18.61 billion); urban labor force dropout (USD 261.24 billion) greater than rural labor force dropout (USD 65.15 billion); and urban premature death (USD 147.90 billion) greater than rural premature death (USD 38.44 billion). Conclusions: Diabetes has a large and significant negative impact on productivity in urban and rural China. Productivity loss is significantly higher in urban versus rural regions. Further investment is required in the prevention, diagnosis, and control of diabetes in under-resourced health services in rural locations as well as in urban areas, where most diabetes cases reside. Specifically, targeted and effective diabetes prevention and management actions are urgently required.
Hybrid Workplace: Activity–based office Design in a Post–pandemic Era

The majority of changes that have occurred in workplace design are human made. Over the years, we witnessed developments in workplace design mostly resulting from technological advancements and organizational strategies that have been triggered by employee efficiency and productivity concerns together with the aim of cutting down facility costs (Harrison et al., 2004; Parker, 2016). The transformation from traditional to activity-based offices has followed a similar trajectory.
Nanoparticles Formulation Improves the Antifibrogenic Effect of Quercetin on an Adenine-Induced Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

Renal fibrosis is the final stage of chronic kidney injury characterized by glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis with parenchymal destruction. Quercetin belongs to the most studied flavonoids with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrogenic, and antitumor activity. It modifies the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, decreasing profibrogenic expression molecules and inducing the expression of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrogenic molecules. However, quercetin exhibits poor water solubility and low absorption and bioavailability. This limitation was solved by developing a nanoparticles formulation that improves the solubility and bioavailability of several bioactive compounds. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the in vivo antifibrogenic effect of a quercetin nanoparticles formulation. Male C57BL/6 mice were induced into chronic renal failure with 50 mg/kg of adenine for four weeks. The animals were randomly grouped and treated with 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg of quercetin, either macroparticles or nanoparticles formulation. We performed biochemical, histological, and molecular analyses to evaluate and compare the effect of macroparticles versus nanoparticles formulation on kidney damage. Here, we demonstrated that smaller doses of nanoparticles exhibited the same beneficial effect as larger doses of macroparticles on preventing kidney damage. This finding translates into less quercetin consumption reaching the desired therapeutic effect.
The Hazard of Teetering at the Top and Being Tied to the Bottom: The Interactive Relationship of Power, Stability, and Social Dominance Orientation with Work Stress

This study examines the roles of power, stability, and social dominance orientation (SDO) for work stress. Initial laboratory research has demonstrated that power and the stability of one's power position interact to influence stress. Using a sample of Chinese managers, we replicate and extend this finding in an organisational field setting, illustrating that the interactive role of power and stability hinges on individuals' SDO. Individuals higher (but not lower) in SDO experienced more work stress in unstable high-power and stable low-power positions, compared to their counterparts in stable high-power and unstable low-power positions. These results underscore the role of stability for understanding the power-stress relationship and emphasise individual differences in needs and motivations as an important boundary condition.
Methods for Eliciting Feedback about AI and Racial Equity: How Black
 and Latinx Youth Interact with Digital Assistants

Digital assistants (DAs) such as Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa are among most accessible forms of artificial intelligence (AI) in the lives of youth. As such, it is important to ensure that these technologies are designed to be culturally inclusive, especially in relation to youth from groups underrepresented in STEM. The goal of this paper is to develop and evaluate methods to elicit feedback about AI and racial equity in the context of how Black and Latinx youth (aged 8-12) interact with DAs. The study design includes two iterations of instrument design, deployment, and evaluation. The first approach, narrative interviews, tended to uncover the roles played by the devices in the participants’ everyday lives, but obscured the actual interactions with the device. The second approach, observational interviews, exposed reasoning about the device and what it is doing but tended to obscure aspects of family history and culture due to device-level frictions, as the devices did not always behave as expected during the interviews. The paper illustrates approaches for eliciting feedback about AI and racial equity, including how online data collection can be used during a pandemic. The paper also explores potential future steps for engaging youth in the process of developing more equitable technology.
Preparation, in vitro and in vivo Evaluation of Thermosensitive in situ Gel Loaded with Ibuprofen-Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for Rectal Delivery

Background Ibuprofen (IBU), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, shows poor gastrointestinal absorption due to its low solubility, which limits its clinical application. Objective In the present study, we aimed to develop thermosensitive gel-mediated ibuprofen-solid lipid nanoparticles (IBU-SLN-ISG) to improve the dissolution and bioavailability of IBU after rectal delivery. Methods IBU-loaded SLNs (IBU-SLNs) were developed and optimized applying Box-Behnken design. The optimized IBU-SLNs were characterized by physicochemical parameters and morphology. Then, the optimized IBU-SLNs was incorporated into the gel and characterized for gel properties and rheology and investigated its release in vitro, pharmacokinetics in vivo, rectal irritation and rectal retention time. Results The optimized SLNs had an EE of 90.74 ± 1.40%, DL of 11.36 ± 1.20%, MPS of 166.77 ± 2.26 nm, PDI of 0.27 ± 0.08, and ZP of −21.00 ± 0.59 mV. The FTIR spectra confirmed successful encapsulation of the drug inside the nanoparticle as only peaks responsible for the lipid could be identified. This corroborated well with XRD spectra, which showed a completely amorphous state of the IBU-SLNs as compared to the crystalline nature of the pure drug. The gelation temperature of the prepared IBU-SLN-ISG was 33.30 ± 0.78°C, the gelation time was 14.67 ± 2.52 s, the gel strength was 54.00 ± 1.41 s, and the mucoadhesion was (11.54±0.37) × 102dyne/cm2. The in vitro results of IBU-SLNs and IBU-SLN-ISG showed a biphasic release pattern with initial burst release followed by sustained release. More importantly, IBU-SLN-ISG produced much better absorption of IBU and improved bioavailability in rats. In addition, IBU-SLN-ISG caused no irritation or damage to rectal tissues, and could be retained in the rectum for a long time. Conclusion Thermosensitive in situ gel loaded with IBU-solid lipid nanoparticles might be further developed as a more convenient and effective rectal dosage form.