Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanosafety: An Evolving Concept to Bring the Safest Possible Nanomaterials to Society and Environment

The use of nanomaterials has been increasing in recent times, and they are widely used in industries such as cosmetics, drugs, food, water treatment, and agriculture. The rapid development of new nanomaterials demands a set of approaches to evaluate the potential toxicity and risks related to them. In this regard, nanosafety has been using and adapting already existing methods (toxicological approach), but the unique characteristics of nanomaterials demand new approaches (nanotoxicology) to fully understand the potential toxicity, immunotoxicity, and (epi)genotoxicity. In addition, new technologies, such as organs-on-chips and sophisticated sensors, are under development and/or adaptation. All the information generated is used to develop new in silico approaches trying to predict the potential effects of newly developed materials. The overall evaluation of nanomaterials from their production to their final disposal chain is completed using the life cycle assessment (LCA), which is becoming an important element of nanosafety considering sustainability and environmental impact. In this review, we give an overview of all these elements of nanosafety.
Functional effects of natural silicate, yeast and saponins based product on the growth and health status of the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

ABSTRACT In this study, a commercial product of natural silicates and yeast (NSY) and saponins from Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria plants (SBP) were used to evaluate their nutritional effects on growth and health status of pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Four isonitrogenous and iso-lipidic experimental diets were formulated to contain 0%, 0.3% NSY, 0.2% SBP and 0.6% NSY. After 60 days, shrimp were sampled and standard haemato-immunological parameters were measured. The growth performances of shrimp were significantly affected by the dietary inclusion of NSY and SBP, whereas the inclusion of NSY and SBP provide a better growth compared to the control group. Additionally, the inclusion of NSY and SBP significantly enhance the total haemocytes count and lysozyme activity in shrimp compared to control. Therefore, NSY and SBP can be regarded as the functional ingredients in shrimp diet to improve the growth and non-specific immune function of shrimp.Keywords: Silicates and yeast, saponins, growth, health status, shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei ABSTRAK Pada kajian ini, produk komersial yang berbasiskan kepada komponen alamiah silikat dan ragi (NSY) dan saponins yang berasal dari tumbuhan Yucca schidigera dan Quillaja saponaria (SBP) digunakan untuk mengevaluasi pengaruhu nutrisi yang dimiliki terhadap pertumbuhan dan status kesehatan dari udang putih Litopenaeus vannamei. Empat pakan yang bersifat iso-nitrogen dan iso-lipid diformulasikan dengan perlakuan 0%, 0.3% NSY, 0.2% SBP and 0.6% NSY. Setelah 60 hari, udang kemudian diambil sampelnya dan protokol standard untuk uji hemato-immunologi dilakukan. Laju pertumbuhan udang secara signifikan dipengaruhi oleh keberadaan NSY dan SBP, dimana inklusi NSY dan SBP memberikan pertumbuhan yang lebih baik dibandingkan kontrol. Selain itu, penggunaan NSY dan SBP secara signifikan meningkatkan jumlah total hemosit dan aktivitas lisozim pada udang perlakuan dibandingkan kontrol. Oleh karena itu, NSY dan SBP dapat digolongkan sebagai bahan baku fungsional pada pakan udang untuk meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan fungsi imun non-spesifik pada udangKata kunci: Silikat dan ragi, saponins, laju pertumbuhan, status kesehatan, udang Litopenaeus vannamei
Relationship between locus of control and post-traumatic growth in women with breast cancer

Introduction: Currently, instead of focusing on negative outcomes of breast cancer, researchers concentrate on potential positive outcomes which refer to post-traumatic growth (PTG). Objectives: The aim of this research was to investigate PTG and its relation with the locus of control (LOC) in women with breast cancer. Patients and Methods: The samples in this descriptive, correlational research contained 196 participants with breast cancer, who were referred to an oncology center in Qazvin, Iran. Data were collected using the demographic characteristics questionnaire, PTG inventory, and LOC scale. Pearson’s test was applied to assess the relation between PTG and LOC. Results: The mean PTG score was 61.43 ± 12.06, which indicated some degrees of growth in all the participants. Regarding LOC, the majority of the participants (74.5%) were external and the minority of them (25.5%) were internal. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant reverse relationship between PTG and external LOC in the participants (P<0.05; r=-0.253). Conclusion: The significant negative correlation between PTG and external LOC can help health staff, managers, and politicians to enhance the psychological health of women with breast cancer.
Nonlinear Effect of Financial Development on Income Inequality: The Case of Ivory Coast

From the mid-1980s until the 1990s, many developing countries, particularly the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, undertook major reforms of their financial systems in order to free them from numerous internal constraints that limited their development, such as interest rate ceilings, high reserve requirements, administrative credit allocations, etc. This financial liberalisation will promote rapid financial development in these countries. Thus, in most of these countries, there is a relative deepening of the financial sector and an improvement in financial policies. The economic and financial literature suggests that a well-functioning financial system can promote the accumulation of physical capital, improve economic conditions and thus promote long-term growth (Demetrides and Andrinova, 2004), and thus reduce inequality between rich and poor (Anand & Segal, 2017). However, studies conducted so far indicate that the effects of financial development on income inequality remain mixed. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyse the effect of financial development on the reduction of income inequality in Côte d'Ivoire. To do so, we used annual data from the World Bank (2018) and the IMF (2018) covering the period 1986-2016. From the estimation of the ARDL and NARDL models, the results show that financial development reduces income inequality in the short run. However, in the long run financial development increases income inequality in Côte d'Ivoire. The results also show that financial development has an asymmetric effect on income inequality in the short and long run in Côte d'Ivoire.
Tribocorrosion and Abrasive Wear Test of 22MnCrB5 Hot-Formed Steel

The article presents the results of research on abrasive and tribocorrosion wear of boron steel. This type of steel is used in the automotive and agricultural industries for the production of tools working in soil. The main goal of the article is the evaluation of tribocorrosion and abrasive wear for hot-formed 22MnCrB5 steel and a comparison of the obtained results with test results for steel in a cold-formed state. The spinning bowl method to determine the wear of samples working in the abrasive mass was used. Furthermore, a stand developed based on the ball-on-plate system allows to determine the wear during the interaction of friction and corrosion. After the hot-forming process, 22MnCrB5 steel was three times more resistant for the abrasive wear than steel without this treatment. The average wear intensity for 22MnCrB5 untreated steel was 0.00046 g per km, while for 22MnCrB5 hot-formed steel it was 0.00014 g per km. The tribocorrosion tests show that the wear trace of hot-formed 22MnCrB5 steel was about 7.03 µm, and for cold-formed 22MnCrB5 steel a 12.11 µm trace was noticed. The hot-forming method allows to obtain the desired shape of the machine element and improves the anti-wear and anti-corrosion properties for boron steel.
Dietary Intake over a 7-Day Training and Game Period in Female Varsity Rugby Union Players

This study estimated the daily energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (TDEE) in female varsity rugby union players during a weekly training/game cycle. Fifteen (nine forwards, six backs) players (20.5 ± 0.4 y, 167.1 ± 1.8 cm, 74.9 ± 2.9 kg) were monitored for a 7-day period (one fitness, two heavy training, one light training, one game, and two recovery days) during their regular season. The average EI throughout the week for all 15 players was 2158 ± 87 kcal. There were no significant differences between days, but the lowest EI (1921 ± 227 kcal) occurred on the mid-week recovery day and the highest on game day (2336 ± 231 kcal). The average TDEE was 2286 ± 168 kcal (~6% > EI). The mean energy availability (EA) over the 7-day period was 31.1 ± 3.6 kcal/kg FFM/day for the group. Of the players, 14% were in the optimal EA range (>45 kcal/kg FFM/day); 34% were in the moderate range (≥30–45 kcal/kg FFM/day); and 52% had a poor EA of <30 kcal/kg FFM/day. Carbohydrate (3.38 ± 0.36 g/kg/day, 45% of EI); fat (1.27 ± 0.12 g/kg/day, 37% of EI); and protein (1.38 ± 0.12 g/kg/day, 18% of EI) consumption remained similar throughout the week (p > 0.05). The players consumed 6% less energy than they expended, providing poor to moderate EA; therefore, daily carbohydrate intake recommendations were not met.
A Phase Separation Inlet for Droplets, Ice Residuals, and Interstitial
Aerosol Particles

Abstract. A new inlet for studying the aerosol particles and hydrometeor residuals that compose mixed-phase clouds – the phaSe seParation Inlet for Droplets icE residuals and inteRstitial aerosol particles (SPIDER) – is described here. SPIDER combines a Large-Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor (L-PCVI), a flow tube evaporation chamber, and a Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor (PCVI) to separate droplets, ice crystals, and interstitial aerosol particles for simultaneous sampling. Laboratory verification tests of each individual component and then the composite SPIDER system were conducted. SPIDER was then deployed at Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL), a mountain-top research facility at 3210 m a.s. l. in the Rocky Mountains. SPIDER performance as a field instrument is presented with data that demonstrates its capability of separating cloud elements and interstitial aerosol particle. Possible design improvements of SPIDER are also suggested.
The Effect Of Organizational Communication Towards Resistance To Change: A Case Study In Banking Sector

Today’s business environment is more dynamic due to vast technological growth. This growth is most visible in the IT industry. Efficiency, together with work-life balance, is found to be one of the most important factors of success at workplace. Positive impacts of work-life balance include: retention of employees towards their employer, better motivation, and increased efficiency due to an increased employee satisfaction. Recent literature findings show a direct positive relationship between efficiency and work-life balance. Flexible work arrangements have positive impact on work-life balance and efficiency. This study analyzes the impact of flexible work arrangements on employees’ work- life balance and efficiency, using a non- random convenience sample selected from BiH’s IT employees. In the initial phase of data collection, quantitative survey instrument was adopted based on the original one from Mount Holyoke University. It was translated and back translated from English to Bosnian and again back to English and then verified as the part of pilot testing on 40 IT employees. The study was conducted in a cross-sectional time manner in the period June-July 2016. A modified, 18 questions, primary quantitative survey instrument with a 5-point Likert scale was conducted on 503 Bosnian IT employees. Fourteen questions covered inferential and last four descriptive statistics. The study aims to test if there is a significant relationship between flexible work arrangements, work-life balance, and employee efficiency with respect to their gender, age, time they travel to work and their children status. The results indicate that flexible work time and location can have a positive impact on employee work life balance and this opinion is shared by all the employees surveyed. Although 64.80% of participants stated that their work life is balanced with their personal life, there is always place for improvement. Participants agree that better work life balance, caused by flexible work time and flexible work location, will improve their efficiency and reduce stress.
Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among Female Secondary School students in Ar Rass City, Qassim Region.

Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic gastrointestinal condition associated with many modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Objectives To determine the prevalence of IBS and the associated risk factors among female secondary school students in Ar Rass city, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2021 among female students attending government secondary schools at Ar Rass city, Qassim region. Two schools were selected by simple random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire using Google Form, submitted to the WhatsApp groups of the students, gathered personal data, and behavioral, lifestyle and health background characteristics of the participants. The questionnaire included Rome IV criteria for IBS diagnosis. Results Out of 612 invited students, 429 responded (response rate: 70.1%). Twenty-eight incomplete questionnaires were excluded leading to 401 participants in the final analysis. The mean (± SD) age of study participants was 17.3 (±2.05) years. The overall prevalence of IBS was 21.4% (n=86); 11.7% (n=47) were already diagnosed; however, 9.7% (n=39) were newly detected in our survey. The factors associated with IBS included frequent consumption of soft drinks (p=0.016), low vegetable consumption (p=0.003), poor mental health (p<0.0001), family history of IBS (p<0.0001) and history of chronic disease (p<0.0001). Conclusion IBS is prevalent among female secondary school students in Ar Rass city. Unhealthy diet and poor mental health are associated with IBS. Creating awareness regarding IBS and about importance of healthy lifestyle is recommended. School staff need to be trained to promote the physical and mental health of the students.
Cash holdings, the internal capital market, and capital allocation efficiency in listed companies

The rise in firm-level cash asset ratios has become a prominent trend in countries around the world which may further influence the capital allocation efficiency. This study analysed the inefficient effect of cash holdings on the capital allocation by combining the internal capital market theory with principal – agent theory and asymmetric information theory. The theoretical hypotheses were tested using linear panel regression models based on financial data from Chinese listed enterprises. We found that corporations holding more cash assets had lower capital allocation efficiency than those with fewer cash assets, which is consistent with agency theory and asymmetric information theory. Internal capital markets exacerbated this adverse effect. Additional testing was conducted to examine the heterogeneity of this effect between different types of ownership and strategy; the findings showed that an increase in cash holdings had a greater marginal impact on overinvestment among privately owned enterprises and underinvestment among state-owned enterprises. Internal capital market operation alleviated the problem of overinvestment but exacerbated the problem of underinvestment in privately owned enterprises, whereas it increased overinvestment in state-owned enterprises. The results suggested that different types of enterprises should deal with the inefficient effect of cash assets based on the causes of inefficient investment.
Optimization of 1-D Unidirectional Leaky-Wave Antennas Based on Partially Reflecting Surfaces

In a previous work, we derived optimum conditions for the design of finite-size one-dimensional (1-D) unidirectional leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) in the general case. The bandwidth and the gain–bandwidth figure of merit are, however, structure-specific, and have not been discussed, yet. A practical case that is widely investigated in the literature is that of 1-D unidirectional LWAs based on partially reflecting surfaces (PRSs). In this work, we not only evaluate these features for this specific class of antennas, but we also derive design rules for optimizing the PRS impedance and cavity height to get maximum gain. Numerical results and full-wave simulations are finally proposed for a realistic example based on a metal strip-grating structure, to validate the theoretical findings.
Comparison of Experimental Approaches Used to Determine the Structure and Function of the Class D G Protein-Coupled Yeast α-Factor Receptor

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-factor mating pheromone receptor (Ste2p) has been studied as a model for the large medically important family of G protein-coupled receptors. Diverse yeast genetic screens and high-throughput mutagenesis of STE2 identified a large number of loss-of-function, constitutively-active, dominant-negative, and intragenic second-site suppressor mutants as well as mutations that specifically affect pheromone binding. Facile genetic manipulation of Ste2p also aided in targeted biochemical approaches, such as probing the aqueous accessibility of substituted cysteine residues in order to identify the boundaries of the seven transmembrane segments, and the use of cysteine disulfide crosslinking to identify sites of intramolecular contacts in the transmembrane helix bundle of Ste2p and sites of contacts between the monomers in a Ste2p dimer. Recent publication of a series of high-resolution cryo-EM structures of Ste2p in ligand-free, agonist-bound and antagonist-bound states now makes it possible to evaluate the results of these genetic and biochemical strategies, in comparison to three-dimensional structures showing activation-related conformational changes. The results indicate that the genetic and biochemical strategies were generally effective, and provide guidance as to how best to apply these experimental strategies to other proteins. These strategies continue to be useful in defining mechanisms of signal transduction in the context of the available structures and suggest aspects of receptor function beyond what can be discerned from the available structures.
Effectiveness of Rapid Transition to Online Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 is prevalent in almost every corner of the globe, meanwhile Sri Lanka is also experiencing it. Higher education providers of the department of agriculture (extension and training division) had to rapidly transition their teaching programs to online learning and assessment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of online learning during the COVID-19 period. Accordingly, students from four different schools of agriculture (Paranthan, Palamuna, Vavuniya, and Palwehera) were purposively selected (n=210). Google form was used to collect data. The results revealed that 53.3% preferred a combination learning system of both traditional learning and online learning. Advantages of online learning were the ability of recording lectures as video (51.7%) and learn in a comfortable place (42.1%). With regards to the obstacles to online learning during the COVID-19 technical problems significantly (91.9%) affected learning while reduced interaction with their teachers/instructors (43.8%) and poor learning environment at home (39%) also were considerable barriers. There was a statistical difference (p<0.05) between face-to-face and online learning in terms increase knowledge, practical skills, social competencies, and assessment methods. However, successful implementation of online learning into the curriculum requires a well-thought-out strategy and a more active approach.
Effect of three plant biomasses and two pyrolysis temperatures on structural characteristics of biochar

ABSTRACT The effect of three plant biomasses and two pyrolysis temperatures were investigated on physical and structural properties of biochar. Biochars produced from woody species (lantana and pine needles) had higher mass yields (18.5%–47.8%), C (599.8–623.2 g kg−1), N (8.6–15.4 g kg−1), humin-like C component (486.8–536.4 mg g−1), B (14.5–42.5 mg kg−1) and Mo (1.3–2.4 mg kg−1) contents than wheat straw biochar. Wheat straw biochar had higher ash content (23.01%–36.14%), specific density (1.45–1.70 g cc−1), surface area (295.0–397.4 m2 g−1), O (672.1–753.2 g kg−1) content and CEC (0.93–1.43 m.e. g−1) compared to biochars from woody species. Compared to 300°C pyrolysis temperature of 450°C significantly increased apparent- and specific-density, ash content, pH, EC, O, P, K, water-soluble C, fulvic acid-like C, humic acid-like C, and carbonyl group contents and the content of all micronutrients except Mo, but decreased mass yield, surface area and the contents of humin-like C and some O-containing functional groups and CEC. The interaction effect between biomass sources and temperature influenced all investigated properties of biochars except H, N, S, Cu, Mo and C:N contents. Different carbon components and functional groups in biochar were correlated with biochar properties.
Vascular–Metabolic Risk Factors and Psychological Stress in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus

Little is known about molecular correlates of chronic tinnitus. We examined interrelationships between vascular–metabolic risk factors, perceived stress, and other routine blood values in patients with chronic tinnitus. Two-hundred patients (51% female) were screened for 49 blood parameters pertaining to vascular–metabolic risk, immune function, and redox processes. They further completed perceived stress- and tinnitus-related distress questionnaires. Following descriptive analyses, gender-specific sets of age- and tinnitus-severity-adjusted regression models investigated associations between perceived stress and blood parameters. Patients reported mildly elevated levels of perceived stress. Elevated levels of total cholesterol (65% and 61% of female and male patients, respectively), non-HDL-c (43/50%), LDL-c (56/59%), and lipoprotein_a (28/14%) were accompanied by high rates of overweight (99/100%) and smoking (28/31%). A low-level inflammatory state was accompanied by reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-neutralizing capacity (reduced co-enzyme Q10 and SOD1 levels). Most vascular risk factors were not correlated with perceived stress, except for fibrinogen (ß = −0.34) as well as C-reactive protein (ß = −0.31, p < 0.05) in men, and MCV (ß = −0.26, p < 0.05) in women. Interrelations between blood parameters and stress levels need to be investigated within psychobehavioural frameworks across varying distress levels. Alongside psychological interventions, a low-level inflammatory state may be a route for pharmacological therapeutics.