Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum 1, 25-dihydroxy vitamin D- vitamin D3- among obese Egyptian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective: Assessment of serum 1, 25-dihydroxy vitamin D in obese Egyptian women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Methods: This was a cross- sectional analytic study conducted at Suez Canal University Hospital outpatient clinics. We recruited eighty patients with PCOS divided into two groups according to their BMI and another 80 women without PCOS. The study group included 40 obese PCOS women, and control one included 40 non-obese PCOS women. Another two groups (obese and non-obese) were recruited, including women without evidence of PCOS. Total testosterone, free testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEAS level were measured for all women. Serum 25-OHD was assessed using enzyme-linked immunoassay ELISA. Results: Clinical and laboratory parameters showed a significant difference between the study and control groups regarding total testosterone, free testosterone, and DHEA-S (p value=0.001). Serum 25-OH vitamin D was lower in the PCOS group (19.5 ± 6.5) versus (24.8 ± 9.6) in the control group (p value =0.001). Serum androgen levels did not differ significantly. Surprisingly, serum 25-OH vitamin D was significantly lower in obese PCOS than non-obese PCOS (11.3 ± 5.9 vs 22.1 ± 8.4 ng/ml; p value=0.001) Conclusion: An association was found between vitamin D deficiency and obese patients with PCOS.
Survival, oxidative stability, and surface characteristics of spray dried co-microcapsules containing omega-3 fatty acids and probiotic bacteria

ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to determine optimum inlet and outlet air temperatures of spray process for producing co-microcapsules containing omega-3 rich tuna oil and probiotic bacteria L. casei. These co-microcapsules were produced using whey protein isolate and gum Arabic complex coacervates as shell materials. Improved bacterial viability and oxidative stability of omega-3 oil were used as two main criteria of this study. Three sets of inlet (130°C, 150°C, and 170°C) and outlet (55°C, 65°C, and 75°C) air temperatures were used in nine combinations to produce powdered co-microcapsule. The viability of L. casei, oxidative stability of omega-3 oil, surface oil, oil microencapsulation efficiency, moisture content, surface elemental composition and morphology of the powdered samples were measured. There is no statistical difference in oxidative stability at two lower inlet air temperatures (130°C and 150°C). However, there was a significant decrease in oxidative stability when higher inlet temperature (170°C) was used. The viability of L. casei decreased with the increase in the inlet and outlet air temperatures. There was no difference in the surface elemental compositions and surface morphology of powdered co-microcapsules produced under these nine inlet/outlet temperature combinations. Of the range of conditions tested the co-microcapsules produced at inlet-outlet temperature 130–65°C showed the highest bacterial viability and oxidative stability of omega-3 and having the moisture content of 4.93 ± 0.05% (w/w). This research shows that powdered co-microcapsules of probiotic bacteria and omega-3 fatty acids with high survival of the former and high stability against oxidation can be produced through spray drying.
QoS-Aware Sensor Virtualization for Provisioning Green Sensors-as-a-Service

This work addresses the problem of efficient virtual sensor formation in sensor-cloud for provisioning green Internet of Things (IoT)-based services. The sustainability of sensor-cloud primarily depends on its quality of service (QoS), resource utilization efficiency, and the revenue earned by its stakeholders. As sensor nodes are resource-constrained, it is important to minimize the overall energy consumption at these devices and for the overall network, thereby reducing the cost of service provisioning. Additionally, it is important to ensure that there is no compromise in the QoS to establish a continuous inflow of revenue for the service-provider. Existing works on virtual sensor formation in sensor-cloud barely consider resource consumption due to multihop communication from source nodes to the base-station, which plays a significant role in determining the resource consumption of the network. Thus, in this work, we model this problem using a game-theoretic approach and propose a hybrid algorithm, named GS2, to solve it. We observe that, by modifying the price paid to the sensor-owners, the service-provider is able to control the resource utilization of the network. Simulations show that GS2 reduces the overall energy consumption by 15.92–24.18%, and increases the revenues of the service-providers and sensor-owners by 8.33–18.33% and 21.05–38.09%, respectively.
Evaluation of Surface Renewal VS. Eddy Covariance Methods to Estimate Cereal Crops Evapotranspiration

This study aims at evaluating the application of using the surface renewal “SR” method against Eddy Covariance “EC” method, for direct estimation of crops evapotranspiration “ETc” of wheat and rice crops, cultivated under the agro-climatic conditions of the old lands in the Nile Delta region in Egypt. Two field experiments were conducted at Qalubia governorate, in 15 feddan experimental field. The assessments were conducted for rice and wheat crops during the agricultural seasons of 2016. During the two seasons, the surface energy fluxes were recorded each 30 min, including net radiation, soil heat fluxes, sensible heat fluxes by EC method, and sensible heat fluxes by SR method. The SR method was calibrated against the EC method, and the determined latent heat fluxes “LE” of the both methods show high correlation with R around 0.98 for both crops. The comparison between ETc-SR and ETc-EC showed statistically good performance, with NRMSE of 11% for rice, and 16% for wheat. The rice results showed that the widely used ETc-FAO was a slight higher than ETc-SR and ETc-EC, by 5% and 0.7%, respectively. Wheat results showed that the ETc-FAO was higher than ETc-SR and ETc-EC by 30% and 32%, respectively. The results of rice and wheat could be promising for further improvement in using the SR method as reliable, accurate, and cost-effective method to estimate ETc for field crops, while more validation is still needed to cover different types of agricultural practices.
Elementary School Physical Education Teachers' Attitudes toward the Use of Mobile Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic

Physical education teaching and learning in the new normal era requires teachers to hold online learning. Most teachers choose mobile learning in spite of its debatable pro and contra in responding to it. The purpose of this study was to describe the attitudes of elementary school physical education teachers towards the use of mobile learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The teachers' attitude was also examined based on their gender, age, and teaching experience. A survey was conducted on 71 physical education teachers across West Java, Indonesia. All physical education teachers had agreed to be involved in this research and were willing to provide information about their attitudes towards the use of mobile learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The instrument used in this study, Physical Education Teachers' Subjective Theories Questionnaire (PETSTQ), was distributed online using Google Form from June to July 2020. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U non-parametric were used to reveal the differences in attitudes towards mobile learning in physical education learning during COVID-19. The results showed that the attitudes of elementary physical education teachers varied based on gender, age, and teaching experience. The findings of this study can inform policy makers to formulating a more applicable online physical education system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Incidence of viruses in cloves and bulbils of garlic ecotypes in Croatia

In a survey on the sanitary status of garlic collection performed in 2016 at the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč (Croatia), 24 ecotypes and cultivars were tested by DAS-ELISA test for the presence of four main garlic viruses: Garlic common latent virus (GCLV), Shallot latent virus (SLV), Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) and Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV). The least frequent virus was SLV, whereas the most frequent was LYSV. In most ecotypes the infection of cloves was lower than infection of bulbils, while for SLV we found higher infection in cloves. Total virus infection of Istrian ecotypes was lower than infection of Dalmatian ones. Total incidence of viruses in Croatian garlic material ranged from 40.6% to 100.0%, depending on ecotype. In imported cultivar ‘Rose de Lautrec’ we found no infection with SLV. A high percentage of mixed infections in garlic cloves was also found and for double infections it ranged from 69% to 88%. Infection with all tested viruses was observed in 78% cloves. The most infected combination was double infections with potyviruses LYSV+OYDV. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of SLV infection in garlic in Croatia.
Rifampicin may be repurposed for COVID-19 treatment: Insights from an in-silico study

The ongoing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to global epidemics with high morbidity and mortality. However, there are no efficacious therapeutic options available for the treatment of COVID-19. Considering this medical emergency, drug repurposing is the need of the hour. Therefore, this study aimed to determine possible COVID-19 drug candidates using virtual screening of selected FDA approved drugs by targeting the main protease (Mpro) of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In this study, first, we have done an extensive literature search to find out the marketed FDA approved drug compounds available for human therapeutic applications having anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. The preliminary reports paved the way for further studies that revealed some of the drugs approved to treat other viral or bacterial infections may be a promising drug candidate and can be repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19. Using a computer-aided drug designing approach, novel candidates for drug repurposing were identified. Based on our preliminary screening supported by previous works of literature, we selected Rifampicin, Ciclesonide, Reserpine, Loperamide, Elvitegravir, Brivudine, Pentoxifylline, Eugenol, Isoniazid, Tinidazole, Diethylcarbamazine, and Vancomycin to target the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). These compounds were examined based on docking studies using Autodock 4.2 Autodock 4.2. , visualization of the docked results using Pymol version 1.7. 4.5 Edu and prediction of two main toxicity aspects hepatotoxicity and cytotoxicity to check the safety of the hit compounds. Selected drugs were ranked for potential efficacy against COVID-19 based on their binding energy. The docking results were found in the order of Rifampicin (-11.16), Ciclesonide (-8.77), Reserpine (-7.76), Loperamide (-7.63), Elvitegravir (-6.58), Brivudine (-6.06), Pentoxifylline (-5.64), Eugenol (-4.78), Isoniazid (-4.71), Tinidazole (-4.51), Diethylcarbamazine (-4.66), Vancomycin (-4.11). ). In the current study, Rifampicin appeared as the most promising drug showing a very good binding energy. Based on our preliminary insights from in silico studies, we propose that Rifampicin may be repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19 however it is pertinent to mention here that our findings need further validation by in vitro studies and clinical trials. In summary, the findings of this study suggest Rifampicin might be a promising drug for targeting the COVID-19 protease.
Utilization of Rhizobacteria and Spent Mushroom Compost for the Management of Bacterial Wilt of Potato

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the fourth most important staple food in the world after wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.) and maize (Zea mays L.). In Pakistan, potato crop is cultivated over an area of 191.6 million hectares. On an average potato production in Pakistan is 20 tonnes per hectare.A target has set by The Government of Pakistan to produce about 4.871 million tons potatoes during Rabi Season 2020-21. (Federal Committee on Agriculture FCA) The potato production exceeds 376 million tonnes harvested from an area of 19.25 million hectares in the world (FAOSTAT 2018). Ralstonia solanacearum causing bacterial wilt is a major threat to potato production. Management through biocontrol agents is one of the best methods that can replace synthetic chemical-based formulations. In the current study combine effect of antagonist rhizobacteria as biocontrol agent and spent mushroom compost as biofertilizer were tested against bacterial wilt disease pathogen. Potato plant samples infected with R. solanacearum and rhizobacteria were collected from potato growing fields in Rawalpindi. Out of twenty tested antagonistic rhizobacterial isolates, only three viz., Rh10, Rh12 and Rh 15 showed maximum inhibitory effect against R. solanacearum. In another experiment different combinations of treatments containing rhizobacteria alone or combined with fresh and spent mushroom composts were also tested against the bacterial wilt pathogen under laboratory conditions. Combination of rhizobacteria along with weathered compost (T5) reduced the disease incidence to 15.92 % when compared against 77.81 % in control after six weeks. Significant increase in plant height up to 41.83 cm was also observed as compared to control viz., 35.5cm. Similarly, T2 (only fresh compost), T3 (containing fresh compost along with rhizobacteria) and T4 (rhizobacteria along with weathered compost) also showed better results as compared to against control (T0) where there was no application of rhizobacteria and compost. Application of rhizobacterial along with spent mushroom compost can significantly reduce the disease incidence along with the improvement in plant growth parameters.
Density Functional Theory Study of Carboxylic Acids Adsorption and Enolization on Monoclinic Zirconia Surfaces

Computational modeling is a valuable tool for understanding atomic-level catalytic processes on metal oxides. Carboxylic acid adsorption and enolization with varied degrees of α branching on monoclinic zirconia's most important surfaces, (111), (111), and (101), have been studied by the density functional theory (DFT). Carboxylates on zirconia (111) and (111) surfaces are preferentially stabilized in the bidentate bridging mode, with O–H bond dissociation and hydrogen bonding to a 2-fold coordinated (2-fc) lattice oxygen. Carboxylic α hydrogen abstraction by another 2-fc lattice oxygen results in enolization of adsorbed carboxylates most readily on the (111) surface of monoclinic zirconia with activation energy ∼25 kcal/mol, which is not sensitive to acid branching. Enolization on the (111) surface requires higher activation energy, 29–33 kcal/mol depending on acid branching. This study demonstrates the origin of an important intermediate in the carboxylic acid ketonization mechanism—often named “surf.
Climate Change, Tourism, and Community Development: Perceptions of Maun Residents, Botswana

Tourism is a key economic sector and tool for community development in most developing countries. However, climate change remains one of the major threats to this development. This is especially so for countries such as Botswana whose tourism industry is largely nature based, making it vulnerable to the effects of environmental change. Consequently, communities who rely on tourism to some extent are also vulnerable to global climate change and its local effects. The purpose of this article is to examine community perceptions with regards to the tourism–climate change nexus in Maun, a key tourism hub in Botswana and dependent on the tourism economy. Data collection was done by means of a household survey. Interestingly, the results showed that most local people do not perceive tourism highly as a source of income. In practice, they depended on other forms of livelihoods like formal employment and farming. Furthermore, even though they have noted some changes in the environment and climate, they generally did not know the resultant impacts despite acknowledging that the tourism industry is bound to be affected. The low awareness levels may lead to inaction, and hence a clarion call to decision makers to develop information and adaptation strategies for communities that host tourist attractions to ensure resilience to anticipated effects of global climate change.
Innovation Performance and the Signal Effect: Evidence from a European Program

This paper seeks to estimate the effect of a European policy that subsidizes innovation investments. By carefully selecting observables, we compare recipients of the program with non-recipient firms to overcome the endogeneity of R&D grants. We conduct a difference-in-differences design on the universe of a unique firm-level dataset of European SMEs between 2008 and 2017. We find a significant effect of proof of concept grants, which implies an increase in the number of patent applications and the probability of patenting. There are positive impacts on credit financing, which suggest a signal effect to investors about the project quality of young firms.
An Si MOSFET-Based High-Power Wireless EV Charger With a Wide ZVS Operating Range

This article proposes a new digitized modulation scheme suitable for a high-power wireless electric vehicle charger employing an integrated boost multilevel converter (IBMC) as its primary-side converter. Using the proposed modulation scheme, an IBMC can generate a boosted square-wave-shaped ac voltage with a controllable amplitude, enabling it to regulate the power efficiently over a wide load and/or coupling range while achieving zero voltage switching for all switches. This article focuses on the steady-state operating principles of the proposed digitized modulation scheme. Key practical considerations, such as capacitor voltage balancing and semiconductor device selection, are highlighted. To verify the benefits of the proposed modulation scheme, an SAE J2954 WPT2/Z2 compliant wireless EV charger prototype that uses an IBMC as the primary converter is designed and built. 200 V Si MOSFETs are employed in the 12 submodules (SMs) that compose the IBMC. The secondary side employs a passive rectifier, and the power flow is controlled using only the IBMC. This system maintains an efficiency between 90% and 93% when regulating power transfer at 7.7 kW under a 220% variation in coupling factor (i.e., 0.14–0.31) and a 150% variation in battery voltage (i.e., 280–420 V).
Innovations in Knowledge Management Perspectives: An Empirical Study in the Jordanian Commercial and Islamic Banks

This research study aims at developing a knowledge management system to enhance Jordanian Banks Performance. The authors developed the system by examining three variables: knowledge processes, knowledge perspectives, and a balanced scorecard. The research sample included all 327 bank employees (directors, general directors, deputies, assistant managers & chairpersons) working in six commercial and Islamic-commercial Jordanian banks, from which 193 completed the study questionnaire. AMOS software was used to treat and organize the collected data. Path analysis proved that the optimal study model excludes the process of knowledge diagnose from knowledge processes, and considers organizational culture perspective as the best moderating variable through which the system can be applied in Jordanian banks. There is a difference in the effect level of the knowledge management system to enhance performance in the Jordanian commercial and Islamic banks. The obtained results indicate that there is a strong relationship between information technology, knowledge management, and high business values. Banks managements were not keen to share knowledge with universities and research centers. They depended on existing knowledge, developed knowledge by experiments, or borrowed it from other financial institutions. This study confirmed that knowledge management practice contributes to increasing efficacy and experience, contributing in turn to enhancing human capital in knowledge-intensive business services in Spain. Knowledge management use in Jordan banks increased employee’s satisfaction toward using operating business and the quality of knowledge obtained. As a result, banking services and trust in banks increased. Based on the research results, it is recommended that banks managements develop, equip, and update bank systems, recruit professional employees, and seek experts and researcher’s assistance in this regard. Banks managements should adopt models that replace a diagnosis from the knowledge processes with organizational culture. Besides, management should develop banking knowledge and pay attention to other knowledge management processes. Keywords: knowledge processes, knowledge perspectives, balanced scorecard.
ALCencryption: A Secure and Efficient Algorithm for Medical Image Encryption

: With the rapid development of medical informatization and the popularization of digital imaging equipment, DICOM images contain the personal privacy of patients, and there are security risks in the process of storage and transmission, so it needs to be encrypted. In order to solve the security problem of medical images on mobile devices, a safe and efficient medical image encryption algorithm called ALCencryption is designed. The algorithm first analyzes the medical image and distinguishes the color image from the gray image. For gray images, the improved Arnold map is used to scramble them according to the optimal number of iterations, and then the diffusion is realized by the Logistic and Chebyshev map cross-diffusion algorithm. The color image is encrypted by cross-diffusion algorithm of double chaotic map. Security and efficiency analysis show that the ALCencryption algorithm has the characteristics of small neighboring pixels, large key space, strong key sensitivity, high safety and short encryption time. It is suitable for medical image encryption of mobile devices with high real-time requirements.
Determination of the Total Content of Polyphenols in Kudincha by Folin-Ciocalteu Colorimetry

A quantitative method for the determination of the total content of polyphenols in kudincha was studied by using FC method (Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetry ) with chlorogenic acid as standard. The results showed that the total polyphenol contents of kudincha could be well calculated according to their colorimetric absorption at 747 nm by applying Folin-Ciocalteu reagent 3.0 ml and saturated Na2CO3 4.5 ml at 30 ℃ for 30 min, and the linear range of standard curve was 20.0~100.0 mg/L. Stability, precision, repetition and recovery rate were in the range of 0.887%~1.416% by RSD (relative standard deviation). There are not any differences for the results obtained by FC method and ferrous tartrate colourimetry. Therefore, FC method is convenient, fast, and accurate to determine the total polyphenols of kudincha.