Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public Capital Infrastructure Management: Cases of Germany, Hungary and the USA

ABSTRACT The study uses a comparative case study approach to analyze contrasts and similarities of capital infrastructure management at the national level in Hungary, Germany, and the USA. Public investment has decreased in Germany and the USA while Hungary has benefited from significant public investments financed by EU funds over the past 15 years. Ageing infrastructure and public infrastructure maintenance has been found to be the weakest area in all three countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated existing challenges in underinvestment in public infrastructure. Political support for capital infrastructure project could be more important than cost-benefit estimates in the USA and Hungary. These study findings show that there has been an increased need to institutionalize recommended practices in capital infrastructure management at national levels of government, in particular during COVID-19 crisis. The countries have a unique opportunity to reinvest in capital infrastructure and jumpstart countries’ economy during COVID-19 crisis.
Artificial Intelligence Application on Sediment Transport

When erosion occurs, sand beaches cannot maintain sufficient sand width, foreshore slopes become steeper due to frequent erosion effects, and beaches are trapped in a vicious cycle of vulnerability due to incident waves. Accordingly, beach nourishment can be used as a countermeasure to simultaneously minimize environmental impacts. However, beach nourishment is not a permanent solution and requires periodic renourishment after several years. To address this problem, minimizing the period of renourishment is an economical alternative. In the present study, using the Tuvaluan coast with its cross-sectional gravel nourishment site, four different test cases were selected for the hydraulic model experiment aimed at discovering an effective nourishment strategy to determine effective alternative methods. Numerical simulations were performed to reproduce gravel nourishment; however, none of these models simultaneously simulated the sediment transport of gravel and sand. Thus, an artificial neural network, a deep learning model, was developed using hydraulic model experiments as training datasets to analyze the possibility of simultaneously accomplishing the sediment transport of sand and gravel and supplement the shortcomings of the numerical models.
LOADING OF CLARITHROMYCIN AND PACLITAXEL ON SYNTHESIZED CdS/NiO NANOPARTICLES AS PROMISING NANOCARRIERS

Objective: In this study cadmium sulfide (CdS) and nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles were synthesized and applied as novel nanocarriers for antibacterial drug clarithromycin (CLA) and anticancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) to improve their physical properties and biological activities. Methods: Cadmium sulfide (CdS) and nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation and thermochemical processing techniques respectively and loaded with clarithromycin (CLA) and paclitaxel (PTX) by simple new one-step reaction. Analytical measures including FTIR, PXRD, SEM, AFM, TGA, DSC and zeta potential where used for characterization. The in vitro release, antibacterial as well as anticancer activities were evaluated. Results: Analytical measures revealed that the loading involved physical complex formation rather than chemical modification with the high percent surface loading of the drugs on the nanoparticles. Solubility/dissolution study revealed higher significant* improvement in the solubility of CLA from NiO nanoparticles than that from CdS nanoparticles while the antibacterial activity of CLA was non-significantly improved. For PTX loaded on CdS and NiO nanoparticles showed non-significant change in its solubility, but remarkable significant* increase in its antitumor activity on MCF-7 cell line accompanied with significant* reduction in its cytotoxicity on normal mammary cell line (MCF-10A) indicating the selectivity and targeting of PTX-CdS/NiO nanocarriers with reduced side effects of the drug and the used metal nanocarriers. Conclusion: This work provided most selective and safe delivery system for PTX and best method for enhancement of CLA solubility. Keywords: Clarithromycin (CLA), Paclitaxel (PTX), Cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles, Nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles
Preliminary research of 3-chlorine-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl chitosan(HTCC)-pgD nanoparticles on immune responses to HSV-II DNA vaccine in mice

Objective:The DNA vaccine expressing herpes simplex virus type Ⅱ(HSV-2) glycoprotein D(gD) and 3-chlorine-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl chitosan(HTCC) was prepared as a new nanoparticle composite,and its ability to induce immune response in mice was investigated.Methods: The nanoparticle composites were synthesized by complex coacervation method with HTCC and plasmid DNA and the characteristics were evaluated.Female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups(HTCC10 control group,pcDNAkan group,pgD group,HTCC∶ pgD=5∶1 group and HTCC∶ pgD=10∶1 group) and immunized respectively with once intramuscular injection every 3 weeks for twice.Two weeks after the last injection,blood samples were collected and assessed with ELISA to detect IgG.CD+4 and CD+8T cells after immunization were detected by flow cytometry.ELISA was used to detect cytokine level in serum,such as IFN-γ and IL-4.Results: HTCC could form nanoparticle composites with plasmid DNA.HTCC-pgD nanoparticles renders a significant protection of the plasmid.Compared with the control groups,the mice inoculated with HTCC-pgD nanoparticles could produce higher levels of antibody.The HTCC-pgD nanoparticles groups also elicited higher levels of CD+4 at 6 weeks after immunization(P0.05). Serum IFN-γ level was higher in HTCC-pgD nanoparticle composites group than that in control group,while serum IL-4 level was conversed.Conclusion: HTCC-pgD nanoparticles can both enhance the cell-mediated immunity and humoral immunity in BALB/c mice.The present study could provide a scientific basis for the HSV-2 DNA vaccine research.
Does Gender Representation at Decision Making Levels Matter for Better Financial Performance of Local Licensed Commercial Banks in Sri Lanka?

Aim: Female representation in top corporate positions has been discussed widely around the world over the last decade, mainly due to the significant gap observed between the number of females with higher educational qualifications and the number of females in employment. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the relationship between the female presence within boardrooms and top management teams of local licensed commercial banks and the financial performance of those banks, which is a timely concern. Place and Duration of Study: Amana Bank PLC, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, DFCC Bank PLC, Hatton National Bank PLC, National Development Bank PLC, Nations Trust Bank PLC, Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC, Sampath Bank PLC, Seylan Bank PLC, and Union Bank of Colombo PLC were studied during the time period 2011 to 2019. Methodology: The time series data analysis method has been used for 10 local licensed commercial banks in Sri Lanka, excluding one bank which was not a PLC. The annual reports of the Original Research Article Sandanayaka and Sumanasiri; AJEBA, 21(7): 32-49, 2021; Article no.AJEBA. 68963 33 respective banks were used to gather the secondary data required for the study. Results: The regression analysis explained that female presence within boardrooms is positive and significant with respect to ROE and positive and insignificant with respect to ROA, whereas females in top management has a positive but insignificant relationship to ROA and a negative but insignificant relationship to ROE. The percentage changes in ROE and ROA explained by the two independent variables are relatively low. Accordingly, no significant relationships between female presence within boardrooms and top management teams and firm financial performance were identified. Conclusion: The insignificant relationships between the variables indicate that it is not necessary for these banks to employ females in order to prosper in their financial performance. However, the banks could still consider employing females in the boardroom to empower gender equality since such a presence does not have a negative impact on financial performance.
The Effect of Doping in Split-Well Direct-Phonon THz Quantum-Cascade Laser Structures

We have studied the effect of doping on the temperature performance of a split-well (SW) direct-phonon (DP) terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade laser (QCL) scheme supporting a clean three-level system. Achieving a system that is as close as possible to a clean n-level system proved to be the strategy that led to the best temperature performance in THz-QCLs. We expected to obtain a similar improvement to that observed in resonant-phonon (RP) schemes after increasing the carrier concentration from 3 × 1010 cm−2 to 6 × 1010 cm−2. Our goal was to improve the temperature performance by increasing the doping, ideally the results should have improved. To our surprise, in the devices we checked, the results show the contrary. Although an increase in doping had previously shown a positive effect in RP schemes, our results indicated that this does not happen with SW–DP devices. However, we observed a significant increase in gain broadening and a reduction in the dephasing time as the doping and temperature increased. We attribute these effects to enhanced ionized-impurity scattering (IIS). The observation and study of effects related to dephasing included in our experimental work have previously only been possible via simulation.
Effect of Math Anxiety and Motivation Against Student Mathematical Connections Capabilities

This study aims to determine the effect of mathematics anxiety and learning motivation on students' mathematical connection abilities. This research was conducted in SMP Negeri 1 Cikampek class VII 9. In the selection of research samples using the cluster random sampling technique. With the method of Correlational research type of regression, the data used are quantitative data obtained from the inquiry questionnaire and learning motivation and mathematical connection ability test questions. Data processing techniques used in this study are using multiple linear regression. In this study quantitative data processing was performed using IBM SPSS 21.0 software for windows. The results of this study obtained a regression equation (Y=-58,623+0,678X1+0,359X2) which is linear with a determination coefficient of 30.3%, meaning that about 69.7% is explained outside of the regression equation. Thus, it was found that mathematics anxiety and learning motivation significantly influence students' mathematical connection abilities.
Deep learning‐based scheme to diagnose Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system that causes difficulty in movement, often including tremors and rigidity. Early detection of PD can prevent symptoms up to a certain age and increase life expectancy. For this purpose, we have used brain images from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. A deeper level of feature detection in MRI can identify biomarkers that can be used to know how the disease spreads, leading to a cure in the future. With these motives, we have presented two novel approaches using deep learning (DL) techniques. 2D and 3D convolution neural networks (CNN) are used, which are trained on MRI scans in the axial plane. The dataset was constructed using images from Parkinson's progression markers initiative (PPMI). The four pre‐processing techniques used in this article are bias field correction, histogram matching, Z‐score normalization, and image resizing. Pre‐processing techniques were essential inaccurate training models. Every class prediction done by the model would have taken multiple features into account across multiple layers of the brain and not relied on a single or few important features, making DL a powerful concept. A total of 318 MRI scans were used to train and test a 2D CNN and a 3D CNN model. We have compared the models' results using different evaluation parameters such as accuracy, loss, confusion matrix, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and precision‐recall (PR) curve. The 3D model learned key features from the data and was able to classify the test data with 88.9% accuracy with 0.86 area under curve (AUC). In contrast, the 2D model achieved a mediocre accuracy of 72.22% with 0.50 AUC. This shows that the 3D model is more accurate and reliable than the 2D model.
Structure, Dynamics, and Spectral Diffusion of Water from First-Principles Molecular Dynamics

We have carried out first-principles Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations of heavy water using density functional theory in conjunction with either empirical van der Waals (vdW) corrections or semilocal (van der Waals) exchange and correlation functionals. Specifically, gradient-corrected density functionals (BLYP), semiempirical vdW methods (BLYP-D2, BLYP-D3, PBE-D3, revPBE-D3), and vdW density functionals (DRSLL-PBE, DRSLL-optB88) are applied to evaluate their accuracy in describing the hydrogen-bonded network of heavy water. Ab initio trajectories are used to calculate structural and dynamical properties, with special emphasis on vibrational spectral diffusion and hydrogen bond dynamics. Our results show that inclusion of vdW interactions in DFT-GGA significantly affects the structure of liquid water and results in a faster diffusion. The combination of BLYP and revPBE functionals with the semiempirical vdW method of Grimme et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 2010, 132, 154104] and modified B88 fu.
A novel methodology to explore the periodic gait of a biped walker under uncertainty using a machine learning algorithm

Abstract In this paper, we present a systematic approach to improve the understanding of stability and robustness of stability against the external disturbances of a passive biped walker. First, a multi-objective, multi-modal particle swarm optimization (MOMM-PSO) algorithm was employed to suggest the appropriate initial conditions for a given biped walker model to be stable. The MOMM-PSO with ring topology and special crowding distance (SCD) used in this study can find multiple local minima under multiple objective functions by limiting each agent’s search area properly without determining a large number of parameters. Second, the robustness of stability under external disturbances was studied, considering an impact in the angular displacement sampled from the probabilistic distribution. The proposed systematic approach based on MOMM-PSO can find multiple initial conditions that lead the biped walker in the periodic gait, which could not be found by heuristic approaches in previous literature. In addition, the results from the proposed study showed that the robustness of stability might change depending on the location on a limit cycle where immediate angular displacement perturbation occurs. The observations of this study imply that the symmetry of the stable region about the limit cycle will break depending on the accelerating direction of inertia. We believe that the systematic approach developed in this study significantly increased the efficiency of finding the appropriate initial conditions of a given biped walker and the understanding of robustness of stability under the unexpected external disturbance. Furthermore, a novel methodology proposed for biped walkers in the present study may expand our understanding of human locomotion, which in turn may suggest clinical strategies for gait rehabilitation and help develop gait rehabilitation robotics.
Willingness of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm.) students to be custodians of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): case study of Kenyatta University, Nairobi

Appropriate training on standardization of quality characteristics of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices has the potential to pave way for integrative and collaborative healthcare delivery in African health facilities. The purpose of this study was to understand how willing pharmacy students are to taking on the custody of CAM, especially provision of expertise services on traditional medicines. A questionnaire on the willingness of Bachelor of Pharmacy students to be trained and certified as CAM experts in an integrated health system was administered to one hundred and nineteen (119) pharmacy students of Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. Ninety-four respondents (78.99 %) were excited to be trained on CAM and become experts on CAM alongside orthodox but not solely on CAM. Majority of the respondents acknowledged the important role of CAM in the nation’s healthcare delivery system but were not ready to be trained solely as such without the commitments of governments for better status. The study revealed that with necessary support from governments and stakeholders, specialists from those desiring to study pharmacy can be developed to focus on safety, purity and efficacy of CAM, especially traditional medicines, to enhance their incorporation into the national healthcare system.
Efficacy of BISAP score versus Ranson’s score to determine the severity index of acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the most common gastrointestinal disease for which patients are acutely hospitalized and its incidence is rising. Almost 80% of patients with acute pancreatitis have a mild disease course where symptoms usually resolve within 1 week. Nearly 20% of patients develop severe acute pancreatitis with organ failure and/or necrotizing pancreatitis. Necrotizing pancreatitis is defined by pancreatic parenchymal necrosis and/or peri-pancreatic fat necrosis. Those patients are at risk for a persistent systemic inflammatory response syndrome and/or multiple organ failure. Sterile pancreatic necrosis and sterile peripancreatic collections can usually be treated successfully with conservative measures. However, 30% of patients develop secondary infection of necrosis, most often 3 to 4 weeks after the onset of disease. When secondary infection of necrosis occurs, morbidity and mortality increase dramatically. Overall mortality in severe pancreatitis is high (15% to 30%) compared with mild pancreatitis (0% to 1%). ABSTRACT
A Year-Round Measurement of Water-Soluble Trace and Rare Earth Elements in Arctic Aerosol: Possible Inorganic Tracers of Specific Events

This study presents the year-round variability of the water-soluble fraction of trace elements (wsTE) and rare earth elements (wsREE) among size segregated airborne particulate matter samples collected at Ny-Ålesund in the Svalbard Archipelago from 26 February 2018 to 26 February 2019. Six different aerosol dimensional fractions were collected using a multi-stage Andersen impactor to better understand local and global circulation with the aim of disentangling the source of inorganic tracers from specific natural or anthropogenic sources. The wsTE and wsREE content, especially in the finest fractions in remote areas, is primarily related to long-range transport and it gives valuable information on (1) the global circulation, (2) the natural sources and (3) the contribution of human activities to aerosol composition. A Factor Analysis was applied to the dataset, including levoglucosan and methanesulfonic acid (MSA), to assess the possibility of using certain inorganic tracers as indicators of specific transport events or circulation regimes. We also investigate back-trajectories to determine potential source areas.
Examining the Effects of Relationship Education for Same-Sex Couples: A Randomized Control Trial

Abstract Relationship education programs are designed to enhance a variety of relationship characteristics related to building knowledge and skills for healthy relationships. Same-sex couples represent a high-risk group that would benefit from relationship education based on unique challenges such as heterosexist discrimination that impact relationships and the mental health of individuals who identity as sexual minorities. The aim of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of relationship education on improving dyadic coping, emotional regulation, and psychological distress for same-sex couples (N = 52) who were enrolled in a randomized control trial testing PREP’s Within Our Reach. Results indicate significant positive effects on individual distress symptoms for couples assigned to the intervention. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.
The Mediating Role of Death Anxiety on The Relationship Between Successful Aging and Life Satisfaction

Bu arastirmada, yaslilarin basarili yaslanma ve yasam doyumu duzeyleri arasindaki iliskide olum kaygisinin araci rolunun test edilmesi amaclanmistir. Arastirmanin calisma grubunu, 60 yas ve uzeri 243 (130 kadin, 113 erkek) yasli birey olusturmustur. Arastirmanin veri toplama asamasinda Basarili Yaslanma Olcegi, Yetiskin Yasam Doyumu Olcegi ve Olum Kaygisi Olcegi kullanilmistir. Verilerin analizinde Pearson Momentler Carpim Korelasyon Teknigi ve Standart Coklu Regresyon Teknigi’nden yararlanilmistir. Yapilan on analizler, arastirmada ele alinan degiskenler arasinda manidar iliskiler oldugunu gostermektedir. Regresyon analizi sonuclari ise yaslilarin basarili yaslanma duzeylerinin yasam doyumu ve olum kaygisi degiskenleri tarafindan manidar bir sekilde yordanmasi ile birlikte yasam doyumu ile olum kaygisi arasinda manidar bir iliskinin olduguna isaret etmektedir. Bu noktada arastirmanin onemli bir diger bulgusu olum kaygisi ve yasam doyumu degiskenlerinin birlikte basarili yaslanma toplam varyansinin %36’sini acikladigi yonundedir. Olum kaygisinin basarili yaslanma ile yasam doyumu arasindaki iliskide araci degisken oldugu sonucuna varilmistir. Bu kapsamda daha detayli bilgiler edinebilmek adina olum kaygisi, basarili yaslanma ve yasam doyumu kavramlari cercevesinde nicel, nitel ve karma yontemdeki arastirmalarin artirilmasi onerilmektedir.
Impact of Preceding Crop, Sowing Methods and Nano-Fertilizer (Amino mineral) on Bread Wheat Production and Quality in Toshka Region, Egypt

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop all over the world as well as it is considered the major cultivated, most consuming staple food in Egy pt and for millions of people worldwide. Egypt remains a highly importer of wheat despite it was the first crop to be planted. To obtain high produc tion of wheat under Egyptian agriculture is one of the main targets of food production increa se in order to reduce the food gap as a result of the continuous population increase. Land reclamation is one of the important solutions for this reason which is the most important strategic aim to reduce the gap between production and consumption.
Psychometric properties of the French version of the Pictorial Scale of Physical Self-Concept for Younger Children (P-PSC-C).

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a French version of the Pictorial scale of Physical Self-Concept for younger Children (P-PSC-C). A sample of 216 French-speaking Canadian children (aged 5 to 12 years) participated in this study. Results supported the validity and reliability of the a priori single factor structure of the P-PSC-C. Subsequent analyses also supported the partial weak, strong and strict invariance of this a priori measurement model as a function of children’s sex, and revealed latent mean differences showing that boys tended to present higher scores on the P-PSC-C compared to girls. The results also revealed a lack of latent mean differences as a function of age, body mass Index (BMI) and physical activity/sport involvement. They also revealed evidence of differential item functioning (DIF) as a function of age and BMI (but not physical activity/sport involvement), showing that: (a) older children tended to score lower on the endurance, flexibility and physical appearance items relative to younger children; and (b) children with a higher BMI tended to score lower on the endurance item relative to children with a lower BMI. Finally, analyses of convergent validity revealed that the scores on the global P-PSC-C factor was significantly and positively related to enjoyment in sports.