Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen gas production from sago industry wastewater using electrochemical reactor: Simulation and validation

ABSTRACT This study describes the production of hydrogen gas from sago industry wastewater under varying operating conditions, such as time of electrolysis, electrode surface area, and current intensity. The process was investigated by employing a four-factor three-level Box–Behnken statistical design (BBD). The results were examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA). This study developed a second-order polynomial model and utilized three-dimensional (3D) response graphs to study the interactive effect of process variables on the production of hydrogen gas. The optimum conditions for maximum hydrogen gas production were determined and found to be 45 cm2 for electrode surface area, 22 min for time of electrolysis, and 13 A for current intensity. The predicted hydrogen gas output in optimum conditions was 1.12 mL/L. These results show that it is possible to achieve efficient hydrogen gas production, by electrochemically processing in sago industry wastewater.
Land‐use legacies influence tree water‐use efficiency and nitrogen availability in recently established European forests

1. Forest regrowth following farmland (agriculture and pasture) abandonment has been positively associated with a number of processes including the regulation of hydrological cycling, the enhancement of soil functioning and an increase in forest productivity and carbon (C) sequestration. Although these changes in eco system functioning post- farmland abandonment have been observed in multiple locations and studies, the ecophysiological basis underpinning these patterns re mains unclear. Here, we examine whether increased forest expansion following pastureland abandonment is associated with greater water- use efficiency (WUE) and legacies from previous land use in terms of nitrogen (N) availability. 2. We thus explored differences in leaf traits and N availability between recently es tablished (post- 1950) beech Fagus sylvatica (L.) forests on former pastureland and long- established beech forests (pre- 1950). The investigated leaf traits were SLA, leaf N concentration (%N) and intrinsic WUE (iWUE, i.e. the ratio between photo synthesis and stomatal conductance); as well, leaf and soil stable N isotope compo sition ( δ 15 N) and total %N were used to assess changes in N availability. Finally, we compared the correlation strength between the above- mentioned parameters and those associated with tree productivity (wood density and basal area increment, BAI) and the richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM) in these two forest types. 3. Recent forests had greater iWUE than long- established forests, which was associated more with lower SLA than leaf %N. Leaf and soil δ 15 N were more robust proxies than %N for detecting differences in N availability. Less negative leaf and soil δ 15 N values in recent versus long- established forests suggest, on the one hand, greater N avail ability, probably due to higher historical N input originating from animal excreta on these former pasturelands, and, on the other hand, an increase in N loss pathways.
Measuring the Feature of “The Global”: A Framework for Analyzing the Global City Ranking

This study discusses the measurement of the global city with the primary aim to uncover the logical grounds to measure the features of “the global” in the study of ranking and comparing the cities. The study sets up a three-dimensional analysis framework with infrastructure (economy), fluidity (openness), and reputation (influence) for the basic dimensions of measurement for the global cities. Using this framework, the studies of top-10 Chinese cities in the global city comparison have been conducted with the data of cities’ scores from various ranking systems. The resources used include the index of Globalization and World Cities, global urban economic competitiveness index, Economic daily and United Nations global urban sustainable competitiveness rankings. The study tests the effectiveness of this framework by illustrating the coherence and dissimilarity of this analysis with other city ranking systems, and further discloses the advantage of this indicator system. This study exposes the existing problems in the logic and rationale of the urban studies and establishes the basis of global city ranking, thus offering policymakers new perspective on the strategy of city development.
Biodiversity and seasonal distribution of benthic diatom assemblages as an indicator of water quality of small karstic river in Bosnia and Herzegovina

– The aims of this paper were to describe seasonal changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of diatom taxa and the potential application of benthic diatoms for ecological status evaluation. Diatom indices (IPS and TI) were calculated from data from three different locations along a longitudinal profile of the Bunica, a small karstic river in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 147 taxa were recorded in 12 samples. The most common taxa were Meridion circulare (Greville) C.Agardh and Ulnaria ulna (Nitzsch) Compère. Physical and chemical analyses showed low concentrations of nutrients, good oxygenation, typical pH for carbonate bed/origin and generally oligotrophic conditions and high ecological status. All sites had similar physico-chemical conditions and there were only few seasonal differences. Ordination of the diatom data showed that samples showed neither longitudinal nor seasonal patterns. Median value for IPS (16.8) and for TI (7.3) can be possible ‘‘expected’’ values for ecological status assessment for small karstic rivers in the Mediterranean region. We propose the use of the phytobenthos Intercalibration Common Metric (pICM - an index that combines the IPS and TI) as a national metric for countries developing WFD diatom methods at a late stage. One situation is described, and a solution, which is potentially transferable to other locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and also to other countries facing similar challenges.
Evaluation of Treatments for Stabilization of Verdigris and Malachite Containing Paper Documents

Abstract Copper ions and acids lead to enhanced degradation of the paper carrier. Stabilization treatment of documents with pigments such as verdigris and malachite should therefore include addition of alkalis to combat acid hydrolysis of cellulose and antioxidants to retard oxidative degradation catalysed by copper ions. The paper reviews present approaches for stabilisation of green copper pigments. Furthermore, two recently proposed treatments containing tetraalkylammonium bromide antioxidants and alkali are evaluated. The first treatment is based on interleaving of paper samples containing malachite or verdigris pigments with papers, impregnated with alkaline buffer and antioxidant at elevated relative humidity and applied pressure. The second one is based on the use of non-aqueous suspensions of nano calcium carbonate and/or magnesium oxide particles and tetrabutylammonium or tetrapropylammonium bromide. Size exclusion chromatography is used to monitor the extent of degradation of samples during accelerated ageing, while colour changes of pigments are determined using colourimetry. Results demonstrate that effective stabilization of paper samples can be achieved with tetrabutylammonium bromide and calcium carbonate containing interleaves at 90% RH. When non-aqueous immersion treatment is applied, tetrabutylammonium bromide at a concentration 0.09 M in combination with calcium carbonate nano particles had the most beneficial effect on the paper as well as on the colour of the copper based pigments.
Structurational divergence, safety climate, and intentions to leave: An examination of health care workers’ experiences of abuse

ABSTRACT Guided by structurational divergence (SD) theory, this study examined the presence and impact of unresolved tensions surrounding safety issues among hospital workers. Using a two-study design, data were gathered for Study 1 from focus groups and interviews involving 40 hospital employees at two hospitals. Thematic analysis indicated workers experienced SD-cycles marked by unresolved conflict, immobilization, and erosion of development. Study 2 surveyed (N = 303) workers within the same hospital network to examine the impact of unresolvable safety issues as both the outcome of SD and the antecedent to workers’ intent to leave. The conceptual model tested shows the destructive outcomes of SD on safety climate, where higher levels of SD lead to lower perceptions of safety climate.
Oxygation to Unlock Yield Potential of Crops: A Review

Irrigated agriculture has played a vital role in supporting a dramatic increase in global food production over recent decades. However, only 20 per cent of the world’s agricultural land is irrigated. It produces 40 per cent of world’s food supply. Even the traditional practices of irrigation, in whatever form, will have transient of long term depressive effects of soil oxygen content. The depressive effect of irrigation on soil oxygen is higher for a given soil water potential on heavy clay soils (e.g., for vertisols) than on lighter soils Hence plants suffered from sub-optimal oxygen supply in the root zone and causes hypoxia and anoxia. Aeration of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has been shown to alleviate soil hypoxia/anoxia by providing air/oxygen to an oxygen-depleted plant root zone. This can be achieved by coupling an air injector venturi to draw air into the subsurface drip irrigation system is known as oxygation/aerogation/air injection. Oxygation assures optimal root function, microbial activity and mineral transformations, which lead to enhanced yield and water use efficiency under hypoxic (anaerobic) conditions. It also improves plant performance and yield under irrigated conditions (i.e. crops such as radish by 9.87 per cent and cotton lint yields by 10 per cent) previously considered to be satisfactory for crop growth and offers scope to offset some of the negative impacts of compaction and salinity related to poor soil aeration on crop growth. The aeration condition of irrigated soils deserves more attention than it has received in the past, if we wish to unlock yield potential constraints by soil oxygen limitations in irrigated areas and enhance the yield potential to meet the future food (and fibre) demand.
Managerial political competencies and the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises in South Africa

Attention on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is premised on their fundamental role in the socio-economic development of countries worldwide, in areas such as gross domestic product (GDP) and employment (Ardic, Mylenko & Saltane 2011). For instance, SMEs in the USA generate more than 50% of the GDP, and between 55% and 80% of total employment of that nation (Katua 2014). About 90% of private businesses in most African countries are SMEs, contributing to more than 50% of employment and GDP (Abor & Quartey 2010). For example, in countries such as Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya, SMEs are estimated to contribute over 70% in employment and 30% – 40% in their GDP (Frimpong 2013). In South Africa, SMEs constitute close to 91% of the formal businesses, contributing between 51% and 57% of the GDP and creating almost 60% of employment (Cant & Wiid 2013; Kongolo 2010). With a high unemployment rate of approximately 29% of the economically active population (Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2019) and high levels of poverty and income inequality (Fatoki & Smit 2011), the performance of SMEs becomes a critical subject for further investigation. Orientation: Research on managerial political competencies has progressed well in other organisational setups, but not so much in entrepreneurial ventures, yet literature documents the pivotal role played by political competencies in the performance of small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs).
Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke: a comparative evaluation of lipid profile

Background: The scientific community often sees association of blood lipid levels with the risk of cardiovascular disease. Strong association has often been found between high levels of low density lipoproteins (LDL) and the development of atherosclerosis while elevated levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL) are understood to play protective role. This study was conducted to compare lipid profile among ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients. Methods: This observational study was conducted in Department of Neurology, Medanta, Medicity Gurugram, where 50 patients’ cases of infarct and 50 cases of hemorrhagic stroke were studied during: April 2020 to October 2020. All patients with clinically and radiologically proved cerebrovascular accident were included in the study. Results: Mean total cholesterol (TC) for hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke was 175.2 mg/dl and 192.4±41.6 mg/dl respectively. Deranged LDL among subjects with ischemic stroke was 32%. Deranged LDL was seen in 76% of patients reporting ischemic stroke. The mean values for triglycerides (TG) stood at 122±34.6 mg/dl and 141±43.3 mg/dl for hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke respectively. It was seen that the risk of developing ischemic stroke increased with rise in total cholesterol and LDL value. Lipid derangement thus formed an important risk factor for stroke. Conclusions: A significant association is found between raised LDL, abnormal HDL and ischemic stroke, however, a significant rise in total cholesterol level was found in case of both the groups. It is very apparent that patients under high risk should be regularly screened for serum lipid profile.
Photoionization Cross Sections of Carbon-Like N+ near the K-Edge (390 eV - 440 eV)

High-resolution K-shell photoionization cross-sections for the C-like atomic nitrogen ion (N+) are reported in the 398 eV (31.15 Å) to 450 eV (27.55 Å) energy (wavelength) range. The results were obtained from absolute ion-yield measurements using the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation facility for spectral bandpasses of 65 meV or 250 meV. In the photon energy region 398 eV - 403 eV, 1s⟶2p autoionizing resonance states dominated the cross section spectrum. Analyses of the experimental profiles yielded resonance strengths and Auger widths. In the 415 eV - 440 eV photon region 1s⟶1s2s22p2 4Pnp and 1s⟶1s2s22p2 2Pnp resonances forming well-developed Rydberg series up n=7 and n=8 , respectively, were identified in both the single and double ionization spectra. Theoretical photoionization cross-section calculations, performed using the R-matrix plus pseudo-states (RMPS) method and the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) approach were bench marked against these high-resolution experimental results. Comparison of the state-of-the-art theoretical work with the experimental studies allowed the identification of new resonance features. Resonance strengths, energies and Auger widths (where available) are compared quantitatively with the theoretical values. Contributions from excited metastable states of the N+ ions were carefully considered throughout.
Perception of facility readiness and health worker willingness to participate in the COVID-19 pandemic response in a treatment centre in Nigeria

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate health workers’ knowledge, self preparedness and willingness to volunteer for outbreak response and perceived institutional readiness to manage confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 300 consenting healthcare workers in a COVID19 treatment facility in Edo state, Nigeria. Data were collected between April and May 2020 using selfadministered questionnaires. Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, with Chisquare test and logistic regression applied with a 95% confidence interval. All ethical considerations were met. Results: One hundred and seventeen (39.0%) respondents were willing to volunteer in the response, with respondents who were confident in their ability to suspect a case, communicate risk effectively and who believed the facility should be a treatment centre being 3.55, 2.07 and 2.30 times more likely to volunteer respectively (P< 0.001, P = 0.04 and P = 0.02 respectively). Two hundred and seven (69.0%) respondents felt the facility was ready to manage confirmed cases. Management commitment 255 (85.0%) was the factor acknowledged as most indicative that the facility was ready to handle cases, with availabiltiy of personal protective wears as the least mentioned 166 (55.3%). Conclusion: Many health workers who should be in the frontline were unwilling to volunteer to manage cases, though perceived facility readiness was high. Health managers should take steps to address identified barriers and provide conducive work environments.
Blended teaching and learning methods in nursing and midwifery education: A scoping review of the literature

Background: Blended learning (BL) is defined as the combination of both traditional face-to-face learning and synchronous or asynchronous e-learning approaches. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the literature to obtain a broad understanding of the use of BL in nursing and midwifery education in general, in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and in particular Rwanda. Methods: The literature published between 2010 and 2019 were reviewed from six electronic databases using keywords including blended learning, nursing education, midwifery education, higher education, SSA, and Rwanda. Arksey and O'Malley's framework was used in this review. Results: The initial search identified 1,283 records. Eleven articles were selected for this review after the application of predetermined inclusion criteria. Almost all reviewed articles indicated that the integration of BL methods improved the quality of nursing and midwifery education in general, and in SSA countries including Rwanda. Conclusions: Initial research in this area highlights that moving from traditional classroom-delivered programs to the BL approach is feasible and can promote the quality of nursing and midwifery standards of education. This scoping review highlights a paucity of research on BL in nursing and midwifery education, particularly in SSA countries.
Measuring Local Influential Observations in Modified Ridge Regression

: In this paper, we use generalized inﬂuence function and generalized Cook distance to measure the local inﬂuence of minor perturbation on the modiﬁed ridge regression estimator in ridge type linear regression model. The diagnostics under the perturbation of constant variance and individual explanatory variables are obtained when multicollinearity presents among the regressors. Also we proposed a statistic that reveals the inﬂuential cases for Mallow’s method which is used to choose modiﬁed ridge regression estimator biasing parameter. Two real data sets are used to illustrate our methodologies.
What does operational excellence mean in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era?

Although the term Operational Excellence (OE) has been widely applied over the past few decades, its meaning is still ill-defined. This issue may be especially aggravated after the advent of the Industry 4.0 (I4.0), which introduces disruptive digital technologies that may help to overcome traditional barriers in operations management. This paper examines the concept of OE in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. For that, we conducted semi-structured interviews with experts from both academia and manufacturing companies, focusing on the shifts in OE's concepts implied by the I4.0 with regards to four key aspects (people, partnerships, processes, and products and services). Experts’ responses had their content analysed through the lens of General Systems Theory, which allowed the formulation of propositions towards the conceptualization of OE in the digital transformation era. Our findings indicated that, although some attributes may remain the same, the emphasis of OE in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is likely to change. The extensive integration of digital technologies into manufacturing companies tends to entail different expectations in terms of excellence in people, partnerships, processes, and products and services. As interconnectivity and cyber-physical systems gain prominence, a more integrative and systemic perspective of OE is facilitated, expanding its meaning and understanding.
Evaluating Properties and Performance of Long Memory Models from an Emerging Foreign Markets Return Innovations

The study investigate, evaluate properties and performance of long memory models from emerging foreign markets return innovations between 1991 – 2020. The purpose of the study include to; investigate the persistence of shocks in Nigerian international markets, model long-range dependence, test the efficient markets hypothesis using fractionally integrated volatility models, develop an appropriate long memory model for Nigerian international markets, compare the advantages between short and long memory models in modeling for the returns in Nigerian international Markets and Give forecast values for future occurrences. The design for the study was an ex post facto research design. The data used for this study were Nigerian crude oil prices (Dollar per Barrel), exchange rate, and Agricultural Commodity prices extracted from the website of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) www.cbn. ng. The total data points were 1044 and it spanned from 1st January 1991 to 30th January 2020. The statistical software used for data analysis was STATA 15 and OX metrics version 7. In an attempt to achieve the aim of the study, parametric and non-parametric methods of detecting Long Memory were applied. The study applied short and long memory models in an attempt to spot out the deficiencies associated with the short memory models. The results confirmed the presence of long memory in sales and returns on prices in Nigerian international markets. The presence of long memory in both sales and returns on prices in Nigerian International markets disprove the efficient market hypothesis which says that the future returns and volatility values are unpredictable. Similarly, base on performance evaluation using the Akaike information criteria, ARFIMA(1,-0.021,1) model was found to be the best fit model to the data after checking the adequacy of the model selected. Sequel to the above, it was recommended that there is a need for a strong financial and economic reform policy to curb persistent shocks in Nigerian international Original Research Article Dum et al.; AJPAS, 11(4): 1-23, 2021; Article no.AJPAS. 65873 2 markets. This is because a stable local financial currency builds confidence in an economy, especially when foreign investors intend to invest in the country’s economy. For example, exchange rate policies also trim down the desire for local investors to trade in the international market. Also, for empirical estimation of long memory sales and returns on prices in Nigeria international markets, ARFIMA(1,0.021,1) model should be considered appropriate. Two years (January, 20 to Dec-22) step ahead forecast shows that the predicted value for Cocoa Bean Sale using the ARFIMA (1,-0.021,1) falls between the range of 1.907247 to 1.915947.