Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The application of routine activity theory in explaining victimization of child marriage

The present research is an attempt to explain the problem of child marriage in light of routine activity theory, developed by Felson and Cohen in 1979. There is, however, no specific theory that exclusively addresses either children as victims of crime in general or victims of child marriage in particular. Unlike other crime victims, however, certain victims of child marriage do not view themselves as ‘victims’, given the underlying causative factors and the justification of the consequences of such victimization. Routine activity theory was initially intended to explain property crimes. In course of time, scholars of victimology began applying this theory to explain various kinds of victimization, including domestic violence in different contexts. In this connection, a study was conducted among victims of child marriage in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, to link the practice of child marriage with the routine activity theory. For the purpose of the present research, data were collected from 252 women who were married as children. The findings of the research have revealed that the practice of child marriage can be explained from two dimensions: the first explains the causes underlying its occurrence, and the second deals with how intimate partner violence plays out in such circumstances. The outcome of this research is expected to fill a gap in the literature in the field of victimology.
Dual‐frequency N2 and NH3 plasma modification of polyethylene and polyimide

Surfaces of polyethylene and polyimide films were treated in NH3 and N2 plasma using ‘‘dual‐frequency’’ excitation: The samples were exposed to a microwave (2.45 GHz) glow discharge, while variable radio frequency (13.56 MHz)—induced negative direct current bias voltage values were simultaneously applied. The surface chemical structure was determined by high‐resolution x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Up to 40 at. % of nitrogen was incorporated onto the sample surface by exposure to a microwave discharge in N2, while systematically lower N uptake was found in NH3 plasma. Nitrogen was found to be bonded predominantly in amine (C–N) groups by NH3 ‐type plasma, and in imine groups (C=N) by N2 plasma. Surface ‘‘damage’’ of polyimide, including opening of benzene rings and breaking of carbonyl groups, accompanied by the formation of increasing concentrations of chemically reactive receptor sites, has been demonstrated with increasing the energy of bombarding species.
On the Effect of Alkyl End Group in Poly(ϵ-caprolactone) Oligomers: Preparation and Characterization

Poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) oligomers with α-hydroxyl-ω-alkyl end groups (alkyl =–CH2–[CH2–CH2]m–CH3, where m = 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ϵ-caprolactone (CL) catalyzed by ammonium decamolybdate (NH4)8[Mo10O34] and using aliphatic primary alcohols as initiators (HO–CH2–[CH2–CH2]m–CH3, where m = 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10). The characterizations of the PCL oligomers were determined by MALDI-TOF, GPC, FT-IR, SAXS and 1H and 13C NMR. The effects of alkyl end groups on thermal properties of the PCL oligomers were analyzed by DSC and TGA.
Flexible data partitioning schemes for parallel merge joins in semantic web queries

: Semantic Web technologies are enabling large amounts of data to be preprocessed and stored on the web to be queried efficiently later. The key technology in this topic is the triple store storing all information in the form of triples (subject, predicate and object). Depending on the triple patterns used within the queries, varying graph structures can be observed in the datasets. Currently, such properties are only exploited implicitly during join optimization in the form of histograms or similar technologies. Towards a new paradigm for explicitly exploiting graph structures in the datasets, this paper proposes a new flexible partitioning scheme at runtime. To do so, we experimented with partitioning schemes, that can be selected depending on the actual data access within a given query in order to improve query performance. The experimental results show that the proposed flexible data partitioning schemes are faster, up to a factor of 12.65 in comparison to no partitioning.
Prevalence and predictors of gestational diabetes mellitus among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Dodoma region, Tanzania: an analytical cross-sectional study

Introduction Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is rapidly increasing worldwide. Globally, 18.4 million pregnancies are complicated by GDM. Despite its known effect, GDM screening is not part of routine antenatal services in Tanzania. There is paucity of data on the magnitude and risk factors for GDM. Therefore, this study sought to determine prevalence and predictors of GDM among pregnant women in Dodoma region, Tanzania from March to August 2018. Research design and methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in Dodoma region, Tanzania between April and August of 2018. A total of 582 pregnant women were recruited from four local health facilities, where purposive sampling procedure was used to select the region, districts and health facilities. Simple random sampling was used to select study participants. Screening and diagnosis of GDM were performed using the 2013 WHO criteria. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS V.23 to determine prevalence and independent predictors of GDM. Results Among 582 participants, 160 (27.5%) participants were diagnosed with GDM. GDM was more prevalent in urban areas than rural areas, among overweight participants, among participants with a history of a large for gestational age baby, among participants with a history of caesarean section, and among participants with college or university education. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that maternal age above 35 years (adjusted OR (AOR) 3.115 (95% CI: 1.165 to 8.359)), pre-eclampsia (AOR 3.684 (95% CI: 1.202 to 5.293)), low physical activity level (AOR 4.758 (95% CI: 2.232 to 10.143)), lack of awareness of GDM (AOR 6.371 (95% CI: 1.944 to 13.919)), alcohol use (AOR 4.477 (95% CI: 1.642 to 12.202)) and family history of diabetes (AOR 2.344 (95% CI: 1.239 to 4.434)) were significantly associated with GDM. Conclusions Prevalence of GDM is relatively high in Dodoma region. Most pregnant women are unaware of the condition such that it leads to a high-risk lifestyle. Besides, GDM significantly contributes to the number of high-risk pregnancies that go undetected and suboptimally managed. The antenatal care centres offer an optimum platform for screening, preventing and treating GDM by prioritising high-risk women.
Non-Proportionality of the Scintillation Yield in Liquid Xenon and its Effect on the Energy Resolution for Gamma-Rays

The “intrinsic energy resolution” in a NaI(Tl) crystal for gamma-rays in the MeV region is explained based on the non-proportionality of the scintillation yield for secondary electrons produced in the crystal. From the non-proportionality of the scintillation yield in liquid xenon, which was experimentally obtained, the “intrinsic energy resolution” in liquid xenon was deduced. It was found that the contribution of the intrinsic energy resolution to the extrapolation of energy resolution ftom the MeV energy region to 52.8 MeV muon annihilation gamma-rays is very small.
Factors affect on bioremediation of Co(II) and Pb(II) onto Lonicera japonica flowers powder

AbstractBioremediation is a low-cost eco-friendly separation technique for the treatment of pollutants such as heavy metals and organics from wastewaters. In the present study, a biosorbent, Lonicera japonica flowers powder (LJFP) was prepared from Lonicera japonica flowers (LJF) for treating Pb(II) and Co(II) from aqueous solutions and was well characterized by FT-IR and SEM–EDX. The kinetic results showed that the kinetics of both metal ions was rate limiting pseudo-second order. However, Pb(II) was also involved in chemisorptions, which was proved by the Elovich kinetic model. The equilibrium data of Pb(II) were tuned with Langmuir isotherm whereas Co(II) was fit to Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum uptake capacities of LJFP for Pb(II) and Co(II) were 19.61 and 43.48 mg/g at 298 ± 2 K, pH 6.0. Thermodynamic studies were conducted in the range of temperature, 298–313 ± 2 K, and were revealed that the sorption process of Pb(II) and Co(II) on LJFP was endothermic. Overall studies demonstrated that th.
PRE-LEARNING SLEEP EFFECTS ON DIRECTED FORGETTING BY VICTORIA A. J. KAVANAGH A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science in Experimental Psychology

While it has long been known that many areas of cognition are negatively affected by poor sleep or an absence of sleep, the effect of sleep problems on intentional forgetting has yet to be established. A directed forgetting (DF) paradigm, in which participants are tested on items they were asked to both remember and forget, was used to compare the remembering and forgetting of participants with poor sleep quality and the presence of insomnia symptoms to those with good sleep quality. This study implemented the use of a point system in which participants were told that they would receive various points to incentivize performance in place of remember and forget instructions in a DF task with the goal of computing DF costs and benefits. The relations among memory, sleep, working memory capacity, and other demographic factors were also examined. A DF effect was found when comparing the positive point value to the negative and neutral point values, costs were found for participants without the presence of insomnia symptoms, and working memory capacity was found to only be related to remembering in the DF task. These results suggest that the current DF manipulation is useful in examining benefits but not costs in DF, the presence of insomnia symptoms does not affect performance on a DF task, and that working memory capacity does not differ between those with and without the presence of insomnia symptoms. SLEEP EFFECTS ON DIRECTED FORGETTING ii Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Kathleen Hourihan, without whom this would not have been possible. She is an extraordinary supervisor who was not only there whenever needed but also always seemed to find the gentlest way to criticize when warranted. Additionally, I would like to thank my supervisory committee members, Dr. Aimée Surprenant and Dr. Sheila Garland, who provided me with fantastic feedback, and my parents, who remained supportive and tried to understand my research despite not having any idea of what I was talking about. Lastly, I would like to thank NSERC, which provided the necessary funding. SLEEP EFFECTS ON DIRECTED FORGETTING iii Table of
THE ISOMETRIC EMBEDDING PROBLEM AND RANDOM MATRIX THEORY

The purpose of these notes is to introduce a set of models that make precise some links between the isometric embedding problem and random matrix theory. The underlying formalism is a model for equlibration that separates a stochastic flow for a gauge from a (typically) deterministic evolution for an observable. Matrix models are introduced to clarify this structure. The simplest of these models is a stochastic flow in the space of Hermitian matrices H(n) described by the Itô equation dM = [dK,M ] := dKM −MdK, dKijdKkl = Cijkl dt. Here the noise dK takes values in the space of anti-Hermitian matrices A(n), so that C is a positive definite tensor on A(n). Despite the fact that M(t) is stochastic, it is shown that for a particular choice of covariance kernel C (see equation (4.24) below) the eigenvalues of M evolve deterministically according to Coulombic repulsion
Beziehungen zwischen Hexokinaseaktivität und Glykolyse in Rattenleber und Hepatomen

Normal and precancerous livers as well as primary and transplanted hepatomas are studied for glycogen content, hexokinase- and glucokinase activity, at the same time measuring glycolysis in the high-speed supernatants of these tissues with different substrates and additives. Experimental results show that: 1) normal and precancerous rat livers have low hexokinase activity and low glycolysis, but high glucokinase activity and high glycogen content; 2) primary DAB hepatomas. on the contrary, have high hexokinase activity and raised glycolysis as well as low glycokinase activity and low glycogen content; 3) transplantable DAB- as well as DENA-hepatomas have high hexokinase activity and high glycolyses. while neither glucokinase activity nor glycogen content have been found; 4) when using glucose as substrate and adding exogenous hexokinase. there is a considerable increase in formation of lactic acid in all tissue supernatants investigated; 5) if glucose-6-phosphate is used instead of glucose, a considerable increase of glycolysis is noted as well. It is concluded from the results obtained that the hexokinase reaction limits the extent of glycolysis in these tissues.
Cross-Sectional Study of Mental Health Related Knowledge and Attitudes Among Care Assistant Workers in Guangzhou, China

Jie Li (  biglijie@163.com ) Guangzhou Brain Hospital https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7156-0687 Xiao-Ling Duan A liated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University: Guangzhou Huiai Hospital Hua-Qing Zhong A liated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University: Guangzhou Huiai Hospital Wen Chen Sun Yat-Sen University School of Public Health Sara Evans‐Lacko The London School of Economics and Political Science Graham Thornicroft King's College London
Computational binding analysis and toxicity evaluation of estrogen receptor with estradiol and the approved SERMs raloxifene, tamoxifen, and toremifene

Estrogen receptor is a key feature of many complex disorders. Natural estrogen ligand, estradiol has been investigated in the pharmaceutical aspect of breast cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, risk of stroke in postmenopausal women, and dementia. From the similar manner, synthetic selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) have been investigated, and their pharmaceutical effects have been evaluated in compared to the natural ligand, estradiol, in literature. To design better alternatives to the approved SERMs and to improve the clinical observations, it is crucial to understand the molecular basis of drug-target interactions of estrogen receptor with the natural and synthetic ligands in a comparative manner. We used molecular modeling softwares PyRX, Avogadro, and Arguslab for in silico calculations. The results were analyzed using PyMol. We, in this study, provided a computational binding analysis of the estrogen receptor with the endogenous ligand estradiol and the FDA approved SERMs raloxifene, tamoxifen, and toremifene. We investigated the toxicity profile of the SERMs and estradiol and interpreted the results according to the reported clinical observations. We found that designing new molecules based on the estradiol structure instead of the approved tamoxifen analogs could result in better clinical observations for future estrogen targeting therapeutics.
Electrical characterization of Pt∕AlGaN∕GaN Schottky diodes grown using AlN template and their application to hydrogen gas sensors

Pt Schottky diodes were fabricated on high-crystal-quality Al0.2Ga0. 8N∕GaN epitaxial films grown using epitaxial AlN/sapphire template (AlN template), and their current transport characteristics were measured and analyzed. It was confirmed that reverse leakage currents in Schottky diodes formed on AlN template were drastically reduced compared with samples on sapphire formed with a low-temperature buffer layer. The current transport characteristics in Schottky diodes formed on AlN template were found to be almost explicable using the thermoionic emission and tunneling current components, unlike with samples formed on sapphire. This indicates that the amount of unintentional impurity levels near the surfaces is extremely small for those high-crystal-quality Schottky diodes. Hydrogen-sensing characteristics were also investigated for a Pt∕AlGaN∕GaN Schottky diode formed on AlN template. The diode sensor exhibited sufficient changes in the reverse current even under exposure to extremely slight H2 concentration of 50ppm and exhibited clear reversible responses. These current changes seemed to be due to the reduction of the Schottky barrier height with H2 exposure.Pt Schottky diodes were fabricated on high-crystal-quality Al0.2Ga0. 8N∕GaN epitaxial films grown using epitaxial AlN/sapphire template (AlN template), and their current transport characteristics were measured and analyzed. It was confirmed that reverse leakage currents in Schottky diodes formed on AlN template were drastically reduced compared with samples on sapphire formed with a low-temperature buffer layer. The current transport characteristics in Schottky diodes formed on AlN template were found to be almost explicable using the thermoionic emission and tunneling current components, unlike with samples formed on sapphire. This indicates that the amount of unintentional impurity levels near the surfaces is extremely small for those high-crystal-quality Schottky diodes. Hydrogen-sensing characteristics were also investigated for a Pt∕AlGaN∕GaN Schottky diode formed on AlN template. The diode sensor exhibited sufficient changes in the reverse current even under exposure to extremely slight H2 concentrat.
MicroRNA-223 restricts liver fibrosis by inhibiting the TAZ-IHH-GLI2 and PDGF signaling pathways via the crosstalk of multiple liver cell types

Background & Aims: Liver fibrosis is a common consequence of chronic liver injury and is characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix mainly generated from activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). At present, the mechanisms underlying liver fibrogenesis remain obscure and effective pharmacological therapies are lacking. Neutrophil-specific microRNA-223 (miR-223) plays an important role in controlling the development of various liver diseases; however, its role in HSC activation and liver fibrosis remains unclear. Methods: Liver fibrosis was induced by chronic carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) injection of miR-223 knockout (miR-223KO) mice and littermate wild-type controls. MiR-223 was overexpressed in cultured HSCs to determine its function and targets during HSC activation and proliferation. The expression of miR-223 and pri-miR-223 was examined in primary HSCs isolated from CCl4-treated mice and in cultured HSCs. The communication between HSCs and neutrophils was studied by performing in vitro co-culture experiments. Results: Genetic deletion of miR-223 exacerbated chronic CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. Administration of miR-223 inhibited liver fibrosis by inhibiting the transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ)-Indian hedgehog (IHH)-GLI Family Zinc Finger 2 (GLI2) pathway via the crosstalk between hepatocytes and HSCs. Overexpression of miR-223 also directly attenuated Gli2 as well as platelet-derived growth factor receptor α/β (Pdgfra/b) expression in HSCs, thereby suppressing HSC activation and proliferation. The expression of pri-miR-223 and miR-223 was downregulated during HSC activation in vitro. Expression of pri-miR-223 was also decreased in activated HSCs in vivo in fibrotic livers but mature miR-223 expression was not reduced. Finally, in co-culture experiments, activated HSCs were able to take up miR-223-enriched extracellular vesicles from neutrophils, resulting in elevation of miR-223. Conclusion: MiR-223 restricts liver fibrosis by targeting multiple genes in hepatocytes and HSCs, providing potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of liver fibrosis.
Are Antarctic Specially Protected Areas safe from plastic pollution? a survey of plastic litter at Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica

A number of studies have reported in the last decades the presence of plastics in the Southern Ocean, which are liable to reach the coast and accumulate on the Antarctic Continent. Despite this, there are few data on the amount of plastic pollution on Antarctic beaches below 60°S. Here we provide valuable information about the presence of plastic debris in Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) and a hotspot for biodiversity. A total of 129 locations with between 1 and 5 items were recorded among the 3 survey sites on Byers Peninsula. Most of the observed items are likely to derive from fishing and local sources such as tourism and research activities. We discuss the potential impacts of their presence on local fauna and some of the consequences on the Antarctic ecosystem. From this survey of plastic accumulation in an ASPA, we propose the implementation of mitigation strategies, such as systematic monitoring of the abundance and distribution of plastic waste, in order to identify trends in marine debris and control the levels of plastic pollution in the Maritime Antarctic region. Citation: Almela P, Gonzalez S. Are Antarctic Specially Protected Areas safe from plastic pollution? a survey of plastic litter at Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica. Adv Polar Sci, 2020, 31(4): 284-290, doi: 10.13679/j.advps. 2020.0029
Effect of short-term in vitro antibiotic administration into the human umbilical cord tissue on cfu count and mesenchymal stem cell immunophenotype

Mesenchymal stem cells play important roles in regenerative and reparative medicine applications. Their differentiation and proliferation abilities both in the human body and in the laboratory, environment have been revealed through many clinical and pre-clinical trials. Umbilical cord tissue is an important source of mesenchymal stem cells and has become a popular option in cord blood banking, especially in the last decade. As done for the cord blood, the steps of obtaining, transferring, processing, and cryopreserving umbilical cord tissue are defined by standard procedures. However, there is limited information about the microbiological contamination rate of tissues and their decontamination before the procedure. This study aimed to assess the effect of in vitro short-term antibiotic treatment applied to the umbilical cord tissue obtained via superficial ethanol disinfection immediately after birth on the formation of colony-forming units (CFUs) and immunophenotype of the mesenchymal stem cells. For this purpose, tissues obtained from 10 individuals were evaluated in three different groups that included the control group and groups of tissues with 5- and 10-min antibiotic treatment. There was no significant difference among the groups in the expression levels of CD45, CD34, CD73, CD105, and CD44, which are the markers used in immunophenotyping. Similarly, no difference was found in CFU formation either. The present study has revealed for the first time that an antibiotic preparation used in in vitro cell culture for cord tissue banking can be used safely in tissue preparation and banking stages. Our results show that short-term in vitro antibiotic administration can contribute to the standard formation during decontamination/disinfection stages in cord tissue banking.