Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Plant Maturity on the Proximate Composition of Sesamum Radiatum Schum Leaves

This study investigated the effect of maturity on the nutrients of Sesamum radiatum leaves. Sesamum radiatum seeds were sown on an unfertilized land and the leaves were harvested on weekly basis from the fourth to the tenth week after planting (WAP) when senenescence has started setting in. The moisture, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, and nitrogen free extract of the plant were determined using A.O. A.C standard methods. The results obtained showed high moisture content which decreased from the fourth week after planting (4WAP) till the 10WAP (91.73% – 48.19%), the minimum value for ash (13.50%) was observed at 6 WAP while the maximum value 16.57% was observed at the 10 WAP. The crude protein content increased from 4 WAP (23.86%) till 7 WAP (24.69%) and reduced till final harvesting at 10 WAP (23.29%), fat content ranges from 5.48% - 8.27%, fiber content increased from the 4 WAP till 10 WAP, nitrogen free extract revealed fluctuating values (46.05% - 50.53%). The study indicated that as the leaf matures the nutritional quality increases and the optimum value for crude protein was observed at 7 WAP.
Heterogeneity in the Response of Different Subtypes of Drosophila melanogaster Midgut Cells to Viral Infections

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) offers the possibility to monitor both host and pathogens transcriptomes at the cellular level. Here, public scRNA-seq datasets from Drosophila melanogaster midgut cells were used to compare the differences in replication strategy and cellular responses between two fly picorna-like viruses, Thika virus (TV) and D. melanogaster Nora virus (DMelNV). TV exhibited lower levels of viral RNA accumulation but infected a higher number of cells compared to DMelNV. In both cases, viral RNA accumulation varied according to cell subtype. The cellular heat shock response to TV and DMelNV infection was cell-subtype- and virus-specific. Disruption of bottleneck genes at later stages of infection in the systemic response, as well as of translation-related genes in the cellular response to DMelNV in two cell subtypes, may affect the virus replication.
Role of color doppler sonography in the intrauterine growth restriction and perinatal outcome

Background : Intra uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is defined as a fetal growth less than 10 th percentile for the gestational age. IUGR can be classified as intrinsic (symmetrical) and extrinsic (asymmetrical), intrinsic IUGR is caused by fetal conditions such as infections or chromosomal abnormalities. Accurate antenatal diagnosis offers the best opportunity to reduce complications associated with IUGR. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at SMGS HOSPITAL, Government Medical College. The patients were taken from outpatient department with clinical suspicion of IUGR and also who were admitted for IUGR. Doppler Ultrasonography evaluation was performed after the grey scale USG assessment. All the relevant parameters were evaluated that are associated with perinatal outcome. Results: We observed that the mean age of patients was (27.8) years ranging from 20 to 34 years with majority patients being primigravidae (40%) falling in the age interval of (25-29) years old. Pregnancy induced hypertension and chronic hypertension constituted major risk factor (19%). CPR had highest sensitivity of 93.1% for predicting adverse perinatal outcome with diagnostic accuracy of 90% in comparison to UA PI and MCA PI. Conclusions: The study concluded that CPR is best predictor for assessing adverse perinatal outcome with highest sensitivity, specificity, NPV, PPV and diagnostic accuracy.
Study of the Potential Uses of Hydrochar from Grape Pomace and Walnut Shells Generated from Hydrothermal Carbonization as an Alternative for the Revalorization of Agri-Waste in Chile

A myriad of resources and efforts have been devoted to assessing the possibilities of using locally sourced biomass to produce energy, reduce CO2 emissions, and, in turn, lower dependance on petroleum. Grape pomace (GP) and walnut shells (WS) are organic waste generated in Chile. Within the last decade, the potential benefits and application of biomass have received significant attention, both in terms of producing functionalized carbon materials, and the various potential applications in the field of energy storage and environmental protection. The proposed research motivation is on the development of carbonous materials through thermal decomposition processes. Few researchers have addressed the idea of developing a multipurpose carbonaceous matrix from hydrochar, and there remains a need for an efficient method to obtain hydrochar specially from grape pomace. Hence, the general objective of this research is to study the potential of grape pomace and walnut shells treated with hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) as an alternative low-cost and efficient carbonous matrix. Proximate and elemental analysis was determined to distinguish the nature of the feedstock along with the hydrochar produced. Yield and reaction severity were also studied to study the impacts of temperature and residence time for both feedstocks. Successful results from the proposed work have broad applications for increasing the sustainability biomass applications, contributing to a positive economic impact.
Predicting Winter Wheat Grain Yield Using Fractional Green Canopy Cover (FGCC)

Optical sensors have grown in popularity for estimating plant health, and they form the basis of midseason yield estimations and nitrogen (N) fertilizer recommendations, such as the Oklahoma State University (OSU) nitrogen fertilization optimization algorithm (NFOA). That algorithm uses measurements of normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI), yet not all producers have access to the sensors required to make these measurements. In contrast, most producers have access to smartphones, which can measure fractional green canopy cover (FGCC) using the Canopeo app, but the usefulness of these measurements for midseason yield estimations remains untested. Our objectives were to (1) quantify the relationship between NDVI and FGCC, (2) assess the potential for using FGCC values in place of NDVI values in the current OSU Yield Prediction Model, and (3) compare the performance of NDVI and FGCC-based yield prediction models from the collected dataset. This project, implemented on 13 winter wheat sites over the 2019-2020 growing season, used a range of nitrogen (N) rates (0, 34, 67, 101, and 134 kg N ha−1) to provide different levels of yield. Our results indicated that while NDVI and FGCC are highly correlated (r2 = 0.76), FGCC is not suitable for direct insertion into the current yield prediction model. However, a yield prediction model derived from FGCC provided similar estimates of yield compared to NDVI (Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency = −3.3). This new FGCC-based model will give more producers access to sensor-based yield prediction and N rate recommendations.
The Clinical Course of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Kazakhstani Patients

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prevalence according to the worldwide epidemiological data varies from 0.4% to 1.3%. The disability and mortality rate in RA is high. RA clinic is various, and compiles from articular and systemic manifestations. AIM: The aim of our study was to investigate the clinical course of RA in Kazakhstani patients living in North region of our country. METHODS: The 81 women at the age of 30–55 years with a verified diagnosis of RA who have lived in Kazakhstan for at least 10 years were recruited to the study. All participants were examined by the rheumatologist and a standard laboratory examination was carried out. Statistical analysis was conducted in IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software (IBM.USA;1). RESULTS: The statistically significant higher frequency of erosive radiological stages, bone ankylosis (χ2 = 18.070 df = 6 p = 0.005) was found in seropositive (rheumatoid factor [RF]+) anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibody positive (ACPA+) subgroup. The correlation analysis showed strong association between certain RA form activity and inflammatory markers, as well as disease triggers. The discriminant model which predicts the stage of radiological damage was obtained. The sensitivity of model in predicting X-ray Stage I-71.6%, Stage II-29.4%, Stage III-37.5%, and Stage IV-63.6%. CONCLUSION: The debut of the RA on average occurred in the third decade of the patients’ life. The joint syndrome had a more unfavorable character RF+ACPA+ patients’ subgroup; however, RF+ACPA-negative (ACPA-) subgroup also showed a predisposition to poorer prognosis. The obtained discriminant model may be useful for RA patients’ management.
The relationship between the impressive and the expressive component of written speech and the level of executive functions in children aged 3-11 years

Badania zostaly przeprowadzone w ramach projektu badawczego nr N N106 047839 pt. Konstrukcja narzedzi do psychologicznej diagnozy gotowości do uczenia sie dzieci w wieku od 3 do 11 roku zycia sfinansowanego przez Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyzszego. Kierownik projektu: dr Slawomir Jablonski, Instytut Psychologii UAM. Zespol: prof. dr hab. Anna I. Brzezinska – UAM, dr Izabela Kaczmarek – Uniwersytet Medyczny w Poznaniu, dr Pawel Kleka - UAM.
Understanding leisure’s impacts on sources of life worth living: a multi-domain approach

ABSTRACT Although leisure’s relationships with well-being have been widely studied, the literature lacks non-Western and eudaimonic perspectives. Moreover, leisure researchers have often focused exclusively on leisure. This leaves leisure’s impacts on well-being compared to other life domains understudied. The purpose of this study is to identify various sources of ikigai or ‘life worth living’ in Japanese and to explore leisure’s influences on these sources. The secondary, thematic analysis was applied to data from 27 photo-elicitation interviews with Japanese university students. Five main themes were identified. Self referred to personal standards with which students evaluated the value of their activities and relationships. Tanoshimi, or enjoyment, provided present-focused experiences, positive short-term goals and rewards, and elements of novelty. Shigoto, or work, gave students roles, goals and motivations, and a sense of growth and achievement. Self-care replenished physical, mental, and social resources to continue tanoshimi and shigoto. In authentic relationships, students shared valuable activities with their significant others and exchanged support. Leisure allowed for self-expression, while most tanoshimi activities were deemed as leisure. Some shigoto activities were serious leisure. Leisure activities were also used to do self-care and to maintain authentic relationships.
Implementing Crime Prevention: Lessons Learned from Problem- oriented Policing Projects

Problem-oriented policing initiatives are one important form of crime prevention, and they offer opportunities for learning about implementation success and failure. Problem-oriented policing initiatives can succeed or fail for a variety of reasons, among them: inaccurate identification of the probk? n, inaccurate analysis of the problem, inadequate implementation, or application of an incorrect theory. This paper draws upon both the research literature and reports on problem- oriented policing initiatives to identify those factors that best explain why action plans do or do not get implemented. It identifies and provides examples of five clusters of factors that help explain implementation success or failure: (I) character- istics, skills, and actions of project managers; (2) resources (3) support and coopera- tion external to the police agency; (4) evidence; and (5) complexity of implementation.
Effect of Cement and Compaction on the Physicochemical Behavior of a Material in the Region of Sidi Bel Abbes

Soil treatment describes the procedure under which a soil acquires certain characteristics that did not originally have. This paper is focused in the field of road earthworks and the treatment of a material found in the region of Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria. This material has poor characteristics that do not meet the standards used in road geotechnics. To remedy this, firstly, the Proctor Standard characteristics of this material were improved using mechanical treatment that increased the compaction energy. Then a chemical treatment was employed, adding some cement dosages, and results show that the material classified in the A1h class, for an increased maximum dry density and a reduction in water content. A comparative study is made on the optimal properties of the material between the two modes of treatment. On the other hand, after treatment, one finds a decrease in the plasticity index and the methylene blue value. This material exhibits a change of class. Therefore, soil class CL turned into a soil class CL-ML (silt of low plasticity). This observation allows the material to be used as backfill or subgrade.
Taste for science and job (mis)match of industrial researchers

An emerging literature tries to understand how scientists? motivations drive their career choices. A major issue studied is how scientists choose to work in industry or academia based on their taste for science versus commercialization. However, selection into industry or academia may still leave substantial heterogeneity among scientists within sectors. In this paper, we investigate how much scientists who selected into industry match their motivations to a fitting environment. Based on survey data of over 400 industrial researchers, we show that mismatches often occur: industrial researchers with predominantly science-like motivations are not employed in more scientific industry jobs where they can interact with the scientific community or publish findings compared to researchers with more commercial motivations. Hybrid researchers in industry, who have a taste for science as well as commercialization, do find better job matches: they are employed more often in jobs where they can interact with the scientific community or publish findings. This acknowledges hybrid researchers? critical role as boundary-spanning gatekeepers within the firm. Time spent on research versus development does not seem to be a job feature that distinguishes between different types of industrial researchers.
Analysis of geometrical relationships and friction losses in small-diameter lay-flat polyethylene pipes

AbstractThe use of lay-flat polyethylene pipes to irrigate horticultural crops has been receiving widespread attention in the last decade, due to the significant improvements in their hydraulic performance, their potentially high application efficiency, and their limited installation costs. However, even if hydraulic design procedures for conventional microirrigation systems are fairly well established, there is still the need to know how different pipe-wall thicknesses of lay-flat pipes can affect the pipe geometry under different operating pressures as well as the related consequences on friction losses. This paper, after comparing two different procedures (caliper and photographic) to assess the geometry of lay-flat polyethylene pipes under different operating pressures, analyzes the friction losses per unit of pipe length, J, in order to identify and to assess a procedure for their evaluation. Hydrostatic tests, initially carried out on pipes with wall thicknesses of 6, 8, and 10 thousandth of an inch.
RECENT PROGRESS IN ZERO-VALENT IRON NANOPARTICLES FOR GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION

Although still in the emerging phase, iron nanoparticles represent a highly promising new weapon in the arsenal of environmental remediation technologies. Nearly a decade after it was first launched in 1996, the iron nanoparticle technology is at a critical stage of the developmental process. Despite significant innovations in terms of novel synthetic methodologies as well as successes at both the bench and field scales, there remain considerable knowledge gaps on fundamental issues (e.g., fate, transport, environmental impact) and economic hurdles which could determine the acceptance of the technology within the academic community as well as by regulators and the private sector. In this paper, an overview of the iron nanoparticle technology is provided beginning with a description of the process fundamentals. This is followed by a discussion of the synthetic schemes for the nanoparticle types developed at Lehigh University. Next, a summary of the major research findings is provided, highlighting the key characteristics and remediation-related advantages of the iron nanoparticle technology versus the granular/microscale iron technology. A discussion of fundamental issues related to its potential applications and environmental impact is presented.
Combating Vigilance Decrement in a Single-Operator Radar Platform

FEATURE AT A GLANCE: Our research was aimed at validating the staffing concept for a single-operator radar station. Our review of empirical research revealed causality and impact of operator fatigue and the vigilance decrement. We concluded that the single-operator platform was appropriate for the monitoring task, and we imposed subsequent standards for staffing and shift length. We propose several methodologies for the prediction, assessment, and abatement of fatigue for extended vigilant shift work.
Subjective and objective evaluation of men’s shirting fabrics

Reports a survey of fabric handle preferences for a range of 50 men’s shirting materials. A total of 199 judges were divided into two panels according to their experience in the textile and clothing industry. Low levels of agreement were found which signify the errors inherent in subjective assessment of fabric handle. The analysis was extended to include fabric assurance by simple testing (FAST) data on the mechanical properties of these fabrics in order to establish whether there was any relationship existing between the judges’ preferences and the fabric mechanical parameters. Highlights shear rigidity, formability and bending rigidity as the most influential properties for the determination of fabric total hand value (THV). Moreover, establishes a validated THV equation to predict fabric handle assessment by using objective data. Demonstrates that the mean of the assessment and a substantial amount of individual subjective handle assessment can be explained by the model.
Influence of Glucocorticoids on Cellular Senescence Hallmarks in Osteoarthritic Fibroblast-like Synoviocytes

Osteoarthritis (OA) is recognized as being a cellular senescence-linked disease. Intra-articular injections of glucocorticoids (GC) are frequently used in knee OA to treat synovial effusion but face controversies about toxicity. We investigated the influence of GC on cellular senescence hallmarks and senescence induction in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from OA patients and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Methods: Cellular senescence was assessed via the proliferation rate, β-galactosidase staining, DNA damage and CKI expression (p21, p16INK4A). Experimental senescence was induced by irradiation. Results: The GC prednisolone did not induce an apparent senescence phenotype in FLS, with even higher proliferation, no accumulation of β-galactosidase-positive cells nor DNA damage and reduction in p21mRNA, only showing the enhancement of p16INK4A. Prednisolone did not modify experimental senescence induction in FLS, with no modulation of any senescence parameters. Moreover, prednisolone did not induce a senescence phenotype in MSC: despite high β-galactosidase-positive cells, no reduction in proliferation, no DNA damage and no CKI enhancement was observed. Conclusions: We provide reassuring in vitro data about the use of GC regarding cellular senescence involvement in OA: the GC prednisolone did not induce a senescent phenotype in OA FLS (the proliferation ratio was even higher) and in MSC and did not worsen cellular senescence establishment.
Estimation of infrastructure transition probabilities from condition rating data

Markovian transition probabilities have been used extensively in the field of infrastructure management to provide forecasts of facility conditions. However, existing approaches used to estimate these transition probabilities from inspection data are mostly ad hoc and suffer from important methodological limitations. In this paper, we present a rigorous econometric method for the estimation of infrastructure deterioration models and associated transition probabilities from condition rating data. This methodology, which is based on ordered probit techniques, explicitly treats facility deterioration as a latent variable, recognizes the discrete ordinal nature of condition ratings, and, as opposed to state-of-the-art methods, explicitly links deterioration to relevant explanatory variables. An empirical case study using a bridge inspection data set from Indiana demonstrates the capabilities of the proposed methodology.
Problem based learning for distance education students of engineering and surveying

[Abstract}]: Reviews of engineering education have highlighted the need for an improvement in student’s teamwork, communication, problem solving and life long learning skills. In addition, students need to learn the foundational skills of mathematics and science required to practice engineering. In particular, they need to apply this knowledge to solving complex engineering problems and reaching substantiated conclusions. To address these concerns many universities are moving, at least in part, to a Problem Based Learning (PBL) In 2001 the USQ Faculty of Engineering and Surveying introduced a strand of four PBL courses. The unique aspect of our courses is that 75% of our student cohort are distance education students, studying across Australia and the world. We have successfully delivered 8 offers of the course on-campus and 12 offers to distance students. Students work in multidisciplinary teams to solve open ended complex engineering problems, identifying and meeting individual learning goals in the process. The majority of these teams do not meet face to face but conduct all team communication, problem solving and assessments using electronic communication media. This paper discusses the implementation of the course for a diverse cohort of students including assessment strategies. It gives the results of surveys investigating student learning and attitudes to the new teaching methodology. Results indicate that initially there is significant resistance to PBL from both staff and students. However, a majority of students believe it has significantly improved their communication, problem solving and teamwork skills.
Analytic models of drain, substrate and gate current distributions in the drain section of MOSFETs

A small MOSFET has very strong distribution effects and the description of its characteristics requires distribution models. In this paper, two-dimensional (2-D) analytic distribution models of drain and substrate currents in MOSFET drain section are built by using stream function equations on y cross section. The distribution models of electron and hole gate currents in n-MOSFETs are modeled by using the "lucky-electron" concept and the 2-D distribution models of drain and substrate currents. The distribution model of the hole gate current is based on a new process of hot-hole injection in which the holes are accelerated by the negative vertical electric field. These models are analytic and include sufficient bias and structure parameters of the device, which makes them more accurate and available for all biases and a larger region of the structure size. The drain-source and substrate current models show basically the exact distribution of these current densities. The distribution models of the gate currents can clearly describe injection processes of hot-carriers, which is useful for the modeling of damage distribution, damage growth and damage saturation in MOSFET hot-carrier reliability electronics.