Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hygroscopic characteristics of unshelled egusi (melon) seeds

Summary The hygroscopic behaviour of unshelled egusi (melon) seeds at several temperatures, representing a wide range of storage and processing conditions, is presented. The de-sorption isotherms were sigmoidal in shape. The Henderson equation was applied and two types of dependence were found. Using vapour pressure data for the egusi and pure water, the net isosteric heat of sorption was calculated and found to decrease with increase in moisture content. Also an expression was found for the ratio of isosteric heat of sorption and latent heat of vaporization of pure water, as a function of moisture content of the crop.
Biotic and abiotic oxidation and reduction of iron at circumneutral pH are inseparable processes under natural conditions

Oxidation and reduction of iron can occur through abiotic (chemical) and biotic (microbial) processes. Abiotic iron oxidation is a function of pH and O2 concentration. Biotic iron oxidation is carried out by a diverse group of bacteria, using O2 or NO3 as terminal electron acceptors. At circumneutral pH, both processes occur at similar rates and compete with each other. Abiotic iron reduction is catalyzed by iron-sulfur minerals or different types of organic compounds, whereas biotic iron reduction is carried out by a diverse group of microorganisms, often using chemical agents to dissolve solid iron minerals. We used iron oxidizing microbial mats to assess the potential impact of microbial activity on the deposition of banded iron formations (BIF). The mats were collected during several years from experimental tanks connected to groundwater aquifers with different Fe2+ concentrations. To separate between biotic and abiotic iron oxidation, live and killed mats were incubated with 57Fe2+. Separate analyses of the water and solid phase revealed that the iron oxidation and reduction rates per mL of solid matter (biomass and iron precipitates) were 0.4-73 mmol L−1 d−1 and 30–280 mmol L−1 d−1, respectively. No significant differences in iron oxidation rates were observed between the live and killed samples. The iron reduction rates, however, were higher in the live samples in mats from 3 out of 4 environments. We suggest that in natural systems, in the presence of organic matter, biotic and abiotic iron oxidation and reduction are not separable processes. Fe2+ will be biotically and abiotically oxidized as well as bind to exposed charged groups of organic substances. Either way, this iron may serve as a nucleation matrix for further abiotic iron precipitation. The oxidized iron is then susceptible to iron reduction, which can likewise be a direct metabolic or an abiotic process. Nevertheless, it is important to note the significance of organic matter, since both the abiotic oxidation and reduction of iron are often mediated by substrates of biological origin.
Long-Term Effects of Lodgepole Pine Terminal Weevil and Other Pests on Tree Form and Stand Structure in a Young Lodgepole Pine Stand in Southern British Columbia

This study describes the impacts of 25 damaging agents recorded on young lodgepole pine trees over a 30-year period in a study plot in southern British Columbia. During the study, density fluctuated due to infill and mortality. Of the 1,295 stems per hectare present at the outset of the study, 37% of lodgepole pine died and only 24% of the trees remained pest-free by the final assessment. Pest-free trees were predominantly small and suppressed infill, leaving just over 1,000 stems per hectare of crop trees. Lodgepole pine terminal weevil affected over 38% of pine, with up to six attacks per tree. Fifty percent of lodgepole pine in the study was infected or killed by one or more hard pine stem rusts, with comandra blister rust and western gall rust being the predominant diseases, affecting 32% and 19% of the pine, respectively. Until age 20, 70% of weevil attacks caused major defects. From age 20–40 years, 50% of attacks caused major defects, often forks or multiple tops (stagheads). Defects were more severe when trees were attacked early in stand development. There was a strong correlation between the number of weevil attacks per tree and tree form, and the number of pests recorded per tree and tree form. Two or more pests per tree caused tree form to shift from good to moderate or poor.
Noninvasive THz spectroscopy for bunch current profile reconstructions at MHz repetition rates

X-ray free-electron lasers based on superconducting accelerator technology deliver ultrashort photon pulses with unprecedented peak brilliance at high repetition rates. Continuous and noninvasive monitoring of the current profile of the electron bunches is essential for the operation and control of the accelerator. Longitudinal diagnostics based on coherent radiation have already shown their potential at various free-electron laser facilities, and the multi-GeV electron beams of x-ray free-electron lasers are powerful sources for the generation of broadband coherent diffraction radiation. We present noninvasive current profile measurements with a few femtoseconds resolution based on spectroscopy of coherent diffraction radiation in the frequency range 0.7–58 THz. The current profiles, reconstructed from the spectroscopic data with an advanced phase retrieval method, are compared with measurement results obtained with a transverse deflecting structure. For the first time, bunch-resolved current profiles have been recorded simultaneously to user operation at European XFEL for all bunches in the bunch train at MHz repetition rates.
Imaging the bone marrow stem cells morphogenesis in PGA scaffold by multiphoton autofluorescence and second harmonic (SHG) imaging

The ability to image tissue engineering products without damaging histological procedures is important for the understanding of the dynamics of tissue reorganization and formation. In this work, we test the ability of multiphoton autofluorescence and second harmonic generation microscopy to image engineered tissues following chrondrogenic induction. The system we used is human bone marrow stem cells seeded in the scaffold polyglycolic acid (PGA). Our results show that autofluorescence can be used to image cells while second harmonic generation signal can be used to visualize the synthesis of extracellular matrix. This approach demonstrates the ability of multiphoton imaging in the study of tissue engineering products.
Accurate Monocular Depth Estimation via Interaction of Hierarchical Features

Monocular depth estimation is a challenging task, which assists in understanding 3D scene geometry from the same 2D scene. The ordinal-regression-method demonstrates superior performance in this issue but naive ordinal inference strategy for inferring the final depth values and naive operations to up-sample to the desired space scale introduce significant discretization errors and object boundary confusion. Firstly, we come up with a novel inference strategy to reduce the discretization errors. And then a specifically designed decoder that completes the fusion of different hierarchical features under guidance and the fusion feature reconstruction. We evaluate on a public monocular depth-estimation benchmark dataset (NYU Depth V2). The experimental results show that the method proposed outperforms other ordinal regression methods.
On the ratcheting of the VT6 alloy in a range of loading scenarios

A set of experimental results concerning the accumulation of inelastic strain in the VT6 titanium alloy is presented. The considered tests include cyclic stress-controlled loading with monotonically increasing stress amplitude and constant mean stress. The focus of the study is on the accurate phenomenological modelling of the complex material behaviour. Four different material models are employed to capture the phenomena of ratcheting and nonlinear kinematic hardening. Two models are of the Armstrong-Frederick type and the remaining two models are of the Ohno-Wang type. Since all the considered models contain a big number of material parameters, a sophisticated nested procedure is used for the parameter identification; the obtained material parameters are validated by additional experiments. It is shown that all the models yield nearly the same accuracy; the limitations of the phenomenological approach are highlighted and discussed.
Evaluation of high temperature gas reactor for demanding cogeneration load follow

Modular nuclear reactor systems are being developed around the world for new missions among which is cogeneration for industries and remote areas. Like existing fossil energy counterpart in these markets, a nuclear plant would need to demonstrate the feasibility of load follow including (1) the reliability to generate power and heat simultaneously and alone and (2) the flexibility to vary cogeneration rates concurrent to demand changes. This article reports the results of JAEA's evaluation on the high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) to perform these duties. The evaluation results in a plant design based on the materials and design codes developed with JAEA's operating test reactor and from additional equipment validation programs. The 600 MWt-HTGR plant generates electricity efficiently by gas turbine and 900°C heat by a topping heater. The heater couples via a heat transport loop to industrial facility that consumes the high temperature heat to yield heat product such as hydrogen fuel, steel, or chemical. Original control methods are proposed to automate transition between the load duties. Equipment challenges are addressed for severe operation conditions. Performance limits of cogeneration load following are quantified from the plant system simulation to a range of bounding events including a loss of either load and a rapid peaking of electricity.
Effectiveness of the school-based social and behavior change communication (SBCC) interventions on insecticide-treated nets utilization among primary school children in rural Ethiopia: A quasi-experimental design

Background: Evidence regarding the impacts of school-engaged social and behavior change communication (SBCC) interventions on malaria preventive behaviors in rural primary schools is limited. This study examined the effect of the school-based SBCC approach on the utilization of the insecticide-treated nets among primary school students in malaria-endemic settings of Ethiopia.Methods: Engaging primary schools and community; various participatory, educational, and communication interventions were implemented from 2017 to 2019 in 75 rural primary schools in Jimma to promote malaria preventive practices in target the villages. A post-intervention quasi-experimental design was conducted with randomly selected 798 students (i.e. 399 intervention and 399 control groups). Data were collected by trained interviewers using structured questionnaires. The SPSS version 26 software was used to analyze the data. Propensity score matching analysis was performed to control for possible confounding biases. The average effects of the intervention were estimated using multivariate general linear modeling and chi-square tests based on the nature of the outcome data. P-value < 5% was considered for statistical significance. Results: The result showed a significant difference of 39% in the proportion of ITN utilization between the intervention and control groups; (95% CI: 38.23% to 39.77%). The intervention also led to a significant mean differences (MD) of self-efficacy (MD=15.34; 95% CI: 13.73 to 16.95), knowledge (MD=5.83; 95% CI: 5.12 to 6.55), attitude (MD=6.01; 95% CI: 5.26 to 6.77), perceived malaria risk (MD=2.14; 95% CI: 1.53 to 2.76), and perceived family supports (MD=6.39; 95% CI: 5.57 to 7.22). Multiple logistic regression modeling results showed that knowledge (β=0.194, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.35) and perceived family supports (β=0.165, 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.25) and self-efficacy (β=0.10, 95% CI: 1.22 to 2.32) significantly predicted the ITN utilization among the school children. Conclusion: The finding of this study suggested that the school-based SBCC approach combined with peer education activities advanced the malaria-related knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, risk perceptions, and family supports and ultimately improved the sustained use of ITNs among school-going children. Further research should be conducted to understand the mechanism of these effects given the influences of social, health services, and school systems are considered.
Performance of Legislative Budgeting Institutions on Government Institutions in North Maluku

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the role of DPRD budgeting function and organizational commitment on the potential for fraud. This type of research is quantitative research. The sampling technique used is non-probability sampling using the saturated sampling method. The data used are primary data using a questionnaire. Data was successfully collected from 40 respondents who were members of the DPRD Kota Ternate, Tidore Islands City and Sula Islands District. The data processing technique used is multiple linear regression with the help of SPSS. The results showed that there was no influence on the role of the DPRD's budgeting function on the potential for fraud in district / city DPRDs in North Maluku Province, there was a positive and significant effect on organizational commitment to potential fraud in the budget bodies of the DPRD districts / cities of North Maluku province. In addition, the simultaneous statistical test shows that the role of the DPRD budgeting function and organizational commitment has a significant effect on the potential for fraud among members of the DPRD budgeting in North Maluku province.
PREDICTING CONSUMER INTENTION TO USE MOBILE BANKING SERVICESIN NORTH MACEDONIA

Smartphones and mobile technologies are becoming increasingly available and affordable in the Republic of North Macedonia. Followed by this trend, many banks are providing banking services to customers via smartphones. They are increasingly investing in mobile channels by providing new mobile banking services. Therefore, the goal of this research is to examine predictors of consumer intention to use mobile banking services in North Macedonia. In order to get insights regarding the user adoption of m-banking services in the country, a survey was conducted among more than 150 mobile users. The research model proposed in this study examines the influence of several basic constructs that explain technology acceptance and innovation diffusion (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions). In addition, its originality and practical implications is reflected in determining the significance of additional constructs that are specific for the m-banking domain, such as perceived risk and bank’s reputation. The results of the empirical study indicate that three of the four basic constructs of the UTAUT model (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions) determine intention to use mobile banking, while social influence does not significantly influence mobile banking adoption in the sample. Regarding the two new constructs in the model, risk and bank’s reputation, they are both confirmed as important antecedents of consumer intention to use m-banking in our sample. By highlighting the usefulness of integrating constructs from different theories of technology acceptance, this research is a holistic approach representing a solid base for future studies on the adoption of new technologies in the country. From practitioner’s viewpoint, this research offers valuable insights for developing m-banking solutions.
Underestimation of surface pCO2 and air-sea CO2 fluxes due to freshwater stratification in an Arctic shelf sea, Hudson Bay

The objective of this study is to quantify the impact of freshwater stratification on the vertical gradients of partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and estimates of air-sea CO2 exchange in Hudson Bay during peak sea-ice melt and river runoff. During the spring of 2018, we sampled water in Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait for dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, salinity, the oxygen stable isotope ratio in the water (δ18O), and other ancillary data. The coastal domain and regions close to the ice edge had significant vertical concentration gradients of pCO2 across the top meters of the ocean due to the presence of a stratified fresh layer at the surface. The pCO2 and salinity in the central (where sea-ice melt was significant) and the southeast (where river runoff and sea-ice melt were significant) side of the bay generally increased with depth, with average gradients of 4.5 μatm m–1 and 0.5 m–1, respectively. Ignoring these gradients causes a significant error in calculating air-sea CO2 fluxes, especially when using shipboard underway systems that measure pCO2 at several meters below the sea surface. We found that the oceanic CO2 sink in Hudson Bay is underestimated by approximately 50% if underway pCO2 system measurements are used without correction. However, we observed that these gradients do not persist for more than 5 weeks following ice melt. We have derived a linear correction for underway pCO2 measurements to account for freshwater stratification during periods of 1–5 weeks after ice breakup. Given the lack of measurements in stratified Arctic waters, our results provide a road map to better estimates of the important role of these regions in global carbon cycles.
Idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis: clinical and CT imaging characteristics.

Background The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and computed tomography (CT) imaging findings of idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis (IMP). Methods From January 2013 to May 2019, the clinical data of 10 patients diagnosed with IMP were analyzed retrospectively. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) and colonoscopy were performed in all 10 patients. All CT imaging findings were evaluated by three radiologists, including the form and distribution of calcification, the bowel's thickness, and the surrounding fat gap. The calcification score was calculated according to the extent of the involved mesenteric veins. The colonic wall thickness was defined as the average value of the thickest and thinnest regions of the intestinal wall. The correlation between the calcification scores and the colonic wall thickness was analyzed using Spearman's correlation analysis. Results All 10 patients were male with an average age of 59.6 years (range, 51-83 years). The average smoking index was 712 (range, 0-1,800). Among them, 7 patients had a history of long-term excessive daily intake of medicinal liquor or Chinese herbal medicine. Clinical symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, and nausea were found. Colonoscopy showed dark purple discolorations of the edematous mucosa, engorged blood vessels, extensive erosion, ulceration, and multi-focal nodular surface in all patients. CT demonstrated colonic wall thickening, calcification along the mesenteric vein, and blurry surrounding fat gap in all 10 patients. Mesenteric venous calcification involved the terminal ileum, the ascending and transverse colon in all patients, and the descending colon and sigmoid colon's involvement in two patients. A total of 33 segments of the intestinal wall were involved. The median calcification score was 6 points, the mean thickness of the colonic wall was 10.73±3.22 mm, and there was no significant correlation (P=0.782) between calcification score and thickness of the colonic wall. Conclusions The main features of IMP are mesenteric venous calcification, colonic wall thickness, and pericolic fat stranding, and there is no correlation between calcification score and colonic wall thickness. Therefore, CT imaging combined with colonoscopy can improve the diagnostic accuracy of IMP.
End-to-End Deep Residual Network for Semantic Segmentation

Recent work has made significant progress in improving for the pixelwise labeling with convolutional neural networks by using residual networks. In this paper, we explore the impact of residual network in semantic segmentation by residual encoder-decoder model. The residual block can improves the dimension of feature maps, and obtains more efficient feature maps, and then ensures the effective of deep network structure. Moreover, we select the activat ion function with zero-centered characteristics to speed up the model convergence. The SELU activation function is used to remove the BN function in the network due to normalized deploy ment, thereby reducing the amount of network calculations. The proposed residual encoder-dec oder model can still output high-precision prediction results without any post-processing, and t he convergence speed is significantly faster. Our approach has achieved 61.13% mIoU, 86.92% PA, 73.42% MPA on Camvid dataset.
Comparison of Pharmacy Students' Performance in a Laboratory Course Delivered Live Versus by Virtual Facilitation

Objective. To compare academic performance in and students' perceptions of an outpatient pharmacy practice laboratory course taught in a traditional laboratory setting vs by virtual facilitation. Methods. An outpatient pharmacy practice laboratory course was taught in a traditional live laboratory setting to 69 students on two campuses in 2016. A year later, the same course was taught via synchronous virtual (ie, remote) facilitation using an internet-based video and chat conference room for communication across two campuses to 91 students. Students' academic performance was evaluated based on major assessments, individual test questions, and final course grades. A course and instructor evaluation were administered to each group of students at the conclusion of each course offering. Results. Students who completed the live traditional laboratory (2016) had a mean final course grade of 90.1%, while students who completed the virtually facilitated laboratory course (2017) had a mean final course grade of 89.6%. The mean score on course evaluations completed by students in the virtually facilitated course was lower. The difference in scores between individual course and instructor evaluations between 2016 to 2017 was not significant. There was no significant difference found between students’ grades on the midterm and final objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and written assessment questions between 2016 and 2017. Conclusion. Students who completed the live traditional laboratory course and those who completed the course in the virtually facilitated setting performed well. Course evaluations revealed student satisfaction with the course and instructor in both settings. These findings suggest that a virtually facilitated laboratory course does not hinder student performance and provides a similar experience as a traditional classroom.