Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Mentored Pathway into the Sciences for Underrepresented Populations: A Newly Crafted Educational Modality for Women Exploring Career Opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine

Purpose: The barriers generally facing women wishing to pursue careers in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) in the United States have been well described. However, additional layers of cultural beliefs and needs may pose further obstructions to women in certain cultural subgroups who wish to enter STEMM. Recognition of the challenges faced by such subgroups is important and culturally sensitive educational and training approaches may be necessary. Methods: We therefore created a science mentoring and education program incorporating the specific requirements of our test group, young Orthodox Jewish women. Our goals were to facilitate their knowledge, skills, and attitudes to embark on a scientific career in biomedicine. Interventions were designed to target physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual areas of growth with each intervention crafted to the sensitivity of the women's cultural and religious backgrounds. Results: Over the course of 6 years, we enrolled 59 Orthodox Jewish women, ages 16–20 years. These women spent their summers as part of the larger Summer Internship Program (SIP) at the National Institutes of Health. They participated in cohort sizes ranging from 6 to 26 in dozens of multilevel experiences in the SIP over 6–10 weeks. Participants reported strengthening interest to pursue careers in health care-related fields. Other graduates committed to pursue careers in the general sciences, and other graduate studies. Conclusion: This unique educational platform shows promise for other intersectional groups approaching educational barriers to careers in STEMM.
The influence of diesel fuel and biodiesel on soil microbial biomass.

Our study aimed to determine the effects of conventional diesel fuel modification with biodiesel addition on the activity of soil microbiota. Diesel fuel, biodiesel and their mixture in a concentration of 5% (w/w) were introduced into soils – light loamy silty sand and light silty loam. Based on the obtained results, reduction in the content of live microbial biomass was found, irrespective of the soil type and contamination. Despite the introduction of biodiesel into soils, inhibition was observed in all examined treatments throughout the entire incubation.
Influence of storage period on the nutritional and microbiological value of sun-dried brewer’s grains

Background: Brewer's grains, a by-product of the brewery industry, can be included in the diet of ruminants. However, its high humidity makes it difficult to store and preserve. Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of sun dehydration of wet brewer’s grains (WBG) and the effect of storage period on its nutritional and microbiological quality. Methods: A completely randomized experimental design was used to evaluate WBG dehydration efficiency, with treatments corresponding to 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 hours of sun exposure. A second experiment was carried out using also a completely randomizeddesign to evaluated the effect of storage with the following treatments: 0, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days of storage of the dry byproduct. Results: Dry matter (DM) content linearly increased with dehydration period. The chemical composition of the dried brewer's grains had no effect as a function of storage period. Indigestible protein
High-temperature phase relations and topological constraints in the quaternary system MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-Cr2O3: An experimental study

Abstract Phase relationships in the system MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-Cr2O3 (MASCr) were investigated experimentally from 1250 to 1560 °C using a 1-atm vertical quench furnace on 12 oxide mixtures covering a wide range of chemical compositions. Spinel, corundum, mullite, and sapphirine were found to display a wide range of solid solutions toward CR-rich end-members, whereas enstatite, cordierite, forsterite, and glasses were always Cr-poor. Glasses formed in relatively MgO-rich bulk compositions from 1250 °C, in assemblage with cordierite, enstatite, forsterite, and spinel, suggesting a lowering of the eutectic minimum in MASCr compared to available melting relationships in the model system MAS. Although unexpected, the relatively low-temperature melting of Cr-bearing mixtures is supported by topological constraints in the subsystems SACr and MSCr. The extent of Cr solubility in mullite has been found to reach ~14 wt% at 1560 °C, and 33 wt% in sapphirine at 1340 °C, which are the highest Cr values reported so far for these minerals. Liquidus surfaces are constrained by glass compositions that are displaced systematically toward silica compared to corresponding liquids in the ternary system MAS. As a consequence, the primary crystallization fields of Cr-spinel, Cr-sapphirine, and Cr-mullite are found to face the cristobalite/tridymite primary fields. A tentative liquidus diagram for the system MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-Cr2O3 is proposed, which could serve as a basis for the interpretation of the high-temperature evolution of planetary materials as well as for the development of new ceramic materials.
An outlook into the flat land of 2D materials beyond graphene: synthesis, properties and device applications

The field of two-dimensional (2D) and layered materials continues to excite many researchers around the world who are eager to advance and innovate viable routes for large scale synthesis, doping and integration of monolayers and the development of unique characterization approaches for studying and harnessing exotic properties that will enable novel device applications. There has been a large interest in 2D materials beyond graphene, with particular emphasis on monoelemental materials (phosphorene, silicene, tellurene, etc.), 2D compounds (MXenes, oxides, nitrides, carbides and chalcogenides), their alloys and layered van der Waals heterostructures. This is not only indicated by the significant increase in the number of peer reviewed publications each year in this area of research, but also by the surging number of conference sessions focusing on 2D materials beyond graphene. This Perspective article highlights some of the recent advances in the field from a diverse international community of theoretical and experimental researchers who participated in the symposium ‘Beyond Graphene 2D Materials—Synthesis, Properties and Device Applications’ at the Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall 2019 meeting.
Time Series Modeling of Dynamic Responses of Commodity Prices to Monetary Policy Shocks in Ghana

The Vector Error Correction (VEC) model was used to assess the impact of monetary policy rate on commodity prices in Ghana. Monthly data on monetary policy rate, commodity prices of cocoa, gold and crude oil from January 2005 to December 2017 obtained from the Bank of Ghana was used for the study. The estimated VEC model aided in establishing long and short run relationships between monetary policy rates and the major commodity prices in Ghana. The study revealed that in the long run, monetary policy rates are negatively correlated to crude oil prices, positively correlated to both cocoa prices and gold prices but to a little extent. It was also evident from the study that in the short run, the first lag of monetary policy rate is negatively related to itself and the second lag of monetary policy rate is positively related to itself. Additionally, the first and second lagged periods of cocoa price have positive influence on monetary policy rate in the short run, but the first and second lagged periods of gold price have negative influence on monetary policy rates in the short run. The Granger causality test also reveals that the movement of cocoa prices in Ghana can be explained to cause the movement of monetary policy rates and gold prices in short run. A positive shock in monetary policy rate will have a positive and persistent effect on itself. Likewise, positive shock in monetary policy rate will have a positive and persistent effect on cocoa prices. The response generated from a positive shock on monetary policy rate has a persistent and decreasing effect on both crude oil and gold prices.
Reentrant Mott transition from a Fermi liquid to a spin-gapped insulator in an organic spin-1/2 triangular-lattice antiferromagnet

The pressure-induced Mott transition is investigated in a quasi-two-dimensional molecular conductor, EtMe3P[Pd(dmit)2]2 (P 21/m) with a triangular lattice, which shows a valence bond solid state at ambient pressure. Near the critical pressure of the Mott boundary, an insulator-to-metal transition occurs at 18 K, followed by a first-order reentrant metal-to-insulator transition below 12 K. Finally, a superconducting transition from the insulating state is observed at 5.2 K. The reentrant metal–insulator transition temperature is lowered by application of magnetic field. The result indicates the presence of a spin gap diminished by the Zeeman energy in the reentrant insulating phase neighbouring on the superconducting phase.
Network Forensics of RPL-Based Attacks

IoT devices, which are increasing in highly manner day by day, are now in everywhere in our life. WSNs are used together with IoT devices to monitor real environments. In this study, attacks against WSNs were carried out. The attack chosen for this study is a flood attack. In addition, solution suggestions for this attack are presented. In this context, firstly reference and attack packages have been collected, and then the collected packages have been compared with the reference packages and forensic investigations have been carried out. The result of the evaluation has shown the importance continuous monitoring on 24/7 basis and detecting abnormal behaviors in IoT traffic with forensics analysis for preventing attacks.
Cationic Zn and Al phthalocyanines: synthesis, spectroscopy and photosensitizing properties

Several Zn(II) and Al(III) phthalocyanines bearing eight or sixteen positive charges on substituents of different structure have been prepared. Synthesized polycationic phthalocyanines have been studied in aqueous and alcoholic media by UV-vis spectroscopy and tested for their efficacy in singlet oxygen photosensitization. It has been found that a minor structural modification at the periphery of the photosensitizer allows control over its key features such as singlet oxygen generation due to specific intermolecular interactions in solution. The efficacy of polycationic phthalocyanines to sensitize tryptophan photobleaching in aqueous media and inactivation of bacteria in sewage water is also structure-dependent. Among the complexes studied, two dyes - zinc octakis(pyridiniomethyl)- and octakis[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N,N-dimethylammoniomethyl]substituted phthalocyanines - are the best sensitizers and have high potential for photodynamic applications.
Event-triggered H∞ control for networked control systems under denial-of-service attacks

This paper investigates the event-triggered H∞ control for networked control systems under the denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. First, a novel system model is established considering random, time-constraint DoS attacks. Second, an event-triggered scheme including an off-time is proposed to reduce the unnecessary occupation of network resources, with which a prescribed minimum inter-triggering time is guaranteed and Zeno problem is avoided. Third, sufficient conditions for the existence of an event-triggered controller which ensures the exponential stability of the closed-loop system with desired H∞ performance are formulated in linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is examined by two illustrative examples, where a real communication network based on the ZigBee protocol is utilized.
Planning ecotourism based on GIS in Gowa South Sulawesi

The main objective of this study is to identify and prioritize the potential ecotourism sites using Geographic Information System (GIS) in Distric Gowa South of Sulawesi. This study identifies the following factors as indicators of suitability within land ecosystems: landscape/naturalness, wildlife, topography, accessibility and community characteristics. The evaluating process for ecotourism site conducted based on eight chosen criteria including land use/cover, reservation/protection, species diversity, elevation, slope, proximity to cultural sites, distance from roads and settlement size. Those factors were selected according to the professional expert’s opinions. GIS plays a crucial role in ecotourism planning. Aplication GIS –Base proposed was useful to identify ecotourism sites by linking the criteria deemed important with the actual resources of Gowa District.
Using in-silica Analysis and Reverse Vaccinology Approach for COVID-19 Vaccine Development

Background: The recent pandemic of COVID19 that has struck the world is yet to be battled by a potential cure. Countless lives have been claimed due to the existing pandemic and the societal normalcy has been damaged permanently. As a result, it becomes crucial for academic researchers in the field of bioinformatics to combat the existing pandemic. Materials and Methods: The study involved collecting the virulent strain sequence of SARS-nCoV19 for the country USA against human host through publically available bioinformatics databases. Using in-silica analysis, reverse vaccinology, and 3-D modelling, two leader proteins were identified to be potential vaccine candidates for development of a multi-epitope drug. Results: It was revealed that the two leader proteins ORF1ab MT326102 and MT326715 had the highest extinction coefficient and the lowest score on the GRAVY. Along with the given parameters, these leader proteins were highly stable and were also antigenic in nature. The two selected epitopes were then docked against their respective alleles to obtain the global energy scores, which was the lowest of all possible pairs. Conclusion: The epitopes which displayed the lowest global energy score on docking with the alleles were selected and proposed as successful and potential vaccine candidates for multi-epitope vaccine development. Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2020-02-SI-9 Full Text: PDF
Entrepreneurial Cognitions and Decision-Making: A Study of Community Participants in The La-Nkwantang Muncipality, Ghana

Over the last decade, Entrepreneurial cognitions is gradually receiving attention globally in the entrepreneurship discourse. This is because decisions people make concerning the development of entrepreneurial businesses are key in the performance of the business. The present study examined the relationship between cognitive styles (intuitive and analytical thinking) and entrepreneurial decision-making approaches (causation and effectuation) amongst community participants. Two hundred and seventy-two (272) participants were conveniently sampled from the La-Nkwantanang Municipality in Accra were given questionnaires to assess whether a relationship exist between entrepreneurial cognitions and decision-making approaches. It was observed that both cognitive styles (analytical and intuitive) significantly predicted entrepreneurial decision-making approaches. Demographic factors; gender, education and business experience also influenced the choice of entrepreneurial decision-making approaches (causation and effectuation). Limitations of the study and their implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Content Estimation of Foreign Fibers in Cotton Based on Deep Learning

Cotton foreign fibers directly affect the quality of a textile product; the less foreign fibers in raw cotton, the higher the quality grade of the textile product. Based on the foreign fiber clean machine, this paper proposed an evaluation method of foreign fiber content using deep learning. First of all, a large number of images of foreign fibers were collected from different production lines and annotated to obtain the mask image dataset of foreign fibers. Secondly, by comparing the image segmentation algorithm based on deep learning, tests showed that U-Net has a better performance on different segment metrics evaluations, and U-Net is improved to realize the real-time segmentation of foreign fiber images. The actual size of the foreign fiber could be calculated through the combination of the segment result and the mechanical parameters of the machine. Finally, the test results showed that the relative error between the estimated size and the actual size was less than 4%. After the prototype test, the algorithm was deployed on the actual production line and, by comparing the algorithm data in a random time with the actual foreign fiber statistical data, the overall error was less than 2%. The test showed that the new evaluation method can fully reflect the content of foreign fiber in raw cotton.
Redfield ratios of remineralization determined by nutrient data analysis

A nonlinear inverse method is applied to nutrient data upon approximately 20 neutral surfaces in each of the South Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific basins, between 400 and 4000 m depth. By accounting for the gradients in nutrients due to the mixing of [open quotes]preformed[close quotes] concentrations of the major water masses, the nutrient changes due to biological activity are examined, and the time-mean, basin-wide Redfield ratios calculated. It is found that the P/N/C[sub org]/[sup O][sub 2] ratios of nutrient regeneration between 400 and 4000 m (corrected for the effect of denitrification) are approximately constant with depth and basin, at a value of 1/16[+-]1/117[+-]14/170[+-]10. These ratios agree with those of fresh organic matter, suggesting that the flux of organic material to the deep ocean may be dominated by fast-sinking matter produced by sporadic, high-productivity events. Sedimentary denitrification reduces the N/P utilization ratio to 12 [+-] 2 between 1000 and 3000 m. In the Indian and Pacific basins the C[sub org]/C[sub inorg] regeneration ratio decreases from approximately 7 [+-] 13 at 400 m to 3 [+-] 1 at 1000 m and to 1 [+-] 0.5 at 4000 m, suggesting a significant amount of calcium carbonate dissolution above the calcite lysoclines in themore » Indian and Pacific oceans. 74 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs. « less
Switching the magnetostructural coupling in MnCoGe-based magnetocaloric materials

We performed neutron-diffraction experiments and density functional theory calculations to study the magnetostructural coupling in $\mathrm{MnCoGe}{\mathrm{B}}_{x}$ ($x=0$, 0.01, and 0.05) alloys. By varying the amount of boron addition, we are able to freely switch the magnetostructural coupling on and off in the MnCoGe alloys. It is found that the boron addition stabilizes the high-temperature hexagonal phase due to the reduced interatomic distances and the enhanced covalent bonding. The hexagonal-orthorhombic structural transition shifts to low temperatures with the boron addition and coincides with the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic (PM-FM) transition in the $\mathrm{MnCoGe}{\mathrm{B}}_{0.01}$ alloy. With a further increase in the boron addition, the structural and magnetic transitions are decoupled again. The hexagonal-orthorhombic structural transition is significantly suppressed in the $\mathrm{MnCoGe}{\mathrm{B}}_{0.05}$ alloy, although subtle distortions in the hexagonal structure are evidenced by a canted spin arrangement below 75 K. The MnCoGe and $\mathrm{MnCoGe}{\mathrm{B}}_{0.01}$ alloys show a collinear FM structure, having a much larger Mn moment than the $\mathrm{MnCoGe}{\mathrm{B}}_{0.05}$ alloy. The relatively small Mn moment in the $\mathrm{MnCoGe}{\mathrm{B}}_{0.05}$ alloy can be attributed to the shortened Mn-Mn distance and the enhanced overlap of the $3d$ orbitals between the neighboring Mn atoms. The uncovered relationship between the structural evolution and the sizable magnetic moment in the present work offers more insight into the magnetostructural coupling in the MnCoGe-based alloys.
Online social networking and cognitive performance in older adults: A Greek-Canadian study

The present study examined the relation between cognitive performance and social networking in older adults from Canada and Greece. The two groups were matched on age, gender, education level, and MMSE scores. Participants reported the amount of both off-line and online networking, as well as the social support received in these contexts. Immediate and delayed recall, speed of processing, and executive functioning were also assessed. Online networking was associated with executive functioning. Interestingly, country context didn’t moderate the relationship, despite differences observed between Greeks and Canadians in executive functioning and online networking. Our findings suggest that online social participation could serve both as a source of social support and as cognitive training, benefiting older adults’ cognitive vitality. The findings are discussed in relation to the characteristics of the specific countries, stressing the need to explore the effects of online social networking and participation on cognitive function in the aging population.
Thermodynamic Stabilities of SrCeO3 and BaCeO3 Using a Molten Salt Method and Galvanic Cells

SrCeO 3 and BaCeO 3 , which are known to be excellent proton conductors, are potential candidates as electrolytes in hydrogen concentrators and fuel cells. The anticipated application temperature is in the range of ∼500 to ∼1000 o C. Typical synthesis/densification temperature of these cerates using conventional processing methods is ∼1400 to 1600 o C. The oblective of the present work was to determine thermodynamic stabilities of SrCeO 3 and BaCeO 3 with respect to the individual oxides SrO and CeO 2 , and BaO and CeO 2 in the anticipated application temperature regime. Two approaches were selected: the molten salt method and galvanic cells
Parental Food Beliefs on Pre-School-Aged Children in Kaski District of Nepal: A Qualitative Review

Background: This study explores food beliefs among poor mothers related to feeding their offspring. Mothers’ misconception of a healthy diet is one of the major causes of nutritional problems in preschool-aged children in Nepal and these beliefs and attitudes can result in the inappropriate feeding of young children. Objectives: The main objectives of this study were:• identify major barriers for recommending healthy food that are associated with existing cultures, religions and ethnic divisions;• assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about nutritious food amongst mothers;• assess health-seeking behaviour for children of low socio-economic status. Methods: Study used a qualitative focus group discussion. Fifty participants took part in seven focus groups to explore their food beliefs. The qualitative focus groups aimed to collect in-depth information around food beliefs and data were thematically analysed. Results: The study identified six key themes: (a) poverty; (b) knowledge; (c) policy; (d) beliefs about breastfeeding; (e) food beliefs: and (f) health-seeking behaviours/cultural influences. Many participants thought that illiterate and underserved populations are generally exposed due to financial scarcity, poor knowledge and strongly rooted in cultural practices, and beliefs. This study found ‘diversified views’ as a major barrier to food and health-seeking behaviours. Some groups recognised the negative effects of existing beliefs and taboos. However, the spiritual healers highlighted the importance of linking beliefs with cultural and religious norms and values. They showed the complex relationships between food and health-seeking behaviours and food recommendations with financial status and the perceived cultural practices of society. Conclusions: This study suggests that a public health approach is needed to address nutrition problems associated with behaviour and revealed major barriers which were associated with poverty, resources, and mothers’ education level.