Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Solution-Focused-Brief Counselling Technique on Procrastination Behaviour Among Primary School Teachers in Bauchi Metropolis

This study determined the effect of Solution focused brief counselling technique on procrastination behaviour among primary school teachers in Bauchi metropolis, Bauchi State Nigeria. The study was guided by two research questions and hypotheses. A quasi-experimental design was used while all primary school teachers with procrastination behaviour in Bauchi metropolis were the population out which 27 teachers purposively selected were the sample for study. The Procrastination Scale developed by Lay (1986) with twenty (20) item questions was adapted by changing some items to suit present study. Items were mixed in the scale used as an instrument to avoid copy from each other for data collection; data collected were analyzed using t-test and analysis of covariance. Findings revealed that there is significant effect exist in the solution focused brief counselling technique on situational dimension procrastination behaviour among primary school teachers in Bauchi metropolis (t = 8.710. p=0.00). This implies that solution focus brief counselling technique is effective in reducing (situational dimension) procrastination behaviour among primary school teachers in Bauchi metropolis (7.417. p=0.00.). Among the recommendations given counsellors and psychologists should be trained and encouraged to use Solution focused; brief counselling technique to re-addressing primary school teachers with situational dimension or trait dimension of procrastination behaviour in Bauchi metropolis to enhance their teaching activities.
A Robust Digital Control Strategy Using Error Correction Based on the Discrete Lyapunov Theorem

This paper presents a robust digital control strategy using error correction techniques to improve the robustness of conventional deadbeat control methods. The proposed control method, based on the discrete converter models, determined control law using an error correction technique based on the discrete Lyapunov stability theorem. The steady-state performance and dynamic response of the presented method was analyzed and verified. The experimental results showed that the method derived in this paper not only offered improved robustness, but also endowed the grid current with lower Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), while still maintaining a fast, dynamic response.
Clinical outcomes of multifocal papillary thyroid cancer: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy with a steadily increasing incidence. Researches have reported that tumor multifocality occurs in an extensive number of cases. Nevertheless, the clinical characteristics and prognostic value remained controversial. This study was performed to investigate the relationship between multifocal PTC and adverse clinicopathologic features and the prognosis.
Design of the Casting Technology using Foundry Simulation Codes – Development Condition

Simulation codes currently used in the foundry industry are primarily used to predict casting quality, quality tied mainly to the location of defects such as shrinkage (voids of shrinkage origin). The effective use of the simulation system requires identification and knowledge of, adapted to the reality, physical parameters (thermal) of the casting - mould system. The lack of as complete as a possible identification of these values, used in modelling dependencies, is the cause of limitation of the development and scope of models describing casting solidification. The development condition of the simulation code in the foundry practice is the correct model installation and the use of the database corresponding to the model. The following application presents the analysis of the impact of simulation parameters on the prediction of the casting defects.
Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) for Fabricating High Filtration Efficiency (FE) Polymeric Membranes for Face Mask and Air Filtration Applications

Protection against airborne viruses has become very relevant since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2. Nonwoven face masks along with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) filters have been used extensively to reduce infection rates; however, some of these filter materials provide inadequate protection due to insufficient initial filtration efficiency (FE) and FE decrease with time. Flat sheet porous membranes, which have been used extensively to filter waterborne microbes and particulate matter due to their high FE have the potential to filter air pollutants without compromising its FE over time. Therefore, in this study, single layer polysulfone (PSf) membranes were fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and were tested for airflow rate, pressure drop and FE. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycerol were employed as pore-forming agents, and the effect of the primary polymer and pore-forming additive molecular weights (MW) on airflow rate and pressure drop were studied at different concentrations. The thermodynamic stability of dope solutions with different MWs of PSf and PEG in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) at different concentrations was determined using cloud-point measurements to construct a ternary phase diagram. Surface composition of the fabricated membranes was characterized using contact angle and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while membrane morphology was characterized by SEM, and tensile strength experiments were performed to analyze the membrane mechanical strength (MS). It was observed that an increase in PSf and PEG molecular weight and concentration increased airflow and decreased pressure drop. PSf60:PEG20:NMP (15:15:70)% w/w showed the highest air flow rate and lowest pressure drop, but at the expense of the mechanical strength, which was improved significantly by attaching the membrane to a 3D-printed polypropylene support. Lastly, the FE values of the membranes were similar to those of double-layer N95 filters and significantly higher than those of single layer of N95, surgical mask and HVAC (MERV 11) filters.
SIGIRR Downregulation and Interleukin-1 Signaling Intrinsic to Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is highly inflamed, and tumor cells are embedded into a microenvironment enriched with IL1. While inflammatory pathways are well characterized in the immune system, less is known about these same pathways in epithelial cells; it is unclear if and how innate immune signals directly impact on cancer cells, and if we could we manipulate these for therapeutic purposes. To address these questions, we first focused on the inflammatory receptors belonging to the IL1- and Toll-like receptor family including negative regulators in a small cohort of 12 clear cell RCC (ccRCC) patients’ samples as compared to their coupled adjacent normal tissues. Our data demonstrated that renal epithelial cancer cells showed a specific and distinctive pattern of inflammatory receptor expression marked by a consistent downregulation of the inhibitory receptor SIGIRR mRNA. This repression was confirmed at the protein level in both cancer cell lines and primary tissues. When we analyzed in silico data of different kidney cancer histotypes, we identified the clear cell subtype as the one where SIGIRR was mostly downregulated; nonetheless, papillary and chromophobe tumor types also showed low levels as compared to their normal counterpart. RNA-sequencing analysis demonstrated that IL1 stimulation of the ccRCC cell line A498 triggered an intrinsic signature of inflammatory pathway activation characterized by the induction of distinct “pro-tumor” genes including several chemokines, the autocrine growth factor IL6, the atypical co-transcription factor NFKBIZ, and the checkpoint inhibitor PD-L1. When we looked for the macroareas most represented among the differentially expressed genes, additional clusters emerged including pathways involved in cell differentiation, angiogenesis, and wound healing. To note, SIGIRR overexpression in A498 cells dampened IL1 signaling as assessed by a reduced induction of NFKBIZ. Our results suggest that SIGIRR downregulation unleashes IL1 signaling intrinsic to tumor cells and that manipulating this pathway may be beneficial in ccRCC.
Power Loss Minimization of Parallel-Connected Distributed Energy Resources in DC Microgrids Using a Distributed Gradient Algorithm-Based Hierarchical Control

This paper presents a distributed hierarchical control to minimize the distribution power loss, including both line loss and converter loss, of distributed energy resources (DERs) in DC microgrids. The proposed control comprises a distributed gradient algorithm (DGA) at the top layer, a consensus control at the secondary layer, and a local droop and dual-loop control at the bottom layer. Since the distribution power loss of DERs is modelled a concave function of the output currents, the DGA with addition and subtraction operators can be directly used to derive the optimal current allocation coefficients based on peer-to-peer data exchange between the neighboring DERs. The derived optimal current allocation coefficients are adopted by the distributed secondary control to generate adaptive voltage terms for the local control. The local control consists of a droop control and a classic dual-loop control for grid-connected converters. Both simulation and experimental results have validated that the proposed control can reduce more distribution power loss of DERs than the conventional control by only considering line loss by various cases, including normal operation, power clip, plug-in-and-out of DERs, and communication failure. Experimental results also verify that the execution speed of the proposed control is faster than that of the conventional Lagrange multiplier-based centralized control.
Metabolically Engineered Escherichia coli for Conversion of D-Fructose to D-Allulose via Phosphorylation-Dephosphorylation

D-Allulose is an ultra-low calorie sweetener with broad market prospects. As an alternative to Izumoring, phosphorylation-dephosphorylation is a promising method for D-allulose synthesis due to its high conversion of substrate, which has been preliminarily attempted in enzymatic systems. However, in vitro phosphorylation-dephosphorylation requires polyphosphate as a phosphate donor and cannot completely deplete the substrate, which may limit its application in industry. Here, we designed and constructed a metabolic pathway in Escherichia coli for producing D-allulose from D-fructose via in vivo phosphorylation-dephosphorylation. PtsG-F and Mak were used to replace the fructose phosphotransferase systems (PTS) for uptake and phosphorylation of D-fructose to fructose-6-phosphate, which was then converted to D-allulose by AlsE and A6PP. The D-allulose titer reached 0.35 g/L and the yield was 0.16 g/g. Further block of the carbon flux into the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway and introduction of an ATP regeneration system obviously improved fermentation performance, increasing the titer and yield of D-allulose to 1.23 g/L and 0.68 g/g, respectively. The E. coli cell factory cultured in M9 medium with glycerol as a carbon source achieved a D-allulose titer of ≈1.59 g/L and a yield of ≈0.72 g/g on D-fructose.
The TE201 Waveguide Singlet: A Design Approach Based on Charts

In this work, we analyze the behavior of TE201 waveguide singlets, proposing dimensioning criteria applicable in the portion of the single-mode bandwidth of the input waveguide comprised between <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1. 4f_{c}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1. 6f_{c}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$f_{c}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the dominant mode cut-off frequency. We address the relationship between the physical features of the singlet and the equivalent circuit parameters, by proposing a method to build ad hoc charts from full-wave simulations based on mode-matching. In the framework of an extracted pole waveguide filter design procedure, the initial dimensioning of the singlets is completed quickly through the charts and the final filter optimization is extremely fast, the initial design being accurate enough. The validation of this procedure is shown with a suitable design example of a filter with zeros both above and below the passband.
Influence of Machining Conditions on Friction in Abrasive Flow Machining Process – A Review

This paper presents a rage of variable machining factors which influence substantially friction directly or by the abrasive media wear developed in the cutting zone. Abrasive flow machining is method of machining surfaces of complex holes and curved surface. In the case of traditional stream treatment methods abrasive (AFM) it is difficult to obtain a uniform roughness radial decomposition during polishing complicated openings, which results from uneven distribution of abrasive forces. The group of direct factors include the work piece materials and abrasive media, changes in the fluid pressure, number of flow cycles, the medium flow frequency. In addition, it was proposed modifications in the amount and size of grains abrasives filling the abrasive medium to increase the value of the grain pressure force on the surface to be processed and obtained an even surface of complex holes in the process AFM processing. Special attention was paid to the abrasive media wear evolution and its pronounced effect on changes of the contact conditions. The experiment results also confirm that the rise in the medium flow frequency during the process will not affect the roughness changes work piece surface.
Professional practices and

Introduction. – Implementation of a curative strategy at the debridement stage associates systemic therapy with local therapy. Objectives. – To determine which medical devices and technology other than support surfaces and what kinds of drugs to use in order to cleanse a pressure ulcer in 2012. Method. – A systematic review of the literature querying the databases PASCAL Biomed, Cochrane Library and PubMed from 2000 to 2010 along with a compendium of prevailing professional practices. Results. – Pressure sore debridement is based on local care and on the use of alginates, hydrogels and hydrocolloids. Discussion. – The analyzed articles do not take into account any specific stage of pressure ulcer debridement. Data that might favor some kinds of dressings show a low level of evidence. Were it possible to decide on the dressing to be used for a given indication, professionals would be better able to orient and narrow down their choices. Conclusion. – Use of alginates and hydrogels in pressure ulcer debridement is of real interest. According to expert opinion, other dressings (irrigoabsorbents, for instance) seem promising, but have yet to receive adequate scientific validation. # 2012 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
UniMiB AAL: An Android Sensor Data Acquisition and Labeling Suite

In recent years, research on techniques to identify and classify activities of daily living (ADLs) has significantly grown. This is justified by the many application domains that benefit from the application of these techniques, which span from entertainment to health support. Usually, human activities are classified by analyzing signals that have been acquired from sensors. Inertial sensors are the most commonly employed, as they are not intrusive, are generally inexpensive and highly accurate, and are already available to the user because they are mounted on widely used devices such as fitness trackers, smartphones, and smartwatches. To be effective, classification techniques should be tested and trained with datasets of samples. However, the availability of publicly available datasets is limited. This implies that it is difficult to make comparative evaluations of the techniques and, in addition, that researchers are required to waste time developing ad hoc applications to sample and label data to be used for the validation of their technique. The aim of our work is to provide the scientific community with a suite of applications that eases both the acquisition of signals from sensors in a controlled environment and the labeling tasks required when building a dataset. The suite includes two Android applications that are able to adapt to both the running environment and the activities the subject wishes to execute. Because of its simplicity and the accuracy of the labeling process, our suite can increase the number of publicly available datasets.
Creating a Textile Museum Exhibit: Conservation and Accessibility

This twofold study engages a collection of early-to-mid-20th century Levantine textiles held by the Institute of Archaeology and Siegfried H. Horn Museum. The first part of the study involves identifying the risks of physical deterioration posed to the collection and then providing a proposal for the storage and display of these artifacts. Keeping the museum's means in mind, the storage plan emphasizes preventive conservation, focusing on minimizing risks wherever possible to keep damage from happening in the first place. The second part provides written interpretive material for the display that informs visitors of the textiles' geographic, physical, and cultural origins.
Open research data: A case study into institutional and infrastructural arrangements to stimulate open research data sharing and reuse

This study investigates which combination of institutional and infrastructural arrangements positively impact research data sharing and reuse in a specific case. We conducted a qualitative case study of the institutional and infrastructural arrangements implemented at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. In the examined case, it was fundamental to change the mindset of researchers and to make them aware of the benefits of sharing data. Therefore, arrangements should be designed bottom-up and used as a “carrot” rather than as a “stick. ” Moreover, support offered to researchers should cover at least legal, financial, administrative, and practical issues of research data management and should be informal in nature. Previous research describes generic institutional and infrastructural instruments that can stimulate open research data sharing and reuse. This study is among the first to analyze what and how infrastructural and institutional arrangements work in a particular context. It provides the basis for other scholars to study such arrangements in different contexts. Open data policymakers, universities, and open data infrastructure providers can use our findings to stimulate data sharing and reuse in practice, adapted to the contextual situation. Our study focused on a single case and a particular part of the university. We recommend repeating this research in other contexts, that is, at other universities, faculties, and involving other research data infrastructure providers.
The Impact of Thermal Enhance Layers on the Relaxation Effect in Analog RRAM

Computing-in-memory (CIM) with analog resistive random access memory (RRAM) has recently shown great potential in building energy-efficient hardware for artificial intelligence (AI). However, the relaxation effect of analog RRAM featuring post-programming conductance drift has become a key performance-limiting factor. In this work, a comprehensive study of the relaxation effect is presented from the analysis of its causes to the strategy for device optimization as well as the impact on CIM applications. An application-oriented quantitative indicator (relative deviation [RD]) is proposed to fairly evaluate the relaxation effect of different devices. In particular, the influence of oxygen content in different thermal enhanced layers (TELs) on the relaxation and maximum conductance value <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${G}_{max}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of analog RRAM is studied. A theory of ternary oxide TEL is proposed to mitigate relaxation while maintaining low <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${G}_{max}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, which is experimentally validated by TaTiO<sub><italic>x</italic></sub> as TEL. Furthermore, neural network simulation is carried out to analyze the requirement for RRAM relaxation for CIM applications. This work provides a useful strategy for device optimization to suppress the relaxation effect by engineering the TEL.
Does Metabolic Syndrome Affect the Incidence and Prognosis of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss?

Earlier studies reported that the occurrence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is associated with chronic metabolic disorders such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Instead of focusing on the relationship between SSNHL and each metabolic disorder, this study aimed to identify the association with metabolic syndrome as a whole, including either prehypertension or prediabetes. As a case-control study, we reviewed 239 patients who experienced SSNHL, and compared them with the same number of healthy subjects (N = 478). Metabolic syndrome-related variables of SSNHL patients were compared to those of healthy control subjects. In addition, patients with SSNHL were classified into two subgroups: the first subgroup showed improvement in hearing (‘response group’), and the second did not present significant improvement (‘non-response group’). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. The risk for SSNHL was 4.3 times higher in patients with metabolic syndrome compared with patients without the syndrome (95% confidence interval, 1.98 to 9.33), even after adjusting for variables that showed significant between-group differences. The likelihood of being unresponsive to treatment was higher in those with metabolic syndrome (1.21 to 3.93; adjusted odds ratio = 2.18), and when the initial hearing loss pattern on a pure-tone audiometry was high tone or flat. Metabolic syndrome appears to be an independent risk factor for SSNHL and, simultaneously, a predictor of poor prognosis.
Modulational instability in lossy optical fibers

The modulational instability in an optical fiber, with loss taken into account, is analytically investigated. It is demonstrated how the linearized equation for perturbation can be solved exactly in terms of Bessel functions, and qualitative differences from previous analytic approaches are pointed out. Finally, the limits imposed by this instability on optical communication systems are discussed. The use of this theory in system design is examined.
Role Integration Increases the Fungibility of Mentally Accounted Funds

Bridging the gap between the mental accounting and identities/roles literatures, the present research examines how the extent to which an individual's life roles (e.g., “employee,” “spouse”) are integrated (i.e., have more flexible and permeable psychological boundaries between them) moderates the fungibility of mentally accounted funds. Specifically, individuals with more integrated roles are more able to circumvent the constraints typically imposed by mental budgeting and earmarking; therefore, they are more likely to use funds that are allocated or budgeted for the purposes of one role to service the needs/wants of another role. This holds regardless of whether funds have been (1) allocated to a broader role-specific mental account for future expenditures or (2) earmarked for a specific purchase. The authors find evidence that the effect of role integration arises because those with more integrated roles believe that making purchases for one role using funds allocated or budgeted for the other role is more justifiable.