Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adsorption of carbamazepine from water by hydrothermally and steam activated agricultural by-products: equilibrium, site energy, and thermodynamic studies

Abstract Pollution of water sources by pharmaceuticals has attracted attention. In this work, carbamazepine (CBZ), as a model pharmaceutical pollutant, was used to investigate its characteristics of adsorption from an aqueous solution. Flax shives and oat hulls, representing cellulosic materials of agricultural by-products, were characterized and used to develop hydrochars and steam activated hydrochars adsorbents. Hydrothermal treatment and steam activation significantly enhanced the CBZ adsorption capacity. The isotherms of CBZ adsorption by the steam activated hydrochars were experimentally investigated at various temperatures (20–40 °C) and satisfactorily simulated by the Sips model. The steam activated hydrochars of flax shives and oat hulls had higher maximum CBZ adsorption capacities of 293.5 and 162.6 mg/g than the respective hydrochars (75.3 and 81.8 mg/g) and raw materials (16.5 and 15.0 mg/g). Based on the isotherm modeling results, the site energy distribution of CBZ adsorption was further determined. The weighted means of site energy obtained at 40 °C (13.3–15.0 kJ/mol) were higher than those at 30 °C (11.2–13.4 kJ/mol) and 20 °C (7.7–8.0 kJ/mol), indicating higher adsorption affinity, thus more favorable adsorption. Furthermore, the thermodynamic parameters of CBZ adsorption were determined. The results indicated that the CBZ adsorption on hydrochars and steam activated hydrochars were endothermic and spontaneous.
Whale-optimized fuzzy-fractional order controller-based automobile suspension model

The functionality of the Active Suspension System (ASS) concerning stability and ride quality offers scope in modelling and simulation of automobile active suspension model. This work explores the design and simulation of a five degree of freedom ASS based driver integrated half car model (i.e.) Active Half Car Driver (AHCD) model. A novel design approach which assesses the Fuzzy-Fractional Order PID (FFOPID) controller parameters using bio inspired Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is presented. The WOA is employed to manipulate the parameters of FFOPID controller and its efficacy is investigated using a comparative study against the performance of FOPID, FFOPID and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique tuned FFOPID (PSO-FFOPID) controllers over a single bump and a random road. The ACHD model is also analyzed under different speed levels which discloses performance adaptability of the proposed WOA-FFOPID controller. The Frequency Weighted Root Mean Square and Vibration dose value as per ISO 2631-1 standards are calculated and the results thus acquired are compared comprehensively and are analyzed which confirms that the WOA-FFOPID centered AHCD model provides the best ride comfort by reducing the driver body vibration in vertical motion.
I think I can, I know I can? Success orientation in adult learner academic self-directedness

A Learning 2.0 milieu requires an active learner mindset, where the learner initiates and directs the learning experience. Consequently, adult learner academic self-directedness is essential for facilitating successful lifelong learning. Learner self-directedness is of specific importance in South African higher education, since only about 12 per cent of qualifying matriculants will continue to higher education, and of those, only about 6 per cent will qualify within 6 years. Adult learner self-directedness broadly consists of contextual (learning environment), cognitive (agency) and behavioural (self-management) elements. Although researchers agree that a fairly well-developed capacity for self-directedness is a requirement for successful ODeL studies, there is a lack of research on adult learner self-directedness in the South African ODeL context. The adult learner self-directedness scale (ALSDS) was developed to investigate adult learners in an ODeL context. The scale produced four factors describing adult learner self-directedness in, of which success orientation seems to be the most noteworthy.
Effect of entrepreneurship education on innovation capability of technical and vocational and education training (TVET) graduates in Kenya

The purpose of this study was to explore the Effect of Entrepreneurship Education on Innovation Capability of TVET Graduates in Kenya. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. The study used the entire population as a sample since the accessible population was all TVET graduates in Kenya. The main data collection instrument was semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity. The study found out that entrepreneurship education is key to the innovation capability of TVET graduates in Kenya. The study found out that respondents were interested in pursuing entrepreneurship as a career path. However, with the absence of an adequate platform or systems at the TVET institutions, students are not engaged in entrepreneurial paths in any significant way. Further, the study determines that TVET institutions should focus on entrepreneurship education that would provide the graduates with innovation skills that offer high valued contributions to the accomplishment of quality strategy goals and organizational objectives, enabling businesses to achieve market-leading performance and thus competitive advantage. The TVET graduates need to be equipped with entrepreneurial skills that will help them improve their firms or where employed in order to capture a higher market share
The Effect of Bioactive Glass and Sintering Conditions on the Properties of Titanium-Hydroxyapatite Composites

Titanium-hydroxyapatite (Ti-HA) based composites have been widely investigated as viable materials to be used in dentistry. However, sintering of these composites is very challenging due to decomposition of HA and oxidation of Ti. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of incorporating a bioactive glass in Ti-HA composites sintered in different atmospheric conditions. The bioactive glass was prepared and added to different percentages of Ti-HA mixtures and divided into two groups. Samples in Group 1 were sintered with air atmosphere, while samples in Group 2 were sintered with vacuum furnace. All samples were later subjected to XRD, SEM, density, micro-hardness, and compression strength tests. XRD results showed that in Group 1, the major phases were assigned to Ti and HA while the minor phases were assigned to oxidised Ti. Whereas, Group 2 showed that the major phases were assigned to HA and the minor phases showed decomposition of HA to Ca3(PO4)2(TCP) and Ca4(PO4)2O (TTCP). Oxidized Ti was also present in this group. In terms of density, micro-hardness and compression strength, statistical analyses showed that samples in Group 1 have a significant difference (p = 0.000) as compared to those in Group 2. Sintering Ti-HA composites incorporated with BGby using air atmosphere furnace could reduce the decomposition of HA and oxidation of Ti, thus improve the density, micro-hardness and compression strength of the composites.
Morphology, morphometrics, and molecular characteristics of Apis cerana and Apis nigrocincta from Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Systematics of honey bees has developed rapidly. Several studies have attempted to infer the kinship between each group of honey bees. One approach is the use identification and phylogenetic analysis using combination of morphology, morphometric, and molecular characteristics data. There are three species of honey bees found in the Central Sulawesi, namely Apis dorsata, A. cerana and A. nigrocincta . The last two species mentioned have similar biological properties, so they present some difficulties to identify especially with morphological characters only. The results showed that the two Apis bee species analyzed in this study, had similar morphological features compared to specimens of the same species from the other regions, whereas the morphometry of the two had variations in size compared to the same species that have been reported in other regions. The variations in the size or morphometric character of worker bees, both those with a larger or smaller size, possibly being a form of morphological adaptation to different environmental conditions . The CO1 and 16S Mitochondrial DNA sequences of A. cerana and A. nigrocincta from this study were similar to the sequences of the same species in the GeneBank ’s database. This study provide preliminary data contributing to the preservation and utilization of one of Indonesia’s important biodiversity resources.
Convolutional Adaptive Network for Link Prediction in Knowledge Bases

: Knowledge bases (KBs) have become an integral element in digitalization strategies for intelligent engineering and manufacturing. Existing KBs consist of entities and relations and deal with issues of newly added knowledge and completeness. To predict missing information, we introduce an expressive multi-layer network link prediction framework—namely, the convolutional adaptive network (CANet)—which facilitates adaptive feature recalibration by networks to improve the method’s representational power. In CANet, each entity and relation is encoded into a low-dimensional continuous embedding space, and an interaction operation is adopted to generate multiple speciﬁc embeddings. These embeddings are concatenated into input matrices, and an attention mechanism is integrated into the convolutional operation. Finally, we use a score function to measure the likelihood of candidate information and a cross-entropy loss function to speed up computation by reducing the convolution operations. Using ﬁve real-world KBs, the experimental results indicate that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance.
NEVER LET ME GO: UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE USED

Purpose of the study: The study aims at analysing Never Let Me Go in terms of the language used in his novel by Nobel prize winner, Kazuo Ishiguro, a Japanese writer. The language used in the novel which is a science fiction novel, with the futuristic vision which is quite difficult to understand in one reading, and hence this paper can create interest and inquisitiveness in the reader. Methodology: For the literary analysis of the words in the study, Motifs and Symbolism are used as a technique to analyse the words and language used in Never Let Me Go. Literary analysis of chosen words and language is used as a research method in the novel. Main Findings: It is indicated in this study that the novel is narrated in first person singular form. Kathy’s voice in Never Let Me Go seems consistent. A reader feels a clear sense of Kathy`s character through her discipline of speaking. Applications of this study: It is shown in this study of Never Let Me Go in terms of the language used, can be useful to the students studying in graduates/post graduates of Literature studies. The in-depth analysis of the language, words, etc used in the novel makes it interesting to the students. Novelty/Originality of this study: The language using style in Never Let Me Go is realistic and reflects on the period of the novel set i.e., the 1990s and colloquial language used by the author. Certain words like a euphemism, possible, donor, carer, unzipping, gifted, othering used by the narrator has an inner meaning which is being analysed in this paper. This could help the reader to understand the narration and take pleasure in reading the novel.
Social protection and inequality in the global South: Politics, actors and institutions

In this themed section, we explore the links between contemporary social protection approaches and inequality in developing countries, focusing on political economy drivers and the role of actors and institutions in recent reform and implementation processes. This introduction article establishes some common ground by introducing context, concepts and questions. Reducing inequality is identified as a key condition for achieving inclusive and sustainable development as aspired in the Sustainable Development Goals governments committed to in 2015. The introduction situates the three articles in this issue, two studies of pro-poor cash transfers in the Philippines and Kenya, and an analysis of the new national minimum wage policy in South Africa, in a context of contested globalisation, increasing inequality and the social turn, a come-back of social policy as a key development instrument. After identifying the limitations and opportunities of this social turn, the article discusses the three social protection reforms and their impact on equality and social change in the different country contexts through a lens of contestation, institutions and transformative change.
Sustainability of Family-Owned Businesses in the Willowvale Industrial Area of Harare, Zimbabwe

The study sought to evaluate the sustainability of family-owned businesses which were situated in Willowvale industrial area of Harare. The study emanated from the fact that family-owned businesses were experiencing high failure rates. The research explored challenges faced by family-owned businesses, investigated the coping strategies which they adopted, evaluated the link between success factors and sustainability and identified forms of government assistance. Mixed research approaches were adopted. The study found that the family-owned businesses faced a myriad of challenges chief among them shortage of capital, adverse economic environment and stiff competition. The companies lacked in appreciating the role of innovation, information technology, efficiency and quality in enhancing sustainability of their businesses. Coping mechanisms involve reorganising their operations, balancing costs, having family support and mixing entrepreneurship with emotion. There was a weak link between corporate governance, succession planning and management practices with sustainability of family-owned businesses in Willowvale. However, there was a strong link between sustainable competitive advantages and sustainability of these organisations.
Analysis on the Exhaust Air Recirculation of the Ventilation System in Multi-Story Building

In South Korea, the installation of a mechanical ventilation system is mandatory for the management of indoor air quality, and various studies concerning the ventilation rate and performance of the ventilation system have been conducted. However, only a few studies have been conducted regarding the recirculation rate of the ventilation system. If the appropriate arrangement of intake and exhaust vents in the ventilation system is not considered, the pollutants emitted from the circulation movement may be recirculated into the indoor environment and cause the degradation of the performance of the ventilation system. Therefore, this study aimed to quantitatively analyze the recirculation rate of pollutants emitted from a kindergarten building with an installed mechanical ventilation system in Seoul, South Korea, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, and analyze the effectiveness of the guide panel installed for the prevention of the pollutants’ recirculation. The number of cases for the CFD analysis was set to a total of ten based on the ventilation rate in a mechanical ventilation system, external wind direction, and the existence of the guide panel for preventing the recirculation of exhaust air. The maximum recirculation rate of exhaust air without the installation of a guide panel was shown to be 20.0%. The maximum recirculation rate in the case where the external wind speed, direction of wind, and the ventilation rate were assumed to be identical to the other case but the guide panel for preventing the recirculation of exhaust air was assumed to be installed was 7.7%, 12.3% lower compared with the case with maximum recirculation rate.
A Sea-Surface Temperature Homogenization Blend for the Northwest Atlantic

Abstract As part of the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program two different methods were applied to merge three Level-3 AVHRR SST products into a homogenized blend covering the time period from 1982 to present over the Northwest Atlantic, providing a regionally-tuned climatological base on which to assess whether current observations are below, near or above normal. Weekly and monthly SST composites were constructed by averaging daily anomalies within each time period and adding the result to the climatological mean for the period. This approach reduces biases introduced from missing data during a strong warming/cooling seasonal period. Since AVHRR SST data have many spatial and temporal gaps, a common difficulty is establishing how much data are sufficient to yield useful estimations of temperature anomalies. A statistical Monte Carlo method showed that monthly and weekly regional averages composed respectively of as little as 7% and 10% of possible data still yield useful results. A test case shows the increased usefulness of the blend for State of the Ocean reporting. Application of the data set confirmed the use of coastal air temperature as a useful proxy for SST allowing hindcasting past changes or forecasting future changes associated with global warming over Eastern Canadian waters.
Comparison between solutions of a two-dimensional time-fractional diffusion-reaction equation through Lie symmetries

In this paper, exact and numerical solutions of two dimensional time-fractional diffusion-reaction equation involving the Riemann-Liouville derivative are determined, by applying a procedure that combines the Lie symmetry analysis with the numerical methods. Two new reduced fractional differential equations are obtained by using the Lie symmetry theory. Applying only one Lie transformation, we get a new time-fractional partial differential equation and, applying a further Lie transformation, we get an ordinary differential equation. Numerical solutions of the reduced differential equations are computed separately by implicit numerical methods. A comparative study between numerical solutions is performed.
Decision Boundary Computation-based Over-sampling for Imbalance Learning

Imbalanced problem, one significant challenge in data mining, occurs when the number of samples in one class (minority) is obviously smaller than the other one (majority). Over-sampling methods that generating new synthetic samples for the minority class have been proven to be effective. But rare over-sampling methods focus on the decision boundary between classes and none of them are proposed to directly compute the certain area of decision boundary for imbalanced problem. Thus, one novel method named Decision Boundary Computation-based Oversampling is proposed to fill this gap. The novel method employs the intuitive observation, that both boundary samples and their surrounding areas corporately constitute the decision boundary, to compute the partition belonging to the minority class by subtracting the partition of majority class from their corporate one. Which greatly enhancing the full use of boundary information brought by both boundary individuals and their near areas, and implicitly complement the nature information insufficiency of minority class at the same time. Finally, new synthetic samples are generated in the partition of decision boundary of minority class. Extensive experiments indicate the good performance of proposed method when compared with other state-of-art methods.
Crossed control revisited; The structure and interpretations of “want” and so on + passive verb in Malay/Indonesian

In Malay/Indonesian, when certain predicates such as “want” are followed by a passive verb, an ambiguity arises about who has the desire and other attitudes in question. The attitude-holder can be either the surface subject or the passive agent. This article critically assesses the data and claims presented in three recent studies (Mike Berger 2019; Paul Kroeger and Kristen Frazier 2020; Helen Jeoung 2020) through consideration of additional data. It shows that the ambiguity is empirically robust, contrary to the doubts expressed by Jeoung, and that the restructuring analysis advocated by the latter two studies has problems with its primary evidence: alternate voice marking realization. Instead, the paper confirms the previous understanding of the construction, including a bi-clausal structure with a dyadic matrix predicate and the importance of voice marking. Methodologically, it demonstrates that linguistic evidence should come from multiple sources, that is, not from elicitation or texts alone but from both of these (and perhaps more).
Formal Oxidation-Reduction Potencials Of Peroxymonosulfuric Acid In Water Solutions And Ni(II) – Dimethylhlioxym System

The value of formal potential in peroxymonosulfate/ sulfate system has been found. The influence of medium acidity, concentration of sulfate-ions and general concentration of peroxymonosulfate–sulfate on the value of formal potential was investigated. The difference between standard and formal potentials in peroxymonosulfate/sulfate system in water solutions was approximately equivalent to 0.5 V. The oxidation reaction of dimethylhlioxym with peroxymonosulfuric acid in the presence of nickel (II) ions was studied. The research has shown the possibility of kinetic determining the Ni(II) ions.
Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Burnished 6060 Aluminum Alloy

A process for producing a black oxide coating on aluminum alloy was investigated in the present work. The blackening process is widely used in industrial applications, but it was not deeply studied for aluminum alloys. The aim of this work is to study the black coating obtained on AA6060 surfaces employing two different solutions, both containing potassium permanganate, copper nitrate and nitric acid. The first solution carried out the coloring treatment at 50 °C, whereas the second one was done at room temperature. Different immersion times were investigated. The morphology of the coating was investigated by means of optical and electron microscopy to evaluate the color of the layer and the presence of defects, porosities, and cracks. X-ray diffraction analysis was performed to evaluate the protective layer composition. The corrosion properties were studied with potentiodynamic polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. The results showed that the blackening process performed at room temperature, besides the clear advantages in term of costs and safety, obtained more uniform coatings with increased corrosion performance in comparison with the ones obtained at higher temperatures.
Effects of the herbicides benfluralin, metribuzin and propyzamide on the survival and weight of earthworms (Octodrilus complanatus)

Travlos I.S. , Gkotsi T. , Roussis I. , Kontopoulou C.K. , Kakabouki I. , Bilalis D.J. (2017): Effects of the herbicides benfluralin, metribuzin and propyzamide on the survival and weight of earthworms (Octodrilus complanatus). Plant Soil Environ. , 63: 117–124. Extended pesticide use might be of high risk for several non-target organisms like earthworms. Herbicides represent a major part of the total pesticides used; however, their effects on soil organisms have been only partially studied. The effects of the herbicides benfluralin, metribuzin and propyzamide at different rates on the survival and weight of earthworms (Octodrilus complanatus) were determined and compared in this study. Our results revealed significant effects of benfluralin, metribuzin and propyzamide on growth and survival of earthworms. Moreover, there was a significant effect of herbicide rate and time after treatment. For several herbicides, the highest weight reduction was obtained for double the recommended rate and was up to 70% compared to the untreated soil. This study highlights the importance of not exceeding the recommended rates of herbicides, while further studies in a range of conditions are certainly required.