Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Access Differentials in Primary Healthcare among Vulnerable Populations in a Health Insurance Setting in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Access to healthcare remains a challenge towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana. There still remain inequalities in the distribution of health services especially among vulnerable groups despite sustained efforts to strengthen the health system. This study was conducted to analyze access differentials among different vulnerable groups in the context of primary healthcare under a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana. Methods. This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among multilevel participants of vulnerable groups in Kumasi Metropolis: 710 vulnerable people constituting elderly/aged (n = 359), pregnant women (n = 117), head poters (teenage girls who migrated from the northern Ghana mainly to the capital cities of the Ashanti and Greater Accra region to help in carrying of goods for their livelihood) (n = 86), sex workers (n = 75), and other vulnerable groups (people with disabilities and street participants) (n = 73). Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to access the association between vulnerability and access to healthcare. Results. Close to a fifth, 18.5% of the study respondents were unable to access care at any point in time during the last 12 months. Reasons for the inability to access healthcare included limited funding (69.7%), poor attitude of service providers (7.6%), distance to health centers (8.3%), and religious reasons (6.2%). More than 95% of respondents were insured under the NHIS, but acceptability of service provision under the NHIS was low among the vulnerable groups. In the crude models, pregnant women had lower prevalence of access to medications as compared to the elderly (prevalence ratio (PR): 0.88; 95% CI: 0.80–0.98). Head poters and other vulnerable groups were also less likely to view healthcare as affordable as compared to the elderly. The differences in healthcare access observed were attenuated after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare-related factors. Conclusions. Despite the introduction of a NHIS in Ghana, this study highlights challenges in healthcare access among vulnerable populations independent of the type of vulnerability. This suggests the need for stakeholders to work to address access differentials in the NHIS and adopt other innovative care strategies that may have broader applicability for all populations.
Fruit trees drive small‐scale movement of elephants in Kibale National Park, Uganda

Understanding what motivates animal spatial behavior requires discerning the relationship between animals and the landscape in which they move. Many studies have focused on large scale trends that drive migrations and movement across broad landscapes, but few studies have focused on drivers of local movement within smaller areas based on fine‐scale landscape heterogeneity. This is especially true for African elephants (Loxodonta africana), whose movements in relation to landscape variables have frequently been studied across vast areas, but infrequently on a small scale. We report on how the local distribution of an important resource—fruit trees—shapes elephant movement patterns in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We hypothesized that the spatial location of elephant trails, and especially intersections in the network of trails, would be heavily associated with fruit trees, with trail density being higher in areas with greater fruit availability. Elephant trails and nearby fruit trees were mapped within a 64 km2 area within the interior of the Park. Trail and fruit tree sampling were conducted along 16 evenly spaced one‐km control transects and compared to 28.6 km of elephant trails arrayed throughout the park. Fruit tree basal area was higher along trails and at trail intersections. Trail density was also positively correlated with fruit tree density. Fruit trees may thus serve as a determinant of small‐scale elephant movement and could be used to predict patterns of elephant spatial behavior across forested habitat, which has potential implications for elephant management in the area.
Vývoj a optimalizace postupů pro extrakci vybraných složek z Třezalky tečkované

Bachelor's thesis deals with the optimization of processes for extraction of phenolic compounds from St. John ́s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). The theoretical part of the work focuses on characterization of this herb, its botanical classification, traditional use, chemical composition and curative effects. Increased attention is further devoted to a theory of preparation of samples for extraction of phenolic compounds and suitable techniques for extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds from extracts of St. John ́s Wort. The experimental part of the thesis deals with application of theoretical knowledge. When optimizing the emphasis was on influence of solvent (water acified to pH 4, pH 5, pH 6), influence of extraction technique (ultrasound extraction, subcritical water extraction, maceration) and influence of extraction period (10, 20, 30 min). Extracts were subjected to determination of selected parameters (total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity) in leaves of St John ́s Wort harvested in June 2016 using UV-VIS spectroscopy. The used extraction techniques are significantly different from each other.
Multifunctional plasmonic metasurface demultiplexer and wavelength-polarization controllable beam splitter

We report the experimental realization of a multifunctional microscale plasmonic metasurface capable of sampling a light beam and performing five functionalities, while allowing high direct transmission and maintenance of the properties of the input light beam. The plasmonic metasurface integrates light-to-surface-plasmon coupling, two-channel wavelength demultiplexing with a channel spacing smaller than 44 nm, wavelength and polarization controllable beam splitting of a monochromatic, single polarization signal, and four-level polarization and wavelength-polarization demultiplexing in an all-in-one structure. Such a device can play a key role for on-chip adaptable integrated circuits for parallel signal processing, communications, and nondestructive sensing.
A Solid Interpretation of Bright Radar Reflectors Under the Mars South Polar Ice

Bright radar reflections observed beneath the south polar layered deposits (SPLD) by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding instrument were interpreted to represent liquid water, but the required amounts of salt and heat to form and maintain liquids in this location are implausible given what is known about Mars. Here, we present another hypothesis that accounts for the bright reflections: hydrated and cold clay‐rich deposits at the base of the SPLD create the observed radar response. To support this hypothesis, we present experimental measurements and wave propagation modeling that show that smectites, cooled to 230 K, have real and imaginary parts of the dielectric permittivity large enough to cause the bright reflections, even when mixed with other materials. Further, we find that absorptions attributable to these minerals are present in south polar orbital visible‐near infrared reflectance spectra. Because these minerals are present at the south pole and can cause the reflections, we believe this to be a more viable scenario than the liquid water interpretation.
Ultrasonic and elastic properties of Tl- and Hg-Based cuprate superconductors: a review

ABSTRACT This review is regarding the ultrasonic and elastic properties of Tl- and Hg-based cuprate superconductors. The objectives of this paper were to review the ultrasonic attenuation above the transition temperature , and sound velocity and elastic anomalies at in the Tl- and Hg-based cuprate superconductors. A discontinuity in the sound velocity and elastic moduli is observed near for the Hg-based and other cuprate high temperature superconductor but not the Tl-based superconductor. Ultrasonic attenuation peaks are observed between 200 and 250 K in almost all Tl- and Hg-based cuprate superconductors reported. These peaks were attributed to lattice stepping and oxygen ordering in the Tl-O and Hg-O layers. Some Tl- and Hg-based superconductors show attenuation peak near . However, this is not a common feature for the cuprate superconductors. The ultrasonic attenuation decrease rate below is slower than that expected from a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and pseudo-gapped superconductor.
PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS AND DESIGNING NEW PRIMERS FOR MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF DROSOPHILA SUZUKII

The family Drosophilidae includes over 3750 species worldwide and over 2000 of these are species of Drosophila . Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii is one of the most dangerous species in this family. The insects live on undamaged ripening fruits, using its peculiar serrated ovipositor to break the skin of fresh ripening fruits and lay eggs in it. Drosophila species are very difficult and practically impossible to detect at larval stages. The present investigation was conducted at the All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center and Agrarian and Technological Institute of RUDN University, Moscow, Russia in 2018—2020. The aim of this study was to investigate the method of accurate and rapid identification of D. suzukii , and to design specific primer pairs for pest identification by Real-Time PCR method. The real-time quantitative PCR is a fast, sensitive, repeatable and accurate method for quantifying gene transcript levels. In this study, we designed specific primers (4.Dsuz.FRP) for Real-Time PCR to identify D . suzukii from other relative species. Although D. suzukii is absent in the Russian Federation and has not been reported so far, the project could be a precautionary measure.
Impact of Large-Scale Wind Power Penetration on Dynamic Voltage Stability of Interconnected Power System: An Indonesia Case Study

The increasing penetration of wind power plant introduces a various effect on power system stability, operation and control. Unpredictable, uncertain and fluctuating circumstances can significantly affect the performance of power system. Moreover, employment of novel technologies in wind power plant significantly alter the control characteristic and operation procedure of power system to deal with load variations and fast changing of generated power from wind-based power plant. One of the main focus in integrating large scale wind power plant is how to maintain voltage stability under transient and steady state scenarios. In this paper, effects of large-scale wind power plants on voltage stability of power system is investigated. Practical test system of South-West Sulawesi, Indonesia with integration of two large scale wind power plants are considered. Hence the novelty of this paper is to introduce new and practical test system for power system stability study considering renewable energy integration. The simulation results suggest that the additional power injection from wind power plant introduces beneficial effects on power system voltage stability performance. It was monitored that the increasing power injection from wind power plant enhanced the voltage profile (0.96 pu to 0.975 pu), voltage margin and load-ability (200 MW to 215 MW) of the system. Furthermore, it was also observed that additional power injection from wind power plant significantly improved the dynamic voltage stability performance of the power system, ensuring stable operation under transition stages when the power system was subjected to disturbances.
Friction-varying tactile display with large working space for texture reproduction

As the latest touch-based input equipment of consumer electronics, touch screen is a convenient and natural human-machine interaction vehicle. However, it has not separated from the scope of “interactive input”. Tactile display adds the tactile output along with the interactive input and helps the operator to perceive tactile feedback of texture, profile, etc., which increases the immersion of the operator significantly. In this study, a friction-varying texture tactile display which is composed of resonance module, positioning module and vision display module was designed by using the squeeze film effect. In this device, a piece of 194×100×2 mm transparent glass was used as the touch tablet, which can provide a large working area and is easy to be integrated with common consumer electronics. The feasibility and precision of the designed friction-varying tactile display in simulation of texture were further verified by a psychophysical experiment.
Damage identification for a beam structure based on a PVDF piezoelectric film combined sensor

The structural strain curvature mode is widely used in structural health monitoring because of its high sensitivity to local changes and accurate damage localization capability. In this research, a combined polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensor was designed and manufactured based on measurement characteristics of the PVDF sensor. The designed sensor can directly measure the response signal of the strain difference in the structure. According to the central difference principle, the measured value is deduced and used to obtain the local strain curvature of the structure, and the strain curvature modal parameters of the structure are identified with the operating modal identification method. Taking the strain curvature mode shape difference as the damage index, the damage recognition results of the single-chip PVDF sensor and the combined PVDF sensor are compared by performing single damage, multiple damage and damage range experiments on a beam structure. The experimental results show that the combined PVDF sensor proposed in this study is more sensitive to local minor damage.
Organic photovoltaic cells – promising indoor light harvesters for self-sustainable electronics

Photovoltaic cells are attracting significant interest for harvesting indoor light for low power consumption wireless electronics such as those required for smart homes and offices, and the rapidly-growing Internet of Things. Here, we explore the potential of solution processable, small molecule photovoltaic cells as indoor power sources. By optimizing the solvent vapour annealing (SVA) time for the photovoltaic layer, a balance between its crystallization and phase separation is obtained, resulting in a record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 28% under fluorescent lamps of 1000 lux, generating a maximum power density of 78.2 μW cm−2 (>10% PCE under AM1.5G). This high indoor performance surpasses that of silicon based photovoltaic cells, and is similar to that of gallium arsenide photovoltaic cells. Besides, the ratios of the voltage at the maximum power point (MPP) to the open circuit voltage are similar from indoor lighting to one sun conditions, which is unique and allows a less power consuming method to track the MPP for a broad range of light intensities (potentially attractive for wearable photovoltaics). New insight into the effect of SVA on the indoor and one sun performance is provided using advanced optoelectronic characterization techniques, which show that the mobility-lifetime products as a function of charge carrier density can be correlated well with the performance at different light levels. Our results suggest that organic photovoltaic cells could be promising as indoor power sources for self-sustainable electronics.
A comprehensive review of distributed power system architecture for telecom and datacenter applications

With the dominating utility of the internet, it becomes critical to manage the efficiency and reliability of telecom and datacenter, as the power consumption of the involved equipment also increases. Much power being wasted through the power conversion stages by converting AC voltage to DC voltage and then stepping down to lower voltages to connect to information and communication technology (ICT) equipment. 48/12 VDC is the standard DC bus architecture to serve the end utility equipment. This voltage level is further processed to multiple lower voltages to power up the internal auxiliary circuits. Power losses are involved when it is converted from higher voltage to lower voltages. Therefore, the efficiency of power conversion is lower. There is a need to increase the efficiency by minimizing the power losses which occur due to the conversion stages. Different methods are available to increase the efficiency of a system by optimizing the converter topologies, semiconductor materials and control methods. There is another possibility of increasing the efficiency by changing the architecture of a system by increasing the DC bus voltage to higher voltages to optimize the losses. This paper presents a review of available high voltage options for telecom power distribution and developments, implementations and challenges across the world.
Isoprenoids and Fatty Acids Derivatives from the Chloroform Fraction of the Antimycobacterial Methanol Extract Ximeniaamericana Lam. (Olacaceae) Stem Bark

This study investigated the triterpenoids and fatty acid derivatives, and the in vitro growth inhibitory effect against clinical strains of Mycobacteria tuberculosis of the stem bark of Ximenia Americanaa plant widely used in ethno-medicine for the treatment of bacterial and skin infections, poison, post-partum hemorrhage, anaemia, and dysentery. The macerated methanol extract (XAM) of the stem bark was evaluated for anti-tuberculosis activity using the Lowensten Jensen method against de-contaminated clinical strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The XAM was fractionated by open column chromatography on a normal phase silica gel column with a 25 % stepwise gradient of chloroform-methanol as mobile phase. The constituents of the non-polar column fractions eluted with 100% chloroform were characterized using Gas Chromatography-Mass spectroscopic (GC-MS) techniques and by comparison with reference NIST library compound. The XAM (5 mg/mL) inhibited the growth of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis . GC-MS analysis of the non-polar column fractions afforded Two lupane-type triterpenoids: Lup-20-(29)-en-3-one (15) and lupeol (16), three phytosteroids: campesterol (11), stigmasterol (12) and gamma-sitosterol (14), one fridelane-type triterpenoid: Friedelan-3-one (8), one oleanane-type triterpenoid: 12-oleanen-3-one (13), and the fatty acids: Palmitic acid methyl ester (1), Palmitic acid (2), 11-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (3), Octadecanoic acid methyl ester (4), Cis-13-Octadecenoic acid (5), 10,13-octadecadiynoic acid methyl ester (6), Docosanoic acid (7), Tetracosanoic acid (9), and Hexacosanoic acid methyl ester (10). The presence of these bioactive triterpenoids and fatty acids could offer an explanation for the ethno-medicinal uses of this plant. Further work is on-going to isolate in pure form, and characterized the bioactive constituents in the XAM with the view of discovery lead compounds for the treatment of tuberculosis and associated opportunistic bacterial infections.
Trimethyllysine predicts all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in community-dwelling adults and patients with coronary heart disease

Abstract Aims Trimethyllysine (TML) is involved in carnitine synthesis, serves as a precursor of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and is associated with cardiovascular events in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD). We prospectively examined circulating TML as a predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in community-dwelling adults and patients with CHD. Methods and results By Cox regression modelling, risk associations were examined in 6393 subjects in the community-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK). A replication study was conducted among 4117 patients with suspected stable angina pectoris in the Western Norway Coronary Angiography Cohort (WECAC). During a mean follow-up of 10.5 years in the HUSK-cohort, 884 (13.8%) subjects died, of whom 287 from cardiovascular causes. After multivariable adjustments for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, the hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (95% CI)] for all-cause mortality comparing the 4th vs. 1st TML-quartile was 1.66 (1.31–2.10, P < 0.001). Particularly strong associations were observed for cardiovascular mortality [HR (95% CI) 2.04 (1.32–3.15, P = 0.001)]. Corresponding risk-estimates in the WECAC (mean follow-up of 9.8 years) were 1.35 [1.10–1.66, P = 0.004] for all-cause and 1.45 [1.06–1.98, P = 0.02] for cardiovascular mortality. Significant correlations between plasma TML and TMAO were observed in both cohorts (rs ≥ 0.42, P < 0.001); however, additional adjustments for TMAO did not materially influence the risk associations, and no effect modification by TMAO was found. Conclusions Elevated TML-levels were associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality both in subjects with and without established CHD.
Investigation on the enhanced catalytic activity of a Ni-promoted Pd/C catalyst for formic acid dehydrogenation: effects of preparation methods and Ni/Pd ratios

In this present work, we studied the effects of preparation methods and Ni/Pd ratios on the catalytic activity of a Ni-promoted Pd/C catalyst for the formic acid dehydrogenation (FAD) reaction. Two catalysts prepared by co-impregnation and sequential impregnation methods showed completely different Pd states and catalytic activities. As the sequentially impregnated catalyst showed better activity than the co-impregnated catalyst, the sequentially impregnated catalyst was investigated further to optimize the ratio of Ni/Pd. The highest catalytic activity for the FAD reaction was obtained over the seq-impregnated catalyst having a 1 : 1.3 molar ratio of Pd : Ni. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that small particle size is one factor improving the catalytic activity, while those of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray adsorption near edge structure (XANES) indicate that the electronic modification of Pd to a positively charged ion is another factor. Thus, it can be concluded that the enhanced catalytic activity of the Ni-promoted Pd/C catalyst is attributed to the role of pre-impregnated Ni in facilitating the activity of Pd by constraining the particle growth and withdrawing an electron from Pd.
Synthesis of copper sulfides with different morphologies in DMF and water: catalytic activity for methyl orange reduction

Copper sulfides (covellite, digenite and djurleite) were synthesized using microwave irradiation. Copper acetate and thiourea were chosen as precursors and used at a fixed ratio. Crystalline phase and morphology (particles, spheres and inter-grown belts) were changed by only changing the synthetic media (water, DMF and a 1:1 V/V mixture of them). A domestic microwave oven was used at 1000 watt for only 20 s for each synthesis. The obtained samples were characterized using powder XRD, FESEM, and EDX; results were used to postulate the differences in phase and morphology of the obtained samples. All samples were tested as reduction catalysts for methyl orange degradation by NaBH4 and time-dependent UV–vis spectroscopy was used to compare their activity.