Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Self-Reported Quality of Life in Children with Level of Bronchial Asthma Control

Background: To assess the association of self-reported quality of life (QOL) by using mini- pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (mini-PAQLQ) in children aged between 7-15 years with a level of asthma control. Subjects and Methods: Prospective observational study conducted in the asthma clinic in the outpatient department from September 2016 to August 2017. All the cases of asthma, as defined by GINA guidelines, aged between 7-15 years with parental consent were recruited. The level of control was also assessed according to GINA guidelines. Excluded were clinically suspected cases of chronic lung diseases except for bronchial asthma and any other chronic medical condition. QOL was assessed by using mini-PAQLQ which had three domains i.e. Symptoms, emotions and limitation of activity. Each domain had questions and their responses coded on a visual scale with 7 options. Results: From September 2016 to August 2017, total enrolled were 85 of which 51 (60%) were partly controlled and 34(40%) were well controlled. Mean mini-PAQOL score in patients with partly control was low (3.59 0.93) as compared to those with well-controlled asthma (5.83 1.21) (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Self-reported QOL of children with partly controlled asthma was found to be impaired in all the domains as compared to those with well-controlled asthma.
Communicating needs for robots in a developing economy and national development : a case of Nigeria

In this era of industrialization, a lot has been accomplished by robots particularly in developed countries to improve the nations’ economies. The six major areas of robotics which are expected to make major economic impact and contribute to national development include : drones, artificial assistants, driverless cars, medical procedures, operations, prosthetics, and exoskeleton. Most robots increase productivity, improve workers’ safety and make work more comfortable. Furthermore, robots help humans with odd jobs that are dangerous. It is expected therefore that deployment of robots can lead to economic growth and national development in Nigeria. This is a position paper that will enlighten Nigeria as a nation on the need for robots which will serve as a remedy for resuscitating her dwindling economy. The study was anchored on two theories namely : Technological Determinism and Social Construction of Technology Theories. The related literature was reviewed and the paper discussed and analysed succinctly. Appropriate communication strategies to create awareness among Nigerians were postulated. It is revealed that the benefits of robots outweigh the challenges thus the need for the deployment of robots in Nigeria. Four recommendations were made, one of which is that the government should establish Federal Agency for robots and robotics in Nigeria to create awareness, monitor and oversee the smooth running of deployment of robots.
Development of Human Neuroblastomas in Mouse-Human Neural Crest Chimeras

Neuroblastoma (NB), derived from the neural crest (NC), is the most common pediatric extracranial solid tumor. Here we establish a platform that allows studying human NBs in mouse-human NC chimeras. Chimeric mice were produced by injecting human NC cells carrying NB relevant oncogenes in-utero into gastrulating mouse embryos. The mice developed tumors composed of a heterogenous cell population that closely resembled that seen in primary NBs of patients but were significantly different from homogenous tumors formed in xenotransplantation models. The human tumors emerged in immunocompetent hosts and were extensively infiltrated by mouse cytotoxic T cells reflecting a vigorous host anti-tumor immune response. However, the tumors blunted the immune response by inducing infiltration of regulatory T cells and expression of immune checkpoints similar to escape mechanisms seen in human cancer patients. Thus, this experimental platform allows studying human tumor initiation, progression, manifestation and tumor – immune-system interactions in an animal model system.
The Path to Sales Center Leadership: Key Differences Between Academic and Practitioner Leaders

More universities are teaching sales to meet growing employer demand, thereby increasing the prominence of university sales centers. Sales center directors tend to be a PhD or a non-PhD faculty member. While there are advantages to both backgrounds, we know little about how sales center directors view their roles and what behaviors they enact to satisfy demands. The purpose of this research is to investigate the activities of sales center directors and gain deeper insights into their thought worlds. Leveraging job demands–resources theory and a work-based identity perspective, we posit that sales center directors with versus without a PhD will emphasize different job demands. Using a web survey to examine sales center director behaviors and in-depth interviews to explore their thought worlds, we find twice as many sales center directors with a PhD spend time on research activities than their non-PhD counterparts. Sales center directors with a PhD spend twice as much time on research activities than their non-PhD counterparts. Sales center directors without a PhD spend a quarter of their time coaching individual students while those with a PhD express strong desire to impact the sales profession, suggesting that their attention is broader than coaching students.
Separation of metal ions using a hexylthioglycolate resin

The synthesis, characterization, and some analytical applications of a new chelating resin are described. The new resin, HTG-4, is synthesized from a highly cross-linked, macroporous resin (XAD-4) and contains the hexylthioglycolate functional group. HTG-4 is highly selective for silver(I), mercury(II), bismuth(III), and gold(III) in acidic-aqueous solution. The first three metal ions are sequentially eluted with 0.5 to 6 M hydrochloric acid, and gold(III) is eluted with a thiourea solution. Several quantitative analytical separations are reported.
DISCREPANCIES IN PERCEPTION AND EVALUATION OF MACROENVIRONMENT – SECTORAL ANALYSIS

The aim of presented study is to evaluate macroeconomic environment and to determine differences in perception of macroeconomic environment by entrepreneurs in Slovak Republic and Czech Republic. Data collection was done by questionnaire which was answered by 329 entrepreneurs from Slovak Republic and 312 entrepreneurs from Czech Republic. Topics treated concerning macroenvironment were the favourableness of macroenvironment for business activities, its support for starting an entrepreneurship, its support of innovation activities of companies and its capacity to promote entrepreneurship and to create interesting business opportunities. Answers are divided according to sector in which entrepreneurs doing business. Considered sectors are: transport, trade, construction, production, agriculture, services and other sectors. To analyse collected data, we use correspondence analysis. Results show that there exists systematic difference in perception of macroenvironment by entrepreneurs from SMEs in Slovak Republic and Czech Republic. It seems that entrepreneurs from Czech Republic percept macroenvironment more positively than Slovak ones. Moreover, we document different perception of macroeconomic situation depending on sector in which entrepreneurs operate. Presented research results bring findings for the creators of economic policies. Similarly, presented results form a platform for concepts of strategic and regional plans in order to provide sustainable business environment in the countries, and also their stable economic growth.
Investigation of Antioxidant Compositions and Antioxidative Activities of Ethanol Extract of Alstonia boonei Stem Bark

Background: Oxidative stress is the major mechanism of action employed by many drugs, xenobiotics and toxicants that generate reactive metabolites in the body to elicit adverse reactions when there are insufficient antioxidants to neutralise the excess reactive metabolites. Objectives: This study evaluated antioxidant compositions and antioxidative activities of ethanol extract of Alstonia boonei stem bark with the view of understanding its ameliorative potentials on oxidative stress. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six rats divided into 6 groups of 6 rats each was used for this study. Group 1 served as normal control, group 2-6 were carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress which served as treatment groups. Group 2 was untreated, group 3 was treated with silymarin (100 mg/kg) while group 4-6 were treated with the extract 100, 200 and 500 mg/kg body-weight for 28 days respectively. The animal study and antioxidant compositions of the extract were analysed using standard methods. Results: The extract was found to rich in antioxidant components such as phenols, flavonoids, β-carotene and lycopene. The extract showed high DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and nitric oxide radical scavenging activities and high ferric reducing antioxidant power with increasing concentrations. The significant (P < 0.05) reduction in antioxidant enzymes activities and increased level of lipid peroxidation caused by the carbon tetrachloride induction were significantly (P < 0.05) reversed, in the extract-treated groups relative to the normal control. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the extract possesses antioxidative properties and can be used in the management of oxidative stress and its related disease conditions. Keywords: Antioxidant components, Alstonia boonei stem bark, Antioxidative stress, Lipid peroxidation, Antioxidant enzymes.
The Transformation by Catalysis of Prebiotic Chemical Systems to Useful Biochemicals: A Perspective Based on IR Spectroscopy of the Primary Chemicals II. Catalysis and the Building of RNA

Having found that carbonyl sulfide (COS), works well as a catalyst in the transformation of amino acids to polypeptides, we have now tested COS as a catalyst also for the formation of substances that might be thought of as partners in the building of RNA. The model used was selective energy transfer (SET). This model implies that a certain number of vibrational quanta are donated from the catalyst system and a corresponding number of quanta of the reactant accept the energy thus transferred. In this way, we found that carbonyl sulfide, COS, was a perfect catalyst for combining, first, five molecules of formaldehyde to form one molecule of ribose, and next, five molecules of hydrogen cyanide, HCN, to form one molecule of adenine, one of the nucleobases of RNA. However, beyond this, we found that COS was a perfect catalyst for precisely all reactions, needed to build the RNA, ribonucleic acid.
Longitudinal Predictors of Helicopter Parenting in Emerging Adulthood

The purpose of this exploratory longitudinal study was to examine stability and change of helicopter parenting throughout the first few years of emerging adulthood and to examine child and parent–child relational factors that might predict helicopter parenting. Participants included 453 emerging adults from a northwestern city in the United States (51% female, 33% single-parent families) who participated in a 10-year longitudinal study, with the current study examining ages 19–21. Results revealed that (a) for both mothers and fathers, helicopter parenting decreased over time, (b) some child and relational factors predicted initial levels of helicopter parenting, but (c) the findings were somewhat different for mothers and fathers and for daughters and sons. The findings support the growing understanding that the links between helicopter parenting and child (mal)adjustment are nuanced and complex. Findings have implications for those who work with parents and young people in trying to promote flourishing during emerging adulthood.
Intelligent fault prediction of rolling bearing based on gate recurrent unit and hybrid autoencoder

Accurate fault prediction of rolling bearing can predict the operation condition in advance, which is an important means to ensure the safety and reliability of rotating machinery. Aimed at the data processing of rolling bearing vibration signal with multi-fault and long time series, an intelligent fault prediction model based on gate recurrent unit and hybrid autoencoder is proposed in this paper. Firstly, vibration signals of multi-faults are brought into multi-layer gate recurrent unit model for multi-step and multi-variable time series prediction. Secondly, variational autoencoder is used for data augmentation of fault samples. Thirdly, the augmented fault samples are brought into stacked denoising autoencoder for noise reduction and fault prediction. Finally, fault prediction results of rolling bearing can be achieved on the basis of gate recurrent unit and hybrid autoencoder of variational autoencoder and stacked denoising autoencoder. The bearing datasets of Case Western Reserve University are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Comparative experiment results show that the proposed fault prediction model has more accurate time series prediction result and higher fault prediction accuracy than other deep learning models. With 98.68% accuracy of fault prediction, the proposed fault prediction model can be taken as an effective tool for intelligent predictive maintenance of rolling bearing.
Experimental corticosterone manipulation increases mature feather corticosterone content: implications for inferring avian stress history from feather analyses

Feathers incorporate plasma corticosterone (CORT) during their development and, because feathers lack blood supply at maturity, the CORT content of feathers (CORTf) is presumed to represent an integrated average of plasma CORT levels during feather growth. We tested this assumption by quantifying CORTf in feathers of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) that were plucked before and after being implanted with either a corticosterone-filled, metyrapone-filled, or empty (‘sham’) silastic capsule. Two of the seven flight feathers collected from each bird were fully grown when birds received implants. We found that CORTf of all seven feathers corresponded with treatment type, and with plasma CORT levels of non-moulting reference sparrows also given these implants. We also found that CORTf of the two mature feathers of each bird were 4 to 10-fold higher than values measured in new feathers. Given the avascular nature of mature feathers, and the fact that we did not wash the feathers prior to analysis, the most plausible explanation for our results is that CORT was externally deposited on feathers after implant. This outcome emphasises the need for follow-up studies to identify the external sources of CORT that may affect the CORTf of feathers. We hope this study will stimulate discussions and further much needed studies on the mechanism of CORT deposition in feathers and open exciting opportunities for application of such methods in ecological research, such as measuring multiple time scales in such a non-invasive manner.
Biomechanical Analysis Hammer Throw: The Influence of Kinematic Parameters on the Results of Finalists World Championships

Background: Hammer throw is the most complex athletic throwing discipline with a rotational trajectory and the strong action of several different forces that try to disable the projected throwing trajectory. Kinematic parameters are an important segment in the analysis of athletic disciplines, including hammer throw. Aim study: The aim of the study was to determine the influence of spatial and temporal biomechanical parameters on hammer throw results. Methods: The study was conducted on a sample of 56 male and female World Championship finalists (Berlin, 2009, Daegu, 2011, London, 2017). Multiple regression analysis was applied to determine the influence of defined kinematic parameters on the result performance of the throw. Result: The results of the male finalists confirmed the direct correlation between the starting speed (r=0.64 p=0.001), the first turn speed (r=0.47 p=0.017), the release velocity (r=0.86 p=0.000), the release of angle (r=0.37 p=0.049), and the inverse effect of the duration of the first (r=-0.40 p=0.046) and third turn (-0.46 p=0.020). The regression function of the male sample also confirmed the influence of starting speed, release of velocity (p=0.01 p<0.05) and angle of release (p=0.04 p<0.05). In the female finalists, the direct correlation is between the release of velocity (r=0.90 p=0.000), the angle of release (r=-0.62 p=0.000) and the fourth turn speed (r=0.50 p=0.002). The regression function for the female sample confirmed a high negative influence of the starting speed, while the direct influence was recorded at the release of velocity (p=0.02 p<0.05) at the given level of statistical significance of the regression function. Conclusion: The defined set of kinematic parameters had a significant impact on the result performance of male and female hammer throw finalists.
Elite appropriation of English as a medium of instruction policy and epistemic inequalities in Himalayan schools

ABSTRACT This study reports on an investigation into the perspectives of different stakeholders (e.g. administrators, teachers, students, and parents) towards motivations for introducing English as a medium of instruction (EMI) policy in low-resourced public schools, serving minoritized students, and language ideologies that form its practices. Framed within the notions of neoliberalism and elite bi/multilingualism, this study provides a nuanced understanding of ideological and implementational discourses of the EMI policy in the K-121 context, which contributes to the emerging field of EMI. As the analysis of interviews and focus groups with the above stakeholders from five different schools in Mt. Everest region and the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal reveals, the key motivations for EMI were to help students gain social and material (economic) capital as EMI was perceived as a means to achieve English skills and quality education. However, such desires, guided by neoliberal logics, have put the minoritized students under delusion because the insufficiency of English proficiency among both teachers and students and the lack of rudiments to effectively implement EMI have created a ‘comprehension crisis’ and ‘epistemic inequalities’ for minoritized students. The findings also illustrate how neoliberal ideologies have led to the practice of elite bilingualism in EMI classrooms, also influencing the local language ecology.
Tensile Properties Degradation of Thermally Aged NR/EPDM Blend and Nanocomposites for Engine Mounting

INFO 2020 Nowadays, NR/EPDM have drawn great attention to most researchers to be utilized in an engine mounting. In service, majority of structures and components are subjected to service condition such as heat, liquids and stress of dynamic loading. This research is an effort to compare the thermal effects on physical and mechanical properties of NR/EPDM blend and NR/EPDM filled graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) for the potential usage in the engine mounting. The blends and nanocomposites were prepared through a melt compounding using a Banbury Internal Mixer, exposed to thermal cycles and tensile tested. The materials were heated alternately for 10 minutes at 60 ℃ and 120 ℃ for 0, 35, 70 and 150 cycles. Thermally aged NR/EPDM nanocomposites showed higher performance under tensile stress if compared to NR/EPDM blend. The tensile strength and elastic modulus were consistently 40% higher than the strength of the blend. This is due to the reinforcing effects of GNPs and their good interaction with the matrix. The reduction of tensile properties was due to the embrittlement effect and in line with the increase in amorphous phases from the broadening of XRD spectra. This has proven that the NR/EPDM nanocomposites can withstand thermal cycles, oils and fluctuating stress better than NR/EPDM blend and exhibited higher potential to be utilized as the engine mount
Performance analysis of rough surface hybrid thrust bearing with elliptical dimples

Surface roughness is inherent to all machining processes. Therefore, even a high precision machining process renders micro-roughness to some extent on the surface of conventional materials. The asperities height of many rough engineering surfaces follows Gaussian distribution. The surface roughness on the bearing surface may significantly affect the bearing performance. Surface texturing is emerging as a new technique to improve the tribological behavior of the mating surfaces. Usually dimensions/height of micro-roughness is of order of the depth of surface textures in fluid film bearings. Neglecting micro-roughness while numerically simulating a textured surface bearing may generate inaccurate bearing performance data. In presented work, finite element simulation of textured surface hybrid thrust bearings has been performed. Surface texture is provided over thrust pad in the form of regular arrays of elliptical dimples. A parametric optimization is carried out to determine optimum attributes of elliptical dimple (axis, depth, texture length and orientation) so that the load-carrying capacity and fluid film stiffness should be maximized and film frictional power losses should be minimized. Use of textured surface (with optimum elliptical dimple attributes) results into a significant enhancement in load-carrying capacity (91.3%), film stiffness coefficient (+98.8%) and reduction in frictional power losses (−48.3%). It is also observed that elliptical dimple and micro-roughness (transverse orientation) generate synergistic effects in further enhancing the load-carrying capacity (+101.4%) and film stiffness coefficient (+112%) of the bearing.
Characterization of Carbon Materials for Hydrogen Storage and Compression

Carbon materials have proven to be a suitable choice for hydrogen storage and, recently, for hydrogen compression. Their developed textural properties, such as large surface area and high microporosity, are essential features for hydrogen adsorption. In this work, we first review recent advances in the physisorption characterization of nanoporous carbon materials. Among them, approaches based on the density functional theory are considered now standard methods for obtaining a reliable assessment of the pore size distribution (PSD) over the whole range from narrow micropores to mesopores. Both a high surface area and ultramicropores (pore width < 0.7 nm) are needed to achieve significant hydrogen adsorption at pressures below 1 MPa and 77 K. However, due to the wide PSD typical of activated carbons, it follows from an extensive literature review that pressures above 3 MP are needed to reach maximum excess uptakes in the range of ca. 7 wt. %. Finally, we present the adsorption–desorption compression technology, allowing hydrogen to be compressed at 70 MPa by cooling/heating cycles between 77 and 298 K, and being an alternative to mechanical compressors. The cyclic, thermally driven hydrogen compression might open a new scenario within the vast field of hydrogen applications.
IOT based Wearable for Surgical and Post-Operative Patients

— Vital signs are an important element of monitoring the patient’s progress in health during hospitalization as they allow for the quick detection of delayed recovery or unfavorable events. The vital signs are continuously or frequently, monitored during a surgical operation and post-operative period. With the already known monitoring and examination equipment, several electrodes are attached to the body of the patient, to measure electrical tension fluctuations of the body. These cables and tubes cause obstruction to each person being examined. An easy diagnosis and monitoring unit for post-operative patient is proposed in the project. The electrical cable connection of the electrodes to analysis station in existing method can be omitted, as the electrodes attached to the body being examined are equipped with its own sender units and aerials, through which the sensors are in wireless contact with the analysis station. This allows the health care provider to monitor the patient remotely with ease.