Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of non-state providers in informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education: a Malaysian perspective

ABSTRACT The role of non-state providers in the provision of education has been expanding globally. However, there is a dearth of literature on the role of non-state providers in informal education, especially when delivered alongside formal education in schools predominantly under government purview. Using a mixture of methods designed with surveys and interviews involving 32 non-state providers of informal STEM education in Malaysia, this study provides new empirical material to understand the role of non-state providers in informal STEM education. Non-state providers play a complementary role to the government’s provision of formal STEM education through the informal variant, motivated by concerns of posterity and national development. At the same time, instances of political competition and bureaucratic barriers are at odds with the government’s aspirations for partnership with non-state providers in order to raise students’ interest in STEM.
Relative controllability of delay multi‐agent systems

This article considers the controllability of delayed linear and nonlinear multi‐agent systems, respectively, with leader‐follower architecture and fixed communication topology. For the linear multi‐agent systems, a relative protocol is designed to realize the interactions among agents and explicit solutions of the controlled agreement system are constructed in two cases, respectively, involving two kinds of delayed exponential matrix functions and the properties of the Kronecker product. Further Gramian and rank criteria for relative controllability are established, respectively. For the nonlinear ones, the control problem is transformed into the existence of fixed points which is tackled via
An Analysis of Acoustic Cavitation Thresholds of Water Based on the Incubation Time Criterion Approach

Researchers are still working on the development of models that facilitate the accurate estimation of acoustic cavitation threshold. In this paper, we have analyzed the possibility of using the incubation time criterion to calculate the threshold of the onset of acoustic cavitation depending on the ultrasound frequency, hydrostatic pressure, and temperature of a liquid. This criterion has been successfully used by earlier studies to calculate the dynamic strength of solids and has recently been proposed in an adapted version for calculating the cavitation threshold. The analysis is carried out for various experimental data for water presented in the literature. Although the criterion assumes the use of macroparameters of a liquid, we also considered the possibility of taking into account the size of cavitation nuclei and its influence on the calculation result. We compared the results of cavitation threshold calculations done using the incubation time criterion of cavitation and the classical nucleation theory. Our results showed that the incubation time criterion more qualitatively models the results of experiments using only three parameters of the liquid. We then discussed a possible relationship between the parameters of the two approaches. The results of our study showed that the criterion under consideration has a good potential and can be conveniently used for applications where there are special requirements for ultrasound parameters, maximum negative pressure, and liquid temperature.
A VALIDATED LC-MS/MS METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF BOCEPREVIR AND BOCEPREVIR D6 (IS) IN HUMAN PLASMA EMPLOYING LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION

Objective: This study was aimed to develop a simple, rapid, specific and precise liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrophotometric (LC–MS/MS) validated method for quantification of Boceprevir and internal standard (ISTD) Boceprevir D6 in human plasma. Methods: Plasma samples were pretreated with 100 µl of 0.1N Sodium Hydroxide and are subjected for Liquid-Liquid Extraction (LLE) using 2.5 ml of ethyl acetate. Chromatographic separation was achieved on Chromolith RP18e column (100 mmx4.6 mmx5 µm) with Acetonitrile: 20 mM Ammonium formate (80:20%v/v) as an isocratic mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.2 ml/min. the LC eluent was split, and approximately 0.1 ml/min was introduced into Tandem mass spectrometer using turbo Ion Spray interface at 400 °C. Quantitation was performed by transitions of m/z 586.2 precursor ion to the m/z 422.2 for Boceprevir and m/z 592.2/574.20 for Boceprevir D6. Results: The concentrations of nine working standards showed linearity between 2 to 1000 ng/ml ( r 2 ≥ 0.998). Chromatographic separation was achieved within 3 min. The limit of Quantification (LOQ) was found to be 2ng/ml. The intraday and interday precision with quality control samples was found to be 0.09 to 3.17%. Conclusion: The assay is suitable for pharmacokinetic study samples as demonstrated by its specificity, precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability characteristics. Keywords: Boceprevir, LC-MS/MS, Human plasma, Liquid-Liquid Extraction
High Expectations, Limited Options: How Gifted Students Living in Poverty Approach the Demands of AP Coursework

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of advanced students who live in poverty and their choices regarding taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Ten urban high school students were interviewed regarding their decision-making process regarding coursework to investigate supports or barriers that exist. Four themes became apparent: Gifted students take advanced classes for challenge and to decrease boredom; internalized messages about what it means to be smart influenced decisions regarding taking advanced classes; external influences could apply positive or negative pressure that affect the decision to take AP courses; and it is difficult for gifted students to find balance between the stress of the AP workload and time management with working and trying to fit in other interests. The themes reflected the complex interplay of internal and external forces that influence whether or not students take AP courses regardless of high academic ability.
A sleep scheduling based cooperative data transmission for wireless sensor network

ABSTRACT Wireless sensor network is the network of tiny size of sensor nodes. These sensor nodes have sensing capability and transmit the sensed information to sink node. If the energy of sensor nodes is not utilised properly, it results in performance degradation of the network. Sleep scheduling approach and cooperative communication techniques can be employed to enhance the network performance. Cooperative communication follows the relay-based transmission. The nodes turn its radio sleep and awake in sleep scheduling approaches. This paper considers the merits of both techniques and proposes the sleep scheduling-based cooperative data transmission approach for WSN. In this approach, optimal number of virtual cluster heads are calculated by the sink node according to the number of nodes and area of interest. The real cluster head is decided based on the distance and energy of the sensor nodes from the virtual cluster head. The node is paired with each other and follows the sleep scheduling approach. Further, the energy-efficient relay selection and data transmission according to cooperative technique improves the network performance. The simulation analysis shows that the proposed routing protocol outperforms the related existing routing protocols.
Study of Groove Parameters on the Hydrodynamic Behavior of Spiral-Grooved Thrust Bearing with Gas Lubricant

The gas-lubricated thrust bearing is widely used in agriculture mechanical systems, and the groove shape plays an important role on the hydrodynamic behavior of spiral-grooved thrust bearing (SGTB). Although the groove shape may change smaller, it is clear that the hydrodynamic response is very sensitive to the groove parameters. This paper proposes a computational method for the analysis of SGTB with gas lubricant, considering the effects of groove parameters. With the compressibility taken into account, the evaluation of lubrication performance for SGTB is obtained by the CFD technology. Also, the simulation results are compared with the published data, which indicates that the presented model of SGTB is able to obtain more realistic results of hydrodynamic characteristics of SGTB. Moreover, the mapping relationship between groove parameter and hydrodynamic behavior of SGTB is represented.
Curcumin affects the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) through a negative feedback loop of H19/miR-675/HDAC/CTCF

The objective of this study was to explore the role of Curcumin (CUR) in the control of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as well as the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of CUR.Real-time PCR, Western-blot analysis, immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay, and luciferase assay were utilized to detect the effect of CUR.Mesoscale nanoparticles (particles) could be safely and preferentially accumulated in the kidney in a dose-dependent manner, and the specific localization of particles in the kidney reached its maximum level at a dose of 25 mg/kg. Treatment with CUR alleviated RCC by up-regulating the expression of H19 and miR-675 while down-regulating the expression of HDAC1 and HDAC6 in RCC rats. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of CUR in the regulation of H19 was explored, and it was revealed that CUR increased H19 expression via increasing the translational efficiency of H19 promoter. Therefore, the treatment with CUR increased the levels of H19 and miR-675 mRNAs while reducing the expression of HDAC1 and HDAC6. According to a computational analysis, HDAC1 and HDAC6 were both direct targets downstream of miR-675, and miR-675 mimics could decrease the luciferase activity of cells transfected by wild-type HDAC1 and HDAC6 3’UTR. In addition, miR-675 but not CTCF reduced the protein levels of HDAC1 and HDAC6. Nevertheless, CTCF increased the luciferase activity of cells transfected by H19 promoter, while miR-675 mimics decreased the effect of CTCF.In this study, we suggested that CUR could affect the prognosis of RCC by establishing a negative feedback loop of H19/miR-675/HDAC/CTCF.
Role of Living Conditions and Socioenvironmental Factors on Chronotype in Adolescents

An individual’s chronotype, defined as the preference for rest and activity at different times of the day, is linked to several physiological and psychological outcomes. Research on environmental determinants of chronotype has focussed mostly on geographic location, whereas other socioenvironmental determinants have been neglected. We aimed to investigate the association between other previously unrecognized socioenvironmental factors and chronotypes in adolescents. We analysed data of 1916 Bengali adolescents (aged between 13–14 years, 47% girls). Chronotype was determined by the reduced morningness–eveningness questionnaire (rMEQ), and socioenvironmental factors were identified through a structured questionnaire. Associations were analysed using multinomial logistic regression models. Our findings demonstrated that living in urban areas, the presence of a smoker at home, and higher parental education were associated with a higher evening activity (eveningness), while the use of biomass cooking media (compared to liquefied petroleum gas) and assisting parents in farming were associated with higher morningness in adolescents. This is the first study to identify the association between previously unrecognized socioenvironmental factors and chronotypes delineating the interaction between environment and sleep in adolescents and might help the parents to understand the importance of a proper sleep-activity rhythm of their kids through a comprehensive understanding of their surrounding environment and other factors.
Z-domain modeling methodology for homodyne digital optical phase-locked loop

Homodyne optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) is one kind of PLLs applied in optical field to achieve phase locking between two optical signals. Although there are already some software emulation and s-domain modeling methods studied for homodyne OPLL, few studies about z-domain model of OPLL are reported. For homodyne digital OPLL(DOPLL), the performance of homodyne DOPLL can be analyzed more accurately by z-domain model. So a z-domain modeling methodology for homodyne DOPLL is proposed in the letter. In the proposed methodology, optical related components and analog to digital converter (ADC) are treated as one group. Then with formula transformation, z-domain model for homodyne OPLL is built successfully. Finally, a case study is given, several simulations by z-domain model and Simulink behavioral model are made with the same design parameters. These simulation results agree very well and verify the correctness of z-domain model.
Design and Implementation of Attitude and Heading Reference System with Extended Kalman Filter Based on MEMS Multi-Sensor Fusion

The accuracy of attitude and heading measurement, as well as the system real-time performance are basic indicators used to evaluate an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS). In order to improve the attitude and heading measurement accuracy under dynamic complex environment, the AHRS system should also have numerical stability and calculation robustness. The AHRS system based on MEMS multi-sensor fusion can realize fusion processing of data measured by multiple sensors, so as to calculate and obtain the optimal carrier attitude and heading information, conduct real-time output, and improve the accuracy and reliability of attitude and heading measurement. For the AHRS system consisting of MEMS gyroscope, accelerometer and triaxial magnetometer, attitude and heading detection principle and algorithm based on MEMS multi-sensor fusion were proposed in this study: The information of the system itself was firstly used to discriminate motion state of the carrier within the filtering cycle, and then Kalman filtering was conducted using different measured information according to motion state to correct the attitude error angle caused by gyroscopic drift. On this basis, an attitude fusion algorithm based on extended Kalman filtering technology was designed for time update process of Kalman filtering, output information of accelerometer was taken as observed quantity under certain conditions to realize measurement updating process of Kalman filtering, and then attitude angle was calculated. In an optical fiber attitude and heading system project in practical engineering, a vehicle field test analysis was carried out simultaneously with the system using ordinary attitude algorithm, and the results showed that the extended Kalman filtering algorithm designed according to the simulation results could realize multi-sensor information fusion, improve measurement accuracy and realize accurate attitude positioning, so as to provide simpler and more flexible criteria for carrier motion status. The results have verified the accuracy and reliability of the algorithm, so it is feasible in practical engineering.
Surface Soil Salinity and Soluble Salts after 15 Applications of Composted or Stockpiled Manure with Straw or Wood-Chips

ABSTRACT The influence of 15 annual applications of composted (CM) or stockpiled (SM) beef feedlot manure with straw (ST) or wood-chip (WD) bedding on electrical conductivity (EC), soluble cations and anions (Na, K, Ca, Mg, SO4-S, Cl), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), potassium adsorption ratio (PAR), and pH of a clay loam soil (0–15 cm) in southern Alberta was examined in an irrigated barley silage cropping system. Manure type (CM versus SM) had a significant effect on certain soil salinity parameters. Calcium, Mg, Na, K, and SO4-S were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater for SM- than CM-amended soils for certain bedding materials and rates. Electrical conductivity, concentration of soluble cations and anions (Na, K, SO4-S, Cl), SAR, PAR, and pH in the surface soil were greater for ST than WD bedding. Two exceptions were Ca and Mg, where soil concentrations were generally greater for WD than ST. Salinity parameters were greater with increased application rate, and greater for amended than unamended soils. Overall, bedding had considerably more significant effects on soil salinity parameters compared to manure type. Wood-chip bedding may be a management tool for feedlots to lower EC, soluble cations and anions, and pH of surface soils.
Synthesis of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Controlled Co-Delivery of Drugs

Herein, a biocompatible and nontoxicity novel type of hydrophobic and hydrophilic co-delivery systems based on co-polymer chitosan-graft-PMMA (ch-g-PMMA) modified Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) for cancer therapy was prepared. The pores of MSNPs were loaded with curcumin (CUR) and doxorubicin (DOX) with co-polymer ch-g-PMMA were gated the pores of MSNPs to prevent the release of drugs. These synthesized ch-g-PMMA/MSNPs dual drug-loaded are effectively allowed for co-delivery of drug combinations with improved efficacy. The dual drug loaded MSNPS were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The TEM and XRD results proved the successful loading of drugs into the pores of hexagonal structure MSNPs with size ~180nm, CUR and DOX were released from the MSNPs only in acid –triggered manner. The cytotoxicity studied were carried out for ch-g-PMMA/MSNPs dual drug-loaded against adenocarcinoma gastric cell line (AGS) shows that MSNPs was highly biocompatible and well suitable for drug carrier.
The Effect of Gap Width on Premixed Flame Propagation in Non-adiabatic Closed Hele–Shaw Cells

ABSTRACT The premixed flame propagation with conductive heat loss in millimeter-scale narrow closed cells of different gap widths is investigated experimentally and numerically. The flame evolution is observed in a disc-shaped cell of which the width is varied from 2.0 mm to 5.0 mm. A non-monotonic relation between the flame propagation velocity and the gap width is found. Time-dependent numerical results exhibit good agreement with the experimental data and indicate that the flame behaviors are highly sensitive to the gap width. Since gap downsizing leads to significant heat loss and viscous friction from the wall, the propagation velocity will drop to almost laminar flame speed halfway for 2.0 mm width. For larger gaps, the flame propagation velocity is determined by the combined effect of the flame straining and the conductive heat loss. The former increases the flame front area while the latter strongly weakens the flame distortion. The trade-off of them yields the non-monotonic relation and an optimal width of 3.0 mm.
Examining the Impact of Informal Experiences on Preservice Teachers' Self-efficacy

This chapter illuminates the impact of providing informal learning experiences for students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teaching careers at a time when there is a considerable shortage of qualified teachers in America's urban centers. Preservice STEM teachers were provided with the opportunity to participate in a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant funded Noyce Internship Program prior to serving as counselors and teaching assistants in a STEM camp for underrepresented middle school students. Through the Noyce Internship Institute, participants were introduced to interactive sessions that model promising teaching practices including inquiry-based and project-based learning. This narrative inquiry examines the impact of these experiences on preservice STEM teachers' self-efficacy and highlights outcomes in three areas: increase of preservice teachers' confidence, classroom management, and strengthening their desire to teach STEM.
The Gut Microbiome and Osteoarthritis: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

Objective The aim of this study was to examine if the intestinal microbiome is causally correlated with osteoarthritis (OA) incidence. Methods A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted using inverse variance weighting (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger regression techniques Publicly accessible summary statistics dataset of intestinal microbiomes of European descent from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) (a total with 3,326 individuals) was used as an exposure As an outcome, summary data from the GWAS include 3,498 patients with OA of the knee and hip from the arcOGEN sample and 11,009 controls of European descent. Results We identified 29 single-nucleotide polymorphisms from GWAS of intestinal microbiomes as instrumental variables The IVW approach found no evidence to suggest a causal relationship between the intestinal microbiota and OA (beta=−0001, standard error [SE]=0004, p=0748) The regression test of MR-Egger showed that the directional pleiotropy was unlikely to be a bias (intercept=0002, SE=0007, p=0697) and the MR-Egger study showed no causal relation between the intestinal microbiota and the OA (beta=−0002, SE=0005, p=0630) The weighted median analysis also did not have indications of a causal relationship between the intestinal microbiota and OA (beta=−0002, SE=0005, p=0630) The MR results calculated using IVW, the median weighted and the MR-Egger regression approaches were consistent. Conclusion The findings of the MR analysis did not support a causal relationship between intestinal microbiome and OA risk.
Temperature- and size-dependent photoluminescence in colloidal CdTe and Cd x Zn1−x Te quantum dots

Semiconductor colloidal quantum dots (QDs) of CdTe and alloyed Cd x Zn1−x Te QDs with N-acetyl-L-cysteine capping ligands are synthesized by a reflux method in aqueous solution. Alloying provides a new degree of freedom to tune the optical and electronic properties of the nanocrystals. The photoluminescence (PL) of Cd x Zn1−x Te QDs is sharper and displays a highly enhanced quantum yield (QY) of 65% relative to the 16% of CdTe QDs. The fluorescence of Cd x Zn1−x Te QDs is observed to be highly stable for over 12 months without degradation, while that of CdTe QDs begins to mildly flocculate around 8 months of storage. To characterise the material structure and composition, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measurements are carried out. To understand the fundamental processes that play in the luminescence behaviour, temperature- and size-dependent PL spectra are investigated in the range 80–300 K. The Varshni and O’Donnell equations fit well on the PL peak emission energies and the Huang–Rhys parameter indicates the strengthening of exciton–phonon coupling in the nanocrystals upon alloying and with decreasing nanocrystal sizes. PL linewidth analysis reveals that the inhomogeneous broadening is considerably reduced in Cd x Zn1−x Te QDs relative to CdTe. Moreover, the quantum confinement effect of the nanocrystals leads to an increase in exciton–acoustic phonon interactions with the coefficients ranging between 26.9 and 95.6 µeV K−1 compared to the bulk CdTe value of 0.72 µeV K−1. Exciton–longitudinal optical phonon interactions are made stronger by the ZnTe alloying with the coefficients lying in the range between 24.8 and 41.7 meV and also with the effect of increasing crystal size. An Arrhenius plot of PL integrated area is used to calculate the thermal activation energy value E a of the non-radiative recombination channel, which is 132 meV for CdTe QDs and a higher value of 185 meV for Cd x Zn1−x Te QDs. This is consistent with the observed QY enhancement in Cd x Zn1−x Te QDs as a higher E a value indicates reduced generation of non-radiative recombination centres and a decrease in defect densities upon alloying. Cd x Zn1−x Te QDs with enhanced fluorescence properties serve both as a medium for studying fundamental effects of alloying and its properties, and for practical applications such as biomedical labelling and optoelectronics.