Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental DNA methods for the analysis of macroorganismal populations

Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods have been widely used to investigate the distribution and abundance/biomass of macroorganisms. eDNA methods analyze DNA collected directly from the environment, such as from water, soil, and air. The techniques have been applied to many taxa inhabiting various aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The recent development of eDNA methods has revolutionized the way we assess macroorganisms in natural environments.In this talk, I will present current developments of eDNA methodology, especially with regard to population analysis using various DNA measurement methods. For example, 1) eDNA was used to assess fish species distributions and abundance/biomass (Takahara et al. 2012, Doi et al. 2017a), 2) quantitative PCR of sedimentary DNA was applied to sediment core samples to detect the DNA of three dominant fish species spanning the last 300 years (Kuwae et al. 2020), and 3) new methods for sampling eDNA from water (Doi et al. 2017b) and on-site measurement (Doi et al. 2020) will be presented. I end by addressing the need for standardized protocols for eDNA monitoring to enable broader uptake of eDNA technology (Minamoto et al. 2021).
The effects of work resources and career adaptability on employee health: A case of sample of teachers in South Africa

The world of work is changing. Much of this change is attributed to the uncertainty and turbulence happening in the macro-environment and subsequently affecting the experience of work (Cooke, 2018; Psychogios & Prouska, 2019). The situation is exacerbated by the rapid technological advancement that in some cases not only poses a threat but also potentially can be an opportunity for the world of work (Bondarouk, Parry, & Furtmueller, 2017). Within all this, there is evidence showing the value that is being placed on a balancing act between work and home life (Bhave & Lefter, 2017).
Encapsulation of mangiferin in ordered mesoporous silica type SBA-15: synthesis and characterization

SBA-15 ordered mesoporous silica were synthesized using the method reported by Zhao et al (1998 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120 6024–36). The goal of this work is to study the encapsulation of mangiferin (MGN) into porous SBA-15. SBA–MGN composites were obtained from a mixture of SBA-15 and MGN. The structures of these materials were analyzed using different characterization techniques: differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N2 adsorption–desorption measurement, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), absorbance spectra and electrochemical assay. The isotherms of the adsorption/desorption for SBA-15 and SBA–MGN are type IV, showing that the ordered mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was maintained even after the incorporation of MGN. The decrease in the value of the specific surface area and the reduction in pore volume confirmed the incorporation of MGN at the surface and in the pores of SBA-15. The incorporation of MGN in SBA-15 aims to increase the solubility of mangiferin.
Multi-task Learning Network based on Attention for Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis

Aspect-based sentiment analysis is to analyse the sentiment polarity of the aspect in a specific context. The previous methods mostly use the working mode of pipeline model, and internally use Recurrent Neural Network to predict the sentiment polarity of the aspect. This way clearly defines the order of aspect extraction and aspect-level sentiment classification, which will lead to the problem of error transmission. And traditional models have great limitations. In this paper, we propose a multi-task learning network based on attention (MNA), which uses shared word embedding to transmit to downstream tasks, allowing extraction and classification tasks to be processed simultaneously. We design a network architecture based on attention mechanism, and use the improved multi-head attention mechanism to transfer information from extracted tasks to classified tasks. Experimental results on three benchmark datasets show the effectiveness of MNA model.
Timber moisture detection using wavelet packet decomposition and convolutional neural network

As timber structures are vulnerable to degradation due to the tendency to trap moisture, the present study proposed a new percussion-based method to replace the existing constant contact between structures and sensors. A total of two approaches have been proposed to automated detect the moisture content (MC) of timber: (a) the random forest classifier (machine learning-based) was employed to classify the wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) features extracted from excitation-induced sound signals (WPD + RF); and (b) the 2D-CNN framework (deep learning-based) was employed to classify the Mel frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC) features extracted from excitation-induced sound signals (MFCC + 2DCNN). The proposed automatic detection methods are covered from 1D time-domain signal classification to 2D image classification. To verify the effectiveness of both two approaches, an experimental study was conducted. The MC of two types of timber specimens (i.e. softwood and hardwood) was gradually increased from 0% to 60% with 10% increments. The change of MC of timber material caused different material properties, resulting in a measurable differential in forced vibration among the various specimens used. The results demonstrated that MFCC + 2DCC outperformed the RF + WPD in MC classification of timber material. Overall, the percussion-based method proposed in this study can provide an outstanding classification performance.
Phytochemical and Antibiofilm Activity of Aloe barbadensismiller (Aloe vera) on Candida albicans Isolated from Urinary Catheter

Aims: To screen for phytochemicals present in Aloe barbadensismiller (Aloe vera) growing within the Main Campus of Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK), determine biofilm forming ability, and to investigate the antibiofilm activity of the plant extracts on biofilm formed by clinical isolates of Candida isolated from urinary catheters. Study Design: The leaf of Aloe vera were collected and maceration method was used to extract the plant materials used for the screening of bioactive components. Swab samples were collected from the surfaces of patients’ urinary catheters presenting at Federal Medical Centre and Nagari Hospital, Keffi respectively, irrespective of their ages and sexes. Biofilm forming ability of the isolates was investigated and the antibiofilm activity of the plant extracts determined. Ordinary one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data where P = . 05. Place and Duration of Study: The research was carried out in the Microbiology Laboratory of NSUK, using the Aloe vera plant collected within the University community and the biofilm analysis was conducted at National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom Plateau State, between October 2018 to March 2019. Original Research Article Galleh et al.; JPRI, 33(7): 93-103, 2021; Article no.JPRI. 65743 94 Methodology: Both the aqueous and ethanolic extracts were screened for aloin, tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids etc, and the Candida species were subjected to biofilm formation in a flat bottom 96-well microtiter polystyrene plate using crystal violet assay. Broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the extracts whereas, antibiofilm activity of the extracts was investigated by growing biofilms in the presence of Aloe vera leaf extracts. Results: The presence of tannin, saponins, phenols, reducing sugars and aloin were found in the leaf aqueous extract while alkaloid, flavonoid, glycoside, tannin, phenols, reducing sugars, terpenoids, quinones and aloin in the ethanolic extract. Clinical isolates of Candida were found to be strong biofilm formers (70%). Both the aqueous and ethanolic extracts had significant effects on initial cell attachment where P = . 05, however, none was able to achieve complete biofilm eradication, including the positive control ketoconazole. Ethanolic extract inhibits C. albicans cell attachment by 54.25%, aqueous extract 25.68% and ketoconazole has 48.54% percentage inhibition, respectively. Interestingly, ethanolic extracts showed a better antibiofilm property (37.38%) compared to ketoconazole that had 33.98% biofilm inhibition. Conclusion: The leaf extracts of Aloe barbadensismiller has significantly reduced biofilm formed by clinical isolates of Candida. Coating of urinary catheters with A. vera extracts can decrease nosocomial infections, morbidity, and high mortality as well as financial burden, hence, serving as an alternative treatment for urinary tract infections.
Modeling Residential Energy Consumption: An Application of IT-Based Solutions and Big Data Analytics for Sustainability

Smart meters that allow information to flow between users and utility service providers are expected to foster intelligent energy consumption. Previous studies focusing on demand-side management have been predominantly restricted to factors that utilities can manage and manipulate, but have ignored factors specific to residential characteristics. They also often presume that households consume similar amounts of energy and electricity. To fill these gaps in literature, the authors investigate two research questions: (RQ1) Does a data mining approach outperform traditional statistical approaches for modelling residential energy consumption? (RQ2) What factors influence household energy consumption? They identify household clusters to explore the underlying factors central to understanding electricity consumption behavior. Different clusters carry specific contextual nuances needed for fully understanding consumption behavior. The findings indicate electricity can be distributed according to the needs of six distinct clusters and that utilities can use analytics to identify load profiles for greater energy efficiency.
Constraining the Volume of Earth's Early Oceans With a Temperature‐Dependent Mantle Water Storage Capacity Model

The water content in Earth's mantle today remains poorly constrained, but the bulk water storage capacity in the solid mantle can be quantified based on experimental data and may amount to a few times the modern surface ocean mass (OM). An appreciation of the mantle water storage capacity is indispensable to our understanding of how water may have cycled between the surface and mantle reservoirs and changed the volume of the oceans through time. In this study, we parameterized high pressure‐temperature experimental data on water storage capacities in major rock‐forming minerals to track the bulk water storage capacity in Earth's solid mantle as a function of temperature. We find that the mantle water storage capacity decreases as mantle potential temperature (Tp) increases, and its estimated value depends on the water storage capacity of bridgmanite in the lower mantle: 1.86–4.41 OM with a median of 2.29 OM for today (Tp = 1600 K), and 0.52–1.69 OM with a median of 0.72 OM for the early Earth's solid mantle (for a Tp that was 300 K higher). An increase in Tp by 200–300 K results in a decrease in the mantle water storage capacity by 1.19−0.16+0.9 – 1.56−0.22+1.1 OM. We explored how the volume of early oceans may have controlled sea level during the early Archean (4–3.2 Ga) with some additional assumptions about early continents. We found that more voluminous surface oceans might have existed if the actual mantle water content today is > 0.3–0.8 OM and the early Archean Tp was ≥1900 K.
Poly(alkylene D-aldaramides) and their corresponding esters: Synthesis and conformational studies

ii DEDICATION. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT. iv LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . xii CHAPTER 1 . 1 CHAPTER 2 . 76 CHAPTER 3 . 113 CHAPTER 4 . 158 CHAPTER 5 . 182 APPENDIX 1. 215 APPENDIX 2 . 248
Development of self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of mebendazole by spray drying technology: Characterization, in vitro and in vivo evaluation

ABSTRACT In this study, a novel liquid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) containing mebendazole was formulated and further developed into a solid form by a spray drying method using Aerosil 200 as the solid carrier. The optimum liquid SMEDDS consisted of Labrafil 2125 CS, Tween 20, and Maisine 35-1 as the oil phase, the surfactant, and the cosurfactant, respectively. The formulated SMEDDS was completely emulsified or dispersed within a minute. All formulations were dissolved within 1 h using 0.1 N HCl as dissolution medium, whereas pure drug was less significantly dissolved in this time period. The droplet size was found to be within 250 nm for solid forms of SMEDDS. Solid state characterization was performed by scanning electron micrograph, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray powder diffraction. After oral administration to Wistar rats, mebendazole in the solid SMEDDS resulted in the significant improvement in bioavailability compared with that of pure drug analyzed by RP-HPLC. The optimized formulation showed 24.87 folds increase in bioavailability as compared to pure drug and 8.39 folds increase in bioavailability in comparison to marketed tablet of mebendazole. The optimized batch has found to be 3.1726 years of shelf life. In conclusion, the solid SMEDDS is a promising solid dosage form for poorly water-soluble and low bioavailability drugs.
Evaluation of Body Fat Prediction Equations from a Portable A-Mode Ultrasound Compared to Air Displacement Plethysmography

ABSTRACT BodyMetrix BX2000 A-mode ultrasound software offers nine options for estimating body fat percentage (%BF) from fat thickness measurements. These formulas were evaluated against %BF estimated from air displacement plethysmography in a sample of 42 men. Compared to the Bod Pod, three of the nine equations – Jackson and Pollock 3 site (JP3), Jackson and Pollock 7 site (JP7), and the National Health Center of America (NHCA) 4 site – had acceptable correlation coefficients (> 0.80), nonsignificant (p > .05) mean differences, and insignificant bias. Standard errors of estimate (SEE) ranged from 3.55 to 4.03%BF and total errors (TE) of 3.69 to 4.16%BF for these three formulas. Caution should be used when estimating %BF from the compilation of individual ultrasound sites due to estimation errors > 3.5%BF. The JP3, JP7, and NHCA 4-site formulas in the BX2000 A-mode ultrasound are recommended over other formula options for estimating the %BF of men.
The Toxicology, Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism of a Novel IL-6 Induced STAT3 Inhibitor

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer and annually an approximate 46,000 Americans are diagnosed and 8,600 Americans die from the disease. The oncogenic transcription factor STAT3 is frequently hyper-activated in HNSCC and promotes gene transcription involved in cancer development, maintenance and progression. Several selective small molecule inhibitors of IL-6-induced STAT3 activation were identified in a screening campaign, and four analogs from a lead optimization series were analyzed to promote one to test in vivo. To choose a lead compound for in vivo experimentation, the four compounds were incubated with mouse liver microsomes to select a lead based on enhanced metabolic stability. From this experiment compound UPCDC-10205 was prioritized for in vivo testing to evaluate its toxicity, pharmacokinetics (PK) and metabolism. Both single and multiple IV dose toxicity studies determined that the maximum soluble dose at 4 mg/kg of compound UPCDC-10205 in 10% Solutol™ was not toxic to mice. To evaluate PK, single doses of UPCDC-10205 IV 4 mg/kg, PO 4 mg/kg, or PO 30 mg/kg UPCDC-10205 suspension in 1% carboxymethyl cellulose were administered to groups of female mice that were euthanized from 5 min to 24 h after dosing. Plasma, urine and various tissues were analyzed using LC-MS to quantitate UPCDC-10205. PK parameters were determined non-compartmentally. Potential metabolites were monitored in plasma and urine using LC-MS. PK analysis showed rapid plasma clearance and extensive distribution of UPCDC-10205. Comparisons of plasma exposure between 4 mg/kg PO and IV showed a bioavailability of ~5%. Little UPCDC-10205 was observed in urine, leading to the hypothesis that metabolism was the major contributor to clearance. Metabolic investigations revealed direct glucuronidation as the major metabolite, explaining why microsomal stability (reflective of phase I metabolism) did not translate to in vivo metabolic stability.
Investigation of energy efficiency of two-way relay-assisted multi-band machine-to-machine communications

In this paper, we improve the uplink energy efficiency (EE) of the multi-band machine-to-machine (M2M) communications underlaying cellular networks. In particular, based on the theory of stochastic geometry, we derive the closed-form expressions of the outage probability (OP), and the average energy efficiency of cellular and Machine-to-Machine users in two-way cooperative relaying networks with three-time-slot setting. We ensure the quality of service (QoS) by considering the OP and the average energy efficiency of all links. It is concluded that the three-time-slot relay-aided Machine-to-Machine communication can offer considerably high QoS and low transmission power for fairly distant machine-to-machine networks.
Magnetotail‐Inner Magnetosphere Transport Associated With Fast Flows Based on Combined Global‐Hybrid and CIMI Simulation

Using the combined Auburn global hybrid simulation code in 3‐D (ANGIE3D) and the Comprehensive Inner Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere (CIMI) model, we investigate the self‐consistent connection of fast flow injections from the tail plasma sheet and the inner magnetosphere under a southward IMF. In the dynamic run, the hybrid results provide the CIMI model with 3‐D magnetic field and the electric potential at the high latitude ionosphere boundary as well as the full ion phase space distribution function at the CIMI outer boundary at the equator. The simulation shows that magnetotail reconnection, which has a dawn‐dusk size of ∼1–5 RE, recurs with a period of several minutes, resulting in recurring localized fast flow injections. Strong ion temperature anisotropy and non‐Maxwellian distributions are present in the fast flows, and the braking of fast flows due to the dipole‐like field results in further perpendicular heating in the injection sources. Multiple fast flow injections lead to multiple peaks in the particle fluxes in the inner magnetosphere as well as layers of upward and downward field‐aligned currents at the ionosphere, and low energy particles penetrate deeper radially than the high energy particles. The combined ANGIE3D‐CIMI model can be used to calculate the global kinetic physics that contains both Region‐1 and Region‐2 field‐aligned currents.
Improving the Dispersion Behavior of Organic Components in Water-Based Electrode Dispersions for Inkjet Printing Processes

Water-based processing of electrodes is associated with an enhanced environmental footprint for lithium-ion battery (LIB) production in conjunction with reduced costs. This trend is accompanied by an increasing demand for electrode dispersion processing in inkjet printing. However, most of the dispersion components show a low inherent dispersibility with poor stability in aqueous formulations. This is particularly important when it comes to qualifying electrode dispersions for use in inkjet printing, since the effect of agglomeration and sedimentation effects must be effectively prevented. Therefore, additives are needed to improve the dispersive behavior. This paper analyzes the suitability of dispersants for organic electrode components, in particular graphite and carbon black. An empirical approach was devised on the basis of comprehensive theoretical considerations. Empirical investigations revealed that the utilization of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) favored the enhanced stabilization of graphite nanoparticles. The addition of Triton X-100 (TX-100) resulted in an improved stabilization of carbon black. Based on these empirical studies, a methodology was derived, which supports the application of suitable dispersants in printable dispersions.
First‐principles study on structural, electronic, magnetic, elastic, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of Mn2PtCo Heusler alloy

The structural, electronic, magnetic, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of the Mn2PtCo Heusler alloy have been investigated in the frame work of density functional theory (DFT). The cohesive energies confirm the Cu2MnAl‐prototype structure of Mn2PtCo with the ferromagnetic phase. The spin polarized electronic band profile of the Mn2PtCo exhibits its metallic character by considering the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and modified Becke‐Johnson (GGA‐mBJ) approximation in the calculations. The magnetic moment is calculated to ~9 μB and it is in accordance with the Slater‐Pauling rule. From the analysis of mechanical properties the brittle nature is anticipated. Further to seek the applications of Mn2PtCo in device fabrication, the thermodynamic properties like entropy, heat capacity at constant volume, Debye temperature, Gruneisen parameter and thermal expansion coefficient within the temperature and pressure range of 0 to 1000 K and 0 to 24 GPa, respectively have also been estimated.
Fabrication and Characterization of Acrylic Acid Treated Rattan Fiber Reinforced Polyethylene Terephthalate Composites for Packaging Industries

ABSTRACT In the present work, treated and untreated novel RA reinforced PET thermoplastic polymer composites were developed. The fibers were chemically modified before fabrication of the composites to have a better fiber-matrix bonding. Thermo-mechanical properties of the composites were studied. An enhancement in mechanical properties were found at the beginning phase with the increase in treated rattan fiber content till optimum fiber loading (i.e 20 wt%) thereafter the properties decline. At 20 wt% fiber loading the mechanical properties obtained were 67.89 MPa of tensile strength, 83.29 MPa of flexural strength, 3.98 GPa of young’s modulus, and 24.18 kJ/m2 of impact strength. Different properties of the composites were thoroughly studied and the composites fabricated at 20 wt% of fiber content reveals excellent mechanical and thermal properties and found very much suitable for packaging applications.
Job Crafting and B2B Salesperson Performance through Meaningful Work: Role-Resource Approach-Avoidance Model

The aim of the present paper is to determine influence of job crafting on B2B salesperson performance through meaningful work in banking industry. This study applies role-resource avoidance approach theory to explain how job crafting affects Business to Business salesperson outcome and behavioral performance through mediating role of meaningful work. To achieve the research objectives, research data were collected from 175 B2B salesperson and their managers branches of four different Banks of Iran. Structural Equation Modeling was used by SmartPLS (2) software to analyze the impact of job crafting activities on salesperson performance through mediating role of meaningful work. Results of the present study indicated that three types of job crafting activities (i.e., role-approach crafting, resource-approach crafting and role-avoidance crafting) are positively related to salespersons’ selling and non-selling behavioral performance through meaningful work. The resource-avoidance activities are negatively related to salespersons’ selling behavioral performance through meaningful work, but they have not scientific influence on non-selling behavioral performance. Moreover, the salesperson’s both selling and non-selling behavioral performance is positively related to salesperson outcome performance. Prior quantitative studies of job crafting have focused on role orientation or resource orientation but in this study, we used role-resource avoidance approach perspective that suggested new and wide taxonomy for job crafting such work role expansion, work social expansion, work organization, adaptation, metacognition, work role reduction and withdrawal activities.