Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morality and Community Behaviour in Africa

Societies that thrive are those that have mechanisms for enhancing moral values amongst their growing generations in a sustainable way. This study singled out traditional initiation rites as a mechanism used by the Bukusu people of Kenya to cultivate morality among the youth, with an intention of raising men that are morally upright, and who are able to provide leadership in a similar way. It was envisaged that observance of the lessons and principles given through the initiation process would be effective in sustaining morality and virtuousness in the community. This was an ethnographic study, where 20 participants were interviewed. They were accessed using snowball technique. This study operated with four objectives: (i) to find out how the process of initiation of boys into adulthood was fashioned to inculcate moral lessons; (ii) to explore how the nurture given during initiation process had been helpful in enhancing moral values among the ‘graduates’ of traditional initiation; (iii) to probe areas, if any, where traditional initiation rites resulted in immoral behaviour and why; and (iv) to explore whether the rites had been revised in light of available information in medicine, education, and religion. The study found that while traditional Bukusu initiation rites were designed to raise men that were morally upright and virtuous,and while the traditional process of initiation has been widely successful in the past, unfortunately, this study found that due to lapses in control mechanism of the process, traditional Bukusu rites have sometimes failed to produce ‘graduates’ that were morally upright and virtuous. This study concludes that, while the initiation process remains an important stage for inculcating good morals among the youth, checks and controls should be applied on the system, the process and the mentors, to make sure the purpose of the rites of initiation into adulthood are achieved. The study recommends that the checks and controls should be guided by available information in medicine, education and religion.
Ancestry Specific variation in neuropsychological disorders among the South Asian population

The enormous genetic diversity in South Asia resulting from a long and complex admixture history resulted in the emergence of variation in various traits and variations in disease susceptibility. Neuropsychological disorders are one such example that shows variation at the population level. In this study, we aimed at understanding the variation in neuropsychological disorders at the population level among South Asian populations by curating, comparing and contrasting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), known to be associated with the same. Whole-genome data comprising of 1662 South Asians, belonging to 241 distinct populations were obtained from the database of Dr. David Reich, Harvard Medical School, USA. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the Ancestral Tibeto Burman (ATB) genomes form a distinct and distinguishable cluster for the SNPs known to be associated with neuropsychological disorders. Identical By Descent (IBD) analysis showed that out of the top seven populations in terms of IBD sharing, six are from Southern India indicating that these populations may have undergone a recent selective sweep for these SNPs. Further, out of the top ten genomes, according to the number of genomes fixed for the minor alleles, seven were from Southern India. Furthermore, several indigenous populations from South India depicted high F values (>0.25) for SNPs associated with neuropsychological disorders, indicating higher susceptibility for neuropsychological disorders among these South Indian populations. Interestingly, we found that most of the SNPs, fixed for the alternative alleles, were also found to be fixed among the ancient genomes from Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), indicating that these SNPs likely got transmitted to various modern-day South Indian populations from IVC.
Numerical investigation of the performance of AlGaN/GaN/BGaN double-gate double-channel high electron mobility transistor

In this work, we examine the direct-current (DC) behavior and the radio-frequency (RF) performance of both single-gate simple-channel (SGSC), single-gate double-channel (SGDC) and double-gate double-channel (DGDC) AlGaN/GaN/BGaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with BGaN back-barriers consist of 250 nm gate length. Using Technologie Computer Aided Design (TCAD) Silvaco, our isothermal simulation results reveal that the proposed structure of double-gate double-channel HEMT with BGaN back-barriers (DGDCBB HEMT) increases electron concentration and consequently the saturation drain current, breakdown voltage, the transconductance. On the other hand, decreases the gate leakage current compared to a conventional HEMT and to a double-channel HEMT back-barriers. Furthermore, the proposed double-gate double-channel back-barrier HEMT device shows good cutoff frequency (94 GHz) and a maximum oscillation frequency (170 GHz). These results suggest that double-gate double channel HEMT back-barriers could be useful for high-frequency and high-power microwave applications.
Towards traceable dynamic pressure calibration using a shock tube with an optical probe for accurate phase determination

In this paper, we introduce a robust method for dynamic characterization of pressure measuring systems used in time-varying pressure applications. The dynamic response of the pressure measuring systems in terms of sensitivity and phase as a function of frequency at various amplitudes of the measurand can be provided. The shock tube which is the candidate primary standard for dynamic pressure calibration at the National Laboratory for pressure, Sweden, was used to realize the dynamic pressure. The shock tube setup used in this study can realize reference pressure with amplitudes up to 1.7 MPa in the frequency range from below a kilohertz up to a megahertz. The amplitude of the realized step pressure was calculated using the Rankine–Hugoniot step relations. In addition, the accurate time of arrival of the generated shock at the device under test (DUT) was measured using an optical probe based on shadowgraphy. The optical detector has a response time in nanosecond time scale which is several orders of magnitude faster than the response time of any pressure measuring system. Hereby, the latency between physical stimuli and response of the DUT can be measured. By the knowledge of the amplitude and the accurate time of arrival of the reference step pressure, the transfer function of the DUT can be calculated and presented in Bode diagrams of sensitivity and phase response versus frequency. The uncertainty in sensitivity and phase measurements was estimated. The information provided by this work is useful for developing reliable models of dynamic pressure measuring system and provide accurate information about their dynamic response. That in turn will contribute to establish a traceability chain for dynamic pressure calibration.
Metabolite Profiles Provide Insights into Underlying Mechanism in Bupleurum (Apiaceae) in Response to Three Levels of Phosphorus Fertilization

Phosphorus (P) deficiency affects plant yield and quality, yet at the same time, excessive phosphorus application does not necessarily promote the growth of plants. How to maintain a balance between biomass accumulation and phosphorus application is a problem. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between yield and quality of Bupleurum and phosphorus fertilization, based on three phosphorus fertilization levels (20 kg∙ha−1; 10 kg∙ha−1; and 0 kg∙ha−1). We adopted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to assess the response of primary metabolites of different plant tissues (flowers, main shoots, lateral shoots and roots) to phosphorus fertilization. At the same time, high-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify saikosaponin A and saikosaponin D, the main active ingredients of Bupleurum. Our research showed that low phosphorus level application has a positive impact on the yield and quality of Bupleurum, especially the above-ground parts increasing the fresh weight of flowers and lateral shoots and the length of main shoots, and moreover, increasing the saikosaponins content in all above-ground parts while decreasing the content in roots which show no significance increase in fresh weight and length. However, high phosphorus level showed a negative impact as it decreases the saikosaponins content significantly in flowers and roots. Furthermore, phosphorus application changed the proportion of saikosaponins, promoting the content of saikosaponin A and inhibiting the content of saikosaponin D in most organs of Bupleurum. Therefore, we can say that high phosphorus application is not preferable to the yield and quality of Bupleurum. To identify the metabolic pathways and special key metabolites, a total of 73 metabolites were discovered, and four differential metabolites—ether, glycerol, chlorogenic and L-rhamnose—were considered to be the key metabolites of Bupleurum’s response to phosphorus fertilization. Furthermore, Bupleurum’s response to phosphorus fertilization was mainly related to metabolic pathways, such as starch and sucrose metabolism and galactose metabolism. Under the phosphorus level, the content of sugars, organic acids and their derivatives, polyols and their derivatives and alkyl were upregulated in flowers. Furthermore, the contents of compounds in the main shoot and lateral shoots showed the same upward trend, except glycosides and polyols and their derivatives.
Multifunctional Targeting Liposomes of Epirubicin Plus Resveratrol Improved Therapeutic Effect on Brain Gliomas

Introduction The inability of many therapeutic molecules to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) combined with poor penetration into tumor tissue leads to difficult challenges for treatment of brain tumors. In order to settle these hurdles, we developed a novel multifunctional targeting carrier which enables drugs to transport across the BBB and targets brain tumor tissues. Methods In the multifunctional targeting liposomes, the natural compound resveratrol (RES) was incorporated into the lipid bilayer membranes of liposomes, while p-aminophenyl-α-D-manno-pyranoside (MAN) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) were conjugated to the liposomal surface. Epirubicin (EPI) as an anticancer drug was then loaded into liposomes. Then, liposomes were characterized by evaluation on particle size, zeta potential and apparent morphology. The epirubicin plus resveratrol liposomes modified with WGA and MAN were applied to glioma cells and BBB model in vitro and C6 glioma-bearing rats in vivo. Results The multifunctional targeting liposomes were round shaped with a smooth surface and uniform particle size. In consideration of the SRB results, the multifunctional targeting liposomes indicated a significant inhibitory effect, suggesting that MAN plus WGA generated robust drug delivery effects into the brain tumor cells. The glioma cells after administering epirubicin plus resveratrol liposomes modified with WGA and MAN displayed the most significant uptake and apoptosis conducted by flow cytometry. In the multifunctional targeting effects assay, the epirubicin plus resveratrol liposomes modified with WGA and MAN exhibited the strongest effects of crossing the BBB and then targeting brain tumor cells. In tumor-bearing rats after applying multifunctional targeting liposomes, the median survival time was evidently observed as being markedly longer than other controls. Conclusion The epirubicin plus resveratrol liposomes modified with WGA and MAN exhibited strong ability to improve epirubicin and resveratrol transporting across the BBB and therapeutic effect on brain glioma, showing multifunctional targeting capability.
Controlled Hydrolysis of Odorants Schiff Bases in Low-Molecular-Weight Gels

Imines or Schiff bases (SB) are formed by the condensation of an aldehyde or a ketone with a primary amine, with the removal of a water molecule. Schiff bases are central molecules in several biological processes for their ability to form and cleave by small variation of the medium. We report here the controlled hydrolysis of four SBs that may be applied in the fragrance industry, as they are profragrances all containing odorant molecules: methyl anthranilate as primary amine, and four aldehydes (cyclamal, helional, hydroxycitronellal and triplal) that are very volatile odorants. The SB stability was assessed over time by HPLC-MS in neutral or acidic conditions, both in solution and when trapped in low molecular weight gels. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to control the hydrolysis of the Schiff bases in the gel environment, thus tuning the quantity of aldehyde released and the persistency of the fragrance.
Error Analysis in Simulation of Urban Stormwater Runoff Using Default Parameters

To examine errors caused by using default parameters,three models SWMM,Mike Urban and InfoWorks ICM were utilized to simulate the stormwater runoff in a campus.The models were run using their respective default parameters.The results showed that for a given simulation result,there was a significant positive correlation among the three models.When using the default parameters,the simulation result for the model itself was accurate,and the deviation between the simulation results was caused by different default parameters.Therefore,when using the model to simulate the study area,parameter calibration and validation are necessary.
Predicting the Earthquake Magnitude Using the Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network with Two Hidden Layers

Because of the major disadvantages of previous methods for calculating the magnitude of the earthquakes, the neural network as a new method is examined. In this paper a kind of neural network named Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) is used to predict magnitude of earthquakes. MLP neural network consist of three main layers; input layer, hidden layer and output layer. Since the best network configurations such as the best number of hidden nodes and the most appropriate training method cannot be determined in advance, and also, overtraining is possible, 128 models of network are evaluated to determine the best prediction model. By comparing the results of the current method with the real data, it can be concluded that MLP neural network has high ability in predicting the magnitude of earthquakes and it’s a very good choice for this purpose.
Analysis and Modeling of peer-to-peer RSS/TOA measurements for UAVs

Cooperative localization is one of the effective methods to restrain multipath fading and shadow fading in the urban environment whose positioning accuracy mainly depends on the ranging precision and the positioning effect of unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs). Distance estimation including time of arrival(TOA) and received signal strength(RSS) whose accuracy is influenced significantly by the ranging model especially in antenna direction and random error modeling. In this paper, firstly, the improved TOA and RSS ranging model containing compensation of antenna direction is given by the static fitting experiment. Furthermore, the random error of TOA and RSS ranging is modeled as logarithmic function and polynomial function separately. Finally, the weighted least-squares method is proposed to verify the effectiveness of the improved model.
Temporal changes in plant–soil feedback effects on microbial networks, leaf metabolomics and plant–insect interactions

The importance of plant–soil feedbacks (PSF) for above‐ground and below‐ground multitrophic interactions is well recognized. However, most studies only condition soil for a short time before testing the feedback response. Here we investigate the influence of time of conditioning on soil microbiome composition, plant growth and metabolomics, and plant–insect interactions. We used soil collected from large outdoor mesocosms with monocultures of six species and investigated the temporal changes in the soil over a full year. Every 2 months, we assessed the legacy effects of the soils on plant growth of one of the species (Jacobaea vulgaris) in a climate‐controlled chamber. Each time we used tissue culture plants that were genetically identical. We also measured leaf herbivore performance and leaf metabolomes, as well as the abiotic and biotic soil properties. We show that the monoculture soils harboured different microbiomes, but that these varied over time. Growth of the test plants also varied over time and plants grew consistently less well in their own soil. The soil legacy effects on the leaf metabolome were less consistent and varied strongly over time. Networking analysis showed that soil bacteria had stronger effects on the leaf metabolome than fungi early on. However, after 12 months of conditioning, only soil fungal community composition explained the metabolomic profiles of the leaves. Insect herbivory was not affected by soil conditioning, but decreased with increasing time of conditioning. Synthesis. Our results show that the biomass response of the test plants to soil conditioning remained consistent throughout the year, even though both the soil microbiome and leaf metabolomic responses to conditioned soil varied greatly over time. These soil‐induced changes in the metabolome of plants over time can be an important driver of above‐ground multitrophic interactions in nature. Our study demonstrates that the duration of conditioning has a strong impact on plant and soil properties, which highlights that temporal variation is an important aspect to consider in future studies investigating plant–soil interactions.
Application of Fuzzy Control in Sensorless Brushless DC Motor

Because the traditional brushless DC motor is in extreme environments, its position sensor cannot be used and the control effect is not good. Therefore, according to the mathematical model of the brushless DC motor, the rotor position information is obtained by the rotor position detection method, and the fuzzy PID control is proposed as the motor system control device, and compared with the simulation result waveform of the motor rotor speed under the PID control, the fuzzy PID control is obtained. Due to the fuzzy rules, PID parameters can be adjusted in real time, so that the output speed of the position sensorless brushless DC motor is more stable and effective than the PID control method.
ECG for Biometric Recognition Based on Hybrid Deep Neural Networks

This paper studies a popular biometrics technology, the application of the physiological characteristics of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals for human identification. The ECG signal is an effective and potential identification tool that can distinguish the typical characteristics of different people because it is universal in the human body and it is difficult to be forged. Based on the MIT-BIT database of normal sinus rhythm, this paper proposes a hybrid deep neural network model for biometric recognition using convolutional neural networks (CNN) and bi-directional long short-term memory (BiLSTM). The proposed model optimizes the features for classification by superimposing CNN onto the BiLSTM network layer, and achieves the effective mining and capture of the internal features of ECG signals, which to some extent overcomes the limitations of the convolution feature extraction methods. Furthermore, the performance comparison of different CNN-BiLSTM hybrid models (e.g. LeNet-BiLSTM and Inception-BiLSTM) is examined. The experimental results show that the Inception-BiLSTM hybrid model can produce a better result, and the identification accuracy is as high as 98%.
Voice Endorsement and Employee Safety Voice Behavior in Construction Projects: The Mediating Role of Leader-Member Exchange

Employee safety voice refers to publishing opinions and suggestions related to workplace safety issues. In recent years, it has gradually become a hot topic in the field of organizational safety management research. Voice endorsement is the leader’s positive feedback to employees, and it is a necessary condition and key link for employees to achieve the purpose of voicing. Although there are many types of research on employee safety voice behavior and voice endorsement, few studies have explored the relationship between the two. Therefore, through a paired questionnaire survey of 214 leaders and 344 employees in construction projects, drawing on social exchange theory, using leader-member exchange (LMX) as a mediating variable, we discuss the mechanism of voice endorsement on employee safety voice behavior. The results show that in construction projects, voice endorsement negatively affects employee safety voice behavior and LMX, and LMX positively affects employee safety voice behavior. LMX has a mediating role in the relationship between voice endorsement and employee safety voice behavior. The results of this study can provide useful guidance for improving employee safety voice behavior management.
The post-industrial legacy in Brazil: where circular economy principles meet collective urban practices by design

ABSTRACT The design of restorative and regenerative processes in post-industrial territories presents complex and ambiguous challenges that require organisations to account for the intertwined interactions between social, ecological, and technical components shaping experiences of daily life. Devalorized cultural traditions, high levels of soil and air pollution, large numbers of abandoned buildings, and outdated zoning policies are a few examples of complex conditions posing significant barriers to improving the well-being of low-wealth residents of these territories, the organisations that serve them, and the ecosystem within which they exist. In this article, we share the case of an ongoing urban redevelopment process in the 4th District, Porto Alegre, Brazil. As the core entity carrying out collective urban practices, Vila Flores mobilises and is mobilised by a constellation of local agents through principles of circular economy and social justice. These local agents combined their assets in response to emerging opportunities to strengthen the local circular economy and form flexible networks capable of progressively improving well-being within and outside their geographic boundary. We apply design frameworks to describe how the resulting interventions relied on the mutual circulation of eight different types of resources (human, social, political, cultural, natural, financial, manufactured, and digital) to enable more just, sustainable, and equitable outcomes. Drawing Vila Flores’s activities, we generalised lessons about its organisational structure and core competencies that help restore and regenerate local circular economies in post-industrial territories.
Unveiling cognitive structure and comparative advantages of countries in knowledge domains

Mapping and depicting the structure, dynamics and national specialisation profiles of scientific fields at the country level affords a better understanding of national developments and changes in a given field, particularly when these changes may serve as an aid in decision-making with regard to research management. This article looks at the cognitive structure of a field over time to characterise its development across countries and to appraise the competitiveness of countries in terms of research specialisation. Based on a dataset extracted from the Scopus database, we conducted a co-word analysis and studied the degree of specialisation based on publications and on keywords, in the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology field (NST). The results reveal that NST research tends to focus on nano applications and devices. According to the keyword activity index, the countries studied centre their specialisation on electronic, biotechnology and biomedical research, certain countries showing a more competitive edge in the global realm of output. Accordingly, implications that could contribute to decision-making regarding the economy and research policies are described.