Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE FIRST MALAY LANGUAGE STORYTELLING TEXT-TO-SPEECH (TTS) CORPUS FOR HUMANOID ROBOT STORYTELLERS

This paper describes the process undertaken and criteria considered in acquiring a storytelling speech corpus of Malay language towards the development of humanoid storyteller. The speech corpus contains 464 speech sentences, 4,656 words and 9,584 syllables. Three children’s short stories were recorded by 3 female storytellers, 1 male professional speaker, 2 female speakers and 2 male speakers. The equipment specifications, recording procedures and speech annotations are described in detail in accordance to baseline work. The stories were recorded in two speaking styles that are neutral and storytelling speaking style. The first Malay language storytelling corpus is not only necessary for the development of a storytelling text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis. It is also detrimental for natural language processing and speech recognition of Malay language, an under-resourced language.
Trophic transfer, bioaccumulation, and potential health risk of trace elements in water and aquatic organisms of Yundang Lagoon at Xiamen in China

Abstract In this study, distribution and accumulation of trace elements (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) in water, tissues of aquatic organisms (e.g. fishes: Oreochromis niloticus, Platycephalus indicus, Clupanodon punctatus; crabs: Charybdis japonica, Portunus sanguinolentus, and Charybdis varuegata; prawns: Litopenaeus vannamei, Metapenaeus joyneri, Penaeus japonicas, Penaeus penicillatus; mollusks: Mytilus spp., Perna spp.), and trophic transfer in food web were investigated in Yundang Lagoon at Xiamen in China. Most of the studied metals such as Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb were biodiluted in the food web except As which was biomagnified in the food web. Moreover, the target hazard quotient and total target hazard quotient risk values were higher than threshold limit values indicating that non-carcinogenic health risk to the inhabitants due to consumption of aquatic organisms.
Shattering the Myth of the Passive Spectator: Entrepreneurial Efforts to Define and Enhance Participation in “Non-Participatory” Arts

Abstract:What does “participation” mean in the context of presentational art forms like live theatre, dance performance or classical music? Is, as has been suggested recently by the James Irvine Foundation and researchers from WolfBrown, “participatory art” only that art in which the audience engages by becoming an active artist? What are the implications of such a shift from one of the major arts funders in the United States, and are they warranted? Increasing research indicates that the simple act of watching a performance event—spectating—is, in fact, participatory. Research into brain activity during such events and studies of performance on subsequent reasoning, emotional maturity and empathy indicate that the act of watching an artistic work requires an extraordinary amount of participation and attention on the part of the spectator, and ultimately dictates that so strongly articulating a spectrum of participation in which traditional presentational art as relegated to a lesser position is premature. Rather, a holistic approach being led by a small but growing group of entrepreneurs who straddle the divide between artist and arts administrator has begun to take root, working to augment and increase the impact of presentational art without sacrificing its presentational aspects.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Injury Repair by Regulating MAPK Signaling Pathways

Intestinal epithelial cells are an essential barrier in human gastrointestinal tract, and healing of epithelial wound is a key process in many intestinal diseases. α-Lipoic acid (ALA) was shown to have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, which could be helpful in intestinal epithelial injury repair. The effects of ALA in human colonic epithelial cells NCM460 and human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells Caco-2 were studied. ALA significantly promoted NCM460 and Caco-2 migration, increased mucosal tight junction factors ZO-1 and OCLN expression, and ALA accelerated cell injury repair of both cells in wound healing assay. Western blot analysis indicated that ALA inhibited a variety of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in the epithelial cells. In conclusion, ALA was beneficial to repair of intestinal epithelial injury by regulating MAPK signaling pathways.
Study on lifetime prediction considering fatigue accumulative effect for die‐attach solder layer in an IGBT module

An accurate lifetime model is needed in power electronic systems as a cost‐effective means of improving reliability and performance assessment, which have long been highly desired to reduce the maintenance cost and to make the product more competitive in the market. Die‐attach solder layer fatigue has been identified as one of the root causes of failure of power electronic modules. This paper presents “physics‐of‐failure lifetime model”, which takes fatigue accumulative effect into consideration and can quantify the effect of long‐term small‐temperature cycling to device fatigue life cycle to estimate the lifetime of the power module. First, small ΔTj power cycling tests were designed to obtain the effects of ΔTj on aged and un‐aged modules. They indicated that the traditional lifetime models were not accurate in predicting the lifetime of power modules. Therefore, a new time‐domain crack propagation model based on the cumulative damage in the die‐attach solder layer is proposed, which includes time‐dependent material properties and temperature profiles. Moreover, power cycling experiments and simulations are conducted to demonstrate the method by comparing the number of cycles to failure. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
THE EFFECT OF IMMOBILIZED BACILLUS AMYLOLIQUEFACIENS JF-1 MODULATE DYNAMICS ON SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND DISEASE SUPPRESSION CAUSED BY FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM

Stalk rot in maize, which is mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a common soilborne disease in maize-producing areas of the world. Here we show the potential of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens JF-1 as a biological control against Fusarium graminearum. The inhibition rate of F. graminearum mycelial growth by JF-1 was 83.95%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that mycelia treated with JF-1 had swelling and deformation. Moreover, the antagonistic mechanism of JF1 crude extract decreased the intracellular ATP content of pathogens and led to significant nucleic acid leak. To evaluate the potential use of JF-1 in agriculture, a pot experiment revealed that the control efficiency of JF-1 cells immobilized with maize straw biochar against maize stalk rot at seedling stage reached 65.36%. The immobilized microorganisms of maize biochar improved the physical and chemical properties and soil fertility, as well as the microbial community structure, increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Mortierellomycota and Glomeromycota, and reduced the relative abundance of Ascomycota, which includes F. graminearum, with pathogenic potential, transforming the soil microbial community from ‘pathological’ to ‘healthy’. This discovery confirms that JF-1 can be used as a biological control agent to effectively reduce the incidence of maize disease.
Gamification in the University Context: Bibliometric Review in Scopus (2012-2022)

Gamification is a learning approach that transfers the power of games to the education context, with the purpose of improving the performance of students in the classroom. The present study aimed to analyze scientific activity related to gamification in the context of higher education by using a bibliometric and bibliographic approach and the Scopus database. A bibliometric study was applied with the help of VOSviewer and RStudio software, and the authors managed to identify 287 documents published between 2012 and 2022. The results were classified according to the most influential published documents, keyword co-occurrence network, trend topics, collaboration maps between countries and authors, scientific production by countries, and geographical scientific gaps. The findings show a large geographical scientific gap for the African continent, in particular. This research provides an overview of publications on the topic of gamification in the university environment.
Against Imperial Social Policy: Recasting Mkandawire’s Transformative Ideas for Africa’s Liberation

Forty years have passed since the implementation of the pernicious neoliberal structural reforms on the African continent in 1981. If 2021 marked a 40-year commemoration of a diabolical neocolonial project such as neoliberalism, then the year 2020 signified another 40-year period of rebirth aborted, as the Lagos Plan of Action of 1980 was undermined in favour of the Berg Report of 1981. These two periodizations delineate African liberation or continued neocolonial oppression, yet also coincide with Thandika Mkandawire’s life’s strivings. How do Mkandawire’s ideas on social policy, inspired by radical African Nationalists, aid in the dismantling of contemporary forms of racialized neoliberal social policy making? Mkandawire’s life straddled two 40-year periods (1940–1980 and 1980–2020) marked by sui generis contributions to African and global social sciences. This paper recasts his scholarly contributions on transformative social policy as a prophetic theoretician of African liberation. Mkandawire’s scholarly corpus provides a programmatic approach to the unmaking of a hierarchical racialized neoliberal global order.
Numerical prediction of tonal noise for non-cavitating propellers in effective wake

ABSTRACT The tonal noise prediction of non-cavitating seven-bladed propellers in effective wake are conducted based on Farassat's formulation 1A in this article. First, the noise characteristics of a seven-bladed propeller in nominal and effective wakes are predicted and compared with each other. Then, the effects of blade skew and rake distributions on the noise characteristics are analysed for two groups of propellers. The results indicate that the acoustic pressure due to blade thickness is negligible. The tonal noise occurs at the blade passage frequency (BPF) and its multiples. The maximum sound pressure level (SPL) at BPF in the nominal wake is 3 dB higher than that in the effective wake. As the skew angle increases, the maximum SPL and acoustic energy at BPF decreases and the direction of the maximum SPL becomes closer to the propeller plane. The rake has little influence on the SPL and acoustic energy.
Efficacy of Topical Intervention for Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis: A Network Meta-Analysis

Background and objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of topical interventions used for recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Materials and Methods: This network meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. We searched four electronic databases, PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Embase, for randomized controlled trials reporting efficacy and safety data on topical interventions for recurrent aphthous stomatitis. We performed a quality evaluation using a methodology based on the Cochrane Handbook. Two authors independently extracted data on healing effect, size reduction effect, symptom reduction effect, recurrence and safety assessment. Network meta-analysis was then performed using ADDIS and RevMan. Results: A total of 72 trials (5272 subjects) involving 29 topical interventions were included. Honey, lnsulin liposome gel, laser, amlexanox, glycyrrhiza and triamcinolone had better efficacy performance. Probiotics and chlorhexidine helped to prolong ulcer intervals and reduce recurrence. Doxycycline and penicillin had a high risk of adverse events. Hematologic evaluation showed no preference. The rank possibility of size-reducing effect and symptom-reducing effect supported the short-term effect of laser and the long-term effect of probiotics. Conclusions: We recommend the use of laser as a short-term intervention during the exacerbation phase of RAS and probiotics as a long-term intervention during the exacerbation and remission phases of RAS.
A tale of triple disadvantages: Disability, chronic poverty and gender inequality in rural Bangladesh

This study focuses on the interaction between disability, chronic poverty and gender in rural Bangladesh, relying on analysis of the Chronic Poverty and Long Term Impact Study conducted between 1997 and 2010. A series of logistic regressions investigate the relationship between disabilities and chronic poverty among women with their employment, education, assistance and household coping strategies. The results indicate that primary schooling is lower among girls compared with boys in chronically poor households, with implications for the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Even where the probability of employment for chronically poor women with disabilities is positive, these women are potentially unlikely to be engaged in work that safeguards their rights or contributes to poverty escapes. Moreover, in the face of shocks, poverty becomes stickier, in the absence of effectively targeted safety nets coupled with adverse coping strategies that prolong poverty. The article concludes with a call for ensuring that intersectionality is more firmly embedded into existing social protection programmes.
Evaluating the Effect of Fertilizers on Physiological Growth, Chemical, Bioactive Components and Secondary Metabolites in Vigna Unguiculata (L.)

Article Info Abstract The current study assessed the effect of different levels of poultry manure fertilizer (10, 30, 60 and 90 kg F/ha) and nitrogen fertilizer (30, 45, 60 and 90 kg N/ha) on the growth, yield, mineral composition, bioactive compounds and secondary metabolites in the legume crop Vigna unguiculata (L.). At the end of 15 weeks, 90 kg F/ha and 45 kg N/ha enhanced the growth, yield, mineral composition, production of ascorbic acid, total phenolic and FRAP assay, this informed our decision for the selection of this treatments (45kgN/ha, 90kgF/ha and 0kg/ha control) for further analyses of secondary metabolites. Poultry manure and nitrogen fertilizer improved the mineral compositions of cowpea leaves, and different accumulation trends were noted depending on different application levels, with poultry manure responding well. Thus, the application of organic poultry manure at 90 kg F/ha for cowpea cultivation should potentially be recommended in the Mpumalanga Province. :
ECSOD ALLELE-SPECIFIC EFFECTS ON ASBESTOS-INDUCED FIBROPROLIFERATIVE LUNG DISEASE IN MICE

Previous work by others suggests that there is a strain-dependent variation in the susceptibility to inflammatory lung injury in mice. Specifically, the 129J mice appear to be more resistant to asbestos-induced pulmonary fibrosis than the C57BL/6 strain. A separate line of evidence suggests that extracellular superoxide dismutase (ecSOD) may play an important role in protecting the lung from such injuries. We have recently reported that the 129J strain of mice has an ecSOD genotype and phenotype distinctly different from those of the C57BL/6 mice. In order to identify ecSOD as a potential “asbestos-injury resistance” gene, we bred congenic mice, on the C57BL/6 background, carrying the wild type (sod3 wt ) or the 129J (sod3 129 ) allele for ecSOD. This allowed us to examine the role of ecSOD polymorphisms in susceptibility to lung injury in an otherwise identical genetic background. Interestingly, asbestos treatment induces a significant (~40%) increase in plasma ecSOD activity in the sod3 129 mice, but not in the sod3 wt mice. Asbestos administration results in a loss of ecSOD activity and protein from lung tissue of both congenic strains, but the lung ecSOD activity remains significantly higher in sod3 129 mice. As expected, asbestos treatment results in a significant recovery of ecSOD protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The BALF of sod3 129 mice also have significantly lower levels of proteins and inflammatory cells, especially neutrophils, accompanied by a significantly lower extent of lung injury, as measured by a pathology index score or hydroxyproline content. Immunohistochemistry reveals a significant loss of ecSOD from the tips of the respiratory epithelial cells in response to asbestos treatment and that the loss of immunodetectable ecSOD is compensated for by enzyme expression by infiltrating cells, especially in the sod3 wt mice. Our studies thus identify ecSOD as an important anti-inflammatory gene, responsible for most if not all of the resistance to asbestos-induced lung injury reported for the 129 strain of mice. The data further suggest allele-specific differences in the regulation of ecSOD expression. These congenic mice therefore represent a very useful model to study the role of this enzyme in all inflammatory diseases. Polymorphisms in human ecSOD have also been reported and it appears logical to assume that such variations may have a profound effect on disease susceptibility.
SMALL INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION FROM PERITONEAL ADHESIONS IN CHILDREN PETITE OCCLUSION INTESTINALE PÉRITONÉALE ADHÉSIONS EN ENFANTS

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of peritoneal adhesions leading to small intestinal obstruction after laparotomy in children in a tertiary paediatric surgical centre. Methods: A retrospective review of 430 children aged <15 years who had trans-abdominal procedures over a 7 year period. Results: Four hundred and fifty nine abdominal procedures were performed in 430 children during the study period. The follow up period ranged from 4 months – 7 years (Median 33 months). 22 (4.8%) had intra-operative confirmation of small intestinal obstruction. Their ages ranged from 21 days – 14 years (median 7 years). Postoperative adhesions due to laparotomy for typhoid perforation were the commonest, occurring in 10 (45%). Children undergoing emergency laparotomy were more likely to develop post operative small intestinal obstruction compared to elective laparotomy (p<0.025). Six (27.3%) children had bowel gangrene at laparotomy requiring bowel resection and anastomosis. Post-operative small intestinal obstruction developed in 6 (27.3%). One child died due to sepsis from intestinal gangrene. Conclusion: Small bowel obstruction due to adhesions requiring operative intervention in children in our setting is not un-common. Bowel gangrene is a common complication of postoperative small intestinal obstruction in children in our setting and should be suspected to avoid serious postoperative mortality and morbidity. postopératoire en raison d'une laparotomie de perforation de la typhoïde étaient la plus courante, survenant dans 10 (45 %). Enfants en cours d'urgence laparotomie étaient plus susceptibles de développer le post du dispositif occlusion intestinale petite par rapport à une laparotomie électif (p < 0,025). Six enfants (27,3 %) avaient l'intestin gangrène à laparotomie nécessitant une résection du côlon et anastomose. Postopératoires occlusion intestinale petite développé dans 6 (27,3 %). Un enfant meurt en raison de la septicémie de gangrène intestinale. Conclusion : Obstruction de l'intestin grêle en raison d'adhésions nécessitant une intervention opérationnelle chez les enfants dans notre paramètre n'est pas un-common. L'intestin gangrène est une complication commune de postopératoire occlusion intestinale petite enfants dans notre environnement et doit être suspectée d'éviter postopératoire grave de la mortalité et de morbidité.
A positive association of dietary protein with lumbar spine bone mineral density is suppressed by a negative association of protein sulfur , a,b

Dietary protein is theorized to hold both anabolic effects on bone and demineralizing effects mediated by the diet acid load of sulfate derived from methionine and cysteine. The relative importance of these effects is unknown but relevant to osteoporosis prevention. Post-menopausal women (n=161, mean±SD 67.9±6.0 y) were assessed for areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of lumbar spine (LS) and total hip (TH) using dual X-ray absorptiometry, and dietary intakes of protein, sulfur-containing amino acids and minerals using a USDA multiple-pass 24 h recall. The acidifying influence of the diet was estimated using the ratio of protein / potassium intake, the potential renal acid load (PRAL) and intake of sulfate equivalents from protein. aBMD was regressed onto protein intake, then protein controlled for estimated dietary acid load. A step-down procedure assessed potential confounding influences (weight, age, physical activity and calcium and vitamin D intakes). Protein alone did not predict LS aBMD (P=0.81); however, after accounting for a negative effect of sulfate ( β = − 0.28, P<0.01), the direct effect of protein intake was positive ( β =0.22, P=0.04). At the TH protein intake predicted aBMD ( β =0.18, P =0.03), but R 2 did not improve with adjustment for sulfate ( P =0.83). PRAL and the protein / potassium ratio were not significant predictors of aBMD. Results suggest that protein intake is positively associated with aBMD, but benefit at the LS is offset by a negative impact of the protein sulfur acid load. If validated experimentally, these findings harmonize conflicting theories on the role of dietary protein in bone health.
Hippocampal Granule cell Pathology in Epilepsy – a Possible Structural Basis for Epileptic Co-Morbidities?

Temporal lobe epilepsy in both animals and humans is characterized by abnormally integrated hippocampal dentate granule cells. Among other abnormalities, these cells make axonal connections with inappropriate targets, grow dendrites in the wrong direction and migrate to ectopic locations. These changes promote the formation of recurrent excitatory circuits, leading to the appealing hypothesis that these abnormal cells may by epileptogenic. While this hypothesis has been the subject of intense study, less attention has been paid to the possibility that abnormal granule cells in the epileptic brain may also contribute to co-morbidities associated with the disease. Epilepsy is associated with a variety of general findings, such as memory disturbances and cognitive dysfunction, and is often co-morbid with a number of other conditions, including schizophrenia and autism. Interestingly, recent studies implicate disruption of common genes and gene pathways in all three diseases. Moreover, while neuropsychiatric conditions are associated with changes in a variety of brain regions, granule cell abnormalities in temporal lobe epilepsy phenocopy granule cell deficits produced by genetic mouse models of autism and schizophrenia, suggesting that granule cell dysmorphogenesis may be a common factor uniting these seemingly diverse diseases. Disruption of common signaling pathways regulating granule cell neurogenesis may begin to provide mechanistic insight into the co-occurrence of temporal lobe epilepsy and cognitive and behavioral disorders.