Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combining Abilities, Heterosis, Growth Performance, and Carcass Characteristics in a Diallel Cross from Black-Bone Chickens and Thai Native Chickens

Simple Summary Black-bone chicken is classified as a healthy food due to its naturally bioactive ingredients; however, the limitation of a slow growth rate results in longer times to raise it to market weight. Crossbreeding is a tool used to produce superior breeds. The present study therefore determined the combining abilities and heterosis for better growth performance and maintained the color of black-bone chickens to gain desirable antioxidant properties (melanin and carnosine) in crosses between Hmong black-bone (HB), Chinese black-bone (CB), and Thai native (TN) chickens. The results indicate that crossing between the TN sires and CB dams had the best potential to promote careers for farmers on a commercial scale. Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the combining abilities and heterosis for the growth performance and carcass characteristics in crosses between Hmong black-bone (HB), Chinese black-bone (CB), and Thai native (TN) chickens using a mating system diallel crossing. Nine crossbred chickens including HB × HB, CB × CB, TN × TN, HB × TN, TN × HB, CB × HB, HB × CB, TN × CB, and CB × TN, were tested. The total data were 699 recorded at the beginning of the experiment to 595 recorded in weeks 14 of age. Body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and survival rate (SUR) were recorded. Heterosis and combining ability regarding general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), and reciprocal combining ability (RCA) were estimated. The study found that CB had the greatest BW and ADG at all weeks (p < 0.05) except for hatch, while those of HB were the lowest. The highest GCA was found in CB; meanwhile, GCA was significantly negative in HB of all ages. Crossing between TN × CB had the greatest BW from 8 weeks of age, which was related to positive SCA and RCA values. However, the RCA value of TN × CB was lower than the SCA value of CB × TN. The yield percentages of the carcass in CB (87.00%) were higher than those in TN (85.05%) and HB (82.91%) (p < 0.05). The highest breast and thigh meat lightness (L*) values were obtained in TN (p < 0.05), while those of CB and HB were not different (p > 0.05). In the crossbreed, the yield percentage of the carcass was highest in TN × CB (89.65%) and CB × TN (88.55%) (p > 0.05) and was lowest in TN × HB (71.91%) (p < 0.05). The meat and skin color of the breast and thigh parts in the crossbreed had the lowest lightness in HB × CB (27.91 to 38.23) (p < 0.05), while those of TN × CB and CB × TN were insignificant (p > 0.05). In conclusion, crossing between the TN sires and CB dams has the preferable potential to develop crossbred Thai native chickens for commercial use based on their high growth performance.
Practical Centrifugal Pumps : Design, Operation and Maintenance

Practical Centrifugal Pumps is a comprehensive guide to pump construction, application, operation, maintenance and management issues. Coverage includes pump classifications, types and criteria for selection, as well as practical information on the use of pumps, such as how to read pump curves and cross reference. Throughout the book the focus is on best practice and developing the skills and knowledge required to recognise and solve pump problems in a structured and confident manner.Case studies provide real-world scenarios covering the design, set up, troubleshooting and maintenance of pumps.
Climate change in the Lumbee River watershed and potential impacts on the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

A growing body of research focuses on climate change and Indigenous peoples. However, relatively little of this work focuses on Native American tribes living in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a large (60,000 member) Native American tribe located on the Coastal Plain in present day North Carolina (U.S.). The tribe has deep connections to the Lumbee River, which flows through a watershed dominated by extensive forested wetlands. In this paper, I outline key issues associated with climate change and water in the region, and I use long-term climatic and hydrologic datasets and analysis to establish context for understanding historical climate change in the Lumbee River watershed. Downscaled climate model outputs for the region show how further changes may affect the hydrologic balance of the watershed. I discuss these changes in terms of environmental degradation and potential impacts on Lumbee culture and persistence, which has remained strong through centuries of adversity and has also experienced a resurgence in recent years. I close by acknowledging the especially vulnerable position of the Lumbee Tribe as a non-federal tribe that lacks access to certain resources, statutory protections, and policies aimed at helping Native American tribes deal with climate change and other environmental challenges.
Good Governance: Implications on Principals’ Effectiveness in Public Secondary Schools in the South West Region of Cameroon

This research titled; “Good Governance: Implications on Principals’ Effectiveness in Public Secondary Schools (PSS) in the South West Region (SWR) of Cameroon”, sought to examine the extent to which good governance practice (participation) affects principals’ effectiveness. More specifically, this paper sought to find out how participation in decision making affects principals’ effectiveness. The survey research design was employed and a sample of 380 made up of school administrators (principals, vice principals, senior discipline masters/mistresses and counsellors) and teachers, students and parents were used. The simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the respondents. The instruments used in collecting data were questionnaires (both open and closed ended) and a guide for focus group discussion. Validation of instruments was done through face and content validity. Reliability was achieved through the test re-test method. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 25 was used to analyse data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. For descriptive statistics, frequencies, percentages, bar charts and pie charts were used. For inferential statistics, the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient Value® was employed to test the hypothesis. The results rejected the null hypothesis while retaining the alternative form. The indicator had a moderate relationship, that is, participation in decision making (rxy-comp. value =0.561). This value was compared to the maximum value 1, to determine the strength of the relationship. This led to the conclusion that participation in decision making has a significant relationship with principals’ effectiveness. Based on these results recommendations were made following
Structural damage location and evaluation model inspired by memory and causal reasoning of the human brain

Structural health monitoring system should handle massive sensor information correctly and complete the damage location and evaluation. This study proposes a structural damage location and evaluation model inspired by the memory and causal reasoning of the human brain. Mass‐monitoring data filtering is conducted in the short‐term memory area. The long‐term memory area stores useful information that contains the characteristics of structural damage and has two functions. First, the support degree index is deduced to locate the damage source of the basement. Second, the historical acoustic emission data and sparse autoencoder classifier are utilized to identify moisture content and then evaluate the damage level of the basement. Experiments show the functions of the model, such as monitoring data reduction, locating the damage source, and evaluating the level of damage, without prior knowledge of mechanics.
Cellulose Derivative-Based Bioadhesive Blend Patch for Transdermal Drug Delivery

In this study, matrix-type transdermal patches of glibenclamide were developed using a combination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers for investigating the efficacy of transdermal carriers. A cellulose derivative, HPMC E50, was used as a hydrophilic matrix-forming polymer, and Eudragit RS 100 was used as a hydrophobic polymer. The solvent casting technique was employed to develop a transdermal blend patch formulation using chloroform and methanol as the casting solvent. No drug–polymer interaction was observed by the FTIR study. The membrane permeation study exhibited a sustained release of glibenclamide up to 12 h within a range of 76.15 ± 2.80% to 101.01 ± 0.33% depending on the polymeric ratio. The increased concentration of Eudragit RS 100 in different formulations has gradually decreased the amount of drug penetration through the membrane. The kinetic analysis showed the release is best explained by zero-order kinetics, followed by Higuchi and first order. The release exponent suggested shifting of non-Fickian diffusion to the super case II transport drug release mechanism when Eudragit RS 100 concentration was increased. It is concluded that the developed formulations may be a better alternative to the conventional oral delivery of glibenclamide.
Near Zero Energy House (NZEH) Design Optimization to Improve Life Cycle Cost Performance Using Genetic Algorithm

Near Zero Energy House (NZEH) is a housing building that provides energy efficiency by using renewable energy technologies and passive house design. Currently, the costs for NZEH are quite expensive due to the high costs of the equipment and materials for solar panel, insulation, fenestration and other renewable energy technology. Therefore, a study to obtain the optimum design of a NZEH is necessary. The aim of the optimum design is achieving an economical life cycle cost performance of the NZEH. One of the optimization methods that could be utilized is Genetic Algorithm. It provides the method to obtain the optimum design based on the combinations of NZEH variable designs. This paper discusses the study to identify the optimum design of a NZEH that provides an optimum life cycle cost performance using Genetic Algorithm. In this study, an experiment through extensive design simulations of a one-level house model was conducted. As a result, the study provide the optimum design from combinations of NZEH variable designs, which are building orientation, window to wall ratio, and glazing types that would maximize the energy generated by photovoltaic panel. Hence, the design would support an optimum life cycle cost performance of the house.
“Ocean Optimism” and Resilience: Learning From Women’s Responses to Disruptions Caused by COVID-19 to Small-Scale Fisheries in the Gulf of Guinea

This study examines the response of women to disruptions caused by COVID-19 in small-scale fisheries (SSF) in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG). It interrogates the concept of resilience and its potential for mitigating women’s vulnerability in times of adversity. We define resilience as the ability to thrive amidst shocks, stresses, and unforeseen disruptions. Drawing on a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews with key informants from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria, and a literature review, we highlight how COVID-19 disruptions on seafood demand, distribution, labour and production acutely affected women and heightened their pre-existing vulnerabilities. Women responded by deploying both negative and positive coping strategies. We argue that the concept of resilience often romanticises women navigating adversity as having ‘supernatural’ abilities to endure disruptions and takes attention away from the sources of their adversity and from the governments’ concomitant failures to address them. Our analysis shows reasons for “ocean optimism” while also cautioning against simplistic resilience assessments when discussing the hidden dangers of select coping strategies, including the adoption of digital solutions and livelihood diversification, which are often constructed along highly gendered lines with unevenly distributed benefits.
Perturbed T-shaped patch antenna with slits and a floating metal for 5G

This research paper highlights the process of designing and simulating a novel antenna. Our antenna is meant to be used in 5G applications (sub-6 Ghz). Simulating and designing was done using the Sonnet Suites software. The substrate used in our antenna is 1.55mm thick FR-4 substrate, that has a εr of 4.4. The antenna center frequency is 4.06 GHz. At the center frequency, S11 is -39.46 dB. Furthermore, the antenna has an E- of 5.75 dB, and E- of -9.99 dB. This antenna can be used in devices that use 5G technologies. This antenna has the benefit of being cheap to produce, while boasting good performance during operationThis research paper highlights the process of designing and simulating a novel antenna. Our antenna is meant to be used in 5G applications (sub-6 Ghz). Simulating and designing was done using the Sonnet Suites software. The substrate used in our antenna is 1.55mm thick FR-4 substrate, that has a εr of 4.4. The antenna center frequency is 4.06 GHz. At the center frequency, S11 is -39.46 dB. Furthermore, the antenna has an E- of 5.75 dB, and E- of -9.99 dB. This antenna can be used in devices that use 5G technologies. This antenna has the benefit of being cheap to produce, while boasting good performance during operation.
Deep reinforcement learning based conflict detection and resolution in air traffic control

The primary objective of this study is to incorporate the deep reinforcement learning (DRL) technique in conflict detection and resolution (CD&R) control strategies to generate an optimised trajectory for air traffic controllers as reference, in order to improve efficiency and reduce the amount of heading angle change. A DRL environment which can be applied to CD&R agent training is developed. The agent receives the current state of multiple aircrafts in a sector and generates an action to change the heading angle of an aircraft to avoid conflict. A K-Control Actor-Critic algorithm is proposed to limit the number of control times and a two-dimensional continuous action selection policy is utilised. The simulation results show the feasibility of DRL applied in CD&R and there is an obvious advantage in computational efficiency.
Molybdenum-functionalized metal–organic framework crystals interconnected by carbon nanotubes as negative electrodes for supercapacitors

Abstract As the pseudocapacitive material operated in the negative potential window in an aqueous electrolyte, the molybdenum-functionalized MOF-808-CNT nanocomposite can obviously outperform both the molybdenum-functionalized MOF-808 and molybdenum-functionalized CNT . Crystals of a water-stable Zr-based metal–organic framework (MOF), MOF-808, are directly grown on the surface of carboxylic acid-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNT) to synthesize the nanocomposites with tunable MOF-to-CNT ratios. The crystallinity, morphology, porosity, and electrical conductivity of all nanocomposites are characterized. To install the electrochemically active sites within the highly porous MOF framework, the obtained MOF-808-CNT nanocomposites are further subjected to the functionalization of spatially dispersed Mo(VI) sites by a self-limiting process followed by the electrochemical reduction to generate the molybdenum nanoparticles confined within the MOF pore. Thin films of these Mo-functionalized materials are served as the pseudocapacitive materials in aqueous electrolytes and operated in a negative potential window. By utilizing the electrochemically active molybdenum confined within the highly porous MOF and the electronic conduction between MOF crystals facilitated by CNT, the optimal Mo-functionalized nanocomposite can significantly outperform both the Mo-functionalized MOF and Mo-functionalized CNT. Discussion MOFs are highly porous materials, which should be attractive candidates for electrochemical energy storage, but their poor chemical stability and low electrical conductivity hinder the practical use of MOFs in supercapacitors. Even though several MOFs have been directly applied for supercapacitors in aqueous electrolytes, most of these reported MOFs are not stable in water (or the alkaline electrolytes tested), which would generate MOF-derived materials. Reported examples of MOF-based materials for supercapacitors that are chemically robust in the tested electrolytes are relatively rare. Pseudocapacitive materials show higher specific capacitances than the double-layer-type materials, but most pseudocapacitive materials can only be operated in the positive potential window. Thus, asymmetric supercapacitors are usually fabricated by serving the double-layer-type material as the negative electrode. Molybdenum-based pseudocapacitive materials can be operated in the negative potential window, which makes it feasible to design the supercapacitors based on all pseudocapacitive materials. Graphical abstract
Prevalence of Vancomycin and Gentamycin Resistance among Enterococci spp. in Iran during 2007-2019: A Systematic Review

Enterococci are Gram-positive bacteria that colonize the intestine of warm-blooded animals and humans as normal flora. Enterococci cause a variety of community-acquired and nosocomial infections. The emergence of vancomycin and gentamicin resistant enterococci has made a major challenge in the treatment of enterococcal infections worldwide. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of vancomycin and gentamycin resistance among Enterococcus spp in Iran during 2007-2019. Materials & Methods: In this study, 26 studies were reviewed to collect data on the frequency of vancomycin and gentamicin resistant enterococci in Iran. To find studies published during January 2007 to January 2019, a search strategy was performed by searching different Iranian and international databases, including SID, Google Scholar, Scopus, Medline, Pub Med, and Web of Science. Findings:
Excitation Mechanism in roAp Stars

We investigate a model for the excitation of high-order oscillations in roAp stars. In this model we assume that the strong concentration of magnetic field about the magnetic poles is enough to suppress convection. Thus the model considered is composed of two polar regions, in which convection is presumed to be suppressed totally, and an equatorial region, where the convection is unaffected. This model is generated by building pairs of locally spherically symmetrical equilibria to represent the polar and equatorial regions of the star, which are patched together below the base of the convection zone. Gravitational settling of heavy elements is taken into account by choosing appropriate chemical composition profiles for both the polar and equatorial regions. Our results indicate that the composite model is unstable against axisymmetric non-radial high-order modes of pulsation that are aligned with the magnetic poles. The oscillations are excited by the κ mechanism acting principally in the hydrogen ionization zones of the polar regions. The effect of the lateral inhomogeneity on the second frequency differences is also investigated; we find that the perturbation to them by the inhomogeneity is of the same order as the second differences themselves, thereby hindering potential attempts to use such differences to identify the degrees of the modes in a straightforward way.
Malaria and Urinary Tract Infections among Children Under five Years with Malnutrition at a District Hospital in Ghana

is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children under five years. This study aimed to evaluate malaria and urinary tract infections among children under five years of age with malnutrition. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 189 children under five years with malnutrition. Their weight and height were measured using standard scales. Weight to height/length (wasting), weight to age (underweight), and height/length to age (stunting) ratios were computed using WHO growth charts. Clinical features were assessed. Blood smear, rapid diagnostic test for malaria, as well as urine dipstick test were done to detect those with malaria and urinary tract infections. Findings: About 80.95% of participants had marasmus, and 11.64% had marasmic kwashiorkor, while 7.41% had kwashiorkor. Also, 23.70 and 62.42% of participants had moderate and severe malnutrition, respectively; in addition, 21.69 and 2.12% were moderately and severely stunted, respectively. Regarding underweight (weight to age), 50.26 and 4.76% were moderately and severely underweight, respectively. Also, 15.87% of participants had a positive blood smear for malaria, and 19.58% had a positive rapid diagnostic test for malaria, while 20.11 and 20.63% had positive results for nitrite and leukocyte esterase activity in urine dipstick test, respectively. Conclusion: Malaria and infections are common among with malnutrition and could be diagnosed simple laboratory tests such as rapid diagnostic tests and urine dipstick tests in health facilities without laboratory support in resource-limited countries.
Altered Pattern of Immunoglobulin A-Targeted Microbiota in Inflammatory Bowel Disease After Fecal Transplantation

Adaptive immune response to the gut microbiota is one of the main drivers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Under inflammatory conditions, immunoglobulin (Ig)-targeted bacteria are altered. However, changes in Ig-targeted bacteria in Asian patients with IBD with ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unclear. Furthermore, changes in IgA-targeted bacteria in patients with UC treated with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) are unclear. Here, we analyzed fecal samples of patients with IBD and patients with UC before and after FMT by flow cytometry. We found that the percentage of IgA/G-coated bacteria can be used to assess the severity of IBD. Besides oral pharyngeal bacteria such as Streptococcus, we hypothesized that Megamonas, Acinetobacter, and, especially, Staphylococcus might play an important role in IBD pathogenesis. Moreover, we evaluated the influence of FMT on IgA-coated bacteria in patients with UC. We found that IgA-bacterial interactions were re-established in human FMT recipients and resembled those in the healthy fecal donors. Additionally, the IgA targeting was not influenced by delivery methods: gastroscopy spraying and colonic transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET). Then, we established an acute dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse model to explore whether FMT intervention would impact IgA/G memory B cell in the intestine. We found that after FMT, both IgA/G memory B cell and the percentage of IgA/G-targeted bacteria were restored to normal levels in DSS mice.