bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unlocking the Future of Bioenergy in Nigeria Using Genetic Modification Framework (GMF) of Switchgrass
Authors: Onovo J C , Dashe E S , Onwualu A P , Ezealigo U S , George R 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The use of biofuel is gradually becoming more attractive universally as convenient substitute for fossil fuels due to the current increase in the demand for clean and renewable energy. This is because of its contribution towards lowering the dependence on crude oil, in view of the current global decline of fuel reserves. Switchgrass (Panicumvirgatum L.) has been developed into a herbaceous bioenergy crop. The processing of non-edible switchgrass biomass for fuel production will impact on rural and national development without negatively affecting food security. One of the main challenges of the production of biofuel from plant biomass is the technological impediment of breaking down plant biomass (lignin and cellulose in plant cell walls) that can be converted into biofuel. This research work will employ the use of genomic and transgenic aspects of biotechnology, such as callus induction and culture media optimization of native switchgrass, genes and constructs, cloning and sequencing, transformation and characterization analyses to invent a genetic modification framework (GMF) technology that will result in genetically modified switchgrass capable of coproducing cellulase which will culminate to drastic reduction in the cost of production of biofuel and thereby encourage its commercialization.
Politics of Energy Sustainability and Adoption of Modern Day Best Practices: Nigeria in View
Authors: Ugwu N A , Nweke C C , Eze K K , Ugwuoke N J 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The study examines the problems of electricity generation; challenges encountered and proffer solutions to the epileptic electricity supply in Nigeria. The study was a descriptive survey. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population comprised 1870 EEDC staff. A sample size of 532 was used for the study. Data were collected through questionnaires, key informant interview (KII) and analyzed using thematic analysis, mean and ANOVA. The results showed that systemic corruption, etc. were behind insufficient power generation. The study found out that policies implemented to reform power sector is faced with emerging challenges stretching from inadequate infrastructure, inconsistent government policies and huge metering gap. The study also discovered that the solutions to the erratic power supply lies strongly on the decentralization of power sector, building capacity for local manufacturing and repairs of renewable power systems. The paper recommends that government demonstrate some degree of political willingness by formulating and implementing consistent policies, reforms to attract more local and foreign investors into the power sector.
Optimization of NaOH Treatment Conditions of Baobab Pod Fibres Using Box-Behnken Method
Authors: Isah A I , Dim P E 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Natural fibres are suitable materials that represent an opportunity to partially minimize on the environmental impacts by integrating them in place of synthetic fibres because of their low cost, biodegradability, low density and renewability. This work is aimed at studying the effect of chemical treatment conditions on the Mechanical properties of baobab fibres. The tensile strength and young modulus of baobab fibres were investigated. Design expert V10 software was used to analyze the experimental data. Results were processed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique, namely the Box-Behnken method. The effect of NaOH treatment on functional group, surface morphology and crystallinity of fibres were also investigated. The results indicated that within the limits of treatment conditions used in this study, the proposed models adequately predicted the fibre Tensile Strength and Young Modulus.
The Effect of Elaeis Guineensis Residue on CO2 and SO2 Emissions from Coal Pellets Combustion
Authors: Onochie U P , Onoroh F , Onwurah C , Ofomatah A C 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The increase in emission of greenhouse gases generated by fossil fuels such as coal has informed the need for cleaner and renewable sources of energy. Therefore, in other to mitigate the negative effect of continued coal combustion, it is essential to identify more carbon neutral fuels such as biomass. Cofiring of coal with biomass is a viable option when considering the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions during the combustion of coal in coal-fired boilers. Consequently, this study was carried out to determine the effect of elaeis guineensis residue on CO2 and SO2 emissions from coal pellets during combustion. Samples of coal and elaeis guineensis residue (i.e. palm kernel shell, PKS) were collected and pulverized. Pellets were produced mechanically using optimized mixing ratios (i.e. 90%C:10%R, 80%C:20%R,70%C:30%R, 60%C:40%R and 50%C:50%R). 100%C pellet was also produced. The pellets were thereafter characterized (i.e. proximate and ultimate analyses) in accordance to ASTM Standards. From the results, quantitative analysis of optimized pellets showed that elaeis guineensis palm kernel shell has potential tendency of reducing percentage combustion CO2 and SO2 emissions from the 100%C pellets. The least optimized pellet (i.e. 90%C:10%R) has a percentage reduction of 3.01% CO2 and 42.86% SO2 on dry basis.
Modeling and Performance Assessment of 6mw Net-Metered Grid Tied Photovoltaic System for Owerri Metropolis
Authors: Okwe Gerald I , Akwukwaegbu I.O , Anyaehie M. U , Okebaram P. N , Onu P. T 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The Nigerian Electricity grid is highly dominated by conventional power plants with a total installed capacity of 12,522MW. Presently, 5420.30 MW of power is being transmitted to the grid which is grossly insufficient for a country that requires about 180,000 MW to stabilize her power sector. Due to this energy crisis, the manufacturing industries are folding up, while others are relocating their production plants to more friendly havens because of the high cost of doing business in Nigeria. This constitutes a serious clog in the wheel of the economic and industrial progress of the country. This paper presents an effective alternative for the energy supply problem by adopting an unconventional PV system which operates in grid-connected mode incorporated with Net-meter to take charge of energy transaction. The system also contains a battery bank to compensate for seasonal variations. The simulation was carried out using PVsol premium software. The results obtained showed that Owerri has a good solar radiation to build PV system in large quantities, with annual yield factor of 1,098 kWh/kWp and performance ratio of 76.1% respectively. The process also stands the chance of saving about 11,688 kg/year of CO2 which would have been emitted to atmosphere by conventional power plants.
Social Media: An Adult Education Approach for Improving the Environmental Awareness of Timber Merchants in Udenu, Enugu State
Authors: Nwachukwu R U , Agboeze M U , Ugwunnadi C M , Ugwueze M O 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Environmental awareness is very important for resolving the challenges facing the environment. This study assessed the extent to which social media as an adult education approach could improve the environmental awareness of timber merchants. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. The respondents of the study consist of 357 registered timber merchants in the study area. The data collected for the study was analyzed using percentage rating and mean score. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by three experts. Reliability co-efficient of 0.85 was obtained for the instrument. The findings, among others, were that, 85% of the timber merchants in Udenu, Enugu State made use of social media sites especially Facebook and Whatsapp; hence, social media provides opportunity for timber merchants to share ideas on environmental issues through online group discussions. The study concluded that social media could be used to promote environmental awareness on the dangers of negative environmental practices such as deforestation and improper dumping of wastes. These enable members of the society to conveniently participate and respond to information posted in relation to environmental issues.
Development of a Steam Powered Incubator with Solar Supported System
Authors: Rafiu Ogunyemi , Olugboji Oluwafemi , Adedipe Oyewole , Okoro Uzoma 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
This research work deals with the development of incubator powered by steam generated from boiled water in which the inner components and micro – controller are powered by solar system. The eggs incubator is designed to be powered by steam source of energy. The materials selected for the fabrication of the incubator were, plywood, Aluminum foil, Gas cylinder and aluminum condenser pipe. The wood was coated with aluminum foil inside in order to prevent heat loss, the six electric bulbs were introduced to complement the heat when the major source was down and three (3) D.C fans of 1.3A rating each for uniform distribution and circulating of heat. All these components were controlled by an integrated micro-controller circuit by sensing and processing the data (Temperature and Humidity). The Temperature, Humidity and egg turning mechanism were controlled and regulated by configuring micro-controller based on the operating conditions of the incubator. The performance evaluation of the designed incubating machine was tested for the period of 18-28 days. The incubating temperature range of (37-39°C) was maintained throughout the incubating period, and the relative humidity ranged from 45% to 60% was also maintained.
Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Community Development: Implication for Renewable Energy Education in Enugu State, Nigeria
Authors: Ugwuoke N J , Ozurumba I G , Obiozor E E , Osagie A O , Oyigbo D N , Okoye O E , Ugwu N A 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The study investigated lifelong learning for sustainable community development: Implication for renewable energy education in Enugu State, Nigeria. Specifically, three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study used descriptive survey research design. The population is made up of 3,960 respondents, comprising of 3,391 adult learners, 552 facilitators and 17 traditional rulers in Enugu State. A sample size of 607 consisting of 358 adult learners, 232 facilitators and 17 traditional rulers were used for the study. Simple random sampling was used to select adult learners and facilitators, while 17 traditional rulers were purposively selected. A structured questionnaire designed by the researchers was the instrument used for data collection. A reliability coefficient of 0.88 was established using Cronbach Alpha. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for research questions while ANOVA was used for testing the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed among others that lifelong learning gave more community members the opportunity to acquire and update themselves with the necessary skills. Analysis of variance of the responses of respondents indicated no significant difference at P > 0.05. The paper recommends among others that Government established departments, ministries, agencies and non-governmental organizations should collaborate and make provision for sufficient fund through adult and non-formal education to make learning more flexible and friendly to people who cannot fit-in into the formal system of education due to one problem or the other.
Reducing the Challenges of Environmental Sustainability through Adult Education Programmes in Udenu, Enugu State
Authors: Agboeze Matthias U , Nwachukwu Ruphina U. , Ugwueze Michael O. , Agboeze Maryrose N. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Environmental sustainability is an important component of sustainable development. This paper assessed the extent adult education programmes could help in reducing the challenges of environmental sustainability. The study is descriptive survey. Respondents for the study consist of 92 adult learners and 5 adult education facilitators in the study area. The data collected from the research objectives were analyzed using mean score. A 13 item questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by three experts. Cronbach Alpha technique was used to establish the reliability before administrating the instrument to the respondents. Reliability co-efficient of 0.81 was obtained. The findings, among others, were that, adult education programmes emphasize the need to balance development with conservation of environmental resources such as forests. Conclusively, it is evident that adult education programmes such as environmental education enhance environmental sustainability as it equips individuals in the society to effectively conserve their environmental resources for the present and future generation.
Mesh Sensitivity Assessment on 2D and 3D Elastic Finite Element Analysis on a Compact Tension Specimen Geometry Using Abaqus/CAE Software
Authors: Abdulsalam H. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Finite element analysis has been a tool mostly employed by engineers to conduct stress and strain analysis of a given specimen geometry, after which the numerical and analytical results are compared for validation. The validated results can then be used to predict the stress/strain and fracture mechanics behavior of more complicated structures/components. In this study, Abaqus/CAE software was employed to conduct 2- and 3-dimensionals (2D and 3D) elastic finite element analysis on compact tension C(T) specimen geometry, given a specimen width of 50mm, thickness of 25mm, initial crack length of 25mm and total applied load of 1000N. Comparisons of the predicted stress distributions along both X and Y directions (S11 and S22) from the 3D model and those of 2D plane stress/strain obtained from mesh sensitivity results were made. The highest maximum stress values along X and Y directions for 2D plane stress/strain were found to be 297.144Pa and 413.51Pa respectively, while the lowest maximum stress values of 121.681Pa and 166.614Pa for 2D plane stress, 118.121Pa and 165.049Pa for 2D plane strain in the X and Y directions respectively were recorded. Similarly, the highest and lowest maximum stress values for 3D plane stress along X and Y directions were 333.8588Pa and 474.417Pa, and 124.458Pa and 173.422Pa respectively. The stress values were found to increase as the mesh get finer, and also convergence start to initiate as the mesh refinement continued.
Doubly transient chaos in a decaying open flow
Authors: Vilela Rafael D 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Doubly transient chaos was recently characterized as the general form of chaos in undriven dissipative systems. Here we study this type of complex behavior in the advective dynamics of decaying incompressible open flows. Using a decaying version of the blinking vortex-sink map as a prototype, we show that the resulting dynamics is markedly distinct from the one of mechanical systems addressed in previous works. In particular, the asymptotic codimension of the set of initial conditions of non-escaping particles is zero rather than one and the time-dependent escape rates either undergo an exponential decay rather than growth (for moderate and fast energy dissipation) or display a complex, possibly nonmonotonic behavior (for slow energy dissipation).
Machine learning spatio-temporal epidemiological model to evaluate Germany-county-level COVID-19 risk
Authors: Wang Lingxiao , Xu Tian , Stoecker Till , Stoecker Horst , Jiang Yin , Zhou Kai 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, it is critical to assess the COVID-19 risk timely on multi-scale. To implement it and evaluate the public health policies, we develop a machine learning assisted framework to predict epidemic dynamics from the reported infection data. It contains a county-level spatio-temporal epidemiological model, which combines spatial cellular automata (CA) with time sensitive-undiagnosed-infected-removed (SUIR) model, and is compatible with the existing risk prediction models. The CA-SUIR model shows the multi-scale risk to the public and reveals the transmission modes of coronavirus in different scenarios. Through transfer learning, this new toolbox is used to predict the prevalence of multi-scale COVID-19 in all 412 counties in Germany. A t-day-ahead risk forecast as well as assessment of the non-pharmaceutical intervention policies is presented. We analyzed the situation at Christmas of 2020, and found that the most serious death toll could be 34.5. However, effective policy could control it below 21thousand, which provides a quantitative basis for evaluating the public policies implemented by the government. Such intervening evaluation process would help to improve public health policies and restart the economy appropriately in pandemics.
A Randomized Trial of Home Blood-Pressure Reduction by Alcohol Guidance During Outpatient Visits: OSAKE Study
Authors: Kabayama Mai , Akagi Yuya , Wada Naoko , Higuchi Atsuko , Tamatani Michio , Tomita Jun , Nakata Yukako , Takiuchi Shin , Yamamoto Koichi , Sugimoto Ken , Shintani Ayumi , Rakugi Hiromi , Kamide Kei 
Published: May 2021

Abstract

Background
To evaluate the effectiveness of the nurse-led alcohol guidance to control home blood pressure (HBP) in the morning among male patients with hypertension during outpatient visits.

Methods
We enrolled 53 male patients with an HBP of ≥135/85 mm Hg with excessive drinking (alcohol ≥210 g/week or ≥60 g/day habitually) among outpatients in a randomized trial. Patients were assigned to a nurse-led alcohol guidance intervention or to the control. The primary outcomes were the mean HBP of 5 consecutive days at 6 months and alcohol consumption.

Results
Twenty-eight and 25 patients were randomized to intervention and control groups, respectively (mean age; 62.7 years old and 64.5, respectively). At baseline, the groups were well balanced across most characteristics. At 6 months, the mean HBP was 131/82 mm Hg in the intervention group vs. 145/87 mm Hg in the control group (SBP &lt;0.001, DBP = 0.09). An HBP level of less than 135/85 mm Hg was achieved among 55.6% of the participants in the intervention group vs. 16.7% in the control group (P = 0.004). The alcohol consumption at 6 months was 256 ± 206 g/w vs. 413 ± 260 g/w, respectively (P = 0.020).

Conclusions
We confirmed the effectiveness of the nurse-led alcohol guidance to control the HBP in male patients with hypertension during outpatient visits.

Public trials registry number
UMIN000017454 (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry).
Alcohol Consumption and Tryptophan Metabolism Among People with HIV Prior to Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation: The Uganda ARCH Cohort Study
Authors: Pierre Frantz , Forman Leah S , Winter Michael , Cheng Debbie , Ngabirano Christine , Emenyonu Nneka , Hunt Peter W , Huang Yong , Muyindike Winnie , Samet Jeffrey , Hahn Judith A , So-Armah Kaku 
Published: May 2021

Abstract

Aims
Alcohol is hypothesized to have effects on the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism, a potential mechanism for alcohol-induced depression and aggression. A biomarker of this pathway, the plasma kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (K/T ratio), has been associated with HIV progression, mortality and depression. Our aim was to assess whether hazardous alcohol consumption is associated higher K/T ratio among people with HIV.

Methods
Participants were a subset of the Uganda Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS Cohort. Alcohol consumption was categorized (abstinent, moderate and hazardous alcohol use) using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption and phosphatidylethanol (PEth). K/T ratio was the primary outcome. We used linear regression adjusted for age, sex, FIB-4, hepatitis B surface antigen, log (HIV viral load) to estimate the association between alcohol consumption and K/T ratio.

Results
Compared to abstinent participants, hazardous drinkers and moderate drinkers had higher K/T ratio but these differences did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions
Our results suggest that hazardous alcohol consumption, in the context of untreated HIV infection, may not significantly alter kynurenine to tryptophan ratio as a measure of activity of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism.
Predicting MHC class I binder: existing approaches and a novel recurrent neural network solution
Authors: Jiang Limin , Yu Hui , Li Jiawei , Tang Jijun , Guo Yan , Guo Fei 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMajor histocompatibility complex (MHC) possesses important research value in the treatment of complex human diseases. A plethora of computational tools has been developed to predict MHC class I binders. Here, we comprehensively reviewed 27 up-to-date MHC I binding prediction tools developed over the last decade, thoroughly evaluating feature representation methods, prediction algorithms and model training strategies on a benchmark dataset from Immune Epitope Database. A common limitation was identified during the review that all existing tools can only handle a fixed peptide sequence length. To overcome this limitation, we developed a bilateral and variable long short-term memory (BVLSTM)-based approach, named BVLSTM-MHC. It is the first variable-length MHC class I binding predictor. In comparison to the 10 mainstream prediction tools on an independent validation dataset, BVLSTM-MHC achieved the best performance in six out of eight evaluated metrics. A web server based on the BVLSTM-MHC model was developed to enable accurate and efficient MHC class I binder prediction in human, mouse, macaque and chimpanzee.
ExTraMapper: exon- and transcript-level mappings for orthologous gene pairs
Authors: Chakraborty Abhijit , Ay Ferhat , Davuluri Ramana V 
Published: May 2021

Abstract

Motivation
Access to large-scale genomics and transcriptomics data from various tissues and cell lines allowed the discovery of wide-spread alternative splicing events and alternative promoter usage in mammalians. Between human and mouse, gene-level orthology is currently present for nearly 16k protein-coding genes spanning a diverse repertoire of over 200k total transcript isoforms.

Results
Here, we describe a novel method, ExTraMapper, which leverages sequence conservation between exons of a pair of organisms and identifies a fine-scale orthology mapping at the exon and then transcript level. ExTraMapper identifies more than 350k exon mappings, as well as 30k transcript mappings between human and mouse using only sequence and gene annotation information. We demonstrate that ExTraMapper identifies a larger number of exon and transcript mappings compared to previous methods. Further, it identifies exon fusions, splits and losses due to splice site mutations, and finds mappings between microexons that are previously missed. By reanalysis of RNA-seq data from 13 matched human and mouse tissues, we show that ExTraMapper improves the correlation of transcript-specific expression levels suggesting a more accurate mapping of human and mouse transcripts. We also applied the method to detect conserved exon and transcript pairs between human and rhesus macaque genomes to highlight the point that ExTraMapper is applicable to any pair of organisms that have orthologous gene pairs.

Availability and implementation
The source code and the results are available at https://github.com/ay-lab/ExTraMapper and http://ay-lab-tools.lji.org/extramapper.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.