Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Vimentin Takes A Hike – Emerging Roles Of Extracellular Vimentin In Cancer And Wound Healing, Sepideh Parvanian, Leila S. Coelho-Rato, Alison E. Patteson, John E. Eriksson

Physics - All Scholarship

Vimentin is a cytoskeletal protein important for many cellular processes, including proliferation, migration, invasion, stress resistance, signaling, and many more. The vimentin-deficient mouse has revealed many of these functions as it has numerous severe phenotypes, many of which are found only following a suitable challenge or stress. While these functions are usually related to vimentin as a major intracellular protein, vimentin is also emerging as an extracellular protein, exposed at the cell surface in an oligomeric form or secreted to the extracellular environment in soluble and vesicle-bound forms. Thus, this review explores the roles of the extracellular pool of vimentin …

Enhanced Cell Viability And Migration Of Primary Bovine Annular Fibrosus Fibroblast-Like Cells Induced By Microsecond Pulsed Electric Field Exposure, Prince M. Atsu, Connor Mowen, Gary L. Thompson Iii

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

This study is the first to report the enhancement of cell migration and proliferation induced by in vitro microsecond pulsed electric field (μsPEF) exposure of primary bovine annulus fibrosus (AF) fibroblast-like cells. AF primary cells isolated from fresh bovine intervertebral disks (IVDs) are exposed to 10 and 100 μsPEFs with different numbers of pulses and applied electric field strengths. The results indicate that 10 μs-duration pulses induce reversible electroporation, while 100 μs pulses induce irreversible electroporation of the cells. Additionally, μsPEF exposure increased AF cell proliferation up to 150% while increasing the average migration speed by 0.08 μm/min over 24 …

Research Data Management In The Canadian Context: A Guide For Practitioners And Learners, Kristi Thompson, Elizabeth T. Hill, Emily Carlisle-Johnston, Danielle Dennie, Émilie Fortin

Western Libraries Publications

Research Data Management is a term for all the things that researchers do to structure, organize and maintain data before, during and after doing research. RDM is also an emerging discipline that is concerned with researching and developing ways to manage research data more effectively. But what is research data? Where is the push towards formal Research Data Management coming from? What are the requirements of good data management? Research Data Management in the Canadian Context: A Guide for Practitioners and Learners looks at these questions and more, all with a focus on Canadian guidelines, regulations and infrastructure.

Myths And Facts About A Career In Software Testing: A Comparison Between Students’ Beliefs And Professionals’ Experience, Ronnie Souza Santos, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Cleyton Magalhaes, Rodrigo Souza

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Testing is an indispensable part of software development. However, a career in software testing is reported to be unpopular among students in computer science and related areas. This can potentially create a shortage of testers in the software industry in the future. The question is, whether the perception that undergraduate students have about software testing is accurate and whether it differs from the experience reported by those who work in testing activities in the software development industry. This investigation demonstrates that a career in software testing is more exciting and rewarding, as reported by professionals working in the field, than …

Analysis And Unraveling Misconceptions: Examining Tenth-Grade High School Students’ Errors In Hots Questions On Exponential Equations And Effective Scaffolding Strategies, Nunik Indayani, Erry Hidayanto, Sisworo Sisworo

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

The objective of this study is to elucidate the errors made by tenth-grade students at SMA Hati Bilingual Boarding School Probolinggo, Indonesia, when tackling Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions on exponential equations, along with the scaffolding process employed to mitigate these errors. Employing qualitative research methods, four participants were chosen based on their performance in completing HOTS questions on exponential equations, followed by in-depth interviews. The identified student errors encompass basic errors, appropriate errors, missing information, and partial insights. The analysis aligns these errors predominantly with Brodie’s error taxonomy. Furthermore, the study highlights the efficacy of instructional scaffolding, utilizing …

The Identification Of Students’ Conceptual Mastery Of Fluid Statics: An Overview Of Gender, Maria Claudia Sodakain, Sentot Kusairi, Nandang Mufti, Jane Koswojo

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study aimed to assess the conceptual mastery of fluid statics among students, employing a descriptive quantitative approach. The research involved 22 male and 13 female students from eleventh-grade MIPA at a private school in Surabaya, Indonesia. The primary research instrument comprised 11 multiple-choice and reasoning questions, covering concepts related to Pressure and Hydrostatic Pressure, Pascal’s Law, and Archimedes’ Principle. Results indicated a higher level of conceptual mastery among male students compared to their female counterparts. While both genders demonstrated relatively high conceptual mastery in Pressure and Hydrostatic Pressure, significant disparities were observed in their understanding of Pascal’s Law and …

Exploring The Correlation Between Metacognitive Skills And Cognitive Learning Outcomes Across Various Biology Learning Models In High Schools, Ninik Kristiani, Herawati Susilo, Aloysius Duran Corebim, Fatchur Rohman

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

In Malang City, a notable observation within the realm of high school biology education suggests a prevalent lack of metacognitive knowledge among teachers, hindering their efficacy in nurturing students' metacognitive capacities. Such deficiency yields implications for diminished cognitive abilities among students. Recognizing this, there emerges a pressing need for an enhanced pedagogical framework capable of fostering metacognitive skills adeptly. One promising approach involves integrating inquiry-based learning and problem- based mindful pedagogy (PBMP). This amalgamation is anticipated to synergistically harness the potential of both methodologies in bolstering metacognitive skills alongside cognitive learning outcomes. This study adopts a correlational research design, wherein …

Analysis Of Student Engagement And Perceptions Of Community Of Inquiry (Coi)-Based Blended Learning In The Chemical Separation Subject On Chromatography, Agita Dzulhajh Anggraini, Surjani Wonorahardjo, Yudhi Utomo

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

Learning in higher education has often been conducted solely through face-to-face, teacher- centered approaches. Implementing Community of Inquiry (CoI)-based blended learning in chromatography is crucial as it offers students a novel learning experience. This pre- experimental study, utilizing a one-group pretest-posttest design, aimed to describe students’ perceptions of CoI-based blended learning in chromatography. Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising 34 statements. The results indicated that students had a neutral perception of CoI-based blended learning. While a community of inquiry has been established, it has not yet reached its full potential, as students have not fully experienced social presence in …

Edge-Computing-Driven Internet Of Things: A Survey, Linghe Kong, Jinlin Tan, Junqin Huang, Guihai Chen, Shuaitian Wang, Xi Jin, Peng Zeng, Muhammad Khan, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Internet of Things (IoT) is impacting the world's connectivity landscape. More and more IoT devices are connected, bringing many benefits to our daily lives. However, the influx of IoT devices poses non-trivial challenges for the existing cloud-Based computing paradigm. in the cloud-Based architecture, a large amount of IoT data is transferred to the cloud for data management, analysis, and decision making. It could not only cause a heavy workload on the cloud but also result in unacceptable network latency, ultimately undermining the benefits of cloud-Based computing. to address these challenges, researchers are looking for new computing models for the …

Impact Of Perceived Environmental Restorativeness On Tourists’ Pro-Environmental Behavior: Examining The Mediation Of Place Attachment And The Moderation Of Ecocentrism, Bin Zhou, Luting Wang, Songshan Huang, Qihao Xiong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Guided by attention restoration theory and stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory, we developed an integrated model to investigate the impact of perceived environmental restoration on forest park visitors' pro-environmental behavior through the mediation of place attachment. We further tested the moderating role of eco-centrism to provide theoretical and practical implications for the sustainability of tourism destinations and positive human-nature interactions. Using a sample of 504 visitors to a national forest park in China, our study indicated all three dimensions of environmental restorative perception (compatibility, extent, and away) positively influenced place attachment. Place attachment promoted pro-environmental behavior. Place attachment was an important mediator …

Understanding Stakeholder Experiences With Visual Communication In Environmental Impact Assessment, Ana R. De Oliveira, Sofia Bento, Maria Partidário, Angus Morrison-Saunders

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Visual communication is widely and commonly used in environmental impact assessment (EIA) practice by all stakeholders. It includes maps, photographs, tables, info-graphics and other images used in environmental impact statements, as well as videos and graphics in online materials or in face-to-face consultation sessions (e.g., posters and PowerPoint presentations). The purpose of this research was to understand the practice of visual communication in EIA, focusing upon the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders. Surveys were conducted with international EIA practitioners along with observations of consultation sessions for three EIA projects in Portugal and interviews with proponents, regulators and members of the …

A Multitask Learning Framework For Pilot Decontamination In 5g Massive Mimo, Crallet Victor

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Reference signals enable the acquisition of channel state information (CSI) for purposes such as channel estimation, beam selection, precoding, and symbol detection in 5G massive multiple-input multiple output (MAMIMO) systems. Eventually, as more and more users and cells are added, orthogonal reference signals become few which leads to pilot contamination. Pilot contamination limits the performance and occurs when non-orthogonal reference signals occupy time-frequency resources that are alike. Learning-based techniques have been proposed to alleviate it. However, each can only learn to perform a single task namely pilot assignment, power allocation, pilot design, or de-noising for pilot decontamination. In addition, each …

Optical Characterization Of Photocatalytic Tungsten Oxide/Tin Oxide (〖Wo〗_3/〖Sno〗_2) Thin Films For Use In Degradation Of Water Pollutants, Victor Isahi, Christopher Maghanga, Mghendi Mwamburi, Onesmus Munyati, Sylvester Hatwaambo, Emmanuel Akoto, Wycliffe Isoe, Mir Waqas Alam

Tanzania Journal of Science

Organic pollutants in water have been a challenge and pose significant risks to human health. As a result, research efforts to eliminate these pollutants have been on the rise. Photocatalysis has shown incredible potential in water treatment containing organic pollutants since it is affordable and utilizes solar energy. Tin oxide ( ) has ardently been investigated as a photocatalyst for water treatment due to its remarkable properties such as; non-toxicity, and stability. However, its wide band gap and the tendency for some electrons and holes to recombine during its use have been cited to be among limiting factors affecting its …

Hydro-Geochemistry And Related Processes Controlling The Composition Of Thermal Waters In The Lake Natron Basin, Northern Tanzania, Edista A. Abdallah, Charles H. Kasanzu, Crispin P. Kinabo, Akira Imai

Tanzania Journal of Science

Lake Natron Basin (LNB) forms part of the eastern branch of the East African Rift System (EARS) in Tanzania. The basin is endowed with thermal springs flowing towards the lake from the western, northwestern, southwestern and eastern parts. The western, northwestern and south-western thermal springs emanate from fractures in the basaltic rocks while in the east, they originate from the western flank of the Gelai volcano. There are limited studies on these springs, thus their geochemical differences and distributions of physicochemical parameters are not well understood. A hydrogeochemical study was conducted to interpret available geochemical data from the LNB springs, …

Mineralogy And Geochemical Characteristics Of Matamba Kaolin Deposit-Njombe Region South-Western Tanzania: Implications For Industrial Applications, Melania A. Nyimbo, Ronald J. Massawe, Michael M. Msabi

Tanzania Journal of Science

Kaolin is a commercial clay material composed of hydrated aluminosilicate mineral kaolinite and used in various industrial applications such as ceramics, paper, paints, refractories, fiberglass, plastics, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It is formed as a result of strong chemical weathering of crystalline and feldspar-rich rocks or hydrothermal alteration of granitic rocks at relatively low temperature and pressure conditions. The kaolin deposit of Matamba originated from the weathering of leucogabbro rock during the development of the African land surface. In view of highlighted properties, the mineralogy and chemical characteristics of the Matamba kaolin deposit were investigated to determine its industrial applications. As …

Design Of A Cooling System Integrated With Ultraviolet Light For Preservation Of Fruits And Vegetables At Variable Tropical Weather Conditions: A Case Study Of Arusha, Tanzania, John Pyuza Gunda, Alexander Pogrebnoi, Baraka Kichonge

Tanzania Journal of Science

Post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables pose significant challenges, especially in tropical climates. This study introduces the development and performance evaluation of a solar-powered evaporative cooling storage system integrated with ultraviolet light (UV) designed for preservation of perishable fruits and vegetables. The cooling chamber supplied with ultraviolet lamp was developed using locally available materials such as sisal, sponge, and bricks. The performance of the system was evaluated in terms of air temperature decrease, relative humidity increase, and evaporative cooling power capacity both for sunny and cloudy tropical weather conditions. The study reveals that activating the UV light considerably extends the …

Wind Speed Forecasting Using Wavelet Analysis And Recurrent Artificial Neural Networks Based On Local Measurements In Singida Region, Tanzania, Rajabu J. Mangara, Mwingereza J. Kumwenda

Tanzania Journal of Science

High accuracy wind speed forecasting is essential for wind energy harvest and plays a significant role in wind farm management and grid integration. Wind speed is intermittent in nature, which makes the forecasting to be a big challenge. In the present study, three hybrid single-step wind speed forecasting techniques are proposed and tested by local measurement data in Singida region, Tanzania. The three techniques are based on Wavelet Analysis (WA), Back Propagation (BP) optimization algorithm, and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). They are referred to as WA-RNN, BP-RNN, and WA-BP-RNN. The model results showed that WA-BP-RNN outperforms the other two proposed …

Microplastics In Marine Sediments From Dar Es Salaam Coast: Spatial Distribution And Characterization, Macarius P. Mtega, Matobola J. Mihale, Kessy F. Kilulya

Tanzania Journal of Science

The purpose of the research was to determine the spatial distribution and characterization of microplastics in marine sediments of beaches along the Indian Ocean of Dar es Salaam coast. The sediment samples were extracted in triplicate using floatation method followed by digestion of organic debris, then analyzed using At-FTIR spectrophotometer and stereomicroscope. The mean concentrations of microplastics for Kijichi Beach were 700 ± 907 particles/m2 at 1 cm, 859 ± 839 particles/m2 at 5 cm and 590 ± 782 particles/m2 at 10 cm; from Palm Beach were 157 ± 15 particles/m2 at 1 cm, 130 ± 182 particles/m2 at 5 …

Experimental Measurements Of Ignition Delay Times Of Iso-Octane/N-Butanol Blend Mixtures In Rapid Compression Machine (Rcm), Myeji Materego, Derek Bradley

Tanzania Journal of Science

Among oxygenated alternative fuels, n-butanol is considered as a promising alternative biofuel which can partially (or fully) replace conventional transportation fuels currently in use. However, before n-butanol can be commercially utilised, its fundamental combustion characteristics need to be fully understood. In this work, the effect of adding n-butanol on autoignition property of iso-octane was studied. Measurements of ignition delay times for the two blends of n-butanol proportions of 30% and 50% by mole weight were made in a Rapid Compression Machine for stoichiometric mixtures at 2.0 MPa and temperature range 651-918 K. n-butanol increased ignition delay times of iso-octane at …

An Efficient Derivative Free Iterative Method And Condition Number Of Nonlinear Equations Arising From Real World Phenomena, Alatuhigha Nguni, Chacha S. Chacha, Adeline P. Mtunya

Tanzania Journal of Science

Recent researches have shown a great interest in developing novel numerical methods for solving nonlinear equations of the form  arising from real world phenomena.  However, very little attention has been given to the study of condition numbers which is an important aspect in measuring the sensitivity of the problem in response to slight perturbations in the input data. In this article, we present an efficient free derivative iterative scheme constructed by refining Newton-Raphson method standard form in which the derivative term is approximated by using finite difference scheme; hence making it derivative free. We also conducted an in-depth analysis of …

A Radial Basis Function Neural Network Algorithm For The Simultaneous Retrieval Of Two Meteorological Parameters From Solar Radiation, Nicholas W. Nzala, Nicolausi Ssebiyonga, Dennis Muyimbwa, Taddeo Ssenyonga

Tanzania Journal of Science

Local meteorological parameters are key in understanding the frequency of occurrence of extreme weather conditions such as floods, and droughts, among others. In this study, we present a method for simultaneous retrieval of two weather parameters. The method is based on already measured monthly average values of weather parameters from 2011 to 2016, which were used to train a Feed-forward radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) to obtain a fast and accurate method to compute global solar radiation for specified weather parameters pair. In inverse modelling, a multidimensional unconstrained non-linear optimization was employed to retrieve the weather parameters pair. The …

Evaluation Of The Inhibitive Properties Of Silver Nanoparticles In Senna Occidentalis Root Extract As Corrosion Inhibitor Of Mild Steel, Victor O. Egbeneje, Samuel E. Okhale, Chinyere Imoisi, Isaac O. Ogbogo, Omolade Ojo

Tanzania Journal of Science

The use of nanoparticles as corrosion inhibitors has gained popularity because of its increased corrosion efficiency due to increase surface to volume ratio. Nanoparticles which undergo physisorption/chemisorption to the corrosion metal surface and inhibit the corrosion efficiently also have low toxicity, low cost and easy production. In this research work, weight lost method was applied to study the inhibitive properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using Senna occidentalis root extract as environmentally benign corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in 0.5 M H2SO4 medium at 298 K and 308 K. It was observed that the corrosion rate of the steel sample …

Enhancing Service Restoration In Tanzanian Power Grid Using Internet Of Things Sensors And Renewable Energy Sources, Rukia J. Mwifunyi, Daudi C. Mnyanghwalo, Shamte J. Kawambwa

Tanzania Journal of Science

The increased dependence on the electric power grid, coupled with the increasing number of new customers, motivates the need to improve the reliability and resilience of the electric distribution systems. Modern distribution systems are becoming more resilient against power outages due to the increasing integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and the availability of efficient mechanisms for load shedding. Several studies considered fault detection and Service Restoration (SR) as separate problems without considering the implementation feasibility of integrating both solutions. To ensure the resiliency in the power system, it is important to have proper mechanisms which integrate sensing, detection, and …

Public Perceptions Of Water Quality In The Lake Bunyonyi Sub-Catchment, Western Uganda, Alex Saturday, Thomas J. Lyimo, Siajali Pamba, Susan Kangume, Jeniffer Turyatemba

Tanzania Journal of Science

Lake Bunyonyi ecosystem plays vital roles in water resource conservancy and tourism. Nevertheless, the rapid increase in human population and the unrelenting human activities are threatening the values, functions, and ecological integrity of the lake. In this study, the public perceptions of drinking water quality and its health implications in the Lake Bunyonyi Sub-catchment, Western Uganda are presented. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered to 267 respondents living within one Kilometre away from the lake shores. Besides, observation and interview methods were used to complement data collected by the questionnaire method. Results indicate that the prominent activities around the lake are …

Thermal Dose Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli By Magnetic Induced Hyperthermia, Silverio A. Lopez, Carlos Trevino De Leo, Ivan Davila, Karen S. Martirosyan

Research Symposium

Background: Apoptosis of mutated cells via magnetic hyperthermia has gained advocacy as technology capable of being used in lieu of chemotherapy for targeting cancer tumors. Progress of nanotechnology offers effective remote heating of magnetic fluid via hyperthermia. The heating and specific power absorption of these nanoparticles use in the magnetic fluid are dependent on particle properties and treatment locations.

Methods: Nanoparticles were fabricated using microfluidic system by interaction of two solutions containing 2Fe(NO3)3+FeSO4 and NaOH+2%Dextran to create nanostructured media with a biocompatible dextran coating and a Fe3O4 core. The nanoparticles, of a concentration of 5mg/ml, were placed in a vile …

Precise Method To Identify Kinase Drug Targets In Complex Diseases: The First Step Towards Sustainable And Effective Treatment, Hasbanny Irisson, Marzieh Ayati

Research Symposium

Background: Kinases are enzymes that have proven to be important drug targets due to their role in critical biological mechanisms such as phosphorylation. Phosphorylation happens when a kinase catalyzes the transfer of a phosphate group to a protein in a phosphorylated site, which then becomes known as the substrate of the kinase. Any dysregulation of protein phosphorylation causes a wide range of complex diseases including cancer. Thus, discovering the links between kinases and their substrates (i.e. predicting kinase-substrate associations (KSAs)) is crucial in developing effective and sustainable treatments. Presently, less than 5% of phosphorylated sites have an associated kinase, and …

K-Distinct Lattice Paths, Eric J. Yager, Marcus Engstrom

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

Lattice paths can be used to model scheduling and routing problems, and, therefore, identifying maximum sets of k-distinct paths is of general interest. We extend the work previously done by Gillman et. al. to determine the order of a maximum set of k-distinct lattice paths. In particular, we disprove a conjecture by Gillman that a greedy algorithm gives this maximum order and also refine an upper bound given by Brewer et. al. We illustrate that brute force is an inefficient method to determine the maximum order, as it has time complexity O(n^k).

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 14 Issue 4, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Angular Dependence Of The Magnetization Relaxation In Co/Pt Multilayers, Anil Adhikari, Bryce Herrington, Nhat Nguyen, Ruthi Zielinski, Ather Mahmood, S. Adenwalla, Robert Streubel

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We study the influence of defects in Co/Pt multilayers on the room-temperature magnetization reversal and relaxation mechanisms via angle-dependent magnetic viscosity and coercive field measurements. The data reveal a transition from pinning-dominated domain wall propagation to a sequence of pinning-dominated and uniform switching, with increasing tilt away from the normal direction. The leading role of the dendritic domain wall propagation in the nanogranular exchange-coupled films is corroborated by the scaling of relaxation times, the angular dependence of the coercive field, and Kerr microscopy.

The Santa Clara, 2023-09-29, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.