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Abstract The DUNE far detector has been designed to detect photons and electrons generated by the charged products of the interaction of neutrinos with a massive liquid argon (LAr) target. The photon detection system (PDS) of the first DUNE far detector (FD1) is composed of 6000 photon detection units, named X-ARAPUCA. The detection of the prompt light pulse generated by the particle energy release in LAr will complement and boost the DUNE LAr Time Projection Chamber. It will improve the non-beam events tagging and enable at low energies the trigger and the calorimetry of the supernova neutrinos. The X-ARAPUCA is an assembly of several components. Its photon detection efficiency (PDE) depends on the design of the assembly, on the grade of the individual components and on their coupling. The X-ARAPUCA PDE is one of the leading parameters for the PDS sensitivity, that in turn determines the sensitivity of the DUNE for the detection of core-collapse supernova within the galaxy and for nucleon decay searches. In this work we present the final assessment of the absolute PDE of the FD1 X-ARAPUCA baseline design, measured in two laboratories with independent methods and setups. Preliminary results were reported in Palomares (JINST 18(02):C02064, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/18/02/C02064 , 2023). One hundred sixty units of these X-ARAPUCA devices have been deployed in the NP04 facility at the CERN Neutrino Platform, the 1:20 scale FD1 prototype, and will be operated during the year 2024. The assessed value of the PDE is a key parameter both in the NP04 and in the DUNE analysis and reconstruction studies.

Abstract Introduction Intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) involves placing intracranial electrodes to localise seizures in patients with medically refractory epilepsy. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables visualisation of electrodes within patient‐specific anatomy, the safety of these electrodes must be confirmed prior to routine clinical utilisation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of iEEG electrodes from a particular manufacturer in a 3.0‐Tesla (3.0T) MRI environment. Methods Measurements of magnetically induced displacement force and torque were determined for each of the 10 test articles using standardised techniques. Test articles were subsequently evaluated for radiofrequency‐induced heating using a Perspex phantom in both open and ‘fault’ conditions. Additionally, we assessed radiofrequency (RF)‐induced heating with all test articles placed into the phantom simultaneously to simulate an implantation, again in both open and ‘fault’ conditions. Finally, each test article was evaluated for MRI artefacts. Results The magnetically induced displacement force was found to be less than the force on the article due to gravity for all test articles. Similarly, the maximum magnetically induced torque was less than the worst‐case torque due to gravity for all test articles apart from the 8‐contact strip – for which it was 11% greater – and the depthalon cap. The maximum temperature change for any portion of any test article assessed individually was 1.7°C, or 1.2°C for any device component meant to be implanted intracranially. In the implantation configuration, the maximum recorded temperature change was 0.7°C. Conclusions MRI may be safely performed for localising iEEG electrodes at 3.0T under certain conditions.

Teaching chemistry necessitates hands-on activities to help students deeply understand chemistry concepts and relate scientific principles to daily life. However, constraints in accessing laboratory equipment and materials pose significant challenges for educators in conducting experiments. This paper proposes the development of a pH indicator gel derived from natural plants and juices to enhance the teaching of acid-base topics. The aim is to foster interest and inquiry in students through the predict-observe-explain (POE) strategy. The pH indicator gel was formulated by combining agar gel with various natural indicators and immersing it in different buffer solutions with pH values ranging from 2 to 12. The resultant color changes in the pH indicator gels were compared to the colors of reference solutions spanning the same pH range. Experimental results demonstrated that the gel modified its color in a manner akin to the color change exhibited by the corresponding extract indicator in the buffer solutions across the entire pH range. Moreover, the agar gel was able to be reused multiple times while continuing to display alternating color changes in response to the pH of the solution. The pH indicator gel was utilized in teaching acid-base topics to a group of 24 student teachers in Cambodia. This hands-on activity stimulated interest and curiosity in the student teachers, leading to more engaged observations during the experiment. Feedback from these student teachers highlighted that the pH indicator gel was an effective teaching aid for conveying acid-base concepts and helped boost their engagement in laboratory experiments.

Leonardo Balada: A Transatlantic Gaze. By Juan Francisco de Dios. Translated by Peter Bush. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2020. [325 p. ISBN 9780887486630 (paperback), $22.95.] Music examples, illustrations, bibliography, [...]

Amid global efforts towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Nigeria's recent decision to eliminate fuel subsidies has amplified the search for sustainable transportation alternatives. In this study, a traditional pedal bicycle was converted into an electric bike (e-bike) in order to explore it as a viable solution to promoting eco-friendly commuting and reducing carbon emissions on Nigerian roads. The conversion cost was 174,500 in Nigerian currency, with the e-bike demonstrating a range of 8.33km per charge, under a load of 136kg on a 36V, 4.8AH battery. At a speed of 15km/h, an estimated 1.44 volts per kilometer were consumed. Notably, the study revealed a 99.49% correlation between voltage depletion and distance covered per kilometer, indicating a highly predictable relationship between energy consumption and travel distance. These insights highlight the e-bike's potential advantages, particularly in terms of cost- effectiveness, presenting a compelling case for the adoption of electric bicycles as a means to decarbonize transportation in Nigeria.

According to the national framing of the Swedish preschool system, educators are expected to act as mediators of the dominant language while simultaneously promoting multilingualism. Previous research shows that educators display an insecurity as well as a lack of knowledge of how to implement this dual undertaking. This article examines educators' dual undertaking of linguistic diversity (changeability), on the one hand, and a national standard (stability) on the other, based on ethnographic data from three preschools with socioeconomic differences. The data are analysed employing concepts from pedagogic theory and linguistic diversity. Bernstein's competence model with weak classification and framing accommodates translanguaging, giving room for the children's own linguistic initiatives. Translanguaging is understood from a local as well as a global perspective; the local is based on global norms and global norms relate to local practices. The results show that educators support children as linguistic and multilingual beings. Unlike previous studies showing that middle-class children benefit from the competence model, this study shows how children with different socio-economic backgrounds benefit from the competence model. The diversity of language practice in Swedish pre-schools has the potential to create opportunities for new forms of agency and identity for children.

Summary: CombiVacS study has demonstrated a strong immune response of the heterologous ChAdOx1-S/BNT162b2 vaccine combination. The primary outcomes of the study were to assess the humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2, 28 days after a third dose of a mRNA vaccine, in subjects that received a previous prime-boost scheme with ChAdOx1-S/BNT162b2. Secondary outcomes extended the study to 3 and 6 months. The third vaccine dose of mRNA-1273 in naive participants previously vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S/BNT162b2 regimen reached higher neutralizing antibodies titers against the variants of concern Delta and BA.1 lineage of Omicron compared with those receiving a third dose of BNT162b2 at day 28. These differences between BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 arms were observed against the ancestral variant G614 at day 90. Suboptimal neutralizing response was observed against BQ.1.1, XBB.1.5/XBB.1.9, and JN.1 in a relevant proportion of individuals 180 days after the third dose, even after asymptomatic Omicron breakthrough infections. EudraCT (2021-001978-37); ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04860739).

The university is a highly politicized and fractious realm for students and academics. Amidst trade-offs between the processes of massification, democratization, commodification, and globalization, the question of transformation "for" sustainability has become crucial to the social good(s) of higher education. This paper considers academic citizenry within Indian public higher education -- a context where the increase in the enrollment of first-generation students and female students, due to affirmative action policies, has not substantially translated into altering the composition of academic staff. Informed by a mixed-method study conducted in 2019 with the participation of academics and those in leadership positions at four higher education institutions, we found that the enactment of such policies was operationalized for the production of the "New Middle Class" by universities. Of concern is that neither the representation nor the participation of academics who are women, "lower" castes, or minorities meets the mark of just, inclusive institutions. Despite the rhetoric of inclusiveness and development, the implementation of related policies clothe subalterns with the veneer of the intellectual class, permitting access on condition that sociocultural identities are concealed, and the hegemonic status quo maintained. Terms such as "quality" and "equality" function as tools for social control rather than serving social justice, where assertions of caste identity and resistance are simultaneously repudiated and misrecognized.

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of Si Buyung Gymnastics in improving the manipulative skills of learners aged 6 years. The research method used was an experiment, and the sample used was 15 learners. The manipulative skill test instrument is adapted from the basic motion skills test, which is the test of catching and bouncing the ball. The sampling technique used is purposive sampling, namely: (1) individuals who are willing to be subjects or permitted by parents or guardians; (2) kindergarten students; (3) 6 years old; and (4) students who are physically and spiritually healthy. Pretest and post-test data analysis techniques use paired T-test statistical techniques. The results showed that movement and song learning had an influence on improving the manipulative skills of kindergarten students; this was shown from the pretest and post-test results. The results of the statistical test T-paired pretest amounted to 16.67, while the post-test was 19.44. The paired T-test shows higher post-test results than the pretest. The results of the data analysis showed a real improvement in the students' ball-bouncing skills after being given the Si Buyung Gymnastics treatment.

Edible insects are imperative as food, feed, and other products for industries, but commercial farming and utilization of insects as food, feed and industries is seldom in Nigeria. However, consumption of insects in Nigeria is longstanding and increasingly becoming popular and receiving more attention because of their potential as alternatives to animal protein and a means of livelihood to mitigate hunger and poverty. We harnessed academic and grey literature and personal communications to obtain a wholesome and concise review of the edible insects in Nigeria. This process revealed 13 edible insect species consumed amongst various tribes and indigenous people in the country. We found that the consumption of insects in Nigeria is ubiquitous but more popular and generally accepted in southern Nigeria than in the northern part of the country. However, farming insects for food and feed is seldom because edible insects are harvested from wild populations. Insights into the challenges of farming edible insects in Nigeria revealed that funding, seasonality, technical know-how or expertise are at the forefront, while poor extension services, inadequate processing technologies, and not having in place strategies for their upscaling are also implicated. We recommend mutualistic cooperation between key stakeholders along the agricultural value chain in Nigeria, such as the government, investors, and others that will foster partnerships with established industries in East Africa, especially Kenya and Uganda, where farming insects for food, feed, and livelihoods is thriving.

Gut microbiome studies have documented depletion of butyrate-producing taxa in type 2 diabetes. We analyzed associations between butyrate-producing taxa and detailed measures of insulin homeostasis, whose dysfunction underlies diabetes in 224 non-Hispanic Whites and 129 African Americans, all of whom completed an oral glucose tolerance test. Stool microbiome was assessed by whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing with taxonomic profiling. We examined associations among 36 butyrate-producing taxa (n = 7 genera and 29 species) and insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, disposition index, insulin clearance, and prevalence of dysglycemia (prediabetes plus diabetes, 46% of cohort), adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and race. The genus Coprococcus was associated with higher insulin sensitivity (β = 0.14; P = 0.002) and disposition index (β = 0.12; P = 0.012) and a lower rate of dysglycemia (odds ratio [OR] 0.91; 95% CI 0.85-0.97; P = 0.0025). In contrast, Flavonifractor was associated with lower insulin sensitivity (β = -0.13; P = 0.004) and disposition index (β = -0.11; P = 0.04) and higher prevalence of dysglycemia (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.08-1.38; P = 0.0013). Species-level analyses found 10 bacteria associated with beneficial directions of effects and two bacteria with adverse associations on insulin homeostasis and dysglycemia. Although most butyrate producers analyzed appear to be metabolically beneficial, this is not the case for all such bacteria, suggesting that microbiome-directed therapeutic measures to prevent or treat diabetes should be targeted to specific butyrate-producing taxa rather than all butyrate producers.

This themed edition of the Proceedings of the Nigerian Academy of Science delves into the pivotal topic of transport decarbonization, a critical component in the global strategy to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability. It amalgamates a rich tapestry of research, case studies, and policy analyses focused on the multifaceted challenges and opportunities inherent in transitioning to a low-carbon transport system. Key areas of discussion include the complexities of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, the potential for invigorating local manufacturing sector through EV and e-bike production, the transformative impact of removing fuel subsidies on the uptake of solar power, and the intricate policy landscapes that underpin transport decarbonization efforts. By spotlighting Nigeria's unique context, from its policy strides to innovative local initiatives, this edition not only contributes to the academic discourse on sustainable transport but also aims to inspire actionable insights and collaborative efforts towards achieving a decarbonized transport future. This compilation seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the interplay between technological innovation, policy frameworks, and community engagement in driving the shift towards sustainable mobility solutions, with the hope of catalyzing further research and implementation of sustainable transport systems globally.