Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solidification/Stabilization of Fly Ash from a Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Facility Using Portland Cement

This study investigated the solidification/stabilization of fly ash containing heavy metals using the Portland cement as a binder. It is found that both the cement/fly ash ratio and curing time have significant effects on the mechanical (i.e., compressive strength) and leaching behaviors of the stabilized fly ash mixtures. When the cement/fly ash ratio increases from 4 : 6 to 8 : 2, the increase of compressive strength ratio raises from 42.24% to 80.36%; meanwhile, the leaching amount of heavy metals decreases by 2.33% to 85.23%. When the curing time increases from 3 days to 56 days, the compressive strength ratio of mixtures raises from 240.00% to 414.29%; meanwhile, the leaching amount of heavy metals decreases by 16.49% to 88.70%. The decrease of compressive strength with the lower cement/fly ash ratios and less curing time can be attributed to the increase of fly ash loading, which hinders the formation of ettringite and destroys the structure of hydration products, thereby resulting in the pozzolanic reaction and fixation of water molecules. Furthermore, the presence of cement causes the decrease of leaching, which results from the formation of ettringite and the restriction of heavy metal ion migration in many forms, such as C-S-H gel and adsorption.
Peanut hulls | Feedipedia

The fruit (pod, nut) of the peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) consists of an external hull (or shell) (21-29%) surrounding the nut (7971%) (van Doosselaere, 2013; Davis et al., 2016). Peanut hulls, not to be confounded with peanut skins (which are the thin paper-like seed coats enclosing the kernel), are a by-product of peanut processing. The shelling of peanuts is often the second operation (after cleaning) of peanut processing, as both the production of peanut oil and the production of peanut snacks, peanut butter and other peanut-based foods require kernels without hulls (except the production of in-shell peanuts). Peanut hulls usually consist of fragmented hulls with variable amounts of whole or broken kernels (Hill, 2002).
Toxaphene and other organochlorines in arctic ocean fauna evidence for atmospheric delivery

Residues of the insecticide toxaphene (polychlorinated camphenes, PCCs) and other organochlorines (OCs) were determined in air, snow, seawater, zooplankton, and benthic amphipods collected from an ice island in the Canadian Arctic. The simultaneous determination of OCs in the atmospheric, hydrologic, and biologic compartments provided evidence of an atmospheric link to polar food chains. PCCs were identified and quantified using capillary gas chromatography - negative ion mass spectrometry. The order of OCs abundance in arctic air was: hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) > hexachlorobenzene > PCCs > polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) > chlordanes > DDTs. In seawater, PCCs were exceeded only by the HCHs. Concentrations of PCBs and PCCs in two samples of benthic amphipods were the highest of the OCs detected. Key words: Arctic, Canada, pollution, organochlorines, air, water, biota
Mechanisms of Tissue Vascularization

Migration, proliferation and invasive growth of myofibroblasts are key cellular events during formation of granulation tissue in situations of wound healing, arteriosclerosis and tumor growth. To study the invasive phenotype of myofibroblasts, we established an assay where arterial tissue from chicken embryos was embedded in fibrin gels and stimulated with growth factors. Addition of serum, PDGF-BB and FGF-2, but not VEGF-A, resulted in an outgrowth of cellular sprouts with a pattern that was similar to the organization of cells invading a provisional matrix in an in vivo model of wound healing using the chicken chorioallantoic membrane. Sprouting cells were defined as myofibroblasts based on being alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive but desmin-negative. There was no contribution of endothelial cells in outgrowing sprouts. The acquired myofibroblastic phenotype was stable since sprout-derived cells resumed sprouting in a growth factor-independent manner when re-embedded as spheroids in a fibrin matrix. Invasive growth and sprouting of vascular smooth muscle cells was not limited to chicken cells since a similar response was seen when spheroids composed of purified primary human aortic smooth muscle cells were embedded in fibrin. Finally, a technique for flat visualization of the three-dimensional sprouting and a quantification method is described. This ex vivo model allows quantitative analysis of invasive growth and differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts into myofibroblasts.
Indigenes’ Responses to Immigrants’ Consumer Acculturation: A Relational Configuration Analysis

Consumer research commonly conceptualizes consumer acculturation as a project that immigrants pursue when adjusting their consumer identities and practices to unfamiliar sociocultural environments. This article broadens this prevailing view by conceptualizing consumer acculturation as a relational, interactive adaptation process that involves not only immigrant consumption practices but also indigenes who interpret and adjust to these practices, thereby shaping the paths of possibility for mutual adaptation. Based on a Fiskenian relational configuration analysis, the study explains how indigenes in a rural European town interpret certain immigrant consumption practices as manifestations of a gradual sell-out of the indigenous community, a crumbling of their authority, a violation of equality rules, and of indigenes being torn between contradictory micro- and macro-social morals. The article contributes a broader conceptualization of consumer acculturation, highlights four sources of ethnic group conflict in a consumer acculturation context, and demonstrates the epistemic value of Fiskenian relational configuration analysis for consumer culture theory.
Ready to Learn: The Impact of The Morning Blast Physical Activity Intervention on Elementary School Students

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an aerobic exercise intervention programme on elementary school students’ math learning and daily physical activity. Methods: This mixed-methods study included 7 educators and 83 students (n=90). The students were all children who were enrolled in Grades 3, 4, and 5 in a semi-rural elementary school in the United States of America. Data were collected through focus-group interviews, surveys, quantitative analysis of step counts, and from quasi-experimental research design. Results: Students in the experimental group were found to have: (1) increased scores on math standard score, (2) greater confidence in their academic ability, and (3) had more accumulated steps compared to students in the control group. Students in the experimental group also reported that they were more “ready to learn” after completing the physical activity intervention. This finding was also confirmed by their teachers. Conclusion: This study demonstrates how an increase in physical activity during the morning time has positive benefits for students throughout the school day.
Study of Thermal Annealing Effect on the Properties of Silver Thin Films Prepared by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Silver nanoparticles have potential applications in fields of nanosicence and technology. In this work, polycrystalline silver (Ag) thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by DC magnetron sputtering method at the same deposition conditions and then, the Ag films were annealed in oxygen atmosphere for 65 min at different annealing temperatures namely 300, 400, 500 and 600 ◦C. The crystal structure of the films was evaluated by X-ray diffraction. The atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed for surface morphological studies of the films. Normal-incidence transmittance over the wavelength range of 200–2500 nm was measured using a spectrophotometer. The results show that the crystallization of the films increases after annealing and that the Ag films without annealing have lowest roughness. Annealing temperature effectively influences the surface morphology of the films. Optical studies reveal that the as-deposited Ag film has metallic behavior with zero transmittance and after annealing, the transmittance increases due to the formation of silver oxide phases in the films.
CENSUSING BOBCATS USING REMOTE CAMERAS

Abstract We estimated bobcat (Lynx rufus) density for 3 different locations in northern California using active infrared-triggered cameras. Using differences in pelage pattern as well as other physical characteristics, we identified individual bobcats from photographs, and used mark-recapture techniques to estimate population density. Camera density affected the precision of population estimates. The same population was estimated using camera densities of 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 cameras · km−2. Higher camera densities resulted in more captures and recaptures of bobcats and, consequently, in more precise density estimates. Similarly, the number of photo-captures and recaptures increased with increasing study duration. Increasing the area sampled resulted in the capture of more individuals but did not increase the percentage of recaptures. While some locations captured multiple bobcat photographs (e.g., 15 at 1 station), these photos tended to be recaptures of the same individual. There were no more than 2 individuals photo-captured at any 1 camera location. Bobcat density varied among habitat types as predicted. We estimated density as 0.27 bobcats · km−2 (s = 0.16) overall in an area in the northern Sacramento River Valley and as 0.35 bobcats · km−2 (s = 0.56) in a steep and rocky canyon within the area. At a 3rd site in the Coast Range, the estimate was 0.39 bobcats · km−2 (s = 1.44). Bobcats were more diurnal where human activity was less common. In addition, photo-capture was significantly higher along roads and trails without an attractant than it was off-trail with an attractant.
Effect of alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) on mineralisation, morphology and mechanical endurance of femur and tibia in turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) on volumetric bone density, geometrical and mechanical properties of femur and tibia in farm turkeys. All animals were kept under standard rearing conditions with constant access to water and appropriate feed, supplied in accordance with the stage of production cycle. Bone samples were collected 14 weeks after beginning of the experiment. To the first group belonged control turkeys. The second group of animals consisted of turkeys that were administered AKG from the 22(nd) to 110(th) d of life. Using Quantitative Computed Tomography (QCT) method, volumetric bone density of femur and tibia were estimated for trabecular and cortical bone. Both the mechanical and geometrical properties of femur and tibia were assessed according to Ferretti's method. The obtained results indicate positive influence of enteral AKG administration on skeletal system quality in turkeys. (Less)
Principals’ Perceptions on the Notion of Organizational Culture: The Case of Greece

Organizational culture constitutes a fundamental characteristic of the educational organism, because, it contributes to the shape of its character and of its members’ way of thinking and behavior and, it is also connected to the employees’ productivity and the students’ academic performance. It is commonly held that leadership and organizational culture are in a constant process of interaction and heteronomy, constituting two sides of the same coin. Therefore, one of the most important tasks that the educational leader undertakes is to create and manage organizational or school culture. We conducted research by subjecting a number of secondary school principals within Attica Prefecture in Greece to semiconductor interviews regarding the way in which they perceive the notion of organizational culture investigating the circumscription of culture, its contribution to the development of the school, its differentiation from the school climate, the principals’ vision for the culture of their school. It is clearly evident by the results that the notion of organizational culture is neither perceived nor defined by everyone in the same way resulting in it being frequently identified with the Organization and Administration of the school unit, while confusion with the notion of school climate is also observed.
What drives patent performance of German biotech firms? The impact of R&D subsidies, knowledge networks and their location

This paper aims to explain whether firm-specific features, their engagement in collaboration networks and their location influence patent activity of biotech firms in Germany in the period 1997-2004. First, we demonstrate that non-collaborative R&D subsidies do not increase patent intensity of biotech firms. Second, the number of knowledge links biotech firms is also not influencing their patent performance. However, strong and robust evidence is found that some but not too much cognitive distance between actors involved in R&D collaborations increases patent performance of firms. Third, being located in a biotech cluster does positively impact on patent performance.
Quick and Accurate False Data Detection in Mobile Crowd Sensing

With the proliferation of smartphones, a novel sensing paradigm called Mobile Crowd Sensing (MCS) has emerged very recently. However, the attacks and faults in MCS cause a serious false data problem. Observing the intrinsic low dimensionality of general monitoring data and the sparsity of false data, false data detection can be performed based on the separation of normal data and anomalies. Although the existing separation algorithm based on Direct Robust Matrix Factorization (DRMF) is proven to be effective, requiring iteratively performing Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) for low-rank matrix approximation would result in a prohibitively high accumulated computation cost when the data matrix is large. In this work, we observe the quick false data location feature from our empirical study of DRMF, based on which we propose an intelligent Light weight Low Rank and False Matrix Separation algorithm (LightLRFMS) that can reuse the previous result of the matrix decomposition to deduce the one for the current iteration step. Our algorithm can largely speed up the whole iteration process. From a theoretical perspective, we validate that LightLRFMS only requires one round of SVD computation and thus has very low computation cost. We have done extensive experiments using a PM 2.5 air condition trace and a road traffic trace. Our results demonstrate that LightLRFMS can achieve very good false data detection performance with the same highest detection accuracy as DRMF but with up to 10 times faster speed thanks to its lower computation cost.
Trophic ecology of two sympatric lizard species: the Algerian sand lizard and the wall lizard in Djurdjura, northern Algeria

AbstractIn this study, we present the first data on the diet of two sympatric lizard species Psammodromus algirus and Podarcis vaucheri of the Djurdjura Mountains. The analysis of 100 feces (43 Ps. algirus and 57 P. vaucheri) allowed us to identify 560 prey items (254 for Ps. algirus and 312 for P. vaucheri) distributed across 17 operational taxonomic units. Insects were most commonly consumed by both species, but spiders were also preferred by P. vaucheri. The five most commonly ingested categories of prey among insects were: Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Homoptera, Heteroptera and Orthoptera. During the study period, the interspecific diet overlap was very high (CH = 0.86). But the diet of P. vaucheri (BA = 0.50) was slightly more diversified than that of Ps. algirus (BA = 0.41). The diets of both species were, however, not strongly different. A significant influence of seasonal variation on diet was detected.
Articulatory reflexes of the three-way contrast in labial stops and kinematic evidence for domain-initial strengthening in Korean

This study examines articulatory characteristics of the three-way contrast in labial stops /p p h p*/ (lenis, aspirated, fortis, respectively) in Korean in phrase-initial and phrase-medial prosodic positions with a two-fold goal. First, it investigates supralaryngeal articulatory reflexes of the stops and explores articulatory invariance of these stops across prosodic positions. Second, it investigates Korean stops in kinematic terms from the perspective of domain-initial strengthening, and explores the nature of prosodically-conditioned speech production from a dynamical perspective. Results showed that the articulatory reflex of the three-way contrast was invariantly observed across prosodic positions with lip constriction degree (/p/</p h/</p*/), while lip constriction duration showed a binary distinction (/p/</p h p*/). Kinematically, there was only very weak articulatory evidence for the contrast across prosodic positions: The V-to-C lip closing movement tended to be faster for /p h/ than for /p/, and the C-to-V lip opening movement tended to be larger for /p h p*/ than for /p/. As for domain-initial strengthening, the consonantal lip closing gesture was characterized by a larger, longer and slower articulation, whereas the vocalic lip opening gesture (after the release) was larger and faster, but not longer. Kinematic relations indicated that the lip closing movement is most likely controlled by a rate of the clock (possibly modulated by a temporal modulation gesture, or π-gesture) comparable to boundary effects in English, but the boundary-induced lip opening movement was better accounted for by a change in target (possibly modulated by a spatial modulation gesture, or μ-gesture) which was comparable to prominence rather than boundary effects in English. The cross-linguistic difference was interpreted as coming from different prosodic systems between Korean and English, presumably instantiated in dynamical terms of how the temporal and the spatial modulation gestures are phased with constriction gestures in relation to boundary marking versus prominence marking.
Unique ocean-derived particles serve as a proxy for changes in ocean chemistry

[1] Oceans represent a significant natural source of gases and particles to the atmosphere. Relative to gas phase compounds, less is known regarding the influence of changes in biological activity in the ocean on the chemistry of sea spray aerosols produced in marine environments. To gain insight into the influence of ocean biology and chemistry on atmospheric aerosol chemistry, simultaneous real-time measurements were made of atmospheric aerosol size and chemical mixing-state, gas phase dimethyl sulfide (DMS), as well as seawater DMS and chlorophyll a. In three different marine environments with elevated chlorophyll a and DMS, unique Mg particles were detected containing Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, and organic carbon. These particles were segregated from sea salt particles highlighting that two subpopulations within the sea spray were being ejected from the ocean. Strong temporal correlations were observed between these unique ocean-derived particles and freshly emitted sea salt particles (R2 = 0.86), particularly as wind speed increased to at least 10 m/s, and atmospheric DMS (R2 = 0.76). Time series correlations between ocean measurements and atmospheric aerosol chemistry suggest that chlorophyll a and DMS serve as indicators of changes in the chemistry of the ocean, most likely an increase in organic material, which is directly reflected in the single particle mixing-state. This is the first time such real-time correlations are shown between ocean chemistry and atmospheric aerosol mixing-state. The reasons behind these observed changes in aerosol chemistry are critical for understanding the heterogeneous reactivity, water uptake, and cloud forming potential of sea spray aerosols.
Chemical Modeling of Boron Adsorption by Humic Materials Using the Constant Capacitance Model

Abstract The constant capacitance surface complexation model was used to describe B adsorption behavior on reference Aldrich humic acid, humic acids from various soil environments, and dissolved organic matter extracted from sewage effluents. The reactive surface functional groups on the humic materials were assumed to be a carboxyl site, XOH, and a phenol site, YOH. Initially, total concentrations of the sites, XOHT and YOHT and the proton dissociation constants for the carboxyl site, LogKX-, and the phenol site, LogKY-, were optimized by fitting the constant capacitance model to potentiometric titration data on reference Aldrich humic acid obtained from the literature. Subsequently, the model was fit to experimental B adsorption data obtained from the literature by optimizing two tetrahedral B surface complexation constants: LogKXB- for a carboxyl site and LogKYB- for a phenol site. The model was well able to describe the experimental B adsorption data both as a function of solution B concentration (isotherm data) and solution pH (envelope data) for all humic materials. The ability to represent changes in B adsorption as a function of solution pH is the main advantage of the constant capacitance model over adsorption isotherm equations. Results from the current study can be used to describe B adsorption behavior on diverse humic materials of interest in environmental and agricultural situations.
The Minorca Basin: a buffer zone between the Valencia and Liguro‐Provençal Basins (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Detailed analyses of seismic profiles and boreholes in the Valencia Basin (VB) reveal a differentiated basin, the Minorca Basin (MB), lying between the old Mesozoic Valencia Basin sensu strico (VBss) and the young Oligocene Liguro‐Provençal Basin (LPB). The relationship between these basins is shown through the correlation of four Miocene‐to‐present‐day megasequences. The Central and North Balearic Fracture Zones (CFZ and NBFZ) that border the MB represent two morphological and geodynamical thresholds that created an accommodation in steps between the three domains. Little to no horizontal Neogene movements are found for the Ibiza and Majorca Islands. In contrast, the counterclockwise movement of the Corso‐Sardinian blocks induced a counterclockwise movement of the Minorca block towards the SE along the CFZ and NBFZ, during the exhumation of lower continental crust in the LPB. This new understanding implies pure Neogene vertical subsidence in the VBss and places the AlKaPeCa northeastward of the present‐day Alboran Area.
FARMERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS INTERVENTIONS REGARDING BUFFALO CALF HEALTH CARE AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS

A survey of small, medium and large size dairy farms was conducted in the peri-urban areas of District Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan. Forty-eight dairy farms owned by 16 farmers from each category were selected randomly to study the status of health care and management of buffalo calves. The results showed that the mortality rate in buffalo calves was 79.51%. None of the farmers was cutting and disinfecting the navel cord and a large number of them (87.8%) fed colostrum after the expulsion of placenta. About 87.5% of dairy owners provided the buffalo calves with grain/fodder from 6 days to weaning age. More than 93% farmers were not deworming the calves and a majority (60.42%) of these dairy owners did not consult a veterinarian for the treatment of sick calves. The study tended to show that owners of these dairy farms were not interested in rearing the male calves because they did not expect sizeable returns from their sale. Thus, there is an urgent need to educate these dairy owners to make calf rearing an economical proposition.