Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study on Biodegradation of Mechanic Workshop Polluted Soil Amended with Lime Fertilizer

Biodegradation of mechanic workshop polluted soil amended with 2.4kg lime (Confluence fertilizer) was studied for a period of eight weeks (56 days). This was done by physicochemical analysis of the soil samples and microbiological analysis by spread plate inoculation on Nutrient agar (NA). The results revealed higher bacteria population in amended soil (AS) compared to oil free soil (OFS) and polluted soil (PS). The range of bacterial counts was Oil free soil (1.6×104 – 6.8 ×104 cfu/g), polluted soil (2.2×104 – 9.8×104 cfu/g) and Amended soil (1.62×104 – 1.12×105 cfu/g). The fungi counts range were Oil free soil (2.5×103 – 3.0×104 cfu/g), polluted soil (2.2×103 – 4.0×104 cfu/g) and Amended soil (2.1×103 – 2.7×103/sup> cfu/g). Eleven (11) organisms were isolated in the course of this study. The bacteria isolated were Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus aureus while the fungi isolated include Mucor mucedo, Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Rhizopus nigricans. The moisture content (MC), organic carbon, organic matter, pH and nitrate were higher in amended soil compared to unpolluted soil and polluted soil. The result of the study shows that lime (confluence fertilizer) can be used to enhanced biodegradation of oil polluted soil.
Uniformly convergent adaptive methods for a class of parametric operator equations

We derive and analyze adaptive solvers for boundary value problems in which the differential operator depends affinely on a sequence of parameters. These methods converge uniformly in the parameters and provide an upper bound for the maximal error. Numerical computations indicate that they are more efficient than similar methods that control the error in a mean square sense.
Leader toxicity: An empirical investigation of toxic behavior and rhetoric

This paper provides empirical support for the behavioral and rhetorical constructs associated with toxic leadership in organizational contexts. Two exploratory studies were conducted that examined behavior and rhetoric of leaders through the lenses of abusive, bullying, destructive, toxic, and tyrannical leadership theories. In a qualitative study, participants expressed their direct experiences with leader toxicity. Eight behavioral dimensions emerged. Integrating those findings, a 51-item leader behavior assessment was developed to assess agreement of the severity of harmfulness of these dimensions. Based on the results of these studies, a typology of toxic leader behaviors and rhetoric was developed. Organizational implications are discussed.
When Eradication is not an Option: Modeling Strategies for Electrofishing Suppression of Nonnative Brook Trout to Foster Persistence of Sympatric Native Cutthroat Trout in Small Streams

Abstract Subspecies of inland cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii occupy a fraction of their historic ranges, and displacement by nonnative brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis is among the greatest threats to existing populations in small, headwater streams. Electrofishing is often used to suppress brook trout and enhance cutthroat trout populations, but these efforts are labor intensive and costly. To help managers more effectively plan and implement brook trout control programs, we used survival estimates from a field experiment to construct matrix population models for both species and linked the models by making the vital rates of young cutthroat trout a function of brook trout density to represent the effect of invasion. We then explored the response of cutthroat trout populations (growth rate [λ] and probability of persistence for 50 years) to brook trout suppression across various levels of electrofishing frequency, sampling intensity, capture efficiency, and brook trout immigration rate. Cutthroat .
Efficient Direct Electron Transfer for a Highly Oriented PQQ-GDH Immobilized Electrode for Bioanode

A bioanode with improved enzyme orientation was developed to achieve an efficient enzyme reaction and electron transfer on an electrode surface. A highly stable PQQ-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH) isolated from a hyper-thermophilic archaeon was employed as an electron conversion element. PQQ-GDH is expected to maintain battery properties and to have a long battery life. To immobilize the enzyme onto the electrode with appropriate orientation, we introduced a His-tag to the N-terminal of PQQ-GDH by a genetic technique and utilized the affinity bond between His-tag and Cu atoms. The catalytic current density in the presence of substrate was 18.6 μA/cm2 without a mediator. The current density of the oriented electrode was approximately 90 times higher than that of the non-oriented electrode. By immobilizing the enzyme with orientation, the accessibility between the enzyme and substrate for enzyme reaction increased because the active site of PQQ-GDH is located opposite the electrode. Because enzymes have different orientations at the surface of the non-orientated electrode, the efficiency of the electrode was lower than that of the high-orientation electrode. The results of the present study present a potentially promising finding for application to practical bioelectric devices, such as bio-fuel cells and biosensors.
RESPONSE OF POST HARVEST TREATMENTS ON NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SHELF LIFE OF LITCHI (cv. DEHRADUN)

Cultivar performance of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) and roles of water loss, browning and calcium in post harvest fruit senescence were studied; different combinations of post harvest treatments applied showed a great influence in retaining the nutritional characteristics which reduce the wastage of fresh fruits. Storage studies revealed that over a period of 10 days at (32+ 3°C), a continuous and significant decline in physiological loss in weight from 1.33% to 5.08%, acidity (0.41% to 0.22%) and ascorbic acid (42.64 to 25.71mg/100m1) was recorded, whereas, a gradual increase in TSS from 20.17 Brix to 26.64Brix (up to 6 days) and then decrease to 17.06 Brix (upto 10 days). Thus it can be inferred from the study that calcium extends the shelf-life of fruit by maintaining firmness. Minimizing the rate of respiration, disintegration of tissues and disease incidence while as sulphur maintains the colour of the fruit.
The Impact of Social Interactions on Torpor Use in Hummingbirds

Measurements of metabolic rate and fat deposition were made on a three-species hummingbird guild in southeastern Arizona to determine if the energetic advantage gained by a dominant territorial species (Lampornis clemenciae) over subordinate competitors (Archilochus alexandri and Eugenes fulgens) resulted in less frequent use of torpor. Results showed that L. clemenciae was able to store enough fat during the day to avoid nocturnal torpor. Restricted access to food limited fat storage in both competitors, resulting in frequent torpor use. Avoidance of torpor by L. clemenciae supports the notion that use of nocturnal torpor by hummingbirds comes with a cost, and that the ability to avoid torpor is an important benefit to dominant species.
Age-related Changes in the Percentage Content of Edible and Non-edible Components in Broiler Chickens

The objective of this study was to determine age-related changes in the percentage content of edible and non-edible components in broiler chickens. The experimental materials comprised 240 Ross 308 chicks (sex ratio 1:1) raised to 10 weeks of age and fed standard diets ad libitum. Starting from the first week of rearing, every 7 days 10 males and 10 females were selected randomly for slaughter and post-slaughter analysis. The data obtained were verified statistically. The percentage content of edible components increased and the percentage content of non-edible parts decreased as the chicks grew older. In broilers aged 1 week and 10 weeks, edible components accounted for 47.0% and 66.4% total body weight, respectively. The share of muscle tissue increased considerably over this period, from 30.9% total body weight in week 1 to 52.4% in week 10. An increase in the percentage of skin and subcutaneous fat was observed for the first three weeks only, while the percentage content of giblets (in contrast to the remaining edible parts) decreased with age. For non-edible parts, the share of bones diminished by 2.5% and the proportion of slaughter offal reduced by 13.8%. A rising tendency was noted with respect to feathers and abdominal fat, while the content of the remaining offal decreased.
Baroclinic Rossby Waves in a Square Basin

Abstract The properties of forced baroclinic, quasigeostrophic Rossby waves in an ocean basin are discussed, with emphasis on the apparent phase speed. The response to a traveling wave wind stress curl consists of three parts, two of which propagate westward and one that tracks the wind. The apparent phase speed in the basin interior depends on the relative sizes of the amplitudes of these three terms, which vary with forcing frequency and scale and with the size of the deformation radius. With low-frequency, large-scale forcing, one westward wave dominates and its phase speed is the long baroclinic Rossby wave speed. With smaller forcing scales, the component that tracks the wind is comparably strong, and the superposition with the dominant westward wave can produce augmented apparent phase speeds. At frequencies larger than the maximum free wave frequency (proportional to the deformation radius), the westward waves are trapped in deformation-scale boundary layers, yielding a weak, directly forced interi.
BIM for FM: Input versus Output data

In the last decade, the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in facilities management has significantly increased among practitioners. This has largely been due to the noticeable BIM capability in collecting, capturing and generating data/information during the lifecycle of assets through Open data standards such as the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and specifications such as the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie). However, accuracies of data and interoperability between facilities management and BIM software systems are still the main challenges for facilities managers. Thus existing applications of BIM for facilities management often output data that does not satisfy the facilities management requirements. Furthermore, the existing frameworks for overcoming the interoperability are generally inclined towards software oriented or theoretical procedures. The purpose of this paper is to develop BIM ‐ based guidelines, which enable to integrate data between the facilities and BIM software systems to keep the data accurate and ensure the outputs achieve the required data/information for facilities management. To achieve the aim of the study, a critical review of peer‐reviewed literature in BIM‐ facilities management and a case study are conducted. The critical review discusses the challenges, gaps and linking approaches of the peer‐reviewed studies about BIM‐facilities management integration. The case study is to assess the suitability of integrating a building modelling tool (e.g. Revit), Open data specification (COBie) and a facility management tool (e.g. Ecodomus) for exchanging data between BIM and facilities management environments. This paper provides practical evidence of both the challenges and the benefits of BIM in facilities management applications and also provides the requirements for successful proprietary middleware for BIM-FM interoperability.
Fiscal policy and economic performance: A review of the theoretical and empirical literature

The economic implications of government expenditure have been shown to be significant and broad. In particular, government spending has been shown to enhance long-run economic growth by increasing the level of human capital and Research and Development (R&D) expenditure, and by improving public infrastructure. On the other hand, there is evidence that a greater size of government spending may be less efficient and therefore not necessarily associated with a better provision of public goods and higher levels of economic growth. Moreover, it is likely that the size of government expenditure and its composition are associated with key aspects of the quality of growth, such as income inequality and environmental sustainability. This paper presents a review of the theoretical and empirical literature on the relationship between fiscal policy and economic activity, both in terms of long-run economic growth and short-term output fluctuations. In general, empirical evidence on these relationships is not robust and remains inconclusive.
Processing and Quality Characteristics of some major Fermented Fish Products from Africa: A Critical Review

For many socio-economic and technical reasons, the fermentation is one of most important fish preservation methods used in many parts of the world and mainly the coastal regions of African countries in particular. The fermentation processes applied are generally indigenous and adaptable to the culture of the people. The main traditional fermentation techniques used as low-cost methods for fish preservation in African countries, the quality characteristics of the various end-products and the major constraints associated with the techniques used were discussed in this review. The lack of standardization of the processing methods and hygiene during processing, with their detrimental effects on the quality and the safety of the endproducts are the major problems to overcome to ensure the promotion of fermented fish products sector in Africa. In this respect, there is a need for new areas of research focused on the standardization of traditional fermentation techniques to resolve the inconvenient associated with them and enhance further benefits of this technology. With increasing use of “bouillon cube” range of condiments in African countries, greater understanding of factors contributing to the safety and sensory quality of fermented fish products as perceived by the consumers would have significant commercial implications.
Production and Transnational Transfer of the Language of Difference: The Effects of Polish Migrants’ Encounters with Superdiversity

While Polish migration to the UK has attracted much academic attention, there has been less discussion about the consequences of Polish migrants’ encounters with difference in socially diverse UK contexts. In particular, relatively little has been written about how Polish migrants describe or refer to ‘visible’ difference in terms of ethnicity, nationality, religion, class and gender. This reflects a broader tendency in migration studies to frequently overlook the production and transnational transfer of migrant language. In this article, I explore how Polish post-2004 migrants to the northern English city of Leeds produce ‘the language of difference’ and how this migrant language is passed on to non-migrants in Poland. I distinguish two types of language of difference – the language of stigma and the language of respect. I note that migrants construct both speech normativities through engaging with rhetoric existing in the Polish and/or the UK context as well as through developing ‘migrant slang’ of difference. I further argue that the language of stigma and the language of respect are transferred to Poland via the agency of migrants. The article draws upon a broader study of Polish migrants’ values and attitudes towards difference and the circulation of ideas between these migrants and their family members and friends in Poland. It contributes to emerging debates on Polish migrants’ encounters with difference and social remittances between the UK and Poland.
Comparison of biogas productivity of cassava peels mixed in selected ratios with major livestock waste types

Biogas productivity of cassava peels, mixed with poultry, piggery and cattle waste types in ratios 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 by mass, was investigated using 12 Nos. 220l batch type anaerobic digesters in a 3 x 4 factorial experiment using a retention period of 30 days and within the mesophilic temperature range. Biogas yield was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) influenced by the different mixing ratios of livestock waste with cassava peels. The cumulative average biogas yield from digested cassava peels was 0.6 l/kg-TS. The average cumulative biogas yield increased to 13.7, 12.3, 10.4 and 9.0 l/kg-TS respectively for 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 mixing ratios when cassava peel was mixed with poultry waste. On mixing with piggery waste, the average cumulative biogas yield increased to 35.0, 26.5, 17.1 and 9.3 l/kg-TS respectively for 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 mixing ratios. In the case of mixing with cattle waste, the average cumulative biogas yield increased to 21.3, 19.5, 15.8 and 11.2 l/kg-TS respectively for 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 mixing ratios. Results show that for all livestock waste types, mixing with peels in the ratio 1:1 by mass produced the highest biogas volumes, and highest in piggery waste. Key words: Anaerobic digestion, biogas, cassava peels, cattle waste, poultry waste, piggery waste.
Modeling the Emergence of Three Arable Bedstraw (Galium) Species

Abstract Multiyear field data from Spain were used to model seedling emergence for three bedstraw species (Galium) that can coexist in winter cereal fields. The relationships between cumulative emergence and both growing degree days (GDD) and hydrothermal time (HTT) in soil were analyzed as sigmoid growth functions (Weibull). Iterations of base temperature and base water potential were used to optimize the HTT scale. All species were well described with Weibull functions. Both GDD and HTT models provided good descriptions of catchweed bedstraw emergence, as its seedlings have less dependence on soil water potential than false cleavers and threehorn bedstraw, which were described best with HTT. The HTT model for catchweed bedstraw was validated successfully with independent data from the United Kingdom. The models may be useful for predicting bedstraw emergence in semiarid Mediterranean regions and elsewhere. Nomenclature: Catchweed bedstraw, Galium aparine L. ; false cleavers, G. spurium L. ; threehorn bedstraw, G. tricornutum Dandy.
The formation of fluidized ejecta on Mars by granular flows

Abstract— A simple granular flow model is used to investigate some of the conditions under which ejecta may flow as a granular media. The purpose of this investigation is to provide some bounds as to when either volatiles or an atmosphere are required to explain the fluid‐like morphology of many Martian ejecta deposits. We consider the ejecta deposition process from when an ejecta curtain first strikes a target surface via ballistics and possibly flows thereafter. A new finding is that either hard‐smooth surfaces or slightly erodible surfaces allow ejecta to flow readily as a granular medium. Neither volatiles nor an atmosphere are required to initiate flow. A low friction coefficient between ejecta grains can also generate flow and would be analogous to adding volatiles to the ejecta. The presence of either a rough or a densely packed erodible surface does not permit easy ejecta flow. High friction coefficients between ejecta grain also prevent flow, while changes in the coefficient of restitution (a measure of how much energy is retained after collisions between particles) plays a minor role in the flow dynamics of ejecta. A hard smooth or a somewhat erodible surface could be generated by past fluvial activity on Mars, which can either indurate a surface, erode and smooth a surface, or generate sedimentary terrains that are fairly easy to erode. No ramparts or layered ejecta morphologies are generated by our model, but this may be because several simplifying assumptions are used in our model and should not be construed as proof that either volatiles or an atmosphere are required to form fluidized ejecta morphologies.
Efficiently modelling urban heat storage: an interface conduction scheme in an urban land surface model (aTEB v2.0)

Abstract. Intercomparison studies of models simulating the partitioning of energy over urban land surfaces have shown that the heat storage term is often poorly represented. In this study, two implicit discrete schemes representing heat conduction through urban materials are compared. We show that a well-established method of representing conduction systematically underestimates the magnitude of heat storage compared with exact solutions of one-dimensional heat transfer. We propose an alternative method of similar complexity that is better able to match exact solutions at typically employed resolutions. The proposed interface conduction scheme is implemented in an urban land surface model and its impact assessed over a 15-month observation period for a site in Melbourne, Australia, resulting in improved overall model performance for a variety of common material parameter choices and aerodynamic heat transfer parameterisations. The proposed scheme has the potential to benefit land surface models where computational constraints require a high level of discretisation in time and space, for example at neighbourhood/city scales, and where realistic material properties are preferred, for example in studies investigating impacts of urban planning changes.
Identified Research Gaps in Employee Engagement

This research paper sets out to investigate the research gaps in employee engagement for systematic empirical investigations, in order to substantiate future studies. A desk research has contributed to identify seven gaps in employee engagement. The first gap which is about the conceptual confusion, can be minimized by formulating a working definition of employee engagement. The nonexistence of theoretical arguments and empirical tests on the impact of the religiosity on employee engagement, in both the Sri Lankan and in the international contexts, has been identified as the second gap. The third gap has been identified to be the fact that the rapport between personal character and employee engagement being, neither theoretically argued nor empirically tested, in Sri Lankan and the international contexts. The fourth gap is the unavailability of studies in the Sri Lankan context as to how the high performance work practices (HPWPs) impact on employee engagement. The fifth gap identified is the shortage of empirical evidence regarding the link between employee engagement and organizational financial performance in the Sri Lankan context. Absence of empirical evidence on employee job performance to be an intervening variable for employee engagement and organizational financial performance is brought up as the sixth gap. The same absence is found in empirical evidence about religiosity, HPWPs, personal character, leadership and work life balance that significantly affect employee engagement in a nomological network in the Sri Lankan context as well as in the international context, which is the seventh Gap.
Service Performance and Service Quality: Exploring the Post-graduate Research Students’ Perceptions of the Service Encounter

Abstract By developing and testing a conceptual model which was stated as: the PG research students’ perception of the PG research service quality is associated with their perception of the PG research supervisors’ service performance, the model was fitted to the data obtained from a sample of post graduates at a large research university in South Africa, using AMOS. The chi-square test statistic was reported as 8.951 with a p-value = 0.111, and the RMSEA was 0.004, both statistics indicating a good fit of the model to the data. It was thus concluded that the PG research students’ perception of the PG research supervisors’ service performance is associated with the perception of the PG research service quality.