Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential of sewage and green waste for acidic pit lake bioremediation

Bacterial sulfate reduction-based bioremediation was trialled in an acidic pit lake, divided into two sections by an earth wall. Sewage and green waste was added to the smallest section, while the other was kept untreated as a control. Bioremediation initially increased the pH of the hypolimnion of the treatment lake but after 12 months the pH suddenly returned to pre-treatment levels. This proved to be only temporary and pH bounced quickly back to previous highs. The pH decreases appeared to be associated with heavy rainfall events. These rainfall events affected the bioremediation by mixing the lake and increasing acidity inputs from the catchment.
Cascading effects of fishing on Galapagos rocky reef communities

A replicated comparison of heavily and lightly fished areas in the Galapagos suggested that fishing predators led to an increase in herbivores and a dramatic shift in the algal community toward crustose barrens. We sampled 10 highly fished and 10 lightly fished shallow rocky reefs in the southeastern area of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador. Negative associations between con- sumers and resources suggested top-down control. At cold sites, there was a negative association between slate-pencil urchins Eucidaris galapagensis and non-coralline algae. In addition, at cold sites, pencil urchins were less abundant where there were many predators. An indirect positive asso- ciation between predators and non-coralline algae occurred at warm and cold sites. Fishing appeared to affect this trophic cascade. The spiny lobster Panulirus penicillatus, the slipper lobster Scyllarides astori, and the Mexican hogfish Bodianus diplotaenia were significantly less abundant at highly fished sites. Urchin density was higher at highly fished sites. Non-coralline algae were nearly absent from highly fished sites where a continuous carpet of the anemone Aiptasia sp. was recorded and the algal assemblage was mainly structured by encrusting coralline and articulated calcareous algae.
The Impact of Migration on Foreign Trade: A Developing Country Approach

While the causal relationship between migration and trade has not been studied thoroughly, estimation results of gravity model approach suggest that important aspects determining trade volumes can be missed if additional factors, including migration, are not considered. The current paper aims at testing the impact of migration on foreign trade in a relatively closed small economy. We use the data of Bolivia, for the years 1990–2003. We apply gravity model, adding a migration variable to the explanatory variables. We test the impact of both, immigration and emigration on exports and imports and also on intra-industry trade. We use panel estimation including data of 30 trade partners (selected according to higher trade intensity with Bolivia). We control for the economic size and geographical location of trade partners, and for changes in terms of trade. Previous studies show an increasing effect of immigration on both exports and imports elasticities. Some studies find larger exports elasticity compared to imports elasticity, some vice versa. We could not find any studies on emigration impact on trade. Our results show relatively similar impact of both immigration and emigration on foreign trade. Positive significant effect of immigration on exports and imports is confirmed also in Bolivia, even when the migration flows in Bolivia are not as high as in the case of most countries analyzed previously. We can conclude positive effect of migration flows also on intra-industry trade. In the following analysis, we intend to control for the impact of trade agreements and openness of trade partners. We will also try to broaden the sample of trade partners used in the current estimation and to test the hypotheses on other developing countries.
INFLUENCE OF SELECTED TURBULENCE MODEL ON THE OPTIMIZATION OF A CST PARAMETERIZED AIRFOIL

An airfoil was parameterized using the Class-Shape Transformation technique and then optimized via Genetic Algorithm. The aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil were obtained with the use of a computational fluid dynamics software. The automated numerical technique was validated using available experimental data and then the optimization procedure was repeated for few different turbulence models. The obtained optimized airfoils were then compared in order to gain some insight on the influence of the different turbulence models on the optimization result.
Derivative analysis of hyperspectral oceanographic data

It has long been recognized that transmission of light in sea water is essential to the productivity of the oceans. It provides the energy necessary for ocean currents, and the majority of marine life is supported by the thin layer of warm water near the ocean's surface. Light plays a decisive role in the primary formation of biomass by oceanic chlorophyllbearing marine plants, through the process of photosynthesis, which is the basis of the entire marine food chain. Light transmission is therefore a key factor in the ecology of the upper ocean and biogeochemical cycling, since it has a strong influence on the dynamics of the chemical compounds. In addition, variability of light in the sea is strongly influenced by the distribution of the components in the water column, which varies across horizontal and vertical space and time scales.
Attitudes of Iraqi society towards the role of community pharmacists

Objectives: The main aims of this study were to assess society's use of community pharmacies; evaluate attitudes towards the role of the community pharmacist; and describe required pharmacist characteristics and future services. Study design: A cross-sectional survey with a stratified sampling technique. Methods: A self-administered, validated, questionnaire was distributed to 500 consumers in attendance at 50 community pharmacies in Baghdad, Iraq. Data were gathered from January to April 2012. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to test for statistical differences among the study variables. Further analysis through the Chi-square test and logistic regression was completed to assess the predictors of society's attitudes. Results: Twenty-six percent of respondents visited their community pharmacies at least once per week and an additional 65% reported visiting their pharmacy at least once per month. Fifty-five percent of respondents listed the community pharmacist as the first person they would contact in case of any drug-related problem. However, the pharmacist's role was under-appreciated by the majority of respondents (79.8%). These attitudes varied significantly with regard to the demographic characteristics of respondents. Logistic regression analysis showed that gender and age were the influential predictors of favourable versus non-favourable attitudes towards the role of pharmacist. Conclusions: The use of community pharmacies in Iraq was characterized by frequent visits to purchase medicines. Selection of the pharmacy primarily depended on its location. Overall, an under-appreciation of the professional performance of pharmacists was predominant. Raising public awareness towards the important role of community pharmacists in providing public health is warranted. Type: Original Research
The Kuroshio East of Taiwan: Moored Transport Observations from the WOCE PCM-1 Array

Observations from the WOCE PCM-1 moored current meter array east of Taiwan for the period September 1994 to May 1996 are used to derive estimates of the Kuroshio transport at the entrance to the East China Sea. Three different methods of calculating the Kuroshio transport are employed and compared. These methods include 1) a “direct” method that uses conventional interpolation of the measured currents and extrapolation to the surface and bottom to estimate the current structure, 2) a “dynamic height” method in which moored temperature measurements from moorings on opposite sides of the channel are used to estimate dynamic height differences across the current and spatially averaged baroclinic transport profiles, and 3) an “adjusted geostrophic” method in which all moored temperature measurements within the array are used to estimate a relative geostrophic velocity field that is referenced and adjusted by the available direct current measurements. The first two methods are largely independent and are shown to produce very similar transport results. The latter two methods are particularly useful in situations where direct current measurements may have marginal resolution for accurate transport estimates. These methods should be generally applicable in other settings and illustrate the benefits of including a dynamic height measuring capability as a backup for conventional direct transport calculations. The mean transport of the Kuroshio over the 20-month duration of the experiment ranges from 20.7 to 22.1 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) for the three methods, or within 1.3 Sv of each other. The overall mean transport for the Kuroshio is estimated to be 21.5 Sv with an uncertainty of 2.5 Sv. All methods show a similar range of variability of ±10 Sv with dominant timescales of several months. Fluctuations in the transport are shown to have a robust vertical structure, with over 90% of the transport variance explained by a single vertical mode. The moored transports are used to determine the relationship between Kuroshio transport and sea-level difference between Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands, allowing for long-term monitoring of the Kuroshio inflow to the East China Sea.
Mitigation of stress corrosion cracking of carbon steel exposed to CO-CO2-H2O environments through inhibitor addition

Purpose – This investigation aims to find the degree of passivation required to completely inhibit the stress corrosion cracking of carbon steel exposed to CO-CO2-H2O environments. Design/methodology/approach – A516 pressure vessel steel was exposed to distilled water with 25 per cent CO and 75 per cent CO2 at an overall pressure of 800 kPa with the introduction of potassium bichromate as an additional inhibitor. Slow strain-rate tests were performed to evaluate the steel for sensitivity to cracking. Electrochemical characteristics were investigated in parallel in order to determine the extent of passivation required with the addition of the inhibitor. Findings – Slow strain-rate tests showed that between 100 and 1,000 ppm potassium bichromate was required to completely mitigate cracking with a significant reduction in passivation current densities. Research limitations/implications – The chosen inhibitor is not ideal for practical applications as an inhibitor, but gave an indication of the passivation re.
Optimal disturbances in swept Hiemenz flow

The initial perturbation with the largest transient energy growth is computed in the context of the swept leading-edge boundary layer. The highest energy amplification is found for perturbations which are homogeneous in the spanwise z-direction, although on shorter time scales the most amplified disturbances have a finite spanwise wavenumber. In both cases the production term associated with the shear of the spanwise velocity is responsible for the energy amplification in the perturbation energy equation. A connection is made with the amplification mechanism exhibited by optimal perturbations in streaky boundary layers (Hoepffner et al. J. Fluid Mech. vol. 537, 2005, p.91) and the results are compared to the optimal Görtler–Hämmerlin disturbances computed by Guégan et al. (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 566, 2006, p. 11).
A Study of Metacognitive-Strategies-Based Writing Instruction for Vocational College Students

Effective English writing has long been a challenge in English language teaching. With the development of cognitive psychology, metacognition has drawn more and more researchers’ attention and provides a new perspective for EFL writing. Metacognitive theory mainly includes metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategy. Among all the learning strategies, metacognitive strategy is a higher-order executive skill which includes planning, monitoring and evaluating. Once learners have a good command of metacognitive strategy, they will become more independent and autonomous and will be more capable of planning, monitoring and evaluating their learning process and thus become efficient learners. However, the study of metacognitive strategies-based writing instruction for vocational college students has been neglected for the past years. The author, therefore, carried out an empirical study to investigate the effect of metacognitive strategy training on students’ writing performance in the hope of finding an optimal teaching approach for English teachers of vocational colleges. This teaching approach really embodies the teaching idea “student-centered” and is targeted to foster students’ metacognitive strategy, monitoring and evaluating abilities in English writing.
Experimental constraints on the uncoupled Galileon model from SNLS3 data and other cosmological probes

Aims. The Galileon model is a modified gravity theory that may provide an explanation for the accelerated expansion of the Universe. This model does not suffer from instabilities or ghost problems (normally associated with higher-order derivative theories), restores local General Relativity – thanks to the Vainshtein screening effect – and predicts late-time acceleration of the expansion.Methods. We derive a new definition of the Galileon parameters that allows us to avoid having to choose initial conditions for the Galileon field. We tested this model against precise measurements of the cosmological distances and the rate of growth of cosmic structures.Results. We observe a weak tension between the constraints set by growth data and those from distances. However, we find that the Galileon model remains consistent with current observations and is still competitive with the ΛCDM model, contrary to what was concluded in recent publications.
Characterization of the performance of 1-3 type piezocomposites for low-frequency applications

In general, the piezoelectric ceramic and polymer in a 1–3 type composite will have different deformations when subjected to an external field. How each component deforms, to a large extent, determines the performance of the composite. Based on the force equilibrium condition, an elastic model is introduced to analyze the strain profiles of these composites, and the theoretical results are in quantitative agreement with the strain profiles measured on several composites using a double beam ultradilatometer. The results obtained provide quantitative information on how various parameters in a composite affect the performance of the composite. Furthermore, a scheme is proposed for evaluating the strain profile of a 1–3 type composite under a hydrostatic pressure using a double beam dilatometer.
Evaluating rice losses in various harvesting practices

Field performance of five different harvesting methods were assessed on randomized complete block design with four replications which included three indirect harvesting methods of (i) hand cutting + threshing by a tractor driven thresher (T1), (ii) rice reaper + threshing by a tractor driven thresher (T2), (iii) rice reaper + threshing by universal combine harvester equipped with pickup type header (T3), and two direct harvesting methods of (iv) head-feed rice combine, and (v) whole-crop rice combine. Results revealed that the maximum and minimum effective field capacity were for whole-crop combine (0.361 hah -1 ) and hand cutting (0.009 hah -1 ), respectively. Quantitative losses (grain and panicle shattering) in harvesting and threshing obtained to be 2.58% and 2.33% in average on indirect harvesting (T1, T2 and T3) and direct harvesting (T4 and T5), respectively which were not significant statistically. The average qualitative losses (broken, husked and cracked grains) were 2.30% for indirect harvesting and 0.61% for direct harvesting that showed a decline of 63.3% compared to indirect harvesting. Total harvesting losses were 5.07% for T3 (maximum) and 2.74% for T4 (minimum). The harvesting method affected percentage of broken rice after milling significantly. The average broken rice for T1, T2 and T3 was 23.72, 23.28 and 24.56% respectively which were significantly higher than T4 (21.05%) and T5 (20.87%). Also, in the view of loss reduction, applying rice combine harvesters had priority respect to indirect harvesting methods.
Antibiotic Resistance of the Genus Aeromonas Spp

Aeromonads are known to be ubiquitous in several habitats, mainly in aquatic environments and have been described in connection with fish and human diseases, also known to have relatively high antibiotic resistance. In the past few years the resistance levels of the genus Aeromonas, particularly to β-lactam antibiotics seems to be increasing. The aquaculture environment may thereby constitute a reservoir for bacterial resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics. It is, therefore necessary, for the development of new alternative chemical and natural compounds to act against these pathogenic bacteria.
Ideas, Bureaucratic Politics, and the Crafting of Foreign Policy

ined by comparing the evolution of the Peace Corps and the State Department Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. J deas have taken on a renewed prominence in the international relations literature. There are several mechanisms through which ideas are supposed to influence preferences and outcomes, but one of the most important is that they are implanted into institutions. Scholars that emphasize constructivism (Finnemore 1996; Checkel 1997), epistemic communities (Hall 1989; Haas 1992), or other approaches (Goldstein 1993; Goldstein and Keohane 1993) have highlighted the role of institutions in pursuing ideational agendas. While this is a plausible explanation for how ideas persist and determine foreign policy, it is incomplete. Nothing is said about the strategies these institutions must pursue in order to survive and thrive in a world of competing ideas and institutions. Such an explanation assumes that once idea-infused institutions are created, the story is over. The bureaucraticpolitics paradigm suggests that the story is just starting. Bloomfield notes, "For it is then that an idea, however morally powerful and however authentically grounded in the national political epistemology, encounters the instruments, the forces, and the fallible (or obstreperous) human beings who implement (or thwart) . foreign policy programs" (1982, 2). How do idea-infused institutions survive and thrive? How successful are they at promoting their ideas after their political sponsors pass from the scene? This article will argue that the placement of institutions in the foreign-policy structure helps to determine their ability to survive and thrive, but in contradictory ways. Idea-infused or "missionary" institutions possessing structural insulation from the influence of other organizations are more likely to survive in a manner consistent with their founding ideas. Insulation permits the agency to develop an organizational culture dedicated to the founding idea, preventing the introduction of competing ideas or tactics. However, this insulation also lessens the missionary institution's influence over the crafting of foreign policy. Preexisting bureaucracies will automatically resist the introduction of new actors into the policy mix and
Integrative Scenario Development

Scenarios are employed to address a large number of future environmental and socioeconomic challenges. We present a conceptual framework for the development of scenarios to integrate the objectives of different stakeholder groups. Based on the framework, land-use scenarios were developed to provide a common base for further research. At the same time, these scenarios assisted regional stakeholders to bring forward their concerns and arrive at a shared understanding of challenges between scientific and regional stakeholders, which allowed them to eventually support regional decision making. The focus on the integration of views and knowledge domains of different stakeholder groups, such as scientists and practitioners, required rigorous and repeated measures of quality control. The application of the integrative concept provided products for both stakeholder groups, and the process of scenario development facilitated cooperation and learning within both the scientist and practitioner groups as well as between the two groups.
Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Infected Canines

Escherichia coli strains from dogs with different clinical signs were studied for their antimicrobial sensitivity profiles, extended spectrum beta-lactamase enzymes, and virulent genes. The 364 E. coli isolates originated from the skin (32.48%), urinary tract (31.32%), gastrointestinal tract (16.21%), reproductive system (7.69%), ear (6.05%), respiratory tract (4.94%), and other specimens (1.37%). Using the disk diffusion method, the E. coli were resistant to amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, azithromycin, cephalexin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, gentamicin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim at the rates of 84, 36, 41, 57, 38, 66, 73, 70, 64, 47, and 64%, respectively. Ninety-seven E. coli that were resistant to two or more beta-lactam drugs were chosen for investigation of their ESBL enzymes. Results showed that 36 isolates could produce ESBL enzymes by the combination disk test comprising one set of cefotaxime and cefotaxime-clavulanic acid and another set of ceftazidime and ceftazidime-clavulanic acid. Amplification of the ESBL-encoded genes of the 36 E. coli produced 35 isolates carrying bla CTX-M (543 bp) and 33 isolates harboring bla TEM (863 bp). The genes bla SHV and bla VEB were not found in the tested isolates by PCR. The E. coli- producing ESBL enzymes were further investigated for the virulent factors of Shiga-like toxin E. coli ( stx, eae, and hly ), Enteropathogenic E. coli ( bfp ) and Enterotoxigenic E. coli (LT, ST toxin). However, the isolates from the pets in this study did not present any of these virulent genes.
Biochemical, Microbial Stability and Sensory Evaluation of Osmotically Dehydrated Kinnow Peel Candy and Peel Powder

Kinnow peel is a rich source of ascorbic acid, pectin, naringin and limonin that goes waste during processing and utilization of kinnow into various products. Kinnow peel candy and peel powder prepared by osmotic dehydration retain color, aroma, taste and nutritional components of the peel for longer duration. In this present investigation, products were packed in four different packaging materials (HDPE, LDPE, laminate bag and glass jar) and stored under ambient (37-44°C, relative humidity 56%) and refrigerated conditions (4-6°C, relative humidity 95%) for 60 days to study the effect of storage conditions and packaging material. The acceptability of the products was tested through biochemical, microbiological analysis and sensory evaluation of the peel candy and powder at regular intervals (0, 30 and 60 days) during storage. All packaged materials were capable of maintaining the microbial load below the limits. The candy packed in HDPE bag and peel powder packed in laminate bag was overall acceptable and microbiologically stable till storage of 60 days under both (ambient and refrigerated) conditions.