Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of Urea-Formaldehyde Adhesive with Oxidized Cassava Starch

Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins based on different formaldehyde/urea (F/U) mole ratio were synthesized with oxidized cassava starch added at the final stage of the resin synthesis process. The basic characteristics of resins including solid content, viscosity, and curing time were studied, and the dry and wet bond strengths were evaluated by producing a three layer plywood. Additionally, the curing characteristics of different resins were investigated via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Structural distributions between UF and oxidized cassava starch were examined via FT-IR and 13C NMR analysis. The results indicated that the addition of oxidized starch not only improved resin bond strength but also notably reduced the curing start temperature of modified resins. Furthermore, a negative relationship between F/U mole ratio and the extent of reduction was identified. The structural distribution of UF resins changed dramatically because of oxidation cassava starch addition, but the changes varied due to different F/U mole ratios.
Coping With Stress: Strategies Adopted by Students at the Winneba Campus of University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

The purpose of the study was to investigate if students of the Winneba Campus of UEW (University of Education, Winneba), have appropriate strategies to cope with stress. Four hundred students who were selected based on stratified random sampling technique from all the departments at the Winneba Campus of the university were involved in the study. The questionnaire which was adapted to suit the study environment was pre-tested at the University of Cape Coast. The results of the study showed that among the ten strategies used, “active coping” and “positive reinterpretation and growth” were the two most predominant for problem-focused and emotion-focused styles of coping respectively. The study also indicated that students of the Winneba Campus of UEW used more of emotion-focused strategies than problem-focused strategies in managing stress. Among the recommendations is that the Counseling Unit of UEW should strengthen its services by having social support groups that consist of lecturers and students, so that supportive skills, such as talking and sharing, can be developed and students may then become very comfortable to let out their feelings.
Influence of Different Phenolic Fractions on Red Wine Astringency Based on Polyphenol/Protein Binding

The presence of phenolic compounds can make a great contribution to the perception of astringency in red wines based on their interactions with proteins. Human salivary protein and bovine serum albumin were used in this study to investigate the relationship between astringency and polyphenol composition. The interactions between polyphenols and proteins were analysed by means of electrophoresis and fluorescence spectra, and they were further confirmed by sensory analysis. The results indicate that a positive correlation existed among the percentage of polymeric proanthocyanidins and the total phenols. Additionally, astringent wine was generally identified as having a high percentage of polymeric fragments. In comparison with other fractions, polymeric fractions exhibited the highest affinity for protein, and thus the highest astringency.
Characterization of a GH12 endoglucanase from Volvariella volvacea exhibiting broad substrate specificity and potential synergy with crude cellulase

Fungal glycoside hydrolase family GH12 has a single catalytic domain, exhibiting a great diversity of properties and application potentials in biomass biorefinery, feed, and textile industries. To discover new GH12 enzymes from white- and brown-rot basidiomycetes for application in the saccharification of lignocelluloses, two putative genes, VvGH12A and VvGH12B, were identified from the Volvariella volvacea genome and classified into basidiomycetous subfamily GH12-1 and GH12-2, respectively. One enzyme VvGH12A was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris, and characterized. VvGH12A was the most active on CMC but with broad substrate specificities on polysaccharides with b-1,4 linked and b-1,3-1,4-mixed glucans. Furthermore, VvGH12A was also active on xylan and mannan. Unlike other fungal GH12 endoglucanases, VvGH12A showed a weak processivity independent of the carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) due to both “endo” and “exo” types of enzyme activity. The pH-optimum was significantly affected by the acidity and basicity of amino acid at site 98. The enzyme optimum pH was engineered to a higher neutral or alkaline pH (from pH 6.5 to pH 7.0-8.0) when Asp98 was replaced with nonpolar or neutral or amide residue. VvGH12A exhibited synergistic action with crude cellulase from Trichoderma reesei D-86271 (Rut C-30) in saccharification of delignified wheat straw, suggesting that VvGH12A plays a functional role in efficiently hydrolyzing plant cell wall polysaccharides.
Effect of Some Soilless Culture Techniques on Sweet Pepper Growth , Production , Leaves Chemical Contents and Water Consumption under Greenhouse Conditions

This study was carried out in the fiberglass greenhouse at the farm of the vegetable crops department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, throughout the two growing seasons of 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 to investigate the effect of some soilless culture techniques (perlite, rice straw and modified plant plane hydroponic) on the growth and yield of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), cv. , 7158 comparing with sandy soil. The experiment included 4 treatments with 3 replicates arranged in a randomized complete block design. Data indicated that sweet pepper plants grown on any used soilless culture substrate consumed lower quantities of water and nutrient solution than in sandy soil, the plants grown on straw, followed by perlite then plant plane hydroponic, respectively, in this regard. Growing pepper plants on perlite and plant plane hydroponic caused a significant decrease in all vegetative growth characters during the early stage of the growth periods (90 days after transplanting), as compared with sandy soil. In contrast, vegetative growth characters of pepper plants cultured on modified plant plane hydroponic and perlite media were generally better than those recorded on plants grown on sandy soil, 120 days after transplanting. Nonmarketable yield, as well as N and K % in leaves of plants cultured on modified plant plane hydroponic and perlite substrate were significantly lower than those recorded on plants cultured on sandy soil, while the reverse was recorded concerning Ca and P concentrations in leaves. Plants grown on plant plane hydroponic significantly exceeded sandy soil in total and marketable yield, whereas the reverse was true concerning culturing on perlite substrate. Plants grown on straw medium significantly exceeded all other media; i.e. plant plane hydroponic, perlite and sandy soil, in their vegetative growth characters. So, transplanting pepper plants on straw culture media produced significantly higher root fresh weight, number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant and plant height as compared with sandy soil. Weight of early, marketable and total yield obtained from plants grown on rice straw were significantly higher than recorded on plants grown on sand or any other used media. N and K concentrations in leaves were the highest in sandy soil while they were the lowest in straw culture. In contrast, the reverse was recorded concerning P and Ca. Data indicated that straw gave the highest value treatment to leaf chlorophyll content, phosphorus percent and calcium percent in pepper leaves at 120 and 180 days of the two seasons. Straw culture may be recommended for the high sweet pepper production and reducing water consumption under greenhouse conditions.
Geothermal Anomalies and Analysis of Gravity, Fracturing and Magnetic Features in Morocco

Heat flow determinations in Morocco show two main geothermal anomalies: -Northward, we observe from the northern Middle Atlas, the Rif and North-eastern Morocco toward the Alboran Sea, South-east Spain and Western Algeria a range of 80 - 110 mW/m² and 35-50 °C/km for heat flow density and thermal gradient respectively. Southward, an East-West geothermal trend is observed from the Canary archipelagos to Tindouf basin and which continues in the Algerian Sahara (with a wide geothermal field range of 70-100 mW/m² and 25-45 °C/km for heat flow and geothermal gradient respectively). The isopleths map reveals significant short-wavelength anomalies overprinting these regional variations, particularly, in the Rif and the High Atlas, where negative residual heat flow anomalies are superimposed on low Bouguer anomalies (reaching –150 mgal in both domains), and are probably associated to thick deposits. These two regional geothermal anomalies could be the result of the same phenomenon of an abnormally hot and heterogeneous upper mantle, in relation to an extensional tectonic regime over Northwest Africa and the Betic-Rif orocline, since the Cretaceous rifting and the Alpine orogenesis. The highest geothermal anomaly observed in the northeastern part of the country (Middle Atlas and Eastern Rif), is particularly characterized by intensive Quaternary volcanism and an average shallow Curie points depths of 15 to 20 km. On the other hand, the spatial distribution of the hot springs presenting CO2 emission extends preferentially along a NE-SW seismic lineament corresponding to the zone of High and Middle Atlas. Also we note the existence of areas showing shallow Curie points depths (15 to 20 km) in the Atlas domain. These phenomena are consistent with the thermal litospheric structure underneath the Atlas belt, where a modelling by using thermal, seismic, topographic and gravity data reveals an unusually thin lithosphere (less than 90 Km).
Imaging thoughts - an investigation of neural circuits encoding changes in behavior in zebrafish

Experience influences how we perceive the world, how we interact with our environment, and how we develop. In fact, almost all animals can modify their behavior as a result of experience. Psychologists have long distinguished between different forms of learning and memory, and later determined that they are encoded in distinct brain areas. Neuroscientists dating back to Santiago Ramon y Cajal suggested that learning and memory might be encoded as changes in synaptic connections between neurons, but it wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that experimental evidence corroborated this idea. Specific firing patterns of neurons during learning results in strengthening or weakening of synapses, and morphological modifications that can lead to long lasting changes in neural circuits. The molecular mechanisms that drive these changes are remarkably conserved across vertebrates. However, understanding how synaptic plasticity is integrated at a network level remains a big challenge in neuroscience. Relatively few studies have focused on how neural circuits encode changes in behavior in a natural context. In this dissertation I present two such examples using calcium imaging and optogenetic techniques in larval zebrafish. First, in collaboration with others, I studied neural activity that drives the onset of the very first behavior of the fish, tail coiling. We characterized the transition of spontaneous activity in the spinal cord from a sporadic, uncorrelated state, to a regular and synchronized state. We determined that this transition occurred through coalescence of local microcircuits, and that inhibiting the early sporadic activity impaired normal development of the central pattern generator network. Second, I studied how experience of prey affects hunting behavior and underlying neural activity. I developed a paradigm to assess the effect of prior hunting on prey capture behavior and showed that experienced fish initiate more captures than their naive counterparts. I next established that experience does not affect the ability of the fish to see prey. Rather, experience increases the probability that activity in visual areas will evoke a capture initiation. This is accomplished by increasing the impact of information transfer from visual to motor areas, possibly due to increased activity in forebrain areas for experienced fish.
Does Familiarity with Business Segments Affect CEOs' Divestment Decisions?

We examine the impact of familiarity with business segments on CEOs' divestment decisions. We find CEOs are less likely to divest assets from familiar than from non-familiar segments. We attribute this effect to CEOs' comparative information advantage with respect to familiar segments. Consistent with this information advantage, we document that the familiarity effect is particularly strong in R&D intensive industries. We further find the familiarity effect to be most pronounced for longer-tenured CEOs who have built up sufficient political power over the course of several years in office to enable implementation of their preferred divestment choices. We also document the value effects of divestments and show that familiarity affects returns on divestment announcements.
FLOW SIMULATION AND PERFORMANCE PREDICTION OF CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS USING CFD-TOOL

With the aid of computational fluid dynamics, the complex internal flows in water pump impellers can be well predicted, thus facilitating the product development process of pumps. In this paper a commercial CFD code was used to solve the governing equations of the flow field. A 2-D simulation of turbulent fluid flow is presented to visualize the flow in a centrifugal pump, including the pressure and velocity distributions. The standard k-e turbulence model and SIMPLEC algorithm were chosen for turbulence model and pressure-velocity coupling respectively. The simulation was steady and moving reference frame was used to consider the impeller-volute interaction. The head and efficiency at different flow rates are predicted and they agree well with those available in literature for similar pump. From the simulation results it was observed that the flow change has an important effect on the location and area of low pressure region behind the blade inlet and the direction of velocity at impeller inlet. From the study it was observed that FLUENT simulation results give good prediction of performance of centrifugal pump and may help to reduce the required experimental work for the study of centrifugal pump performance. Keywords: Centrifugal Pump, FLUENT, Performance prediction, CFD
Purification and characterization of hemocyte phenoloxidases in Chilo suppressalis walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

In the current study, two phenoloxidases (POs) from the larvae of Chilo suppressalis Walker were extracted and purified by column chromatography using Sepharyl G-100 and DEAE-Cellulose fast flow column. Two proteins possessing PO activity, named as POI and POII, were extracted by purification, 5.08- and 5.62-fold, respectively, with 8.94% and 7.31% recoveries, respectively. Also, the specific activities of POI and POII were 0.478 and 0.529 U/mg protein, respectively. Finally, the molecular weights of POI and POII were calculated as 94.6 and 95.7 kDa, respectively. Kinetic parameters of the purified phenoloxidases by Lineweaver-Burk analysis were V max of 2.27 and 1.11 U/mg protein and K m of 15.51 and 17.31 mM for POI and POII, respectively. Mg 2+ and Cu 2+ significantly increased the PO activities. Ca 2+ decreased the activity of POI and showed no statistical effects on POII activity. EDTA and DTC significantly inhibited the activities of the purified enzymes, while triethylenetetramine hexaacetic acid (TTHA) and RGTA showed no significant effects on enzymatic activities.
Automatic Recognition of Emotional States From Human Speeches

As computer-based applications receive increasing attention in the real world and in our daily life, the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) technology has also advanced rapidly over the recent decades. One essential enabler of natural interaction between human and computers is the computers’ ability to understand the emotional states expressed by the human subjects (so that personalized responses can be delivered accordingly). This is not surprising as it is well known that emotion plays an important role in human-human communications. Emotions are mental and physiological states associated with feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of human subjects. The emotional state expressed by a human subject reflects not only the mood but also the personality of the human subject. Automatic recognition of emotional states from cues expressed by human subjects, such as face expression or tone of voice, has found increasing applications in security, learning, medicine, entertainment, etc. For example, detecting abnormal emotions, such as stress or nervousness, helps to detect lie or identify suspicious human subjects. Emotion recognition in automatic tutoring systems, such as web-based e-learning, can adjust the tutoring content and delivery speed according to users’ responses. Automatically recognizing emotions from patients could also be helpful in clinical studies as well as in psychosis monitoring and diagnosis assistance. Emotion classification has been applied in the customer service sector
A systematic review of the effect of habitual breakfast for adolescents aged 11-19 years on academic performance

Background Breakfast consumption plays an important role in growth, energy, BMI, and lifestyle. Studies show that it has a positive influence on cognitive and academic outcomes. Despite these benefits, there has been no systematic review of the literature focusing on habitual breakfast consumption on scholastic achievement among adolescent students aged 11 - 19. Objective The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the existing evidence on habitual breakfast consumption and academic performance in adolescents aged 11 - 19 years. Methods A systematic review of studies was conducted for relevant articles published between 1990 and 2015 in the PubMed, PsycInfo , and ERIC databases. Results The search identified 163 articles. Of these, 12 papers met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies showed a positive relationship between habitual breakfast consumption and school grades, while four papers had non - significant results even though two of these studies were of a superior design. According to NHLBI criteria in term s of quality of research design, most of the studies were assessed to be fair, three were deemed to be weak and only one study assessed to be strong. Various breakfast definitions and classifications within three different time frames were used in the studies. Three academic achievement measurements, including school grades, standardized achievement tests and self - report school grades were used . Conclusion There is mixed evidence to draw firm conclusion of the effect of habitual breakfast on academic performance , and there are some methodological problems with some of the studies which need to be taken into account. A n excellent study design, specific definitions and classifications of breakfast within specific time frames of seven days, and objective measurements for breakfast and academic performance are needed in further research.
Estimation of biomass and carbon stock in Para rubber plantations using object-based classification from Thaichote satellite data in Eastern Thailand

Abstract. This paper deals with the efficiency of measurements of carbon stock by remote sensing techniques on Para rubber plantations in Thailand. These plantations could play an important role in carbon budget and thus are part of the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol. Current methods of carbon stock estimations use middle resolution images and produce results with a large uncertainty. We use very high resolution images from the Thaichote satellite, associated with field measurements to estimate the carbon stock and its evolution in the Mae num Prasae watershed, Eastern Thailand. Using object-based classifications, the plantations have been mapped and their age has been estimated from a parametric model derived from both spectral and textural information and field data. The total biomass and carbon stocked are 2.23 and 0.99 Megaton with an uncertainty of 11%. One hundred and twenty one tons of carbon are sequestered annually in the Para rubber plantations of the studied area.
Satellite observations of stratospheric hydrogen fluoride and comparisons with SLIMCAT calculations

Abstract. The vast majority of emissions of fluorine-containing molecules are anthropogenic in nature, e.g. chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Many of these fluorine-containing species deplete stratospheric ozone and are regulated by the Montreal Protocol. Once in the atmosphere they slowly degrade, ultimately leading to the formation of hydrogen fluoride (HF), the dominant reservoir of stratospheric fluorine due to its extreme stability. Monitoring the growth of stratospheric HF is therefore an important marker for the success of the Montreal Protocol. We report the comparison of global distributions and trends of HF measured in the Earth's atmosphere by the satellite remote-sensing instruments ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer), which has been recording atmospheric spectra since 2004, and HALOE (HALogen Occultation Experiment), which recorded atmospheric spectra between 1991 and 2005, with the output of SLIMCAT, a state-of-the-art three-dimensional chemical transport model. In general the agreement between observation and model is good, although the ACE-FTS measurements are biased high by ∼ 10 % relative to HALOE. The observed global HF trends reveal a substantial slowing down in the rate of increase of HF since the 1990s: 4.97 ± 0.12 % year−1 (1991–1997; HALOE), 1.12 ± 0.08 % year−1 (1998–2005; HALOE), and 0.52 ± 0.03 % year−1 (2004–2012; ACE-FTS). In comparison, SLIMCAT calculates trends of 4.01, 1.10, and 0.48 % year−1, respectively, for the same periods; the agreement is very good for all but the earlier of the two HALOE periods. Furthermore, the observations reveal variations in the HF trends with latitude and altitude; for example, between 2004 and 2012 HF actually decreased in the Southern Hemisphere below ∼ 35 km. An additional SLIMCAT simulation with repeating meteorology for the year 2000 produces much cleaner trends in HF with minimal variations with latitude and altitude. Therefore, the variations with latitude and altitude in the observed HF trends are due to variability in stratospheric dynamics on the timescale of a few years. Overall, the agreement between observation and model points towards the ongoing success of the Montreal Protocol and the usefulness of HF as a metric for stratospheric fluorine.
To Raise or Not to Raise? Impact Assessment of Russia's Incremental Gas Price Reform

The growing momentum for gas price liberalization in Russia is increasingly constrained by fears of potentially strong adverse impact that market-based price setting principle will have on the economy. Based on a novel multi-regional, multi-sector and multi-household computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the Russian Federation, this paper presents a simple yet a flexible framework for evaluating gas price reform. We found that the reform is feasible at low economic cost, without greater disparities in terms of increased inequity within and between country's federal districts. Large redistributive impacts can arise from specific mechanisms to recycle revenues. In terms of global environmental credentials, gas price liberalization can bring Russia on a substantially more sustainable path. The potential to foster adoption of energy efficiency measures by exploiting the revenue-recycling effect is, however, limited.