Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reanalysis of the Viking results suggests perchlorate and organics at midlatitudes on Mars

[1] The most comprehensive search for organics in the Martian soil was performed by the Viking Landers. Martian soil was subjected to a thermal volatilization process to vaporize and break organic molecules, and the resultant gases and volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Only water at 0.1–1.0 wt% was detected, with traces of chloromethane at 15 ppb, at Viking landing site 1, and water at 0.05–1.0 wt% and carbon dioxide at 50–700 ppm, with traces of dichloromethane at 0.04–40 ppb, at Viking landing site 2. These chlorohydrocarbons were considered to be terrestrial contaminants, although they had not been detected at those levels in the blank runs. Recently, perchlorate was discovered in the Martian Arctic soil by the Phoenix Lander. Here we show that when Mars-like soils from the Atacama Desert containing 32 ± 6 ppm of organic carbon are mixed with 1 wt% magnesium perchlorate and heated, nearly all the organics present are decomposed to water and carbon dioxide, but a small amount is chlorinated, forming 1.6 ppm of chloromethane and 0.02 ppm of dichloromethane at 500°C. A chemical kinetics model was developed to predict the degree of oxidation and chlorination of organics in the Viking oven. Reinterpretation of the Viking results therefore suggests ≤0.1% perchlorate and 1.5–6.5 ppm organic carbon at landing site 1 and ≤0.1% perchlorate and 0.7–2.6 ppm organic carbon at landing site 2. The detection of organics on Mars is important to assess locations for future experiments to detect life itself.
Chemopreventive activity of phenylalanine against damage mutagenic prompted by the acute administration of cyclophosphamide in pregnant and non-pregnant mice using the micronucleus test

A presente pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar a capacidade quimiopreventiva da fenilalanina. Utilizou-se um lote de femeas prenhes e nao prenhes divididas nos seguintes grupos experimentais: G1, PBS (0,1 mL/kg p.c.); G2, ciclofosfamida (35 mg/kg p.c.-i.p.); G3, fenilalanina (150 mg/kg p.c.-v.o.) e G4, fenilalanina (300 mg/kg p.c.-v.o.) e G5 (150 mg/kg p.c. de fenilalanina e 35 mg/kg de ciclofosfamida); G6, (300 mg/kg p.c. de fenilalanina e 35 mg/kg de ciclofosfamida). As coletas de sangue periferico foram realizadas em T0, antes da administracao de qualquer substância teste e/ou veiculos, e igualmente em T24 e T48, onde as coletas foram realizadas respectivamente 24 e 48 h apos a administracao da ciclofosfamida. Em uma analise geral verificou-se que, para o grupo de femeas nao prenhes, a avaliacao da antimutagenicidade demonstrou porcentagens de reducao de danos de 57,24% e 31,64% para G5 e G6, respectivamente, em T24, e 29,32% e 24,13% para G5 e G6, respectivamente, em T48. Nos animais prenhes a antimutagenicidade de 24 h demonstrou eficiencia quimiopreventiva apenas para a menor dose (G5) e as porcentagens de reducao de danos foram de 43,25% em G5 e 18,47% em G6. No momento T48 as porcentagens de reducao de danos foram de 44,67% e 37,76% para G5 e G6, respectivamente.
Impact of the Montreal Protocol on Antarctic Surface Mass Balance and Implications for Global Sea Level Rise

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, adopted in 1987, is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out emissions of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozonedepleting substances (ODSs). A growing body of scientific evidence now suggests that the implementation of the Montreal Protocol will have significant effects on climate over the next several decades, both by enabling stratospheric ozone recovery and by decreasing atmospheric concentrations of ODSs, which are greenhouse gases. Here, using a state-of-the-art chemistry–climate model, the Community Earth System Model (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model) [CESM(WACCM)], it is shown that the Montreal Protocol, through its impact on atmospheric ODS concentrations, leads to a substantial decrease in Antarctic surface mass balance (SMB) over the period 2006–65 relative to a hypothetical ‘‘World Avoided’’ scenario in which theMontreal Protocol has not been implemented. This SMBdecrease produces an additional 25mmof global sea level rise (GSLR) by the year 2065 relative to the present day. It is found, however, that the additional GSLR resulting from the relative decrease in Antarctic SMB is more than offset by a reduction in ocean thermal expansion, leading to a net mitigation of future GSLR due to the Montreal Protocol.
Unravelling the Connection Between Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Butyrylcholinesterase

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is glucose intolerance first diagnosed during pregnancy (Metzger and Coustan 1998, World Health Organization 1999). Gestational diabetes is a condition that complicates 3-12. % of pregnancies (Gabbe and Graves 2003, Omu et al 2010 ) with wide variation in the incidence of gestational diabetes reported among ethnic groups.This could be newly diagnosed type 1 or type 2 Diabetes Mellitus or a new onset of hyperglycemia secondary to metabolic changes related to pregnancy (Yogev and Visser 2009). The rates of Gestational diabetes mellitus are increasing with the epidemic of obesity worldwide. Risk factors for GDM include advanced maternal age, multiparity, and racial or ethnic minority status (Table 1).
Advanced high-K/metal gate charge trapping memories for post-45 nm node

In this paper we present our recent results on charge trapping memory arrays with HfSiO<sub>x</sub> high -K dielectrics and TiN as the metal gate aimed at low power/low voltage embedded flash and E<sup>2</sup>PROM applications. HfSiO<sub>x</sub>/SiN memory arrays operated with moderately low program/erase voltages, with an excellent endurance and good retention up to 85°C are demonstrated.
A spatially explicit model of the movement of humpback whales relative to a source

When measuring the response of large whales to a noise source, multiple measures of behavior are often used (e.g. horizontal movement, dive profile and surface behavior). Although this helps to determine fine-scale changes in behavior, using numerous measures means an adjustment of significance level. In addition, many of these behavioral measures do not account for the position of the source vessel relative to the animal or group. This paper develops a new measure, the ‘DDsv, which compares the distance of the group to the source vessel had they continued on their original path (expected) to their observed distance to the source vessel. An increase in DDsv implied avoidance. Baseline movements of humpback whales were then compared to a set of controls (where the vessel was moving but the air guns were not operating) and two ‘active’ treatments: vessels towing a 20 cu in air gun and a 140 cu in array of air guns, air guns firing every 11 sec. This spatially explicit model takes into account the alteration in group horizontal movement relative to the source vessel. It is a measure of displacement behavior that can be applied to other marine mammal behavioral response studies.
OCCASIONAL PAPER 29 DOES CAPITAL STRUCTURE DEPEND ON GROUP AFFILIATION ? AN ANALYSIS OF INDIAN CORPORATE FIRMS

This paper investigates the effect of group-affiliation on the Indian corporate firms capital structure based on data of 875 Indian non-financial firms listed either in the Bombay Stock Exchange or in the National Stock Exchange, for the period 2002-2010. Among the three alternative estimation methodologies applied viz., (i) pooled OLS, (ii) generalized method of moments (GMM)and (iii) ‘lagged’ time-series analysis, the GMM appears to be the robust one. It is found that the group-affiliated firms have higher level of leverage than the stand-alone firms which can be explained by a combination of factors such as the reduction of the agency cost of debt in case of the group-affiliated Indian firms, better access to external finance in case of the Indian business groups due to better reputation and creation of internal capital markets by the business groups.
Was wissen wir über guten Unterricht

Was macht den guten Lehrer, was erfolgreichen Unterricht aus? Wie oft ist diese Frage in der Vergangenheit bereits gestellt und diskutiert worden – insbesondere aus dem Blickwinkel der Allgemeinen Padagogik und der Schulpadagogik. Seit langem bildet sie einen zentralen Gegenstand der empirischen Unterrichtsforschung und der Lehr-Lern-Forschung.
Behind the Box: A Sociological Analysis of Theft, Tampering and Mishandling of Postal Packets

There is no gainsaying the fact that besides the physical requirements of food and shelter, man has another fundamental need, the need to communicate with his fellow human beings. The urge for communication is natural, primal and, in our modern interdependent world, a necessity. Indeed, our social life revolves around communication since it is the cement that holds society together. It is for this very important reason that postal service was developed to provide the indispensable link between people living in different parts of the world. Thus, through postal service people separated by hundreds and thousands of miles can be brought together. However, over the years, there have been malpractices in and against the Ghana Post Company Limited. These have resulted in numerous complaints, which constitute an indication of the public dissatisfaction with the performance of the organization. The study revealed that indeed mail theft, pilfering, tampering and mishandling of postal items are present at the Post Offices in Ghana. Among others, we identify factors such as social solidarity among workers, social pressure and ‘conducive’ working environment as contributing to mail theft, pilfering and mishandling of postal packets.
Towards self-powering touch-sensitive OLED systems

In this paper, we present a novel design of an OLED system that is integrated with a mechanical energy harvesting polymer film and energy storage polymer film (patent pending). The system is configured in multiple stacked layers to form a thin, flexible, and light-weight assembly, for applications in energy harvesting displays, electronic papers, touch-input-pads, novel packaging, and much more. Initial results on the energy storage characteristics of the polymer film, the performance of a polyfluorene based OLED, and discussions on the mechanical energy transduction are presented.
Adaptive Thyristor-Controlled LC-Hybrid Active Power Filter for Reactive Power and Current Harmonics Compensation With Switching Loss Reduction

In this paper, an adaptive dc-link voltage controlled thyristor-controlled LC-coupling hybrid active power filter (TCLC-HAPF) is proposed for reducing switching loss, switching noise, and enhancing the compensating performance. Unfortunately, the TCLC-HAPF has both controllable active TCLC part and active inverter part; thus, the conventional minimum dc-link voltage calculation methods for active power filter (APF) and LC-coupling hybrid APF (LC-HAPF) cannot be directly applied to the TCLC-HAPF. Moreover, the aforementioned dc-link voltage calculation methods were developed based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT), which makes the calculation complex. This paper also presents a simplified minimum dc-link voltage calculation method for TCLC-HAPF reactive power and current harmonics compensation, which can significantly reduce the large amount of the calculation steps by using the FFT method. After that, an adaptive dc-link voltage controller for the TCLC-HAPF is developed to dynamically keep its operating at its minimum dc-link voltage level to reduce its switching loss and switching noise. Finally, representative simulation and experimental results are given to verify the proposed simplified dc-link voltage calculation method and the adaptive dc-link voltage control method of TCLC-HAPF.
Effects of Surface Plasma Treatment on Tribology of Thermoplastic Polymers

We have subjected polycarbonate (PC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and Hytrel 1 (HY, a thermoplastic elastomer) to atmospheric pressure oxygen plasma treatment for varying amounts of time. Effects of the treatment have been evaluated in terms of the water wetting angle, dynamic friction, scratch resistance, and sliding wear. Although PS, PP, and HY do not undergo significant tribological changes as a result of the interaction with plasma, PC and LDPE show more pronounced and useful effects, such as a lowering of dynamic friction in PC and wear reduction in LDPE. These results can be explained in terms of the changes in chemical structures and increase of hydrophilicity. Based on the effects of oxygen plasma treatment on PC and LDPE, these two polymers have been subjected to longer oxygen plasma treatments and to argon, nitrogen, and air plasmas. Resulting effects on friction and scratch resistance are compared to determine the mechanisms responsible for the various surface behaviors. Chemical surface modification—as represented by changing contact angles—contributes to the tribological responses. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 48:1971–1976, 2008. a 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
Rectifier design challenges for RF wireless power transfer and energy harvesting systems

The design of wireless power transfer (WPT) and energy harvesting (EH) solutions poses different challenges towards achieving maximum RF-DC conversion efficiency in these systems. This paper covers several selected challenges when developing WPT and electromagnetic EH solutions, such as the design of multiband and broadband rectifiers, the minimization of the effect that load and input power variations may have on the system performance and finally the most optimum power combining mechanisms that can be used when dealing with multi-element rectifiers.
Food Safety and HACCP in Schools

Please note that this study was published before the implementation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which went into effect during the 2012-13 school year, and its provision for Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards for Competitive Food in Schools, implemented during the 2014-15 school year. As such, certain research may not be relevant today.
IELTS Research Reports Online Series

This article reports on a research project which used eye-tracking technology to investigate the eye movements of a group of multinational students completing IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test items. It represents the first attempt to use such technology to gain insights into the cognitive processes of students of different nationalities and languages as they read test passages and respond to test items. The approach shadowed earlier successful research reported in Bax (2013a and 2013b). One limitation of that research was the use of a single nationality (Malaysian) group, leaving open the possibility that the cognitive operations of readers of other nationalities with different first languages, as revealed through eye movements and other methods, might be patterned in different ways. A further limitation of that research was that it was restricted to analysing local reading only. For this reason, the present study drew on the success of that earlier research, in terms of following its approach and methodology, but investigated a carefully selected multinational group and additional dimensions of their reading and test-taking behaviour not explored in the earlier study, through the use of the eye-tracking technology. A cohort of multinational students (n=41) took an IELTS test which consisted of 11 test items and two authentic IELTS reading passages, delivered in onscreen mode to facilitate effective eye-tracking, carefully following the methodology of the Bax (2013b) study so as to allow for valid comparison. A random selection of these candidates was then made for eye-tracking analysis (n=30), and a sample of the same candidates (n=20) followed a retrospective stimulated recall procedure in which they reported on their reading. As in the earlier study, comparison was then made between
Effects of Aqueous and Methanol Extracts of Zingiber officinale on the Haematological Profile in Schistosoma haematobium-Infected Mice

The aim of the study was to evaluate the immunomodulating effects of aqueous and methanol extracts of Zingiber officinale on the haematological profile in Schistosoma haematobium - infected mice.The weight and haematological profiles of Schistosoma haematobium - infected mice were assessed to evaluate the immunomodulating effects of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Zingiber officinale at post-infection and post-treatment. There was a non-significant decrease (p>0.05) in the weight of mice in all the groups. However, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in the total white blood cell counts, neutrophils and lymphocytes for group I (S. haematobium - infected mice treated with 9.5mg/kg aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale). In group II - (S. haematobium - infected mice treated with 87mg/kg methanolic extract of Zingiber officinale), there was significant increase (p<0.05) in the haemoglobin level and white blood cells. Methanolic extract of Zingiber officinale has better anti-anaemic effect than the aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale . There was no relationship between the level of eosinophils and the treated mice. No significant change in the haematological indices was observed in the group which was administered the standard drug- Praziquantel (PZQ). The immunomodualting effects of aqueous and methanol extracts of Zingiber officinale when compared to PZQ are promising in immunosuppressed Schistosoma haematobium- infected mice. Fractionation of the crude extract of Zingiber officinale may further identify the bioactive components required for treatment of urinary schistosomiasis.
Total antioxidant capacity and phenolic content of pasteurized and UHT-treated cow milk samples marketed in Turkey

In this study, UHT-treated (a total of 39 samples with 17 full-fat, 17 semi-fat and 5 skim milk) and pasteurized (5 fullfat) milk samples from different trademarks were obtained from national market chains, which constitute the majority of the Turkey’s pasteurized and UHT milk market. Total antioxidant capacities and phenolic contents of milk samples were determined by the 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) methods, respectively. Mean total phenolic contents of milk samples ranged from 505.46±16.66 to 982.14±168.42 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/L. Statistical results of the ABTS assay indicated that total antioxidant capacities in decreasing order were pasteurized [280.25±7.71 μM Trolox Equivalent (TE)] > full-fat (240.30±15.71 μM TE) > skim (216.78±4.90 μM TE) > semi-fat (209.81±7.03 μM TE) milk samples. In general, total antioxidant capacity of milk samples determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method increased with an increase in milk fat content. Antioxidant capacity of pasteurized milks determined by both methods was higher than UHT processed milks.
Group Versus Individual Use of an Optimized and the Full EPMcreate as Creativity Enhancement Techniques for Web Site Requirements Elicitation ?

[Context] Creativity is often needed in requirements elicitation, i.e., generating ideas for requirements, and therefore, techniques to enhance creativity are believed to be useful. [Objective] How does the size of a group using the EPMcreate creativity enhancement technique or an optimization of it, POEPMcreate, affect the group’s and each member of the group’s effectiveness in generating requirement ideas? [Method] This paper describes an experiment in which individuals and two-person and four-person groups used POEPMcreate to generate ideas for requirements for enhancing a high school’s public Web site. [Results] The data of this experiment combined with the data of two previous experiments involving two-person and four-person groups using EPMcreate and POEPMcreate indicate that the size of a group using EPMcreate or POEPMcreate does affect the number of raw and new requirement ideas generated by the group and by the average member of the group. [Conclusions] A conclusion from the data is that generally, the larger a group is, up to a particular group size that depends on the creativity enhancement technique used, the more raw and new requirement ideas it generates. After that particular group size, the larger a group is, the fewer raw and new requirement ideas it generates. Another conclusion from the data is that generally, the larger a group is, up to a particular group size that depends on the creativity enhancement technique used, the more raw and new requirement ideas the average group member generates. After that particular group size, the larger a group is, the fewer raw and new requirement ideas he or she generates. These conclusion are partially corroborated by qualitative data gathered from a survey of professional business or requirements analysts about group sizes and creativity enhancement techniques. See the section titled “Compliance with Ethical Standards”, just before the references, for a statement about previous publication of parts of this paper’s contents. 2 Victoria Sakhnini, Luisa Mich, and Daniel M. Berry
Evaluation of vaccination safety in children with mastocytosis

Mastocytosis is a disease characterized by increased mast cell density in various tissues, including the skin, hematopoietic organs and gastrointestinal tract (1). Mastocytosis may appear in both children and adults. Childhood mastocytosis is more frequently limited to the skin and resolves spontaneously in the majority of cases (2) whereas adult mastocytosis is usually systemic and may have an indolent or aggressive course (1). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Evidence from pupillometry and fMRI indicates reduced neural response during vicarious social pain but not physical pain in autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by substantial social deficits. The notion that dysfunctions in neural circuits involved in sharing another's affect explain these deficits is appealing, but has received only modest experimental support. Here we evaluated a complex paradigm on the vicarious social pain of embarrassment to probe social deficits in ASD as to whether it is more potent than paradigms currently in use. To do so we acquired pupillometry and fMRI in young adults with ASD and matched healthy controls. During a simple vicarious physical pain task no differences emerged between groups in behavior, pupillometry, and neural activation of the anterior insula (AIC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In contrast, processing complex vicarious social pain yielded reduced responses in ASD on all physiological measures of sharing another's affect. The reduced activity within the AIC was thereby explained by the severity of autistic symptoms in the social and affective domain. Additionally, behavioral responses lacked correspondence with the anterior cingulate and anterior insula cortex activity found in controls. Instead, behavioral responses in ASD were associated with hippocampal activity. The observed dissociation echoes the clinical observations that deficits in ASD are most pronounced in complex social situations and simple tasks may not probe the dysfunctions in neural pathways involved in sharing affect. Our results are highly relevant because individuals with ASD may have preserved abilities to share another's physical pain but still have problems with the vicarious representation of more complex emotions that matter in life. Hum Brain Mapp, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.