Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Octakis(dodecyl)phthalocyanines: Influence of Peripheral versus Non-Peripheral Substitution on Synthetic Routes, Spectroscopy and Electrochemical Behaviour

Non-peripherally octakis-substituted phthalocyanines (npPc’s), MPc(C12H25)8 with M = 2H (3) or Zn (4), as well as peripherally octakis-substituted phthalocyanines (pPc’s) with M = Zn (6), Mg (7) and 2H (8), were synthesized by cyclotetramerization of 3,6- (2) or 4,5-bis(dodecyl)phthalonitrile (5), template cyclotetramerization of precursor phthalonitriles in the presence of Zn or Mg, metal insertion into metal-free phthalocyanines, and removal of Mg or Zn from the phthalocyaninato coordination cavity. The more effective synthetic route towards pPc 8 was demetalation of 7. npPc’s were more soluble than pPc’s. The Q-band λmax of npPc’s was red-shifted with ca. 18 nm, compared to that of pPc’s. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) differentiated between N–H, Nmeso and Ncore nitrogen atoms for metal-free phthalocyanines. Binding energies were ca. 399.6, 398.2 and 397.7 eV respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) also showed zinc phthalocyanines 4 and 6 have four equivalent Nmeso and four equivalent N–Zn core nitrogens. In contrast, the Mg phthalocyanine 7 has two sets of core N atoms. One set involves two Ncore atoms strongly coordinated to Mg, while the other encompasses the two remaining Ncore atoms that are weakly associated with Mg. pPc’s 6, 7, and 8 have cyclic voltammetry features consistent with dimerization to form [Pc][Pc+] intermediates upon oxidation but npPc’s 3 and 4 do not. Metalation of metal-free pPc’s and npPc’s shifted all redox potentials to lower values.
From Inflammation to Fibrosis: Novel Insights into the Roles of High Mobility Group Protein Box 1 in Schistosome-Induced Liver Damage

Schistosomiasis is a chronic helminthic disease of both humans and animals and the second most prevalent parasitic disease after malaria. Through a complex migration process, schistosome eggs trapped in the liver can lead to the formation of granulomas and subsequent schistosome-induced liver damage, which results in high mortality and morbidity. Although praziquantel can eliminate mature worms and prevent egg deposition, effective drugs to reverse schistosome-induced liver damage are scarce. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a multifunctional cytokine contributing to liver injury, inflammation, and immune responses in schistosomiasis by binding to cell-surface Toll-like receptors and receptors for advanced glycation end products. HMGB1 is increased in the serum of patients with schistosomiasis and enables hepatic stellate cells to adopt a proliferative myofibroblast-like phenotype, which is crucial to schistosome-induced granuloma formation. Inhibition of HMGB1 was found to generate protective responses against fibrotic diseases in animal models. Clinically, HMGB1 presents a potential target for treatment of the chronic sequelae of schistosomiasis. Here, the pivotal role of HMGB1 in granuloma formation and schistosome-induced liver damage, as well the potential of HMGB1 as a therapeutic target, are discussed.
Tactile-Based Task Definition Through Edge Contact Formation Setpoints for Object Exploration and Manipulation

In autonomous robot tasks involving physical contacts with the environment, it is still challenging to perform dexterous manipulation. Force control approaches and force sensors are usually used to control the actions of a robot. However, the spatial resolution of the force sensors is limited when exploring and manipulating an object through the tracking of salient tactile features, such as edges, while touching the surface of the object. In fact, the exploration or manipulation can be implemented via tactile servoing approaches that use the parameters of those edges. These parameters, obtained by an array of tactile sensors, are used for generating setpoints driving a robot arm to minimize the gap between the desired and current parameters of a given edge. This letter describes a new common strategy for defining tactile setpoint signals for tactile servoing approaches in order to implement different contact-based tasks. These setpoints represent artificial constraints which comply with natural constraints on the force and position of the robot end-effector imposed by the physical contact between the robot and the object. The sequence of setpoints for three different tasks are given as examples: alignment with an object, exploration of a linear object with variable stiffness and manipulation by rolling of ellipsoidal objects. These tasks are validated with real experiments using a KUKA LWR 4+ robot arm and a Weiss WTS-0614 piezoresistive sensor. The arm controller runs at 1 kHz and the tactile servoing control runs at 100 Hz, which is limited by the sampling rate of the sensing array.
Management of Pyrenophora teres f. teres, the Causal Agent of Net Form Net Blotch of Barley, in A Two-Year Field Experiment in Central Italy

Pyrenophora teres is the causal agent of barley net blotch (NB), a disease that can be found in two different forms: net form (NFNB), caused by P. teres f. teres, and spot form (SFNB), caused by P. teres f. maculata. A two-year field experiment was carried out to evaluate the response to NB of six different barley cultivars for malt or feed/food production. In addition, the efficacy of several recently developed foliar fungicides with different modes of action (SDHI, DMI, and QoI) towards the disease was examined. After NB leaf symptom evaluation, the identification of P. teres forms was performed. Grain yield was determined, and pathogen biomass was quantified in the grain by qPCR. In the two experimental years characterized by different climatic conditions, only P. teres f. teres was detected. The tested cultivars showed different levels of NFNB susceptibility. In particular, the two-row cultivars for malt production showed the highest disease incidence. All applied fungicides exhibited a high efficacy in reducing disease symptoms on leaves and pathogen accumulation in grains. In fact, high levels of fungal biomass were detected only in the grain of the untreated malting barley cultivars. For some cultivars, grain yield was positively influenced by the application of fungicides.
Transposable Elements and Human Diseases: Mechanisms and Implication in the Response to Environmental Pollutants

Transposable elements (TEs) are recognized as major players in genome plasticity and evolution. The high abundance of TEs in the human genome, especially the Alu and Long Interspersed Nuclear Element-1 (LINE-1) repeats, makes them responsible for the molecular origin of several diseases. This involves several molecular mechanisms that are presented in this review: insertional mutation, DNA recombination and chromosomal rearrangements, modification of gene expression, as well as alteration of epigenetic regulations. This literature review also presents some of the more recent and/or more classical examples of human diseases in which TEs are involved. Whether through insertion of LINE-1 or Alu elements that cause chromosomal rearrangements, or through epigenetic modifications, TEs are widely implicated in the origin of human cancers. Many other human diseases can have a molecular origin in TE-mediated chromosomal recombination or alteration of gene structure and/or expression. These diseases are very diverse and include hemoglobinopathies, metabolic and neurological diseases, and common diseases. Moreover, TEs can also have an impact on aging. Finally, the exposure of individuals to stresses and environmental contaminants seems to have a non-negligible impact on the epigenetic derepression and mobility of TEs, which can lead to the development of diseases. Thus, improving our knowledge of TEs may lead to new potential diagnostic markers of diseases.
Workforce education and corporate innovation

The average workforce education near firms’ research centers facilitates firms’ matching with innovation talents and acquisition of knowledge. This study documents a positive association between the average education level in the metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) where firms’ research centers are located and the quantity and quality of innovation outputs. The results are confirmed by controlling for various measures of MSA-level economic, population, and employment conditions, as well as research-center level analyses which control for firm-year fixed effects. We further find that local workforce education is more important for firms that are large, less labor-intensive, in non-high-tech industries and located in low education regions. The evidence highlights the importance of having access to well-educated local workforce for corporate innovation. JEL Classification: G30, J24, O31
A Review: Optimization of Fungal Laccase Production and their Potential Application in Effluents Treatment

86 DOI: 10.37398/JSR.2022. 660110 Abstract: Due to globalization, urbanization, and industrialization water pollutants and contaminants rise in water bodies which distort an ecosystem and impacting human and animal health. To eliminate various contaminants from water bodies, so many techniques and strategies have been designed. Nowadays laccase enzymes pay attention due to their high potentiality, substrate specificity and atmospherically constitute benign reaction properties and are used to remove environmental and industrial pollutants. Fungal laccases are enzymes with a lot of promise for removing harmful phenolic and non-phenolic chemicals from industrial effluents, as well as for degrading resistant xenobiotics. There have recently been a slew of studies on the advancements in the creation of laccase enzyme by modification of growth and optimization conditions and the discovery of new endophytic strains for the production. The following evaluation of the literature relates to optimising endophytic laccase production and also provides new insights for biotechnological applications in environmental protection, such as wastewater/effluents treatment.
Manufacturing of bio-polyamide 11/basalt thermoplastic laminates by hot compaction: The key-role of matrix rheology

The rheology of the polymer matrix plays a crucial role in determining the quality of thermoplastic laminates. To highlight this aspect, we prepared laminates based on polyamide 11 (PA11), a bio-based matrix with tricky rheology, and basalt fiber fabrics. The PA11 viscosity rapidly increases over time due to degradation phenomena. Samples were prepared by two procedures differing in terms of duration and intensity of the hot compaction step. Morphological analyses revealed that the fast procedure ensures a better impregnation of the fabrics, with a substantial reduction of the volume of voids (1%, against 9% of the slow procedure). This reflects in considerable increases of the flexural modulus (ca. + 20%) and strength (ca. + 60%) and a significant reduction the extent of impact damage. This study provides useful guidelines for a correct selection of the processing parameters based on the knowledge of the rheological behavior of the polymer matrix.
Early Identification of Mental Illness in Primary School Pupils by School Nurses: A Qualitative Study

Introduction The World Health Organization has reported that one fifth of all children in the world suffer from poor mental health regardless of cultural differences. Previous studies have shown that working with mental health is an important part of the duties of school nurses in Sweden. Objective The aim of the present study was to describe the experiences of school nurses regarding the identification of mental illness among pupils in primary school. Methods In this inductive qualitative study, interviews were conducted with 11 school nurses in southern Sweden and analyzed using content analysis. Results The results indicate three major themes: (1) the need for shared responsibility, (2) feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy in school nurses, and (3) the importance of establishing relationships. Conclusion This study indicates that school nurses feel responsible for their pupils’ well-being, but also feel that they need support. A lack of guidance in identifying mental illness emerged from the interviews.
A new approach to simulate peat accumulation, degradation and stability in a global land surface scheme (JULES vn5.8_accumulate_soil) for northern and temperate peatlands

Abstract. Peatlands have often been neglected in Earth system models (ESMs). Where they are included, they are usually represented via a separate, prescribed grid cell fraction that is given the physical characteristics of a peat (highly organic) soil. However, in reality soils vary on a spectrum between purely mineral soil (no organic material) and purely organic soil, typically with an organic layer of variable thickness overlying mineral soil below. They are also dynamic, with organic layer thickness and its properties changing over time. Neither the spectrum of soil types nor their dynamic nature can be captured by current ESMs. Here we present a new version of an ESM land surface scheme (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator, JULES) where soil organic matter accumulation – and thus peatland formation, degradation and stability – is integrated in the vertically resolved soil carbon scheme. We also introduce the capacity to track soil carbon age as a function of depth in JULES and compare this to measured peat age–depth profiles. The new scheme is tested and evaluated at northern and temperate sites. This scheme simulates dynamic feedbacks between the soil organic material and its thermal and hydraulic characteristics. We show that draining the peatlands can lead to significant carbon loss, soil compaction and changes in peat properties. However, negative feedbacks can lead to the potential for peatlands to rewet themselves following drainage. These ecohydrological feedbacks can also lead to peatlands maintaining themselves in climates where peat formation would not otherwise initiate in the model, i.e. displaying some degree of resilience. The new model produces similar results to the original model for mineral soils and realistic profiles of soil organic carbon for peatlands. We evaluate the model against typical peat profiles based on 216 northern and temperate sites from a global dataset of peat cores. The root-mean-squared error (RMSE) in the soil carbon profile is reduced by 35 %–80 % in the best-performing JULES-Peat simulations compared with the standard JULES configuration. The RMSE in these JULES-Peat simulations is 7.7–16.7 kg C m−3 depending on climate zone, which is considerably smaller than the soil carbon itself (around 30–60 kg C m−3). The RMSE at mineral soil sites is also reduced in JULES-Peat compared with the original JULES configuration (reduced by ∼ 30 %–50 %). Thus, JULES-Peat can be used as a complete scheme that simulates both organic and mineral soils. It does not require any additional input data and introduces minimal additional variables to the model. This provides a new approach for improving the simulation of organic and peatland soils and associated carbon-cycle feedbacks in ESMs.
Automation Reliance on a Combat Identification System

Several combat identification systems have been designed to reduce fratricide by providing soldiers the ability to “interrogate” a potential target by sending a signal that, if returned, identifies the target as a “friend. ” Ideally soldiers will appropriately rely on these automated decision aids. However, research has found human operators often under-utilize (disuse) or overly rely on (misuse) automated systems (cf. Parasuraman & Riley, 1997). The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which experience and training would lead participants to appropriately rely on an automated decision aid. Participants provided with the automated aid were unable to adjust their reliance strategy to the reliability of the automated aid; results indicated aided participants made more errors than unaided participants did. Future studies should examine the processes underlying the automation reliance decision.
Modeling Aircraft Departure at a Runway Using a Time-Varying Fluid Queue

Reducing the length of departure queues at runway entry points is one of the most important requirements for reducing aircraft traffic congestion and fuel consumption at airports. This study designs an aircraft departure model at a runway using a time-varying fluid queue. The proposed model enables us to determine the aircraft waiting time in the departure queue and to evaluate effective control approaches for assigning suitable holds at gates rather than runway entry points. As a case study, this study modeled the departure queue at runway 05 of Tokyo International Airport for an entire day of operations. Using actual traffic data of departures at the airport, the model estimates that aircraft spend a total of 2.5 h departure waiting time in a day at runway 05. Considering the stochastic nature of actual departure traffic, the relevance of the proposed model is discussed using validation criteria. The model estimation shows a reasonable, expected order of magnitude compared with the departure queue recorded in the actual traffic data. Furthermore, ecological and economic benefits are quantitatively evaluated assuming a reduction in the departure queue length. Our results show that about one kiloton of fuel oil per year is wasted due to aircraft waiting to depart from a single departure runway.
Outsourcing decision-making: does the process matter?

Abstract There is a plethora of prescriptive Information Technology (IT) outsourcing decision-making models available in the academic literature; yet reported success rates of IT outsourcing transactions remain moderate. This paper investigates outsourcing decisions and asks: Does the process really matter? The paper first briefly reviews the IT outsourcing literature to find that there is a lack of empirical research on IT outsourcing decision processes and the effect they have on outsourcing outcomes. The paper fills this gap by applying constructs identified from the strategic decision-making literature investigating decision-making processes and their effect on outcomes at four large Australian-based companies. Two organisations studied had decided to offshore outsource application development and were outsourcing for the first time with the decision being triggered by a powerful stakeholder who pushed the idea from inception to implementation. The other two organisations studied had already outsourced and were looking to renew their contracts where a rigorous and highly formalised decision process was followed. We find that the decision-making context affects the adoption of a decision process type, and that the adoption of different process types leads to different results. Decision-makers should adhere to more rational and formalised decision-making processes resulting in better decision outcomes.
A Gender Analysis of NCSS Notable Trade Books for the Intermediate Grades

This study provides a gender analysis of National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade book selections suitable for the intermediate grades from the years 2006-2008. The study examines the number of male versus female characters and the presence, or absence of, gender stereotypes relative to character personalities, occupations, and behaviors. Results indicate a significant difference in the number of male and female characters, with many more male characters represented. Males frequently performed stereotypical jobs or roles with none of the books depicting males in lower status jobs than females. Some female main characters were portrayed in stereotypical jobs or roles while others were able to cross traditional gender lines and demonstrate strong personalities. Of the 17 predetermined behaviors exhibited by characters throughout these books, six of them showed significant differences between males and females. Males were more likely to engage in physical activity, participate in sports, fight in battles or demonstrate aggressive behaviors, pursue worthy causes such as heroism, and earn a living. Females were more likely to perform domestic chores.
IMAGE ORIENTATION WITH A HYBRID PIPELINE ROBUST TO ROTATIONS AND WIDE-BASELINES

Abstract. The extraction of reliable and repeatable interest points among images is a fundamental step for automatic image orientation (Structure-From-Motion). Despite recent progresses, open issues in challenging conditions - such as wide baselines and strong light variations - are still present. Over the years, traditional hand-crafted methods have been paired by learning-based approaches, progressively updating the state-of-the-art according to recent benchmarks. Notwithstanding these advancements, learning-based methods are often not suitable for real photogrammetric surveys due to their lack of rotation invariance, a fundamental requirement for these specific applications. This paper proposes a novel hybrid image matching pipeline which employs both hand-crafted and deep-based components, to extract reliable rotational invariant keypoints optimized for wide-baseline scenarios. The proposed hybrid pipeline was compared with other hand-crafted and learning-based state-of-the-art approaches on some photogrammetric datasets using metric ground-truth data. Results show that the proposed hybrid matching pipeline has high accuracy and appeared to be the only method among the evaluated ones able to register images in the most challenging wide-baseline scenarios.
Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles using Leaf Extracts of Medicinal plants and its Impact on Anabaena doliolum

208 DOI: 10.37398/JSR.2022. 660123 Abstract: Nanobiotechnology is exhibiting the great potential to be actively utilized in the form of nanoparticles to serve as carriers of biomolecules and benefit human health. In the present work, we have synthesized silver nanoparticles via a green synthesis pathway using medicinal plants Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Azadirachta indica, and Euphorbia heterophylla (a) separately and (b) in combination for synthesis. The major focus of this study is to assess the efficiency of silver nanoparticles when synthesized from a combination of medicinal plant leaf extracts with enhanced efficiency. The formation of silver nanoparticles was analyzed by the color change of the reaction mixture and Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopic analysis (UVVis) showing characteristic peak of silver nanoparticles. Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) analysis confirmed the various types of secondary metabolites playing active role in synthesis of silver nanoparticles alongwith bio-capping of synthesized silver nanoparticles. When compared with other published results, we concluded that silver nanoparticles synthesized from a combination of leaf extracts from medicinal plants yielded better results and were found to be more promising. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) provided key results in terms of particle size, hydrodynamic size, shape, and structure. Our study is the first of its kind where medicinal properties of the aforementioned plants were employed to study their impact on the most commonly found bio-fertilizer of the Indian subcontinent; cyanobacteria Anabaena doliolum.