Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship of Soil Properties to Fractionation of Pb and Zn in Soil and Their Uptake into Plantago lanceolata

Soil samples (0 to 5 cm) from 30 locations in the Celje region, Slovenia, an area that has been subjected to severe industrial emissions of Pb and Zn, were analyzed for selected soil properties and subjected to a six-step sequential extraction of Pb and Zn. Phyto-available forms of heavy metals: soluble in soil solution and exchangeable from soil colloids to soil solution together accounted for 0 to 1.68% of Pb and 0 to 40.8% of total soil Zn. Most of the Pb and Zn was found to reside in less labile forms bound to carbonate (2.04 to 43.5% Pb, 3.9 to 35.1% Zn), bound to Fe and Mn oxides (0 to 16.1% Pb, 1.4 to 25.4% Zn), bound to organic matter (35.8 to 71.1% Pb, 14.8 to 56.2% Zn), and in the residual fraction (10.4 to 53.4% Pb, 14.2 to 75.3% Zn). Factor analysis and stepwise multiple regression revealed that the concentration of Pb in the proposed indicator plant, narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata) did not correlate with the measured soil properties, Pb fractionation in soil, and total soil Pb. Plant uptake of Zn, however, significantly correlated with soil pH and with the share of phyto-available forms of Zn in the soil (R2 = 86.9). A statistically significant correlation (P<0.01) was found between the fractions of Pb and Zn carbonates and soil organic matter content (R2 = 90.6 and 90.9, respectively); the fraction of Pb bound to organic matter and soil organic matter content (R2 = 90.6); the residual fraction of Pb and total Pb content in soil (R2 = 95.7); the fraction of Zn bound to Fe an Mn oxides, the fraction of Zn bound to organic matter, the residual fraction of Zn and total Zn content in soil (R2 = 75.9, 93.2, and 87.4, respectively). Soil texture, pH, and cation exchange capacity did not affect the relative proportions of Pb and Zn forms in soil.
POSTHARVEST SENSORY AND PHYSIOCHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES OF PROCESSING AND NONPROCESSING TOMATO CULTIVARS

Fruits of processing and nonprocessing tomato cultivars harvested at the “breaker” stage of maturity were evaluated for changes in physical, chemical and sensory quality characteristics during storage at 20C and 30C after 7, 14 and 21 days. Percentage marketable fruits after 21 days at 20C and 30C were 61.9% and 56.6% for processing cultivars and 65.9% and 50.9% for nonprocessing cultivars. Fruits of the processing cultivars ripened earlier, remained firmer and were less prone to physical injuries than fruits of nonprocessing cultivars. Nonprocessing fruits had a higher mean fruit weight of 17.0 g, fruit diameter of 1.10 mm and locule number of 13 compared with fruits of the processing cultivars. Nonprocessing fruit cultivars had higher sugar/acid ratios and vitamin C contents as well as lower pH and total titratable acidity than processing fruit cultivars. Accordingly, nonprocessing cultivars on the whole, but specifically Walters, Floradel, Carnival, Calypso, Star Pak, Floradade and Early Set were most suitable as fresh-market fruits. Excellent processing quality attributes were obtained for Donore, Peto 94C, Rio Grande and Advantage. Among processing cultivars Caraibe, Cascade, Dorado and Neema 1401 gave good dual purpose fruits.
Intermittent dynamics and hyper-aging in dense colloidal gels

We investigate the slow dynamics of strongly aggregated particle gels by diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) using a charge coupled device (CCD) camera as a multispeckle detector. The evolution of the slow dynamics after the gel-point is followed using two different techniques, the multispeckle method and a novel correlation scheme, time resolved correlation (TRC), which allows us to obtain time resolved information on the dynamics of the gel. We find that the intensity autocorrelation function measured by multispeckle DWS exhibits an ultraslow relaxation, whose characteristic time strongly depends on the age of the gel. An analysis of the TRC data reveals that the slow dynamics is intermittent. We propose that the intermittency is due to rare disruptions or formations of bonds affecting the elastic backbone of the network, which lead to sudden long range rearrangements of the particle position and thus to a sudden change of the speckle pattern.
Predicting Total Acceptance of Ice Cream Using Artificial Neural Network

Artificial neural network (ANN) models were used to predict the total acceptance of ice cream. The experimental sensory attributes (appearance, flavor, body and texture, coldness, firmness, viscosity, smoothness and liquefying rate) were used as inputs and independent total acceptance was output of ANN. Thirty, ten and sixty percent of the sensory attributes data were used to train, validate and test the ANN model, respectively. It was found that ANN with one hidden layer comprising 10 neurons gives the best fitting with the experimental data, which made it possible to predict total acceptance with acceptable mean absolute errors (0.27) and correlation coefficients (0.96). Sensitivity analysis results showed that flavor and texture were the most sensitive sensory attribute for prediction of total acceptance of ice cream. These results indicate that ANN model could potentially be used to estimate total sensory acceptance of ice cream.
9—THE EFFECT OF THE CARBOXYL GROUPS IN VISCOSE SHEET ON THE EQUILIBRIUM ABSORPTION OF CHRYSOPHENINE G.

The equilibrium absorption of Chrysophenine G on viscose sheet was found to depend on the ratio of the mass of sheet to the volume of the dyebath. This effect, which was greatest when the concentration of sodium chloride in the dyebath was low, was due to the presence in the viscose sheet of acidic carboxyl groups which resulted in a lowering of the dyebath pH. For dyebaths in which the dye concentration and the total cation concentration of the inorganic electrolytes were maintained constant, the equilibrium absorption increased with decreasing dyebath pH and attained a fairly constant value at pHs between 3 and 2. The absorption isotherms of Chrysophenine on viscose sheet were measured under conditions such that the dyebath pHs were about 6. The theory of the effect of carboxyl groups in viscose sheet on the equilibrium absorption is discussed. Tentative calculations based on this theory suggest that the number of carboxyl ions which directly affect the equilibrium absorption may be less than the total .
Manganese and Cobalt Concentrations in Hair and Nail of Some Kano Inhabitants

Manganese and cobalt concentrations in hair and nail were determined by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The mean manganese in hair and nail were 0.54 Â± 0.35mg/g and 0.68 Â± 0.30mg/g while the mean cobalt in hair and nail were 0.30 Â± 0.24mg/g and 0.460. 37mg/g respectively. A progressive increase in cobalt concentrations in hair and nails with age indicated no significant difference in their means suggesting that cobalt in hair and nails originate from a common source. Comparing the mean manganese concentrations in hair with the nails a significant difference is indicated in the two tissues (pdd0.05). Human hair and nails are hence recording filaments that can reflect metabolic changes of many elements over long periods of time and hence furnish a post nutritional event of some essential micro-elements.
Combustion of magnesium particles in carbon dioxide under microgravity conditions

Magnesium particles (1-2 mm) are ignited by a hot wire in room-temperature C02 environment under microgravity and normal gravity conditions. In about 50% of experiments, regardless of the gravity level, a pulsating combustion regime is obtained which may be associated with the relatively low heat release in such oxidizer as C02 and high heat losses. For stable combustion regime, the burning times measured in micro gravity follows a quadratic dependence with the particle size, which is typical for the diffusion-controlled combustion. Good quantitative agreement with previous data obtained for particles of different sizes indicates that combustion mechanisms of magnesium in C02 are identical in the range of particle sizes 0.05-5 mm.
Stable glow plasma at atmospheric pressure

A stable glow plasma at atmospheric pressure has been achieved for plasma treatment under selected conditions, for example the structure of electrodes, the kind of dilute gas, and the frequency of power. The surface fluorination of PET film and carbon thin-film deposition by such a plasma is described here. The surface energy can be controlled by plasma treatment of various concentrations (O2/CF4/He) in the same way as the lower pressure method that has been reported by Kogoma and co-workers (1987). Active species in plasma are identified by emission spectroscopy.
Accurate Fit and Thermochemical Analysis of the Adsorption Isotherms of Methane in Zeolite 13X

The recovery of methane from landfill gases and coal mines has become of the utmost importance because methane has a global-climate warming potential much higher than that of carbon dioxide. Zeolite 13X is widely used for the separation of methane and carbon dioxide from such sources. Accurate fits of the adsorption isotherms of methane in zeolite 13X are required for the rigorous simulation of that separation. In this work, a generalized statistical thermodynamic adsorption (GSTA) model has been used to obtain a very accurate correlation of a published set of adsorption isotherms of methane in zeolite 13X that were measured from 120 K to 273 K over the pressure range 0.07 Pa to 12.2 MPa. In contrast, none of five traditional adsorption models was capable of fitting these isotherms. A thermochemical interpretation of the correlation is provided and predictions for the isosteric heat of adsorption are made, which turn out to be in excellent agreement with the available experimental data.
A New Equation of State for Argon Covering the Fluid Region for Temperatures From the Melting Line to 700 K at Pressures up to 1000 MPa

This work reviews the available data on thermodynamic properties of ethylene and presents a new equation of state in the form of a fundamental equation explicit in the Helmholtz energy. The functional form of the residual part of the Helmholtz energy was developed by using state-of-the-art linear optimization strategies. The new equation of state contains 35 coefficients which were fitted to selected data of the following properties: (a) thermal properties of the single phase (pρT) and (b) of the liquid–vapor saturation curve (ps,ρ′,ρ″) including the Maxwell criterion, (c) speed of sound w of the single-phase region and the saturated vapor and liquid, (d) isochoric heat capacity cv, (e) specific isobaric heat capacity cp of the single-phase region and of the saturated liquid, and (f) second and third thermal virial coefficients B and C. For the density, the estimated uncertainty of the new equation of state is less than ±0.02% for pressures up to 12 MPa and temperatures up to 340 K with the exception of t.
COVID-19 and the 24/7 News Cycle: Does COVID-19 News Exposure Affect Mental Health?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has upended nearly every aspect of social life in the United States and abroad. People turn to news to provide public health updates about the virus, such as reports of new cases and deaths, but also to understand how COVID-19 is affecting jobs and the economy. The news, irrespective of its format, serves as a central conduit of information during the pandemic. Prior research examining public traumas, such as terrorist attacks, suggests that greater media intake may also amplify perceived threats about the virus and therefore have a negative effect on mental health. We argue that in the absence of a solution to the virus, such as a vaccine, greater COVID-19 media viewing is likely to heighten uncertainty and anxiousness about the future threat the virus poses to health and well-being, which should in turn increase psychological distress. Drawing on a unique data set of U.S. residents in mid- to late March 2020, the authors examine the relationships among COVID-19 news consumption, perceptions of COVID-19 threats to health and economic well-being, and psychological distress. The findings suggest that greater COVID-19 media consumption is associated with greater psychological distress and that approximately two thirds of this effect operates indirectly through increased perceptions of COVID-19 threats.
Stand Up and Fight Falls: Can a Video Intervention Help Reduce Falls in the Geriatric Population?

Introduction: Falls are a major source of morbidity and mortality in the geriatric population. However, efforts to reduce falls have had limited success. This study examines if a video intervention presented in the ED to patients who have fallen could improve fall education and reduce future falls. Methods: Patients 65 years and older who presented to a large academic ED for a fall between June and December 2017 were identified via triage note for an intercept study. Patients who did not speak English, who were cognitively impaired, or whose condition was too acute (determined by providing physician) were excluded. Sixty-two eligible and consenting patients were shown a six-minute video intervention with recommendations to prevent future falls. Primary objectives include (1) whether patients found the recommendations reasonable to implement and (2) rate of implementation. Secondary aims were (3) perceived health status between patients who followed the recommendations versus those who did not and (4) rates of recurrent falls and ED revisits between the two groups. Data were analyzed using the Newcombe-Wilson Score Method and Fisher's exact two-tailed t-tests. Results: Of 62 patients enrolled, 38 were retained at a six-month follow-up. Ninety-two percent of patients found the video intervention to be a reasonable education tool. At six months, 44.7% of patients implemented behavioral changes discussed in the video, and 21.1% had at least one new fall, with no significant difference between people who implemented video interventions and those who did not (23.5% and 19.0%, difference 0.045, 95% CI [-0.24 to 0.34], p=1.0). The rate of return to the ED at six months for all patients was 31.6%, with no significant difference between the two groups (23.5% versus 38.1%, difference 0.146, 95% CI [-0.18 to 0.43], p=0.49). Difference in the proportion of people feeling the same or better between the two groups was not significant at either the one-month (66.7% versus 75.0%, difference 0.083, 95% CI [-0.21 to 0.34], p=0.75) or six-month follow up (64.7% versus 47.6%, difference 0.171, 95% CI [-0.17 to 0.46], p=0.34). Conclusion: This study found that while most patients find behavioral interventions feasible and reasonable to implement, only half actually make changes to their lives to reduce the risk of falling. This suggests that identifying and limiting barriers to implementation should be a priority in future studies, along with exploring the relationship between interventions and health status, ED revisits, and recurrent falls.
Gene expression informatics with an automatic histogram-type membership function for non-uniform data

The non-uniformity of gene expression data is one of the factors that make gene expression analysis difficult. Gene expression data often do not follow a normal distribution but rather various distributions within each group. Thus, it is impossible to apply basic statistical techniques such as the t-test. In this study, we have developed an analysis method for gene expression data obtained by microarrays using a fuzzy logic algorithm with original membership functions. The method automatically evaluates the data from a histogram of gene expression information for a patient group. Using this method, we predicted the efficacy of an anti-TNF-α treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. We created a prediction model for the effects of 14 weeks of anti-TNF-α treatment based on the gene expression data from the peripheral blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients before the treatment. The model had a predictive success of 89% in the model-establishing data group, 94% in the training group, and 89% in the validation group. The results suggest that the method presented here could be an extremely effective tool for gene expression analysis.
Disturbance Rejection and Control Design of MVDC Converter with Evaluation of Power Loss and Efficiency Comparison of SiC and Si Based Power Devices

With direct current (DC) power generation from renewable sources, as well as the current relocation of loads from alternating current (AC) to DC, medium-voltage DC (MVDC) should fill gaps in the areas of distribution and transmission, thereby improving energy efficiency. The MVDC system is a platform that interconnects electric power generation renewables (solar, wind) with loads such as data centers, industrial facilities and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations (also using MVDC technology). DC–DC power converters are part of the rising technology for interconnecting future DC grids, providing good controllability, reliability and bi-directional power flow. The contribution of this work is a novel and efficient multi-port DC–DC converter topology having interconnections between two converters, three-level neutral point clamping (NPC) on the high-voltage (HV) side and two converters on the low-voltage (LV) side, providing two nominal low voltages of 400 V (constant) and 500 V (variable), respectively. The design of this new and effective control strategy on the LV side has taken into condition load disturbances, fluctuations and voltage dips. A double-closed-loop control topology is suggested, where an outside voltage control loop (in which the capacitance energies are analyzed as variable, and the inside current loop is decoupled without the precise value of boost inductance) is used. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed control system. In the second part of this study, wide-bandgap SiC and Si devices are compared by using comprehensive mathematical modeling and LT-spice software. Improving power loss efficiency and overall cost comparisons are also discussed.
Protective effect of Moringa oleifera and green tea aqueous extract in combination against beta-cyfluthrin induced mutagenicity in albino rats

The present work was designed to investigate the mutagenicity effect of beta-cyfluthrin in bone marrow of male albino rats and the protective role of the combined aqueous extract of dried leaves of Moringa oleifera (MO) and green tea (GT). Twenty adult male rats were divided randomly into 4 groups, each containing five rats per group. The route of administration was orally gavage for 28 consecutive days. Rats in Group (a) were given distilled water and served as control, rats in Group (b) were given beta-cyfluthrin at a dose of 6.75 mg/kg b.wt (1/20 of estimated LD50). Rats in Group (c) were given aqueous extract of (MO+GT) as the only source of drinking fluid, for 28 days. Rats in Group (d) were given the same doses of group (b) and enabled continuously to an aqueous of (MO+GT) extract as the only source of drinking fluid. Animals were sacrificed humanely at the end of study. The micronucleus and chromosomal aberrations assays were used as mutagenicity tests. The results showed that beta-cyfluthrin administration alone increased the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs) and induced several of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in bone marrow cells of treated rats compared to control group. While the aqueous extract of (Mo+GT) in combination against the mutagenic potential of beta-cyfluthrin significantly decrease the (MNPCEs) and (CAs). In conclusion, this study confirmed the genotoxic potential of beta-cyfluthrin but also revealed the strong protective effect of aqueous leaves extract of Moringa oleifera and Green tea in combination as anti-mutagenic agents.
Human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells responses to long and short term hyper- and hypothermia stress

Hyper- and hypothermia are utilized as treatment modalities in cancer treatment or as a protection against ischemia-reperfusion induced cell damage. The under-lying mechanism of hyper- and hypothermia, on cell death in osteosarcoma cells are not well understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the short- and long-term effects of various severities of hyper- and hypothermia on osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cells (MG-63). MG-63 cells were treated with mild and severe hyper- and hypothermia for short, medium and long-term periods. Severe hypothermia and hyperthermia showed a time-dependent toxicity; hence viability was reduced in a significant manner at all time points and the cells were undergoing apoptosis. Mild hypothermia, on the other hand, showed a protective effect and long term exposure increased the cell viability. Severe hyperthermia induced significant DNA damage at all time points. Caspase 3/7 activity showed a significant increase at 1 h of severe hyperthermia and 72 h of severe hypothermia (p<0.05). Hsp90 expression was significantly increased at 72 h of mild hyperthermia (p<0.01), whereas Hsp70 showed a significant increase after 24 and 72 h (p<0.01 and p<0.001). Hsp27 mRNA was increased significantly at 24 h only under mild hyperthermia (p<0.01). In conclusion, hyperthermia especially severe hyperthermia induced cellular stress in MG-63 cells leading to apoptosis. Hypothermia, on the other hand caused severe cell stress only when the cells were challenged for a prolonged period with severe low temperatures.
The Dark Side of Executive Compensation Duration: Evidence from Mergers and Acquisitions

Abstract We find that contrary to popular belief, CEOs with long compensation duration do not make better long-term investment decisions. Using a comprehensive pay duration measure, we find that acquisitions conducted by CEOs with long compensation duration receive more negative announcement returns, and experience significantly worse post-acquisition abnormal operating and stock performance, compared with deals conducted by CEOs with short compensation duration. The negative correlation between compensation duration and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) performance is driven by long-term time-vesting plans, not by performance-vesting plans. The results suggest that extending CEO pay horizons without implementing performance requirements is insufficient to improve managerial long-term investment decisions.