Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical and Mechanistic Study of Structure–Activity Relationship of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Tocopherol on Superoxide Elimination in N,N-Dimethylformamide through Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer

Abstract: Elimination of superoxide radical anion (O2•−) by tocopherols (TOH), and related compounds was investigated on the basis of cyclic voltammetry and in situ electrolytic electron spin resonance spectral measurements in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Quasi-reversible O2/O2•− redox was modified by the presence of TOHs, suggesting that the electrogenerated O2•− was eliminated by α-, β-, γ-TOH through proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), but not by δ-TOH. The structure–activity correlation of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-TOH characterized by methyl group on the 6-chromanol ring was experimentally confirmed, where the methyl group promotes the PCET mechanism. Furthermore, comparative analyses using some related chemical analogues suggested that methoxyl group of the 6-chromanol ring is required for a successful electron transfer (ET) to O2•− through the PCET. The electrochemical and DFT results in dehydrated DMF suggested that the PCET mechanism involves preceding proton transfer (PT) forming hydroperoxyl radical followed by a concerted PCET (ET–PT). The O2•− elimination by TOH proceeds efficiently along the net PCET mechanism involving one ET and two PTs.
Developing an understanding of the early collegiate student experiences in hospitality and tourism

ABSTRACT Students arrive on campus with diverse experiences and backgrounds, which can directly impact their performance and retention. By developing a better understanding of who students are as they enter hospitality programs, instructors will be better equipped to ensure the students have a positive collegiate experience and are better prepared to enter industry post-graduation. This research included surveys of students at three times throughout their first year with a purpose of understanding how their opinions of the collegiate experience, industry outlook, and perceptions change, while looking at both academic and non-academic factors. Results of the study showed student perceptions did change based on their initial exposure to hospitality related course material and industry stakeholders, though not all noted occurrences were improvements. Thus, this exploratory study suggests more work is needed to ensure student success and industry stability.
Modeling Transient Loss Due to Ionizing Particles in Silicon Photonic Waveguides

A general, computationally efficient, physics-based model for the continuous time-domain description of transient loss in silicon (Si) photonic waveguides due to impinging ionizing particles is presented. The model combines Beer–Lambert and Drude formalisms with the ambipolar transport equation (ATE) and applies a number of carefully vetted simplifying assumptions to obtain a highly compact form. The model is validated using nanosecond pulses of tightly focused 639-nm laser light to induce localized high-level generation events and mimic heavy-ion strikes within Si photonic waveguides of varying geometry. Electron–hole pairs (ehps) generated in these events cause free-carrier absorption (FCA) of a continuous 1535-nm probe signal in the waveguide, which is observed as a transient drop in detected photocurrent on a high-speed oscilloscope. Measured transients show excellent agreement with model predictions.
Computational Reconstruction of Scanned Aluminum Foams for Virtual Testing

A procedure for analysis of geometrical features of real metallic open-cell foams using computer tomography and additional image processing is presented. Obtained three-dimensional computer foam model was used for geometrical and structural analysis of the aluminum foam sample. Measurements of foam geometrical features show that its structure significantly differs from the theoretical equilibrium models used in research of liquid foams (soap froth), since solid foams have richer and more diverse distribution of basic cell building blocks. Those findings are also supported by performed computational simulations which were used to analyze the effect of measured cell elongation on the mechanical properties of the foam. Considerable effect on mechanical properties was observed, which suggests that more realistic foam models have to be used to improve the understanding of foam structure effects on their macroscopic properties.
Finance and the Global Decline of the Labour Share

The labour income share has been decreasing across countries since the early 1980s, sparking a growing literature about the causes of this trend (Elsby et al., 2013; Karabarbounis and Neiman, 2014; Piketty and Zucman, 2014). At the same time, again since the early 1980s, there has been a global steady increase in equity Tobin’s Q which shows the increasing trend of asset prices in modern economies. This paper uses a simple model to connect these two phenomena and evaluates its empirical validation. In our model a raise in equity Tobin’s Q increases equity returns and, importantly, depresses the capital-output ratio. The impact on the capital-output ratio reduces the labour share for standard values of the elasticity of substitution. Based on a common factor model, we find that the increase in Tobin’s Q explains up to 57% of the total decline in the labour income share. This implies that financial markets have direct and significant consequences in inequality through their impact on the functional distribution of income. We highlight the implications of this result and, in the context of the model, we suggest different policies that can revert this declining trend. JEL Codes: E25, E44, E22.
Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry characterization of ubiquitous minor lipids and oligosaccharides in milk of the camel (Camelus dromedarius) and their inhibition of oxidative stress in human plasma

The aim of this study was to characterize minor lipids in methanol fraction extracted from raw camel milk after loading it on a water-preconditioned short C18 open column and fractionating with a gradient of methanol/water. The C18 column showed high fractionation efficiency of minor lipids, such as glycosphingolipids, lipopolysaccharides, or oligosaccharides, when compared with other constituents, in particular polysaccharides, proteins, and free fatty acids. Liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in negative ion mode was used to identify 21 new glycosphingolipids, lipopolysaccharides, and oligosaccharides. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was qualified to provide relevant data for recognizing the molecular mass, glycosylation sequences, and structure of saccharide moieties for the revealed compounds. The sequence of combinations of one selected lipopolysaccharide, which was considered the backbone of the remaining lipopolysaccharides, was confirmed in a density functional theory study. The obtained results showed that the tested fraction is a rich source of glycosphingolipids, lipopolysaccharides, and oligosaccharides with antioxidant activity.
The Contributions of Rural Institutions in Rural Development: Case of Smallholder Farmer Groups and NGOs in Uganda

In this work, through a case study, the role of NGOs and smallholder farmer groups as sample rural institutions in addressing four main objectives is examined. A range of organizational level information on the characteristics is collected using various research tools. The data collection tools administered to leaders of the SFGs and staff of NGOs mainly included a structured questionnaire, focus group discussion, interview guide, key informants and literature review. A random sample of 40 NGOs and smallholder farmer groups (SFGs) were selected, stratified by location in the Central region of Uganda for a period between 2002 and 2012 for which the data were available. The central region of Uganda was chosen based on their ease of logistics – transport and communication, and presence of NGOs and functional SFGs. Based on the findings presented in this study, it is conclusively remarked that rural development in Uganda is informed by four major objectives of improving health, education, agriculture as well as improving industry.
Measurements of the local temperature correlation time in a turbulent flame using coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

The feasibility to determine the timescale of pulsations of “instantaneous” local temperatures in a turbulent flame at a microsecond time scale by using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. A laboratory laser measurement complex was utilized, based on two CARS-spectrometers employing synchronized pulse-repetitive lasers with 10 ns pulse duration. The system enabled to record, with high temporal resolution (in one single laser shot) and at a variable delay between two sequential shots following each other in pairs at a repetition rate of 10 Hz, series of CARS spectra of N2 molecules from a probe volume as small as 0.03×0.03×2 mm3. From the spectra, “instantaneous” temperatures at a given delay were derived. The obtained values enabled calculation of the correlation coefficient of temperature pulsations vs the delay. The results are presented for the series of 500 single-shot coupled measurements, at the delays in the range 1 μs – 0 ms, of local gas temperatures in a few points of an open turbulent partially premixed methane-air flame of a model burner with visually distinguishable stability of combustion. The average temperatures were between 1500 K and 1800 K. The measurements allowed temperature correlation times in the selected points of the flame to be derived.
The magnitude of the transverse contraction of the Middle Tien Shan along the “Karabuk” profile at the late orogenic stage

The detailed geological profile “Karabuk” constructed in recent years, crossing the triad of alpine structures “Naryn Depression - Baibichetoo Uplift - Atbashi Depression [[CHECK_DOUBLEQUOT_ENT]] in the central part of Tien Shan, provides new material for studying the style and parameters of deformations at the late phase of the Indian - Eurasian plate collision. Using original methodological techniques and in accordance with the basic principles of balanced sections method, the horizontal deformation of the rock complex of the Cenozoic sedimentary cover (a meridional reduction in the width of the orogenic belt) was determined, starting from the end of the Neogene. Variations in the thickness of the cover layers determined during the research were taken into account. The presented tectonic reconstruction demonstrates the structure of a single Naryn-Atbashi sedimentary basin before the intense deformations at the late orogenic phase. It is significant, that the magnitude of deformations on individual segments of the profile differs markedly. The cover of the Atbashi depression is more deformed, its width has decreased by 6 km (about 17%) in this section, while the borders of the wider Naryn depression have converged by only 3.7 km (8%). The total South-North contraction of the NBA system measured by us during the Cenozoic is about 10 km (12% of its original width). The values of the contraction from south to north (the horizontal component of the deformation) obtained by us compared with the values given by other researchers.
Using patient biomarker time series to determine mortality risk in hospitalised COVID-19 patients: A comparative analysis across two New York hospitals

A large range of prognostic models for determining the risk of COVID-19 patient mortality exist, but these typically restrict the set of biomarkers considered to measurements available at patient admission. Additionally, many of these models are trained and tested on patient cohorts from a single hospital, raising questions about the generalisability of results. We used a Bayesian Markov model to analyse time series data of biomarker measurements taken throughout the duration of a COVID-19 patient's hospitalisation for n=1540 patients from two hospitals in New York: State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University and Maimonides Medical Center. In doing so, we quantified the mortality risk associated with both static (e.g. demographic and patient history variables) and dynamic factors (e.g. changes in biomarkers) throughout hospitalisation. By using our model to make predictions across the hospitals, we assessed how predictive factors generalised between the two cohorts. The individual dynamics of the measurements and their associated mortality risk were remarkably consistent across the hospitals. The model accuracy in predicting patient outcome (death or discharge) was 72.3% (predicting SUNY; posterior median accuracy) and 71.4% (predicting Maimonides) respectively. Model sensitivity was higher for detecting patients who would go on to be discharged (79.2%) versus those who died (61.0%). Our results indicate the utility of including dynamic clinical measurements when assessing patient mortality risk but also highlight the difficulty of identifying high risk patients.
The effectiveness of Diode laser in management of glaucoma patients at King Hussein Medical Centre

Aim: To evaluate the role of diode laser in the management of glaucoma patients at King Hussein Medical Center. Method: this is a retrospective study which was conducted at the ophthalmology department of KHMC. All glaucoma patients who underwent diode laser between Jan 2015 and Aug. 2017 were included in this study. The medical records of the patients were reviewed regarding age, sex, medical diseases, surgical history, past ocular history, type of glaucoma, visual acuity, intraocular pressure before and after treatment, number of medications used, and postoperative complications. The obtained data were collected, analyzed and compared. Patients with thin sclera, who underwent previous trans-scleral cyclo cryoablation and patients with short term follow up (less than 4 months) were excluded from the study. Results: A total of 96 eyes (90 patients) were enrolled in this study. The age of patients ranged between 16 and 73 years (mean 51.2±4.2 years ) and 48 of them were males. The most common indication was failed trabeculectomy (45%), The most common complication of this procedure was pain which occurred in 86 eyes (90% ) of cases. The overall success rate was 82% and at 4 months there was a reduction in intra ocular pressure by 52% and the use of eye drops dropped from 3.7 pre-operatively to 1.3. Conclusion: Cyclodiode laser was highly effective, safe and well tolerated procedure for dealing with refractory glaucoma with a success rate of 82%. It was able to reduce intra ocular pressure by 52%.
Carrying capacity for species richness as context for conservation: A case study of North American birds

Methods We evaluated the leading hypotheses on biophysical factors affecting species richness for Breeding Bird Survey routes from areas with little influence of human activities. We then derived a best model based on information theory, and used this model to extrapolate SK across North America based on the biophysical predictor variables. The predictor variables included the latest and probably most accurate satellite and simulation-model derived products.
Nutrient Composition and Physical Characteristics of Biscuits Produced from Composite Blends of wheat, Coconut and Defatted Fluted Pumpkin Seed Flour

The objective of this work was to evaluate the functional properties of flour blends from wheat, coconut and defatted fluted pumpkin seed, produce biscuits from these flour blends and evaluate the nutrient composition and physical characteristics of the composite biscuits. Wheat/coconut/defatted fluted pumpkin seed flours were blended in the ratio; 100/0/0, 80/10/10, 70/20/10, 60/30/10, 50/40/10, 40/50/10 and labelled as sample A, B, C, D, E and F respectively. Biscuits were baked with these composite flours using the creaming method. Swelling power, water absorption and oil absorption capacity of the composite flour ranged from 5.00 – 9.38, 0.14 – 2.50 and 0.39 – 1.58 ml/g respectively, with sample A flour given significantly higher swelling power of 9.38 ml/g followed by sample B flour (5.58 ml/g). Moisture content of samples A, E and F were not significantly different. The ash content of sample E was significantly higher (1.67%), followed by sample D (1.58%). Fat and crude fibre content of the biscuits increased significantly with increased inclusion of coconut flour. Sample B gave significantly higher protein content of 12.27% while sample A recorded higher carbohydrate content of 72.27%. Energy value increased with increased addition of coconut flour from 444.69 – 485.37kcal/100g. There was no significant difference in the Spread ratio of samples A, B and C. Break strength was shown to reduce significantly as the substitution ratio of coconut flour increased. Production of wheat-based composite biscuits with 10 to 40 % coconut and 10% defatted fluted pumpkin seed flour is highly recommended.
Investigating sediment dynamics in a laboratory rainwater tank

Rainwater tanks are viewed as an available source of alternative water supply at the house scale that can help overcome the widespread problem of water scarcity in Australian cities. Building standards, government support and incentives encourage the installation and use of rainwater tanks in new and existing houses. Robust design of rainwater tanks is important to limit the problems that owners and occupants may face when using rainwater tanks, reduce maintenance requirements and help ensure the on-going optimal performance of these rainwater tanks. This paper presents results of laboratory experiments on a full scale tank that were undertaken to investigate the effect of sediment accumulation and tank design on the resultant outlet water quality. The experiments were run using several sediment thicknesses, tank water levels and outlet configurations. Preliminary results found that the content of particles in the outlet water sample, measured as TSS concentration, was sensitive to the height of the outlet relative to the base of the tank and to the depth of sediment in the tank. An outlet positioned nearer the base of the tank resulted in a higher quantity of sediment in the outlet sample, confirming that sediment re-suspension occurs during inflow events. These results, together with ongoing investigations of inlet positions, will help in the development of design solutions that mitigate the impacts of sediment accumulation and re-suspension on the end use water quality.
The co-integration and causal relationship between saving and economic growth in India

The role of saving in promoting economic growth has received considerable attention all over the world. Saving is considered as real driving force behind the growth of an economy. The aim of this paper is to examine the casual relationship between economic growth and savings in India. To analyze this relationship time series data from 1960 to 2019 was used. To check the stationarity of data ADF and PP test were used. The Johansen co-integration test was employed to check the relationship between the variables. Finally Granger causality test was applied to see the direction of causality. The results have shown that all the variables are non stationary. The Johnson method shows that both the variables share the relationship with one another. The econometric evidence supports that savings do cause economic growth and economic growth in turn to savings. The bi-directional casual relationship was observed, which suggests that in India higher economic growth leads to higher savings and higher savings to more economic growth.
Thin frequency-selective lattices integrated in novel compact MIC, MMIC, and PCA architectures

We analyze and optimize the design of novel composite materials for ICs and printed circuit antenna (PCA) applications. We are using a variety of finite artificial lattices (FALs) carrying passive metalo-dielectric unit cells. We first examine and optimize these lattices as freestanding structures, regarding them as FSSs and space filters. We obtain several designs for appropriate metalo-dielectric unit cells, as well as stacking geometries for constructing thin laterally infinite artificial lattices. Further, we examine the action of the corresponding FAL within integrated architectures, emphasizing crosstalk suppression, circuit-coupling tailoring, and gain enhancement. We find very significant directive gain enhancements for compact packaged PCA applications. Finally, anomalous scaling of the resulting circuits and tunable designs are also presented.
Discussion of “New Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code design provisions for fibre-reinforced structures”

The discusser appreciates the work of the authors for developing and providing more rational and detailed design procedures for fibre-reinforced structures as described in their paper. This reflects the great progress in the research relevant to this area that has been conducted by the research community worldwide, in general, and by the ISIS Canada Research Network, in particular. The discusser, however, has some comments related to the shear design of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP)-reinforced concrete beams presented in the paper.
Effects of reduced aeration in a biological aerated filter

Aeration is a major part of the operating cost in biological aerated filtration (BAF) systems for wastewater treatment. This study investigated the effect of reducing aeration at the City of Windsor’s Lou Romano Water Reclamation Plant to find the lowest possible airflow rate while maintaining a satisfactory ammonia and biological oxygen demand (BOD) in the BAF effluent. Profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, BOD, ammonia and nitrate concentration were measured along the height of cell No. 7 at the plant, at different time intervals during filtration, at airflow rates varying from 1300 to 1700 m3/h per cell. This study found that the BOD and ammonium removal were satisfactory at the lowest airflow rate.
Genetic diversity among pepper and chili genotypes by Kohonen’s Self-Organizing Maps

The study of genetic diversity of a population is one of the pillars to make selection in a breeding program successful. There are several techniques capable of estimating genetic divergence. Among them, those based on multivariate statistics deserve attention. Recently, methodologies based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) have been used to study the genetic diversity of a population. One of the strategies within ANN is Kohonen’s selforganizing maps (SOMs), which allows the organization of genetic diversity. We estimated and organized the genetic divergence of pepper and chili genotypes Capsicum annum) for selection of diallel crosses. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in a completely randomized design with four replications. Nine commercially important genotypes of C. annum were evaluated, based on seven quantitative characters of the fruit. Univariate analysis was performed by analysis of variance and cluster mean. Multivariate [unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means