Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparison of spherical and cylindrical microparticles composed of nanoparticles for pulmonary application

Abstract Nano-embedded microparticles represent promising carrier systems to tackle the challenges of nanoparticle delivery into the lungs by inhalation. While spray drying is widely used for the incorporation of nanoparticles into microparticles, the template-assisted technique is a novel method to prepare aspherical, cylindrical microparticles composed of nanoparticles. In this work, both techniques were applied to produce both spherical and cylindrical nano-embedded microparticles. For both geometries particles consisting of gelatin nanoparticles, mannitol and leucine were prepared in three different sizes each. Cylindrical microparticles could be prepared with defined dimensions and narrow size distributions, allowing to target a wide range of aerodynamic diameters. The size of spherical microparticles was influenced by the spraying feed concentration, yielding only small differences in geometric and aerodynamic diameters and broad particle size distributions. Regarding the redispersibility of the nano-embedded microparticles, spherical particles showed better disintegration behavior and higher nanoparticle release in comparison to cylindrical particles upon contact with water. The template-assisted technique yielded higher nanoparticle content in contrast to spray drying. In summary, cylindrical particles represent a promising drug delivery system with high potential for later application. However, further improvements in the preparation method are required to enable higher yields and a possible later scale-up. Copyright © 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research
Perceived High-performance Work Systems and Work Well-being in the Express Industry: A Moderated Mediation Model

The work characteristics of the express delivery industry are high work intensity and high work requirements, which often lead to work overload of the employees and reduce the subjective well-being of the employees. Although express delivery companies can reduce the negative impact of work overload on work well-being through high-performance work systems (HPWS), existing researches show that mediated mechanism and boundary conditions that perceived HPWS and work overload impact on work well-being are still unclear. To address this gap in existing research, based on conservation of resource theory (COR), this study selected the employees of well-known express delivery companies as samples to empirically test the mediated mechanism and boundary conditions of perceived HPWS and work well-being. The results revealed: emotional exhaustion mediated the impact of the perceived HPWS on the employees' work well-being. Work overload moderated the impact of the perceived HPWS on work well-being through employee emotional exhaustion. That is to say, when the work overload is low, perceived HPWS can improve work well-being by reducing employee emotional exhaustion; when the work overload is high, perceived HPWS cannot improve work well-being by reducing employee emotional exhaustion.
Study on Temperature Dependence of Partial Discharge in Low Voltage Traction Drives

Due to rising DC-Voltages and voltage slew rates (du/dt) partial discharge (PD) phenomena move into the focus for low voltage traction drives. State of the art systems are designed to be PD-free at any point of operation. Elevated temperatures yield decreased partial discharge inception voltages (PDIV). In the design process, this is considered by measurements at rated operation employing safety factors which predict the PDIV at higher temperatures. Traction drives in electric vehicles have an increasing electrical and thermal utilization to increase power density. To allow for a more precise design process for these machines, studies on the temperature dependence of PDIV are performed and discussed in this paper.
AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor pH sensor with extended gate platform

In this paper, we fabricated an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) pH sensor with an extended-gate (EG). As the carrier mobility of the transducer that is used as the biosensor is increased, the electrical signal conversion efficiency of the biomaterials is improved. Therefore, the HEMT is a more suitable transducer platform than the conventional silicon-based transistor. The fabricated AlGaN/GaN device showed an electron density of 9.0 × 1012 cm-2, and an electron mobility of 1,990 cm2/V-s. In order to reduce the gate leakage current, which is a drawback of conventional HEMT devices, we deposited a 3-nm thick Al2O3 layer as a top-gate oxide by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method; the fabricated HEMT has a metal–insulator semiconductor (MIS) structure. In addition, we used the EG to implement the disposable biosensor. Although the EG (a sensing membrane) is contaminated and destroyed, the HEMT (a transducer) can be reused. We evaluated the pH sensing characteristics using a pH sensor, which was implemented by connecting the HEMT and EG. The EG HEMT pH sensor showed a sensitivity of 57.6 mV/pH, which is close to the Nernst limit (approximately 59 mV/pH), and a linearity of 98.93%. To verify the stability and reliability of the implemented EG HEMT pH sensor, we measured the real-time response. The EG HEMT pH sensor has an error of only 2.39% of the signal. Therefore, we expect that the EG-based AlGaN/GaN HEMT pH sensor will be a suitable next-generation biosensor platform for a high electrical signal change efficiency of biomaterials, disposable, and point-of-care systems.In this paper, we fabricated an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) pH sensor with an extended-gate (EG). As the carrier mobility of the transducer that is used as the biosensor is increased, the electrical signal conversion efficiency of the biomaterials is improved. Therefore, the HEMT is a more suitable transducer platform than the conventional silicon-based transistor. The fabricated AlGaN/GaN device showed an electron density of 9.0 × 1012 cm-2, and an electron mobility of 1,990 cm2/V-s. In order to reduce the gate leakage current, which is a drawback of conventional HEMT devices, we deposited a 3-nm thick Al2O3 layer as a top-gate oxide by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method; the fabricated HEMT has a metal–insulator semiconductor (MIS) structure. In addition, we used the EG to implement the disposable biosensor. Although the EG (a sensing membrane) is contaminated and destroyed, the HEMT (a transducer) can be reused. We evaluated the pH sensing characteristics using a pH sensor,.
Genetic Diversity of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria among Symptomatic TB negative Patients in Kenya

Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) transmission to humans occurs through inhalation of dust particles or vaporized water containing NTM leading to pulmonary manifestations. NTM infections are often misdiagnosed for tuberculosis (TB) due to their similar clinical and radiological manifestations. We, therefore, performed a species-level identification of NTM in symptomatic TB negative patients through sequencing of the hsp65 gene. We conducted a cross-sectional study at the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory in the period between January to November 2020. One hundred and sixty-six mycobacterial culture-positive samples that tested negative for TB using capilia underwent Polymerase Chain Reaction targeting the hsp65 gene. Isolates showing a band with gel electrophoresis at 441 bp position were sequenced using Sanger technology. Geneious software was used to analyze the obtained sequences, and the National Center for Biotechnology Information gene database identified NTM species for each isolate. A phylogenetic tree was constructed from the DNA sequences and evolutionary distances computed using the general time-reversible method. Pearson chi-square was used to determine the association between NTM infection and participants’ characteristics Our study identified 43 different NTM species. The dominant NTM belonged to Mycobacterium avium complex 37 (31%). Slow-growing NTM were the majority at 86 (71%) while rapid-growing NTM were 36 (29%). A significant association (p<0.05) was observed for regions and age, while patient type had a week likelihood of NTM infection. Our study characterized the diversity of NTM in Kenya for the first time and showed a high diversity of NTM species.
Novel approaches for biotechnological production and application of L-arabinose

Abstract L-arabinose is found in biopolymers such as hemicellulose, pectin, arabinogalactan-protein complexes, and polysaccharides of exudate plant gums. Recent studies have revealed many possible applications of L-arabinose in the fields of pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries. Novel approaches to obtain L-arabinose are focused on the utilization of lignocellulosic by-products, purified polysaccharides, and residual hydrolysates containing a mixture of sugars. L-arabinose can be released from lignocellulosic biomasses by acid-catalysed or enzymatic hydrolysis. L-arabinose-enriched solutions can be obtained from residual hydrolysates by yeast-mediated biopurification. The most promising, novel processes to obtain L-arabinose have combined the advantages of different methods but technological barriers still exist impeding the industrial implementation. Graphical Abstract
ASSESSMENT OF SURFACE-OZONE IN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA FOCUSED ON TRENDS FOR THREE YEARS

The aim of this study is to analyze the surface-ozone concentration mass variations in Bucharest for the 2005-2007 period. Data files from eight urban sites in Bucharest area were processed to extract the surface-ozone features. Generally, the results have shown that the highest values of surfaceozone concentrations are in the summer and in the afternoon, as in the literature. The smallest values are in December and January in all the three years. Monthly mean concentrations have shown a clear pattern with maximum values during spring or early summer (70-80g m at rural station in March and April) and minimum in winter (2-6g m in December, at traffic stations). The seasonal variation was the net result of varying precursor concentrations of the surfaceozone. In addition to the seasonal variation, ozone concentrations have presented a diurnal variation as a result of vertical mixing, surface dry deposition and photochemistry. The trend of surface-ozone concentrations in Bucharest was negative at all sites and for the whole period. The comparison between monthly variations of measured and modeled values was analyzed for 2007, a drought year. The similarity of the simulated and measured values proved that the OML model can be used to forecast the surface-ozone evolution.
Analysis of Self Heating Effect in DC/AC Mode in Multi-Channel GAA-Field Effect Transistor

In this article, the self-heating effect (SHE) of both dc and ac for a three-channel nanowire-field effect transistor (FET) is investigated and analyzed. In the dc mode, as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {T}_{{\text {max}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>(definition: <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${T}_{{\text {max}}}-{300}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> K) increases to 65 K, the transistor suffers from an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}_{{\text {on}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> degradation of 3.8% along with a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{{\text {th}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 4.875 [K/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>]. In the ac mode, as the heating time (same as the pulse time) increases, the heat is accumulated more and the cooling time increases accordingly. It is confirmed that <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {T}_{{\text {max}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> decreases as the device operating frequency increases and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {T}_{{\text {max}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> saturates to about 40 K at 4 GHz. Finally, the thermal characteristics and the lifetime are analyzed while changing the duty cycle to 25%, 50%, and 75%. It shows that <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {T}_{{\text {max}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> increases to 38, 42, and 45 K, respectively, and HCI and BTI lifetime can be increased up to two times and three times, respectively.
ECOPHYSIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF YIELD DETERMINATION IN SOYBEAN OF DIFFERENT RELATIVE MATURITIES

OF THESIS ECOPHYSIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF YIELD DETERMINATION IN SOYBEAN OF DIFFERENT RELATIVE MATURITIES Soybean yield differences are a combination of the genotype, environmental conditions, and management practices. Understanding how these factors interact through the analysis of the components involved in yield determination, provides a way to increase potential and actual yields in Kentucky. Two irrigated experiments were conducted to quantify differences in the mechanisms of yield determination across soybean maturity groups (MG) 2 to 5 (Chapter 1), and to quantify management options (seeding rate and choice of MG cultivar) that increase yield potential of double crop soybean systems (Chapter 2). Results showed that cultivars used different physiological strategies to achieve high yields, but these were not always consistent across the environments studied. High yields were often associated to a higher efficiency partitioning biomass to seeds that lead to a higher seed number in some cultivars, as well as associated to low seed growth rates (Chapter 1). The choice of MG cultivar had a greater impact on double-crop soybean yields than increasing seeding rates from 40 to 54 seed m-2. The higher seeding rate increased yields by 5% without an interaction with cultivar. Optimal MG choices for double-crop soybean in KY were dependent on the environment.
Correlation of c-MET expression with clinical characteristics and the prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Background The proto-oncogene c-MET (mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor gene) plays a critical role in cellular proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion in cancers. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between c-MET expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Methods A total of 337 enrolled patients were collected in present study. Here, the c-MET and EGFR expression were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The mutational statuses of KRAS in exons 2, 3, and 4, NRAS in exons 2, 3, and 4, and BRAF in exon 15 from formalin-fixed sections were detected by direct DNA sequencing. Results Our results showed that high c-MET expression was significantly associated with tumor perineural invasion (P=0.007) and gender (P=0.016). High level c-MET expression (c-MET-high) in the primary tumors was observed in 68.2% of patients. In the 337 enrolled patients, 43.2% of patients had KRAS mutations, 3.3% of patients had NRAS mutations, and 4.7% of patients had BRAF mutations. However, KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF gene mutations had no association with c-MET protein levels in primary tumors. Additionally, c-MET protein expression had a strong correlation with EGFR expression (P=0.002). The survival time was not significantly longer for patients with c-MET-high primary tumors than for those with c-MET-low primary tumors. Conclusions c-MET immunohistochemistry was significantly higher in primary tumors with perineural invasion, female gender, and EGFR high expression. However, c-MET-high in the primary tumors was not significantly associated with longer survival compared with c-MET-low tumors. Further studies are required to investigate c-MET as potential molecular marker of progression and to test the possibility of its incorporation as a new therapeutic target.
Place in Modern Jewish Culture and Society

Notions of place have always permeated Jewish life and consciousness. The Babylonian Talmud was pitted against the Jerusalem Talmud; the worlds of Sepharad and Ashkenaz were viewed as two pillars of the Jewish experience; the diaspora was conceived as a wholly different experience from that of Eretz Israel; and Jews from Eastern Europe and “German Jews” were often seen as mirror opposites, whereas Jews under Islam were often characterized pejoratively, especially because of their allegedly uncultured surroundings. Place, or makom, is a strategic opportunity to explore the tensions that characterize Jewish culture in modernity, between the sacred and the secular, the local and the global, the historical and the virtual, Jewish culture and others. The plasticity of the term includes particular geographic places and their cultural landscapes, theological allusions, and an array of other symbolic relations between locus, location, and the production of culture. This volume includes twelve chapters that deal with various aspects of particular places, making each location a focal point for understanding Jewish life and culture. The text sheds light on the vicissitudes of the twentieth century in relation to place and Jewish culture. The chapters continue the ongoing discussion in this realm and provide further insights into the historiographical turn in Jewish studies.
Evaluation of non-volatile taste components in commercial soy sauces

ABSTRACT The dominating non-volatile taste compounds in commercial brewed soy sauces were determined by HPLC and evaluated on the contributions to overall taste. Aspartic acid and glutamic acid accounted for 8.77 to 147.98 mg/mL in ten commercial soy sauces samples. Lactic acid (ranging from 0.83 to 13.19 mg/mL) and pyroglutamic acid (ranging from 0 to 12.80 mg/mL) were the dominant organic acids, contributing to the acidity and ensuring a balance in taste of soy sauces. 5ʹ-Inosine monophosphate was the most abundant nucleotide, followed by 5ʹ-guanosine monophosphate, and they accounted for 0.30 to 3.54 mg/mL in ten soy sauces. According to the determination of non-volatile taste compounds in soy sauce samples, taste activity value (TAV) and equivalent umami concentration (EUC) of different soy sauces were calculated and compared. An exclusive cluster analysis based on TAV was proposed to classify the commercial soy sauces. The EUC value of new class A is much higher than other classes.
Process optimization for the supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction of wheat germ oil with respect to yield, and phosphorous and tocol contents using a Box Behnken design

The supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction technique has emerged as one of the best possible alternatives to organic solvent (hexane) extraction. However, very limited information is available on process optimization for this extraction technique and the lack of available engineering data is causing the slow growth of this technique. In the present investigation, SC-CO2 extraction was carried out to extract the oil from wheat germ under various operating conditions and the oil samples were characterized for properties such as phosphorous and tocol contents (vitamin E). A three-level Box Behnken design from response surface methodology was applied to optimize the SC-CO2 extraction parameters such as pressure, temperature and CO2 flow rate with an objective to obtain high oil yield, rich tocol contents and low phosphorous content. The process parameters were maintained between 30 to 50 MPa, 40 to 60 °C and a flow rate of 10 to 30 g·min-1 in a Box Behnken design matrix. Three different second order polynomial models were obtained for oil yield, phosphorous content and tocol contents with high R2 values. The optimum conditions were found to be 50 M Pa, 60 °C and 30 g·min-1 where the predicted oil yield, phosphorous content and tocol contents were found to be 8.87%, 31.86 mg·Kg-1 and 2059.92 mg·Kg-1 respectively. Under the optimum conditions, the experimental oil yield, phosphorous content and tocol contents obtained were found to be very close to the values predicted by the model.
Profiling and Characterization of Environmental Quality of Leachates from Selected Dumpsites in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

This study profiled and characterized environmental quality of selected dumpsite leachates in Imo State with emphasis on Nekede, Worldbank, Irete and Orji areas of the state. Leachates were collected under stringent sample collection protocols from the selected dumpsites and analyzed. Samples were collected from three different sampling points of the dumpsite and bulked to form representative sample for each sampling site. The samples were analyzed for a number of standard physical and chemical parameters using standard analytical protocols and compared with the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMENV) benchmark. The result of the analysis showed that the values of electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, temperature, BOD, COD, CO, salinity, sulphate, chloride, turbidity, nickel, chromium, lead, and cadmium were above FMENV limit; while nitrate, sulphate and zinc (from Worldbank, Irete and Orji), were below FMENV detectable limit. The outcome of the study is a pointer to the fact that the assayed leachates have high pollution potentials. There is possibility of gradual buildup of contaminants in the study area’s dumpsites, which could pose a serious threat, including the inhabitants around the vicinity. The study underscores the need for continual monitoring of the dumpsite leachates, and possibly an upgrade to a sustainable engineered landfill, to forestall possible pollution problems of other components of the environment such as aquatic bodies in future.
The chemo-enzymatic modification and degumming of hemp fiber by the laccase-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical-hemicellulase system and physico-chemical properties of the products

In this study, we found an environmentally friendly system in the degumming of hemp fiber without using a strong acid and alkali. The chemo-enzymatic modification and degumming of hemp fiber used an acetic acid–sodium acetate buffer solution containing laccase, hemicellulase and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO) under a mild condition (pH = 5, T = 50℃). Through comparing and analyzing the physical and chemical properties of fiber products under different treatments, we found the method involving treatment with TEMPO/laccase/hemicellulase not only greatly removed most of the gum attached on the surface of the raw hemp fiber, but also introduced surface-active aldehyde and carboxyl groups into the fiber. The performances of the hemp fibers with different treatments were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. We also found the product was finer, with a lower content of non-cellulosic components and it had better water uptake properties (moisture sorption and water retention value), which has potential application values in textile industries.
Job Security and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour in Deposit Money Banks in Rivers State

This study examined the relationship between job security and organizational citizenship behaviour in Deposit Money Banks in Rivers State. The study adopted a cross-sectional research survey design. Primary source was generated through selfadministered questionnaire. The population of the study was 202 employees of 21 Deposit Money Banks in Port Harcourt. The sample size of 134 was determined using the Taro Yamane’s formula for sample size determination. The reliability of the instrument was achieved by the use of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient with all the items scoring above 0.70 to be selected. Data generated was analyzed and presented using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The hypotheses were tested using the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Statistics. The finding revealed that there is a significant relationship between job security and organizational citizenship behaviour in Deposit Money Banks in Rivers State. The study thus concludes that job security significantly influences organizational citizenship behaviour in Deposit Money Banks in Rivers State. The study recommends that Deposit Money Banks should strive to provide job security to their employees as it has a positive and significant impact on organizational citizenship behaviour.