Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the U.S. Bioeconomy: A New Definition and Landscape

This article provides an overview of the U.S. bioeconomy, discussing how its definition has evolved and been formalized over time. The first attempts to conceptualize and define the U.S. bioeconomy began in the early 1990s. This was followed by a series of government and private efforts to develop methods to understand and evaluate it and to develop programs to promote it. These efforts culminated in the 2020 release of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Safeguarding the Bioeconomy report. The report recommended a formal definition of the U.S. bioeconomy, providing the rationale for that particular definition in the U.S. context. Formally adopting a comprehensive definition of the U.S. bioeconomy would enable the U.S. government to better assess the bioeconomy’s current state, to develop strategies to support its growth, and to promote strategies to safeguard it. Along with this recommendation, the NASEM Safeguarding report also discussed defining the “bioeconomy landscape,” which involves more precise determination and quantification of which economic activities are part of and external to the U.S. economy. Defining this landscape could guide metric development and data collection needed to track the bioeconomy’s growth, conduct economic assessments, and enable policy makers to keep abreast of advances that could potentially pose new national or economic security challenges. The report also includes an analysis of the broad range national bioeconomy strategies, identification of the four drivers of the U.S. bioeconomy, and the first of its kind, comprehensive estimate of the size and scope of the U.S. bioeconomy of USD 959B (valued in 2016 constant USD ).
Shoring Up Autocracy: Participatory Technologies and Regime Support in Putin’s Russia

How do autocrats build support? This study argues that autocrats create and maintain participatory technologies—elite-mass communication strategies that promote two-way interaction between citizens and leaders—to foster support. Participatory technologies provide citizens with the opportunity to have a limited voice in otherwise closed political systems. I test this theory through a series of two nationally-representative survey experiments in Russia. Results suggest that awareness of participatory technologies increases approval of President Putin and improves perceptions that there are opportunities for voice in politics. This finding departs from previous research that suggests public opinion is influenced primarily by participation. Furthermore, I demonstrate that these effects can be directly attributed to the communicative format of these strategies, not to issue resolution or leadership effects. Finally, I demonstrate that effects are dependent upon individuals’ political sophistication and political priors, contributing to political polarization and opening up the potential for backlash against the regime.
Effect of the Quality of Institutions on the Tax Structure in West African Economic and Monetary Union Countries (WAEMU)

The objective of this paper is to analyze the effect of the quality of institutions on the different types of tax revenues, in particular on the total tax revenue, the direct tax revenue, the domestic indirect tax revenue and the trade tax revenue. The econometric analysis used the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimator over the period from 1996 to 2015. The results of the estimates show that in the WAEMU zone, the quality of institutions has a positive and significant effect on all types of tax revenues except for trade tax revenue. These results are robust because they do not change according to the different indicators used to measure the quality of institutions. Furthermore, overall, GDP per capita positively and significantly affects total and indirect domestic tax revenue, while it has a negative effect on direct tax revenue. Trade openness has a positive and significant effect on all types of tax revenues, except for indirect domestic tax revenue. The share of agriculture has a positive and significant effect on all types of revenue except trade tax revenue. Inflation has a negative and significant effect on all types of tax revenues. The share of natural resources and the size of the informal sector show mixed results.
Setting distribution analysis in elite-level men's volleyball: an ecological approach

This study aimed to analyze how situational constraints (lifter distance to attackers and blockers) influenced a volleyball setter’s distribution after reception that allow an organized attack with all attack options and the relationship between the attack tempo and the effect of the attack according to the setting location. The sample comprised 22 games in the 2018 Men's Volleyball World Championship. The results showed that there was a difference in the distribution while considering the distance between the setter and the striker in position 4 [χ2 (4) = 28.657; p <0.001], the striker in position 6 [χ2 (4) = 23.828; p <0.001], the blocker in position 4 [χ2 (4) = 16.566; p = 0.002] and there was an effect of the attack tempo on the effect of attacks performed by position 6 [χ2 (3) = 15.438; p = 0.001]. From these findings, it is clear that the setter's decision-making is related to the ecological dynamics of the game and to situational constraints, with the availability of attackers influencing the setter's distribution and setting, along with the layout of the adversary’s blocking system.
Direct application of reactive phosphate rock on improving maize yield in tidal swampland

Tidal swampland soil is characterized by low soil acidity and P availability, and high Al, Fe, S, and Na concentrations. Due to its productivity, tidal swampland needs an improved specific location technology. Reactive phosphate rock (RPR) which is characterized by its high reactivity and residual effect, and slow release is an option to overcome the P problem. The objective of this research was to study the effect of direct application of reactive phosphate rock in increasing maize yield in tidal swampland. The experiment was conducted at farmer’s field in Banyu Urip Village, Banyuasin District, South Sumatera. The research was arranged using randomized block design with four treatments and four replicates. The treatments consisted of farmers’ practice (P1), recommended single fertilizer (P2), recommended compound fertilizer (P3), and recommended RPR package (P4). The results showed that P4 treatment was able to improve plant growth and maize yield up to 25% compared to farmers’ practice. RPR package consists of RPR, dolomite, manure, Urea, and KCl of 1, 1, 2, 0.4, and 0.4 t ha−1, respectively, in tidal swamp land achieved maize production up to 8.25 t ha−1. This RPR package could be an applicable option in improving maize yield in tidal swamp land.
Implications of global climate change for the development and ecological interactions between two key Amazonian aquatic macrophytes

Amazon wetlands are among the most vulnerable ecosystem to be impacted by climate change, which may increase the frequency of extreme droughts and floods. We used Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes , two abundant aquatic plants in the Amazon floodplains, to evaluate the effects of combined temperature and [CO 2 ] increase on growth, physiology and ecological interactions. Individual and paired plants were deposited for three weeks in a microcosm under four IPCC scenarios: control (current temperature/CO 2 ), mild (control + 1.5 ºC, 200 ppm CO 2 ), intermediate (control + 2.5 ºC, 450 ppm CO 2 ) and extreme (control + 3.5 ºC, 850 ppm CO 2 ). P. stratiotes died after three weeks in the intermediate and extreme treatments; E. crassipes experienced no mortality or change in any of the measured variables during the same period. P. stratiotes reduced root length in the mild treatment and reduced total dry biomass in intermediate and extreme treatments, revealing less tolerance to climate change. Ecological interactions between the two species changed with increasing [CO 2 ] and temperature neutral interaction changed to facilitation for E. crassipes , while competitive interaction changed to neutral for P. stratiotes . Global climate change may alter the composition, biomass and ecological interactions of Amazonian aquatic plant species.
Niche partitioning of low‐light adapted Prochlorococcus subecotypes across oceanographic gradients of the North Pacific Subtropical Front

The cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic cell on Earth and contributes to global ocean carbon cycling and food webs. Prochlorococcus is known for its extensive diversity that falls into two groups of ecotypes, the low‐light (LL) and high‐light (HL) adapted ecotypes. Previous work has shown niche partitioning of the very abundant HL adapted ecotypes and subecotypes across oceanographic gradients including temperature, nutrients, and day length. However, niche partitioning of subecotypes within the LL adapted ecotypes has not been studied as well because they are less abundant and less accessible than surface, HL populations. Through high‐throughput, cyanobacterial‐specific, sequencing of high‐resolution depth profiles from three stations across the North Pacific Subtropical Front, we discovered extensive diversity and strong latitudinal partitioning of subecotype populations within LL ecotypes, in contrast to fairly consistent patterns at the broader level of LL Prochlorococcus ecotypes. These results indicate that both shallow and deep‐water processes shape microbial community structure in this region despite strong connectivity in microbial communities across the North Pacific Subtropical Front, supported by a few HL and LL sequences found ubiquitously across stations. This study expands understanding of the diversity and complexity of Prochlorococcus community structure over oceanographic gradients.
Mass Transfer Behaviour in Hybrid Solvent Oil Recovery Processes

The mechanisms of mass transfer in thermal solvent enhanced oil recovery processes and the influence of grid size in the numerical simulation of these processes is not well understood [1, 2]. The literature has indicated that, experimentally, solvent fronts progress more rapidly that what can be predicted using current approximations [3]. It has also been shown that under certain modelling conditions with coarser grid meshes, the influence of numerical errors can be substantial. The equations that govern thermal/solvent multiphase flow through porous media are extremely complex and it is very difficult to decouple the contribution of the mass transfer mechanisms from the thermal effects. This paper was written to increase the understanding of the mass transfer mechanisms in hybrid thermal solvent recovery processes through sensitivity study using a numerical solution of the linear one dimensional advection diffusion/dispersion (ADD) equation. This equation was modeled using finite difference methods. The effects of grid size were examined to verify the use of this method, and the results were then used to examine the sensitivity of the equation to the parameters that govern the mass transfer mechanisms (advection velocity, diffusion and dispersion coefficients). In particular, a range of values for diffusion and dispersion coefficients were selected for the sensitivity study, and one advection velocity. These values were then used to numerically solve the ADD equation to assess the impact of each mechanism (advection, diffusion and dispersion) and their contribution to the movement of the solvent front. The parameters chosen for this study were based on values obtained from the literature for advection velocity, diffusion and dispersion coefficients consistent with a gravity drainage thermal/solvent oil recovery process. This sensitivity study has indicated that all three mechanisms (advection, diffusion and dispersion) must be included to have the solvent front progress at rates that are consistent with experimental solvent front advance rates published in the literature to date [1]. This result suggests that diffusion alone cannot account for the movement of the solvent front within the ranges of values that have been studied.
Undergraduate Students Becoming Engineers: The Affordances of University-Based Makerspaces

In the last decade, postsecondary institutions have seen a notable increase in makerspaces on their campuses and the integration of these spaces into engineering programs. Yet research into the efficacy of university-based makerspaces is sparse. We contribute to this nascent body of research in reporting on findings from a phenomenological study on the perceptions of faculty, staff, and students concerning six university-based makerspaces in the United States. We discuss the findings using a framework of heterogeneous engineering (integration of the social and technical aspects of engineering practice). Various physical, climate, and programmatic features of makerspaces were read as affordances for students’ development of engineering practices and their continued participation and persistence in engineering. We discuss the potential of makerspaces in helping students develop knowledge, skills, and proclivities that may support their attending to especially wicked societal problems, such as issues of sustainability. We offer implications for makerspace administrators, engineering program leaders, faculty, and staff, as well as those developing and delivering professional development for faculty and staff, to better incorporate makerspaces into the university engineering curriculum.
Characteristics of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Patients in Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya

Introduction: This research aimed to describe the characteristics of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients in Dr. Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya. Methods: This was a descriptive study to determine the characteristics of POAG in 42 patients recruited from Ophthalmology Outpatient Clinic, Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Surabaya, from March to June 2018. This study was conducted because the epidemiological data about characteristics of patients with POAG in Surabaya are not available yet. Results: The ratio of male and female patients with POAG was 1:1, the largest age group of patients was 55-64 years old (38.10%), in which a few patients had history of hypertension (45.24%). Regression of visual acuity was the most common symptoms along with clinical sign of the patients (78.57%), and the most common location of POAG was both eyes (69.05%). Furthermore, the mean of visual acuity of patients with POAG was 0.38 ± 0.36, and the mean of intraocular pressure of patients with POAG was 22.22 ± 9.24 mmHg. Conclusion: POAG is generally bilateral disease that can occur in men and women with no differences with the largest age group of 55-64 years old, the most common symptom and clinical sign was regression of visual acuity.
Adaptation of the Student Well-being Process Questionnaire for Russian-speaking students of Kazakhstan

ABSTRACT This article describes the process of adaptation of the Russian version of The Student Well-being Process Questionnaire (Student WPQ). A sample of 408 Kazakhstan university students completed the adapted Student WPQ. The exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors, explaining 67.38% of the total variance that were consistent with the theoretical model developed by the authors of the original version. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for internal consistency reliability of the scales ranged from 0.712 to 0.929. Statistically significant correlation was found between the adapted questionnaire and the questionnaires used to test the convergent validity (correlation coefficients ranged from 0.382 to 0.891). Regression analysis showed that positive well-being was predicted by psychological capital, positive coping, and low levels of student stress; negative well-being was predicted by high stressors and low consciousness. These findings were consistent with the results obtained by the authors of the original questionnaire. The Russian version of The Student WPQ can be used to measure well-being and academic stress in Kazakhstan conditions.
Effects of anthocyanin, astaxanthin, and lutein on eye functions: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

We examined the effects of a test food containing anthocyanin, astaxanthin, and lutein on the eye function in healthy Japanese adults with eye fatigue after operating visual display terminals. Forty-four subjects were randomly but equally assigned to the active or placebo group. Two active or placebo capsules were taken once daily for 6 weeks. Accommodative function, tear film break-up time, visual acuity, the value of Schirmer’s test, macular pigment optical density level, muscle hardness, and a questionnaire were evaluated before and after a 6-week intervention. Each group included 20 subjects in the efficacy analysis. The active group showed a significant improvement in the percentage of pupillary response of an average of both eyes and dominant eye pre- and post-visual display terminal operation at 6 weeks compared with the placebo group. Moreover, the active group showed a significant improvement in the scores of “A sensation of trouble in focusing the eyes” and “Difficulty in seeing objects in one’s hand and nearby, or fine print” compared with the placebo group between before and after ingestion. Therefore, 6-weeks consumption of the test food inhibited a decrease in the accommodative function caused by visual display terminal operation (UMIN000036989).
Climatic and Biotic Controls on Topographic Asymmetry at the Global Scale

Insolation differences play a primary role in controlling microclimate and vegetation cover, which together influence the development of topography. Topographic asymmetry (TA), or slope differences between terrain aspects, has been well documented in small‐scale, field‐based, and modeling studies. Here we combine a suite of environmental (e.g., vegetation, temperature, solar insolation) and topographic (e.g., elevation, drainage network) data to explore the driving mechanisms and markers of TA on a global scale. Using a novel empirical TA analysis method, we find that (1) steeper terrain has higher TA magnitudes, (2) globally, pole‐facing terrain is on average steeper than equator‐facing terrain, especially in mid‐latitude, tectonically quiescent, and vegetated landscapes, and (3) high‐elevation and low‐temperature regions tend to have terrain steepened toward the equator. We further show that there are distinct differences in climate and vegetation cover across terrain aspects, and that TA is reflected in the size and form of fluvial drainage networks. Our work supports the argument that insolation asymmetries engender differences in local microclimates and vegetation on opposing terrain aspects, which broadly encourage the development of asymmetric topography across a range of lithologic, tectonic, geomorphic, and climatic settings.
Antibiotic Prescription Patterns for Hospitalized Children Under 12 Years in a Tertiary Referral Teaching Hospital, Kerman, Iran

Background: Inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics in children is common in most parts of the world. Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate antibiotic prescription patterns and the rational use of antibiotics in hospitalized children in a tertiary referral hospital in Kerman, Iran. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study evaluated prescription patterns of antibiotics for hospitalized children under 12 years old for six months from October 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018. Demographic information, including age, sex, most commonly-prescribed drug classes, name of antibiotic, duration and route of administration, diagnosis, and results of microbial culture and duration of hospitalization were recorded. Results: Most antibiotics were administered by parenteral route. The major infections for which antibiotics were prescribed were febrile seizures (34.4%), upper respiratory infections (25.5%), pyrexia with unknown origin (17.6%), and urinary tract infections (14.8%). Ceftriaxone, clindamycin, and vancomycin were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. The selection of 84% of antibiotics was on an empirical basis. Ampicillin (83.9%) and clindamycin (81.0%) showed the highest resistance rate, followed by ceftriaxone (33.0%) and vancomycin (32.0%). Conclusions: Our results showed inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitalized children. A relatively high resistance rate to prescribed antibiotics for children indicates that the selection of high-cost antibiotics, including ceftriaxone, vancomycin, and meropenem should be based on antimicrobial sensitivity tests.
Ultra-high aspect ratio functional nanoporous silicon via nucleated catalysts

Nanoporous silicon (NPSi) has drawn recent interest because of its potential in a range of applications such as battery anodes, photocatalysis, thermoelectrics, and filtration membranes. However, the inexpensive and scalable manufacturing of high aspect ratio porous structures on the nanometer scale has been difficult due to the reliance of current methods on complex and expensive equipment used for techniques such as anodization or photolithography. Here, we report a method of producing NPSi with sub-10 nm pore sizes and aspect ratios as high as 400 : 1 by leveraging the nucleation of sputtered noble metals on the Si surface, followed by metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE). The technique is capable of producing NPSi in an intrinsically scalable manner. Samples are characterized with SEM and TEM, along with vertical and horizontal FIB cross-sectional milling to elucidate the porous structure at several μm of depth within the substrate. Following preparation of the NPSi, it is functionalized with Al2O3 and TiO2 via atomic layer deposition (ALD). TiO2-functionalized NPSi exhibits reflectivity of 6–8% for visible wavelengths, and 2–3% in the infrared – showing its promise as a robust and functional porous substrate. The developed approach of employing MACE with sputtered nucleated catalysts facilitates the scalable fabrication of functional ultra-high aspect-ratio nanopores in silicon.
Corruption, Taxation and the Impact on the Shadow Economy

While assessing the economic impacts of corruption, the corruption-related transmission channels which influence taxation as such have to be duly considered. Taking the example of the Czech Republic, this article aims to evaluate the impacts corruption has on the size of the shadow economy as well as on the individual sources of long-term economic growth, making use of a transmission channel through which corruption affects the tax burden components. Using the method of an extended DSGE model, it confirms the initial assumption that an increase in perceived corruption supports the shadow economy’s growth, but at the same time, it demonstrates that corruption and especially its perception has a significantly different effect on two key areas—the capital accumulation and the labour force size. It further identifies another sector of the economy representing taxes which are prone to tax evasion while asserting that corruption has a much more destructive effect on this sector of the economy, offering generalized implications for other post-communist EU member states in a similar situation.