Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circular Economy Performance Measurement in Manufacturing Firms: A Systematic Literature Review with Insights for Small and Medium Enterprises and New Adopters

The circular economy is a central and increasingly important topic within managerial and academic discourse. Although the circular economy could bring benefits to their performance, manufacturing firms still struggle with its adoption. As an effective adoption should pass for adequate performance measurement, the present study performs a systematic literature review to deepen the knowledge of circular economy performance-measurement systems for manufacturing firms, both from a general perspective and to provide specific insights for small–medium enterprises and new adopters. The results show the lack of an integrated, holistic, and scalable framework for measuring circular economy performance, and only a few and dispersed specific indications for small–medium enterprises and new adopters. Shortcomings of the extant literature are identified in terms of integration of the circular economy’s level, theoretical development and empirical application, characteristics of the indicators proposed, considerations of sustainability, holistic perspectives on industrial systems, and scalability to adapt to firms’ different characteristics. The study paves the way for further research while offering theoretical and practical implications.
Association Free Energies of Metal Cations with Mesylate and Acetate in Brine Calculated via Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Here we report results from fully-atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and present the calculated binding free energies of the associations between metal cations and anionic functional groups under brine condition. Specifically the ion pair formations of Na+ and Ca2+ metal cations with sulfonate and carboxylate functional groups were considered. In our simulations, sulfonate and carboxylate functional groups in polyelectrolytes were modeled by mesylate and acetate anions, respectively. The simulations show that the binding strengths of Na+ and Ca2+ with sulfonate group are relatively weak with correlation times for the contact ion pairs being around 300-400 ps. In the case of acetate, the binding strength with Na+ was found to be comparable to the case of sulfonate group, while the binding of acetate with Ca2+ was found to be much stronger with a correlation time of the order of hundreds of nanoseconds. The binding free energies of Na+ and Ca2+ with sulfonate as well as that of Na+ with acetate have been calculated directly from the radial distribution functions. For the case of binding between Ca2+ and acetate constrained MD simulations with umbrella sampling were carried out to improve the sampling of the phase space and the potential of mean force was obtained by the weighted histogram analysis method. The binding free energy of a 2:1 binding event between one Ca2+ ion and two acetates was also calculated. Finally the binding free energies between Ca2+ and acetate were compared for different force field parameters and water models, and also with experimental and calculated values reported in the literature.
Effect of pre-harvest spray of calcium nitrate, boric acid and zinc sulphate on storability of Nagpur mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco)

An investigation was carried out at Fruit Research Farm, Department of Fruit Science at College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar during 16 September, 2014 to 1 March, 2015 to study the individual effect of Pre-harvest spray of Calcium nitrate, Zinc sulphate and Boric acid as well as their interaction on Storability of Nagpur mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) after fruit set stage. Among different pre-harvest treatments, T27 treatment (Ca 3.0% + B 0.6% + Zn 0.6%) treated fruits had the longest shelf-life of 15 days at ambient conditions with lowest PLW (9.27 %), decay per cent (15.23 %) and better organoleptic ratting (8.41/10) and higher retention of juice percent (39.12 %) till end of storage period.
Selection Effects on Dishonest Behavior

Many experimental studies use random assignment to identify factors influencing dishonesty. However, in real-life, people deliberately choose dishonesty-enabling environments. In two laboratory experiments, we let participants self-select in two tasks, one of which enabled them to cheat. We found that participants low in the honesty-humility were more likely to choose the cheating-enabling task. Furthermore, after choosing it, they cheated even more than when they were randomly assigned to it for the first time. When choosing the cheating-enabling task was costly, the interest in it decreased, but those who chose the task anyway cheated even more. An intervention based on social proof aimed to discourage self-selection into the cheating-enabling environment had the opposite effect. The results suggest that immoral individuals are likely to dominate cheating-enabling environments, where they cheat extensively. Interventions trying to limit the choice of these environments may backfire and lead to the selection of the worst fraudsters.
Impact of PEDDA and Cooperative Learning Approach on Students’ Conception of Energy and Society in Senior Secondary School Physics in Onitsha Education Zone of Anambra State, Nigeria

The study investigated the impact of PEDDA and Cooperative Learning Approach (CLA) on students’ conception of energy and society in senior secondary school physics in Onitsha Education Zone of Anambra State, Nigeria. Two research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. The study employed quasi experimental research design. The population of the study comprised all the 6,138 SS2 physics students in 32 public secondary schools in Onitsha Education Zone of which 315 students were sampled using simple random sampling technique specifically with replacement. Four public schools or groups were used for the study. Two groups were taught using PEDDA while the other two groups taught using CLA. The instrument for data collection was Conception Test on Energy and Society (CTES) consisting of 20 multiple choice questions. The reliability coefficient of 0.82 for CTES was determined using Kudder-Richardson twenty (K-R 20) formula. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the two research questions while ANCOVA was used to test the hypothesis. The findings revealed that male and female students’ conception when taught energy and society using PEDDA and those taught using CLA is significant in favor of CLA group. Thus, the study recommended that physics teachers should adopt PEDDA so as to enhance students’ conception. Keywords: PEDDA , Cooperative Learning Approach, Gender, Energy and Society DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-22-13 Publication date : August 31 st 2019
On the stability of crystal lattices. I

The stability of lattices is discussed from the standpoint of the method of small vibrations. It is shown that it is not necessary to determine the whole vibrational spectrum, but only its long wave part. The stability conditions are nothing but the positive definiteness of the macroscopic deformation energy, and can be expressed in the form of inequalities for the elastic constants. A new method is explained for calculating these as lattice sums, and this method is applied to the three monatomic lattice types assuming central forces. In this way one obtains a simple explanation of the fact that the face-centred lattice is stable, whereas the simple lattice is always unstable and the body-centred also except for small exponents of the attractive forces. It is indicated that this method might be used for an improvement of the, at present, rather unsatisfactory theory of strength.
Phonon dispersion curves in Cr2AlC single-crystals

ABSTRACT Neutron inelastic scattering is used for the first time to measure phonon dispersion branches in Cr2AlC MAX phase single crystals with appreciable size. Phonon spectra are also calculated within the Density Functional Perturbation Theory (DFPT) framework and exhibit a very good match with experimental data, including high energy carbon-related optical branches. Both experiments and ab initio simulations confirm the existence of a substantial phonon gap and discard the presence of any softening mode or possible magnetic effect. IMPACT STATEMENT We synthesized Cr2AlC single-crystalline platelets with areas over 10 cm2. This breakthrough in materials synthesis was a prerequisite for measuring inelastic neutron scattering and phonon anisotropies. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Performance of mango (Mangifera indica L.) varieties for flowering and yield under high density planting

The present study entitled “Performance of mango (Mangifera indica L.) for flowering and yield under high density planting” was carried at Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi, Belagavi district, Karnataka during the year 2019-2020. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block design with five treatments (Alphonso, Amrapali, Kesar, Mallika and Totapuri) and six replications. Among the treatment varieties, highest number of panicles per plant and panicle length was recorded in Kesar (65.70 and 38.30 cm). Maximum panicle width, number of hermaphrodite flowers and fruit set percentage per panicle was recorded in Totapuri (26.40 cm, 246 and 4.60 %). Highest number of fruits per plant was noticed in Kesar (35.20). Whereas fruit yield per plant and fruit yield per hectare on weight basis was maximum in Mallika (8.76 kg and 14.6 t/ha) compared to other evaluated varieties.
Predicting the content of soil mineral nitrogen based on the content of calcium chloride‐extractable nutrients

Sustainable management of nitrogen (N) in crop production requires a multifactorial assessment of the soil inorganic nitrogen pool (Nmin). It is assumed that the reliable prediction of the total Nmin content requires data on the content of mineral N forms (NO3-N, NH4-N), the contents of other extractable macronutrients and the soil pH. This hypothesis was tested during three growing seasons on a production farm in Gorzno, Poland. The contents of 0.01 M CaCl2-extractable NO3-N, NH4-N, P, K, and Mg and the pH were measured in soil layers of 0–0.3, 0.3–0.6, and 0.6–0.9 m just prior to the start of spring vegetation of a given crop and immediately after its harvest (autumn). This study was conducted in 17 fields differing in cropping sequence (CS): 10 with oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) (OSR-CS) and seven with maize (Zea mays L.) (SM-CS) as the dominant crops. Principal factor analysis (PFA) was applied to explore and interpret patterns in data sets defined by the changeability in the content of Nmin in association with variability in contents of other CaCl2-extractable nutrients. In spring, the first principal factor (PF1) for OSR-CS was associated with phosphorus (P), whereas PF2 and PF3 were loaded by NO3-N and NH4-N, respectively. For SM-CS, PF1 was loaded by both inorganic N forms, whereas PF2 and PF3 were loaded by potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and P. In autumn, the dominance of P as the key variable associated with the PFs was stronger in both CSs compared with those in the spring. The prediction of Nmin, in spite of the moderate strength of the PFs (“r” coefficients), can be conducted based on the inorganic N content. In spring, the reliable prediction of Nmin for the OSR-CS requires data on both N forms. In the SM-CS, the content of NO3-N can be used as the sole Nmin predictor. In autumn, the variability in Nmin content can be explained based solely on the NH4-N content. This was also the main factor affecting the variability in other soil fertility characteristics, such as the contents of K and Mg and the soil pH.
Exploring the Serial Position Effects of Online Consumer Reviews on Heuristic vs. Systematic Information Processing and Consumer Decision-Making

Abstract Online consumer reviews serve an important marketing function, as they provide useful consumer-generated product information that could help online shoppers evaluate a product for making a purchase decision. To capitalize on this consumer-driven marketing opportunity, a common practice among marketers, for example, is to display these reviews from “highest” to “lowest” ratings to strategically “guide” online shoppers to access and process these reviews. The current study examined how the serial position placement of online consumer reviews might influence the systematic and heuristic information processing style leading to product evaluation and purchase decision-making. Results showed that consumer reviews published in an ascending order of ratings led to more systematic information processing, which in turn was positively related to perceived review helpfulness. The opposite was true for the placement effects of consumer reviews on heuristic processing, and the relationship between heuristic processing and perceived review helpfulness. Consumers’ prior brand attitude had a positive association with systematic processing and perceived review helpfulness, in addition to a negative relationship with heuristic processing. While perceived review helpfulness and perceived e-commerce website credibility were positively associated with each other, the latter was similarly linked to consumer intentions to shop on the e-commerce website.
Unraveling the Complex Hydration Behavior of Ionomers under Thin Film Confinement

The mechanical and transport properties of submicron thick ionomer films are crucial in the study and understanding of the ionomer–catalyst interfaces in the porous electrodes of energy conversion and storage devices, such as fuel cells and batteries. Interestingly, ionomers in thin films behave differently from bulk ionomer membranes, and the behavior of these thin films is not well understood. The complex hydration behavior of thin ionomer films in the confined state is described in this work. Here, thin films (∼25–250 nm) of sulfonated Radel (S-Radel) were investigated to understand thickness and hydration effects on the density and mechanical properties of these sulfonated thin polymer films. The density values obtained from quartz crystal microbalance and spectroscopic ellipsometry showed a thickness trend similar to density values obtained from neutron reflectometry with thin films of ∼25 nm thickness having lower densities than thicker, ∼250 nm films. Thicker films were always more dense and less w.
Servicios ambientales de árboles: énfasis en la industria del nogal pecanero:

El nogal (Carya illinoinensis [Wangenh] K. Koch) es un cultivo economicamente importante, tanto en el norte de Mexico como en el sur de EUA. Sin embargo, el valor de los huertos de nogal se extiende mas alla del valor de la cosecha de la nuez. Las huertas de nogal proporcionan servicios ambientales de importancia; algunos de ellos tienen un valor economico que puede ser estimado, mientras que en otros, su valor economico es dificil de cuantificar. Las ramas resultantes de la poda, y la cascara de la nuez, tienen un valor potencial como bio- combustibles, o bien pueden ser utilizadas como medio o suelo artificial (molida o en composta). Sin embargo, la valoracion mas importante de las huertas nogaleras esta asociada con productos en los que es mas dificil asignar un valor economico especifico. Estos incluyen: a) mejoria de los suelos, al incorporar la biomasa resultante de hojas, rueznos y ramas; b) fijacion del carbono de la atmosfera y la produccion de oxigeno a traves de la fotosintesis; c) atrapar y eliminar polvo y contaminantes; d) mejoria en los microclimas y, d) algunos beneficios sociologicos. Sin duda, estos factores exceden facilmente el valor de la nuez cosechada. Lo anterior se discute en terminos de un huerto pequeno (1 ha) y de una region que cuenta con mas de un millon de arboles de nogal. Abstract Walnut (Carya illinoinensis [Wangenh] K. Koch) is an economically important crop, both in northern Mexico and southern U.S. However, the value of walnut orchards extends beyond the harvest walnut for profit. Walnut orchards provide important environmental services; some of them have an economic profit that can be estimated, while others, their economic value is hard to quantify. The resulting pruning branches, and the shell of the nut, have a potential value as bio-fuels, or can be used as a means or artificial soil (ground or compost). But, the most important valuation of walnut orchards is associated to products that are more difficult to allocate a specific economic profit. These include: a) improvement of soils, incorporating the resulting biomass of leaves, husk and branches; b) fixing of carbon from the atmosphere and the production of oxygen by photosynthesis; c) trap and remove dust and pollutants; d) improvement in microclimate and, d) some sociological benefits. Undoubtedly, these factors easily exceed the value of the harvested walnut. This is discussed in terms of a small orchard (1 ha) and a region with over a million walnut trees. Keywords: Carya illinoinensis, pecan, biomass, carbon sequestration, pollution, sociological values, microclimate, produced oxygen, photosynthesis.
Effect of Select Surfactants on Activities of Soil Enzymes Involved in Nutrient Cycling

ABSTRACT Experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of commonly used herbicides and surfactants on the activity of acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase, arylsulfatase, β-glucosaminidase, and dehydrogenase, using two soils (silt loam and silty clay loam) from Mid-Missouri, USA. The surfactants used in this study were alkylphenol ethoxylate + alcohol ethoxylate (ACTIVATOR 90), polyethoxylate (Agri-Dex®) and a blend of ammonium sulfate, drift reduction/deposition polymers, and an antifoam agent (THRUST®). The herbicides were glyphosate, atrazine, and bentazon. Surfactants and herbicides were applied to soils at the label rate, either alone or combined. In general, enzyme activity was enhanced more in silt loam soil than in silty clay loam soil. Acid phosphatase displayed the greatest amount of enzymatic activity within soils; dehydrogenase displayed the most inhibition, whilst β-glucosidase and β-glucosaminidase fluctuated based on treatment. ACTIVATOR 90 appeared to have the most inhibitory effect on enzymatic activity within soils compared to the control.
2-amino, 6-phenyl substituted pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives useful as raf kinase inhibitors

The invention can be useful in the treatment of cancer by inhibiting the Raf compound 1- (3,3-dimethyl-butyl) -3- (4-methyl-5- (7-methyl-2- (2-fluoro amino) pyrido [2,3-d] pyrimidin-acceptable salt thereof provides a 6-yl) phenyl) urea or a pharmaceutically.
Biodegradation and stabilization after 2 years of specific crop, lignin, and polysaccharide carbons

The purpose of this study was to follow the biodegradation and stabilization in two soils of specific carbons of model and cornstalk lignins, lignin monomer alcohols, wheat straw, and the polysaccharide fraction of wheat straw over a 2-year incubation period using C-labeled substrates. Incubations were carried out in a closed, constantly aerated system and the CO2 released determined at specific intervals. After incubation the amounts of residual C in various soil humus fractions, in the biomass, and that solubilized by acid hydrolysis were determined. During the 2-year period, about 40% of the ring and two-side chain carbons of coniferyl and coumaryl alcohol units in model and cornstalk lignins had evolved as CO2. Losses of CH2OH and three-side chain and of OCH3 carbons varied from 52 to 69%. The degradation rate was most rapid during the first 3 to 6 months of incubation. Total C losses from whole wheat straw and cornstalks for comparison at 2 years were about 72% and for the polysaccharide portion of the wheat straw, 83%. During the first 6 months about 47% of the twoside chain and ring carbons and 61 to 66% of the other carbons of free coniferyl alcohols had evolved as CO2. During the next 18 months these values had increased only about 11%. A major portion of the residual lignin carbons was recovered in the HA fractions, relatively small quantities were lost upon 6M HCl hydrolysis, and < 1% was estimated to be in the biomass. Most of the residual wheat straw C and especially the polysaccharide carbon was solubilized upon 6M HC1 hydrolysis, 3 to 8% was still present in biomass, and 50% remained in the NaOH extracted soil. The results indicate that the major portions of the lignin carbons are incorporated into the more resistant or aromatic portions of the soil humus. The polysaccharide carbons, on the other hand, are metabolized and utilized for energy and synthesis of cell polymers, primarily proteins and polysaccharides, some of which are stabilized in the humus but are still susceptible to acid hydrolysis. Loss as CO2 and distribution of the residual carbons of free lignin alcohols in HA and losses upon 6M HC1 hydrolysis were intermediate between the lignin and polysaccharide carbons. Additional Index Words: lignin C2 incorporation in biomass; lignin C, incorporation in humic acid; lignin alcohols, biodegradation of View complete article To view this complete article, insert Disc 4 then click button8
The myocardial remodeling and cardiac function effects of metoprolol combined Xinshuaining mixture for treating chronic heart failure

Objective To investigate the myocardial remodeling and cardiac function effects of metoprolol combined Xinshuaining mixture for treating chronic heart failure.Methods One hundred and seventy patients with chronic heart failure was equally divided into treatment group and control group of 85 cases each,accorded to the random principle of parallelism,both groups were given conventional treatment based on metoprolol,the treatment group was added Xinshuaining mixture.Results After treatment,the effective rate in the treatment group was 95.3 ％(81/85),so that was 81.2％(69/85) in the control group,there was significant difference (P ＜ 0.05). After treatment,the level of left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV),left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV),heart rate (HR) in treatment group were significantly lower than those in control group [(41.36 ±7.11) ml/m2 vs.(44.32 ±6.26) ml/m2,(46.28 ± 7.56) ml/m2 vs.(55.69 ± 8.12) ml/m2,(72.25 ± 3.62) bpm vs.(78.36 ± 3.44) bpm],while the level of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and 6-minute walk test distance were significantly higher [(56.48 ±8.00)％ vs.(35.16 ± 8.21)％,(566.68 ±51.86) m vs.(476.88 ±50.99) m],there were significant differeces (P ＜ 0.05). After followed up for 3 months,the incidence of cardiac adverse reactions in treatment group was significantly lower than that in control group [3.5％ (3/85)vs.11. 8％ (10/85)] (P ＜ 0.05). Conclusions Metoprolol combined Xinshuaining mixture for treating chronic heart failure can improve cardiac remodeling and heart function,thereby improve the prognosis of efficacy.While its better security should be widely applied. Key words: Heart failure; Ventricular remodeling; Metoprolol; Xinshuaining mixture
Evaluation of the Shelf Life of Tambaqui Fillet Processed by the Sous Vide Method

ABSTRACT This study aimed to elaborate a convenience food – sous vide – and establish its shelf life by monitoring physicochemical, microbiological, and sensorial characteristics. Sous vide fillets were prepared from tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) with two types of sauces: soy sauce (SS) and basil sauce (BS), at a pasteurization temperature of 65°C for 12.5 min, a binomial established according to a 22 central composite rotational design. The packed samples were kept under refrigeration in the range of 1 ± 1°C, and then they underwent analyses at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 days of storage. The results of the microbiological analyses indicated that microorganisms remained below acceptable limits either in the raw material or in the sous vide over the storage period. The characteristics that sous vide SS and BS showed on the 42nd and 49th days of shelf life, respectively, indicate that these products, when appropriate processing and storage are used, can preserve their fresh quality.