Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial Control Systems and Financial Systems Theory: Free Cash Flow and Profitability Nexus: a Comparative Study of Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria and Ghana

In Financial Systems, the impact of Free Cash Flow (FCF) on the performance of a company has been in the center of academic discourse in recent years. Several studies have tried to ascertain the nature and magnitude of the relationship between free cash flow and firm profitability with conflicting results coming from different scholars. The main objective of this research work was to examine the impact of FCF on the profitability of quoted manufacturing firms in the Nigerian and Ghana stock exchanges. Data were pooled from twenty (20) different companies (ten each from Nigeria and Ghana) for a period of six years (2012 – 2017). A panel data estimation model was used to measure the impact of FCF and other performance metrics on the Return on Assets (ROA), which is our chosen profitability measure. The results show a positive but insignificant relationship between FCF and ROA both for Ghana and Nigerian manufacturing firms. Also, sales growth showed a positive impact on profitability of both countries while leverage negatively impacted on profitability. with Ghana being significant at 5%. The implication of the findings of the study is that it makes no business sense for companies to keep piling up excess funds beyond that which is needed for transactional purposes. The similarity between the results from Ghana and Nigeria in most of the variables shows that the findings of this study can be generalized to other countries. Based on the findings of the study, we recommend that the management of companies should strive to keep only the minimum needed free cash flow while the rest should be invested in other projects with positive net present value
PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS, ANTIOXIDANT AND ALLELOPATHIC ACTIVITIES OF AIZOON CANARIENSE L. ON ZEA MAYS (L.) AND ASSOCIATED WEEDS

This study aimed to screen the chemical constituents of Aizoon canariense collected from North Eastern Desert (Wadi Hagul), Egypt, and evaluate its the antioxidant and allelopathic potential. Proximate composition and mineral content were calculated. Total phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins were determined. Antioxidant activity was evaluated based on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicle scavenging. A. canariense has a considerable amount of the proximate composition as well as macroand micro-minerals. However, A. canariense attained high content of various secondary metabolites (phenolics, tannins, flavonoids and alkaloids). In the DPPH test system, the IC50 value of the antioxidant inhibition for A. canariense was 0.74 mg ml”1. The germination percentage, shoot and root length of Zea mays and two associated weeds (P. oleracea and A. lividus) were reduced in a concentration-dependent manner. At higher concentration 40 g l”1 inhibited the germination of Z. mays, P. oleracea and A. lividus by about 24.56%, 88.70% and 100%, plumule length was reduced by 39.54%, 76.64% and 95.68%, while root length was inhibited by 43.90 %, 100% and 100 %, for Z. mays, P. oleracea and A. lividus, respectively. From the data obtained, we concluded that the integration of allelopathic substances in agricultural management may reduce pesticide development and environmental degradation, as well as A. canariense can be used as a natural resource of antioxidants.
Thermodynamic Analysis of Thermally Coupled Distillation Sequences

Thermodynamic efficiency calculations have been performed for the separation of ternary and quaternary mixtures of hydrocarbons in both conventional and thermally coupled distillation sequences. When ternary mixtures were considered, energy savings achieved in the thermally coupled distillation sequences were between 10 and 30% in comparison to the two conventional distillation sequences. Regarding thermodynamic efficiency, thermally coupled distillation sequences presented the highest values in almost all of the cases considered. When the analysis was extended to the separation of quaternary mixtures, the thermally coupled distillation sequences show acceptable energy savings and the thermodynamic efficiency of a thermally coupled distillation sequence linked to a side stripper and a side rectifier was better than that obtained in the conventional distillation sequence; however, for the thermally coupled distillation with prefractionator (Petlyuk-type column), the second law efficiency was low when compa.
The electronic absorption spectra of some coumarins. A molecular orbital treatment

The electronic absorption spectra of coumarin and its derivatives umbelliferone (6-hydroxycoumarin), esculetin (6,7-dihydroxycoumarin), and scopoletin (6-methoxy-7-hydroxycoumarin) were investigated. The n → π* transition was not observed in the spectrum of coumarin but was observed in the spectra of some of its derivatives. Molecular orbital calculations, using the INDO procedures, were carried out on coumarin and some of its derivatives. The activities of the different sites of the molecules are discussed in terms of the coefficients of the atomic orbitals constituting the HOMO and the LUMO. The correspondence between the calculated and experimental transition energy and band intensity is satisfactory.
Mineralization of CI Reactive Yellow 145 in Aqueous Solution by Ultraviolet-Enhanced Ozonation

We investigated the mineralization of CI Reactive Yellow 145 (RY145) in aqueous solution in a UV-enhanced ozonation (UV/O3) reactor. The effects of several operational parameters, including solution pH, initial dye concentration, ozone feed, and bulk temperature, on total organic carbon (TOC) removal were investigated. The experimental results illustrated that ozonation combined with UV radiation for removal of TOC was more efficient than ozonation alone or UV irradiation alone. At an initial pH of 8.0, bulk temperature of 30 °C, ozone feed of 4.8 g/h, and initial dye concentration of 500 mg/L, the TOC removal efficiency of RY145 reached ∼80% after 150 min under 175 W UV irradiation. Intermediates formed during RY145 mineralization were detected by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and ion chromatography (IC). On the basis of our results, we propose a tentative degradation pathway.
Polypropylene/montmorillonite Nanocomposites for Food Packaging

Abstract Polypropylene / organically modified montmorillonite nanocomposites were prepared using polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride as compatibilizer by the melt blending method. The structural, mechanical and gas barrier properties of the prepared nanocomposites containing various amounts of organoclay (i.e. 0, 2, 5, 7 and 10 wt%) were investigated to evaluate their potential as food packaging materials. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) profiles of the nanocomposites and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrograph showed that polypropylene chains have intercalated between silicate layers of organoclay. The mechanical properties tests showed that the tensile modulus and strength of the nanocomposites increased on increasing the clay loading, while the strain at the break decreased. The gas permeability tests demonstrated that adding organoclay into polypropylene matrix enhances the barrier property of the matrix against O2 , CO2 and water vapour.
Steady-state cluster size distribution in stirred suspensions

A combinatorial approach for predicting the steady-state agglomerate or drop-size distribution in batch suspensions undergoing intense stirring is proposed. The model accounts for the fact that both coagulation and break-up could occur simultaneously owing to agitation. Overall, considering its simplicity and the fact that it lacks any adjustable parameters, the results of the model compare favourably with experiment.
Synthesis of new stable and metastable thiocyanato coordination polymers by thermal decomposition and by solution reactions

Investigations on the thermal behavior of the 1 : 4 (ratio between metal and neutral co-ligand) compound [Cd(NCS)2(pyridine)4] (1-Cd) show that the pyridine ligands can be removed in three separate steps. In the first TG step a pyridine-deficient 1 : 2 compound of composition [Cd(NCS)2(pyridine)2]n (2-Cd/III) is obtained, which transforms into an 1 : 1 compound of composition [Cd(NCS)2(pyridine)]n (3-Cd) on further heating. Rietveld refinement of 2-Cd/III proves that this compound represents a new form, which is different from that of the 1 : 2 compounds 2-Cd/I and 2-Cd/II reported recently. In further experiments a fourth 1 : 2 compound of composition [Cd(NCS)2(pyridine)2]n (2-Cd/IV) was crystallized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. In the crystal structures of 2-Cd/II, 2-Cd/III and 2-Cd/IV the metal cations are linked by the anionic ligands into chains, in which the Cd cations are coordinated by two trans-oriented pyridine ligands and four thiocyanato anions within slightly distorted octahedra. For the literature known compound 2-Cd/I no atomic coordinates are given, but for 2-Cd/II an all-cis, for 2-Cd/III an all-trans and for 2-Cd/IV an alternating cis-cis-trans arrangement of the thiocyanato anions is observed. Solvent mediated conversion experiments prove that 2-Cd/III transforms into 2-Cd/IVvia2-Cd/II as intermediate and therefore, the cis-cis-trans coordinated compound 2-Cd/IV represents the thermodynamic stable form at room-temperature. The 1 : 1 compound 3-Cd can also be prepared from solution. In its crystal structure the Cd cations are coordinated by one pyridine ligand as well as two N-bonded and three S-bonded thiocyanato anions. Two neighboring octahedra are connected by two μ-1,1,3(S,S,N)-coordinating anions into double octahedra, which are further linked into chains by μ-1,1,3(S,S,N)- and μ-1,3-coordinating thiocyanato anions. IR investigations of the 1 : 4, 1 : 2 and 1 : 1 compounds reveal that the different coordination modes of the anionic ligands can be rationalized by analyzing the changes in the values of their asymmetric νas(CN) stretching vibration. Additional investigations on 2-Cd/II, 2-Cd/III and 2-Cd/IV using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction reveal that on heating additional crystalline 1 : 2 compounds are formed in reversible and irreversible phase transitions.
Physico-chemical and functional properties of pomegranate peel and seed powder

The aim of the present study was to determine the physico-chemical and functional properties of pomegranate peel powder (PPP) and pomegranate seed powder (PSP). The proximate composition analysis showed higher protein and fat content in seed powder samples than peel powder samples. Pomegranate peel powder showed a significantly higher (P<0.05) pH than that of pomegranate seed powder samples. Significant differences (P<0.05) were shown between the water holding capacity (WHC) of pomegranate peel and seed powder samples. Oil holding capacity (OHC) values were statistically similar (P>0.05). Emulsifying capacity (EC) and emulsion stability (ES) values of pomegranate peel powder samples were significantly higher (P<0.05) than pomegranate seed powder samples. Thus it was concluded that pomegranate by-products could be used as substrate for the production of nutritionally valuable components that could find several applications as functional food ingredients, food additives and nutraceuticals
Total Synthesis of Combretastatins D

Targeting the wrong isomer, we achieved a synthesis of two natural combretastatins, thanks to an unusual dehydration mechanism and the original incorrect assignment of the natural product. The key step for both syntheses was the application of a Mitsunobu-type macrolactonization of saturated seco acids (below). The synthetic route is effective, simple, and convergent, and may be useful for the synthesis of related derivatives.
Charge carrier recombination and diffusion in InGaAs(P) epitaxial layers

The method of picosecond light-induced grating is used for the investigation of non-equilibrium charge carrier dynamics in epitaxial layers of InGaAsP, InGaAs and InP. The carrier recombination time τR and the diffusion coefficient Da are determined. The influence of bleaching on the revealed values is discussed.
HYDROGEN–OXYGEN INDUCTION TIMES ABOVE CROSSOVER TEMPERATURES

Ignition in hydrogen–oxygen systems above crossover temperatures and under various conditions of pressure and composition is addressed computationally and by asymptotic methods. Different descriptions of the detailed chemistry are evaluated through comparison of computed and measured ignition times, and a balance between accuracy and simplicity is struck in selecting rate parameters to be used in investigating reduced chemistry. Through numerical calculations for isobaric, homogeneous, and adiabatic hydrogen–air mixtures it is shown that the detailed chemistry can be reduced to only six elementary steps for determining induction times over the range of conditions addressed. From these six steps, an analytical expression for ignition time is derived which agrees well with computational results concerning dependence on pressure, temperature, and composition. It is shown that O and OH maintain steady states during ignition for stoichiometric and fuel-rich mixtures, whereas H maintains, a steady state for sufficiently fuel-lean conditions. Simple asymptotic formulas for the induction times are derived for these two limits that demonstrate the limiting effect of O2 under rich conditions and of H2 under lean conditions. These formulas are combined in an approximate way to obtain an expression for the ignition time that can be used for all equivalence ratios.
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS IN SEED, LEAF AND BARK EXTRACT OF SYZYGIUM CUMINI (L.)

Syzygium cumini is a well known traditional medicinal plant. The phytochemical constituents of the plant are responsible for its medicinal properties. Investigations were carried out on the crude methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts of the seed, leaves and bark of Syzygium cumini (Magnoliopsida: Myrtaceae). The antimicrobial activity of the extract was tested against standard strains of bacteria using the agar well diffusion method. Phytochemical studies showed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, phenols, saponins, terpenoid, cardiac glycosides and tannins as the class of chemicals present in the extracts of seed, leaves and bark. The extracts reflected inhibitory activity against clinical isolates. The gram negative bacteria such as Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli; and the gram positive bacteria like Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus were inhibited with the methanol and ethanol extract on contrary to aqueous extract. The methanolic extract of seed was found more potent antimicrobial agent than the leaves and bark extract. The present study provides a support for the use of different part of Syzium cumini as potent antimicrobial agents for sustainable and ecofiendly management of various bacterial strains and further investigation are required for field application.
Efficient chemical synthesis of heparin-like octa-, deca- and dodecasaccharides and inhibition of FGF2- and VEGF165-mediated endothelial cell functions

A concise chemical synthesis of a series of structurally-defined heparin-like oligosaccharides is described. This work provides an efficient entry to octa-, deca-, and dodecasaccharides, including the first synthesis of (GlcNS6S-IdoA2S)5 and (GlcNS6S-IdoA2S)6. Evaluation of the in vitro activity of these species against FGF2- and VEGF165-dependent endothelial cell proliferation and migration establishes that octa- and decasaccharides are more potent in targeting FGF2-induced effects, where cell migration is affected more significantly than proliferation. These structure–activity relationships exemplify the significance of 6-O-sulfation in regulating the activity of angiogenic growth factors.
Membrane Integrity of Two Human Erythrocyte Genotypes in The Presence of Aqueous Solution of Sodium Metabisulphite and Their Correlations In Vitro.

Erythrocyte membrane integrity is a pre-requisite for cellular functionality. The present study sought to investigate the capacity of normal adult haemoglobin (HbAA) and homozygote haemoglobin S (HbSS) erythrocytes to withstand osmotic stress when incubated over time (0 h ≤ t ≤ 8 h) in relatively low concentrations of Na2S2O5
Automatic Quantification of Plant Disease from Field Image Data Using Deep Learning

Plant disease is a major factor in yield reduction. Thus, plant breeders currently rely on selecting disease-resistant plant cultivars, which involves disease severity rating of a large variety of cultivars. Traditional visual screening of these cultivars is an error-prone process, which necessitates the development of an automatic framework for disease quantification based on field-acquired images using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to augment the throughput. Since these images are impaired by complex backgrounds, uneven lighting, and densely overlapping leaves, state-of-the-art frameworks formulate the processing pipeline as a dichotomy problem (i.e. presence/absence of disease). However, additional information regarding accurate disease localization and quantification is crucial for breeders. This paper proposes a deep framework for simultaneous segmentation of individual leaf instances and corresponding diseased region using a unified feature map with a multi-task loss function for an end-to-end training. We test the framework on field maize dataset with Northern Leaf Blight (NLB) disease and the experimental results show a disease severity correlation of 73% with the manual ground truth data and run-time efficiency of 5fps.
The Arg72Pro Polymorphism of TP53 in Croatian Population

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of TP53 gene in human populations are expected to cause perturbation of p53 function, and therefore could influence risk and/or progress of disease. There are differences in inducing apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, transcriptional activity, protein interactions between variants in codon 72 (Arg72Pro), although the association of polymorphism and risk of cancer is controversial. The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency of alleles and genotypes of Arg72Pro polymorphism in the ethnically homogenous Croatian population and to compare it with the worldwide populations. In a cohort of 576 participants the genotype frequencies of Arg/Arg, Arg/Pro and Pro/Pro are 54.34, 38.71 and 6.95 %, respectively. We statistically sorted the population of Croatia into the same group with other European populations and Caucasians from North America. This finding is important for the molecular pathways studies involved in disease as well as in pharmacogenetic studies.
“It Looks Like You Don’t Agree”: Idiosyncratic Practices and Preferences in Collaborative Writing

This paper addresses collaborative writing in academia. Recent research has indicated that while many tools for collaborative writing exist and continue to be developed, co-writers frequently employ workarounds and cumbersome substitutions to accommodate their writing approaches and collaborative needs. As part of a process to address these issues, we conducted a co-design study on collaborative academic writing with 18 participants. The paper details a three-stage co-design approach developed for this purpose. During this three-stage workshop series, the participants discussed needs, frustrations, and desires in their experiences with collaborative writing. These discussions revealed how participants’ different ways of practicing and experiencing collaborative writing entail contrasting needs that are difficult to balance. Based on an analysis of discussions and artifacts from the workshops, we argue that researchers and designers should aim to support diverse practices and propose a protocol for examining and drawing on the contradictions that arise from co-writers’ idiosyncratic preferences.
SPECIES RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY OF TREE SPECIES ALONG AN ALTITUDINAL GRADIENT IN DHANAULTI REGION OF GARHWAL HIMALAYA, INDIA

Garhwal Himalaya is considered as a hot spot of biodiversity in India and support a large number of plant species. It’s wide altitudinal range and variations in other factors like soil texture, climate, rainfall etc., influence the diversity of plant species of this region, which also supports the life and livelihood of local people in many ways. The present study was carried out in Dhanaulti forest of Garhwal Himalaya to reveal the impact of altitude gradient on the species richness, species diversity and dispersion behaviour of different tree species along the altitudinal gradient for proper management, sustainable utilization and conservation of the forest resources. We have observed that the values of all the growth indices i.e., Margalef’s index (MI) (3.54 to 11.57), Menheink’s index (MeI) (0.32 to 0.80), Species diversity (H’) (1.81 to 2.93) and Simpson’s diversity index (SDI) (3.49 to 11.85) were maximum at the lower altitudes (1600-1200m asl), medium at mid-altitudes (2400-1800m asl) and lowest at the higher altitudes (2800-2600m asl). A moderate negative correlation between density, species richness, MI, MeI, H’ and SDI with altitude and slope was recorded. The present study suggests that species richness and diversity of different tree species are regulated by the altitude and various climatic factors. Additionally, the growth of different tree species on selected forest types also indicates the presence of high anthropogenic pressure. Hence, appropriate conservation strategy should be implemented to save economically important forests as well as the inhabiting species.
X-ray crystallography identifies two chloride binding sites in the oxygen evolving centre of Photosystem II

Bromide anomalous X-ray diffraction analyses have been used to locate chloride binding sites in the vicinity of the water splitting/oxygen evolving centre (OEC) of Photosystem II. Three-dimensional crystals of PSII from Thermosynechococcus elongatus were grown from (i) isolated PSII crystals infiltrated with bromide or (ii) PSII obtained from cells cultured in a medium in which the chloride content was totally replaced by bromide. In either case, the anomalous diffraction yielded the same result, the existence of two bromide binding sites in the vicinity of the OEC. Neither are in the first coordination sphere of the Mn and Ca ions which form the catalytic centre of the OEC, being about 6 to 7 A from the metal-cluster. Site 1 is located close to the side chain nitrogen of D2-K317 and the backbone nitrogen of D1-Glu333 while Site 2 is adjacent to backbone nitrogens of CP43-Glu354 and D1-Asn338. Their positioning close to postulated hydrophilic channels may suggest a role in proton removal from, or substrate access to, the OEC.
COMPARATIVE MORPHOHISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE KIDNEYS IN DOMESTICUS FOWL (GALLUS GALLUS) AND DOMESTICUS DUCK

The present study was carried on ten domesticate fowl (Gallus gallus)and ten domesticated duck (Anas platyrhynchos) to determinate the morphological and histological differences in the kidneys of both species, For histological study ( 5-7)μm. paraffin section stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain were prepared. In both birds species the kidneys were elongated craniocaudally, flattened dorso-ventrally, extended from the lungs to the end of the synsacrum bone, and the ventral half of the kidneys were sink deep in the synsacrum fosse. Each kidney consisted of three parts which were not completely separated (cranial, middle and caudal). The main differences between the domestic duck and domestic chicken were the color of duck kidney was brown red, in chicken the color was red. In duck kidney the caudal part was irregular and was the largest, in chicken the caudal part was oval in shape. The histological structure of the kidneys in domestic chicken and duck was mostly similar. The only important difference was the present of numerous reptilian corpuscles in the kidney of the domestic duck. In conclusion the kidney of chicken had the ability to conserve water more than the kidney of duck.