Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solid-liquid extraction of uranium from industrial phosphoric acid using macroporous cation exchange resins: MTC1600H, MTS9500, and MTS9570

ABSTRACT The main objective of this research work is the application of a series of Purolite commercial resins: sulfonic cationic exchanger (MTC1600H), amino phosphonic-chelating resin (MTS9500), and phosphonic/sulfonic chelating reins (MTS9570) for uranium adsorption from crude dihydrate phosphoric acid. The impact of various parameters on the sorption efficiency such as shaking time, sorbent dose, phosphoric acid concentration, and reaction temperature has been investigated. The obtained data showed that the chelating resins MTS9500 and MTS9570 exhibit higher sorption efficiency than the cationic exchange resin MTC1600H. Kinetic, isotherms, and thermodynamics analysis for the obtained data has been performed.
Simulation of Concrete Beams Strengthened by Embedded Through-section Steel and GFRP Bars with Newly Developed Bond Model

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation on concrete members strengthened by embedded through-section (ETS) steel and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars attached preferably with mechanical anchorage at the tension ends. The pullout tests to analyze the bond performance between ETS bars and concrete under various influences such as anchorage presence, embedment length, ETS bar diameter, ETS-material types, and anchorage length are carried out. An analytical method for deriving the local bond stress-slip relationship of GFRP barsconcrete interfaces is developed. The overall responses of the pullout test specimens in terms of pullout force-slip curves, failure modes and strain profiles along the embedment length are discussed. Based on a careful interpretation, the analytical results demonstrated the effectiveness of the local bond stress-slip model developed in this study. Additionally, the finite element (FE) simulation of the beams intervened with ETS bars, which were tested in a previous study by the authors, incorporating with the proposed interfacial model is conducted. Comparison between the results achieved from the FE modelling and the experiment implies that the FE method was an accurately applicable tool to assess the behaviors of the beams strengthened in shear by ETS bars.
Removal of heavy metals from synthetic wastewater using silica aerogel-activated carbon composite by adsorption method

In this study, removal of heavy metals from synthetic wastewater has been investigated using silica aerogel-activated carbon composite. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by FE-SEM, FTIR and BET techniques. The effect of amine functional groups embedded on the surface of silica aerogel- activated carbon 0.5 wt% composite, optimal initial pH of removal of ions, impact of initial concentration of the solution containing heavy metal ions, adsorbent amount and contact time on removal percentage of ions were investigated. The results showed the optimal pH of 8, optimal adsorbent amount of 0.3 g for the removal of cadmium ion and 0.06 g for the removal of lead ion and optimal contact time of 80 mintues for cadmium and 60 minutes for lead ions. Adsorption data were investigated using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and maximum adsorption capability for cadmium and lead was obtained at 38.16 and 175.44 mg/g adsorbent, respectively.
Effectiveness of Google Classroom as a Tool For Teaching and Learning

The pandemicity of COVID - 19 and lockdown made Tamilnadu Nurses and Midwives Council to implement the teaching learning process through google classroom which is a newer technology. The researcher decided to find out the effectiveness of google classroom among nursing students through a descriptive study. Second year and final year students at the Salvation Army Catherine Booth College of Nursing, Nagercoil were included for the study. The results proved that majority of the students were satisfied with the Google Classroom tool that was introduced in the class where all ratios are above average. In particular, comparative performance is good in the areas of signing on to google classroom, feedback provided by the lecturer is useful, comfortable conversing through this medium for this activity communication and interaction, lecturer clearly communicates important due dates/time frames for learning activities and this can be recommended as a method of learning to be applied to other appropriate subjects. Thus it was proved that it is very effective as an active teaching and learning tool. Students’ satisfaction is the key for success. Thus teaching and learning process can be made possible at all situations through the adoption of new and better technologies.
Impact of Body Condition Score on Oxidative Stress Status in Cow’s Reproductive Tract

Abstract It is well known in cattle that reproductive disorders are intimately associated with low or high body condition score (BCS). However, little is known concerning the relationship between BCS and oxidative stress, particularly in the reproductive tract. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the oxidative stress biomarkers according to cows BCS values in the plasma, ovaries, oviductal, follicular and uterine fluids. The study was conducted on 58 cows classified in four classes (1, 2, 3 and 4) of BCS varying from1-1.5, 2-2.5, 3-3.5 and 4-4.5, respectively. The genital tracts and plasma were collected from slaughtered cows and processed within 5h after slaughtering. The number of ovarian follicles was measured using ultrasonography and the oxidative stress was assessed by considering total antioxidant status (TAS), catalase activity (CAT), and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). The results showed that follicles number was significantly affected by BCS; cows with medium BCS (3) presented higher number of follicles than cows with low or high BCS (<3 or >3). Overall, BCS affects significantly the oxidative stress status at different levels of the reproductive tract. Cows with medium BCS (3) showed the best oxidative status than those with low or high values (BCS <3 or >3). In conclusion, the current results suggest that reproductive disorders observed in cows with low or high BCS values could be mediated through oxidative stress affecting consequently the reproductive tract and finally compromising fertility outputs.
Hyperferritinemia Has Multifactorial Etiology in Naive Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Journal of clinical gastroenterology is part of the Juniper publishers which is devoted to publish subject-specific articles focused on the needs of individual research communities across all areas of biology and medicine. Traditionally, elevated serum ferritin is related to the presence of iron accumulation in the body, especially in the liver. However, in chronic hepatitis C several other factors have been alternatively associated with hyperferritinemia, such as liver enzymes, metabolic factors, hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis. This study aimed to evaluated the exact contribution of these variables to ferritin serum levels in chronic hepatitis.
Brain correlates of action word memory

When understanding language semantically related to actions, the motor cortex is active and may be sensitive to semantic information, for example about the body-part-relationship of displayed action-related words. Conversely, movements of the hands or feet can impair memory performance for arm- and leg-related action words respectively, suggesting that the role of motor systems extends to verbal working memory. Here, we studied brain correlates of verbal memory load for action-related words using event-related fMRI during the encoding and memory maintenance of word lists. Seventeen participants saw either four identical or four different words from the same category, semantically related to actions typically performed either with the arms or with the legs. After a variable delay of 4-14 seconds, they performed a nonmatching-to-sample task. Hemodynamic activity related to the information load of words at presentation was most prominent in left temporo-occipital and bilateral posterior-parietal areas. In contrast, larger demand on verbal memory maintenance produced greater activation in left premotor and supplementary motor cortex, along with posterior-parietal areas, indicating that verbal memory circuits for action-related words include the cortical action system. Somatotopic memory load effects of arm- and leg-related words were not present at the typical precentral loci where earlier studies had found such word-category differences in reading tasks, although traces of somatotopic semantic mappings were observed at more anterior cortical regions. These results support a neurocomputational model of distributed action-perception circuits (APCs), according to which language understanding is manifest as full ignition of APCs, whereas working memory is realized as reverberant activity gradually receding to multimodal prefrontal and lateral temporal areas.
Effect of PAMAM Dendrimers on Interactions and Transport of LiTFSI and NaTFSI in Propylene Carbonate-Based Electrolytes

Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM)-based electrolytes are prepared by dissolving the PAMAM half-generations G1.5 or G2.5 in propylene carbonate (PC), either with lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) or sodium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NaTFSI) salts. The solutions, designed for ion battery applications, are studied in terms of ions transport properties. Raman Spectroscopy reveals information about the interactions between cations and PAMAM dendrimers as well as full dissociation of the salts in all solutions. Pulsed-field gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (PFG NMR), measured as a function of both temperature and PAMAM concentration, are obtained for the cation, anion, solvent, and dendrimer molecules using lithium (7Li), sodium (23Na), fluorine (19F), and hydrogen (1H) NMR, respectively. It was found that lithium diffusion is slow compared to the larger TFSI anion and decreases with PAMAM concentration due to interactions between cation and dendrimer. Comparison of conductivities calculated from diffusion coefficients using the Nernst–Einstein equation, with conductivity measurements obtained from Impedance Spectroscopy (IS), shows slightly higher IS conductivities, caused among others by PAMAM conductivity.
Assessment of different pretreatments to breakage dormancy and improve the seed germination in Elaeocarpus serratus L. - an underutilized multipurpose fruit tree from South India

Abstract The seeds of Elaeocarpus serratus, a tropical underutilized fruit tree are characterized by hard seed coat and consequent poor water uptake and low germination. To improve the regeneration through seeds, various parameters such as viability of seeds, water uptake, and effect of seed mass on germination and pretreatments were performed using a completely randomized design (CRD). Tetrazolium (TZ) test was conducted using fresh, mature seeds revealed 50 ± 2.56% mean viability. Seeds of different weight classes showed similar pattern of water uptake and the saturation level was achieved at 60 hrs of soaking. Seeds belong to weight class 2.6-3.5g were germinated (12.5 ± 1.26%) with 175 ± 1.75 days (d) of mean time taken for germination (MTG). Germination capacity of seeds varied significantly among different populations and Varkala population gave 12.5 ± 1.1% germination with 174.6 ± 2.5 d MTG. Among various seed treatments, mechanical scarification was superior in germination and significant reduction in MTG (p ≤ 0.05). The mechanical scarification by complete removal of seed coat resulted in 49.2 ± 1.52% germination within a short period of time (9.52 ± 0.89 d MTG). However, the complete removal of seed coat without damaging to embryo is a difficult task. An alternate treatment (Mechanical scarification II) by making cracks on nut faces vertically followed by soaking in distilled water for 24 hrs gave 48.4 ± 1.73% germination with significantly reduced MTG (12.14 ± 0.56 d) over unsoaked, untreated control (6.5 ± 1.84% germination and 197.18 ± 1.79 d MTG; p ≤ 0.05). This treatment (Mechanical scarification II) is therefore recommended for E. serratus seeds as it can adopt easily and can achieve 7 fold increases in germination over control. The recorded germination through mechanical scarification is in tune with realized viability percentage of the seeds.
Rheological and Structural Study of Salmon Gelatin with Controlled Molecular Weight

This study explores the molecular structuring of salmon gelatin (SG) with controlled molecular weight produced from salmon skin, and its relationship with its thermal and rheological properties. SG was produced under different pH conditions to produce samples with well-defined high (SGH), medium (SGM), and low (SGL) molecular weight. These samples were characterized in terms of their molecular weight (MW, capillary viscometry), molecular weight distribution (electrophoresis), amino acid profile, and Raman spectroscopy. These results were correlated with thermal (gelation energy) and rheological properties. SGH presented the higher MW (173 kDa) whereas SGL showed shorter gelatin polymer chains (MW < 65 kDa). Raman spectra and gelation energy suggest that amount of helical structures in gelatin is dependent on the molecular weight, which was well reflected by the higher viscosity and G′ values for SGH. Interestingly, for all the molecular weight and molecular configuration tested, SG behaved as a strong gel (tan δ < 1), despite its low viscosity and low gelation temperature (3–10 °C). Hence, the molecular structuring of SG reflected directly on the thermal and viscosity properties, but not in terms of the viscoelastic strength of gelatin produced. These results give new insights about the relationship among structural features and macromolecular properties (thermal and rheological), which is relevant to design a low viscosity biomaterial with tailored properties for specific applications.
Physical Origin of Diminishing Photocatalytic Efficiency for Recycled TiO2 Nanotubes and Ag-Loaded TiO2 Nanotubes in Organic Aqueous Solution

Arrays of titania nanotubes (TiO2NTs) were developed by electrochemical anodization and doped with silver on their surface by photodeposition to achieve TiO2NTs/Ag. It is found that only anatase TiO2NTs were formed, with the preferential growth direction perpendicular to the titanium substrate, and with the length and diameter of ~2 µm and 90–120 nm, respectively. The presence of Ag on the surface of TiO2NTs was also confirmed. The TiO2NTs and TiO2NTs/Ag were used as photocatalysts to decolorize the methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution. The photodegradation efficiency (PDE) is as high as 83% for TiO2NTs and 98% for TiO2NTs/Ag photocatalysts. This work focused on the investigation of the stability and recyclability of these photocatalysts in terms of efficiency and its physical origin by surface analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that PDE diminishes from 83% to 76% in TiO2NTs upon eight recycling runs and from 98% to 80% in TiO2NTs/Ag upon six recycling runs. The XPS analysis revealed that the physical origin of diminishing efficiency is the carbon contamination on the surface of recycled TiO2NTs and a combination of carbon contamination and Ag leaching in recycled TiO2NTs/Ag.
Movements and Habitat Use of Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the East China Sea

To refine the regional and global stock and ecological assessments of dolphinfish in fisheries, it is necessary to have information on the species habitat use, fisheries interaction, migration corridors, and on changes in spatial-temporal patterns over their ontogeny. In order to inform management, pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were deployed on dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the Northern East China Sea to get data on the movement patterns and habitat utilization of this species in this location. During October–November 2018, four dolphinfish (94–102 cm fork length) were captured by set-nets and PSAT tagged. Tagged dolphinfish retained PSATs for 5–31 days-at-liberty (total 69 days) and linear dispersion from deployment to pop-up locations ranged from 63 to 204 km. According to most probable tracks, tagged fish made primarily northward movements. Tagged fish reached depths of ~94 m and experienced ambient temperatures from 17.8 to 23 °C. Movements appeared to be limited by a 3 °C change relative to sea surface temperature (SST) and were confined to the mixed-layer. Diel diving patterns indicated dolphinfish spent >80% of daytime activity and 40% of nighttime activity near the surface, where variability in diving patterns was more pronounced. The vertical diving patterns showed pronounced changes during dawn and dusk, where dolphinfish mirrored the movements of diel migrating prey organisms. Our preliminary results provide vertical distribution patterns of dolphinfish in a location that supports important fisheries. This information will be useful for management to develop stock assessments which support the sustainable use of this species.
Inferring the nature of missing heritability in human traits

Thousands of genes responsible for many diseases and other common traits in humans have been detected by Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) in the last decade. However, candidate causal variants found so far usually explain only a small fraction of the heritability estimated by family data, the rest remaining ‘missing’. The most common explanation for this observation is that the missing heritability corresponds to variants, either rare or common, with very small effect, which pass undetected due to a lack of statistical power. We carried out a meta-analysis using data from the NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog in order to explore the distribution of gene effects for a set of 59 complex traits, to investigate the factors related to new gene discovery and to quantify their contributions to heritability. With the data obtained we were able to predict the expected distribution of gene effects for 16 traits and diseases including cancer and immune disorders, the missing number of genes yet to be discovered, and the additive contribution of common variants to heritability. Our results indicate that, for most traits, the additive contribution of hundreds or thousands of genes is able to explain the familiar heritability. However, for some traits, the predicted heritability is lower than the familiar one, so that part of the missing heritability cannot be explained by the contribution of common variants with additive effects, and other phenomena (e.g. dominance or epistasis) should be invoked. AUTHOR SUMMARY The heritability of biological traits refers to the fraction of the phenotypic (i.e. visible or diagnosable) variability that is explained by the underlying genetic variability. Despite the efforts made to find the genes responsible for complex traits and diseases, most of the heritability explained by the variants found explains only a small fraction of that measured by population and family studies. The remaining ‘missing’ heritability is usually assumed to be due to the additive effect of undetected variants. Here we carried out a meta-analysis using records from a publicly available database of genome-wide studies on humans. With these data, we were able to investigate and make inferences on the nature of heritability and the factors associated to new gene discovery. Our results indicate that increasing population sample size, as well as its diversity, enhances the discovery of new genes, but these have lower and lower effects, contributing little to heritability. We were also able to predict the distribution of gene effects for many traits and the number of variants needed to fully explain the heritability. For some traits, the additive effects of single variants yet to be discovered cannot explain the heritability, suggesting that other sources of variation are involved.
Influence of headteachers’ monitoring allocations of teaching and learning materials on learners’ performance in activity areas in public pre-primary schools in Narok County, Kenya

The role of headteachers in the management of teaching and learning materials although widely studied has not been explored in regard to its influence on learners’ performance in public pre-primary Schools. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of monitoring allocation of teaching and learning materials by Headteachers on learners performance in activity areas. Convergent Mixed Method design was used as it enabled the researcher to handle both qualitative and quantitative data that was collected. The target population comprised of 735 pre-primary schools, 735 Headteachers, 1470 preschool teachers, 30 ECD Coordinators, and 6 Quality Assurance Standards Officers. The sample size included 85 pre-primary schools, 85 head teachers, 85 pre-primary teachers from public pre-primary schools, 6 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers and 9 ECD Coordinators. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of headteachers, while the sample for teachers, ECD Coordinators, and Quality Assurance Standards Officers was selected using simple random sampling technique. The researcher used questionnaires, Interview schedule, Center Performance Assessment Tool, and Center Observation Checklist as the main tools for collecting data. The researcher used qualitative and quantitative approaches in analyzing data. Regression Analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results show that monitoring allocation of teaching and learning materials by Headteachers did not have a statistically significant influence on learners’ performance in activity areas.
Intra and inter annual variation in a seagrass meadow on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica: 2009-2015

Seagrass beds are an important ecosystem on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. At Cahuita National Park (CNP) a seagrass bed at Perezoso has been monitored continually since 1999 within the CARICOMP program. Thalassia testudinum is the dominant seagrass species, in some cases mixed with Syringodium filiforme. The results from the 2009 to 2015 monitoring period are presented here, and contrasted with data before 2009. Total (above and below ground tissue) mean biomass of T. testudinum was higher (1 255.4 ± 146.0 gm-2) than biomass before 2009, with an increasing tendency. However, productivity (1.5±0.59 gm-2d-1) and turnover rate (4.3 ± 1.22 %d-1) were lower than previous monitoring periods. In this period, mean leaf area diminished considerably (4.9 ± 2.30 m2), but leaf area index (LAI) increased (1.9 ± 0.80 m2leafm-2) in comparison to prior monitoring. Productivity, density, turnover rate, LAI and biomass showed intra-annual variations; while mean biomass of T. testudinum did not vary significantly among years. No correlations were found between water salinity, temperature and clarity with seagrass measurements. However, most seagrass parameters were strongly correlated with precipitation. These results highlight the effect of external environmental agents acting on the ecosystem. CNP presents a long-term stable seagrass meadow. However, there are indirect signals, such as high biomass and above-ground biomass proportion, along with low productivity and LAI, which point to a nutrient increment in Perezoso’s seagrass bed. To continue protecting this seagrass bed, it is necessary to improve monitoring methods, and seagrass beds should be included in national conservation policies and monitoring programs.