Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modification of heavy metals toxicity by Cyanobacteria Nostoc sp. N27P72 and Nostoc sp. FB71 in Culture Conditions

Purpose: Cyanobacteria are ecologically relevant prokaryotes that can be found in environments contaminated with heavy metals. As their photosynthetic machinery imposes high demands for metals, homeostasis of these micronutrients has been extensively considered in cyanobacteria. So far, most studies have focused on treatment of wastewaters using microalgae leads to remarkable reduction of an array of organic and inorganic nutrients, but what takes place in the extracellular environment when cells are exposed to external supplementation with heavy metals remains largely unknown. Methods: Here, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production in strains Nostoc sp. N27P72 and Nostoc sp. FB71 isolated from different habitats are reported and compared. Cultures of both strains, supplemented with either glucose, sucrose, lactose or maltose showed that production of EPS and cell dry weight was boosted by maltose supplementation. Result: Nostoc sp. N27P72 which was isolated from lime stones was higher, resulting in 9.1 ± 0.05 µg/ml and 1.01 ± 0.06 g/l in EPS and cell dry. The cell cultures tested for their ability to remove Cu(II), Cr(III) and Ni(II) in media culture containing the maltose and without maltose as control culture. Remarkably, we showed that although these elements can be toxic, supplementing the media culture can effectively sequester their toxic effects by increasing the production of EPSs, carbohydrates and total soluble proteins in comparison to control. The crude EPS showed metal adsorption capacity assuming the order Ni(II)> Cu(II)> Cr(III) from metal-binding experiments. Nickel was preferentially biosorbed with a maximal uptake of 188.8 ± 0.14 mg (g cell dry wt) -1 crude EPS. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed treatment with Ni made changes in the functional groups and glycoside linkages in both strains. Results of Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) to determine the biochemical composition of Nostoc sp. N27P72 showed that strong Ni(II) removal capability is suspected to be associated with the high Cyclotrisiloxane and 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid content. Conclusion: The results of these investigates specified that strains Nostoc sp. N27P72 is good candidates for the commercial production of EPS and might be utilized in bioremediation field as an alternative to synthetic and abiotic flocculants.
Metal-Coordination Complexes Mediated Physical Hydrogels with High Toughness, Stick–Slip Tearing Behavior, and Good Processability

It is challenging to develop hydrogels with a combination of excellent mechanical properties, versatile functions, and good processability. Here we report a physical hydrogel of poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (P(AAm-co-AAc)) cross-linked by carboxyl–Fe3+ coordination complexes that possesses high stiffness and toughness, fatigue resistance, and stimulation-triggered healing along with shape memory and processing abilities. The copolymers have randomly dispersed AAm and AAc repeat units, making the physical cross-links with different strength. The strong coordination bonds and their associations serve as permanent cross-links, imparting the elasticity, whereas the weak ones reversibly rupture and re-form, dissipating the energy. Furthermore, a stick–slip instability is observed during the tearing test, which should be associated with the specific nature of metal-coordination bonds that are strong yet fragile. Because of the dynamic nature of coordination bonds, both tensile and tearing mechanical propert.
Increase in alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 lockdown

The Covid-19 pandemic has suddenly and significantly changed the lives of the people around the globe. Since it has started in the Wuhan province, China, in the late 2019, the disease continues to expand all over the world, and strikes the Balkan region too. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first cases of the infection were recorded in Croatia on February 26, in Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 5, and in Serbia on March 10, 2020. Just the day after, the disease spread all over the world and on March 11, 2020 the WHO declared a state of the pandemic. Data announced by WHO testified the rapid spread of the virus, along with many cases with confirmed infection and deaths worldwide (3, 4).
A multi-criteria assessment of decision support systems in educational environments

Decision support systems (DSS) are useful business intelligence (BI) tools as they help managers in large organizations make the best out of many decisions. Decisions are based on various types of raw data, models, documents, knowledge, and past experiences. This paper examines numerous criteria of decision support systems in the educational environment. Two effective methods were discovered and applied in this research, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and simple multi-attribute rating technique (SMART). These methods were selected due to their abilities to deal with complex decisional environments in general and widely used in practice for the educational environment in specific. The performance of methods is compared using two datasets called xApi-Education and IPEDS datasets. The obtained results based on the measurement of space complexity showed the level of convergence and similarity between these two methods. However, the experiments show that the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique outperformed the analytic hierarchy process in terms of accuracy, deviation, and time complexity measurement.
Tropical Cyclones in the North Atlantic Basin and Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: Identification of Extreme Events

1 Laboratorio de Observación e Investigación Espacial, Universidad de Quintana Roo; Avenida Andrés Quintana Roo, S/N, Frente a colonia San Gervasio, Cozumel 77600, Quintana Roo, Mexico 2 Colegio de Geografía, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán 04510, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico 3 Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CIIEMAD-IPN), Departamento de Territorio y Ambiente, 30 de Junio de 1520 s/n, La Laguna Ticomán, Gustavo A. Madero, 07340, Ciudad de México, Mexico 4 Centro de Estudios Meteorológicos de la Costa, Departamento de Ciencias Exactas, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Juárez No. 976, Colonia Centro, Guadalajara 44100, Jalisco, Mexico 5 Red de Desastres Asociados a Fenómenos Hidrometeorológicos y Climáticos (REDESClim), CONACYT, Av. Insurgentes Sur 1582, Col. Crédito Constructor, Alcaldía Benito Juárez, Ciudad de México 03940, México
The role of student-teacher relationship to teacher subjective well-being as moderated by teaching experience

A good relationship between teachers and students can positively influence the subjective well-being of teachers. However, in the context of middle school setting, a good relationship with students was considered as an effortful attempt for teacher to maintain which was related to the teacher well-being too. It was said that the more teaching experience the teacher has, the easier for them to navigate their relationship with students. Therefore, this study aimed to test whether the teaching experience moderate the impact of the teacher-student relationship to the teacher subjective well-being. The teacher-student relationship was measured using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS), while the teacher subjective well-being was measured by the Teacher Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire (TSWQ). Respondents in this study were 289 teachers at the middle school level from both junior high school and senior high school or equivalent. The analysis technique used was a simple moderation analysis. The result showed that there was a positive relationship between the teacher-student relationship, the teacher subjective well-being, and teacher experience. However, this study indicated that there was no moderation role of the teaching experience in weakening or strengthening the close teacher-student relationship impact on the teacher well-being.
Effective Teaching Strategies and Behaviors of Legal Translation Lecturers in Spain

Framed within the current accountability policies in higher education, under the strains of global competition and the internationalization of universities worldwide, this article examines effective teaching as a pillar of teaching quality in higher education among legal translation lecturers. By linking certain teaching and learning styles to the different dimensions of effective teaching (instructional, organizational, and emotional), the teaching profile of legal translation lecturers in Spain at undergraduate level is analyzed. In addition, student-centered teaching approaches are connected to the use of classroom strategies and methodological resources that characterize effective teaching. The findings of this study, obtained through the distribution of the tamufq questionnaire (Teaching and Assessment Methodology of University Faculty Questionnaire) among legal translation lecturers at undergraduate level in Spain, suggest that those lecturers who adopt a post-positivist approach in their classroom display a greater variety of teaching behaviors and strategies associated with both effective curriculum implementation and higher quality teaching than those who are closer to traditional, positivist approaches. These findings may be particularly useful in the design and implementation of continuous professional development courses and pedagogical training of lecturers.
Specialised Knowledge Network Activated in Teacher Education to Answer to a Mathematical Why on Fraction Division

Background : One way to deal with the complexity inherent in teaching is to advance in understanding the relationships between the different types of knowledge used in teaching practice. Objective : To characterise specialised teaching knowledge and its connections established in a formative context of elaborating an answer to students on why to invert-and-multiply to divide fractions. Design : Qualitative analytical-descriptive study, associating the mathematics teachers’ specialised knowledge (MTSK) and a teacher education course anchored in a teaching practice situation. Setting and participants : A teacher education workshop for in-service and preservice mathematics teachers, from which we carried out an in-depth analysis of the data collected from two participants (a preservice teacher and a teacher). Data collection and analysis : We obtained data during the workshop and an interview with the subjects and used content analysis, the MTSK analysis instrument, the MTSK cluster and the MTSK network diagram enabled to describe the connections between types of knowledge. Results : The activated network contains knowledge from all MTSK subdomains, exercising different levels of importance and roles (from the action itself to its support). The route of construction of the answer started from a mathematical layer towards didactic elements, reflecting the level of development (including gaps) of the subjects on justifications of algorithms and didactic aspects. Conclusion : A seemingly simple teaching action (answering a student question) mobilised all the MTSK subdomains and activated an intricate procurement network, requiring specialised, reasoned, and intentional teaching preparation.
Restaurants’ Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: The Realm of Egyptian Independent Restaurants

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current study is to identify the response of restaurants to COVID-19. Findings were derived from a qualitative approach by conducting thirty-nine interviews at the managerial level of thirty-five independent restaurants in Cairo. During March and April 2020, open-ended interviews were performed, and then analyzed using NVivo 9.0 software. This study successfully documents the decisions and activities related to four aspects (leadership practices, managing stakeholders’ cooperation, operational procedures, and marketing the reputation) used in adapting restaurants in response to COVID-19. It also identifies the barriers to applying the mitigation measures. Though this paper concentrates on Cairo restaurants, the value of this paper lies in being the first managerial-level analytical study documenting the responses to COVID-19 in the restaurant industry. It strengthens the existing literature by highlighting COVID-19’s impact on the restaurant industry and introducing a holistic view of decisions and the actual pandemic’ adopted responses, faced difficulties, and recovery practices within the restaurant industry.
Expected and Achieved Benefits of ERP Systems Implementation over Time

Today information systems are an inseparable part of all companies. This study deals with the non-financial implications occurring while implementing the enterprise resource planning software called AROP in 3 manufacturing companies being in different implementation phases. The work was based on semi-structured interviews, which were supplemented by a questionnaire survey with the management and the employees of the companies. The primary goal was to determine both the expected and the real impacts associated with the introduction of AROP software in the companies. The secondary goal was to determine satisfaction with AROP training in individual companies and to propose countermeasures. It was found that the company using AROP software in the full version confirmed a number of impacts that the companies had expected in the testing phase and in the phase just before the start of the testing phase. Examples of the confirmed impacts are following: merging all information into one system, obtaining previously unknown information or simplifying the work of employees. During the training, some weaknesses were identified, such as the length of the training or the form of the training. Therefore, several recommendations were proposed in order to streamline the implementation of AROP software and improve the training of this system.
Enzyme immunoassay for direct determination of microcystins in environmental water

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for direct quantitation of microcystins (MCs), a group of freshwater cyanobacterlal toxins. An antl-MC monoclonal antibody exhibiting broad cross-reactivity to major MC derivatives was used. The detection limit and linear range of the ELISA standard curve with microcystin-(leucine-arginine) (MCLR), a variant of MCs, were 20 and 20-500 pg/mL, respectively. For analysis of MC released from cyanobacterial cells, water sample filtered through a glass fiber filter was applied directly to ELISA. For analysis of total MC (released MC plus intracellular MC), intracellular toxin was extracted by freeze-thawing twice before filtration. Mean recovery of MCLR added to tap water and toxin-free environmental water was 101%, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 7.3% at toxin levels of 20-500 pg/mL. Mean recovery of MCLR added to toxin-free cyanobacterial extracts was 93%, with a CV of 12.5% at toxin levels of 50-500 pg/mL. At 20 pg/mL, an increasing matrix effect on assay variance was observed; therefore, both released MC and total MC were measured in the range 50-500 pg/ mL. Comparative studies with a liquid chromatographic (LC) method showed that the ELISA gives a reliable correlation with LC for analysis of MC in water extracts of natural blooms and cultured cyanobacterlal cells (r = 0.98). The ELISA was applied to water samples collected from lakes and ponds in Japan. In 4 of 13 and 12 of 17 samples, 81-800 pg released MC/mL and 64-94 000 pg total MC/mL were detected, respectively. By LC separation followed by the ELISA analysis, the presence of MCLR, microcystin-arginine-arginine, and microcystin-tyrosine-arginine were confirmed in 4 ELISA-positive samples selected randomly. The newly developed ELISA Is a reliable and powerful method for mass monitoring of MC levels in environmental water.
Subscales in the National Student Survey (NSS): Some considerations on their structure

ABSTRACT Measures of student satisfaction are commonly used to compare universities. Student satisfaction with higher education institutions in the UK is assessed yearly using the National Student Survey (NSS). The most recent revision of the NSS suggests that the satisfaction questions form eight different subscales. The aim of this research was to empirically test whether the NSS questions form eight separate subscales. We used the public data from the NSS from 2019 and clustering methods to examine the structure of the data. We tested the structure of the NSS questions when the data was analysed as a whole (i.e. at the ‘top’ national level across all universities and courses). We also assessed the clustering of data for 78 course subjects separately to see the most frequent number of clusters across courses (i.e. at the ‘bottom’ individual course level). At the top (national) level, we found a four cluster or two cluster solution (when excluding both an item on the student union and a general satisfaction item), rather than an eight cluster solution. At the bottom (course) level, the most common cluster solution was two clusters, but with considerable variation, ranging from one to eight clusters. Our findings thus suggest that there is considerable variation in the structure of the NSS and that this variation can depend on analytical level (top national level vs. bottom course level). We review the implications of differing cluster structures for how the NSS is used.
Family Business and Risk Management: Perspectives of SMEs Entrepreneurs in Indonesia

This study aims to explore the specific risks in family small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and explain how they manage these risks to sustain and expand. In Indonesia, family business composes around 95 percent of all businesses and contributes about 80 percent to the country’s economy. SMEs contribute approximately 57.8 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product. Risk management poses challenges to the family business’s survival, as family members do not take actions on risk. The assessment of risk is difficult and family businesses lack the ability to determine risk management priorities, including risk management review processes to evaluate risk, thus leading to family business failures. Applying the case study approach, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted in seven family SMEs comprising fifteen informants. Additionally, a focus group discussion consisting of three experts is conducted to reaffirm the findings from the interviews, observations, and field notes. The research identified the specific risks and how the family owners strategize to safeguard against these risks such as cash flow deficiency, operations dysfunction, cultural frailty, disharmony, transgenerational entrepreneurship failure, political uncertainty, and unprofessionalism. Comprehending these risks and their strategic decisions elucidated in this research could enable the family owners and key non-family professionals to work hand-in-hand to thrive over the family business risks together. Further avenues of research regarding family business risk management are also suggested in this study.
Indonesia of Batik Trusmi MSMEs: The Effect of User Technology Capability on Individual Performance with the Accounting Information Systems Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to obtain empirical evidence of the effect of user technology capability on individual performance in Indonesian Batik Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); and to obtain empirical evidence the accounting information systems effectiveness moderates the effect of user technology capability on individual performance in Batik MSMEs. This study used an associative quantitative method that states the relationship of two or more variables. The data source used in this study is the primary data source in the form of a questionnaire filled by employees of Batik Trusmi MSMEs as unit analysis. The data analysis technique used in this study uses the analysis of Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The study result indicated that user technology capability has a positive on individual performance in Batik Trusmi MSMEs and the accounting information systems effectiveness proven to moderate the effect of user technology capability on individual performance in Batik Trusmi MSMEs. Therefore, the technical ability of individuals as users of information systems plays an important role in the development of information systems in order to produce the best information for making accurate planning reports so it will improve of MSMEs for the better performance.
Silver-based getters for 129I removal from low-activity waste

Abstract A prominent radionuclide of concern in nuclear wastes, 129I, is present in low-activity wastes (LAW) at the Hanford site. Several Ag-containing materials were tested as immobilization agents, or “getters”, for I (as iodide, I−) removal from deionized (DI) water and a liquid LAW simulant: Ag impregnated activate carbon (Ag–C), Ag exchanged zeolite (Ag–Z), and argentite. In anoxic batch experiments with DI water, the Ag–C and argentite were most effective, with maximum Kd values of 6.2 × 105 mL/g for the Ag–C and 3.7 × 105 mL/g for the argentite after 15 days. Surface area and Ag content were found to influence the performance of the getters in DI water. In the anoxic batch experiments with LAW simulant, Ag–Z vastly outperformed the other getters with Kd values of 2.2 × 104 mL/g at 2 h, which held steady until 15 days, compared with 1.8 × 103 mL/g reached at 15 days by the argentite. All getters were stable over long periods of time (i.e. 40 days) in DI water, while the Ag–Z and argentite were also stable in the LAW simulant. Ag–Z was found to have consistent I removal upon crushing to a smaller particle size and in the presence of O2, making it a strong candidate for the treatment of LAW containing I.
Combined effect of air temperature and velocity on drying of Thai rice cracker

Fried glutinous rice cracker or “Khaotan” is a traditional snack of local Thai communities. Drying is one of the important steps in production of rice cracker. Hot air drying is an alternative method to direct solar drying used to reduce moisture of the rice cracker during rainy season. In this work, effect of air temperature (40, 50, and 60°C) and velocity (0.5, 1, and 1.5 m/s) in a hot air dryer was investigated. Full factorial and central composite designs of experiments were adopted. The results indicated that air temperature and velocity affected the drying time. The relationship was in second order polynomial with high correlation coefficient R 2 of 0.8719. Moderately good agreement in predicting drying time between experiments and the regression model was reported.