Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on the dehydrogenative polymerizations of monolignol β-glycosides. Part 2: Horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed dehydrogenative polymerization of isoconiferin

Abstract Dehydrogenative polymerization of isoconiferin (IC; coniferyl alcohol γ-O-β-D-glucopyranoside) catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was carried out. The polymerization of IC proceeded in a homogeneous system, resulting in a water-soluble dehydrogenation polymer (IC-DHP). The degree of polymerization (DP) of IC-DHP was significantly higher than that of a standard dehydrogenative polymer (CA-DHP) obtained from coniferyl alcohol (CA) in a heterogeneous system. Under optimum conditions, the DP of IC-DHP was 44 (M n=1.5×104), whereas that for CA-DHP was only 11 (M n=3.0×103, as acetate). Spectroscopic analyses confirmed that IC-DHP has a lignin-like structure containing D-glucose moieties attached to the lignin side-chains. The D-glucose unit introduced into γ-O position of CA essentially influenced the water solubility and molecular mass of the resulting DHP.
A Modified Reduced-Form Model with Time-Varying Default and Recovery Rates and Its Applications in Pricing Convertible Bonds

Due to the lack of proper credit derivatives and opaque financial status of a reference entity, it is difficult to accurately estimate recovery rates in reducedform models. In addition, most reduced-form models adopt a constant recovery rate assumption that fails to capture the time-varying dynamics and inverse relationships between recovery and default rates found in empirical studies. Most revisions that incorporate this inverse relationship require strict calibration procedures or limit the wide applicability of reducedform models due to introducing complexity models involving stochastic processes. The authors propose a notion of the expected recovery rate conditional on the default rate by combining a regression relationship between these two rates and a transformation between default rates under the physical and riskneutral measures. This notion can be simply incorporated into any reduced-form model to simultaneously produce reliable time-varying recovery and default rates. To demonstrate their idea, they revise Jarrow and Turnbull’s [1995] reduced-form model used in Chambers and Lu [2007] for pricing convertible bonds. The resulting tree structure is also adjusted to alleviate the infeasible branching probability problem.
Greenhouse gas emissions from farmed organic soils: a review

Abstract. The large boreal peatland ecosystems sequester carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere due to a low oxygen pressure in waterlogged peat. Consequently they are sinks for CO2 and strong emitters of CH4. Drainage and cultivation of peatlands allows oxygen to enter the soil, which initiates decomposition of the stored organic material, and in turn CO2 and N2O emissions increase while CH4 emissions decrease. Compared to undrained peat, draining of organic soils for agricultural purposes increases the emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O) by roughly 1t CO2 equivalents/ha per year. Although farmed organic soils in most European countries represent a minor part of the total agricultural area, these soils contribute significantly to national greenhouse gas budgets. Consequently, farmed organic soils are potential targets for policy makers in search of socially acceptable and economically cost‐efficient measures to mitigate climate gas emissions from agriculture. Despite a scarcity of knowledge about greenhouse gas emissions from these soils, this paper addresses the emissions and possible control of the three greenhouse gases by different managements of organic soils. More precise information is needed regarding the present trace gas fluxes from these soils, as well as predictions of future emissions under alternative management regimes, before any definite policies can be devised.
Go With the Flow: Clustering Dynamically-Defined NetFlow Features for Network Intrusion Detection with DynIDS

The paper presents DynIDS, a network intrusion detection approach that flags malicious activity without previous knowledge about attacks or training data. DynIDS dynamically defines and extracts features from network data, and uses clustering algorithms to aggregate hosts with similar behavior. All previous clustering-based network intrusion detection approaches use a static set of features, restricting their ability to detect certain attacks. Instead, we use a set of features defined dynamically, at runtime, avoiding that restriction without falling into the curse of dimensionality, something that we believe is essential for the adoption of this kind of approaches. We evaluated DynIDS experimentally with an evaluation and a real-world dataset, obtaining better F-Score than alternative solutions.
Sudden Cardiac Death Risk Stratification and Prevention in Chagas Disease: A Non-systematic Review of the Literature

Chagas disease is an important public health problem in Latin America. However, migration and globalisation have resulted in the increased presence of Chagas disease worldwide. Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in people with Chagas disease, most often due to ventricular fibrillation. Although more common in patients with documented ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death can also be the first manifestation of Chagas disease in patients with no previous symptoms or known heart failure. Major predictors of sudden cardiac death include cardiac arrest, sustained and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, left ventricular dysfunction, syncope and bradycardia. The authors review the predictors and risk stratification score developed by Rassi et al. for death in Chagas heart disease. They also discuss the evidence for anti-arrhythmic drugs, catheter ablation, ICDs and pacemakers for the prevention of sudden cardiac death in these patients. Given the widespread global burden, understanding the risk stratification and prevention of sudden cardiac death in Chagas disease is of timely concern.
pH sensitive Laponite/alginate hybrid hydrogels: swelling behaviour and release mechanism

Alginate hydrogels containing biocompatible Laponite (LP) were prepared and dried under vacuum or in an oven, and their drug release properties at different pH values were studied in vitro using methylene blue (MB) as a model of a cationic drug. These hybrid hydrogels showed a greater encapsulation efficiency of MB, a better sustained release and higher pH sensitivity in MB release, compared to the pure AG gels. The oven-dried hybrid gels were more pH sensitive in MB release than the vacuum-dried ones. Furthermore, the presence of LP, the drying mode and the pH value were shown to influence the mechanism of MB release. LP/AG hybrid gels are, thus, good candidates for the controlled delivery of cationic drugs under acidic conditions.
Energia livre da reação de adsorção de cádmio em latossolos ácricos

Cadmium is a heavy metal that can be added to the soils through disposal of city wastes, sewage sludge and phosphatic fertilizers. Cd is easily absorbed and translocated by plants and has a great potential to enter the human food chain. The persistency and the mobility of Cd in soils is largely determined by the extent of its adsorption by soil particles. The evaluation of the free energy of Cd adsorption by the soil is a measurement of the reaction strength. Free energy of cadmium adsorption was studied in surface and subsurface samples from a Rhodic Kandiudalf, an Anionic "Rhodic" Acrudox and an Anionic "Xanthic" Acrudox, after addition of 5, 10, 15, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 e 200mg L-1 of cadmium. Cadmium adsorption was considered spontaneous, since free energy was negative in all concentration. Free energy values decreased with the increase in concentration of added cadmium. The Alfisol showed higher free energy than the Oxisols, mainly in surface samples. For the same soil, surface horizons showed higher values of free energy than subsurface horizons, probably due to the effect of organic matter, whose affinity for cadmium is high.
Nutrition Composition of Sacha Inchi (

We investigated the macronutrient, selected mineral and fatty acid composition of Sacha inchi (SI) ( volubilis L.) seeds harvested from the grounds of Crops Future, Malaysia. Macronutrient analysis was carried out on both fresh and roasted (160°C for 6 mins) SI seeds. Both fresh and roasted seeds were rich in crude fat (56.2%, 49.8%) and crude protein (23.8%, 25.0%) respectively. Fatty acid and some selected minerals analyses were carried out for the roasted SI seeds. Fatty acid analysis showed that the 18.6% of saturated fat was mainly made up of palmitic (4.64%) and stearic (12.9%) acids. The polyunsaturated fat amounted to 81.3% and was contributed mainly by linolenic (35.9%) and linoleic (44.8%) acids. The main minerals found were potassium (5179 mg/kg), phosphorus (3868 mg/kg), magnesium (3439 mg/kg) and calcium (1142 mg/kg). Comparison with other crops highlights SI’s potential as a plant source of omega -3 and omega its macronutrient and mineral contents.
Influence of elevated pressure and particle lyophobicity on hydrodynamics and gas–liquid mass transfer in slurry bubble columns

This article reports on the influence of elevated pressure and catalyst particle lyophobicity at particle concentrations up to 3 vol % on the hydrodynamics and the gas-to-liquid mass transfer in a slurry bubble column. The study was done with demineralized water (aqueous phase) and Isopar-M oil (organic phase) slurries in a 0.15 m internal diameter bubble column operated at pressures ranging from 0.1 to 1.3 MPa. The overall gas hold-up, the flow regime transition point, the average large bubble diameter, and the centerline liquid velocity were measured along with the gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient. The gas hold-up and the flow regime transition point are not influenced by the presence of lyophilic particles. Lyophobic particles shift the regime transition to a higher gas velocity and cause foam formation. Increasing operating pressure significantly increases the gas hold-up and the regime transition velocity, irrespective of the particle lyophobicity. The gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient is proportional to the gas hold-up for all investigated slurries and is not affected by the particle lyophobicity, the particle concentration, and the operating pressure. A correlation is presented to estimate the gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient as a function of the measured gas hold-up: . © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010
Analysis of University Students' Views and Usage Levels of Web 2.0 Tools in Terms of Various Variables

The aim of this study is to determine the university students' views on Web 2.0 tools and their level of use of Web 2.0 tools according to the variables of gender, Foreign Language Level, Computer usage level and frequency of access to the internet. The study group consists of 427 students who continue their studies at the Ahmet Keleşoğlu Faculty of Education of Necmettin Erbakan University in the academic year 2019-2020. The data in the study was taken with a three-part tool. In the first section, demographic characteristics of the students who participated in the research were determined. In the second section, the frequencies of use of Web 2.0 technologies were asked. In the third section, students were asked about their skills in using Web 2.0 tools. Data were analyzed by statistical package programs. T-test and variance analysis were used to determine whether the students' views on Web 2.0 tools differ according to gender, foreign language level, computer usage level and frequency of access to the internet. The Scheffe test was used to determine which group the differentiation originated from. In terms of the frequency of use of Web 2.0, men are significantly different from women, those who have computers and those who are connected to the internet for 7 hours and more than others. In terms of Web 2.0 skill level, men are significantly different from women, those who have computers, those who have 7 hours and more internet connections, compared to others.
Evaluation of Terpenes Psiadin, Plectranthone, and Saudinolide as Selective Anti-Cancer Agents against Hepatic Carcinoma Cells

Plant-derived terpenes have aroused considerable interest as chemotherapeutic agents for a variety of diseases. This study aimed at the isolation and purification of the scarce terpenes psiadin, plectranthone and saudinolide from their respective plants, followed by the determination of antiproliferative activity, against hepatic cancer cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B), and the potential molecular mechanisms. Timeand dose-dependent cytotoxicity, evaluated using MTT and colonyforming assays, were exhibited by psiadin and plectranthone against the cancer cells. Flow cytometry showed that these two terpenes blocked cell cycle progression and induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, particularly through increased cytochrome c and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential. Additionally, they initiated the generation of reactive oxygen species as well as inhibiting NF-B. Psiadin lowered several essential cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases and reduced RB activation. It was concluded that psiadin, in particular, has a significant therapeutic potential with the biggest advantage of differentiating between cancer and normal cells which is acutely lacking in current cytotoxic drugs. Its precise mode of action needs further investigation but appears predominantly to cause cell cycle arrest by interfering with cyclin production. It will be important to determine, in future studies, whether these terpenes will similarly inhibit other cancer cell lines and retain its activity against tumors in vivo.
Evolution of a dozen non-CO2 greenhouse gases above central Europe since the mid-1980s

Abstract High-resolution infrared solar observations have been conducted consistently since the mid-1980s at the International Scientific Station of the Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, by the GIRPAS-ULg team (Groupe Infra-Rouge de Physique Atmosphérique et Solaire-University of Liège), and by colleagues from the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy and from the Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels. These observations were performed with state-of-the-art Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers, revealing specific absorption features of over 20 atmospheric gases in the middle-infrared. Related spectrometric analyses have allowed the derivation of their burdens, seasonal and inter-annual variability, as well as their long-term evolution. In addition to updates of long-term changes for CCl2F2, CHClF2, CH4, N2O, SF6, CO, C2H6 and C2H2 already dealt with at previous Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases (NCGG) symposia, this paper further reports temporal evolutions observed during the past two decades for a series of other source gases, namely OCS, HCN, CCl3F and CCl4, which also have direct or indirect effects on the radiation balance of the troposphere and on the stratospheric ozone layer.
Target-dependence of light fragment production in photonuclear reactions at intermediate energies

Yields of 7Be, 10Be, 22Na, 24Na and 28Mg produced from natB, natC, natO, 23Na, 27Al, natSi, natS, natCl, natK, natCa, natV, 55Mn, natFe, 59Co, natNi, natCu, 89Y, natAg, natIn, 141Pr, 159Tb, 165Ho and 197Au in irradiations with bremsstrahlung having maximum end-point energies up to 1200 MeV were measured by γ-ray spectrometry (7Be, 22Na, 24Na and 28Mg) and accelerator mass spectrometry (10Be). The yields of heavier fragments, 39Cl, 43, 44m, 44g, 46, 47, 48Sc, 59Fe, and 56, 57, 58, 60Co, were also measured by γ-ray spectrometry in order to survey the relative contribution of fragmentation to spallation and/or fission in the mass yield curves. A distinct difference of the target mass-dependence of these yields has made it possible to disentangle the contributions of photospallation and photofragmentation processes. It was found that the neutron-to-proton ratios of targets strongly affect the formation of the nuclei by fragmentation as revealed in the yields of the isotopic pairs as well as of the single isotopes. The photon results were compared with those of proton-induced reactions, and no clear effect due to the difference of the initial interactions of photons and protons with nuclei was found in the fragment yields.
High‐resolution isotope selective laser spectroscopy of Ag2 molecules

Silver dimers formed in a seeded supersonic argon beam are examined with two laser spectroscopic methods. Excitation fluorescence spectra of the A‐X system excited with a narrow band cw dye laser yield accurate constants of the X 1Σg+ and the A 1Σu+ state. From isotope selective resonant two‐photon ionization spectra of the B‐X and the E‐X system excited by a pulsed dye laser and monitored with a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer, improved vibrational constants and rotational constants of the B 1Πu and the E 1Πu state are derived. Rotational constants of the C and the D state could be determined from the spectral separations between bandhead and band origin in partly rotationally resolved bands. Autoionizing Rydberg states of Ag2 are stepwise excited with two pulsed dye lasers in two resonant steps. From the convergence limits of different Rydberg series converging towards different vibrational levels v+ in the X 2Σg+ ground state of Ag2+ the rotational constants of the ion ground state and the adiabatic i.
Implementing Good Corporate Governance to Improve Company Performance

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the implementation of corporate governance mechanisms, namely independent variables consisting of the board of commissioners, managerial ownership, foreign ownership and audit quality. The dependent variable is company performance a control variable, which is company size. The data used in this study are secondary data involving 103 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 20152018. The data used in this study were analyzed using SPSS Version 25. The results of this study show that: the board of commissioners, Ownership's managerial, foreign ownership, and quality audit only variables that affect the performance ofthe company early while the variable size of the company can not be a variable control of the performance of the company.
Demand Risk and Diversification through International Trade

I develop a theory of risk diversification through geography. In a general equilibrium trade model with monopolistic competition, characterized by stochastic demand, risk-averse entrepreneurs exploit the spatial correlation of demand across countries to lower the variance of their global sales. I show that the model-consistent measure of demand risk, the “Diversification Index”, depends on the multilateral covariance of a country's demand with all other markets. The model implies that both the probability of entry and the level of trade flows to a market are increasing in the Diversification Index. The firms' risk diversification behavior can generate, upon a trade liberalization, a strong competitive pressure on prices, which in general equilibrium can lead to higher welfare gains from trade than the ones predicted by trade models with risk neutrality. To assess the quantitative relevance of the risk diversification channel, I rely on a panel of domestic and international sales of Portuguese firms. I estimate “risk-augmented” gravity regressions at the firm and country level, and show that the Diversification Index significantly affects trade patterns at the extensive and intensive margins. Once I structurally estimate the model, I document that the risk diversification channel explains 15% of the observed trade patterns, and increases welfare gains from trade by 16% relative to models with risk neutrality. Finally, the quantitative application highlights the role of demand uncertainty in shaping the economic consequences of the recent integration of China in the global economy.
Conducting and Antimicrobial Properties of Silver Nanowire–Waxy Starch Nanocomposites

ABSTRACT Silver nanowires were prepared on a waxy corn starch matix by a simple and green hydrothermal route. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the presence of nanostructured cubic silver embedded in waxy starch matrix. The particle size by Scherrer’s equation is calculated to be about 32 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed a uniform morphology, indicating intimate association of the metal-polysaccharide composite. The nanocomposites exhibited bactericidal effect and electrical conductivity, which was observed to be a function of temperature and metal concentration. The eco-friendly nanocomposites could be of potential biomedical application.
Antimicrobial and phytochemical screening of Lannea schweinfurthii (Engl.) Engl.

Abstract. Wamuyu KR, Machocho AK, Wafula AW. 2020. Antimicrobial and phytochemical screening of Lannea schweinfurthii (Engl.) Engl. Bioteknologi 17: 1-13. Phytochemicals are currently receiving more attention because of their effectiveness in the treatment of infectious diseases as well as mitigating various side effects caused by conventional antimicrobials. Pharmacological studies of Lannea schweinfurthii (Engl.) Engl. has reported antimicrobial property of the plant, but the active ingredients in the plant are largely understudied. Here, we collected the stem bark of L. schweinfurthii (Engl.) Engl. , then grounded into a fine powder. Sequential extraction was conducted with hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and methanol (MeOH). The crude extracts were examined for bioassay screening for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtillis and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli and antifungal activities against Candida albicans. The EtOAc and MeOH crude extracts showed moderate and high activities, ranging from 11 to 21 mm inhibition zones against the microbes used except P. aeruginosa. Hexane and DCM crude extracts showed a mild activity of 7 mm. Tetracycline and nystatin were applied as positive controls for bacteria and fungi, respectively, exhibited inhibition zones of 18 mm. The GC-MS analysis was carried out on the crude DCM, and MeOH extracts to give a preliminary hint of the class of compounds. The spectral data obtained from the crude extracts of DCM and MeOH indicated the presence of phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and their derivatives, polyketide derivatives, terpenoids, and steroids in the plant. Purification of crude extracts was performed using solvent partition and chromatography: CC, VLC, and PTLC. Structural elucidation and characterization were done using standard spectroscopic methods. The combined hexane/DCM extract produced two compounds, namely; 3-(10'-tridecenyl) phenol (LS01) and di-(2’-ethylhexyl) ester phthalic acid (LS05). The extract of ethyl acetate yields three compounds, namely lupeol (LS02), β-sitosterol (LS03), and epicatechin (LS04). Bioassay of the isolated compounds showed that epicatechin had high activity against the S. aureus and B. subtillis and Gram-negative E. coli. Furthermore, epicatechin showed an activity of 14 mm against C. albicans. Here, we showed that the stem bark of L. schweinfurthii has bioactive chemical constituents. Further studies such as cytotoxicity tests should be done both on the crude extracts and isolated compounds to ascertain reported activity to use bioactive components either as antimicrobials or as templates in drug synthesis. On the other hand, measures should be put in place to conserve the plant species from extinction.