Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of low sulfated ash, phosphorus and sulfur oils on camshaft/tappet tribocouples with various diamond‐like‐carbon coated tappets in motored and fired engines

This work was conducted as part of an EU FP‐7 project ‘Tailoring of Tribological Interfaces for Clean and Energy‐Efficient Diesel and Gasoline Powertrains’. The primary goal of this work is to reduce fuel consumption in internal combustion engines by the use of bespoke surface coatings and lubricants. Earlier work within the project had defined a series of oils and coatings to be evaluated in the final stage of the project. The results reported in this paper have used the OM646LA engine to evaluate wear and a motored cylinder head manufactured from the same engine type to evaluate the friction performance of coating/oil combinations. The coatings were applied to the tappets in the valvetrain and tested against uncoated camshafts. It will be shown that diamond‐like‐carbons can offer frictional benefits over an all‐steel system and that the choice of lubricant can incrementally reduce friction further. It will also be shown that while some diamond‐like‐carbon coatings are durable enough to survive the fired engine test intact, others are completely removed; interestingly, in all cases, the wear on the counter‐surface, the cam lobes, was in the order of a magnitude lower than for the standard all‐steel system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of mitochondrially targeted vitamin E on oxidative stress and obesity development in C57BL/6 mice

It was reported that mitochondrial aconitase was particularly susceptible to oxidative damage among those mitochondrial proteins because the electrophilicity of the fourth labile iron atom in its labile Fe-S cluster renders it especially sensitive to oxidative inactivation by nucleophilic superoxide anion. In addition, an aconitase inhibition-cascade was proposed to increase lipogenesis, slow lipolysis, increase feed intake, and decrease energy expenditure, which together resulted in obesity development. Therefore, combining the susceptibility of mitochondrial aconitase to oxidative damage with the above aconitase inhibition cascade, it was hypothesized in this study that oxidative stress contributed to obesity development by initiating the aconitase inhibition-cascade. We tested this hypothesis experimentally in two different fashions by using medium fat (MF) diet and mitochondrially targeted vitamin E (MitoVit E). Specifically, we hypothesized that MF diet contributes to obesity development by initiating the aconitase inhibition cascade, whereas MitoVit E can improve obesity development by reversing the aconitase inhibition cascade. Sixty-four 7-week-old C57BL/6J male mice, after fed a high fat diet (60 kcal% from fat) for 5 weeks, were assigned randomly to 4 groups. Group I and III were fed a low fat diet (10 kcal% from fat) and a MF diet (32 kcal% from fat), respectively, with each group gavaged with drug vehicle (0.9% NaCl solution); Group II and IV were fed the same diets as Group I and II, respectively, with each group gavaged with 40 mg MitoVit E/kg body weight. Gavage was conducted every other day for 5 weeks. We showed that 1) oxidative stress is elevated with obesity development; 2) MitoVit E decreased MF diet-induced body weight gain (P < 0.05) without affecting feed intake; 3) MitoVit E decreased lipid deposition in liver (P < 0.001) and adipose tissues (P < 0.001) while increasing muscle mass (P < 0.05); 4)
THE ROLE OF PERCEIVED JUSTICE WITH SERVICE RECOVERY IN THE REALTIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPOWREMENT OF FRONTLINE EMPLOYESS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AFTER SERVICE RECOVERY" CUSTOMERS OF EGYPTIAN INTERNET COMPANIES CASE STUDY

Considered Service failure, service recovery strategies, and customer evaluation of this recovery (perceived justice) from topics that have gained much attention from many studies, although these studies have made significant contributions to the handling and service recovery, additional and renewed scientific research is still needed in this field. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between empowerment of frontline employees and customer satisfaction after service recovery with the mediating effect of perceived justice with service recovery. All customers of internet companies in Egypt represent the population for this study. A sample of this study consisted of (400) internet companies' customers. The questionnaire lists were used to collect the data after testing the validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics, simple linear regression, multiple linear regressions, and some methods of testing hypotheses were used in analyzing the data. The finding of the study showed that there was a positive significant relationship between the empowerment of frontline employees and customer satisfaction after service recovery. Also, there was a positive significant relationship between perceived Justice with service recovery and customer satisfaction after service recovery. In addition to that, it was also founded that Perceived Justice with service recovery has a mediating effect on the relationship between the empowerment of frontline employees and customer satisfaction after service recovery. Based on these results was presented a set of recommendations, as well as suggest some future studies relevant to the subject of the study.
The Convoluted influence of Robbins’s thinking on t he Emergence of Economics Imperialism

This paper analyzes the influence of Robbins’s thin king in the subsequent development of economics imperialism . First, the analysis of some passages which have passed unnoticed up to the moment where the author explicitly expresses his disbelief in the omnipotence of the economic method makes it pos sible to defend that Robbins did not share the confidence in the capabilities of eco nomics to explain non-economic phenomena which is exhibited by the advocates of ec nomic imperialism. After that, the paper shows that Robbins describes the influence of r al scarcity on human behaviour in terms of a (static) constrained maximization pro blem, mixing issues of method and scope up in his writings. This facilitated the view that economics is a method without a proper subject-matter, and the later expansion of e c nomics into other fields. The conclusion is that, though Robbins cannot be counte d as an earlier promoter of economics imperialism , the misunderstandings implicit in his writings pa ved the way for the emergence of this intellectual movement. JEL classification: B21, B31, B40.
Does Corporate Governance Affect the Critical Corporate Policies such as Dividend Policy?

This study examines the influence of corporate governance on dividend policy based on a sample of Canadian firms listed on the S&P/TSX composite index during 2009-2012. The results show that firms with better governance quality, measured by the governance index provided by The Globe and Mail, have larger payouts and have a higher propensity to pay dividends. In terms of four dimensions of corporate governance index, the shareholding and compensation index is the most important determinant of dividend payouts. Our results support the complementary role of corporate governance and dividend policy of the firms. The implication from this study is that managers and board of directors should make dividend payout decisions in a big picture of corporate governance.
Cyclical Behavior of Systemic Distress in the Banking Sector: An Empirical Investigation

In this paper we aim at identifying cyclical behavior of banks’ systemic risk contribution and exposure. Using a sample of 789 banks from OECD and EU-28 countries, we document that both systemic risk contribution and exposure is positively related to business cycle. That is, systemic risk starts to accumulate in the financial sector during periods of boom, i.e., when the output gap is positive. Furthermore, during periods of robust economic growth, the level of credit tends to increase dramatically, going hand in hand with asset and property prices developments. These variables are associated with financial cycles and their behavior amplifies the economic cycle which can result, under certain conditions, in a financial crisis. We find that contribution to system-wide distress moves procyclically during credit cycles, house and equity cycles, but the results for credit cycles lack statistical significance. As Peydró (2013) points-out, if credit expansion has economic fundamentals and is demand-driven, it could be harmless for systemic risk. In terms of banks’ exposure to systemic distress, it evolves procyclically during credit and house cycles, and counterciclycally during equity cycles. Our index of financial cycle constructed using both macroeconomic and financial variables confirms the pattern of systemic risk to evolve procyclically. Additionally, the empirical analysis shows that both bank-specific and macroeconomic factors influence banks’ systemic stress. Particularly, size, loan loss provisions and inflation positively affect systemic risk contribution and exposure of the banks, whereas capitalization, the share of loans in total assets, the share of non-interest income in total revenue, financial openness and financial freedom help banks in reducing their systemic importance. The results remain robust after controlling for nesting and possible reverse causality issues, and after employing different techniques for separating cycles from the trend. Key-words: Systemic risk; Business cycle; Financial cycle; Financial regulation; Bank fragility JEL classification: G21; G28; E30 1 This paper contains 24 pages, excluding first page and bibliography, but including the Appendix. 2 A common response to those who propose that policymakers react to the development of system-wide vulnerabilities is that these vulnerabilities cannot be identified ex-ante, or at least cannot be identified any better by policymakers than by the market as a whole. As a result, the best that policymakers can do is to establish a regulatory framework that contributes to financial stability, and be prepared to act quickly whenever financial instability threatens the health of the macroeconomy. (Borio et al., 2001, p.42)
Biosorption of Selected Heavy Metals by Green Algae, Spirogyra Species and Its Potential as a Pollution Biomonitor

In this paper, adsorption features of freshwater green algae as a function of contact time, initial pH and initial metal ion concentrations were studied using model solutions of metal ions with subsequent determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Green algae samples were employed as bioindicators of selected heavy metals in environmental water samples with determination using FAAS and ICP-OES (inductively-coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry). The optimum pH for cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) biosorption were found to be 5.5, 5.8, 5.9 and 5.0, respectively. The biosorption process follows second order kinetics and is well described by the Langmuir isotherm model. Adsorption capacities were found to be 22.52, 38.19, 35.59 and 94.34 mg/g for Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb, respectively, at contact times of 15-50 minutes and initial metal ion concentrations of 500-700 mg/L. Biomonitoring studies revealed great potential for freshwater green algae as a bioindicator with mean concentration factors in the range of 367-7154 for the selected elements, the uptake being mainly via a metabolically mediated pathway. This work has demonstrated the potential of freshwater green algae as both a biosorbent and a bioindicator for heavy metal pollution in water systems. Keywords: Green algae, Biosorption, Biomonitoring, Toxic metals, FTIR, ICP-OES.
EFECTO DE LOS RESIDUOS VEGETALES PROVENIENTESDE DOS TRATAMIENTOS SILVÍCOLAS EN UNAPLANTACIÓN DE Pinus radiata D. DON SOBRE LOSCAMBIOS ESTACIONALES DE LAS ACTIVIDADESBIOLÓGICAS DEL SUELO

El impacto de los residuos vegetales provenientes de manejos silvicolas sobre la dinamica de nutrientes en suelos forestales es aun desconocida. Es necesario determinar el efecto de los residuos provenientes de la poda y el raleo dejados sobre la superficie del suelo, ya que tienen un impacto directo sobre las propiedades fisico-quimicas y en las actividades microbianas del suelo. El objetivo de este estudio fue cuantificar y comparar el efecto de residuos vegetales provenientes de dos tratamientos silvicolas (poda y raleo) sobre algunas actividades biologicas medidas despues de 10 anos de manejo en invierno y en primavera. Este fue realizado en un Ultisol plantado con Pinus radiata D. Don. Nosotros determinamos: la hidrolisis de la fluoresceina diacetato (FDA), el carbono y nitrogeno biomasico (CBM y NBM, respectivamente) y la actividad de las enzimas carboximetilcelulasa (CMC-asa) y β-glucosidasa (βG-asa), ambas involucradas en el ciclo del C, y fosfatasa acida (P-asa), involucrada en el ciclo del fosforo (P). Los resultados demuestran que la hidrolisis de la FDA y el NBM fueron significativamente mayores (p 0,05) entre tratamientos, con excepcion de la P-asa acida, favorecida por la mayor disponibilidad de P y el pH del suelo. En primavera, las actividades enzimaticas evaluadas no presentaron diferencias significativas (p>0,05) en el RSP, a diferencia del rodal sometido a raleo (RSR), considerando la estacionalidad. Entre manejos si hubo diferencias significativas (p<0,05), siendo mayores los niveles de actividad en el RSP.La humedad del suelo y la acumulacion de residuos silvicolas fueron determinantes en el control de las actividades biologicas Sin embargo, otros factores podrian ser considerados. El manejo de los residuos provenientes de faenas silvicolas en este tipo de ecosistemas requieren de un mayor estudio, considerando que existen varios factores medioambientales y antropicos
The Moderating Effects of Human Capital and Cultural Diversity on the Link between Social Capital and Innovation Performance: A Cross-Country Study

This study contributes to current knowledge regarding the role of social capital, constituted by generalized trust, institutional trust, associational activity and norms of civic, towards country‟s innovation level as well as the moderating roles of nation-specific factors of human capital and cultural heterogeneity on the stated relationship, while examining the case of 51 countries around the world. Many researches have confirmed the positive contributions of social capital, human capital and cultural diversity to the development of national innovativeness. However, very few of them has ever assessed the interactions between these variables in the presence of the others in explaining country‟s innovation capability. By the aim of explaining the dynamics of cross-country‟s divergence in innovation level, the study made an effort to fill in this research gap by using countries‟ human capital and cultural heterogeneity as moderators for social capital in its relationship with innovation. The results highlight the positive impact of interpersonal trust and norms of civic behaviour on country‟s innovativeness though associational activity was confirmed with negative impact. Furthermore, human capital and cultural heterogeneity were found to weaken the link between interpersonal trust and innovation, whereas reduce the adverse effect of community involvement on national innovation performance. Keywords— Innovation, social capital, human capital, cultural diversity, trust, norms, community involvement.
Heat Transfer in Molecular Crystals

This short review does not pretend to comprehend all available information concerning the thermal conductivity of molecular crystals, in particular, at low temperatures (below 20K). For such kind of information see, for example, Batchelder, 1977; Gorodilov et al., 2000; Jezowski et al., 1997; Ross et al., 1974; Stachowiak et al., 1994. The goal of this paper consists in presentation and generalization of the new experimental results and theoretical models, accumulated over the past 2-3 decades, to a certain extent changing existing view about the heat transfer in crystals. Quite recently, it was not doubted that high-temperature thermal conductivity of molecular crystals is proportional to the inverse temperature, Λ∝1/T. It was based on both the experimental data and assumptions being evident at first sight from which this dependence followed. In simple kinetic model, the phonon thermal conductivity can be represented as Λ=1/3Cvl, where C (the heat capacity) and v (the sound velocity) can be considered to be constant at T≥ΘD, and averaged phonon mean-free path l is inversely proportional to the temperature. More precise expression (see, for example, Berman, 1976; Slack, 1979) can be written in the form:
SEX EDUCATION FROM HOME AND SCHOOL: THEIR INFLUENCE ON ADOLESCENTS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND BELIEFS TOWARD SEXUALITY

It is an undeniable reality that adolescents are taking on more initiative in trying new things and learning more about their bodies and environment in relation to their sexuality. The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to determine the influence of sex health education from home and school on adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards sexuality. A total of 247 participants ages 12-18 years old were randomly selected to answer an adapted questionnaire. The results show that the level of sex education received at home and school is fair. Adolescents have high knowledge but negative attitudes and beliefs regarding sex. Sex education received at home and school had a significant influence on the adolescents’ attitudes (p-value-0.000) and beliefs (p-value-0.000) regarding sex. There was no difference in sexual knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs when age, gender, religion, family structure, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity were considered. It is recommended that schools implement a well-constructed program that addresses sexuality-related concerns of adolescents. Furthermore, resources should be made available to parents who need support in educating their children on this topic.
Climate Change and the Potential Use of Weather Derivatives to Hedge Vineyard Harvest Rainfall Risk in the Niagara Region

The widespread recognition of current and impending climate change has led to the examination of possible impacts and potential adaptation strategies to deal with the prediction of increased variability of weather. Viticulture in particular faces a myriad of weather-related risks that could increase significantly with climate change. In addition to changes in agricultural practices, the use of financial solutions must also be sought in order to deal with the impending economic risks. Weather derivative contracts are a growing market that provide for the hedging of many of the financial risks due to weather. Although their use is widespread and increasing, their adoption by the agricultural sector, including viticulture, has been relatively slow. Using the Niagara region of Canada, we provide an example of how a weather contract can be designed to hedge the financial risk of a critical weather-risk factor common in viticulture, that of excessive rainfall during the harvest season. The variability of rainfall in the Northern Hemisphere has been predicted to increase with climate change and if weather-related risks intensify, weather contracts could prove to be useful tools for the viticulture industry.
Photolysis of chloroform and other organic molecules in aqueous titanium dioxide suspensions

The photocatalytic degradation of chloroform has been investigated in aqueous suspensions of TiO_2 over the wavelength range of 310-380 nm. A detailed reaction mechanism has been proposed in which the rate-determining step is the reaction of surface-bound *OH with adsorbed CHCl_3. A pH-stat titration technique was developed for the measurement of the rates of degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons. The quantum efficiency (Ф = 0.56 at ⋋ = 330 nm) of the degradation of CHCl_3, was found to be inversely proportional to the square root of the incident light intensity. This relationship can be explained in terms of a direct competition between a second-order recombination of surface-bound 'OH and the rate-determining reaction of surface-bound 'OH with CHCl_3. The rates of degradation of several electron donors have been correlated with their computed surface speciation. The results of this study show that the adsorption of electron donors and acceptors to the TiO_2 surface plays a more important role in determining the rate of the photocatalytic reactions than the effect of pH-dependent Fermi-level shifts.
Protein Enrichment of Sugar‐Snap Cookies with Sunflower Protein Isolate

Sugar-snap cookies were protein enriched with sunflower protein isolate (SFPI) at levels of up to 20% (flour weight basis). Spread and surface grain were reduced, and color was slightly affected, with increasing levels of SFPI. The addition of soy lecithin (1–2%) improved spread and surface grain characteristics. Sensory evaluation scores for cookies showed acceptable cookie quality at levels of up to 15% SFPI.
Transpiration and Root Water Uptake

Root water uptake is one of the major components of the water balance of a soil. In this article, both the physical as well as the physiological aspects of root water uptake and transpiration are dealt with. The regulation of transpiration by different mechanisms on different levels (e.g. through hormones, adaptation of vessel diameter, root radius, and vertical extension of the root system) is discussed. Attention is paid to the modeling of water uptake by single roots and root systems. The last section deals with the different techniques used to measure root water uptake, for example, lysimeter, sap flow, inverse modeling, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods. Keywords: hormones; aquaporins; hydraulic lift; model; sap flow; methods of measurement; hydraulic head; resistance; rhizosphere
DEVELOPMENT OF SYNBIOTIC MILK CHOCOLATE USING ENCAPSULATED LACTOBACILLUS CASEI NCDC 298

Milk chocolates were prepared by incorporating with free or encapsulated Lactobacillus casei NCDC 298 and inulin. Lactobacillus counts were remained above 8.0 log cfu/g until 60 days under refrigerated condition. Yeast and molds, and coliforms were found to be absent in the products during the storage. Sensory panelists liked the milk chocolate with encapsulated lactobacilli. Feeding of synbiotic milk chocolate increased the fecal lactobacilli, decreased fecal coliforms and β-glucuronidase activity in mice. Thus, milk chocolate has been shown to be an excellent food for delivery of probiotic lactobacilli. Moreover, the addition of the encapsulated lactobacilli and inulin did not affect the sensorial quality of the products. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Development of nonfermented probiotic foods will diversify the probiotics applications and increase the consumption round the year and across the population.
SELEÇÃO DE ESPÉCIES DA FAMÍLIA CUCURBITACEAE E CHENOPODIACEAE PARA INDICAÇÃO DA PRESENÇA DE SAFLUFENACIL NO SOLO

O objetivo deste estudo foi selecionar especies cucurbitaceas e quenopodiacea para serem usadas como plantas bioindicadoras da presenca de saflufenacil no solo. O experimento foi realizado em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com tres repeticoes, em bifatorial 8 x 5. O primeiro fator foi constituido pelas concentracoes de saflufenacil (0; 2,45; 4,9; 9,8; 14,7; 19,6; 24,5 e 29,4 g i.a. ha-1) e o segundo pelas especies bioindicadoras: pepino, melancia, cabotia, abobrinha hibrida Clarita (familia Cucurbitaceae) e beterraba (familia Chenopodiaceae). Aplicou-se o herbicida saflufenacil em pre-emergencia em Latossolo Vermelho distroferrico. Realizaram-se quatro avaliacoes de estande e estatura de planta, determinando-se no final do experimento as massas das partes aereas verde e seca das especies. Os resultados deste estudo permitiram classificar as especies estudadas conforme o nivel de tolerância ao herbicida saflufenacil: abobrinha = cabotia > melancia > beterraba = pepino.