Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of Co-implementation of Total Quality Management and Sustainability Practices

The global campaign on sustainability has compelled organisations to collectively address a wide range of issues beyond their traditional goal of maximising profits. In an effort to address the effects of their activities on the environment, organisations have attempted to adopt sustainability practices. However, they are still struggling with the implementation of these practices. Total Quality Management (TQM) practices, on the other hand, have been researched extensively and empirically proven to have positive impacts on organizational performance. Given the seeming similarity between TQM and Sustainability adoption processes, the central question of this research is if organisations can leverage on their experience in TQM implementation to facilitate and enhance implementation of sustainability practices. This research therefore seeks to present and analyse a conceptual framework that will provide a better understanding of the relationship between TQM and sustainability practices and their impacts on organisational performance when co-implemented. To address this, an extensive literature review was carried out which highlighted the key intersections between TQM and sustainability practices. Based on the assumption that organisations that implement TQM are better at adopting sustainability practices, a further delineation of the relevant theoretical insights and the existence of synergies between TQM and sustainability practices were highlighted. The empirical data for this research was drawn from a wide range of organisations operating in the United Kingdom. A survey of 880 organisations was conducted of which a total of 137 valid responses were used for the data analyses. Results obtained from structural equation modelling (SEM) confirmed the existence of synergies between TQM and sustainability practices and suggest that the co-implementation of TQM and sustainability practices has a positive and significant impact on organisational performance. This supports the view that TQM organisations have considerable advantage at implementing sustainability practices. Furthermore, empirical evidence revealed that top management commitment, one of the TQM principles, plays the role of a mediator in the relationship between sustainability practices and organisational performance. This suggests that the greater the involvement of the leadership team in an organisation the greater the sustainability adoption which will in turn lead to improved organisational performance. The research enriches the literature on sustainability practices and offers stakeholders insights into the relationship between TQM and sustainability practices and how they can leverage the experience from the co-implementation to effectively pursue strategies that will aid the adoption of sustainability practices and improve organisational performance.
Interactive Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Crop Load on Cabernet Sauvignon in an Arid Climate

Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and crop-load adjustment are regarded as important viticultural practices for premium-quality wine production, although little is known about their interactive effects. Crop loads were altered on field-grown, own-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines exposed to RDI varying in severity and timing in the arid Columbia Valley (Washington) from 1999 to 2003. Following a dry-down period through fruit set to stop shoot growth, vines were irrigated at 60 to 70% of full-vine evapotranspiration until harvest. Other vines either received the same amount of water up to veraison, after which the irrigation rate was cut in half, or had their irrigation halved before veraison but not thereafter. Clusters were thinned within irrigation treatments during the lag phase of berry growth to achieve a target yield of 6.7 t/ha, compared with an unthinned control. The severity and timing of RDI had only minor effects on vegetative growth, yield formation, fruit composition (soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, K+, color), and cold hardiness. The more severe water-deficit treatments slowed berry growth while the treatments were being imposed, but final berry weights were similar in three of five years. Although cluster thinning reduced yields by 35% and crop loads by 32%, crop load had little or no influence on vegetative growth and cluster yield components and advanced fruit maturity at most by three to four days. Very few interactive effects of RDI and crop load were observed, indicating that the crop load did not influence the response of vines to RDI.
Drying Characteristics of Korean-type Rehmannia (Jiwhang) Noodle

Drying characteristics of fresh Korean-type rehmannia (jiwhang) noodle was investigated to determine drying kinetic parameters under the experimental conditions of 5 temperatures (30, 40, 60, 80, and 90℃). Drying curve of the noodle showed a biphasic pattern of decrease in drying rate with initial rapid drying followed by slow dehydration as the progress in drying. In all drying conditions, only falling drying rate period was observed and the drying rate of the noodle was greatly influenced by the drying temperature. The effective diffusion coefficients (D eff ) were determined by the diffusion model and their temperature dependency was determined using an Arrhenius equation. The activation energy (E a ) values for the drying of the noodle were 19.94 and 21.09 kJ/㏖ at the initial and the latter stage of dehydration, which were comparable to those of pasta or Japanese udong dehydration.
A review of anaerobic side-stream reactor for excess sludge reduction: Configurations, mechanisms, and efficiency

ABSTRACT In the frame of a modern waste management, an important sector concerns the sewage sludge minimization. In recent years a lot of techniques have been developed to reduce the sludge production such as biological, thermal, thermochemical, high-temperature oxidation and mechanical treatments, ultrasonication and ozonation, or using chemical compounds. Among those, the use of an anaerobic side-stream reactor (ASSR) in the conventional activated sludge line is a challenging biological technology able to minimize sludge production in wastewater treatment plants. The ASSR can be easily realized in both new and existing plants as it consists of an ASSR for sludge treatment and reduction where a portion or, in some cases, all the return sludge of the activated sludge process is subjected to alternating aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic conditions. Studies show that, combining a conventional activated process with an ASSR, sludge yield could be reduced by up to 40–60% without any negative effects, neither on the effluent quality nor on the settling characteristics of the activated sludge. The process has been applied using various configurations. Further, different explanations about the reduction mechanisms behind the process have been provided. This article is a review of the existing applications of the ASSR in laboratory scale and patents in order to describe the configurations implemented, the performance of the process in terms of sludge reduction and carbon and nutrients removal, the main operative parameters, and the mechanisms of sludge reduction observed.
Response of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash on growth and flower production of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat) cv. IIHR-6.

The experiment was carried out at the Department of Horticulture, B. A. College of Agriculture, AAU, Anand to study the effect of nitrogen (100, 200, 300 kg/ha), phosphorus (0, 100 kg/ha) and potash (0, 100 kg/ha) on growth and flower production in chrysanthemum cv. ‘IIHR – 6’ in RBD factorial during 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. There were twelve treatment combinations. The results revealed that the maximum plant height (56.85 cm) was recorded with treatment N 1 (100 kg/ha). The significantly maximum plant height (56.78 cm) was recorded with treatment P 1 i.e. no phosphorus (0 kg/ha). The different levels of potash on plant height were found non-significant. In respect to plant spread, significantly maximum plant spread (1237 sq.cm) were recorded with nitrogen level N 2 (200 kg/ha) in pooled, while maximum plant spread (1208 sq. cm) was found with treatment P 1 (0 kg/ha). The significantly maximum plant spread (1151 sq. cm) was recorded with K 1 (0 kg/ha) which was at par with K 2 (100 kg/ha). The maximum number of flowers/plant (36.94) was recorded with the nitrogen level N 1 (100 kg/ha) during the year 2005-06. while during the year 2007-08 it was maximum (44.08) with nitrogen level N 3 (300 kg/ha) which was at par with N 2 level (200 kg/ha) during the same year, while it was found non-significant in 2006-07 and in pooled. The significantly maximum flower yield i.e. 12953 and 11041 kg/ha was recorded with the nitrogen level N 2 (200 kg/ha) during the year 2006-07 and 2007-08, respectively. See end of the article for authors’ affiliations
Synthesis and Characterization of Pt-Sn Incorporated MCM-41 and Pt Incorporated Sn-SiO2 Type Mesoporous Catalysts for Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell

In this study, Pt-Sn incorporated mesoporous silicate materials were synthesized and characterized, and their activities in ethanol electro-oxidation reaction were tested by cyclic voltammetry. Two groups of catalysts were prepared. In the first group, Pt@MCM-41 and Pt-Sn@MCM-41 were prepared by impregnation of Pt and Sn onto MCM-41 support, which was synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal synthesis method. We adjusted the Pt/Sn molar ratio of 2 in the synthesis solution, and the Pt-Sn alloy formation was recognized beside large platinum particles for Pt-Sn@MCM-41. In the second group of catalysts, Sn-SiO2 was prepared by one-pot hydrothermal synthesis procedure with a Sn/Si molar ratio of 0.014 and was used as support material for Pt. Tin oxide phase was well dispersed through silicate structure and only large Pt particles were found in the XRD analysis of Pt@Sn-SiO2, in which the Pt/Sn ratio was 2. In order to see the effect of Pt/Sn molar ratio on the structural and catalytic activity of the catalyst, Pt@Sn-SiO2(3:2) was prepared by changing the Pt/Sn ratio to 3/2 and obtaining smaller particles for the later one. After electrochemical activity tests in 0.5M H2SO4 and 0.5M H2SO4 + 0.5M C2H5OH electrolyte environments, it was seen that Pt@MCM-41, Pt-Sn@MCM-41, Pt-@Sn-SiO2(3:2) and Pt@Sn-SiO2, exhibit different ethanol electro-oxidation behavior, which is assumed to be due to different pore and crystalline size. Sn-SiO2 supported Pt showed the highest oxidation currents after 0.6V vs. RHE. An ethanol oxidation behavior of Pt@Sn-SiO2(3:2) and polycrystalline Pt was very close at 0.6V vs. RHE.
In vitro antimicrobial activities of Bidens pilosa and Moringa oleifera leaf extracts and their effects on ground beef quality during cold storage

ABSTRACT This study determined the activities of Bidens pilosa and Moringa oleifera leaf extracts on microbial count of ground beef during 6-day cold storage. Fresh ground beef sample was treated with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (0.2 g/kg), M. oleifera (ML, 1 g/kg) and B. pilosa (BP, 1 g/kg) leaf extracts and compared with the control. The result of the phytochemical contents revealed that ML extract had higher phenolic and flavonoid contents than BP extract (p > 0.05). The antibacterial assay of the extracts revealed an appreciable broad-spectrum activity against tested bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentrations between 0.6 and 10.0 mg/mL. Addition of ML leaf extract to ground beef sample lowered total viable and lactic acid bacteria (p < 0.05) counts than control and BHT treatments at day 3 of storage. These results suggest that ML leaf extract could be used as potential sources of natural antimicrobial agent in meat products.
Fabrication of tissue engineering scaffold from poly(vinylalcohol-co-ethylene)/poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) blend: Miscibility, thermomechanical properties, and morphology

ABSTRACT A series of poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) with poly(vinylalcohol-co-ethylene) (PEVAL) blends were prepared by solution casting method. The miscibility, thermal and mechanical properties have been investigated using FTIR, DSC, and DMA techniques. The miscibility of this pair of polymers throughout compositions was proved by these methods through the single Tg and the presence of interactions between the constituents. The TGA analysis revealed three degradation zones and no sensible enhancement in the thermal stability of PLGA was noted with addition of PEVAL content. The SEM analysis revealed that the draying method dramatically influence the surface morphology of copolymers and blend. The cross section micrograph of blend scaffold containing 50 wt% of PEVAL presents microcavities of diameter pores ranged between 70 and 170 µm interconnected and uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Helicobacter pylori genotypes, salt intake, and sociodemographic factors associated with premalignant stomach lesions in a Colombian population

INTRODUCTION Genetic variability of Helicobacter pylori is associated with various gastrointestinal diseases; however, little is known regarding its interaction with sociodemographic and dietary factors in the development of premalignant lesions.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between Helicobacter genotypes, salt intake, and sociodemographic factors with precursor lesions of gastric malignancyMATERIALS AND METHODS An analytical study was conducted including cases (patients with gastric atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and dysplasia) and controls (patients with non-atrophic gastritis). Sociodemographic information and salt intake habits were obtained using a questionnaire. Histopathological diagnosis was made according to the Sydney System. Genotypes cagA and vacA for H. pylori were established using polymerase chain reaction in paraffin blocks. ANOVA was used for analyzing quantitative variables. Categorical variables are presented as proportions and absolute frequencies. The effect of each variable on the outcome (premalignant lesion) is presented as OR and 95%CI. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as significant.RESULTS The genotype vacA/s1m1 increases the risk of developing precursor lesions of malignancy (OR: 3.82; 95%CI: 1.45–10.07; p = 0.007). Age and salt intake showed a positive interaction effect for the genotype s1m1 (adjusted OR: 5.19; 95%CI: 1.88–14.32; p = 0.001) and bacterial coinfection (adjusted OR: 3.2; 95%CI: 1.06–9.59; p = 0.038). The cagA genotype was not related with the development of premalignant lesions (OR: 1.21; 95%CI: 0.80–1.82; p = 0.361). CONCLUSIONS The vacA genotypes, age, and salt intake are indicators of the risk of premalignant lesions in the study population.
Density Functional Calculations of C–NO_2 Bond Dissociation Energies for Nitroalkanes Molecules

Bond dissociation energies for the removal of nitrogen dioxide group in some nit- roalkane energetic materials have been calculated by using the three hybrid density functional theory (DFT) methods B3LYP, B3PW91 and B3P86 with 6-31g** and 6-311g** basis sets. The computed BDEs have been compared with the available experimental results. It is found that the B3P86 method with 6-31g** and 6-311g** basis sets can obtain satisfactory bond dissociation energies (BDEs), which are in extraordinary agreement with the experimental data. Considering the smaller mean absolute deviation and maximum difference, the reliable B3P86/6-311g** method was recommended to compute the BDEs for the removal of nitrogen dioxide group in the nitroalkane energetic materials. Using the method, the BDEs of 8 other nitroalkane energetic materials have been calculated and the maximum difference from experimental value is 1.76 kcal·mol-1 (for the BDE of tC4H9–NO2), which further proves the reliability of B3P86/6-311g** method. In addition, it is noted that the BDEs of C–NO2 bond change slightly for main chain nitroalkane compounds with the maximum difference of only 3.43 kcal mol-1.
Effect of sieving methodolgy on determining particle size of ground corn, sorghum, and wheat by sieving

Goals:  Evaluate four sieving methods to determine which method best estimates the average particle size of a corn, wheat, and sorghum sample at three different grind sizes (coarse, medium, and fine) ground on a hammermill and roller mill creating a 4 x 3 x 2 factorial arrangement.  Determine the analytical variation of the particle size method.  Determine if results from method S391.2 are linear to results S319.4 across multiple particle sizes.  Conduct a growth assay in nursery pigs to determine if a 50 μm increment results in different average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed to gain (F/G).
Acid buffering and sulfate retention in SO2-impacted Andosols - a multi-methodological approach

XIX cation and aluminum release from mineral / glass weathering which is thus the dominant long-term acid buffering process at both study sites. After an 18 months field experiment close to Masaya and Poás Volcanoes no measurable in situ BAS formation could be detected on surfaces of glass particles. Contrastingly, BAS contributed with 11% and 19% to the total sulfur retention by synthetic allophane exposed in soils close to Masaya and Poás Volcanoes, respectively. The presence of BAS in allophane samples exposed at Poás showed that large organic matter contents and perhumid climatic conditions do not impede BAS formation. Laboratory pHstat experiments showed that decreasing pH, increasing sulfate load and increasing time tend to increase the relevance of BAS for S retention by allophane but the effects were small and adsorption processes dominated with 86% to 98% the total sulfate retention. The observed slow increase in sulfate adsorption within 6 months could be attributed to an increased availability of existing adsorption sites due to silica depolymerization and desorption and to the formation of new adsorption sites due to an increase in defect sites of the allophane spherules. Although BAS precipitation increases the S retention capacity of SO2-impacted allophane containing Andosols, no measurable effect on the S extractability could be identified in laboratory experiments. Whether in situ formed BAS decrease the sulfate extractability deserves further investigation. Additionally, the elucidation of the process underlying BAS precipitation, i.e. surface precipitation or solution supersaturation in void spaces, would help to predict the effects of further parameters – as e.g. the concentrations of fluoride, DOC or phosphate or the allophane aggregation degree – on BAS formation.
Detection and analysis system for hybridization images of lab-in-a-tube microarray

A lab-in-a-tube microarray system is developed for sample inspection and signal detection by fabricating a flat transparent window cap of the Eppendorf tube. The oligonucleotide microarray is immobilized on the inner surface of the cap. A small vessel is placed in an Eppendorf tube for storing hybridization solutions. With the microarray system, the full biochemical processes, including gene fragment amplification, fluorescence labeling, hybridization, and fluorescence detection, have been performed in the sealed tube without opening the cap. The images are obtained from a fluorescence microscope and captured by a CCD, and the data are transported to a computer through the universal serial bus (USB). After noise reduction, signal intensity is determined from hybridization image and the presence of gene fragments is identified. The final data output includes sample information, process steps, and hybridization results. A lab-in-a-tube microarray system for detecting ten respiratory viruses at a single detection is designed. High detection throughput and accuracy have been demonstrated with the system.
Non-covalent modification of graphene oxide nanocomposites with chitosan/dextran and its application in drug delivery

The non-covalent functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) with chitosan (CS) and dextran (Dex) was successfully developed via layer-by-layer self-assembly technique for anti-cancer drug delivery application. The CS/Dex functionalized GO nanocomposites (GO-CS/Dex) exhibited a diameter of about 300 nm and a thickness of 60 nm. Anti-cancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was loaded into the nanocomposites via π–π stacking and electrostatic attraction and DOX-loaded nanocomposites exhibited noticeable pH-sensitive DOX release behaviors with release acceleration in acidic environment. The functionalization with CS and Dex not only strongly improved the dispersibility of both GO and DOX loaded GO nanosheets in physiological conditions, but also decreased the non-specific protein adsorption of GO nanosheets, which was beneficial for the biomedical applications. Furthermore, it was observed that the GO-CS/Dex nanocomposites was able to be up-taken by MCF-7 cells and DOX loaded GO-CS/Dex nanocomposites had a strong cytotoxicity to the cancer cells. Overall, GO-CS/Dex could prove to be a suitable candidate for anti-cancer drug delivery.
Characterization of different substrates for Raman spectroscopic imaging of eukaryotic cells

For Raman spectroscopic analyses of the cells and other biological samples, the choice of the right substrate material is very important to avoid loss of information in characteristic spectral features because of competing background signals. In the current study, Raman spectroscopy is used to characterize several potential Raman substrates. Raman vibrational bands of the substrate material are discussed. The surface topography is analyzed by atomic force microscopy, and the root mean square surface roughness values are reported. Biocompatibility of the substrates is tested with Hep G2 cells evaluating cellular morphology as well as live/dead staining. Calcium fluoride, silicon, fused silica, borofloat glass, and silicon nitride membranes support cell growth and adherence. Silicon, borofloat glass, and fused silica give rise to Raman signals in the region of interest. Calcium fluoride substrate (UV grade) is suitable for Raman spectroscopic investigation of living cells. Nickel foil is suitable substrate for Raman spectroscopic investigation but cellular adherence and viability depend on the quality of the foil. Silicon nitride membranes coated with nickel chrome is a suitable Raman substrate in closed microfluidic systems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does the Rise of China Lead to the Fall of European Welfare States?

Have recent trends in globalization changed the positive link between trade openness and social insurance? The consensus view - that voters want better social insurance against income loss the more open the economy - is seemingly contested by the rise of populism and the China shock. We present a theoretical framework of risk and income effects of globalization that captures the conventional view, but also shows when it will be modified: When the income effect is negative, the political support for social insurance can decline in spite of the risk effect. We construct an empirical measure of welfare state support across European regions and leverage the rapid integration of China into the world economy to show that higher import competition reduces the support for social insurance. Consistent with our framework, we decompose the overall effect of the shock into a (weak) positive risk effect and a (strong) negative income effect.
Crystal engineering and structural investigations of the 2‐amino‐5‐nitropyridinium salts C5H6N3O2+.HSO4− and C5H6N3O2+.H2AsO4−

The aim of studying the encapsulation of 2-amino-5-nitropyridinium cations in (HSO 4 - ) n and (H 2 AsO 4 - ) n polymeric host matrices is to build acentric frameworks that are efficient for quadratic nonlinear optical applications. Evidence is given for the role of inorganic polyanions in the formation of polar packings and this is discussed on the basis of X-ray crystal structure investigations. C 5 H 6 -N 3 O 2 + . HSO 4 - is orthorhombic, Pcab, with a=29.617 (9), b=13.185 (3), c=9.013 (2) A, Z=16: the crystal structure has been solved using direct methods and difference Fourier syntheses, with a reliability factor R=0.049 for 2483 independent reflections