Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonic and Spectroscopic Techniques for the Measurement of the Elastic Properties of Nanoscale Materials

Materials at the nanoscale often have properties which differ from those they have in the bulk form. These properties significantly depend on the production process, and their measurement is not trivial. The elastic properties characterize the ability of materials to deform in a reversible way; they are of interest by themselves, and as indicators of the type of nanostructure. As for larger scale samples, the measurement of the elastic properties is more straightforward, and generally more precise, when it is performed by a deformation process which involves exclusively reversible strains. Vibrational and ultrasonic processes fulfill this requirement. Several measurement techniques have been developed, based on these processes. Some of them are suitable for an extension towards nanometric scales. Until truly supramolecular scales are reached, the elastic continuum paradigm remains appropriate for the description and the analysis of ultrasonic regimes. Some techniques are based on the oscillations of purpose-built testing structures, mechanically actuated. Other techniques are based on optical excitation and/or detection of ultrasonic waves, and operate either in the time domain or in the frequency domain. A comparative overview is given of these various techniques.
Germination of high Andean treeline species of contrasting environments and along elevational gradients in northwest Argentina

ABSTRACT In mountain ecosystems, temperature and precipitation change along elevation and determine the lower and upper limits of tree species which form forests. Early life performance of tree species has been assessed along elevational gradients as a proxy for several environmental variables. Here, we attempt to answer the following question: How does elevation provenance influence seed mass, viability, and germination of Queñoa (Polylepis spp.)? We worked with four species from two contrasting environments from northwest Argentina. We gathered seeds along elevation gradients, seeds were weighed, tested for viability (Triphenyltetrazoliumchlorid; TTC) and germination percentage in a controlled environment. The analysis was performed using Generalized Linear Models (GLM). We found low germination percentages in all species, probably related to low seed viability. The two species from humid environments had lower seed mass and higher germination percentages than the two species from dry environments. The effect of elevational provenance negatively affected the germination of two species, while the other two species were not affected. We conclude that although the four species studied belong to the same genus, their early life characteristics differ between environments and along elevational gradients according to species. Trends regarding future temperatures suggest increases in germination for two of our study species and no effects on the other two species.
SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF DESERT SOIL IN NAJAF GOVERNORATE, IRAQ USING GEOSTATISTICS

The study area was chosen within the administrative boundaries of Najaf governorate , in the western part (the western plateau), and between two longitude 44°2'32.99'' 44° 13'31.41" East and two showrooms 31° 59'15.94" 31° 53'1.65" North, for the purposes of studying variations of soil, As the area of the study area 19776 ha, After Identifying 57 locations and two depths 0-25 cm and 25-50 cm by (Al Augar), Its coordinates are determined by means of a device GPS. Spatial variability were studied horizontally for morphological and physical and chemical characteristics of the study area soils and applied to the methods of advanced statistics, which included of geostatistics. The results of the Geostatistics indicated that the most variability morphological Properties are texture, followed by the property of structure, then consistency, and finally the Properties of color. Morphological Properties were less variations than the rest of the Properties. The results of Kriging indicated that the range for the spatial variability of morphological Properties ranged between 3011 4257 meters as it was the lowest value for texture and the highest value for the color Property of surface horizons. As for the subsurface horizons the range between 3065 4306 meters the lowest value for texture and the highest value for the color Property. As for the range of the spatial variability of the physical Properties ranged between 8134083meters, The lowest value was for the ratio of gravel and the highest value for the bulk density of surface horizons. The subsurface horizons were with a range of 8964111 meters. The range of the spatial variability of the chemical properties ranged between 850-4560 meters the lowest value for EC and the highest value for PH for surface horizons as for subsurface horizons it ranged between 854-5138 meters the lowest value for ESP and the highest value for pH. As for the values of the coefficient of variation for the properties of the soil ranged from 2.6-124.70% and 1.20-143.10% for the surface and subsurface horizons respectively, And it was the lowest value of pH and the highest value of the percentage of gravel, It is noted that the smaller the coefficient of variation the greater the values of the range. The most appropriate statistical models when using Geostatistics were the model Spherical followed by Circular in the rate of 56.25and 43.75 % respectively they were most appropriate to most of the soil Properties, An Exponential model in the rate of 3.13% of describing variability of silt separation applied to subsurface horizons as it gave a good representation of the Semivariogram. The number of samples in the Geostatistics of morphological, physical and chemical properties ranged from 3-19 samples, while in the random case 1-387 samples.
Work Patterns and Financing College: A Descriptive Regional Report regarding Students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions in New Mexico and Texas

College students at 14 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in New Mexico and Texas were surveyed about their experiences in and perceptions of higher education. Three primary foci were students’ employment status, work commitments, and means of financing college. Most of the informants reported working while in college and, similar to previously reported national averages, 69.4% of the informants were actively employed. Twice as many of the actively employed informants worked off campus as on campus and over three-quarters of employed students reported working part-time. There were no significance differences in these areas by gender, ethnicity, or even when broken out as Latinas, Latinos, non-Hispanic females and non-Hispanic males but students of non-traditional age reported a work commitment at significantly higher levels. For hours of work per week, there were also no significant differences by gender, ethnicity, and for the four possible subsets (Latinas, Latinos, etc.) but being a non-traditional aged student and being married/cohabiting were associated with working more hours at statistically significant levels. Students at the HSIs in New Mexico also reported more hours of work at statistically significant levels. Differences by gender, ethnicity, age, relational status, and state were found for means of funding college.
Evaluation of RANK induced periodontitis in rats previously exposed to Cyclosporine A

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of previous exposure to CsA on the expression of RANK and bone loss in experimental periodontitis induced in rats. Forty rats were divided into four groups as follows: Control (CON); Cyclosporine A (CsA), with daily doses of 10 mg/Kg of CsA; Ligature (LIG), with a ligature around the upper right second molar on day 30; and Ligature + CsA (CsAL). Sixty days later, the animals were sacrificed and samples removed for histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analysis of bone resorption, bone density and RANK expression. There was no significant influence of bone resorption on the application of CsA. LIG Group (735.88 ± 121.82) had significantly higher bone resorption (p = 0.01) than CON Group (569.13 ± 89.76), and CsAL Group (759.38 ± 198.23) also had significantly higher bone resorption (P = 0.001) than CsA Group (410.90 ± 105.95). Bone density in the CsA Group (87.49 ± 4.07) was lower than that of CON Group (92.42 ± 2.27) and similar to that of LIG Group (91.85 ± 3.91). CsAL Group (79.41 ± 3.81) showed the lowest density compared to the other groups. RANK did not differ between the groups. The prior exposure to CsA had no influence on the expression of RANK or bone resorption.
Speech perception in noise, gap detection and amplitude modulation detection in suspected hidden hearing loss

Abstract Objectives The objectives of the study were to investigate speech in noise perception, gap detection, and amplitude modulation detection in construction workers exposed to occupational noise, but had normal peripheral hearing. Hidden hearing loss characterized by suprathreshold processing deficits in the absence of affected hearing sensitivity was thus probed. Materials and methods Participants were 12 construction workers with chronic exposure to high levels of noise, but had hearing sensitivity and distortion product otoacoustic emissions within normal limits. The control group consisted of age-matched participants with no significant noise exposure. Speech in noise perception was assessed at 0 dB SNR using bi-syllabic words and Gap detection as well as Amplitude modulation detection were assessed with broadband noise. Results Speech in noise perception and Gap detection thresholds were significantly poorer in the noise-exposed group while Amplitude modulation detection performance did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusions Affected suprathreshold perception in the absence of peripheral hearing loss suggests the presence of a hidden hearing loss due to noise exposure. However, the disorder is subtle, and the variability is high, leading to heterogeneity in findings across studies. Studies with higher power and active replications are required to characterize cochlear synaptopathy better.
Enhancing Six Sigma Understanding: Insights into Various Dimensions and Aspects of Six Sigma

Abstract Six Sigma is a powerful methodology that reduces variation, minimizes costs increase product and process quality in an organization, and ultimately maximizes customer satisfaction. This study examines the pros and cons of Six Sigma by exploring organizations’ perceptions of their implementations. In order to achieve this, survey data were gathered from 66 companies from different industries. The impact of Six Sigma on various performance dimensions is explored for different stages of Six Sigma implementation within organizations. Frequently used Six Sigma project types and the issues related to Six Sigma applications are determined from the perspective of its practitioners. Finally, for companies that do not-implement Six Sigma, reasons for not implementing this initiative are analyzed from multiple perspectives, i.e., cost of Six Sigma implementation, Six Sigma awareness, risks, the necessity of Six Sigma, the sufficiency of the company, and Six Sigma’s suitability for the company. Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests are conducted to determine the differences that exist between different stages of Six Sigma experience in terms of performance scores. The main reasons for not implementing Six Sigma are verified through exploratory factor analysis, as a unique approach in the literature. The results of this study can assist managers to prepare action plans toward Six Sigma success and can encourage managers, who currently do not implement Six Sigma, to initiate the methodology within their organizations.
Place-responsive Pedagogies in the Anthropocene: attuning with the more-than-human

Abstract Drawing on New Materialist frameworks for environmental and sustainability education, we extend and deepen our understanding of contemporary place-responsive pedagogies in the light of our human-impacted geological epoch, the Anthropocene, and its allied environmental concerns. Empirically, in a new and original way, we explore the role of the more-than-human in educators’ planning and enactment of place-responsive pedagogies. We show that place-responsive pedagogies are derived from ongoing attunements reciprocally made by all participants to each other – educators, learners, and the more-than-human – and between the place of learning and these participants. Findings show that these attunements emerge from socio-environmental processes and features of a place, but this article also shows the critical importance of (i) what educators and learners are able to notice and respond to, (ii) how educators choose to build upon this noticing and response-making, and (iii) how they actively incorporate the agencies of the more-than-human into teaching and learning. Wider implications for researching environmental and sustainability education are considered.
Molecular genetic analysis of neural stem cells after space flight and simulated microgravity on earth

Understanding how stem cells adapt to space flight conditions is fundamental for human space missions and extraterrestrial settlement. We analyzed gene expression in boundary cap neural crest stem cells (BCs), which are attractive for regenerative medicine by their ability to promote proliferation and survival of cocultured and co‐implanted cells. BCs were launched to space (space exposed cells) (SEC), onboard sounding rocket MASER 14 as free‐floating neurospheres or in a bioprinted scaffold. For comparison, BCs were placed in a random positioning machine (RPM) to simulate microgravity on earth (RPM cells) or were cultured under control conditions in the laboratory. Using next‐generation RNA sequencing and data post‐processing, we discovered that SEC upregulated genes related to proliferation and survival, whereas RPM cells upregulated genes associated with differentiation and inflammation. Thus, (i) space flight provides unique conditions with distinctly different effects on the properties of BC compared to earth controls, and (ii) the space flight exposure induces postflight properties that reinforce the utility of BC for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
Exploring the effects of for‐profit and nonprofit size congruency: An exchange perspective on
 cause‐related marketing

Prior research on cause-related marketing (CM) shows that congruencies between for-profit and non-profit organizational missions and target markets affect consumers’ perceptions of the partnership fit, and their subsequent response to CM promotions. The current work explores how congruencies between for-profit and non-profit sizes influence consumers’ perceptions of the partnership fit, and subsequently, their attitudes toward CM efforts. Study 1 shows that consumers perceive a low degree of organizational partnership fit between a small for-profit and large non-profit (relative to other partnership configurations). Study 2 shows the nature of donated resources can affect organizational partnership fit perceptions, such that donations of needed goods (vs. money) can improve consumers’ perceptions of partnership fit between a small for-profit and large non-profit. Study 3 shows that organizational cause congruency and organizational size both independently contribute to perceptions of organizational partnership fit.
Insights into the Surface-Defect Dependence of Photoreactivity over CeO2 Nanocrystals with Well-Defined Crystal Facets

Crystal facet engineering (CFE) has been widely employed to regulate the photoreactivity of crystalline materials, mostly concerning the surface atomic and electronic structures. However, surface defects ubiquitous in real catalysts have long been less recognized. An integrated examination of various influence factors is necessary for the elucidation of an accurate structure–function relationship. Herein, we carefully studied the heterogeneous photoreactivity of CeO2 nanocrystals (NCs) with well-defined crystal facets in multiple processes, including photocatalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), O2 evolution, and ·OH generation. Variable reactivity priorities were found between different nanoshapes as well as samples of identical nanoshapes. With integrated examinations of the coexisting surface factors (i.e., atomic, electronic, and defect structures), surface defects were evidently proved to compete with other surface factors in deciding the final photoreactivity orders. Surface-defect .
Evaluation of the mir-126, mir-182, and mir-486-5p Expression Signature of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Objective: Although squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) originating from different anatomic localizations display a similar histological appearance under light microscopy, they may differ in terms of epigenetic and genetic features. The aim of this study was to analyze mir-126, mir-182, and mir-486-5p expression levels in head and neck SCCs and lung SCCs, and to identify localization-specific miRNA expression profiles. Material and Method: The expression levels of mir-126, mir-182, and mir-486-5p were analyzed in lung, oral cavity, laryngeal, and hypopharyngeal SCCs in 40 patients, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The findings showed that lung, oral cavity, laryngeal, and hypopharyngeal SCCs have distinct mir-126 and mir-486-5p expression profiles. It was also observed that mir-126 and mir-486-5p expression levels were highly specific to the tumor localization. Conclusion: These findings highlighted that SCCs originating from different anatomic localizations have different miRNA expression profiles. miRNA expression analysis can be used to predict the primary localizations of those SCCs.
Forecasting the Preparatory Phase of Induced Earthquakes by Recurrent Neural Network

<p>Earthquakes prediction is considered the holy grail of seismology. After almost a century of efforts without convincing results, the recent raise of machine learning (ML) methods in conjunction with the deployment of dense seismic networks has boosted new hope in this field. Even if large earthquakes still occur unanticipated, recent laboratory, field and theoretical studies support the existence of a preparatory phase preceding earthquakes, where small and stable ruptures progressively develop into an unstable and confined zone around the future hypocenter. The problem of recognizing the preparatory phase of earthquakes is of critical importance for mitigating seismic risk for both natural and induced events. Here, we focus on the induced seismicity at The Geysers geothermal field in California. We address the preparatory phase of M~4 earthquakes identification problem by developing a ML approach based on features computed from catalogues, which are used to train a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). We show that RNN successfully reveal the preparation of M~4 earthquakes. These results confirm the potential of monitoring induced microseismicity and should encourage new research also in predictability of natural earthquakes. </p>
Potassium Prussian Blue Nanoparticles: A Low‐Cost Cathode Material for Potassium‐Ion Batteries

Potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs) in organic electrolytes hold great promise as an electrochemical energy storage technology owing to the abundance of potassium, close redox potential to lithium, and similar electrochemistry with lithium system. Although carbon materials have been studied as KIB anodes, investigations on KIB cathodes have been scarcely reported. A comprehensive study on potassium Prussian blue K0.220Fe[Fe(CN)6]0.805⋅4.01H2O nanoparticles as a potential cathode material is for the first time reported. The cathode exhibits a high discharge voltage of 3.1–3.4 V, a high reversible capacity of 73.2 mAh g−1, and great cyclability at both low and high rates with a very small capacity decay rate of ≈0.09% per cycle. Electrochemical reaction mechanism analysis identifies the carbon‐coordinated FeIII/FeII couple as redox‐active site and proves structural stability of the cathode during charge/discharge. Furthermore, for the first time, a KIB full‐cell is presented by coupling the nanoparticles with commercial carbon materials. The full‐cell delivers a capacity of 68.5 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and retains 93.4% of the capacity after 50 cycles. Considering the low cost and material sustainability as well as the great electrochemical performances, this work may pave the way toward more studies on KIB cathodes and trigger future attention on rechargeable KIBs.
Estimation of Yield Loss of Cowpea, [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] with Reaction Response of Few Genotypes against Root Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White), Chitwood

Background: Root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita is one of the main biotic constraints in reducing the quantity and quality of the cowpea crop in most of the growing areas of the world. The nematode produces galls on roots and disrupt the physiology of the plant by reducing crop yield and product quality and are therefore of great economic importance.Methods: Studies were conducted to estimate the yield loss of cowpea in field condition along with evaluation of few genotypes under net house condition against root knot nematode based on gall index, reaction response and number of egg masses/ 5 g of root at Directorate of Research, BCKV, West Bengal. Estimation of cowpea yield loss was conducted with the parameter of mean yield, percentage avoidable and increase in yield, Root Knot Index (RKI in 1-5 scale) and final nematode population reduction. Result: Under treated condition, cowpea yield was significantly increased ranging from 10.93 to 14.58% with 37.19 to 38.17% reduction of nematode population. The range of avoidable yield loss was 9.85 to 12.72%. In response reaction, 28 genotypes were found as moderately resistant. Local cowpea cultivar, Kashikanchan may be avoided at nematode infection area due to its high susceptibility and the moderately resistant genotypes may be suggested for the use in future breeding studies as a parental material to develop the root knot nematode resistant cultivars.
CARACTERÍSTICAS DO LEITE CRU E DO QUEIJO MINAS ARTESANAL DO SERRO EM DIFERENTES MESES (Characteristics of raw milk and artisanal cheese produced in Serro, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in different months)

The aim of this research was to evaluate the characteristics of raw milk and artisanal cheese produced in Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in different months. Samples were collected in January, March, May, July, September and November of 2013. Titratable acidity, density, fat, moisture, dry matter, protein, lactose, ash, total and thermotolerant coliforms, Staphylococcus spp. , Staphylococcus coagulase positive, lactic bacteria and aerobic mesophilic microorganisms were analyzed in milk. These same characteristics, except density and lactose, were also analyzed in cheeses. In addition, pH, water activity, firmness, stickiness and color (L*a*b*, chroma and hue) were also analyzed in cheese. There was variation over the months in acidity, lactose and counts of thermotolerant coliform and lactic acid bacteria in milk. A higher acidity and lower lactose content as well as higher counts of thermotolerant coliform and lactic acid bacteria were observed in January, March, July, September and November. There were differences over the months for pH, acidity, fat (dry weight), dry weight, firmness, stickiness, green color intensity (−a*), yellow color intensity (b*), chroma (C), water activity, and counts of thermotolerant coliforms and Staphylococcus spp. in cheeses. The results suggest that the moisture, dry matter and fat (dry weight) of cheeses are susceptible to relative air humidity and that the variations in these parameters can influence their firmness, adhesiveness, water activity and color. In milk and cheeses, the higher counts of