Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ANALYSIS OF WHOLE BLOOD AND PLACENTA—A CASE STUDY OF MOTHERS AND THEIR BABIES

ABSTRACT In a previous report optimisation of ED-XRF and TXRF for whole blood analysis has been reported. In the present work the optimised technique has been applied to investigate possible influence on pregnancy outcome due to an environment characterised by high levels of pollutants. Two groups of maternal and neonate whole blood were analysed with TXRF and GFAAS. The material of the first group was taken from Zabrze (Upper Silesia, Poland), an industrial region with a high degree of pollution. The second group consisted of controls from the Göteborg region in Sweden, where the levels of toxic pollutants in the environment are not as high as those in Zabrze. The results show that as compared with the controls the levels of essential elements like Zn and Se were lower in the Zabrze infants while the levels of toxic elements like Cd and Pb were higher in this group.
Relationships Between Simple Grain Quality Parameters for the Estimation of Sorghum and Maize Hardness in Commercial Hybrid Cultivars

ABSTRACT Grain hardness affects sorghum and maize processing properties especially for dry milling. A variety of simple grain quality parameters were assessed on 17 sorghum and 35 white maize hybrid cultivars grown in six and four locations, respectively, in South Africa. The purpose was to determine tests that can be used to distinguish hardness in commercial sorghum and maize. The grains were characterized by test weight (TW), thousand kernel weight (TKW), decortication with the tangential abrasive dehulling device (TADD), and kernel size. Maize was also characterized for susceptibility to breakage, stress cracking, and near-infrared transmittance (NIT) milling index. Principal component analysis showed that, in nontannin and tannin sorghums, TADD hardness and TW were closely correlated (P < 0.001). In maize, TADD hardness was closely correlated (P < 0.001) with NIT milling index and TW. Hence, TADD hardness and NIT milling index or TADD hardness and TW would be suitable for maize hardness evaluation. A.
Evidence That Sulfur Deficiency Enhances Molybdenum Transport in Xylem Sap of Tomato Plants

ABSTRACT The findings of an experiment using serially harvested young tomato plants grown in water culture are reported, showing the dramatic influence of sulfur status of the nutrient medium on transport of molybdenum in xylem sap. On average for the five harvests taken over a 14 d growth period, the molybdenum (Mo) concentration in the sap was approximately 11 times greater in the absence of sulfate in the nutrient medium. Restoring sulfate to the nutrient medium without sulfur (S) on day four of the experiment depressed the Mo concentration of the sap at the next harvest (taken three days later) to a value similar to that in plants receiving sulfate from the onset of the growth period and, similarly, raised the S concentration as well. Rates of transport of Mo as measured by root pressure exudates were slightly less spectacular, as S deficiency depressed the rate of exudation. The results support the concept that sulfate and molybdate compete for the same carrier and transport sites in uptake, and that sulfate deficiency leads to excess Mo uptake. The findings are of little consequence for plant cultivation, as plants are tolerant to elevated Mo concentrations, but are relevant to animal nutrition—particularly that of ruminants, which are susceptible to excess Mo and Mo-induced copper (Cu) deficiency.
A Two-Stage Fermentation Process: Production of Propionate and Acetate Salt as Road Deicer from Cheese Whey

A two-stage fermentation process to convert cheese whey lactose to propionic and acetic acid through lactic acid as an intermediate was performed using Lactobacillus plantarum (ATCC 21028) and Propionibacterium acidipropionici (P200910). Fed-batch and continuous fermentation processes were performed to increase the final propionic acid concentration and productivity. The fed-batch performance resulted in a total propionic and acetic acid yield of 0.61 g g-1 lactic acid consumed and a productivity of 0.1 g L-h-1. By continuous operation, the product yield increased to 0.88 g g-1 lactic acid consumed and productivity increased to 0.34 g L-h-1 over that of the fed-batch operation. Ice-melting studies were performed using SHP H-205.1 protocol (Strategic Highway Research Program). Propionate and acetate salt from cheese whey-derived lactic acid was found effective in its ice-melting characteristics (0.68 ±0.01 mL g-1) and was comparable to the commercial salt ZeroIce (0.7 ±0.01 mL g-1). In this study, research advances have been made toward a biobased propionate and acetate road deicer salt produced via fermentation that has significant potential to replace the currently used environmentally unfriendly NaCl and CaCl2 salts.
Generation of High Frequency Pin-hole Discharge in Water Solutions

Abstract This paper presents results on electric discharge generation by high frequency high voltage (15–100 kHz) in NaCl solutions with different initial conductivity (100–1300 mS cm-1), and compares them with DC discharge in the same electrode configuration. A batch plasma reactor in the pin-hole configuration contained a ceramic dielectric barrier separating two planar stainless steel electrodes; barrier thickness of 0.6 mm and pin-hole diameter of 0.6 mm was used. Lissajous charts were evaluated from electric measurements for different discharge phases (electrolysis, bubble formation and discharge regular operation). Breakdown moments for different solution conductivities were determined from discharge power evaluation as a function of applied frequency. Breakdown voltage amplitude was decreased by the increasing conductivity in both regimes while frequency and current decreased. Changes of physical parameters (temperature, solution conductivity and pH) as well as production of hydrogen peroxide at different solution conductivities were compared. Solution conductivity was increased in both discharge regimes and with the initial conductivity value. Solution temperature was increased by the discharge in both regimes and with the increasing initial conductivity, too. Solution pH dropped to acidic conditions when HF or DC positive regime was applied while it was enhanced by DC negative regime.
Capital Structure and Dividend Policy of Listed Conglomerate Companies in Nigeria: A Panel Data Analysis

This study examined the relationship between capital structure and dividend policy of listed conglomerate companies in Nigeria. An ex-post facto research design was used because secondary data were extracted from annual report and account of the companies for the period of eight years (2012 2019), robust GLS regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that debt to equity ratio has a negative and significant relationship with dividend payout ratio, debt to asset ratio has a negative and significant effect on dividend payout ratio of listed conglomerate companies in Nigeria. Firm size, and age have positive and significant relationship with dividend payout ratio. However, Return on assets (ROA) has a positive but non-significant relationship with dividend payout ratio. The study conclude that debt serve as a monitoring mechanism to the absentee owners, hence its influence on the capital structure of business organization cannot be underestimated because of tax advantages. It is therefore recommended that management should only accept debt covenant that will enable them to pay dividend to shareholders.
Stability of Solvates and Packing Systematics of Nine Crystal Forms of the Antipsychotic Drug Aripiprazole

A comprehensive characterization (thermal, spectroscopic, crystallographic, temperature- and moisture-dependent stability, and transition characteristics) of solvates of aripiprazole (APZ) with methanol (1:1), ethanol (2:1), dichloroethane (2:1), and a monohydrate is presented. To gain insight into packing similarities and differences, the four hydrate/solvate crystal structures and five APZ modifications were compared using the program XPac. It was found that all forms apart from the hydrate are based on either a common dimeric or catemeric motif of H-bonded APZ molecules, and this analysis confirmed also the isostructurality of the three solvates and pointed to possible mechanisms for the desolvation of the solvates and the transformation between forms X° and I. The fact that the intermolecular interactions in the monohydrate are completely different from those found in the isostructural solvates was further confirmed by analyzing the Hirshfeld fingerprint plots. The desolvation of all solvated forms re.
Characteristics of Poly(3,5-Dimethylphenylacrylate) in Ethyl Acetate at 25 and 30°C

The flow times of ethyl acetate (EA) and poly(3,5-dimethylphenylacrylate) (35PDMPA) in EA were measured using a Cannon-Ubbelohde semi-micro-dilution capillary viscometer in a thermostated water bath at 25 and 30°C ± 0.02°C. The intrinsic viscosities [η] of 35PDMPA/EA solutions were evaluated by classical Huggins, and Kraemer's methods. The values of Huggins’ constant were related to the polymer–solvent interactions and the nature of the polymer solution. The intrinsic viscosity–molecular weight relationship was established with the two-parameter classical methods of Staudinger–Mark–Houwink–Sakurada and Stockmayer–Fixman. The conformational parameter C∞ and the rigidity factor σ indicated 35PDMPA was semiflexible. Also, the values of [η] and of 35PDMPA samples in EA fit well into the Yamakawa–Fujii worm-like touched-bead model of stiff chains theory modified by Bohdanecký. Comparing the molecular parameters of 35PDMPA in EA with that of 35PDMPA in toluene at the same temperature showed that this polymer was more flexible in EA.
Structural and Electrical Properties of Crystalline TiO2 Thin Films Formed by Metalorganic Decomposition

Titanium oxide (TiO2) thin films were formed on a Si substrate by metalorganic decomposition at temperatures ranging from 600°C to 1000°C. As-deposited films were in the amorphous state and were completely transformed after annealing at 600°C to a crystalline structure with anatase as its main component. During crystallization in oxygen atomosphere, a reaction between TiO2 and Si occurred at the interface, which resulted in the formation of a thin interfacial SiO2 layer. Capacitance-voltage measurement showed good dielectric properties with a maximum dielectric constant of 76 for films annealed at 700°C. For the crystallized TiO2 films, the interface trap density was 1×1011 cm-2eV-1, and the leakage current was 1×10-8 A/cm2 at 0.2 MV/cm. The modified structure of TiO2/SiO2/Si is expected to be suitable for the dielectric layer in an integrated circuit in place of SiO2 or Si3N4 films.
2p x-ray absorption of iron-phthalocyanine

3d transition metal ions, like Fe(II) in a planar organic environment are subject to the details of the ligand coordination. In this study the 3d orbital splitting in planar D4h symmetry is investigated for Fe(II) using the charge transfer multiplet program. By variation of the 10Dq, Ds and Dt crystal field parameters, the 3d orbitals split differently giving rise to different spin multiplicity. The relative occupations of the 3d orbitals yield a range of ground states. Experimental x-ray absorption spectra of FePc powder are compared with theoretical simulations, resulting in the spin ground state of the Fe(II) ion being 3E.
Networks of Necessity: Simulating Strategies for COVID-19 Mitigation among Disabled People and Their Caregivers

A major strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is through the limiting of in-person contacts. However, for the many disabled people who live in the community and require caregivers to assist them with activities of daily living, limiting contacts is impractical or impossible. We seek to determine which interventions can prevent infections among disabled people and their caregivers. To accomplish this, we simulate COVID-19 transmission with a compartmental model that includes susceptible, asymptomatic, symptomatically ill, hospitalized, and removed/recovered individuals. The networks on which we simulate disease spread incorporate heterogeneity in the risks of different types of interactions, time-dependent lockdown and reopening measures, and interaction distributions for four different groups (caregivers, disabled people, essential workers, and the general population). Among these groups, we find the probability of becoming infected is highest for caregivers and second highest for disabled people. Consistent with this finding, our analysis of network structure illustrates that caregivers have the largest modal eigenvector centrality among the four groups. We find that two interventions — contact-limiting by all groups and mask-wearing by disabled people and caregivers — particularly reduce cases among disabled people and caregivers. We also test which group most effectively spreads COVID-19 by seeding infections in a subset of each group and then comparing the total number of infections as the disease spreads. We find that caregivers are the most effective spreaders of COVID-19, particularly to other caregivers and disabled people. We then test where limited vaccine doses could be used most effectively and we find that vaccinating caregivers better protects disabled people than vaccinating the general population, essential workers, or the disabled population itself. Our results highlight the potential effectiveness of mask-wearing, contact-limiting throughout society, and strategic vaccination for limiting the exposure of disabled people and their caregivers to COVID-19. keywords: COVID-19, disabilities, networks, contagions, parameter estimation, vaccination
Molecular Structure of Salt Solutions: A New View of the Interface with Implications for Heterogeneous Atmospheric Chemistry

Most salts raise the surface tension of water. Interpretation of this phenomenon via the Gibbs adsorption equation has led to the commonly held belief that the ions are repelled from the air/solution interface. Here, we report results from molecular dynamics simulations of a series of sodium halide solution/air interfaces. The simulations reproduce the experimentally measured increases in surface tension relative to pure water. Analysis of the structure reveals that the small, nonpolarizable fluoride anion is excluded from the interface, in accord with the traditional picture. However, all of the larger, polarizable halide anions are present at the interface, and bromide and iodide actually have higher concentrations in the interfacial region than in the bulk. On the basis of the simulations we develop a molecular picture of hydrogen bonding in the interfacial region that might be tested by surface sensitive spectroscopic experiments. The novel, microscopic view of the interfacial structure of aqueous sal.
Relationship of abdominal muscle endurance with selected anthropometric measurements in soccer players

A physically fit soccer player complies to run on the field in different direction. Sometimes he/she change direction suddenly according to necessity on the match. Top level soccer performance depends on several factors and physical fitness one of them. Strong abdominal muscles affect the changing direction of movement as the main foundations of long duration work based on the muscle endurance. The present study finds out the relationship between abdominal muscle endurance with selected anthropometric measurements in soccer players. The study is confined to 30 male university level soccer players who had played minimum at inter department football competition. One minute sit-up test was used for measuring abdominal muscle endurance. To measure the selected anthropometric status sagittal abdominal diameter, body mass index and waist to hip ratio was used. The mean, standard deviation and co-efficient of correlation was designed for presenting the data statistically. The results indicates a significant relationship between abdominal endurance and selected independent variable- sagittal abdominal diameter and moderate level relationship between abdominal endurance and selected independent variable-body mass index while in case of waist to hip ratio no significant relationship were found. Therefore, present study highlights the relationship between abdominal endurance and selected anthropometric measurements.
Research on the Availability of VINS-Mono and ORB-SLAM3 Algorithms for Aviation

Navigation, which most people have an idea about, is often known as information about how to get from one point to another on the land. Navigation is an interest area for both civil and military aviation. Therefore, we get help from various sensors in order to trace the aircraft route. The most used sensor among them is GPS. It is a sensor that can be out of use although it has high accuracy rates. This research focused on being able to maintain the navigation of an aircraft in the environments where GPS is out of use. There are two visual-inertial navigation systems VINS-Mono and ORB-SLAM3, which are the best known algorithms in the literature, were examined and compared in terms of performance. It has been observed that ORB-SLAM3 outperformed almost twice the VINS-Mono system in various situations.
Influence Of Decentralization, Participation, Distributive Justice, Procedural Justice In Budgeting To Organizational Commitment And Performance Of Public Sector Managers (A Study on Perception of Public Sector Managers at Regional Apparatus Work Unit of

This research is intended to obtain the empirical evidence through the proving on influence of the variables at public sector budgeting in regional government administration to organizational commitment and to performance of public sector managers. This is a qualitative explanatory researc h with the research population consisting of the public sector managers scattered in 343 regional apparatus work units available at Government Administration of the Regencies and Cities in South Kalimantan Province. This research applies the samples of 217 public sector managers with the analytical units for perception of public sector managers, and the samples are taken by using the multi-stage random sampling technique. Outputs of research on influences among variables indicate positive and significant influences as follows: decentralization of budgeting to organizational commitment, decentralization of budgeting to performance of public sector managers, participation in budgeting to the organizational commitment, participation in budgeting to performance of public sector managers, distributive justice in budgeting to organizational commitment, procedural justice in budgeting to organizational commitment and the organizational commitment to the performance of public sector managers . Meanwhile, the test outputs not significantly influenced are as follows: the distributive justice in budgeting to performance of public sector managers, and the procedural justice in budgeting to performance of public sector managers. As a whole, the result of this research indicates that participation in budgeting is the variable having the most dominant influence to the organizational commitment and performance achievement of the public sector managers. Thus, participation in budgeting becomes the central variable in implementation of budget based on performance at the regional government administration, namely the Regency and City Government Administrations in South Kalimantan Province. Keywords: Perception of Public Sector Manager, Implementation Stages, Decentralization, Participation, Distributive Justice, Procedural Justice, Organizational Commitment, and Performance of Public Sector Manager.
Primary odorants in popcorn

Application of an aroma extract dilution analysis to freshly prepared popcorn revealed 23 odorants among which 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (roasty, popcorn-like), (E,E)-2,4-decadienal (fatty), 2-furfurylthiol (coffee-like), and 4-vinyl-2-methoxyphenol (spicy) predominated with the highest FD factors (odor activities). Further potent flavor compounds showing roasty odors were 2-acetyltetrahydropyridine and 2-propionyl-1-pyrroline. The latter compound showed a very low odor threshold of 0.02 ng/L (air), which was in the same magnitude as that reported for the 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline homologue. Sensory analysis of homologues 2-butanoyl- and 2-hexanoyl-1-pyrroline revealed that a longer alkyl side chain canceled the roasty flavor note and increased the odor thresholds by a factor of 10(5).
Characterization of Influence of Manure Handling System and Feeding on the Level of Ammonia Release Using a Simple Method in Cow Houses

The effects of manure handling system and feeding of dairy cows were studied using a simple method to analyse the level of ammonia release in cow stables. Two ratios based on the balances of ammonia and sensible heat, and ammonia and carbon dioxide, respectively, in animal houses were determined and considered to give characteristic levels of the release of ammonia in relation to the animal density independently of the ventilation rate. This required measurements of ammonia, carbon dioxide and temperature with hand-held instruments in the buildings and in outside air. In total, 34 dairy herds were investigated in the south of Sweden. The results clearly demonstrated higher release of ammonia from free stall barn with liquid manure than from conventional tie stall barn with solid manure. There was a clear effect of the content of crude protein, gram per kg dry matter, in the total feed ration on ammonia release in tie stall barn with liquid manure.
Muscle firmness and structure of raw and cooked arrow squid mantle as affected by freshness

Changes in firmness and structure of arrow squid (Loligo bleekert) mantle muscle during refrigeration (5°C) were studied. Shear force of raw mantle decreased sharply between 3 and 9 h refrigeration after killing. Light microscopic observations showed many pores between muscle cells in the softened raw samples. Transmission electron microscopic observations suggested that the spaces appeared as a result of detachment of muscle cells from connective tissues. After cooking the stored raw muscle, the shear force and muscle structure were almost the same for samples with different storage times. Freshness had an influence on raw squid muscle firmness and structure but not on cooked muscle.
Resistência do solo à penetração e produção de raízes e de forragem em diferentes níveis de intensificação do pastejo

Soil fertilization may be a sustainable strategy for the intensification of grazing, considering that the effects of cattle trampling that are deleterious for the soil physical quality do not affect the productivity and the sustainability of pasture production systems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of grazing at different intensities of N-fertilized pasture on the soil physical quality and impact on forage and root yield of Panicum maximum cv. IPR-86 Milenio. The experiment was conducted in Paranavai -PR (23o 5' S, 52o 26' W; 460 m asl). The animal management consisted of rotational stocking at variable stocking rates. The amount of water retained in soil, resistance to root penetration and forage dry matter, green leaf and root production, were measured as biological response to soil physical conditions to assess the impact of grazing at different intensities on the soil physical quality. Nitrogen fertilization increased the production of forage dry matter and green leaves. The values of soil penetration resistance were lowest at the lowest grazing level in the area of animal tramping, between grass tussocks. In the tussock area, soil penetration resistance was lower in the less intense treatments than in the others, in the layers 0.2-0.3 and 0.3-0.4 m only. The increase in soil penetration resistance reduced root production of Panicum maximum Jacq.cv. IPR-86 Milenio. Root production was highest when the values of soil penetration resistance were below 1 MPa.