Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic properties of drying process and water absorption of rice grains

ABSTRACT This study aimed to obtain the drying and water absorption curves of husk rice grain (Oryza sativa L.), cv. Urucuia, as well as the thermodynamic properties. Five temperatures (35°C, 45°C, 55°C, 65°C and 75°C) were used. Two terms, logarithmic, modified Midilli, Page and Verma models were used to model the drying process, and the Peleg model was used to model the soaking process. The modified Midilli and Peleg models satisfactorily accounted for the processes of drying and absorption of water, respectively. The activation energy for the drying and soaking was 51.03 and 37.06 kJ mol−1, respectively. The enthalpy and entropy decreased with increasing temperature, regardless of the process. Their values ranged between −6.60 and 48.47 kJ mol−1 and between −0.1084 and −0.2464 kJ mol−1 K−1 for enthalpy and entropy, respectively. The Gibbs free energy increased with increasing temperature, with values between 69.36 and 86.22 kJ mol−1.
Factors controlling soil water storage in the hummocky landscape of the Prairie Pothole Region of North America

Biswas, A. , Chau, H. W. , Bedard-Haughn, A. K. and Si, B. C. 2012. Factors controlling soil water storage in the hummocky landscape of the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. Can. J. Soil Sci. 92: 649-663. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) in North America is unique hummocky landscape containing hydrologically closed topographic depressions with no permanent inlet or outlet. Knowledge about the controls of soil water distribution in the landscape is important for understanding the hydrology in the PPR. In this study, we investigated the correlation between soil water storage and different controlling factors over time. Time domain reflectometry and neutron probe were used to measure soil water storage up to 1.4 m depth over 4 yr along a 576-m long transect at St. Denis National Wildlife Area, Saskatchewan, Canada, which represent a typical landscape of the PPR. Soil and vegetation properties were measured along the transect, and various terrain indices were calculated from the digital elevation map of the study area. Soil texture (e.g., correlation coefficient, r=-0.57 to -0.73 for sand) provided one of the best explanations for the variations in soil water storage by controlling the entry and transmission of water within soil in the semi-arid climate of study area. Bulk density (r=-0.22 to -0.56), depth of A horizon, (r=0.18 to 0.49), C horizon (r=0.29 to 0.69), and CaCO3 layer (r=0.31 to 0.79) influenced the water transmission through soil and were correlated to soil water storage. Beside soil properties, topographic wetness index (r=0.47 to 0.67), slope (r=-0.41 to -0.56), convergence index (r=-0.29 to -0.60), and flow connectivity (r=0.27 to 0.60) were also correlated to soil water storage. However, multiple linear regressions showed a consistent high contribution from soil properties such as sand, organic carbon, depth of CaCO3 layer, and bulk density in explaining the variability in soil water storage. A substantial contribution from topographic variables such as wetness index, gradient, and solar radiation was also observed. Therefore, unlike other geographic regions, the soil-water storage variations in the PPR are controlled by a combination of soil and terrain properties with dominant control from soil characteristics at the field scale.
Preparation of polypropylene/Mg–Al layered double hydroxides nanocomposites through wet pan-milling: formation of a second-staging structure in LDHs intercalates

In this paper, polypropylene/MgAl-layered double hydroxide nanocomposites were in situ prepared by using a novel solid state shear milling (S3M) technology without use of any compatibilizer and any prior organic treatment of raw LDHs. The obtained composite powders and nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The results show that under the very strong shear force field of pan-milling, the anion-exchange reaction of CO32−-LDHs with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) can be realized under non-acidic conditions. In addition, the in situ modification of LDHs with SDS and the co-intercalation of PP macromolecular chains into LDH interlayers were found to be completed in one process in aqueous medium. XRD results demonstrate that there are two types of layered structures in the prepared PP/LDHs co-powders and the occurrence of the transformation from layered structure I to II with increasing milling cycles and SDS loading. Staging is proposed to illustrate the anion-exchange reaction of intercalation of the SDS anion into CO32−-LDH layers and the corresponding transformation, showing the second stage intermediate corresponding to layered structure I and the first stage product corresponding to structure II. Both XRD analysis and TEM observation show the formation of exfoliated LDH layers at low LDH loading and concomitant intercalated/exfoliated LDH layers at high LDH loading in the prepared PP/LDHs nanocomposites. The dynamic mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of the obtained nanocomposites were also investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively.
Destruction of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium in Microwave-cooked Soups

Single serving (i.e. 200 ml) portions of tomato soup, vegetable soup, and broth inoculated with Escherichia coli or Salmonella typhimurium at about 107 organisms/ml were exposed to 915 MHz microwaves. After various timed exposures the temperature of the top, middle, and bottom regions as indicated by changes in previously positioned assemblies of temperature sensitive paper strips were noted and aliquots were removed from the same regions for standard plate count determination of survivors. For any given exposure time, the temperature of the middle region was warmest; that of the bottom, intermediate; and the temperature of the top, coolest. Despite the relative temperatures of the regions, however, the consistent finding was that, for any exposure time, the closer the sampled organisms were to the top, the lower their level of survival. In terms of temperature, it was noted that organisms in the top had declined to a given level of survival at a temperature lower than the temperature corresponding to the.
Optimization of flavor ester synthesis catalysed by Aspergillus niger lipase

The performance of Aspergillus niger lipase in catalyzing of butyl butyrate synthesis was studied as a function of reaction parameters temperature (°C), substrate molar ratio and added water (% (v/v)). A face-centered design (FCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied in order to optimize the esterification yield (Y). The optimal conditions for butyl butyrate synthesis were found at 40°C, substrate molar ratio of 1:2.41 butyric acid:n-butanol and added water content of 1.05% (v/v). Under these conditions, over 94.5% of esterification was obtained in 20 h. It was verified a favorable effect of alcohol excess in relation to acid. High temperatures (above 40°C) were detrimental to the synthesis of butyl butyrate. Addition of water also provided a strong increase in esterification yield (%). This high esterification yield represents an improvement to previously reported results and confirms the potential application of Aspergillus niger lipases (ANL) in processes for producing flavor ester. Key words: Lipase, Aspergillus niger, esterification, butyl butyrate, flavor ester, optimization.
New Solution to an Old Problem: Exploring Properties of Chemical Reactions in Condensed Phases Using Molecular Simulation

New Solution to an Old Problem: Exploring Properties of Chemical Reactions in Condensed Phases Using Molecular Simulation Kelly L. Fleming Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Jim Pfaendtner Chemical Engineering The study of chemical reactions is a foundation of chemical engineering, yet there are limited ways to examine how their properties are influenced. Our research has explored the use of molecular simulation to characterize reaction properties in varying environments. First, we use the most common method, Quantum Mechanics (QM) with a Density Functional Theory (DFT) model to study the hydrolysis of a glyosidic bond, which is important for the breakdown of biomass. Previously unknown detailed mechanistic steps were found for the hydrolysis reaction. The reaction was subsequently simulated with a continuum model in several different acid solvents, and the reaction energetics were shown to be directly related to the inverse of the dielectric constant. However, the mechanistic details were unchanged. Based on the trend observed between acid solvents, we set out to learn more about the way the solvents affect reaction properties. In order to accurately determine how solvent molecules affect the reaction, they must be modeled explicitly, as opposed to a continuum model. In order to facilitate fast computation in a reasonable timeframe, we overcame computational limitations stemming from the explicit solvent molecules by pairing a
COVID-19 Lockdown, Earnings Manipulation and Stock Market Sensitivity: An Empirical Study in Iraq

This article examines the potential impact of the Covid-19 Lockdown on earnings manipulation and stock market sensitivity to earnings announcements. It also explores the effects of earnings manipulation after the COVID-19 outbreak on the share price sensitivity to the earnings disclosures. The study uses a quantitative method to analyze the financial data consisting of 87 firms listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange for the period from 2018 to 2020, which constitutes a total of (174 observations). We used Ohlson (1995) model to estimate financial market reaction and sensitivity to earnings manipulation fluctuations and accounting information. The results show that companies practice earnings manipulation to maintain earnings over a time series, which means a negative impact of earnings manipulation on all earnings measures' value relevance (EPS, BVS, and CFS). Accordingly, earnings manipulation negatively influences investor behavior in the financial market, based mainly on financial reporting. The value relevance of financial reports has also decreased because of the COVID-19 outbreak and related economic Lockdown. These results reflect a long-term adverse impact of earnings manipulation on investor behavior and financial statements reliability.
Antioxidant potential of Fragrea acuminatissima Merr. by different extraction techniques

Developing countries are still counting on herbal medicine which aims to promote primary health care with better cultural, human acceptability and fewer side effects. Fragrea acuminatissima is one of underutilized herb consumed by Temiar tribe in Malaysia which able to give the similar beneﬁts. The most important attribute in developing herbal based product is the extraction condition and selection of the technique used will potentially affect the expression of antioxidant compound in herbal plant. Technical problem arising from the extraction phase also urge the needs to elucidate the best techniques for respective herbal product. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the best extraction techniques (maceration, orbital shaker assisted, ultrasonic assisted and microwave assisted) on Total Phenolic Content (TPC). Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) and antioxidant activity of F. acuminatissima stem and root parts by using methanol solvent. Folin-Ciocalteu method was used for determination of TPC, aluminium chloride colorimetric method for TFC, while antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH radical scavenging assay. Overall, the best extraction method of F. acuminatissima was ultrasonic assisted extraction which exhibited the highest percentage yield, TPC and TFC values for both plant parts. Based on the DPPH assay, F. acuminatissima have procured the excellent lC₅₀ of 29.954 μg/ml by ultrasonic assisted extraction for stem while maceration techniques showed the best IC₅₀ for root at 76.996 μg/ml. Positive moderate and strong correlation between TPC, TFC and DPPH was detected which support the result obtained. ln brief, ultrasonic assisted technique was suggested to be used in future research of this plant for phytochemical proﬁling, bioactivity assays and herbal product development.
Optimal scalable MEC systems based on TDD-OFDMA

: This letter investigates the optimal tradeoﬀ between user experience and communications and computation resource consumptions in designing eﬃcient mobile edge computing (MEC) systems which are based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and operating in time division duplexing (TDD) mode. First, we establish a communication model for oﬄoading scalable tasks in TDD-OFDMA systems. Then, we formulate the system utility maximization problem with respect to the service level selection and resource allocation. Finally, we propose two algorithms to obtain a globally optimal solution and a low-complexity suboptimal solution, respectively, using convex optimization and diﬀerence of convex (DC) programming.
Internal and external auditors responsibilities and relationships with audit committees in two English public sector settings

This paper assesses the job of scrutiny and oversight in public services by examining the role of the internal auditor (IA) and external auditor (EA) and their relationship with the audit committee (AC) in two distinct English public sector environments. The research uses an exploratory qualitative case study approach based on semi-structured interviews, AC meeting observations, and documentation reviews. The study acts as a starting point to examine the effectiveness of governance arrangements during a period of change in the UK public sector. The research provides evidence of good triangulation between the work of the IA, EA, and AC. Nevertheless, having close interaction between EAs and ACs and a crossing over in terms of responsibilities may lead to a conflict of interest and raises serious doubts about the independence and objectivity of the EA. This needs to be closely monitored over the coming years. Due to the diversity and wider and more complex accountability relationships and intricacies found in public sector organisations the study highlights the need to consider additional factors to the analysis of simple principal agency theory assumptions. The research further provides evidence on the existence of loosely coupled CG structures within the roles of the EA and IA within local government. This is one of the few papers which explores the IA and EA roles and their relationship with the AC in an organisational and institutional setting different from the private sector
Influence of a Dispersed Ignition in the Explosion of Two-Phase Mixtures

ABSTRACT The aim of this work is to study the effects of a multi-source ignition in a wide energy range on a two-phase mixture explosion composed of agricultural dusts with a gaseous fuel (methane or propane) and, more particularly, the pressure history inside a partitioned vessel. The initiation is introduced in the form of an increase of internal energy and a calculation methodology, which interestingly in the field of risk assessment is used to simulate the transmission of the explosion from one compartment to another adjacent compartment by means of the hot flow through the shared orifice and finally to generalize this methodology to a complex multi-partitioned structure. The basic characteristics of the model have been developed for the ignition and the combustion of dust suspensions and adapted to hybrid mixtures with appropriate parameters linked to simplified kinetics. A simple representation of the combustion phenomena based on energy transfers and the action of specific molecular species is presented. The model allows the study of the influence of various parameters, such as the dust or the gas concentration, the different ignition energies and their locations, and the size of the inner openings or the vent areas. The theoretical results have been compared with many data available in the literature and indicate correct preliminary tendencies.
ACCESSING TEACHERS’ PRODUCTIVITY USING DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN DELTA STATE

This was conducted to access teachers’ productivity using demographic characteristics in public secondary schools in Delta State. It was a correlational survey which adopted ex-post-facto research design. Study population thirteen thousand three hundred and forty-two (13,342) teachers and a sample of 667 respondents were sampled using purposive sample method. Instrument titled Teachers’ Productivity and Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire (TPDCQ) was used to obtain information and was validated through face as well as content validity. The instrument was subjected to split-half reliability test and a coefficient of 0.71 was obtained. The data gathered were carefully converted to mean scores, standard deviation to answer the research questions raised while Pearson r was used to test the hypotheses formulated at 0.05 level of significance. Findings show that teachers’ sex, age and qualifications were significant to productivity. Arising from the findings it was recommended that government particularly in Delta State study try to consider age during recruitment of teacher for effective productivity. Entry qualifications of teachers should as a matter of urgent be determine if productivity is to be guaranteed.
The effect of the board diversity on firm performance: An empirical study on the UK

This study aims at filling existing research by examining the effect of board composition specially board diversity on firm performance using cross-sectional data from London Stock Exchange (FTSE 350) of non-financial companies with a total observations 3961 companies for the years 2000–2016. To the best of our knowledge, the contribution of this paper is to examine the effect of board diversity (age, gender, education, and nationality) of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 on firm performance. Our results indicate that age diversity has a negative effect on firm performance, which means that young board members enhance and increase firm performance. Furthermore, education diversity has a negative effect on firm performance. On the other hand, gender diversity has positive effect on firm performance, so if companies increase the number of females in the board of directors, firm performance will increase. Ultimately, our result reveals that nationality diversity has a positive effect on firm performance.
Molecular Insights into the Nucleation and Growth of CH4 and CO2 Mixed Hydrates from Microsecond Simulations

Hydrates of CH4/CO2 gas mixture are widely involved in hydrate-based applications, such as CH4/CO2 separation and exchange in exploitation of natural gas hydrate resource; nevertheless, their formation mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, microsecond simulations are performed to investigate the nucleation and growth of CH4/CO2 mixed hydrates from two-phase systems of water and CH4/CO2 gas mixture. The simulation results show that CH4-occupied small 512 cages initiates hydrate nucleation in a local liquid phase with a high gas concentration, where CO2 and CH4 cooperatively adsorb to hydrogen-bonded water rings toward hydrate-like ordering and cage formation. The difference in hydrophobicity between CH4 and CO2 affects the stability of nanobubbles of CH4/CO2 gas mixture in water and nucleation rate, and a high content (>75%) of CO2 accelerates nucleation due to its high solubility. The formation kinetics reveals the preferential uptake of CH4 into CH4/CO2 mixed hydrates during nucleation and the transi.
Decentralized Robust Disturbance-Observer Based LFC of Interconnected Systems

This article develops a novel decentralized controller for multi-area secondary load frequency control (LFC) of power systems. The proposed robust-adaptive approach estimates the external disturbance input and uncertainties, which are assumed to be matched with the control input. In this regard, a disturbance-observer state-feedback controller is designed. To offer a systematic approach, controller design conditions are derived in terms of linear matrix inequality constraints. Thereby, for any given representation of the LFC area, the controller gains can be straightforwardly obtained by using numerical solvers. Moreover, in order to enhance the steady-state performance, the controller is modified through the heuristic genetic algorithm. The controller design procedure is wholly offline and can be simply implemented. The developed decentralized approach does not need the information of the other areas, which reduces the cost and the number of measuring units. It is also robust against the power fluctuations of the load and renewable energy sources. To show the superiorities of the developed controller, four scenarios are considered. These scenarios comprise the aggregation of the photovoltaic, wind turbines, and electric vehicle to the power system. OPAL-RT experiments are given to verify the transient and steady-state performance and robustness of the proposed controller.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of Behçet’s disease in Iraqi patients

Introduction: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic autoimmune multisystem-ic vasculitic disease. This study investigated the demographic and clinical characteristics of BD in Iraqi patients. Material and methods: This descriptive observational study involved a total of 71 consecutive patients with BD diagnosed according to the International Study Group criteria 1990 for BD at the rheumatology unit. Demographic features, clinical characteristics, and medications used by the patients were recorded. Results: The mean age of patients was 36.0 ±10.8 years with disease duration of 5.1 ±6.0 years. There were 45 (63.4%) males and 26 (36.6%) females, BD activity score was 5.1 ±6.0. Mucosal manifestations were present in 71 (100%) patients, ocular involvement in 62 (87.3%), articular involvement in 51 (71.8%), skin involvement in 48 (67.6%), myalgia in 16 (22.5%), neurological in 9 (12.7%), vascular in 3 (4.2%) patients, and gastrointestinal involvement in 1 (1.4%) patient. The most commonly used treatment in this study was colchicine in 41 (57.7%) followed by infliximab in 34 (47.9%), corticosteroids in 32 (45.1%), azathioprine in 19 (26.8%), adalimumab in 3 (4.2%), cyclosporine in 2 (2.8%), sulphasalazine in 2 (2.8%), and methotrexate in 2 (2.8%). Conclusions: BD showed a higher male predominance in Iraq. Mucosal involvement was the most common clinical feature, followed by ocular involvement and then articular manifestations. The most commonly used treatment was colchicine followed by infliximab and corticosteroids. These findings suggest that early diagnosis and treatment are important to pre-vent disease complications.
University of Birmingham DFT Global Optimization of Gas-Phase Subnanometer Ru–Pt Clusters

: The global optimization of subnanometer Ru − Pt binary nanoalloys in the size range 2 − 8 atoms is systematically investigated using the Birmingham Parallel Genetic Algorithm (BPGA). The e ﬀ ect of size and composition on the structures, stabilities and mixing properties of Ru − Pt nanoalloys are discussed. The results revealed that the maximum mixing tendency is achieved for 40 − 50% Ru compositions. Global minimum structures show that the Ru atoms prefer to occupy central and core positions and maximize coordination number and the number of strong Ru − Ru bonds.