Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How combinations of recreational activities predict connection to nature among youth

Abstract Connection to nature (CTN) can help promote environmental engagement requisite for addressing extreme environmental challenges. Current generations, however, may be less connected to nature than previous ones. Spending time in nature can counter this disconnect, particularly among children. In relation to CTN, this study evaluates the relative predictive power of solitary and social time in nature, specific recreation activities (e.g., camping), and diverse backgrounds (e.g., ethnicity) through a classification tree analysis with 9-to-12-year olds in the southeastern USA (n = 1,285). Solitary time in nature was the most important predictor of high CTN, and social time in nature was a secondary component of high CTN. In addition, in the context of this study, hunting and fishing were the most important activities predicting high CTN. Based on these results, we suggest providing solitary outdoor activities reinforced by environmental socialization to promote CTN for all.
Microbial Fuel Cell Transformation of Recalcitrant Organic Compounds in Support of Biosensor Research

Abstract : Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the potential to be used as low-cost, real-time biosensors for drinking water sources. MFCs have been shown to produce current through oxidation of readily degradable organic substrates and the current can be correlated to the substrate concentration. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the transformation of recalcitrant organic compounds, such as aldicarb, in MFCs and to determine if the current generation and current metrics are related to the transformation, through the measured concentrations, of these recalcitrant organic compounds. Partial transformation of aldicarb was observed over two days in the presence of aerobic bacteria when aldicarb was initially at 1 mg L-1 (average concentration difference 13.8%). The aldicarb concentration changed very little when in the presence of anaerobic bacteria, or when added to deionized water or feed media (average concentration difference anaerobic bacteria 0.7%, feed solution 1.8%, deionized water 2.0%). Aldicarb transformation was greater in MFCs than in the aerobic bacteria solution but only partial transformation was observed (average concentration difference MFC1 15.9%, MFC3 28.8%). These data confirm that biotransformation of aldicarb does not occur readily. Aldicarb does not serve as a substrate for the bacteria that generate current in MFCs. This finding was supported by the fact that #1) there were no strong linear regression correlations between the change in aldicarb concentration and the current metrics generated from the MFC, #2) cyclic voltammetry profiles show very little oxidation potential for aldicarb, #3) the majority of current generation from the aldicarb feed cycles was most likely due to the acetonitrile solvent, and #4) MFCs did not show a tendency to acclimate to aldicarb.
Asymmetric Conservation within Pairs of Co-occurred Motifs Mediates Weak Direct Transcription Factor Binding in ChIP-seq Data

Background: Transcription factors (TFs) are main regulators of eukaryotic gene expression. The cooperative binding to genomic DNA of at least two TFs is the widespread mechanism of transcription regulation. Cooperating TFs can be revealed through the analysis of co-occurrence of their motifs. Methods: We applied Motifs Co-Occurrence Tool (MCOT) that predicted pairs of spaced or overlapped motifs (composite elements, CEs) for a single ChIP-seq dataset. We improved MCOT capability for prediction of asymmetric CEs with one of participating motifs possessing higher conservation than another does. Results: Analysis of 119 ChIP-seq datasets for 45 human TFs revealed that almost for all families of TFs the co-occurrence with an overlap between motifs of target TFs and more conserved partner motifs was significantly higher than that for less conserved partner motifs. The asymmetry toward partner TFs was the most clear for partner motifs of TFs from ETS family. Conclusion: Co-occurrence with an overlap of less conserved motif of a target TF and more conserved motifs of partner TFs explained a substantial portion of ChIP-seq data lacking conserved motifs of target TFs. Among other TF families, conservative motifs of TFs from ETS family were the most prone to mediate interaction of target TFs with its weak motifs in ChIP-seq.
The effects of foreign direct investment on youth unemployment in the Southern African Development Community

ABSTRACT This paper examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on youth unemployment in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region using panel data from the World Bank World Development Indicators for the period 1994–2017. Results from the Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS-Parks) technique show that FDI has an insignificant effect on reducing youth unemployment in the SADC region. This could be because the type of FDI in the region is partly mergers and acquisitions, which has fewer jobs creating capacity compared to Greenfield investment. This suggests the need for governments in the region to pursue labour-absorbing FDI policies and also ensure that foreign investment inflows are channelled towards labour-intensive sectors that have high labour absorptive capacity such as horticulture and floriculture.
Grand theft hydro? Stemflow interception and redirection by neighbouring Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. (spiderwort) plants

When it rains over vegetation, plants have an opportunity to get a limited supply of freshwater. A portion of rain drains directly to the soil down a plant stem in a hydrologic flux called “stemflow. ” For short plants with shallow roots, which provide ground cover for most vegetated ecosystems around the globe (including forest understories), stemflow has rarely been examined although it may be ecologically important. This study investigates how much rainwater is funnelled into stemflow for a perennial herb that can densely populate urban environments, Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. , spiderwort), in Savannah, Georgia (USA). Given the stem density of spiderworts (19–31 stems m−2), experiments were conducted to assess whether and how much stemflow can be passively intercepted and diverted by leaves in contact with neighbouring plant stems. Spiderworts' stemflow represented a significant portion (20%–60%) of rain and neighbouring plants intercepted and diverted ~50% of another plants' stemflow. This is the first documentation of stemflow interception and redirection by neighbouring plants, to the authors' knowledge. Because physical contact between plants occurs in various vegetated ecosystems (like lianas in forests), future research on this topic may be merited.
The Consequences of Defeat: The Quest for Status and Morale in the Aftermath of War

Studies of the effect of past actions have focused on yielding without a fight. What happens, however, when states fight and lose? This article assesses the effect of defeat on a state’s behavior and finds that recently defeated states are more likely to initiate disputes than are undefeated or victorious states or states that fight to a draw. This aggression comes at the expense of states responsible for defeat and third-party states uninvolved in the original defeat. The analysis below examines the validity of five potential explanations for postdefeat aggression, including models rooted in failed political objectives, an emotional desire for revenge and reputation-building and finds evidence in support for the latter two. These existing mechanisms fail, however, to explain a key finding—the systematic targeting of weaker, third-party states—which, I argue, is best explained by a desire to bolster the state’s status and confidence in the aftermath of defeat.
The Impact of Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Supply Chain Collaboration on Turkish Firms Performance: Moderator Effect of Uncertainty

Supply Chain-Related Sustainability Cases offer organizations the challenge of enriching environmental, social, and economic performance within supply networks. Firms are increasingly implementing environmental and social dimensions of sustainability. During the implementation, they check the collaboration efforts for getting information outside of the organizations to develop and improve both firm and supply chain performance. Due to drastic changes in the business environment, firms face uncertainty. This study aims to analyze the impact of sustainable supply chain management and collaboration under the supply chain uncertainty on firms' performance. Based on the literature review the conceptual framework was developed. To test the research hypotheses, multi-item scales and survey questionnaires were adopted from prior research. The research is based on a quantitative approach using a questionnaire survey. We obtained 240 usable questionnaires from 112 companies. The Partial Least Square method was used to test the proposed conceptual model. The results show that sustainable supply chain management is positively associated with supply chain performance and supply chain collaboration. Also, we found that supply chain collaboration has a positive effect on supply chain performance. Supply chain performance is positively associated with firm performance. Furthermore, supply chain uncertainty moderates the relationship between collaboration, sustainable supply chain management, and supply chain performance.
The ECCO‐Darwin Data‐Assimilative Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Model: Estimates of Seasonal to Multidecadal Surface Ocean pCO2 and Air‐Sea CO2 Flux

Quantifying variability in the ocean carbon sink remains problematic due to sparse observations and spatiotemporal variability in surface ocean pCO2. To address this challenge, we have updated and improved ECCO‐Darwin, a global ocean biogeochemistry model that assimilates both physical and biogeochemical observations. The model consists of an adjoint‐based ocean circulation estimate from the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) consortium and an ecosystem model developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Darwin Project. In addition to the data‐constrained ECCO physics, a Green's function approach is used to optimize the biogeochemistry by adjusting initial conditions and six biogeochemical parameters. Over seasonal to multidecadal timescales (1995–2017), ECCO‐Darwin exhibits broad‐scale consistency with observed surface ocean pCO2 and air‐sea CO2 flux reconstructions in most biomes, particularly in the subtropical and equatorial regions. The largest differences between CO2 uptake occur in subpolar seasonally stratified biomes, where ECCO‐Darwin results in stronger winter uptake. Compared to the Global Carbon Project OBMs, ECCO‐Darwin has a time‐mean global ocean CO2 sink (2.47 ± 0.50 Pg C year−1) and interannual variability that are more consistent with interpolation‐based products. Compared to interpolation‐based methods, ECCO‐Darwin is less sensitive to sparse and irregularly sampled observations. Thus, ECCO‐Darwin provides a basis for identifying and predicting the consequences of natural and anthropogenic perturbations to the ocean carbon cycle, as well as the climate‐related sensitivity of marine ecosystems. Our study further highlights the importance of physically consistent, property‐conserving reconstructions, as are provided by ECCO, for ocean biogeochemistry studies.
Tribological performance of textured parallel sliding contact under mixed lubrication condition by considering mass conservation condition and couple-stress parameter

To enhance the tribological performance of mechanical parts, one of the reliable methods is surface topography modification, in which the surface of one/both interacting contacts were to be modified. Surface texturing is one of the surface modification techniques. In the present work, a numerical code is developed to address the effect of texture shape (elliptical and triangular), size and distribution (parallel and zigzag) on the tribological performance parameters (minimum film thickness, percentage of hydrodynamic load from the total generated pressure and frictional coefficient) under mixed lubrication regime for a known value of load support. In the present analysis, the mass conservative, i.e. Jakobson-Floberg-Ollson (JFO) cavitation condition and couple stresses of lubricant are considered. In addition, surface irregularities are considered by using the flow factors of Patir-Cheng model. The results show that texture shape has a significant effect, whereas the texture distribution has a slight effect on the tribological performance parameters. Moreover, the couple stress of lubricant has a prominent effect on the tribological performance.
Comparative Study of Glass Fiber Content Measurement Methods for Inspecting Fabrication Quality of Composite Ship Structures

A comparative study of glass fiber content (Gc) measurement methods was conducted using actual glass fiber reinforced plastic laminates from the hull plate of a 26-ton yacht. Two prototype side hull plates with the design Gc (40 wt.%) and higher Gc (64 wt.%) were prepared. Four methods were used to study the samples: the calculation method suggested by classification societies’ rules; two direct measurement methods using either calipers and scales or a hydrometer; and the burn-off method, wherein the resin matrix is combusted from the laminates. The results were compared and analyzed to identify the accuracy and benefits of each method. The rule calculation method was found to be effective if the quality of the manufacturing process is known. However, fabrication errors in the laminate structures cannot be detected. Additionally, while direct methods are used to measure the density of glass fibers using measurements of the densities of raw materials and laminates, the volume of inner defects occurring during the fabrication of laminates could not be considered. Finally, it was found that the burn-off method measures Gc and considers the defect volume (voids) inside laminates as well as the non-uniformity of the external shape.
Prospective study of clinical profile of acute ischemic stroke in a tertiary care hospital of North India

Background: Owing to the recent demographic shifts and negative lifestyle changes, stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality across every income group in most of the countries. It is of the utmost importance to devolve into the clinical profile, etiology and management of patients with acute ischaemic stroke.Methods: It is a prospective case control study. Data was collected using a pre-tested pro forma meeting the objectives of the study. Patients who consented were divided into two groups and complete examination and investigations were carried out.Results: There were 94 patients with AIS enrolled for the study. The mean age was 56.2 years, of which 68.08% were males and 31.92% were females. The mean time for these patients to reach the health facility was 12.6 hours and only 36.17% of patients reached in the window period of 4.5 hours and were eligible for thrombolysis. Hypertension, Diabetes and smoking were the most common risk factors in this order among others.Conclusions: There is poor awareness regarding identification of stroke related symptoms and warning signs as majority of patients were unable to reach the hospital in the window period making them ineligible for thrombolysis. The leading etiology runs in the direction of modifiable risk factors which can be corrected at a primary prevention level.
The effect of rhodiola rosea root extract on stress-induced ovarian damage, infertility and reproductive disorders in female rats

1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Regional Training Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Erzurum (Turkey) 2Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum (Turkey) 3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Erzincan (Turkey) 4Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Erzincan (Turkey) 5Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Erzincan (Turkey)
Buyer–Supplier Contract Length and the Innovation of Supplier Firms

The relationship with customers has important implications for operating decisions as well as firm performance. One important aspect of the supplier–buyer relationship is the contract duration, and how this factor is likely to affect firm investments has been under-researched. This study aims to investigate whether corporate innovation is linked to the maturity of contracts between suppliers and buyers. Using a sample of 1516 manufacturing firms in Vietnam for the period of 2014 to 2018, we find that longer-term contracts are positively related to firm propensity of innovation. However, only contracts with foreign purchasers have this characteristic, confirming the supportive role of foreign partners in uplifting the technology for domestic suppliers in a developing country. Interestingly, longer contracts do not tend to facilitate firm innovation or raise the aimed level of newness for firms with very long contracts compared with those that have short-term contracts. This is consistent with the agency cost theory. These findings are robust to different specifications and econometric approaches. Based on the findings, implications are provided to manage the relationship with customers more efficiently.
Money Laundering with Cryptocurrency: Open Doors and the Regulatory Dialectic

The purpose of this study is to describe the opportunities and limitations of cryptocurrencies as a tool for money laundering through six currently available “open doors” (exchange mechanisms). The authors link the regulatory dialectic paradigm to KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) evasion techniques, highlight six tactics to launder funds with virtual assets and investigate potential law enforcement and regulatory alternatives used to reduce the incidence of money laundering with digital coins. <br><br>Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used is the analysis of significant recent events, the availability of “fintech” crime-fighting tools, and a literature review focusing on the application of the Regulatory Dialectic to existing crypto-asset markets that make them compelling to money launderers. <br><br>Findings: We examine the illicit use of cryptocurrency through Kane’s Regulatory Dialectic paradigm, identify a number of avenues that are still available for those seeking to launder money using digitized coins, review recently “closed doors” and make recommendations regarding the regulation of crypto-related markets that may assist in making them less desirable for potential criminals. <br><br>Originality/value: To the authors’ knowledge, there are yet no broad overview regarding the feasibility of money laundering across crypto-related assets within the paradigm of the Regulatory Dialectic. <br>
Fermentation of barley and wheat with lactic acid bacteria and exogenous enzyme on nutrient composition, microbial count, and fermentative characteristics

Abstract: Characteristics of wheat and barley inoculated with a homo-fermentative (HO) or hetero-fermentative (HE) lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were investigated in separate 97 d studies conducted using a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement comparing inoculants (no inoculant, HO or HE) and multi-enzyme (no or yes) addition. The pH declined (P < 0.05) to below 4.5 by day 6, coinciding with peaks in lactobacilli and yeast counts. A more rapid decline (P < 0.05) in pH and lactobacilli count but higher (P < 0.05) yeast count was observed with HO relative to HE. Enzyme addition reduced pH in inoculated grains only, particularly with HE (inoculant × enzyme effect; P < 0.05). Higher dry matter losses (P < 0.05) were observed with HE, most apparent in barley. Lactate was generally highest in HO and was increased by enzyme addition. Acetate was higher (P < 0.05) in HE. Ethanol and ammonia were lowest (P < 0.05) in HO. Wheat neutral detergent fibre (NDF) was reduced by both inoculants compared with control, whereas enzyme addition reduced NDF content in both grains. In conclusion, although not marked, fermentation responses appeared greater in wheat than barley although either LAB inoculant improved grain fermentation characteristics. The multi-enzyme appeared active during fermentation.
Evaluation of substrate and pH effects in a nitrifying biofilm

The effects of substrate and pH on biofilm nitrification were studied using a microelectrode technique and a microslicing technique. Three different kinds of biofilms were cultured using lab-scale, rotating drum biofilm reactors fed with synthetic wastewaters. The measured concentration profiles provide direct experimental evidence of the substrate and pH effects on biofilm nitrification. It was found that pH decreases within the nitrifying biofilm depended on the mole ratio of HCO 3 - /O 2 . When this mole ratio was >5, the maximum pH decrease within the nitrifying biofilm was 2-2.5) was observed during the study. It was found that increases in glucose loading or ammonium loading caused more consumption of oxygen, which resulted in inhibition of the biofilm nitrification. The bacterial trophic population measurement revealed that even in a pure nitrification system, heterotrophs could exist in the nitrifying biofilm. In biofilms cultured with an influent COD of 170 mg/L or higher, the numbers of nitrifiers were always four to five orders lower than those of heterotrophs. This study demonstrates that competition between heterotrophs and nitrifiers for substrate (including O 2 ) and space greatly affects the degree of pH decreases within nitrifying biofilms.
A Novel Algorithm for MPPT of an Isolated PV System Using Push Pull Converter with Fuzzy Logic Controller

Photovoltaic (PV) is a highly promising energy source because of its environment friendly property. However, there is an uncertainty present in the modeling of PV modules owing to varying irradiance and temperature. To solve such uncertainty, the fuzzy logic control-based intelligent maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method is observed to be more suitable as compared with conventional algorithms in PV systems. In this paper, an isolated PV system using a push pull converter with the fuzzy logic-based MPPT algorithm is presented. The proposed methodology optimizes the output power of PV modules and achieves isolation with high DC gain. The DC gain is inverted into a single phase AC through a closed loop fuzzy logic inverter with a low pass filter to reduce the total harmonic distortion (THD). Dynamic simulations are developed in Matlab/Simulink by MathWorks under linear loads. The results show that the fuzzy logic algorithms of the proposed system efficiently track the MPPT and present reduced THD.