Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combined Treatment of Modified Atmosphere Packaging and Salicylic Acid Improves Postharvest Quality of Nectarine (<i>Prunus persica</i> L.) Fruit

The main objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of individual application and combination effect of salicylic acid treatments (0, 0.5, 1 mM) in both unpacked and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) on changing biochemical compounds and extending postharvest life of nectarine. Fruits were stored at 0°C with 90% RH for 40 days. Experimental fruits were analyzed for weight loss, soluble solids, titratable acidity, fruit firmness, total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity and overall quality during the storage period at 10 day intervals. The results showed that total phenolic, flavonoid concentrations and antioxidant activity fluctuated progressively until the 30 days of storage, and then decreased until the end of the experiment in all applied treatments. Salicylic acid treatment especially at 1 mM salicylic acid concentration with MAP had a positive effect on biochemical compounds. Furthermore, the combined treatment of MAP had a clear advantage over the other treatments in reducing weight loss, retarding softening, increasing shelf life, and maintaining higher overall fruit quality. The results indicated that salicylic acid with MAP can be used as a safe alternative chemical to keep the quality and for storage of nectarine.
Model Parameter Identification and Validation for Energy Saving Light Bulbs

Due to electrical energy reduction need, in the recent years, alternative light sources like Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode lamps (LED) are replacing the classical incandescent light bulbs. Although they consume less power, these lamps have the disadvantages of being a significant source of harmonics. This means that the lightning network should be redesigned taking into account the magnitude of the current harmonic components and of the null current. To this aim, an accurate model easy to build and a fast analysis are very useful. This paper presents three models for different types of energy saving light bulbs, two existing ones and a new implementation, a procedure for model parameters identification and a comparison of the models. Some errors criteria are considered, both qualitative and quantitative. The periodic steady state response is computed using a frequency domain analysis.
Influence of Good Corporate Governance and Capital structure to Profitability and ProfitManagement in Manufacturing CompanyListed on Efek the Indonesia Stock Exchange

Research objectives: (1) to partially analyze the effect of good corporate governance and capital structure on profitability. (2) to partially analyze the effect of good corporate governance and capital structure on earnings management. (3) to analyze the effect of profitability on earnings management. (4) To partially analyze the effect of good corporate governance and capital structure on earnings management through profitability.Quantitative research approach. Research locations on the Indonesia Stock Exchange by accessing data through the Indonesia Capital Market Directory via the IDX website. The object of research in manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in the period 2015 -2019. The population is 142 companies and the sample is 42 (210 sample units). The technique of sample collection is by purposive sampling. The analytical method uses the Structural Equauation Model (SEM) and SPSS-23.The results of the study: (1) good corporate governance and capital structure partially have positive and significant effect on profitability, (2) good corporate governance has a positive and significant effect on earnings management, (3) capital structure has a positive and not significant effect on earnings management, ( 4) profitability has a positive and significant effect on earnings management. (5) good corporate governance and capital structure partially have a positive and significant effect on earnings management through profitability.
Exploring the Potential of IVR Technology to Promote Collaborative Learning in Science Experiences

: This poster explores how different types of virtual reality technology (VR) allow for various degrees of collaborative enactment within virtual environments. This two-staged study analyzed the engagement and reflections of 27 students with three forms of VR hardware. Findings from direct observations and students’ perceptions suggest that the capabilities of high-end immersive virtual reality (IVR) can allow for more meaningful and natural forms of embodied interactions, locomotion, and verbal communication.
Aerodynamic Characteristics of Unshelled and Shelled Sunflower Seeds: Significance of Moisture and Cultivars

Aerodynamic characteristics of shelled and unshelled sunflower seeds of four cultivars, namely NSFH-36, PSFH-118, GKSFH-2002, and SH-3322, were evaluated as a function of moisture content. In the selected moisture range (6.2–14.4% d.b.), terminal velocity of unshelled seeds varied from 2.93–3.28, 2.54–3.04, 2.46–3.13, and 2.98–3.53 ms−1, whereas for shelled seeds it varied between 2.36–3.16, 2.22–3.06, 2.14–2.98, and 2.28–3.20 ms−1 for NSFH-36, PSFH-118, GKSFH-2002, and SH-3322 cultivars, respectively. The drag coefficient decreased from 0.23–0.18, 0.31–0.20, 0.27–0.16, and 0.36–0.12 in unshelled seeds, whereas, it varied between 0.19–0.13, 0.18–0.12, 0.16–0.14, and 0.19–0.13 in shelled seeds of NSFH-36, PSFH-118, GKSFH-2002, and SH-3322 cultivars, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that variation in moisture content, as well as cultivars, either individually or their interactions influenced the terminal velocity and drag coefficient of unshelled and shelled sunflower seeds significantly.
Employment sorting into early-stage technology startups : The interplay between ability and preferences

Early-stage technology startups face considerable competition from established firms when hiring highskilled scientists and engineers. Given that early-stage startups are risky employers and often lack resources to attract highly talented employees, conventional labor market theories predict that high-ability workers will instead sort into established firms that offer greater complementary assets and higher pay. We propose an alternative view, in which employment sorting reflects the interplay between ability and career preferences, allowing startups to hire high-ability workers who have a distinct taste for a startup work environment. We use microdata from a longitudinal survey that follows a cohort of 2,368 science and engineering PhDs from graduate school into their subsequent first-time employment. These novel data enable us to distinguish ability from typically unobserved ex ante preferences, and to directly examine selfselection into first-time employment. Contrary to conventional theories, we find that startups can attract many high-ability workers, even at lower pay. Further analyses of the interplay between preferences and ability confirm that preferences for working in a startup environment shape which individuals apply for and accept startup jobs, while ability is the primary predictor of which applicants get offers in their desired career. We discuss implications for founders, managers, and policy makers, as well as for research on entrepreneurship and human capital.
Shrink-Resist Treatments for Wool Using Multifunctional Epoxides

An attempt was made to render wool fibers shrinkproof without causing any damage to the hydrophobic nature of the scale surface. To this end, wool fibers were treated with a water soluble multifunctional epoxide, i.e., glycerol polyglycidyl ether (GPE) in concentrated salt solutions, where the prominence of scale edges was depressed. The role of GPE is not to chemically modify the fiber surface, but to crosslink the cuticular cells to prevent their edges from prominence in aqueous media. Excellent shrink resistance can be imparted to wool by applying GPE in saturated NaCl solution in the presence of a reductive agent such as Na2S2O5, while the hydrophobic nature of the surface remains unchanged.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Dielectric Properties of Phthalocyanines with Ester and Carboxylic Acid Functionalities

Monomeric phthalocyanine pentylester derivatives containing Cu and Zn were synthesized via the cyclotetramerization of 4,5-dipentylphthalonitrile. Conversion of the pentylester derivatives by hydrolysis yielded the octacarboxylic acid phthalocyanine derivatives in high purity, without any contamination by oligomers. The dielectric properties of pressed pellets were investigated as a function of frequency. When exposing the phthalocyanine powders to water vapor, a high increase in the dielectric constant was found for the carboxylic acid derivatives, whereas the esters showed no effect. For Cu containing octacarboxylic acid phthalocyanine derivatives, the low-frequency dielectric constant of the pellets was raised from 12 to >1 × 105 when going from a water content of 6.4 to 14.7 wt %, respectively. The concomitant sharp rise in conductivity was attributed to the protons released from the acid groups after water uptake. The present work clearly demonstrates that water uptake and not oxygen is the major fac.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE PHENOL LEVELS IN WASTEWATER IN THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN

Widespread contamination of water by phenol has been recognized as an issue of growing importance. Phenol may occur in domestic and industrial wastewaters, natural waters and potable water supplies. Chlorination of such waters may produce odorous and objectionable tasting chlorophenols. Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate as much of the phenol from the stream before discharging. The limit for phenol in the wastewater final effluent according to the General Standards Guideline is 0.1mg/l and in 2010 it will be 0.01mg/l (5). Hence, the treatment of wastewater containing phenol is a necessity. This study gives an overview of the Phenol index levels (free phenol) in wastewater in the City of Cape Town. There is no real historic data to compare the current phenol levels in the wastewater with but it can be assumed that levels will increase over time if more stringent measurements are not taken to prevent the discharge of higher levels of phenol into the rivers. There are twenty wastewater treatment plants and three marine outfalls in the City of Cape Town. The wastewater treatment plants can be classified as receiving mainly industrial or domestic wastewater or a combination of the two. The raw influent and final effluent results for each wastewater treatment plant were sampled bi- weekly and analysed for free phenol. The influent and effluent wastewater was analysed in order to establish if there is a change in phenol concentration during the treatment process. The average influent levels ranged from 0.06 mg/l up to 0.529 mg/l. The highest was found in the Klipheuwel treatment plant. The average effluent level ranged from 0 mg/l up to 0.061 mg/l with the highest recorded also in the Klipheuwel treatment plant. Removal of phenol occurred in the range of 69 % up to 100 %.
The electrolytic growth of dendrites from ionic solutions

Measurements have been made of the electrolytic growth on silver spheres of dendrites from the silver + silver nitrate system in liquid sodium nitrate + potassium nitrate. The potential and current density for initiation have been determined as a function of concentration and purity of the solution. Rates of growth have been measured as a function of potential at constant overpotential. The radius of the tips has been determined by electron microscopy. At constant current, the current density on to the base electrode during dendritic growth is proportional to the overpotential and the slope of the current density-overpotential relation is proportional to the concentration of silver ions. A critical current density (icrit) exists for initiation of dendritic growth. It is proportional to the silver ion concentration and increases as the radius of the substrate electrode decreases. icrit corresponds to an overpotential of 3 mV and increases with increasing purity of the solution. Dendrites are initiated up to 1 h after a constant current is switched on. At a given overpotential, a number of dendrites grow at a characteristic rate (v). Dendrites initiated at higher potential grow faster than those initiated at lower potential. The growing tip is parabolic and rtip ≏ 10-5 cm. Twins are in some dendrites. The current density to the substrate is controlled by diffusion at all conditions and obeys laws characteristic of spherical diffusion for small radii of the substrate. The rate of growth of the dendrites is controlled by the kinetics of the Ag+ ion deposition on the dendrite tip (activation and (spherical) diffusion control) and the effect on the Ag+ + e ⇌ Ag reaction of the tip radius. For low exchange currents (i0) v ∝ η: for high i0, v α η2. The calculated rate of growth agrees with experimental data on maximum growth rate to some 50 %. The calculated rtip for maximum growth is essentially in agreement with that observed. At IηI < 3mV, the theoretical rtip for maximum growth rate increases rapidly, and an alternative electrode process succeeds that of dendritic growth. The theory shows that the optimum radius for growth undergoes a rapid increase in the neighbourhood of the critical overpotential for cessation of growth. Dendrites are initiated only after a preliminary prismatic growth passes through the diffusion layer characteristic of the substrate electrode. Not all prismatic protrusions from the substrate are growth sites. Conditions for the stability of the tip shape during growth are deduced. Dendrites which grow with v less than vmax are those with a stable r less than ropt. It is a good approximation to apply equations for diffusion to a stationary surface for the moving dendrite tip. The model is consistent with an observed increase in the number of dendrites with potential and with aspects of side-arm growth.
Plasma-based dry reforming: improving the conversion and energy efficiency in a dielectric barrier discharge

Dry reforming of methane has gained significant interest over the years. A novel reforming technique with great potential is plasma technology. One of its drawbacks, however, is energy consumption. Therefore, we performed an extensive computational study, supported by experiments, aiming to identify the influence of the operating parameters (gas mixture, power, residence time and “frequency”) of a dielectric barrier discharge plasma on the conversion and energy efficiency, and to investigate which of these parameters lead to the most promising results and whether these are eventually sufficient for industrial implementation. The best results, in terms of both energy efficiency and conversion, are obtained at a specific energy input (SEI) of 100 J cm−3, a 10–90 CH4–CO2 ratio, 10 Hz, a residence time of 1 ms, resulting in a total conversion of 84% and an energy efficiency of 8.5%. In general, increasing the CO2 content in the gas mixture leads to a higher conversion and energy efficiency. The SEI couples the effect of the power and residence time, and increasing the SEI always results in a higher conversion, but somewhat lower energy efficiencies. The effect of the frequency is more complicated: we observed that the product of frequency (f) and residence time (τ), being a measure for the total number of micro-discharge filaments which the gas molecules experience when passing through the reactor, was critical. For most cases, a higher number of filaments yields higher values for conversion and energy efficiency. To benchmark our model predictions, we also give an overview of measured conversions and energy efficiencies reported in the literature, to indicate the potential for improvement compared to the state-of-the art. Finally, we identify the limitations as well as the benefits and future possibilities of plasma technology.
Molecular simulation study of the effect of cross-linker on the properties of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogel

Molecular simulation techniques have been utilised to investigate the effect of cross-linker type on the structural and dynamical properties of a temperature-sensitive hydrogel, poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) across its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). PNIPAM exhibits an LCST at ∼305 K, above which it collapses and below which it is swollen. Molecular dynamics simulations of PNIPAM hydrogel cross-linked with N, N′-methylene bisacrylamide (BIS) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGD) cross-linkers were carried out below, at and above its LCST (namely 300, 305 and 310 K, respectively). Structural analysis indicates that the cross-linkers did not affect the temperature of the onset of the LCST, but did affect the degree of swelling and pore size distribution, where the EGD-cross-linked hydrogel exhibited a greater degree of structural change than that of the BIS-cross-linked hydrogel. We believe that this could be attributed to the longer chain length and more flexible nature of the EGD cross-linker compared to the BIS cross-linkers.
Metais pesados e patógenos em milho e feijão caupi consorciados, adubados com lodo de esgoto

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of fertilization with sewage sludge submitted to different treatments of sanitization on contamination with heavy metals and pathogens in soil and grains of maize - cowpea intercropping system. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks with three replicates, corresponding to: soil without fertilization; liming and chemical fertilization; sewage sludge; sewage sludge sanitized with nim; sewage sludge sanitized with lime; composted sewage sludge and ipomoea; sewage sludge and ipomoea composted with rock phosphate; sewage sludge with rock phosphate incorporated in the soil; sewage sludge sanitized with nim and rock phosphate incorporated in the soil; sewage sludge sanitized with lime and rock phosphate incorporated in the soil; sewage sludge and ipomoea composted with rock phosphate incorporated in the soil. The pathogen density in the soil was extremely low and there were no differences between treatments. The heavy metal concentrations in the soil, including sewage sludge, did not surpass the maximum limits of annual addition and the permissible maximum limits for soils. In spite of this, the concentrations of Pb in maize grains, and Pb and Cr in cowpea grains, reached values above the limits permitted for agricultural products, independent of the addition of sewage sludge in the soil. In general, no influence of type of sewage sludge in relation to content of heavy metals in grains of corn and cowpea was observed.
Synergistic effect of a novel charring agent and ammonium polyphosphate on the flame retardancy of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

A novel charring agent, poly(p-propane terephthalamide) (PPTA), was synthesized with terephthaloyl chloride and 1,2-propanediamine through solution polycondensation at a low temperature. PPTA was used together with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to prepare a novel intumescent flame retardant (IFR) for an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin. The flammability and thermal stability of the IFR–ABS composites were investigated with limiting oxygen index, UL 94 vertical burning, and thermogravimetric analysis tests. The results showed that the IFR system had excellent flame retardancy and antidripping properties for ABS. The thermogravimetric curves suggested that there was a distinct synergistic effect of PPTA and APP, and this effect greatly promoted the char formation of the IFR–ABS composites and hence improved the flame retardancy. Additionally, the structure and morphology of char residues were studied with Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Cars temperature measurements in a droplet stream flame

Abstract This paper describes measurments of the local temperature field near a combusting stream of methanol droplets using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). Synchronizing the CARS measurements with the droplets in the stream allows correlations between the temperature field and the droplet position. These measurements describe the thermal structure of the droplet stream flame and can help validate detailed spray combustion models. The diameter of the droplets in the stream is 120 pm, which is comparable to the droplet size in a practical spray. The droplet spacing is approximately 1.0 mm (8 droplet diameters). The CARS measurements indicate a flame surrounding the droplet stream located I mm (8 droplet diameters) from the stream centerline. The temperature profile shows a local minimum temperature a the stream centerline. Moving radially outward from the centerline, the temperature rises at the flame (about 2000 K), and then falls gradually to room temperature. The local minimum temperature .
Persistency and lactation curves modelled using nonlinear random regression in dairy cows milked once a day

Modelling lactation curves of dairy cows is important for improved feed management and breeding decisions. The objectives of this study were to compare measures of lactation persistency obtained from the modelling of lactation curves for daily yields of milk, fat and protein using a nonlinear random regression model in dairy cows milked once a day under grazing conditions. A total of 1,955 monthly herd-test records of milk, fat and protein from 55 Holstein-Friesian (F), 64 Jersey (J), and 123 F×J crossbreds of different lactations were used to obtain lactation curves for each cow using a random regression model with the Wood function. Three measures of persistency were calculated based on ratios of yields and compared with persistency calculated based on parameters of the Wood function. Jersey cows in lactation 3 had the greatest persistency for all persistency measures. In first-lactation cows, there were no significant breed differences in persistency. Persistency measures were strongly correlated with each other (r≥0.97; P<0.001). The conclusion from this study is that parameters of the lactation curve (peak yield, day of peak and persistency) can be precisely estimated using the random regression model with the Wood function.
Attachment to Minerals and Biofilm Development of Extremely Acidophilic Archaea

Biofilm development of F. acidiphilum BRGM4 on polycarbonate filters floating on liquid medium and pyrite surfaces were studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) combined with epifluorescence microscopy (EFM). Results show that F. acidiphilum biofilms were heterogeneously distributed, and varied among different growth conditions, such as inorganic phosphate (Pi) starvation and glucose supplementation. Biofilm and planktonic cells showed significant morphological differences. Capsular EPS were observed in both biofilm and planktonic cells. Cells showed preferential attachment to the cracks/defects of pyrite surfaces.
Atomic View of Surface Self‐Diffusion: Tungsten on Tungsten

Surface diffusion of tungsten adatoms on several smooth, low‐index planes of the tungsten lattice has for the first time been followed by direct observation of individual atoms in the field‐ion microscope. Contrary to expectation, the mobility at room temperature is found to increase in the order (211) > (321) ∼ (110) > (310) ∼ (111). Migrating atoms are reflected at the boundaries of the (110), (211), and (321) planes; on the latter two, motion along atomic rows is favored over diffusion across lattice steps. From quantitative determinations of the rate of change of the mean‐square displacement, diffusion coefficients are obtained as follows: (110), D=3×10−2exp(−22 000/RT)cm2/sec; (321), 1×10−3exp(−20 000/RT); (211), 2×10−7exp(−13 000/RT). Differences in diffusion on the (211) and (321), planes of very similar structure, suggest a weakening of interatomic forces at lattice edges.