Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MANUFACTURE EXPORTS OF THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THEIR TERMS OF TRADE VIS-À-VIS THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES: IS INDUSTRIALIZATION OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AN “ESCAPE ROUTE” FROM PREBISCH-SINGER HYPOTHESIS?

In the recent past, the developing countries, in particular the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICs), ASEAN, China and India, have become a major player in the global market of manufactured goods. Some economists and academicians have argued that this changing composition in the export baskets of these developing countries in favour of the manufactured goods had helped the developing countries to escape from the problems of ‘deteriorating’ terms of trade. It doubts the validity of the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis, in its original form, in the present world economic order. This study makes an attempt to address this issue and analyses the manufacture-manufacture terms of trade of the developing countries vis-à-vis the developed countries. This paper tries to empirically find the trends, if it exists, in the movement of the manufacture-manufacture terms of trade of the developing countries vis-à-vis the developed countries spanning over a period of almost 30 years i.e. 1975 to 2005. It also identifies the probable factors responsible for the long-term movements in this terms of trade index. This paper essentially tries to find an answer to the question whether this diversification of exports towards more of manufactured goods helped the developing countries to escape from the problem of ‘deterioration hypothesis’. 1 The author is grateful to Prabhat Patnaik for his valuable comments and suggestions on the draft of this article without implicating him in anyway. The author is Assistant Professor at the Indian School of Business and Finance, New Delhi and can be reached at shouvik.chakraborty@gmail.com.
Phosphorus uptake kinetics and growth of marine osmotrophs

Steady-state phosphate limited growth rate relationships were examined for model marine phytoplankton species Pavlova lutheri and Dunaliella salina to determine the most appropriate model of nutrient limited growth. The classic Monod hyperbolic function of growth rate as a function of external nutrient concentration was tested against both a null linear model and the more complex Droop internal quota storage model for phosphate limited phytoplankton cultures grown in steady-state chemostats. The Monod model was determined to be the most appropriate model of phytoplankton growth rate, accounting for over 90% of the variance in the growth rate data. Ambient external phosphate concentrations in the chemostats were determined by a novel steady-state bioassay approach using 33P -radiotracers. Phosphate uptake kinetics were determined at both slow and fast steady-state growth rates to determine variability of the kinetics system. Maximum uptake rates of phosphate at high phosphate concentrations were consistently found to be twoto-three orders of magnitude above the steady-state phosphorus requirements for growth for the phytoplankton cultures. A theoretical relationship for the Monod half-saturation constant for growth in terms of the maximum specific growth rate and phosphorus specific uptake affinity is derived and found to be quite consistent with Monod model fits to the observed steady-state growth rate vs. phosphate data. Finally the SAR11 sub-clade IIIa alpha-bacterium strain HIMB114 was grown in both continuous and batch culture and phosphate uptake rates were determined to be insufficient to supply more than 30% of the phosphorus requirements for growth, indicating the cultures were able to fulfill a majority of their phosphorus demands from as yet unknown dissolved organic phosphorus compounds in the natural seawater minimal media in which they were grown. Bacterial production and oxygen respiration measurements were performed and indicate that HIMB114 has a growth efficiency of 13%, similar to natural, open-ocean bacterial communities.
Producción láctea de vacas Simmental x Cebú y SuizoPardo x Cebú en clima tropical

Milk yield of Simmental × Zebu and Brown Swiss × Zebu cows in tropical climate. The objective of the present study was to determine the milk yield of Simmental-Zebu and Brown Swiss-Zebu cows with different proportions of Bos taurus genes. The study was carried out from 1985 to 2007 at the the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias, Playa Vicente research station (Veracruz, Mexico). The site presents a humid tropical climate. Milk yield records of Simmental × Zebu and Brown Swiss × Zebu cows with different proportions of Bos taurus genes (50, 62.5 or 75%) were analyzed. The cows were maintained in rotational grazing of the introduced pastures: Star grass (Cynodon plectostachyus) and Guinea (Panicum maximum), and were milked twice a day, after a restricted suckling by their calves. Calves were weaned at 210 days of age. The statistical model included the fixed effects of breed group, year of calving, season of calving, lactation number, and lactation length as a linear covariate; in addition, the model included sire of the cow within breed group as a random effect. The lactation length of Brown Swiss × Zebu cows was greater (P<0.05) than that of Simmental × Zebu cows. Milk yield per lactation, per day and per calving interval of Simmental × Zebu and Brown Swiss × Zebu cows were similar. Third-parity cows yielded more milk (P<0.001) per lactation, per day and per calving interval than first- and second-parity cows. Second-parity cows yielded more milk (P<0.001) per lactation, per day and per calving interval than first-parity cows.
ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN MANIHOT ESCULENTA (CASSAVA) IN SELECTED FARMS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Email: adu_bose@yahoo.co.uk Telephone: +234(0)8037221823 Abstract: Introduction: Anthropogenic activities by man in Nigeria especially Lagos State have induced accumulation of heavy metals in soils which invariably have resulted in the disturbance of living organism’s biochemical and physiological functions. Aims: This study assessed the level of heavy metals concentration in cassava (Manihot esculenta) harvested in selected farms in Lagos state Materials and Method: Leaves, stems, tubers of cassava were obtained from Badagry and Ikorodu; and the concentrations of heavy metals content were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric (AAS) method. Results: The results in mg/kg showed that heavy metals concentration [Nickel (3559.67 ± 5794.16), Manganese (120.33 ± 5.51), Copper (52.10 ± 2.85 and so on] were highly bioaccumulated in leafy part of the cassava. Conversely, Sodium (11620.00 ± 820.18) and Potassium (15133.33 ± 508.46) were highly bio-accumulated in the cassava’s stem while Calcium (3996.67 + 35.12) was found in high concentration in the cassava’s tuber. Lead (0.03 ± 0.05) and Cadmium (0.08 ± 0.08) were of significant values in the soil of Ikorodu and lower in the soil of Badagry. Heavy metal (Ni, Mn, Cd, Mg and Na) bio-accumulation in the two different location were higher in Badagry than Ikorodu, while Zn, Fe and K were higher in Ikorodu than in Badagry but Cobalt was not detected in both sites. Conclusion: Copper, Lead, Zinc, Manganese, Iron, Nickel, Calcium, Sodium and Potassium were above the recommended level of W.H. O. Therefore, consumption of leafy and tuber part of the cassava in both Ikorodu and Badagry areas could pose threat to animals. To
Density Functional Theory-Assisted Microkinetic Analysis of Methane Dry Reforming on Ni Catalyst

A comprehensive microkinetic model based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations is constructed to explore the reaction mechanism for dry methane reforming on Ni catalyst. Three low-index facets, namely, Ni(111), Ni(100), and Ni(211), are utilized to represent the contributions from the flat, open, and stepped surfaces. Adsorption energies of all the possible reaction intermediates as well as activation energies for the elementary reactions involved in dry reforming of methane on the three Ni surfaces are calculated through DFT. These results are further employed to estimate the rate constants for the elementary reactions under realistic temperatures and pressures within the framework of transition state theory and statistical mechanics treatments. The dominant reaction pathway is identified as CH4 successive dissociation followed by carbon oxidation by atomic oxygen. The dependence of the rate-determining step on operating conditions is examined. At low CH4 and CO2 partial pressures, both CH4 dis.
Preparation of Cu/S-TiO_2 Photocatalysts and their Catalytic Activities under Visible Light

Cu was loaded on the S-doped TiO2 by methods of electroless plating,wet impregnation and chemical reduction,respectively.The physical structure and chemical properties of the prepared Cu/S-TiO2 were characterized by UV-Vis,XRD,XPS,EXAFS and FESEM techniques.It was illustrated that copper species loaded by electroless copper plating and wet impregnation method were Cu2O/CuO,while Cu/Cu2O was loaded by chemical reduction method.The Cu/S-TiO2 prepared by electroless plating method showed excellent visible light absorption ability.The photocatalytic activities under visible light was investigated using various filtered wavelengths of light(λ 420 nm,λ 500 nm) for a period of 20 h.Moreover,the electroless plated copper on S-TiO2 were highly dispersed,which could facilitate the photo-generated charges capture,transfer and separation.Thus,the catalyst exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity and stability for hydrogen generation in methanol solution under simulated sunlight(Xe lamp),and a possible catalytic effect/reaction mechanism was proposed.
Comparative analysis for fouling characteristics of river water, secondary effluent, and humic acid solution in ceramic membrane ultrafiltration

ABSTRACT Ceramic membrane ultrafiltration experiments were performed with 7-channel tubular membrane (molecular weight cutoff = 300 kD) at a constant transmembrane pressure and crossflow rate under recirculation mode. In the experiments, the fouling characteristics of river water (RW, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) = 3.4 mg/L) were compared with humic acid solution (HA1, DOC = 3.7 mg/L). Also, the fouling behaviors of secondary effluent (SE, DOC = 7.9 mg/L) were compared with HA2 (DOC = 8.5 mg/L). Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix, modified Hermia’s model, and resistance-in-series model were used to analyze the fouling characteristics. Results demonstrated that RW and SE could cause ceramic membrane fouling more rapidly due to their hydrophilic organic compositions in comparison with hydrophobic HA.
NUMERICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN UNSTEADY

The paper summarises recent developments pursued by the unsteady aerodynamics group at QMW. These include the development of computational fluid dynamics methods and validation of turbulence models for essentially unsteady flows with moving boundaries as well as investigation of various unsteady aerodynamic phenomena including dynamic stall, buffet, flutter and unsteady shock-wave diffraction. Overall, these studies have so far shown that simulations of unsteady aerodynamic flows which are strongly affected by turbulence, can provide a fair qualitative picture in most of the cases, but there are still many open issues regarding the quantitative agreement between experiments and simulations. Particular challenges and remaining open questions appear in the case of unsteady flows around pitching and oscillating aerofoils featuring dynamic stall. The various results indicate some strengths of the Godunov-type methods, implicit solvers, as well as linear, non-linear (eddy-viscosity-based) and Reynolds-stress models employed in this study, but they also reveal weaknesses associated in particular with modelling issues of high Reynolds number compressible flows.
Silver Nanoparticle Storage Stability in Aqueous and Biological Media

Abstract : Silver has antimicrobial effects against a broad spectrum of bacteria and has been successfully incorporated into wound treatments to reduce infections. Dressings and implant coatings are being developed which integrate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for their long-term antimicrobial properties. The medium components that interact with the nanoparticles play asignificant role in the destabilization of the nanoparticle over time. Although this interaction plays an important role in thelong-term use and storage of AgNPs, there are few reports describing the stability and storage of the nanoparticles. The objective of this technical report was to evaluate the stability of silver nanoparticles stored for 14 days in different aqueousand biological media. Silver nanoparticles were stable for 14 days in de-ionized water without significant changes to size or morphology.
Detection and antibiogram of Edwardsiella tarda from Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia fish) obtained from selected farms in Ibadan, Nigeria

Edwardsiellosis caused by Edwardsiella tarda is a septicemic bacterial disease responsible for 5- 70% mortalities and prevalence up-to 70% in freshwater fishes. Although rarely associated with human infections, Edwardsiella tarda have been found to cause gastroenteritis, soft tissue infection, liver abscess, tubo-ovarian abscess, and mycotic aneurysm mostly in immunocompromised humans. This study investigated prevalence and antibiogram of E. tarda isolated from Oreochromis niloticus obtained from selected farms in Ibadan, Nigeria. A total of 156 samples consisting: gills, intestines and skins were collected from 52 O. niloticus from Egbeda-(A), Ido-(B), Ibadan: NorthEast-(C) and North-West-(D) for bacteriological analysis. E. tarda Isolation, identification, and antibiogram were performed using standard methods. Data were analyzed using Chi-Square. An overall prevalence of 62.5% was observed for E. tarda with 87.5%, 62.5% and 50.0% for gills, intestine and skin samples, respectively, whilst overall location prevalence were observed as: 100.0%-(A), 50.0%-(B), 66.6%-(C) and 50.0%-(D). Isolates exhibited resistance patterns comprising; 100.0%-(Ceftazidime-(CPZ), Cefuroxime-(CRX) and Meropenem-(MEM)), 91.7%- Cefotaxime-(CTX), 83.3%-(Tetracyclin-(TET)), 50.0%-(Cotrimoxazole-(COT)), 33.3% (Ceftriaxone-(CTR) and Gentamicin-(GEN)), 25.0%-(Chloramphenicol-(CHL)), 16.7%-Amikacin- (AMK) and 8.3%-(Ciprofloxacin-(CIP)). Multi-drug resistance pattern: CRX-CFZ-MEM-(100%), CRX-CTR-CTX-CFZ-MEM-(83.3%), CRX-CTR-CTX-CFZ-MEM-TET-(66.7%), CRX-CTRCTX-CFZ-MEM-TET-COT-(58.3%) and CRX-CTR-CTX-CFZ-MEM-TET-COT-GEN-(8.3%) was observed. Isolation and identification of E. tarda from O. niloticus confirm its presence in Ibadan and affirms that O. niloticus harbors, and could serve as a source of infection to humans. The antimicrobial resistance patterns of isolates to antibiotics indicate misuse in aquaculture and indiscriminate disposal of antibiotics into aquatic environments. This suggests risks of transmission of infectious agents to human and probable spread of resistant pathogens to humans from the environment.
Photoluminescence Properties of CeO2:Eu3+ Nanoparticles Synthesized by a Sol-Gel Method

Nanocrystalline Eu3+-doped CeO2, CeO2, Sm3+-doped CeO2, and Li+, Eu3+-codoped CeO2 samples were prepared through a sol−gel process. The structure and the optical properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflection spectra, and photoluminescence spectra. No luminescence was observed for nanocrystalline CeO2. The systematic investigation shows that the broad band in the excitation spectrum of CeO2:Eu3+ comes from the charge transfer (CT) transition from O2− to Ce4+, not from the oxygen vacancy, or from the CT of O2− to Eu3+. Upon increasing the fired temperature from 600 to 800 °C, the excitation spectrum shifts to lower energy. With increasing concentrations of Eu3+ up to 1% in CeO2, red shifts of the excitation spectra are observed; however, when the concentration of Eu3+ increases to 5% and 10%, blue shifts occur. The emission spectrum shows that the symmetry of the Eu3+ site becomes lower with increasing Eu3+. Based on the dielectric theory of complex crystals, the envi.
Linear dichroism and order parameters of nematics doped with azo dyes

ABSTRACT We investigated solvent-solute effects using dye-doped nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) where three Sudan dyes of different concentrations were used as solutes doped into high- and low-polar NLCs as anisotropic solvents. The polarized spectroscopic absorption, dichroic ratio (R), and order parameter (S) were measured, which showed that the rod-like Sudan black B had a higher S and R due to a higher anisotropic solvent-solute effect produced by transition moment and global charge transfer along the molecular axis induced by high polar NLC. The order parameters measured by the Vuks method also showed a higher solvent-solute effect for the high-polar NLC.
Learning local modules in dynamic networks without prior topology information

Recently different identification methods have been developed for identifying a single module in a dynamic network. In order to select an appropriate predictor model one typically needs prior knowledge on the topology (interconnection structure) of the dynamic network, as well as on the correlation structure of the process disturbances. In this paper we present a new approach that incorporates the estimation of this prior information into the identification, leading to a fully data-driven approach for estimating the dynamics of a local module. The developed algorithm uses non-causal Wiener filters and a series of convex optimizations with parallel computation capabilities to estimate the topology, which subsequently is used to build the appropriate input/output setting for a predictor model in the local direct method under correlated process noise. A regularized kernel-based method is then employed to estimate the dynamic of the target module. This leads to an identification algorithm with attractive statistical properties that is scalable to handle larger-scale networks too. Numerical simulations illustrate the potential of the developed algorithm.
The use of zero-valent iron (ZVI)–microbe technology for wastewater treatment with special attention to the factors influencing performance: A critical review

ABSTRACT In recent years, the use of zero-valent iron (ZVI) coupled with microorganisms has attracted considerable attention for the removal of diverse contaminants from wastewater, and the performance of bio-ZVI systems under diverse conditions is of particular interest. This paper comprehensively reviews the recent developments related to (1) the effects of the iron surface area, operating conditions, coexisting ions, and contaminant concentrations on the performance of bio-ZVI systems; (2) the potential mechanisms of the major factors affecting the ZVI–microbe performance; and (3) the effects of ZVI on the characteristics of the microorganisms, including both enhancing and deteriorating effects. All these factors can have notable impacts, which are contaminant-specific and highly dependent on the removal mechanisms of the respective pollutants, and on the performance of the bio-ZVI system in terms of contaminant removal. Additionally, the stimulating effects of ZVI on the growth and diversity of microorganisms are reasonable considering the synergistic effects of the combined system on pollutant removal, although inhibitory effects of ZVI on bacterial activity have also been proposed. Based on these findings, further efforts should be made to establish feasible strategies to improve the engineering design and performance of integrated ZVI–microbe systems.
Mathematical modeling of kinetics and research on multiplicity of glycerol bioconversion to 1,3-propanediol

The excess kinetic models for substrate consumption and product formation were reexamined for the bioconversion of glycerol to 1,3 propanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae . Whereas these kinetic models described the substrate consumption and the formation of 1,3 propanediol and acetic acid reasonably well, relative large deviations were observed for the formation of ethanol, especially at low substrate concentrations. A new term, i.e. the substrate concentration change ratio ( c S · D ) was found in this work to be useful for describing ethanol formation in continuous culture. The resulting kinetic models and parameters satisfactorily described both continuous and batch cultures of glycerol fermentation by Klebsiella pneumoniae under various conditions. The model also predicted the occurence of multiplicity in the bioprocess. Alteration of metabolic pathways associated with ethanol formation appeared to be the main reason causing multiplicity in a fermentation when transferring from substrate limiting to substrate sufficient conditions.
Preparation of 0.85 nm Hydrated Kaolinite by Direct Displacement Intercalation

The hydrated kaolinite with d001=0.85 nm was prepared with simple direct displacement intercalation method by using kaolinite-urea intercalation compound as an intermediate.The microstructure and morphology of kaolinite before and after intercalation were characterized by X-ray diffraction,infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy.The results show that the basal spacing of the kaolinite increases from d001=0.72 nm to d001=1.08 nm after intercalation with urea.After being grafted with water through washing with acid or water at different temperatures,the hydrated kaolinite with d001=0.85 nm is obtained.And the grain thickness of kaolinite decreases significantly from 25 nm to about 10 nm.The highest content of the hydrated kaolinite appears at high temperature,which is nearly 70% by washing with water at 90 ℃. The d001=0.85 nm hydrated kaolinite derived from kaolinite-urea compound has further intercalation ability,and may serve as an excellent precursor for preparing other kaolinite intercalation compounds.The transformation rate of about 100% can be obtained for kaolinite-ethylene glycol intercalation compound from the hydrated kaolinite.
A diagnostic analysis of ultrasound elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound in focal liver lesions

Objective: To compare the diagnostic value of ultrasound elastography (UE) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in focal liver lesions. Methods: Eighty-nine patients with focal liver lesions were included as subjects. All were examined by both UE and CEUS prior to the operation or puncture. The diagnostic accuracy of UE and CEUS was compared with puncture biopsy or postoperative pathological diagnosis results which served as gold standards. Results: Through the pathological diagnosis, the research subjects consisted of 42 patients with benign lesions and 55 patients with malignant lesions. The Kappa coefficient of the UE diagnosis for the focal liver lesions and the pathological diagnosis was 0.57 (P<0.05); the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the UE diagnosis for the malignant focal liver lesions were 76.36%, 80.95%, and 78.35%, respectively. The Kappa coefficient of the CEUS diagnosis for the focal liver lesions and pathological diagnosis was 0.81 (P<0.05); the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the CEUS diagnosis for the malignant focal liver lesions were 92.73%, 88.10%, and 90.72%, respectively. The analysis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve indicated that the area under the curve, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the diagnosis of UE combined with CEUS for malignant focal liver lesions were 0.90, 100%, 80.95% and 91.75%, respectively. Conclusion: UE can objectively reflect changes in the stiffness of focal liver lesions. CEUS reveals the changes of blood supply within the lesions in terms of microcirculation. Both methods have good diagnostic value. The combined application of UE and CEUS can improve diagnostic accuracy for focal liver lesions.