Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Poly (methacrylic acid) grafted regenerated cellulose ions exchangers membranes for Cu (II) ion adsorption: kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic studies

Poly (methacrylic acid) grafted cellophane ions exchanger membranes have been developed for Cu2+ ions separation from synthetic metal solutions in this study. Factors affecting the adsorption process, namely the copper ions concentration, the adsorption time, the adsorption temperature, and the grafting percentage have been studied. It was found that the Cu2+ uptakes increase by increasing Cu2+ ions concentration and the grafting percentage. Equilibrium has been obtained after 30 min of adsorption while the temperature is found to be of neglectable effect. Moreover, the kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics of the adsorption process have been monitored. Adsorption behavior was kinetically considered using the pseudo-first-order and the pseudo-second-order models. The experimental data mostly correlated with the pseudo-second-order model. Moreover, the diffusion mechanism of the Cu(II) ions through the adsorption process has been studied. Various kinetic models namely; intraparticle diffusion model, D-W diffusion model, and Boyd diffusion model used. The actual rate-controlling step for Cu(II) ions removal determined. The adsorption equilibrium was assessed by using the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherm equations where the Freundlich model had greater constancy with the equilibrium data. Also, the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity based on the Langmuir isotherm was 4.016 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters as enthalpy change (ΔH°), free energy change (ΔG°), and entropy change (ΔS°) also were calculated. It is revealed that the adsorption of Cu2+ ions is spontaneous, favorable, and exothermic. Fourier transforms infrared analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis provided pieces of evidence of the grafting and the adsorption processes. Morphological changes have been followed using a scanning electron microscope. The membranes show excellent reusability. Minor reduction of the adsorption and regeneration processes has been detected after 10 cycles.
Electronic Customer Relationship Management Assimilation in Southeastern European Companies—Cluster Analysis

This article aims to investigate the factors influencing the electronic customer relationship management (e-CRM) assimilation in Southeastern European companies. With ICT innovation in mind, a conceptual model is developed, integrating three theories of innovative diffusion. Multivariate techniques, factor analysis, and cluster analysis are applied in order to reduce the number of variables and classify the cases. A discriminant analysis is taken in order to test the reliability of the clustering and to explore the clusters’ characteristics. The relationships between cluster categorization and life cycle phases, along with the size of the firm, are all checked against contingency coefficients. When comparing cluster categorization, the research results show that the significance of technical, organizational, and environmental factors changes depending on the phase of the e-CRM assimilation. The results additionally show that the degree of usage and diffusion of these technologies differs in small to medium enterprises compared to big enterprises. Owing to these findings, which have enabled us to provide insights into the ways in which contextual factors influence the e-CRM assimilation, theorists, and practitioners can see the necessary patterns of action.
Investigating a Serious Challenge in the Sustainable Development Process: Analysis of Confirmed cases of COVID-19 (New Type of Coronavirus) Through a Binary Classification Using Artificial Intelligence and Regression Analysis

Nowadays, sustainable development is considered a key concept and solution in creating a promising and prosperous future for human societies. Nevertheless, there are some predicted and unpredicted problems that epidemic diseases are real and complex problems. Hence, in this research work, a serious challenge in the sustainable development process was investigated using the classification of confirmed cases of COVID-19 (new version of Coronavirus) as one of the epidemic diseases. Hence, binary classification modeling was used by the group method of data handling (GMDH) type of neural network as one of the artificial intelligence methods. For this purpose, the Hubei province in China was selected as a case study to construct the proposed model, and some important factors, namely maximum, minimum, and average daily temperature, the density of a city, relative humidity, and wind speed, were considered as the input dataset, and the number of confirmed cases was selected as the output dataset for 30 days. The proposed binary classification model provides higher performance capacity in predicting the confirmed cases. In addition, regression analysis has been done and the trend of confirmed cases compared with the fluctuations of daily weather parameters (wind, humidity, and average temperature). The results demonstrated that the relative humidity and maximum daily temperature had the highest impact on the confirmed cases. The relative humidity in the main case study, with an average of 77.9%, affected positively, and maximum daily temperature, with an average of 15.4 °C, affected negatively, the confirmed cases.
Essential oil analysis of eight 'Nepeta' taxa in Iran

Nepeta is one of the largest and important genera of Lamiaceae that is found in many parts of the world as wild plants. These aromatic plants produce essential oil for various pharmaceutical and industrial products. The essential oil composition in eight taxa of Nepeta was analyzed. One natural population from each taxon was selected, and their essential oils extracted using Clevenger apparatus. Moreover, GC and GC/MS analysis methods allowed to reveal the variability in essential oil composition and profile among the studied taxa. The oxygenated monoterpenes were dominant in the oils of N. meyeri, N. mirzayanii, N. racemosa, N. binaludensis, and N. glomerulosa. Phytol was the major compound in the essential oil of N. kotschyi var. persica and N. saccharata (11.56% and 27.04%, respectively). 4aα,7α,7aβ-nepetalactone (73.89%) and 4aα,7β,7aα-nepetalactone (83.92%) were the major constituents in essential oil of N. mirzayanii and N. meyeri, respectively. 1,8-cineol was the principal constituent in the oil of N. glomerulosa var. carmanica, N. binaludensis, N. pogonosperma and N. racemosa (23.34%, 43.49%, 53.94% and 70.89%, respectively). The studied taxa were classified into four distinct groups according to the UPGMA tree with high level of bootstrapping support. Each group was characterized by special trait(s) that could be used for identification of them. Therefore, four chemotypes were separated among the studied taxa: 1,8-cineol, 4aα,7α,7aβ-nepetalactone, 4aα,7β,7aα-nepetalactone, and carvacrol. It was also noticed that the composition of essential oil was highly varied compared to previous results.
The Impact of Imperfect Weather Forecasts on Wind Power Forecasting Performance: Evidence from Two Wind Farms in Greece

Weather variables are an important driver of power generation from renewable energy sources. However, accurately predicting such variables is a challenging task, which has a significant impact on the accuracy of the power generation forecasts. In this study, we explore the impact of imperfect weather forecasts on two classes of forecasting methods (statistical and machine learning) for the case of wind power generation. We perform a stress test analysis to measure the robustness of different methods on the imperfect weather input, focusing on both the point forecasts and the 95% prediction intervals. The results indicate that different methods should be considered according to the uncertainty characterizing the weather forecasts.
An overlooked key to excellence in research: a longitudinal cohort study on the association between the psycho-social work environment and research performance

ABSTRACT Theories of what determines research performance have evolved from political and economic science, amongst other disciplines. Contemporary research shows that universities have a problematic work environment characterized by bullying, insecure jobs, and dysfunctional leadership. In this study, we explore the relationship between the psycho-social work environment (PSWE) and research performance. The study consists of longitudinal data from a medical university in Sweden. PSWE was assessed by employee surveys and the outcome was register data from 8 years of bibliometrics and external funding. SEM-analyses were applied building on theoretical and empirical models. Results show that PSWE explained future research performance, with the highest impact on the quality of publications. The most important PSWE factors for good performance were fair, considerate leaders and a supportive social climate. The results suggest that improving the psycho-social work environment at the universities could be one strategy to improve research performance.
Renting Balance Sheet Space: Intermediary Balance Sheet Rental Costs and the Valuation of Derivatives

A long-standing asset pricing puzzle is that the funding rates in derivatives contracts often differ from those in cash markets. We propose that the cost of renting intermediary balance sheet space may help resolve this puzzle. We study a persistent basis in what is arguably the largest derivatives market, namely, the interest rate futures market. This basis is strongly related to exogenous measures of intermediary balance sheet usage and proxies for the balance sheet costs imposed by debt overhang problems and capital regulation. These results extend to the cash derivatives bases documented in many of the other largest financial markets.
Population structure of the recent invader Hemigrapsus takanoi and prey size selection on Baltic Sea mussels

The shore crab Hemigrapsus takanoi Asakura and Watanabe, 2005, native to the Northwest Pacific, was recorded in European waters about 25 years ago and it was first found in the Baltic Sea in 2014. Information on population structure of invaders and their new niche is needed in order to understand their biological impact. Over one year, we assessed temporal changes in relative abundance, size-class and sex ratio, as well as breeding season of H. takanoi in the Kiel Fjord (Western Baltic Sea). In addition, prey size preference and consumption rates on mussels ( Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758) were experimentally assessed in spring, summer and autumn. A total of 596 individuals were collected with highest and lowest abundances in June and February, respectively. Females were dominant over males (sex ratio 1.4:1), but males grew to larger sizes. H. takanoi reproduced between June and August with ovigerous females representing 30% of the entire female abundance registered over the entire year. Males were able to open larger mussels (due to larger claws) and consumed twice as many mussels when compared to females of similar size. Consumption rates for males were 6 and 2 times higher in summer (seawater temperature of 19 °C) compared to spring (8 °C) and autumn (13 °C), respectively. Females consumed 3 times more mussels in autumn than in spring. H. takanoi is an active predator, capable of reproduction in stressful brackish water conditions. Due to large abundances and high feeding pressure, this recently introduced species could play a key role in structuring post-settlement population dynamics of the dominant habitat builder M. edulis .
Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling of the Solar Wind Key Parameters and Current Sheets in the Heliosphere: Radial and Solar Cycle Evolution

We develop an axisymmetric numerical MHD model that allows us to investigate the spatial characteristics of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and key solar wind plasma parameters from 20 to 400 solar radii over all heliolatitudes. The study is aimed at an analysis of the evolution of the spatial structure of the heliosphere through the solar cycle. We consider various combinations of the relative input of the quadrupole and dipole harmonics of the solar magnetic field to imitate the solar cycle. Self-consistent solutions for the IMF, electric current, solar wind speed, density, thermal pressure, and temperature in the solar wind are obtained. The spatial evolution of the IMF and properties of quasi-stationary current sheets (QCSs) are analyzed during different phases of the solar cycle. It is shown that a classic low-latitude heliospheric current sheet is formed in the solar wind as a part of the system of longitudinal and latitudinal electric currents symmetric in the northern and southern hemispheres only during solar minimum. While the quadrupole magnetic field increases, the second QCS appears. The model successfully describes a smooth transition from the state of the fast solar wind at high heliolatitudes and the slow solar wind at low heliolatitudes at solar minimum to the solar wind speed of the same values in a wide range of heliolatitudes at solar maximum. It reproduces the actively debated phenomenon of the south–north asymmetry of the IMF in the heliosphere and shows the distribution of thermal plasma parameters consistent with observations.
Molecular characterization of the growth hormone in Chinese sturgeon and its expression during embryogenesis and early larval stages

Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis Gray) has a fast growth rate starting in early larval stage. Likely, the fast growth is attributed to the growth hormone (GH); an essential polypeptide required for growth and development of vertebrates. In this study, GH cDNA was cloned from a pituitary library. The AsGH cDNA consists approximately 954 bp in size including a 16 bp 5'-untranslated region and 296 bp 3'-untranslated region. The open reading frame (642 bp) encodes a 214 amino acids (aa), which represents the precursor composed of a 25 aa signal peptide followed by a 189 aa mature polypeptide. The polyclonal antibody was prepared from the in vitro expressed mature protein. Western blot analysis showed a constant GH expression of a monomeric form in the 13 embryo stages and in several larval stages. Interestingly, two dimeric bands of GH were detected since day 3 in the hatched larvae. Our findings suggest that the GH may play important physiological functions in embryonic and larval development of Chinese sturgeon.
Haemoparasites Of Cattle In Abeokuta, South West Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION The Nigerian Livestock Population was estimated at about 50 million apart from pigs, rabbits and guinea pigs (Bourn et al., 1994). In monetary terms, the value of Nigeria livestock resources was conservatively estimated to be in the order of US$ 6 billion. Of the Nigerian livestock population, cattle contributed about 10%, while in monetary terms, it accounted for about 40% of the total livestock revenue of Nigeria (McIntyre et al., 1992).
Distribution and abundance of two imperiled Graptemys species of the Pascagoula River system.

Species distribution and abundance is often difficult to delineate due to species factors (e.g., crypsis, low abundance) or to researcher sampling techniques. Species of the genus Graptemys are primarily riverine turtles and have historically been subject to declines because of anthropogenic changes to river systems. Therefore, to better inform conservation efforts, we thoroughly studied the distribution and abundance of two imperiled Graptemys species within the Pascagoula River System, Mississippi, USA: the Yellow-blotched Sawback (Graptemys flavimaculata) and the Pascagoula Map Turtle (Graptemys gibbonsi). Turtle populations were studied in 17 counties in southeastern Mississippi using four methods: mark-resight population surveys (three populations), bridge surveys (160 bridge crossings), basking density surveys without marked individuals (23 localities), and trapping (three populations). Graptemys flavimaculata was found to be present throughout its historical range, as well as in new drainage localities; abundance in historically surveyed areas was generally higher than previous surveys had reported. Graptemys gibbonsi was also found in many new localities and occurred in most of the drainages of the Pascagoula River system. However, abundance was much lower for G. gibbonsi than for G. flavimaculata throughout the Pascagoula River system and individuals were not found in several historical localities, suggesting localized extirpations. We recommend that G. gibbonsi should be listed as state Endangered in Mississippi and Louisiana, U.S. federally listed as Threatened, and upgraded to Endangered (EN) under IUCN listing guidelines. Future conservation measures should extend to protect additional riparian habitat throughout the Pascagoula River system and future surveys of other Graptemys species are warranted due to the imperiled status of this genus.
Seismic Reliability-Based Design Approach for Base-Isolated Systems in Different Sites

This study employs the seismic reliability-based design approach for inelastic structures isolated by friction pendulum isolators, considering two different highly seismic Italian sites to provide useful design recommendations. Incremental dynamic analyses are carried out to estimate the seismic fragility of the superstructure and of devices, assuming different structural properties and limit state thresholds. Finally, considering seismic hazard curves of the investigated sites, seismic reliability-based design curves are proposed to derive the dimensions in plan of devices and the ductility demand of the superstructure as a function of both the structural properties and the reliability level expected. The proposed results confirm the possibility of using seismic reliability-based design as a sustainable and applicable approach and represent a large data set to adopt this design methodology in any site with a similar seismic hazard.
Physiologic Rationale for Multiple Sodium Pump Isoforms

A number of important themes emerge from our compartmental analyses of Na,K-ATPase biosynthesis in response to ionic stimuli. The ubiquitous alpha 1 beta 1 type sodium pump evolved to generate and maintain transmembrane Na+ and K+ gradients, and there are cell-type specific mechanisms of increasing synthesis and decreasing degradation to control surface expression of this important "housekeeping" enzyme. Expression of alpha 2 beta-type sodium pumps may have evolved in cells designated as K+ storehouses to facilitate maintenance of extracellular K+ in the presence of K+ restriction. Finally, the specialized distribution of Na,K-ATPase (and related E1-E2 type pumps) along the renal epithelia allows for monitoring and fine control of extracellular K+ and Na+ (volume). Many interesting questions remain to be answered, and we now have the probes and techniques needed to answer them.
Evaluation of Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum Carbon Isotope Record Completeness—An Illustration of the Potential of Dynamic Time Warping in Aligning Paleo‐Proxy Records

Variations in sedimentation rate, bioturbation, winnowing, and dissolution modify the deep‐sea sedimentary record, complicating the apparent relationship between stratigraphic depth and time of a geochemical proxy record and confounding the extraction of a clear picture of past climates and environments. Dynamic time warping (DTW) is used to align time series with similar patterns. Here we explore the use of DTW to identify gaps in proxy records of the Paleocene‐Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), aligning bulk sediment carbonate isotope records (δ13C) from various deep‐sea sediment core sections spanning the event. Alignment of PETM δ13C records from the Walvis Ridge, South Atlantic transect of ODP Leg 208 (Sites 1262, 1263, and 1265) was similar to previously published manually established alignments and consistent with the expectation that shallower sites have more complete records. The δ13C record from a Southern Ocean site (Maud Rise; ODP Site 690) was then aligned to ODP Site 1263, the most complete Walvis Ridge site. This alignment identifies a gap in Site 690, indicating that peak excursion δ13C values were not recorded. We conclude that DTW provides an objective way to align climate proxy records and rectify data loss associated with unconformities and other types of distortions, leading to a more complete understanding of the geologic record of past episodes of biotic and environmental change.
Prey tell: what quillback rockfish early life history traits reveal about their survival in encounters with juvenile coho salmon

Predation is a major source of mortality in the early life stages of fishes and a driving force in shaping fish populations. Theoretical, modeling, and laboratory studies have generated hypotheses that larval fish size, age, growth rate, and development rate affect their susceptibility to predation. Empirical data on predator selection in the wild are challenging to obtain, and most selective mortality studies must repeatedly sample populations of survivors to indirectly examine survivorship. While valuable on a population scale, these approaches can obscure selection by particular predators. In May 2018, along the coast of Washington, USA, we simultaneously collected juvenile quillback rockfish Sebastes maliger from both the environment and the stomachs of juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch. We used otolith microstructure analysis to examine whether juvenile coho salmon were age-, size-, and/or growth-selective predators of juvenile quillback rockfish. Our results indicate that juvenile rockfish consumed by salmon were significantly smaller, slower growing at capture, and younger than surviving (unconsumed) juvenile rockfish, providing direct evidence that juvenile coho salmon are selective predators on juvenile quillback rockfish. These differences in early life history traits between consumed and surviving rockfish are related to timing of parturition and the environmental conditions larval rockfish experienced, suggesting that maternal effects may substantially influence survival at this stage. Our results demonstrate that variability in timing of parturition and sea surface temperature leads to tradeoffs in early life history traits between growth in the larval stage and survival when encountering predators in the pelagic juvenile stage.
Impact of the Pacific Meridional Mode on landfalling tropical cyclone frequency in China

This study identifies a significant positive correlation between the Pacific Meridional Mode (PMM) index and frequency of tropical cyclones (TCs) landfalling in China during peak TC season (June–November) of the period 1977–2018. This interannual association is independent of two types of El Niño–Southern Oscillation. Large‐scale circulation over the western North Pacific (WNP) modulated by PMM can affect TC genesis location/frequency and steering flow that directly determine TC landfalls in China. During the positive PMM phase, anomalous off‐equatorial heating over the eastern North Pacific can induce anomalous low‐level cyclonic circulation and upper‐level anticyclonic circulation over most of the main development region in the WNP, as a Gill‐type Rossby wave response. The resultant larger low‐level relative vorticity and weaker vertical wind shear are conducive to the formation of more TCs over the main development region. The anomalous easterly steering flow in the north flank of the anomalous low‐level cyclonic circulation is favourable for more TCs moving westward/northwestward and making landfall in China. The physical mechanism for the impact of PMM on large‐scale circulation over the WNP is verified by numerical experiments using the Community Atmospheric Model. The PMM index is demonstrated to be a crucial predictor for landfalling TC frequency in China in statistical seasonal prediction models.