Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research Proposals: A Practical Guide

"This indispensable guide to writing research proposals takes the reader on a carefully planned journey, which is clearly sign-posted from the outset to the destination of the final proposal . Denscombe demystifies the academic jargon inherent in proposal writing, instilling confidence in all those writing proposals, from undergraduate to doctoral level. " Dr Kate Adams, Reader in Education, Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln, UK "This much-needed handbook provides a guide for any researcher to turn a research idea into a successful research proposal . Denscombe offers both a clear framework for organising the research thought process and plentiful hints for crafting a persuasive case for why a research proposal deserves financial support for getting it done. " Dr Alberto Asquer, Lecturer of Business Strategy and Policy, Faculty of Economics, University of Cagliari, Italy "This is a clear and unambiguous guide covering all the essentials needed to build strong research proposals. It will prove to be invaluable not only to those new to writing research proposals but as a fast reference point for those already familiar with the requirements. " Jennifer Grant, PhD researcher, University of Sunderland, UK "This how-to guide is 'a candle in the dark' for many who want to start writing research proposals. It is . brimming with straightforward strategies which anyone can use to overcome the key fears associated with 'keeping on track' and 'selling your' research to convince funders and even your professors! " Hosea Handoyo, Boehringer - Ingelheim Fonds Research Fellow, Germany Whether you are an undergraduate student doing your final year project, a masters student writing your dissertation, or a PhD student applying for acceptance onto a doctoral programme, this practical book will help you to produce a successful and persuasive research proposal. Written by an experienced and best-selling author, this handbook uniquely draws a parallel between a research proposal and a sales pitch. The book provides guidance on what to include and what to omit from your proposal and demonstrates how to 'sell' your research idea. Denscombe ably guides you through each stage of the process: Choosing a research topic Reviewing the literature Formulating the research question Explaining the research methods Estimating the costs and planning the time involved Obtaining research ethics approvalWith top tips throughout, this book provides an insight to the logic behind research proposals and the way that good proposals address 7 basic questions that readers will ask when they evaluate any proposal.
Modeling Solid‐Phase Control of Solubility of Drinking‐Water Treatment Residuals — Immobilized Phosphorus in Soils

Drinking‐water treatment residuals (WTR) control excessive soluble phosphorus (P) concentrations in soils and appear to do so for a long time. Knowledge of the solid phases controlling the solubility of WTR‐immobilized P could enable the prediction of the long‐term stability of WTR‐immobilized P. We hypothesized that stable aluminum (Al)– and iron (Fe)–phosphate minerals control the solubility of WTR‐immobilized P, thus ensuring that WTR‐immobilized P remains stable in the long term. We utilized both artificially (laboratory) and naturally (field) aged WTR‐amended samples to test our hypothesis and the MINTEQA2 geochemical model to perform chemical equilibrium calculations. The field‐aged WTR‐amended soil (Granby loamy sand and Granby sandy loam) samples were obtained from two sites where an alum‐based WTR (Al‐WTR) had been applied 7.5 years ago. Artificial aging of fresh (freshly amended) soil (Immokalee fine sand) samples was achieved through incubation at elevated temperatures (46 or 70 °C) for 4.5 years and repeated wetting and drying for 2 years. Similar solid phases were predicted to control P solubility in both artificially and field‐aged samples. Without WTR amendment, P solubility in the P‐impacted soil was controlled by soluble magnesium‐phosphate (Mg‐P) minerals (farringtonite, newberyite), and calcium‐phosphate (Ca‐P) minerals (brushite and monetite). In the presence of WTR amendment, soil solutions of both field‐ and artificially aged samples were supersaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite, β‐tricalcium phosphate, and octacalcium phosphate and undersaturated with respect to brushite, monetite, farringtonite, and newberyite. No solid phase was predicted to control the solubility of WTR‐immobilized P. Thus, we reject our hypothesis that stable Al‐ and Fe‐phosphate mineral control the solubility of WTR‐immobilized P and conclude that sorption–desorption reactions determine P retention/release (P solubility) in WTR‐treated samples rather than precipitation–dissolution reactions.
Temperature-Dependent Investigation of AlGaN/GaN Oxide-Passivated HEMT by Using Hydrogen Peroxide Oxidation Method

This work investigates temperature-dependent device characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown by a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system, and passivated by using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidation method. The present oxide-passivated AlGaN/GaN HEMT can effectively improve device performances, including current drive, transconductance, gate-drain forward turn-on voltage (Von), and gate-drain reverse breakdown voltage (BVGD) at 300–480 K. In addition, improved RF and power performances have also been achieved as compared with an unpassivated device. The present oxide-passivated AlGaN/GaN HEMT is promising for high-temperature and high-power monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) applications.
Effects of induced drought and tilting on biomass allocation, wood properties, compression wood formation and chemical composition of young Pinus radiata genotypes (clones)

Abstract Eight genotypes (clones) of Pinus radiata were subjected to drought and stem inclination to assess genotype response to common stressors. While drought stress reduced diameter growth, height growth and total biomass accumulation, root to shoot (R/S) ratios were unaffected. Drought-stressed plants had significantly lower average acoustic velocity, but longitudinal shrinkage (LS) and density were not different from those of the control plants. Radial diameter growth and R/S ratios were unaffected by tilting. Inclined stems had significantly lower acoustic velocity, and significantly higher LS and density than control stems. Acoustic velocity had a strong negative correlation with LS (r2=0.79). Compression wood (CW) content was much higher in tilted plants, compared to control and drought treatment plants. The CW of tilted trees had different chemistry than that of the CW of drought and control plants. Genotypes differed significantly in the amount of CW formed as a response to tilting, demonstrating that the formation and extent of CW is genetically influenced. Mechanical perturbation in conjunction with acoustic methods for assessing stiffness would be a useful approach for early-age selection of genotypes less prone to form CW.
Chemical trends of the rattling phonon modes in alloyed germanium clathrates

Alloys based on Ge clathrates are promising thermoelectric materials because of their expected “rattling” properties. We have incorporated the elements of columns I and II into the cages of (Ge, Ga)46 type-I clathrates as cation guests and have theoretically examined their “rattling” behavior using density functional theory. The potential energy curves of guest atoms in the cages are evaluated to understand the nature of the weak guest–framework interaction. Some atoms are unstable at the center of the cages, while others appear to be bonded by weak restoring forces. We calculate the phonon modes and the Raman spectra and find that heavy alkali-earth elements, such as Sr and Ba, induce low-frequency “rattling” phonon modes as predicted by Slack’s model, while heavy alkali metal atoms (K, Rb, and Cs) are less “rattler-like” since they interact less with the acoustic modes of the Ge-based clathrate framework.
Pattern Mining on How Organizational Tenure Affects the Psychological Capital of Employees Within the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a measure of the positive capabilities of an individual which consists of four components: hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. In this study, the pattern of the effect of organizational tenure on the PsyCap of employees in the hospitality and tourism industry was mined. The PsyCap and length of service data of a sample of 329 employees working in some organizations related to hospitality and tourism were collected. The odds ratio was deployed to measure the pattern and strength of association and the findings showed that employees who stay longer years in an organization are 3.6 times more likely to exhibit high PsyCap than those who stay shorter periods. With the positive pattern of this association, it implies that indiscriminate retrenchment of long-serving employees should be avoided to preserve PsyCap within the industry.
Effect of soil organic matter on the phytotoxicity of soil-applied herbicides — glasshouse studies

Abstract Glasshouse experiments were conducted to determine the influence of soil organic matter on the phytotoxicity of five soil-applied herbicides using six Horotiu sandy loam soils with organic matter contents between 8.0 and 22.1%. Herbicides were incorporated in the top 5 cm of soil in the pots, and test plants grown therein for 5 weeks. A range of rates enabled a GR50 value to be determined (amount of herbicide required for 50% growth reduction) for each herbicide and each soil organic matter level. Results showed that the GR50 values were highly and positively correlated with the soil organic matter. From 2 to 4 times more herbicide was required for a GR50 at 22.1% soil organic matter than at 8%, depending on the herbicide. Soil organic matter affected herbicide performance as follows: terbacil < atrazine < alachlor < linuron < trifluralin. In general, the herbicides of relatively high water solubility would be expected to be more effective in higher organic matter soils than chemicals of low wate.
Performance assessment measures for univariate feedback control

A normalized performance index, η(b), is introduced to characterize the performance of feedback control schemes. η(b) is attractive because it provides a measure of the proximity of control to minimum variance control, which is the optimal feedback control provided that the process can be described by a linear transfer function with additive disturbance. Both time domain and spectral interpretations of this performance index are discussed. A fast, simple, on-line method for estimating η(b) is given, along with some of the statistical properties of the estimator. Simulation and industrial examples demonstrate the utility of η(b/) On presente un indice de performance normalise, η(b) afin de caracteriser la performance de schemas de controle de retroaction. Cet indice η(b) est interessant car il fournit une mesure de la proximite du controle par rapport au controle de variance minimum, qui constitue le controle de retroaction optimal dans la mesure ou ce procede peut etre decrit par une fonction de transfert lineaire avec une perturbation supplementaire. On examine tant le domaine de temps que les interpretations spectrales de cet indice de performance. On presente une methode rapide, simple et en ligne pour l'estimation de η(b) ainsi que certaines des proprietes statistiques de l'estimateur. Des cas de simulation et des exemples industriels demontrent l'utilite de η(b).
The coarse‐soil fraction is the main living space of fungal hyphae in the BhBs horizon of a Podzol

In acidified forest soils, the coarse-soil fraction is a potential nutrient source. Plant nutrient uptake from the coarse-soil fraction is aided by ectomycorrhiza. Similarly, (recalcitrant) organic matter (OM) is an important nutrient source largely made plant-available through (symbiotic) microorganisms, especially in the topsoil. We hypothesized that in a podzol profile, fungal hyphae would concentrate in nutrient hotspots, either OM or the coarse-soil fraction. Absolute hyphal length, base saturation, and organic-C content of a Podzol profile were determined in the fine-earth and coarse-soil fractions. In the fine-earth fraction, hyphae were attracted by the organic-C content and relative high base saturation. In the coarse-soil fraction of the BhBs horizon, the absolute hyphal length exceeded the hyphal length in the fine earth by factor 3, yet C content and base saturation were lowest. We could not determine to what fungi the hyphae belonged. Most likely ectomycorrhiza, ericoid mycorrhiza and saprotrophic fungi dominate the upper soil layers of this profile and all utilize OM for nutrition. In the deeper mineral horizons and especially in the coarse-soil fraction, ectomycorrhiza are better adapted than other fungi to harvest nutrients from inorganic sources. Additionally, favorable physical properties may explain the high amount of fungal hyphae in the coarse-soil fraction of the BhBs horizon. Both the coarse-soil fraction and deeper mineral soil horizons may play a more active role in microbial nutrient cycling than previously assumed.
PRODUÇÃO ANUAL DE SERAPILHEIRA EM FLORESTA SECUNDÁRIA NA AMAZÔNIA ORIENTAL

Estudou-se durante doze meses a producao de serapilheira em uma parcela permanente de um hectare, localizada na Estacao Experimental de Recursos Geneticos do Cacau Jose Haroldo, pertencente a CEPLAC, no municipio de Marituba, Para. A vegetacao e constituida por uma floresta secundaria, que foi explorada de modo seletiva ha, aproximadamente, 45 anos, situada sobre um Latossolo Amarelo de baixa fertilidade e com pH acido. Para coleta de material utilizaram-se 24 bandejas de madeira medindo 1m x 1m x 0,2 m, com tela em fundo de nylon, a altura de 0,5m do solo. As coletas foram realizadas quinzenalmente, no periodo de junho de 1996 ate maio de 1997, separadas em material foliar e miscelânea (galhos finos<2cm de diâmetro, ramos, cascas, flores, frutos e sementes), secas em estufa a temperatura de 65-70 °C por 48h e pesadas, sendo depois agrupadas mensalmente. Ao final do estudo, foram coletadas 9,33 t ha-1 de biomassa seca, com as folhas respondendo a 77,17% do total e a miscelânea ao restante. As taxas de deposicao mensal dos dois materiais variaram em funcao do indice de precipitacao pluviometrica. O maior periodo de deposicao de folhas ocorreu entre os meses de junho e agosto, com 47,97% da biomassa foliar total decidua, epoca em que ocorreram baixas taxas de precipitacao mensal na area. Para a fracao miscelânea, as maiores taxas de deposicao se observaram nos meses de janeiro e fevereiro, coincidindo com a fase inicial da estacao chuvosa na regiao Em janeiro ocorreu o maior pico de deposicao de miscelânea, com 0,53 t ha-l, e o menor em maio com 0,69 t ha-1. Reunindo-se as duas fracoes, obteve-se a maior deposicao em junho, com 1,64 t ha-1, e a menor em dezembro com 0,27 t ha-1.
Palladium Supported on Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles as Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for SuzukiMiyaura and Hiyama Reactions under Normal Laboratory Conditions

Nanoscale Pd supported on ZnO was prepared by a facile coprecipitation method. Pd/ZnO Nanoparticles were characterized by using XRD, TEM, SEM, XPS, BET specific surface area measurement, and thermogravimetric analysis. This catalyst was used as novel and excellent heterogeneous catalyst for ligand-free CC bond-formation particularly in the synthesis of unsymmetrical biaryls by SuzukiMiyaura and Hiyama cross-coupling reactions under air atmosphere without use of any Ar or N2 flow. The catalyst can be recovered and recycled several times without marked loss of activity.
Correlation and path coefficient analysis of some quantitative traits in recombinant inbred lines of bread wheat

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop of cool climates, and plays a key role in the food and nutritional security of India. The objective of this study was to establish the inter-relationship and direct and indirect effect of various wheat components on yield. Two hundred ten recombinant inbred lines were studied for correlation and path coefficient analysis of some quantitative traits in wheat at HAU Agricultural Research Farm during Rabi 2015-16 and 2016-17. Generally, the estimates of genotypic correlation coefficients were higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlation coefficients for all the character combinations. Seed yield was significantly and positively associated with biological yield followed by harvest index, number of effective tillers per plant and ear length in both years. Number of tillers per plant indicated change of positive and significant correlation to non-significant for plant height and negative and non-significant for harvest index over the years. Plant height exhibited positive significant correlations with ear length, number of spikelets per ear and biological yield over the years. Weight of 100-grains was significantly and positively correlated with number of spikelets per ear over the years. In view of correlation studies over the years it was observed that number of grains per ear shifted negative and significant correlation to non-significant correlation with harvest index. Path coefficient analysis revealed that the magnitude of positive direct effect on seed yield was highest through biological yield followed by harvest index and number of tillers per plant. Weight of 100-grains, number of grains per ear, plant height, ear length and number of spikelets per ear showed low direct effects, but indirectly contributed towards grain yield per plant via biological yield in both years.
BREASTFEEDING AND HEADACHE: IS THERE A PROTECTIVE EFFECT?

Objective Primary headache disorders are one of the most common pain conditions. Nutritional habits in children and adolescents with different headache types are limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate if breastfeeding, trough milk composition and its psychological characteristics, has a protective effect on development of headache. Materials and Methods Two groups of subjects, 6–18 years old, were enrolled: 155 with recurrent primary headache, diagnosed according to ICHD-II criteria (cases); 161 without recurrent primary headache, recruited at school (healthy controls; HC). A questionnaire with four sections was administered to all children to evaluate status of the family, data on infant nutrition habits, presence of sleep disorders, recurrent abdominal pain, allergies, motion sickness and malocclusion. Results 45.2% of cases were affected by migraine without aura, 17.4% by tension-type headache and 16.1% by migraine with aura. The onset of symptoms occurred at a mean age of 8.9 years (2.8 SD). 61% of cases versus 95% of HC reported breastfeeding habits (p 90° and >95° centile was more frequent for cases. Discussion Our study shows a strong negative association, duration related, between recurrent primary headache and breastfeeding. To our knowledge this is the first study on this association.
New cyclic peptides from Citrus aurantium

Two new cyclic peptides were isolated from the fruit peels of Citrus aurantium. Their structures were elucidated as cyclo (-Gly-Leu-Val-Leu-Pro-Ser-) and cyclo (-Gly-Gly-Leu-Leu-Leu-Pro-Pro-Phe-) by intensive 2D NMR analysis and chemical evidence.
Decomposition of resin binders and the relationship between the gases formed and the casting surface quality

This progress report of a continuing investigation describes the results obtained in a study of the gases formed during steel casting production in molds bonded with toluene sulfonic acid (TSA)-cured furan resin, phosphoric acid-cured furan resin, carbon dioxide-gassed sodium silicate, and carbon dioxide-gassed sodium silicate containing 20% sucrose. Future research will be concerned with determining the gases formed at the mold-metal interface during iron casting production, and with relating the casting surface quality to the nature of the gases formed.
Power law rheology and strain-induced yielding in acidic solutions of type I-collagen

Acidic solutions of collagen are in vitro models of procollagen, the neutrosoluble precursor of collagen secreted by cells to build the extra-cellular matrix. Their viscoelastic properties may influence fibrils nucleation and growth during pH-triggered fibrillogenesis, and could thus be of particular interest for the engineering of artificial tissues as well as for the regulation of the structural properties of the extracellular matrix. Here we report on the rheological properties of acidic solutions of collagen over a wide concentration range, 0.6–300 mg mL−1. At low concentrations, solutions display usual viscoelastic features consistent with those of dilute and semi-dilute solutions of macromolecules. At higher concentrations, both storage and loss moduli, G′ and G′′, scale as a weak power-law of the frequency ωα (α = 0.15 − 0.3), similar to what is reported for cross-linked actin networks, living cells and tissues. Creep experiments at high concentration reveal a weak power law regime at short times followed by a steady fluid-like regime at longer times. The transition between these two regimes appears at shorter times as stress amplitude increases. By rescaling creep responses, all time-domain data collapse onto a master curve. This defines a new time-stress superposition principle (TSS) and shows that fluidization occurs above a critical strain and after a lag-time scaling as σ−1/α. Power law rheology and strain-induced yielding are suggestive of soft-glassy rheology (SGR): concentrated collagen solutions would be close to a soft-glassy transition. Eventually, we compare the evolution of the rheological properties of acidic solutions from dilute to concentrated regimes to the non monotonous variation of fibrils diameter with collagen concentration in neutral gels.
High esterolytic activity of a novel water-soluble polymer catalyst imprinted by a transition-state analogue

A novel water-soluble polymer catalyst containing a L-histidyl group as a catalytic site, prepared by imprinting of a transition-state analogue of phenyl 1-benzyloxycarbonyl-3-methylpentyl phosphonate, accelerates the substrate-specific esterolysis of p-nitrophenyl N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-leucinate (Z-L-Leu-PNP) in 10 vol% Me2O–Tris buffer (pH 7. 15) at 293–308 K.
Quantification of the anti‐HIV drug saquinavir by high‐speed on‐line high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A method is described for the fast routine determination of the anti-HIV drug saquinavir and its pentadeuterated analogue [2H5] saquinavir in the plasma of healthy volunteers. The method is based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/atmospheric pressure positive-ion chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry, with a stable labelled form of saquinavir (13C6–2H3–15N) as internal standard. Automated solid-phase extraction in combination with short-column HPLC and multiple reaction monitoring is employed for high selectivity and sensitivity, and this also permits rapid quantification (the run time per sample is 1.5 min) over the range of 0.4–200 ng ml−1 with excellent accuracy and precision. Up to 200 samples per analyst per day can be analysed. This assay methodology illustrates the versatility of APCI tandem mass spectrometry, in conjunction with high-speed HPLC, for the fast routine quantification of drugs in the nanograms per millilitre range, which is essential for clinical pharmacokinetic studies.