Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Price Endings and Consumer Segmentation-Research Paper

Practical implications Although the difference between 99 cents and a $1.00 is small, for high volume items this can have a significant impact on gross profit and margins, particularly for low value items. If retailers understand which groups of consumers were more likely to be attracted to the round-endings they could use this knowledge to determine the most effective prices. Originality/value This research follows on from a price trial conducted into price endings and is the second phase of an investigation into whether 9-endings are effective. It proposes a theory that has been empirically tested and points the way forward for future research in this area.
Quantum-dot density dependence of power conversion efficiency of intermediate-band solar cells

For intermediate-band solar cells containing GaAs/InAs quantum dots (QDs), the QD density dependence of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) was theoretically calculated for various sun concentrations under AM1.5 conditions based on detailed balance principles. A QD density of over 5 × 1013 cm−2 was required to achieve a PCE of more than 50% under 10 000 suns. However, under the photo-filled state and 1 sun, the PCE decreased over a wide total QD density range from about 3 × 1010 to 1 × 1013 cm−2. This reduction was attributed to the negative net carrier generation rate through the intermediate band, which was due to insufficient two-step optical absorption. The short-circuit current density increased as the QD density increased up to about 1 × 1011 cm−2 and it then saturated. In contrast, the open-circuit voltage decreased with increasing QD density. This reduction in the open-circuit voltage was suppressed at high sun concentrations.
Binary Metal Sorption on Bone Char Mass Transport Model Using IAST

The binary sorption of Cu−Cd, Cd−Zn, and Cu−Zn onto bone char has been studied using an equilibrium and batch agitation system. The sorption capacities and the selectivity of metal ions onto bone char follows the order Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Zn2+, which is in the reverse order of the hydrated ionic radii. The binary sorption equilibria were predicted by the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) on the basis of single component isotherm data using a Langmuir or Langmuir−Freundlich isotherm. The overall performance of the IAST provides a reasonable curve fitting to the experimental data. The single component film−pore diffusion model was extended to the multicomponent systems to correlate the batch kinetic data by incorporating the shrinking core model and the IAST. All the diffusivities in the binary systems are similar to or less than the pore diffusivities in single component systems.
Soil-test dynamics throughout a five-year ‘Thompson Farm’ rotation in Iowa

Soil-testing is an effective guide for achieving and maintaining an optimum supply of available plant nutrients, but there is little information on the multi-year soil-test changes for farms using long-term crop rotations, ridge-tillage and nutrients supplied by a mixture of organic amendments. Our objectives were to characterize yearly changes in surface soil-test parameters, including the stratification of P and K; compare soil-test methods (Mehlich III versus Bray P1 and 1 M NH 4 OAc exchangeable K); and evaluate soil-test interpretation strategies [sufficiency level versus basic cation saturation ratio (BCSR)] within a fanner-managed field. The study was conducted on the Clarion–Nicollet–Webster Soil Association near Boone, 1A, in a field that had not been moldboard plowed for 29 years. Soil samples were collected from the 0–5, 5–10, 10–15, and 15–20 cm depth increments before plowing and every autumn thereafter throughout the 5-year rotation. Samples were analyzed for pH, Bray extractable P, exchangeable K, total C and N, NH 4− and NO 3− N concentrations, and Mehlich III extractable P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn and Zn. Stratification of P and K was evident within 2 years after moldboard plowing. This was not considered a production problem, because, based on sufficiency-level soil-test interpretations, the animal manure/municipal sludge applications had increased soil P and K concentrations to levels where no crop response to additional fertilizer would be expected. Using Mehlich III extradant with simultaneous inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometer (ICP–AES) analysis resulted in soil-test interpretations that were the same as with Bray P1 and 1 M ammonium acetate (NH 4 OAc) extracting solutions. The Mehlich III solution did extract more Ca than 1 M NH 4 OAc, causing K saturation percentages to be very low when the data were interpreted using a BCSR approach. We conclude that stratification is not a production issue at this site; that either soil-test methodology would be acceptable for P and K extraction; and that additional studies evaluating the BCSR soil-test interpretation philosophy are warranted.
Soil physical properties affected by long‐term fertilization

According to the literature, soil physical properties are linked mainly with organic constituents that are often considered as the first indicator of soil fertility. But the use of fertilizers and amendments can change soil properties independently of the organic matter content. In a long‐term experiment at Versailles, fertilizers and amendments have been applied each year to uncultivated plots. After 70 years, the plots had the same low organic matter content except those which were treated with manure. However, the physico‐chemical environment had become strongly differentiated. Physical properties, especially soil water relations, were also greatly affected. The use of ammoniacal fertilizers strongly decreased soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CECsoil). Plots treated in this way were more sensitive to the degradation of their hydraulic properties and became unstable in spite of the preservation of their porosity. Basic amendments (i.e. bases added as CO32–, OH–, O2– or silicate anions) increased soil pH, CECsoil and its saturation by exchangeable calcium. The increase in CECsoil improved soil structural cohesion and water flow properties. After basic treatment, there is greater structural stability, and water moves faster through the soil. In potassic and sodic plots, K+ and Na+ affected water movement and increased the soil's sensitivity to degradation. Manure treatment increased water retention and soil stability. The cation exchange capacity, measured at soil pH, can be used as a good indicator of soil stability, in combination with the organic matter content and the kinds of exchangeable cation (especially K+ and Na+).
Surface mass transfer processes using peat as an adsorbent for dyestuffs

The factors affecting the initial rate of Telon Blue (Acid) dye adsorption onto peat have been investigated. The surface mass transfer coefficients for the rate of dye removal from solution have been determined and correlated as the dimensionless mass transfer term Sh/Sc0.33. The function Sh/Sc0.33 has been correlated with respect to four variables, namely, agitation, initial dye concentration, peat particle size range and the temperature of the dye solution. The mass transfer term varies with T5.5, dp0.13, co−1.1 and R.P.M.0. 26; consequently temperature has the most pronounced effect on the mass transfer coefficient. On a etudie les facteurs qui influent sur la vitesse initiate d'adsorption du colorant acide Bleu Telon sur la tourbe. On a determine les coefficients de transfert de masse a la surface et on les a relies sous forme du terme adimensionnel Sh/Sc0.03 de transfert de masse. On a etabli une correlation pour la fonction Sh/Sc0.33 en fonction de quatre variables, a savoir l'agitation, la concentration initiale du colorant, la granulometrie des particules de tourbe et la temperature de la solution du colorant. Le terme de transfert de masse varie avec T5.5, dp0.13, co−1.1 et R. P. M.0. 26; done cest la temperature quiexerce l'effet le plus pronouce sur le coefficient de transfert de masse.
The Unique Advantage of 1 Adolescents in Probabilistic Reversal: 2 Reinforcement Learning and 3 Bayesian Inference Provide 4 Adequate and Complementary 5 Models 6

During adolescence, youth venture out, explore the wider world, and are challenged to learn 11 how to navigate novel and uncertain environments. We investigated whether adolescents 12 are uniquely adapted to this transition, compared to younger children and adults. In a 13 stochastic, volatile reversal learning task with a sample of 291 participants aged 8-30, we 14 found that adolescents 13-15 years old outperformed both younger and older participants. 15 We developed two independent cognitive models, one based on Reinforcement learning (RL) 16 and the other Bayesian inference (BI), and used hierarchical Bayesian model ﬁtting to assess 17 developmental changes in underlying cognitive mechanisms. Choice parameters in both 18 models improved monotonously. By contrast, RL update parameters and BI mental-model 19 parameters peaked closest to optimal values in 13-to-15-year-olds. Combining both mod- 20 els using principal component analysis yielded new insights, revealing that three readily- 21 interpretable components contributed to the early- to mid-adolescent performance peak. 22 This research highlights early- to mid-adolescence as a neurodevelopmental window that 23 may be more optimal for behavioral adjustment in volatile and uncertain environments. It 24 also shows how increasingly detailed insights can be gleaned by invoking diﬀerent cognitive 25 models. 26 eter correlations, diﬀerences in explained variance, and insights gained from combining model 231 parameters using principle component analysis (PCA). This analysis revealed that parameter vari- 232 ance between participants was captured by just four dimensions, three of which showed marked 233 and interpretable developmental changes. 234
Expectancy-based rhythmic entrainment as continuous Bayesian inference

When presented with complex rhythmic auditory stimuli, humans are able to track underlying temporal structure (e.g., a “beat”), both covertly and with their movements. This capacity goes far beyond that of a simple entrained oscillator, drawing on contextual and enculturated timing expectations and adjusting rapidly to perturbations in event timing, phase, and tempo. Previous modeling work has described how entrainment to rhythms may be shaped by event timing expectations, but sheds little light on any underlying computational principles that could unify the phenomenon of expectation-based entrainment with other brain processes. Inspired by the predictive processing framework, we propose that the problem of rhythm tracking is naturally characterized as a problem of continuously estimating an underlying phase and tempo based on precise event times and their correspondence to timing expectations. We present two inference problems formalizing this insight: PIPPET (Phase Inference from Point Process Event Timing) and PATIPPET (Phase and Tempo Inference). Variational solutions to these inference problems resemble previous “Dynamic Attending” models of perceptual entrainment, but introduce new terms representing the dynamics of uncertainty and the influence of expectations in the absence of sensory events. These terms allow us to model multiple characteristics of covert and motor human rhythm tracking not addressed by other models, including sensitivity of error corrections to inter-event interval and perceived tempo changes induced by event omissions. We show that positing these novel influences in human entrainment yields a range of testable behavioral predictions. Guided by recent neurophysiological observations, we attempt to align the phase inference framework with a specific brain implementation. We also explore the potential of this normative framework to guide the interpretation of experimental data and serve as building blocks for even richer predictive processing and active inference models of timing.
Submicroscopic pattern replication with visible light

Contact imaging with visible light is possible at submicroscopic resolution because the near field of a radiating object contains information of sufficiently high resolution. In this paper we demonstrate this principle by contact imaging of planar submicroscopic metal patterns with blue light (400 nm). Experimental details are described for two experiments: (1) The shadow of an opaque pattern was recorded on a negative photoresist and developed using permanganate staining. (2) An image of a transparent metal pattern was imprinted onto a molecular dye layer, exploiting the fact that photochemical bleaching of the dye is inhibited by contact with the metal due to energy transfer. Development was by silver decoration. The resolution obtained was 100 nm with the photoresist, and 50 to 70 nm with the dye layer.
The role of connectivity on COVID-19 preventive approaches

Preventive and modelling approaches to address the COVID-19 pandemic have been primarily based on the age or occupation, and often disregard the importance of the population contact structure and individual connectivity. To address this gap, we developed models that first incorporate the role of heterogeneity and connectivity and then can be expanded to make assumptions about demographic characteristics. Results demonstrate that variations in the number of connections of individuals within a population modify the impact of public health interventions such vaccination approaches. We conclude that the most effective vaccination strategy will vary depending on the underlying contact structure of individuals within a population and on timing of the interventions.
SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk of clinical sequelae during the post-acute phase: a retrospective cohort study

Objective: Clinical sequelae have not been well characterized during the post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 among adults 18 to 65 years old, and this study sought to fill that gap by evaluating excess risk and relative hazards for developing incident clinical sequelae during the post-acute phase. Design: Retrospective cohort study including three propensity-matched groups. Setting: This study merged three data sources from a large United States health plan: a large national administrative claims database, an outpatient lab testing database, and an inpatient hospital admissions database. Participants: Individuals 18 to 65 years old with continuous health plan enrollment from January 2019 to date of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. Three comparator groups were identified and propensity-score matched to individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2: a 2020 comparator group, a historical 2019 comparator group and a historical comparator group with viral lower respiratory tract illness (vLRTI). Main outcome measures: Over 50 clinical sequelae during the post-acute phase (index date + 21 days) were ascertained using ICD-10 codes. Excess risk due to SARS-CoV-2 during the 4 months following the acute phase of illness and hazard ratios with 95% Bonferroni-corrected confidence intervals were calculated. Results: This study found 14% of adults [≤]65 years of age who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 (n=193113) had at least one new clinical sequelae that required medical attention during the post-acute phase of illness. When considering risk for specific sequelae attributable to SARS-Cov-2 infection during the post-acute phase, clinical outcomes including chronic respiratory failure, cardiac arrythmia, hypercoagulability, encephalopathy, peripheral neuropathy, amnesia (memory difficulty), diabetes, liver test abnormalities, myocarditis, anxiety and fatigue were significantly elevated compared to the three propensity-matched comparator groups (2020, 2019, vLRTI). Significant risk differences due to SARS-CoV-2 infection ranged from 0.02 to 2.26 per 100 people and hazard ratios ranged from 1.24 to 25.65 when compared to the 2020 comparator group. Conclusions: Our results confirm excess risk for developing clinical sequelae due to SARS-CoV-2 during the post-acute phase, including specific types of sequelae less commonly seen among other viral illnesses. Although individuals who were older, had pre-existing conditions, and were hospitalized due to COVID-19 were at greatest excess risk, younger adults ([≤]50 years), adults who did not have pre-existing conditions or adults who were not hospitalized due to COVID-19 were still at elevated risk for developing new clinical sequelae. The elevated risk for incident sequelae during the post-acute phase is relevant for healthcare planning.
Molecular dynamics simulations of sliding friction of Langmuir–Blodgett monolayers

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study friction in Langmuir–Blodgett monolayers of perfluorocarboxylic acid and hydrocarboxylic acid on SiO2. The frictional force of perfluorocarboxylic acid is found to be about three times as large as that of hydrocarboxylic acid. The qualitative aspects of this simulation results are consistent with known experimental results. In order to interpret the difference in the frictional force, a series of simulations have been carried out by changing molecular potential parameters. The simulation results suggest that the 1–4 van der Waals interaction is the main cause of the larger frictional force for perfluorocarboxylic acid than that for hydrocarboxylic acid. The results also show that frictional force is roughly proportional to the excess root mean square fluctuation of the potential energy under shear from the equilibrium. The relation between the frictional force and the energy needed for molecular deformation under shear condition is also discussed.
1 IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES TOWARDS INCLUSIVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA : DO HEALTH EXPENDITURES MATTER ?

This study investigates whether health expenditure matters for health outcomes, towards a sustainable development in Africa from 2000 to 2016. Three indicators of health outcomes (life expectancy, under-5 mortality and infant mortality rates) were utilized. Using the system GMM estimator, health expenditure was found to increase life expectancy, and reduce both under-5 and infant mortality rates respectively. Health expenditure was found to matter for all three health outcomes in the study. Under the period of investigation, health expenditure was found to exert a direct and significant impact on life expectancy and a negative and significant impact on under-5 and infant mortality rates. On one hand, real income, openness, ethnic fractionalization and education were positively associated with life expectancy while Co2 emission, corruption and urbanization exerted a negative effect. The effect of real income, openness, urbanization and education were negative for under-5 and infant mortality rates, while Co2 emission and corruption led to their increase. Whereas ethnic fractionalization exerted a significant negative effect on infant mortality rates, it was not a significant factor affecting under-5 mortality rates. The evidence is that health expenditure matters for health outcomes in Africa, and policy should be directed towards improving expenditure on health, given the imperative of a healthy population for inclusive sustainable development.
3 Sociomaterialism , practice theory , and workplace learning

This chapter provides a detailed overview of contemporary sociomaterial and practice-based approaches, focusing in particular on their implications for conceiving workplace learning. It lays the theoretical foundations for the analysis and arguments developed in Parts II and III. It sets out an ontological position, and key concepts that are not so much applied in the subsequent empirical work, but tangled up in it (including in the approach to ethnographic fieldwork. These foundations are set in a broader context, namely sociomaterial approaches. The way in which contemporary theorists are ‘rethinking the thing’ is highlighted, based on performative, diffractive and non-representational ontologies. The ‘practice turn’ is located within these wider, diverse, traditions, and Schatzki’s practice theory is presented as an overarching framework for this book. Next, research on workplace learning is considered, highlighting the metaphor of emergence and its links to concepts of knowledge. Here Gherardi and others’ practice-based studies are significant, emphasising knowing in practice and aesthetics. The chapter then shifts gear introducing the key arguments that are developed in the remainder of the book. Times, spaces, bodies and things are introduced as four essential dimensions of professional practice and learning, and then a distinctive view of professional learning in an asymmetrical and non-reversible relationship with practice is presented. Learning and practice are viewed as entangled, but analytically distinguishable, and criteria for specifying this distinction are presented.
Fluorescence Protection of CdTe Quantum Dots and Usages in Cellular and in vivo Imaging

The nanocomposites of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and CdTe quantum dots (QDs) (i.e., QD-PDADMAC nanocomposites) have been prepared based on electrostatic interaction. Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Zeta potential analysis were used to characterize the prepared QD-PDADMAC nanocomposites. It was shown that the QD-PDADMAC nanocomposites have the specific curly-shaped band-like morphology with the width of 4–8 nm and unequal length, and there are rich positive charges on the surface of the nanocomposites. The prepared QD-PDADMAC nanocomposites also had good fluorescence stability. The usage based on their good stability has also been studied by cellular and in vivo imaging. In comparison with the QDs without PDADMAC protection, the obtained QD-PDADMAC nanocomposites have better fluorescence stability and staining effect in biology imaging. After incubation for 24 h at 37°C, A549 lung cancer cells were almost not stained by QDs, similarity to the culture medium control group, and could be clearly stained by QD-PDADMAC nanocomposites. For in vivo imaging of mice by intraperitoneal injection, the fluorescence of QDs could not be seen in abdominal cavity at 30 min, and the nanocomposites' one could still be clearly observed at a longer time (1 h). Moreover, the intestine in the large area of the abdominal cavity was effectively stained.
The current status of insecticide resistance in Musca domestica in England and Wales and the implications for housefly control in intensive animal units

Following the 1984–85 housefly (Musca domestica L.) resistance survey, a similar survey was carried out between January 1990 and April 1992 in order to monitor changes in UK housefly resistance. Samples of fly populations were collected from 35 farms throughout England and Wales. Dose-response data were obtained by topical application and feeding test methods. For both methods the knockdown (KD) after 48 h was used for all the dose-response comparisons. The ranges of resistance factors for the topical application method were for methomyl, 1·6–20·0 at KD50 and 4·5–34·4 at KD95; for azamethiphos, 2·5–58·5 at KD50 and 5·0–2604 at KD95; for pyrethrins+piperonyl butoxide, 1·2–9·6 at KD50 and 1·6–14·7 at KD95; and for permethrin, 2·2–118·8 at KD50 and 4·3–200·0 at KD95. The ranges of the resistance factors for the feeding tests were for methomyl, 1·2–56·1 at KD50 and 3·1–80·0 at KD95, and for azamethiphos, 3·9–125·0 at KD50 and 4·4–380·0 at KD95. The means of resistance factors for all of the insecticides showed increases over those obtained in a previous survey carried out in 1984–85. The significance of the results for housefly control in intensive animal units in the UK is discussed.
Synthesis and Characterization of N-benzoyl-N′-carboxyalkyl Substituted Thiourea Derivatives

N-Benzoyl-N'-carboxyl substituted thiourea derivatives (I-X) have been synthesized by the reaction of benzoyl isothiocyanate with amino acids. Their structures are confirmed by IR, 1 HNMR, and elemental analysis. The reaction conditions are experimentally investigated, and the preliminary biological tests show that some of the compounds have excellent plant growth promotion activities.