Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Investigation of Thermodynamics, Kinetics, and Equilibrium of Nickel Ion Removal from Wastewater Using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles as the Adsorbent

ZnO nanoparticles, Ni (II), kinetics, isotherms, adsorption, thermodynamics. In the present study commercial zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in the size of 30 nm were utilized as an adsorbent for the removal of Ni (II) ion from synthetic waste aqueous solution. Adsorption capacity of ZnO for removing Ni (II) ions from aqueous solutions was measured at different pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, temperature and metal ion concentration. Moreover, adsorption isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamics were studied to understand the nature and mechanism of adsorption. ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by X-Ray diffract analysis(XRD),Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM),energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The maximum amount of Ni (II) removal were found to be (98.71%) from its aqueous solutions by ZnO nanoparticles which was achieved at the evaluated optimum conditions. The experimental kinetic data were examined using the pseudo-secondorder rate model with a high regression coefficient. The adsorption isotherm was well described to the equilibrium data by Langmuir isotherm model (R2=0.990). In addition, the calculated thermodynamic parameters, the standard Gibbs free energy ΔGo, the change in standard enthalpy ∆Ho and the standard entropy change ∆So showed that the adsorption of Ni (II) onto ZnO nanoparticles was feasible, endothermic and spontaneous respectively. The experimental results suggest that ZnO nanoparticles can be used as a potential adsorbent for the efficient removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions than any other adsorbent because an economical and lowconsumption energy due to its ambient operation conditions. How to cite this article: Sh. T. Remedhan, “Experimental investigation of thermodynamics, kinetics, and equilibrium of nickel ion removal from wastewater using zinc oxide nanoparticles as the adsorbent ,” Engineering and Technology Journal, Vol. 38, Part A, No. 07, pp. 1047-1061, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30684/etj.v38i7A. 608 Engineering and Technology Journal Vol. 38, Part A, (2020), No. 07, Pages 1047-1061 8403
PDFlib PLOP: PDF Linearization, Optimization, Protection Page inserted by evaluation version

The incidence of breast cancer in the city of Palermo and its Province was investigated. The cancer rate was higher in the city of Palermo (100.8/ 100,000/year), a great southern urban area, than in the 81 municipalities of the Province (79.2/100,000/year). Rates were also compared with those in other geographic areas of Italy, showing a smaller than expected negative northsouth gradient in incidence, especially in the young age group, as shown by the cumulative risk observed in the 0–54-year-old group. These findings confirm the role of recent life style changes in the cancer risk distribution.
The role of human factor and HRM practices in Mncs’ performance in Eastern 
 and Western Europe – a comparative analysis of the research findings

The main goal of the paper is to identify, analyze, and compare the relationships between the activities in the field of HRM and performance results of MNCs in Eastern and Western Europe with a view to the value ascribed to human resources as a strategic competitive factor, HRM centralization practices and the importance of HRM knowledge flows between the headquarters (HQ) and their subsidiaries. The research sample covered 200 HQs of MNCs and their local subsidiaries. The empirical research results show that there are some identifiable and statistically significant differences between MNCs operating in Eastern and Western Europe within the range of relationships defined above. Our study, therefore,represents an original effort at examining these relationships.
Online Applied Problem-Based Learning to Determine the Shelf Life of an on-Site Solution of Refrigerated Drug

A problem-based online learning (PBe-L) teaching sequence was designed for calculating the shelf life (expiration date) of an on-site solution of refrigerated drug as part of activities of a Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry course of Pharmacy major at FES Cuautitlan UNAM in Mexico. The teacher presents students the problem, a group collaborative activity is carried out to search for information in PBL cycles. Students are then shown a virtual experiment that includes experimental results. Another group collaborative activity is carried out for the search of information, for the procedural analysis of the results. Applying knowledge and understanding of the topics of chemical kinetics, temperature effect on the rate of chemical reactions and drug degradation reactions, etc., students solve the problem. Hake's factor was determined for the conceptual gain. A Likert-type satisfaction survey was conducted and compared to the results of a group that was applied to the PBL strategy in person. At the end of the sequence students achieved recognition, comprehension and application learnings and conceptual gain was high. Allowing an integration of its cognitive framework of kinetics topics.
IMF Working Paper Monetary and Capital Markets Department Do Multi-Sector Bond Funds Pose Risks to Emerging Markets ?

Emerging economies in the post-crisis period increasingly saw portfolio debt inflows from a type of large international investment fund: Multi-Sector Bond Funds (MSBFs). These investors have lacked adequate representation in the literature. This paper constructs a new detailed database from micro-level MSBF emerging market (EM) holdings from 2009:Q4–2018:Q2. Exploiting this data, the paper assesses the risks they pose to the financial stability of specific emerging bond markets. The data shows that MSBFs are highly concentrated–both in their positions and their decision-making. The empirical results further suggest that MSBFs exhibit opportunistic behavior (and more so than other investment funds). In periods of high risk aversion, large MSBF portfolio reallocations out of EMs can be associated with underperformance of the same markets, signaling the importance of monitoring their footprint and better understanding their asset allocation decisions. JEL Classification Numbers: F32, G11, G15, G23 Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful for the useful comments and contributions from Anna Ilyina, Sheheryar Malik, Mustafa Saiyid, Damien Puy, and participants at a review seminar at the KU Leuven.
Efecto de la edad y el genotipo sobre el crecimiento del área foliar en el frijol (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp)

Con el objetivo de estudiar el efecto de la edad y el genotipo sobre el crecimiento del area foliar total por plantas, se establecio un ensayo en la Granja Experimental “Ana Mana Campos” de la Facultad de Agronomia de LUZ (10°33'LN, 71°43'LO; Temperatura media anual 27,9 °C; Precipitacion media 471 mm/ano). Se sembraron parcelas de frijol Var. Ojo Negro (ON-C) y cuatro mutantes elites: ON-30(1), ON-30(4), ON-30(5), ON-30(6). De las parcelas se tomo al azar una muestra de catorce plantas por genotipo a intervalos de diez dias. Las variables estudiadas fueron: Area Foliar total por plantas (AF) y Numero de Hojas (NH) total por plantas. El diseno estadistico correspondio a un diseno totalmente al azar con un arreglo de parcelas divididas en el tiempo: No se encontraron diferencias significativas para el AF entre genotipos pero si hubo diferencias (P
ESP within ESP: the design and implementation of a pronunciation module in a technical English course

This paper focuses on the design and implementation of a ten-week pronunciation module within a university technical English course as part of a broader study that investigates the efficacy of explicit rhythm instruction to improve engineering students’ prosody in English. Sessions were adapted to the course contents and followed Celce-Murcia, Brinton & Goodwin's (1996) steps to teach communicatively. The participants were 298 Spanish/Catalan-speaking first-year undergraduate engineering students divided into three experimental groups and three control groups. The experimental groups received explicit rhythm instruction while the control groups did not. They all were recorded before and after the training. Ten sentences were analyzed acoustically and measures of rhythm (VarcoV) were obtained. Preliminary results revealed that students who took rhythm instruction tended to increase their VarcoV values, approaching English rhythm, while the control group showed a volatile behavior. The comparison of the effect sizes of each group’s differences in performance before and after instruction was statistically significant. Findings suggest that rhythm instruction can be beneficial to enhance EFL students’ prosody and that pronunciation can be effectively introduced within an ESP course.
A PROBABILISTIC APPROACH FOR CHARACTERIZING THE COMPLEX GEOLOGIC ENVIRONMENT FOR DESIGN OF THE NEW METRO DO PORTO

The more significant design problems of the new light metro of Oporto city, currently under construction with a special TBM, were related to the complex and highly variable geotechnical conditions. A specific procedure, based on statistical and probabilistic analyses of data was followed to improve the confidence in geotechnical characterization of the ground for input to design. Probabilistic analyses combined with empirical approach were used to cross check the results of FDM numerical analyses conducted for lining design. The threshold values defined by FDM for the rock load are compatible with the values defined by the empirical approach.
Transcriptional regulation of the flavonoid pathway in the skin of dark-grown ‘Cripps’ Red’ apples in response to sunlight

Summary Flavonoids, including anthocyanins, flavonols and condensed tannins (CTs), are synthesised by a common biosynthetic pathway. Anthocyanins are responsible for the red colour in apple fruits, while CTs and flavonols are potent anti-oxidants which may be beneficial in the human diet. The effect of sunlight on flavonoid accumulation and gene transcription was investigated in fruit skin of the red apple variety Malus domestica Borkh. cv. ‘Cripps’ Red’. Individual fruit growing on trees and covered with bags 46 d after full bloom (DAFB) failed to accumulate anthocyanins by 147 DAFB, 2 weeks before harvest. In contrast, control fruit, grown under natural light conditions, accumulated anthocyanins up to 140 ng mg–1 fresh weight (FW) of skin. The accumulation of flavonols was moderately reduced in bagged fruit, but the synthesis of CTs was unaffected. Exposure of bagged fruit to sunlight induced anthocyanin synthesis up to approx. 30 ng mg–1 FW of skin after 13 d (harvest), but had no effect on the synthesis of flavonols or CTs. The synthesis of anthocyanins correlated with an increase in the steady-state transcript levels of all flavonoid pathway genes except those specific for CT synthesis. These data suggest that transcription of most apple flavonoid genes is controlled by a common regulatory mechanism that is light-responsive.
Haast and the Moa: Reversing the Tyranny of Distance

The powerful position of patrons and interpreters at the imperial centers and the secondary, supportive position of colonial contributors to the scientific enterprise have been emphasized in the literature on colonial science. For Sir Julius von Haast, however, New Zealand provided both the opportunity and the resources for a scientific career of international fame. Moa bones were his most valuable resource. The exchange and sale of moa bones stocked his museum; gifts of moa skeletons brought him honors; and he began to claim that being at the periphery and having seen the bones in situ gave his interpretations credibility. THERE ARE THREE leading characters in this story of the scientific moa. Julius Haast (1822-1887), who was German-born, arrived in Auckland late in 1858, in the employment of an English shipping company, to investigate the prospects for German immigration to New Zealand. He stayed to become one of New Zealand's leading colonial geologists. In 1858, the moa itself (16 million yr B.p.-ca. A.D. 1600) and its creator-discoverer, Richard Owen (1804-1892), had been famous for almost 20 years. Owen, who had never set foot in New Zealand, was the archetypal scientist of empire whose reputation was made through interpreting the natural riches of the colonies-naming living and extinct fauna as he assigned their places in the elaborate classification system of species, genera, and families. Nevertheless, within 20 years, the German immigration agent also became a world expert on the moa and wrung from Owen the admission, "I begin to feel that my share in the work of restoration [of the extinct birds of New Zealand] is over. You stand at the head of my successors in that Work, and merit every honour & recompense for your share in the Natural History of your fair Islands" (1874 [cited by Gruber 1987a: 89-
EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFUSION WEIGHTED MRI DERIVED METRICS IN DIFFERENTIATION OF PEDIATRIC POSTERIOR FOSSA TUMORS

Background: The value of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in differentiation of pediatric posterior fossa tumors (PFTs)has been established previously, however most studies were limited only to the most common types of PFTs and their results were contradictory. Aim of work: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of DWI in differentiation of PFTs taking care to include the less frequent types, and to clarify previously reported debatable findings. Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed 13 embryonal tumors (EMBTs), 4 ependymomas (EPNs),8 low grade gliomas (LGGs),2 mixed neuronal glial tumors (MNGTs), and 5 diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) . For all tumors, absolutemean ADC of the non necrotic enhancing portions of the tumor and ADC ratios of the solid enhancing region of the tumor to the ADC of normal appearing cerebellum were generated. The ADC metrics of the various groups (designated according to histological subtype and WHO grade) were compared using the kruskal – wallis and student-ttests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to generate cutoff absolute ADC values and ADC ratios for differentiation of different types of PFTs Results: Mean ADC values and ADC ratios were significantly lower in high than in low grade tumors (P 1.108× 10−3 (100% sensitivity and 92.3% specificity)but not with mean ADC values and from LGGs using a cutoff mean ADC value of ≤ 1.333 (100% sensitivity and specificity). No statistically significant difference (P >0.05) was seen between the mean ADC values of MNGTs (1.5+/-0.02) and LGGs (1.71+/-0.13) with wide overlap in their range of ADC values and ratios.Conclusion: Apart from a few exceptions, absolute ADC values and ratios go a long way in enabling pre-operative differentiation of different types of PFTs.
On choice in a complex environment

A Decision Maker (DM) must choose at discrete moments from a finite set of actions that result in random rewards. The environment is complex in that she finds it impossible to describe the states and is thus prevented from application of standard Bayesian methods of say Savage (1954) or Anscombe and Aumann (1963). This paper presents an axiomatic foundation and a theory of choice in such environments. Our approach is to postulate that the DM has a preference relation defined directly over the set of actions which is updated over time in response to the observed rewards. Three simple axioms that highlight the independence of the given actions, the bounded rationality of the agent, and the principle of insufficient reason at margin are sufficient to show that the DM has an ex-post utility representation and behaves as if she maximises expected utility in a certain sense. This also enables us to show that, if rewards are drawn by a stationary stochastic process, the observed behavior of such a DM almost surely cannot be distinguished from one that is fully cognizant of the environment.
Nutrition Food Labeling in the Saudi Market between Compliance and Relaxing Policy

Background: With increased demand for prepackaged food, the nutrient content of those products has increased especially fat, sugar, and sodium. We aimed to assess the compliance of nutritional labeling and to analyze the stated nutritional components as presented on prepackaged food products in Saudi market. Methods: A total of 1153 foods were randomly sampled from fourteen stores. Nutritional information was taken from nutrient declarations present on food labels and assessed through a comparison of mean levels and assess compliance with Saudi Food and Drug Authority regulations. Results: Overall, of the total number of products surveyed, 88% displayed nutritional facts, while 12% did not. Of the total products that had nutritional facts, only 38% met SFDA requirements while 97% disclosed the four key nutritional elements (energy, carbohydrate, protein and fat). In total, Original Research Article AlMughthem et al.; AJMAH, 18(5): 1-8, 2020; Article no.AJMAH. 57252 2 almost one third of the products had a high fat content, 40% were high in sugar and 20% were high in Sodium. We found also, 20% listed hydrogenated fat in their ingredient information, 90% of which was fully hydrogenated, while 10% was partially hydrogenated. Conclusion: There was a high percentage of products that displayed nutritional facts, but only a small percentage complied with SFDA's recent regulations. Food reformulation could have an extraordinary potential to overcome the increase in nutrition-related chronic disease in Saudi Arabia, and the information acquired from this paper provides an overview of thinking about the food supply as a major source needed for a national intervention.
E-HRM AND EMPLOYEES' PERFORMANCE IN PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA: A CASE STUDY OF AIRTEL UGANDA

xi CHAPTER ONE:INTRODUCTION . 1.0 Introduction . 1 1.1 Background to the study . 1 1.2 Problem Statement . 7 1.3 Purpose of the study . 7 1.4 Objectives of the study . 8 1.5 Research questions . 8 1.6 Scope of the study . 8 1. 7 Significance of the Study . 9 1.8 Conclusion . 10
Impact of Cash Deals and Related Industry Merger on Synergies Gains: A Case of Indian M&A

A firm's financial attributes play an essential part in the merger decision. The present paper attempts to improve the existing literature on assessing M&A activity in Indian corporate. This research paper aims primarily to analyze the (a) Synergies realized when the mode of payment in the merger deal is cash, (b) impact on bidder liquidity when payment is made in cash (c) Synergies realized when both target and acquirer in the deal belong to related industry, i.e. the merger is horizontal and (d) assess the impact on bidder leverage when payment is made in equity. The paper has analyzed a panel of 120 major Indian M&A deals from 2005 to 2015, having three years of data pre and post-merger. Instrument Variable Probit Regression analysis has been employed in the study. The key results from the analysis show that in case of payment method in the deal being cash, M&A appears financially favorable for the bidder companies. The results of the empirical analysis of the study do support the generation of synergies in the case of horizontal mergers. The combined firm has also found to have lower liquidity for Indian Mergers & Acquisitions. Significant results have also been obtained for the leverage variables indicating fewer borrowings for the merged firm.
ACADEMIC ACHIVEMENT OF HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RELATION TO THEIR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Academic achievement and emotional intelligence of 140 Higher secondary school students (Male=70, Female=70) was studied. Mangal Emotional Intelligence Inventory (2004) was used to study the Emotional Intelligence and marks scored in the previous class were used to assess the academic achievement. Demographic information was collected and Mean, S.D. , t test and product moment correlation of Pearson were calculated. Significant difference was found among higher secondary school students having high and low emotional intelligence. Significant positive relationship was found between academic achievement and emotional intelligence among higher secondary school students.
Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation for the treatment of bladder storage symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis: Protocol of a single-arm feasibility study

Background: Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) is common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with a pooled prevalence of 68.41% using self-report measures and 63.95% using urodynamic studies. Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) is a non-invasive option to manage bladder storage symptoms; however, the potential efficacy of TTNS among people with MS is based on a small number of studies with the absence of high-quality evidence relating to efficacy, and lack of clarity of the optimal electrical stimulation parameters and frequency, duration and number of treatment sessions. This study aims to assess whether TTNS is feasible and acceptable as a treatment for bladder storage symptoms in people with MS. Methods: We will use a single-arm experimental study to explore the feasibility and acceptability of TTNS in the treatment of bladder storage symptoms in MS. The CONSORT extension for pilot and feasibility studies will be followed to standardise the conduct and reporting of the study. The recruitment plan is twofold: 1) Open recruitment for people with MS through MS Ireland’s communication channels; 2) recruitment from a convenience sample of people with MS who have previously participated in a qualitative interview study of urinary symptoms. We will assess recruitment/retention rates, the urinary symptoms changes and the effect on quality of life pre and post intervention using ICIQ-OAB, 3-day bladder diary, King’s Health Questionnaire and collect self-reported data on adherence and adverse events. Acceptability of using TTNS will be evaluated at the end of intervention. This study has been reviewed and approved by the Education and Health Science’s Faculty Research Ethics Committee, University of Limerick [2020_06_07_EHS]. Conclusion: It is anticipated that assessing the feasibility and acceptability of TTNS for storage bladder symptoms in MS will inform the development of a definitive randomised trial. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04528784 27/08/2020
Association between osteoarthritis of knee joint with gender, diabetes and work related diseases in middle aged and old aged population - A survey

Moulishree Ramesh1, Karthik Ganesh Mohanraj*1, Don K R2 1Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India