Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enablers of Managerial Practices for Circular Business Model Design: An Empirical Investigation of an Agro-Energy Company in a Rural Area

The concept of circular economy (CE) has gained prominence in management research as a new industrial approach that society, companies, and policymakers should follow in aiming to manage for sustainability issues. The adoption of CE principles has highlighted particular managerial practices that companies can implement in their business models. However, existing research still falls short of describing in sufficient detail the enablers of these practices for a circular business model design. This issue, especially in rural areas, is particularly interesting for the agri-food sector, which is characterized by enormous sustainability challenges, including food production and waste, packaging, transportation, consumer habits and behavior, and energy production and consumption. This article takes stock of this gap through an analysis of the enablers of managerial practices in Fiusis, a company operating in the agro-energy sector of a rural area, which has designed a circular business model and was recognized as “the best business model in the rural area” by the European Commission in 2019. The case highlights the importance of a suitable political and institutional environment beneficial to the starting-up and development of the business, and the importance of collaborating within the community of stakeholders for the creation of a new culture of sustainability.
Estimation of diffusivity and intermolecular interaction strength of secondary and tertiary amine for CO2 absorption process by molecular dynamic simulation

ABSTRACT CO2 capture by absorption method is a promising way to realise CO2 reduction in the industrial process. To reduce the cost of the CO2 absorption and desorption process, people are looking for efficient solvents. Mixed solvents are an attractive way to solve the problem. Thus evaluating the mass transfer features of molecules is critical for mixed solvents in the CO2 absorption process, which requires knowledge of the diffusion coefficient. 2-ethylamino ethanol (2EAE) and 2-dimethylamino ethanol (2DMAE) are selected for current study. The key objective of the current study is to investigate the diffusivity of 2EAE and 2DMAE and to explore the effect of the solvent concentration on the intermolecular interactions of selected amines. A molecular dynamic simulation analysis is carried out to assess the diffusivity and intermolecular interaction strength. Three different process temperatures were selected, i.e. 298, 313, and 318 K. The results show that as temperature rises, the rate of the diffusion coefficient increases. The CO2 diffusivity on MEA is higher compared to 2DMAE but lower than that of 2EAE. The intermolecular interaction strength increases by increasing the solvent concentration. The highest intermolecular interactions in CO2 are shown by 30%wt of 2EAE and 40%wt of 2DMAE.
The NFT Hype: What Draws Attention to Non-Fungible Tokens?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) can be used to represent ownership of digital art or any other unique digital item where ownership is recorded in smart contracts on a blockchain. NFTs have recently received enormous attention from both cryptocurrency investors and the media. We examine why NFTs have gotten so much attention. Using vector autoregressive models, we show that Bitcoin returns significantly predict next week’s NFT growth in popularity, measured by Google search queries. Moreover, wavelet coherence analysis suggests that Bitcoin and Ether returns are significant drivers of next week’s attention to NFTs. These results indicate that the remarkable increases in prices of major cryptocurrencies can explain the hype around NFTs.
Quantitative Proteomics of Polarised Macrophages Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Macrophages (MΦ) are highly heterogenous and versatile innate immune cells involved in homeostatic and immune responses. Activated MΦ can exist in two extreme phenotypes: pro-inflammatory (M1) MΦ and anti-inflammatory (M2) MΦ. These phenotypes can be recapitulated in vitro by using ligands of toll-like receptors (TLRs) and cytokines such as IFNγ and IL-4. In recent years, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived MΦ have gained major attention, as they are functionally similar to human monocyte-derived MΦ and are receptive to genome editing. In this study, we polarised iPSC-derived MΦ to M1 or M2 and analysed their proteome and secretome profiles using quantitative proteomics. These comprehensive proteomic data sets provide new insights into functions of polarised MΦ.
Some Aspects Concerning the Period of Automotive Air Filters Replacement on the Basis of their Technical Conditions

The engine air supply system is the main source through which impurities from the atmosphere reach inside the kinematic couplings of the engine. The engine protection is ensured by periodically replacement of the air filters. Determining air filters service life is a difficult problem due to different operation conditions of the vehicles. Therefore, air filters are frequently replaced more often than necessary on the principle that a new filter is better than a replaced one. The present paper aims to determine if the air filters replaced during the preventive maintenance activities have reached the end of their service life or they could still be used. The research is based on measuring the pressure restriction and estimating the mass of dust collected by the air filters.
THE EFFECT OF “AKHLAK” ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE WITH JOB SATISFACTION AS INTERVENING VARIABLE AT SEMEN GRESIK HOSPITAL

This study aims to analyze how far the influence of Akhlak organizational culture which is the new organizational culture of BUMN on employee performance and job satisfaction levels at Semen Gresik Hospital. The data used were taken from organic employees of Semen Gresik Hospital as many as 101 people, with proportional sampling technique. Data collection by online questionnaire. Data processing using parth analysis of SPSS version 25 for windows. The results of the study found that Akhlak organizational culture variable had a direct and indirect effect on employee performance and job satisfaction. The direct influence of Akhlak organizational culture on employee performance is 0.357 smaller than the indirect influence of Akhlak organizational culture on employee performance through job satisfaction as an intervening variable of 0.434.
Mineral Fertilization and Maize Cultivation as Factors Which Determine the Content of Trace Elements in Soil

This study has been carried out in order to determine the effect of increasingly intensive fertilization with potassium, applied in combination with nitrogen, on the content of trace elements in soil after the harvest of maize (Zea mays L.). The soil content of trace elements depended on the fertilization with potassium and nitrogen. Potassium fertilization had a stronger effect on the content of trace elements in the pots fertilized with the lower nitrogen dose (130 mg N kg−1 of soil). The increasing doses of potassium led to a higher soil content of zinc (Zn), and especially of nickel (Ni). The impact of potassium fertilization on the content of the remaining trace elements in the soil was less unambiguous, and depended on the dose of potassium and nitrogen fertilization. Nitrogen fertilization resulted in a higher soil content of manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd), as well as a decreased soil content of lead (Pb). It needs to be underlined that changes in the soil content of Ni, Cd, and Pb, effected by nitrogen fertilization, were larger than in the cases of the other trace elements. The influence of potassium and nitrogen fertilization did not result in exceeding the current threshold amounts of trace elements set for agriculturally used soil. An increase in the contents of some trace elements in soil is beneficial from an agricultural point of view. Some of these elements are necessary for the correct growth and development of arable plants.
Learning Vocabulary in the App Store by EFL College Students

This article gives examples of mobile vocabulary apps (MVAs) that can be downloaded from the Google Play or Apple App Stores and used as extension activities or a supplement to in-class vocabulary instruction in EFL such as English word study, advanced English vocabulary, test your English vocabulary, English vocabulary level I, II & III, 1000 TOEFL words and others. There are also mobile dictionary apps, graded vocabulary tests for assessing vocabulary knowledge and skills and vocabulary trainers for the TOEFL and IELTS test vocabulary. In addition, the article gives guidelines for searching for, selecting, and using MVAs, the phases of teaching with MVAs and the instructor's role. The instructor can help the students find and download relevant MVAs, give pre-questions, and follow the students up to make sure they are making the best use of them. Recommendations for using MVAs with EFL freshman students are given.
Histomorphological Changes in a Rat Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Contribution of Stevia Leaf Extract in Modulating the Ovarian Fibrosis, VEGF, and TGF-β Immunoexpressions: Comparison with Metformin

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder of fertile females. It has been reported that stevia leaf extract (SLE) has antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic properties. Therefore, the current study hypothesized and investigated the role and mechanistic aspects of a natural sweetener; SLE in treating a rat model of letrozole-induced PCOS and to compare it with metformin. Thirty-five female Wistar albino rats were divided into 5 groups: control, PCOS-induced group (letrozole, 1 mg/kg/d, for 21 days), SLE, metformin, and combination-treated groups (300 mg/kg/d, for the next 28 days in SLE and metformin-treated groups). Vaginal smears were done. The levels of glucose, lipid, and hormonal profiles were measured in the serum meanwhile, malonyl dialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) were measured in the ovary. Ovarian sections were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin, Masson, and immunohistochemical identification of VEGF and TGF-β followed by morphometric analysis. PCOS rats showed altered hormonal and lipid profiles, in addition to hyperglycemia. Also, the ovarian tissue levels of MDA and TNF-α were elevated, and SOD was decreased. Numerous cystic follicles, decrease/absence of corpora lutea, interstitial fibrosis with positive VEGF and TGF-β immunoreactivity were evident. SLE improved all altered parameters. SLE showed potential therapeutic merits in letrozole-induced PCOS via anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-fibrotic, and angiogenesis regulating mechanisms. Its effects were almost comparable to metformin, and the combination of both has no further synergistic effect.
Static and Dynamic Characteristics of Compensated Gas Bearings

A static and dynamic analysis of a general configuration of a compensated gas bearing is presented for the case in which the effects of shaft rotation on performance are negligible. The equations developed can be used quantitatively and are particularly useful in assessing the effects on static and dynamic performance of changes in design parameters such as fluid properties, compensation schemes, and geometry. To illustrate the use of the equations developed, a comparison is made between two common types of hydrostatic gas bearings—the pool bearing and the inherently compensated bearing—and a design example for a specific bearing requirement is worked.
Investigating population dynamics from parentage analysis in the highly endangered fan mussel Pinna nobilis

Abstract Understanding dispersal patterns is a major focus for conservation biology as it influences local survival and resilience in case of local disturbance, particularly for sessile species. Dispersal can be assessed through parentage analyses by estimating family structure and self‐recruitment. This study documents the family structure of a pelagic spawner, Pinna nobilis, which is facing a major crisis that threatens its survival as most of its populations have been decimated by a parasite, Haplosporidium pinnae. In this context, we focused on a single population (Peyrefite, Banyuls‐sur‐mer, France) where 640 individuals were sampled in 2011, 2015, and 2018 and genotyped for 22 microsatellite markers. Genetic diversity was high and homogeneous among years, with mean allele numbers ranging between 13.6 and 14.8 and observed heterozygosities (H o) between 0.7121 and 0.7331. Low, but significant, genetic differentiations were found between 2011–2015 and 2015–2018. A parentage analysis described 11 clusters, including one prevailing, and revealed that 46.9% of individuals were involved in half‐sib relationships, even between years, suggesting that source populations were recurrent year after year. There were few individuals resampled between years (30 in 2015 and 14 in 2018), indicating a rapid turnover. Considering the large number of half‐sib relationships but the low number of relations per individual, we conclude that P. nobilis exhibit homogeneous reproductive success. Self‐recruitment was not detected, making this population highly vulnerable as replenishment only relies on connectivity from neighboring populations. In the context of the pandemic caused by H. pinnae, these results will have to be considered when choosing a location to reintroduce individuals in potential future rescue plans.
Behavioral Changes, Adaptation, and Supports among Indonesian Female Sex Workers Facing Dual Risk of COVID-19 and HIV in a Pandemic

The objective of this study is to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and changes taking place among the Indonesian female sex worker (FSW) community during the COVID-19 pandemic and the predictors of these changes. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey and selected the participants using a purposive snowball sampling technique. Incentives were provided to participants in the form of a 5 USD e-wallet balance. Variables of interest included adaptation to online sex work, adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures during sex work, number of clients, income reduction, social support, condom access, and condom use frequency. Sociodemographic data and COVID-19 fear index values were also collected. Final analysis included 951 FSWs, of whom 36.4% of had adapted to online sex work and 48.6% had practiced COVID-19 prevention measures. Major reductions in client frequency and income were reported by 67.8% and 71.1% of respondents, respectively. However, only 36.3% of FSWs reported they had ever received any form of social support from any parties, public or private. Meanwhile, 16.7% encountered difficulties in accessing condoms and 12.5% reported less frequent condom use during the pandemic. Easy access to condoms was the main factor influencing the frequency of condom use. As expected, staying in employment protected FSWs from major income loss, while education and younger age predicted adaptive behavioral changes, such as taking up online sex work. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted access to socioeconomic support systems and HIV prevention services among FSWs and has further exposed them to the dual jeopardy of HIV and COVID-19 infections.
Intensive Postural and Motor Activity Program Reduces Scoliosis Progression in People with Rett Syndrome

Background: A scoliosis prevalence of 94% was reported in the population with Rett syndrome (RTT), with an annual progression rate of 14 to 21° Cobb which may result in pain, loss of sitting balance, deterioration of motor skills, and lung disfunction. This paper describes the efficacy of an intensive conservative individualized physical and postural activity program in preventing scoliosis curvature progression in patients with RTT. Methods: Twenty subjects diagnosed with RTT and scoliosis were recruited, and an individualized intensive daily physical activity program was developed for each participant. Each program was conducted for six months by participants’ primary caregivers in their daily living environment. Fortnightly remote supervision of the program implementation was provided by an expert therapist. Pre- and post-intervention radiographs and motor functioning were analyzed. Results: An averaged progression of +1.7° ± 8.7° Cobb, over one year (12.3 ± 3.5 months) was observed in our group, together with motor function improvements. A relation between curve progression and motor skill improvement was observed. Conclusions: The intervention prevented scoliosis progression in our group. The achievement of functional motor improvements could enable better body segment control and muscle balancing, with a protective effect on scoliosis progression. The intervention was effective for individuals with RTT across various ages and severity levels. Individual characteristics of each participant and the details of their activity program are described.
PaLS Study: Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Usage among Polish University Students in the Context of Stress Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and imposed restrictions were strong stress factors for young people, especially students. Increased alcohol consumption, smoking cigarettes, usage of heated tobacco products, and other stimulants are common methods of coping with anxiety. However, they can have serious negative health effects. A survey consisting of 12 questions related to mental health and psychoactive substance taking habits was distributed among Polish students between 22 February 2021 and 3 April 2021. A total of 1323 participants met all inclusion criteria (nfemales = 1021, nmales = 297, nother gender = 5). The mean age was 22 years old (±4.17); 47.62% were medical university students. A total of 71.92% reported negative impact, 8.25% did not notice changes, and 12.58% declared a positive pandemic impact on their mental health. A total of 12.58% declared an increase, 70.22% did not see any differences, and 17.20% reported a decrease in their psychoactive substance usage tendency due to the pandemic. Worse perceived psychologic well-being was correlated with a higher tendency to use tobacco (p < 0.001) and alcohol (p < 0.001), and not with marijuana and products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (p = 0.136), and hard drugs (p = 0.799). The majority of participants declared a negative pandemic impact on mental health and did not report significant changes in psychoactive substance taking habits. Medical personnel should be aware of the current situation and apply for proper prevention and treatment programs.
Preparation and Characterization of Polymer Membranes Impregnated with Carbon Nanotubes for Olive Mill Wastewater

In this study, polymer membrane(s) impregnated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were developed, characterized and evaluated for removing phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewater; thus, protecting the environment and public health. Polyethersulfone/functionalized, multi-walled carbon nanotube (PES/fCNTs) membranes were synthesized via the phase inversion method using PES and acid-treated CNTs. The prepared membranes were then characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and contact angle. Results obtained from this study indicate a more hydrophilic surface for the prepared PES/fCNTs membranes, with a higher pure water flux compared to the polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. In addition, the amount of fCNTs in the membranes was found to be the most significant factor affecting the morphology and water flux of the membranes. The PES/fCNTs membranes at 1 bar with 0 wt. % and 1 wt. % of CNTs showed water flux of 37.8 and 69.71 kg/h.m2, respectively. In addition, PES/fCNTs membranes with 0.5 wt. % fCNTs showed the highest total phenol content removal of 74%.
Understanding and diagnosing routing dynamics in global internet

The global routing system is a critical component in the Internet infrastructure. It delivers data to over 210,000 destination networks throughout the Internet. Large scale events such as fiber cuts, power failures, or major changes in network connectivity often lead to large scale routing changes, which in turn can cause widespread disruption in data delivery service. Hence it is critically important to be able to detect all significant routing changes and to identify the origins of these changes. Prior works focused on examining the route changes to individual destinations in an attempt to understand the behavior of the global routing system. Unfortunately the Internet's distributed nature and its sheer size makes such approaches infeasible and ineffective. In this work, we develop a new concept in measuring routing distribution and dynamics. Instead of measuring changes to individual routes, we measure the total number of routes carried over each link, dubbed link weight. By examining the changes to link weight, dubbed rank-change, we easily capture the aggregate route changes. We use link-weights and rank-changes to visually capture large-scale routing events from hundreds of megabytes of routing data collected from operational routers. In addition to enable visual analysis of routing problems, the link weight metric also forms the basis for automated inference to locate the origins of routing changes. We correlate link weight changes across adjacent links and across observations from different vantage points to construct an s-t graph, called a fault graph, which contains a virtual source and sink node. The min-cut that disconnect the source and the sink by cutting the least number of edges is the most likely solution where the problem originated. Our evaluations show that this min-cut heuristic can identify the problem edges with a high accuracy. Another problem facing the Internet today is prefix hijacking where a destination wrongly announces an IP address space it does not own causing routers to send traffic to itself instead of the genuine destination. Prefix hijacking is a major threat to Internet security and detecting a hijack early is important to reduce damage done. To this end we designed a lightweight and easily deployable hijack alert system. We also carried out a systematic evaluation of how impact of a hijack varies based on location of attacker and target and found out that the tier-1 ISPs having the highest degree are much more vulnerable than some of their multi-homed customers. In summary, our definitions of link weight and rank-change contribute a new abstraction to measure Internet routing distribution and dynamics. This new abstraction not only enables a comprehensive visualization of the global routing system and automatic diagnosis, but also opens up new venues for more advanced routing dynamics modeling and analysis. Our work on prefix hijack presents a quick and easy to deploy first step of detection of attacks and also offers new insights into who is more vulnerable against hijacks in the Internet.