Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Dissolution of Silicate Rock Reference Materials with Ammonium Bifluoride and Nitric Acid in a Microwave Oven

The complete dissolution of representative test portions of powdered rock samples for the determination of the mass fractions of trace elements by ICP‐MS relies either on aggressive and time‐consuming acid digestions or fusion/sintering with appropriate fluxes. Here, we evaluate a microwave oven dissolution method that employs a solution of NH4HF2 and HNO3. The entire procedure occurs in a closed vessel system and takes up to 4 h. In hundreds of digestions, the precipitation of fluorides was never observed. Replicate decomposition of 100 mg of twenty‐one international reference materials (RMs) of igneous rocks, and also one of a shale presented mostly satisfactory recoveries of forty‐one trace elements. Important exceptions were Zr and Hf in G‐2 and GSP‐2 (mean recoveries of ca. 70%), although for four other felsic rock RMs, the digestion was complete. For ultramafic rock RMs, we present Cr results that indicate quantitative dissolution of Cr‐bearing phases. We discuss the findings and conclude that advances in sample preparation of geological materials for instrumental analysis would benefit from a better understanding of how specific characteristics, such as composition and crystallinity of certain minerals, may affect their reactivity.
AntibIoTic: The Fog-enhanced distributed security system to protect the (legacy) Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is evolving our society; however, the growing adoption of IoT devices in many scenarios brings security and privacy implications. Current security solutions are either unsuitable for every IoT scenario or provide only partial security. This paper presents AntibIoTic 2.0, a distributed security system that relies on Fog computing to secure IoT devices, including legacy ones. The system is composed of a backbone, made of core Fog nodes and Cloud server, a Fog node acting at the edge as the gateway of the IoT network, and a lightweight agent running on each IoT device. The proposed system offers fine-grained, host-level security coupled with network-level protection, while its distributed nature makes it scalable, versatile, lightweight, and easy to deploy, also for legacy IoT deployments. AntibIoTic 2.0 can also publish anonymized and aggregated data and statistics on the deployments it secures, to increase awareness and push cooperations in the area of IoT security. This manuscript recaps and largely expands previous works on AntibIoTic, providing an enhanced design of the system, an extended proof-of-concept that proves its feasibility and shows its operation, and an experimental evaluation that reports the low computational overhead it causes.
The role of palliative care in lung transplantation

Lung transplantation confers meaningful benefit for patients by extending life and improving quality of life. Palliative care is a medical specialty that likewise aims to improve the quality of life of patients enduring serious illness and their caregivers. Yet, while transplant candidates and recipients face serious illness they rarely receive palliative care, even at end of life. While limited palliative care utilization is likely multifactorial, one key reason is a limited understanding of the specialty of palliative care and evidence for palliative interventions. In this review, we address this key barrier by discussing in depth what the specialty of palliative care is and provides to patients and their caregivers. We then discuss the growing evidence for palliative care interventions to improve quality of life and reduce symptom burdens in patients with malignancy including those undergoing bone marrow transplantation and patients with chronic organ failure. We then consider what palliative care needs exist across pre and post transplantation based on studies of palliative care needs of patients with end stage lung disease, studies of quality of life after lung transplantation, and limited studies of palliative care utilization pre and post lung transplantation. Finally, we consider different models of palliative care and discuss how palliative care might optimally be incorporated in lung transplantation using a longitudinal, integrated approach to palliative care.
Paleoenvironmental Characterization of a High-Mountain Environment in the Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT: Records of changes in the phytosociological structure of vegetation can be observed more clearly in soils that have more significant accumulation of organic matter, like those occurring in high-mountain environments. The aim of this study was to characterize soils formed in high-mountain environments in the Itatiaia National Park (INP), state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, and to discuss the potential of preserved phytoliths as markers of vegetative history and environmental factors. Four profiles were selected, which were morphologically [. ]
On the semantic structure of idioms

espanolLa mayoria de los fraseologismos tienen una motivacion. El estudio de la motivacion en los fraseologismos es una cuestion linguistica importante, ya que influye en la manera en que se utilizan los fraseologismos. La motivacion no es un fenomeno ni puramente psicologico ni etimologico. El fundamento motivador de un fraseologismo se compone de rasgos linguisticamente relevantes de la imagen subyacente mas que de la imagen en si, la cual difiere individualmente. Algunos de estos rasgos forman parte de la base conceptual del fraseologismo, algo abordado intuitivamente por los hablantes. Este tipo de rasgos de la imagen conforman el asi llamado: componente imagen de la semantica de los fraseologismos, y, en este sentido, forman parte del plano de contenido del fraseologismo EnglishMost idioms are motivated in some way. The study of idiom motivation is an important linguistic issue because the motivation influences the way idioms are used. Motivation is neither a purely psychological nor an etymological phenomenon. The motivational basis of an idiom consists of linguistically relevant traces of the underlying image rather than of the image itself, which differs individually. Some of these traces are part of the conceptual basis of the idiom, which is intuitively addressed by speakers. This kind of image traces make up the so-called image component of idiom semantics, and, in this sense, they are part of the content plane of the idiom. Keywords: Phraseology. Idiom. German. English. Russian. Spanish francaisLa plupart des expressions figees sont motivees. L’etude de la motivation de ces dernieres est une question linguistique tres importante, puisque la motivation influe sur la facon dont les expressions figees sont employees. La motivation n’est ni un phenomene purement psychologique ni un phenomene purement ethymologique. Ce qui fonde la motivation d’un phraseologisme, bien plus que sa propre image, qui differe suivant les individus, consiste dans les traits linguistiques qui relevent de l’image sous-jacente du phraseologisme plus que celle de l’image meme, laquelle differe individuellement. Quelques traits font partie de la base conceptuelle de l‘expression imagee, qui est saisi de maniere intuitive par les locuteurs natifs. Ce type de traits de l’image constitue ce que l’on appelle communement les image component de la semantique des expressions figees et, dans ce sens, ils font partie de la performance semantique de l’expression imagee
Benzoxazine Atropisomers: Intrinsic Atropisomerization Mechanism and Conversion to High Performance Thermosets

Atropisomers have inspired chemists and biologists for decades due to their chiral structures and associated biological properties. However, most of atropisomers reported so far arise in highly substituted biaryls and related compounds, and other types have been rarely observed. Here we report a new type of atropisomerism in ortho-tetrahydrophthalimide functional 1,3-benzoxazine family, where the atropisomerism is evident from NMR spectra, with the branching ratio of the atropisomeric configurations invariant with the measurement temperatures. Density functional theory calculations suggested that the reaction intermediate, ortho-tetrahydrophthalimide phenol, is key to the atropisomerism, which creates a large energy barrier after deprotonation and thus determines the branching ratios of the benzoxazine atropisomers. In addition, the ring-opening polymerization of benzoxazine atropisomers has also been investigated. The benzoxazine atropisomers bearing acetylene exhibit unexpectedly low polymerization temp.
Menu Labeling in Malaysia: Who reports noticing and using it?

Menu labeling is provided to help consumers make informed choices when eating out. This study investigated the likelihood of consumers noticing and using menu labeling in restaurants as well as the difference in actual purchase behaviour between consumers who used menu labeling and those who did not. Data collection was conducted in two restaurants that voluntarily offer menu labeling. A total of 580 consumers completed a questionnaire and checklist indicating food items they purchased. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for consumers noticing and using menu labeling. A bivariate analysis was used to compare consumers’ actual purchase behaviour between those who reported using and not using menu labeling. Individuals with monthly incomes MYR 4,000 to MYR 4,999 were more likely to notice menu labeling than those with monthly incomes less than MYR 1,000. Whereas, individuals 30 to 39 years old, not reporting excellent health status, and not always searching for calorie labeling were significantly less likely to use menu labeling. There were no significant difference in actual purchase behavior between those who reported using and not using menu labeling.
Co-Created Values in Crowdfunding for Sustainable Development of Enterprises

Crowdfunding (CF) is considered to be an innovative source of funding, and research into its effects on CF participants is being conducted from many different angles. In our article, we propose a qualitative analysis of CF’s impact on creating added value for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper is a conceptual study based on the theory of value co-creation, the Norton–Kaplan value model, and the concept of economic value added (EVA) to identify the areas (perspectives) of business activity where crowdfunding may stimulate the growth of company value. Based on the map of co-relations in crowdfunding that we have created, we propose a new model of crowdfunding value analysis from the entrepreneur’s point of view. Our research demonstrates that crowdfunding not only presents an alternative financing option, but also affects all perspectives relevant to value creation. As compared to the existing literature, this analysis is the most comprehensive take on the importance of crowdfunding for increasing the value of small and medium enterprises to date, thus offering a material contribution to the fuller understanding of crowdfunding from the financial standpoint, as well as pointing to the importance of crowdfunding as a financing method influencing sustainable decision-making by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The added value of the study is the proposed method of analysing the impact of CF on the value of enterprises by using the Norton–Kaplan model and EVA.
The Effect of Institutional Quality on Financial Inclusion in ASEAN Countries

This study investigates the empirical linkages between ASEAN countries’ institutional quality and financial inclusion using country data from 2008–2019. In this paper, six governance indicators from the World Governance index are used to measure the impact of institutions on financial inclusion. The PCA method’s financial inclusion index is constructed from 3 indicators: penetration, access, and usage: penetration, access, and usage with six indices respectively as the number of ATMs per 1000 km2, the number of bank branches per 1000 km2, the number of ATMs per 100,000 people and the number of bank branches for 100,000 adults, the ratio of credit to private to GDP, and the ratio of deposit to private to GDP. Regression analysis with the Generalized Moments method shows the positive impact of institutions and other control variables like GDP per capita, inflation, bank concentration, and human development index on financial inclusion. Therefore, this study recommends that the government and policymakers in countries pursue the financial inclusion agenda to pay attention to the financial and economic indicators and institutional factors. This is because many savers, borrowers, and investors may not be protected when financial contracts are enforced or breaches occur in an environment where economic, legal, judicial, and political institutions are weak, such as in ASEAN countries.
Asset allocation for a DC pension plan with learning about stock return predictability

This paper investigates an optimal investment problem for a defined contribution pension plan member who receives a stochastic salary, and considers inflation risk and stock return predictability. The member aims to maximize the expected power utility from her terminal real wealth by investing her pension account wealth in a financial market consisting of a risk-free asset, an inflation-indexed bond and a stock. The expected excess return on the stock can be predicted by both an observable predictor and an unobservable predictor, and the member has to estimate the unobservable predictor by learning the history information. By using the filtering techniques and dynamic programming approach, the closed-form optimal investment strategy and the corresponding value function are derived. Finally, with the help of numerical analysis, we explore the impact of model parameters on the optimal investment strategy, and analyze the welfare benefits from leaning and using inflation-indexed bond to hedge the stock return predictors.
Hunter Motivations and Use of Wild Pigs in Texas, USA

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a widespread exotic, invasive species that pose ecological, agricultural, and human health risks in their invaded range. Wildlife managers must manage wild pig abundance and range expansion to mitigate these risks. The diversity of stakeholders involved in the issue of wild pig management complicates efforts to manage the species, and, to be successful, wildlife professionals must consider the human dimensions associated with wild pig management. The prevalence of privately owned lands in Texas, USA necessitates cooperation to enact effective management policies. In this study, we investigate the impact of hunter motivations on wild pig harvest quantity. Motivations driving wild pig hunting are diverse. While the majority of wild pig hunters in Texas are motivated by trophy value, meat-motivated hunters harvest more wild pigs per day afield. Wildlife managers should develop plans that include various management techniques to control wild pig population growth and damage. Education and outreach will continue to be important for involving private landowners in effective wild pig management.
Investigation of Insect Repellent Activity of Cyclocolorenone Obtained from the Red Alga Laurencia intricata

Three known secondary metabolites were isolated from the organic extract of Their structures were identified by NMR and MS experiments and comparison with the literature data. An aromadendrane sesquiterpene, (+)-cyclocolorenone showed strong repellent activity against the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) adults insecticides, pyrethrins, with a ED50 value of 2.0 cyclocolorenone. The results suggest that the red alga which can be used as potential biocontrol
Is the International Convergence of Capital Adequacy Regulation Desirable

The merit of international convergence of bank capital requirements in the presence of divergent closure policies of diierent central banks is examined. The lack of a complementary variation between minimum bank capital requirements and regulatory forbearance leads to a spillover from more forbearing to less forbearing economies and reduces the competitive advantage of banks in less forbearing economies. Linking the central bank’s forbearance to its alignment with domestic bank owners, it is shown that in equilibrium, a regression toward the worst closure policy may result: The central banks of initially less forbearing economies also adopt greater forbearance. I ANALYZE THE JOINT DESIGN of two bank regulatory mechanisms: minimum capital requirements, which are an ex ante mechanism to prevent bank failures, and closure policy, which is an ex post mechanism to manage the cost of bank failures. At the heart of the paper is a simple but fundamental point: Ex post policies affect ex ante incentives, and, hence, the design of an ex ante mechanism must take into account any feedback from the ex post policies.The optimal design of capital requirements is thus tied to the extent of forbearance exercised by the central bank’s closure policy. This warrants a closer scrutiny of the merits of creating a ‘‘level playing ¢eld’’ in capital requirements across countries, as proposed and
Factors affecting mortality in COVID-19 patients in intensive care

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic affects the whole world, causing high mortality. Some clinical parameters have already been implemented to be followed up to prevent mortality, but there is still a need for further information about optimum follow-up parameters and cutoff values. We aimed to investigate the reliability of the parameters used in patient follow-up by comparing survivors and non-survivors. METHODS: Patients were divided into two groups as survivors and non-survivors.The parameters used in the follow-up of patients were evaluated for their prognostic value in the course of COVID-19. RESULTS: Of the 144 patients evaluated in our study, 57 patients were non-survivors (39.7%). Non-survivors were older with an average age of 67.8 years. Of the non-survivors, 59.6% were men. Male gender was found out to be associated with an increased risk concerning prognosis and mortality. The most common accompanying diseases were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiac disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In our study, it has been found that lymphocyte counts and levels of troponin, D-dimer, ferritin, and lactate dehydrogenase are important prognostic predictors in estimating mortality risk. CONCLUSION: The use of prognostic markers appears to provide benefitsin estimating mortality in COVID-19 patients.
A randomized controlled trial of emergency LCBDE + LC and ERCP + LC in the treatment of choledocholithiasis with acute cholangitis

Introduction Emergency biliary drainage is the basic treatment for acute cholangitis caused by choledocholithiasis. Aim To compare the effectiveness and safety of emergency laparoscopic common bile duct exploration combined with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LCBDE + LC) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography combined with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ERCP + LC) for the treatment of choledocholithiasis combined with grade I or II acute cholangitis. Material and methods A total of 80 patients were enrolled in the study, with 40 cases in each group. A prospective randomized controlled study method was adopted, and the eligible patients were randomly divided into two groups in a ratio of 1 : 1 and treated with emergency LCBDE + LC and ERCP + LC, respectively. The relevant clinical data of the two groups were compared. Results The operation duration was longer and blood loss was greater in the LCBDE + LC group than in the ERCP + LC group, but the therapeutic cost was significantly lower in the former than in the latter. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05 in all). There was no severe complication in either group. The total number of cases with complications, incidence of postoperative acute pancreatitis and incidence of hemorrhage were higher in the ERCP + LC group than in the LCBDE + LC group, while the incidence of bile leakage was lower in the former than in the latter. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05 in all). Conclusions Both protocols were safe and feasible in the management of grade I or II acute calculous cholangitis. Compared with the protocol of ERCP + LC, the protocol of LCBDE + LC had the advantages of fewer complications and lower therapeutic costs and is worthy of clinical promotion.
A prospective observational study on management and outcome of different poisoning cases in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Acute poisoning is a worldwide health problem hastened around million deaths yearly. It was estimated that two lakhs of these deaths are mainly due to Organophosphorus compounds (OPC) poisoning. The management of these emergencies poisoning cases is very difficult and requires intensive care as well as monitoring. Despite the large number, evidence on pattern prevalence, management and outcome in India is little. Aim and Objective: The purpose of our study was to assess the socio-demographic pattern of various poisonings, pharmacotherapy and factors associated with outcome in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective observational study was done from January 2014 to December 2014 at Casualty in government teaching medical college hospital. Results: 253 patients were identified to have suffered of poisoning, 47.0% (119) of these patients were poisoned by OPC followed by other poison such as pyrethroids, Organocabamates. From all assessed cases male over female dominance was observed. More poisoning cases were observed between the age group 21 and 30 years. Intentional poisoning was more common (87.74%). The time taken between the poison ingestion and treatment was found that 83.8% of patients introduced to hospital before 12 h of the incident, whereas 28.7% introduced before 3 h. The death rate was 1.97 % with male dominance. Conclusion: This study comes to a conclusion that there is load of poisoning for which some proper safety measures such as limitation of easy availability and securing the poisonous chemicals which reduce the incidence of different poisoning in susceptible patients.
STUDY ON THE SYNTHESIS OF DIETHYL METHYL-PHOSPHONITE

[Aims] Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicide in the world, Diethyl methyl-phosphonite(DEMP) is the key intermediate for glyphosate production. Various processes are known for the manufacture of DEMP. However, the substitution reaction has many disadvantages such as low product yield and purity. [Methods] In order to diminish the cost of production of its relevant products, we determine using methylphosphonous dichloride (CH3PCl2), alcohol(CH3CH2OH) and sodium hydride(NaH) to give DEMP. [Results] The acts of raw materials ratio,reaction temperature, and other factors on the yield were tested. The results showed that the yield was 43.7% and purity was 86.6%. Its structure was characterized by GC-7980. [Conclusions] CH3PCl2, CH3CH2OH and NaH were used as raw materials to prepare DEMP by a simple and economical operation. The reaction condition is gentle, and cut down the cost of treating by-product.