Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Use of Response Surface Methodology to Optimise Malting Conditions of Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) as a Raw Material for Gluten‐Free Foods

: Response surface methodology was used to investigate the influence of the three malting parameters, i.e. degree of steeping, germination time, and temperature on the quality of proso millet malt. Each predictor variable was tested at three levels. Germination times varied from 5, 6, and 7 days, degrees of steeping were 44, 48, and 52%, and germination temperatures were 16, 20, and 24°C. A set kilning temperature of 65°C was used for all malts. A series of malt quality parameters were investigated including extract, apparent attenuation limit, gelatinisation temperature, α-amylase activity, β-amylase activity, limit dextrinase activity, Kolbach index, α-amino nitrogen, viscosity, and colour. The optimal malting program was achieved after the fifth day of germination, 44% degree of steeping, and a 22°C steeping and germination temperature. The obtained values for the amylolytic and cytolytic attributes were 64.8% extract, 1.383 mPa × s viscosity, 76.0% apparent attenuation limit, 111 U/g α-amylase activity, and 102 U/g β-amylase activity.
Sensitivity analysis of the infection transmissibility in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak started in December 2019 and rapidly spread around the world affecting millions of people. With the growth of infection rate, many countries adopted different policies to control the spread of the disease. The UK implemented strict rules instructing individuals to stay at home except in some special circumstances starting from 23 March 2020. Accordingly, this study focuses on sensitivity analysis of transmissibility of the infection as the effects of removing restrictions, for example by returning different occupational groups to their normal working environment and its effect on the reproduction number in the UK. For this reason, available social contact matrices are adopted for the population of UK to account for the average number of contacts. Different scenarios are then considered to analyse the variability of total contacts on the reproduction number in the UK as a whole and each of its four nations. Our data-driven retrospective analysis shows that if more than 38.5% of UK working-age population return to their normal working environment, the reproduction number in the UK is expected to be higher than 1. However, analysis of each nation, separately, shows that local reproduction number in each nation may be different and requires more adequate analysis. Accordingly, we believe that using statistical methods and historical data can provide good estimation of local transmissibility and reproduction number in any region. As a consequence of this analysis, efforts to reduce the restrictions should be implemented locally via different control policies. It is important that these policies consider the social contacts, population density, and the occupational groups that are specific to each region.
Thermally induced stacking of octadecylphosphonic acid self-assembled bilayers

The thermal behaviour of octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) self-assembled bilayers (SABs) was investigated by atomic force microscopy employing ex situ and in situ annealing treatments. An interesting stacking effect was observed for OPA SABs deposited on different substrates within the temperature range 80–110 °C, which was associated with the formation of hydrogen bonds between OPA headgroups at the surface of bilayers. Infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the formation of H-bonds during the stacking process.
Competitive and Sequential Adsorption of β-Casein and β-Lactoglobulin on Hydrophobic Surfaces and the Interfacial Structure of β-Casein

Abstract The competitive and sequential adsorption of β-casein and β-lactoglobulin on hydrophobized silica surfaces is studied by in situ ellipsometry. Native β-casein, as well as the segments 1-93 and 1-42, constituting the hydrophilic part of β-casein, are used in this study. Both the adsorption kinetics and the total amount adsorbed are quite different for β-lactoglobulin as compared to β-casein. Although the amount adsorbed is larger for β-casein, the number of molecules adsorbed per surface area unit following a rinse with pure buffer is nearly the same, since almost none of the adsorbed β-lactoglobulin desorbs. A preadsorbed layer of β-casein, but not β-CN (1-93) (β-casein (1-93)), prevents a sequential adsorption of β-lactoglobulin. Addition of endoproteinase Asp-N to an adsorbed layer of β-casein reduces the adsorbed amount by approximately 20%, suggesting a cleavage at residues Asp 43 and/or Asp 47. Furthermore, it is possible to adsorb β-lactoglobulin on this enzyme-treated surface. The proteinase has only a minor effect on adsorbed layers of β-CN (1-93). Our results indicate that the large C-terminal hydrophobic domain, absent in β-CN (1-93), is essential for the orientation at the interface of the N-terminal hydrophilic moiety of β-casein. The N-terminal part of an adsorbed β-casein molecule is then likely to protrude into the solution and thus hinder the sequential adsorption of β-lactoglobulin.
Evaluation of Vapor Attenuation at Petroleum Hydrocarbon Sites: Considerations for Site Screening and Investigation

Vapor intrusion is associated with subsurface sources of both chlorinated VOCs and petroleum VOCs; however, petroleum vapor intrusion has been reported to occur under a narrower range of hydrogeologic settings. Research conducted over the last several years including field studies, evaluation of large datasets, and modeling studies, has provided an improved understanding of the differences in vapor intrusion associated with chlorinated VOCs and petroleum VOCs. When oxygen is present in the vadose zone, aerobic biodegradation typically results in rapid attenuation of petroleum VOCs diffusing upwards from deeper sources. At many building sites, wind-driven advection and/or building pressure fluctuations provide sufficient oxygen transport below the foundation to support this aerobic biodegradation. In such cases, there is limited potential for vapor intrusion from dissolved sources of petroleum VOCs unless preferential migration pathways are present. These findings support a framework for the evaluation of vapor intrusion at petroleum hydrocarbon sites that involves simple screening for preferential pathways at sites with sufficient vertical separation between the building and a dissolved source (e.g., 3 m) or a LNAPL source (e.g., 10 m), but a more intensive investigation at sites with petroleum sources in closer proximity to the building.
Gluten-free spaghetti made with chickpea, unripe plantain and maize flours: functional and chemical properties and starch digestibility.

Summary The development of gluten-free spaghetti with a low amount of glycaemic carbohydrate was investigated. The goal of this study was to determine the chemical composition, cooking quality and starch digestibility of gluten-free spaghetti elaborated with mixtures of chickpea, unripe plantain and maize flours. The gluten-free spaghetti presented a higher protein, fat and ash content than the control semolina spaghetti. The solid loss among all the gluten-free spaghetti was in the range of 10.04–10.91% and not significantly different from each other. These values were almost at the limit of acceptability to be considered as good cooking quality. Total starch in the gluten-free spaghetti was lower than the control spaghetti. The lower available starch (AS) and higher resistant starch contents in the gluten-free spaghetti were associated with their lower rate of hydrolysis and predicted glycaemic index. There is a potential for developing gluten-free spaghetti with reduced amount of glycaemic carbohydrates from unconventional food ingredients such as chickpea, unripe plantain and maize flours.
Crime and Punishment

In this paper, we study experimentally how revealing different information about a punishment distribution affects crime deterrence. In our laboratory experiments, we hold the expected value of punishment equal across treatments while changing the framing of the same punishment scheme. We use an incentive-compatible elicitation method to observe crime behavior across subjects and quantify the extent to which this behavior responds to information structures. We find that ambiguous punishment schemes, such as providing a minimum or a maximum fine, are more effective at deterring undesirable behavior compared to schemes which specify the exact distribution of fines. Further, we document that the ‘minimum’ frame outperforms the ‘maximum’ one and identify the mechanism driving this results.
Structure of a carbon nanotube–dendrimer composite

Using all atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations we report a microscopic picture of the carbon nanotube (6,5)-dendrimer complex for PAMAM dendrimers of generations 2 to 4. We study the compact wrapping conformations of the dendrimer onto the nanotube surface for all the three generations of PAMAM dendrimer. A high degree of wrapping for the non-protonated dendrimer is observed as compared to the protonated dendrimer. For comparison, we also study the interaction of another dendrimer, poly(propyl ether imine) (PETIM), with the nanotube. The results of the distance of closest approach as well as the number of close contacts between the nanotube and the dendrimer reveal that the PAMAM dendrimer interacts strongly as compared to the PETIM dendrimer. We also calculate the binding energy between the nanotube and the dendrimer using MM/PBSA methods and attribute the strong binding to the charge transfer between them. Dendrimer wrapping on the CNT will make it soluble and the dendrimer can act as an efficient dispersing agent for the nanotubes.
RF-O2 plasma surface modification of kraft lignin derived from wood pulping.

Th e RF O2-plasma treatments show signifi cant changes in the nature and relative ratio of surface atoms in kraft lignin compounds. Th e comparisons between the treatments and the measured results reveal that the oxidation response of a kraft lignin can be predicted quite well by changing the external plasma parameters. Th e XPS measurements show that low power and prolonged reaction time are suffi cient, to signifi cantly alter the chemical structure of lignin. Th e nonequivalent, High Resolution (HR), C1s XPS analyses reveals the diversity of oxygenbased functionalities. Besides the characteristic lignin functionalities, the existence of a newly formed -COO group can be noted. It has been suggested that the increase of -COO concentration is related to the diminution of C-C & C=C, C-O-C & C-OH, and O-C-O groups on the lignin structure.
Analyzing a Large Corpus of Crowdsourced Plagiarism Master’s Thesis

This thesis investigates the Webis Text Reuse Corpus 2012 (Webis-TRC-12), a large dataset of crowdsourced plagiarism. In the process, it studies the categorization of text reuse strategies found in the corpus, and the patterns of search engine interaction of authors gathering material for a complex writing task. Its contributions include the processing and refinement of the data for future use, a framework for categorizing crowdsourced plagiarism, and a set of interactive tools that support the exploratory study of large corpora of this nature.
Dissolved organic matter interaction with napropamide and four other nonionic pesticides

Equilibrium dialysis was used to measure the extent of interaction between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and five nonionic pesticides. The association-dissociation of DOM with the relatively polar, nonionic pesticide napropamide [2-(a-naphthoxy)-N,N-diethylpropionamide], was emphasized in this study. A negative linear correlation was found between the log of the solubility and the log of the association coefficient of these five pesticides with dissolved humic acid derived from peat (peat-DHA) (.)
Neodymium Dioxide Carbonate as a Sensing Layer for Chemoresistive CO2 Sensing

We report the synthesis of neodymium hydroxide nanoparticles via a nonaqueous and surfactant-free sol−gel process and their subsequent thermal transformation into neodymium dioxide carbonate, which can be applied as a sensing layer for resistive-readout CO2 sensing. The sensors show an increase in resistance when exposed to CO2 in both dry and humid air in the operation temperature range of 250−400 °C, with a maximum sensor signal of 4 in humid air at 350 °C in 1000 ppm CO2. Another important feature of the sensor is the fact that exposure to water vapor leads to a pronounced decrease in resistance (opposite of the CO2 effect), which indicates different charge-transfer mechanisms. The CO2 gas-sensing mechanism was studied via the Operando approach, by performing direct-current (DC) resistance and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) measurements simultaneously under operation conditions. This combination enables the correlation of any concentration changes of specific surfa.
Microbial Indices Related to Soil Carbon as Affected by Management Practices in Arid Forest and Agricultural Ecosystems

A study was conducted to investigate how management affects soil carbon (C) pools, mineralization kinetics, and related microbiological properties. Soils were sampled from two sites in central Iran. At the Lordegan forest (LOR) site, soil under an oak forest was compared with its adjacent deforested counterpart. At the Fozveh Research Station (FRS) site, adjacent fields under alfalfa and tall fescue cropping were compared. At the LOR site, soil organic C (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass C (MBC), β-glucosidase activity (βG), and potentially mineralizable C (C0) were significantly greater in the forest than in the deforested counterpart. At the FRS site, the soil cropped to alfalfa showed significantly greater values of SOC, TN, MBC, βG, and C0 than that cropped to tall fescue. Overall, soil biodegradable C pools and related processes are largely affected by management practices in the semiarid to arid environments, confirming the role of management as a significant driver of soil C change.
Propositional Accounts of Implicit Evaluation: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

Associative accounts suggest that implicit (indirectly measured) evaluations are sensitive primarily to co-occurrence information (e.g., pairings of gorges with positive experiences) and are represented associatively (e.g., Gorge–Nice). By contrast, recent propositional accounts have argued that implicit evaluations are also responsive to relational information (e.g., gorges causing vs. preventing ennui) and are represented propositionally (e.g., “I find gorges fascinating”). In a review of 30 empirical papers involving exposure to contradictory co-occurrence information and relational information, we found overwhelming evidence for the latter dominating the updating of implicit evaluations, supporting the propositional perspective. However, unlike explicit evaluations, implicit evaluations seem recalcitrant in the face of relational information that requires retrospective revaluation of already encoded co-occurrence information. These findings may be jointly explained by a “common currency” hypothesis under which implicit evaluations emerge from compressed summary representations, which are sensitive to relational information but are not fully propositional.
Two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis of cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulins

With the aid of two‐dimensional electrophoresis, the immunoglobulins (Ig) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were separated into heavy and light chains and visualized with silver staining. CSF from 36 patients with no abnormal immunologic activity in the central nervous system show a constant pattern of light chain subfractions, however varying strongly in their respective quantities. In 40 patients with inflammatory diseases such as confirmed multiple sclerosis (MS) (n = 10), neurosyphilis (n = 6), lymphocytic meningoradiculitis (n = 3), novel immunoglobulins appear and form a so‐called oligoclonal zone in the light chain region. By comparing various oligoclonal zones, differences were found between the arrangement of the novel Ig light chains and the polyclonal light chain background. In the region of the polyclonal light chain background certain protein fractions appear which are non‐immunoglobulin and which are not found in serum. The protein fraction at the isoelectric point of 7.8 appears in 9 out of 10 confirmed MS cases, but in none of the 6 neurosyphilis and 3 lymphocytic miningoradicultis cases. In one case of neurosyphilis with an extremely high gamma‐globulin content in CSF we found an oligoclonal zone in the heavy chain region.
Graduate Student Professional Quality of Life Impact of Self-Compassion, Psychological Flexibility, and ACEs

Traumatic childhood events have the potential to shape later life experiences and choices (Layne et al., 2014). Felitti et al. (1998) found that higher numbers of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) correlate to an increase in health risks and risky behaviors in adulthood. There is currently a lack of research regarding ACEs scores among graduate students in the helping profession. Thomas (2016) noted that graduate students in the helping profession have been overlooked in ACEs research although they tend to have higher rates of adverse childhood experiences than peers in comparable graduate programs. The current study sought to discover the rate of ACEs and if, among graduate students in the helping profession, self-compassion and psychological flexibility ameliorate the impact of ACEs on professional quality of life. Ninetytwo participants were sampled from doctoral and master’s programs at George Fox University. Data analysis shed light on how ACEs scores, level of Self-Compassion, and level of Psychological Flexibility predicted self-reported Professional Quality of Life. A strong positive relationship was found between the abilities of self-compassion and psychological flexibility. In this sample, 25.8% endorsed 4 or more ACEs. Overall, they reported significantly more ACEs than the Felitti et al. (1998) sample and were more likely to report emotional abuse, emotional neglect, parental separation or divorce, having a household member incarcerated, and a household member struggling with mental health concerns. These adversities should become a strong consideration in program development, student support systems, and early career guidance. The present findings suggest that psychological flexibility and self-compassion may be important antidotes to the adverse impact of childhood suffering. Level of psychological STUDENT QUALITY OF LIFE iv inflexibility was shown to predict burnout; a concerning element of professional work. These data point to the importance of strengthening responses characterized by psychological flexibility and self-compassion during the educational stage of early career. The results of this study have implications for individuals, organizations, and the populations served by helping professionals. Often, the focus of trauma-informed policies is on the consumer. These data indicate the need for increased awareness of the trauma histories of providers and the development of self-compassion and psychological flexibility skills.
Evaluation of biodegradability of plastics bags in composting conditions

Abstract Biodegradation of plastics bags advertised as 100%-degradable or certified as compostable was tested in composting conditions. Samples were placed into frames and inserted into one clamp within the compost pile to investigate the biodegradation. The plastics bags were obtained from chain stores in the Czech Republic and Poland. The shopping bags were made of HDPE with the TDPA additive (sample 2), PP with an addition of pro-oxidants (d2w) (samples 1, 3) and materials certified as compostable (starch, polycaprolactone) (samples 4, 5, 6, 7). Control sample (cellulose filtering paper, sample 8) was to check the potential of biological decomposition in the tested environment. At the end of the 12-week experimental period it was found that the polyethylene samples with the additive (samples 1, 2, 3) had not been decomposed, their colour had not changed and that no degradation neither physical changes had occurred (did not biodegrade). Samples certified as compostable (samples 4, 5, 6, 7) were decomposed. The results at the municipal compost facility demonstrate that the compostable plastics biodegrade and polyethylene samples with the additive did not biodegrade in compost. Abstrakt Badano biodegradację plastikowych toreb reklamowych ulegających w 100% rozkładowi oraz certyfikowanych jako kompostowalne w warunkach kompostowania. W celu oceny biodegradacji próbki zostały umieszczone w ramach, a następnie w materiale przeznaczonym do kompostowania. Plastikowe torby są dostępne w sieci sklepów w Czechach, jak również w Polsce. Badaniu poddano osiem próbek. Jedną z nich była jednorazowa torba wykonana z folii HDPE z dodatkiem TDPA (próbka 2). Kolejne torby były wykonane z polietylenu z dodatkiem oxo-biodegradacji d2w (próbki 1, 3). Cztery próbki posiadały certyfikat kompostowalności (próbki 4, 5, 6, 7). Próbka ósma była próbką kontrolną (celulozowy papier filtracyjny, próbka 8), która miała na celu sprawdzenie potencjału biologicznego rozkładu badanego środowiska. Test został przeprowadzony w warunkach kompostowni przemysłowej. Pod koniec 13-tygodniowego okresu doświadczalnego stwierdzono, że próbki z polietylenu (próbki 1, 2, 3) nie uległy rozkładowi, ich barwa się nie zmieniła oraz że nie ma zmian fizycznych potwierdzających degradację. Próbki posiadające certyfikat kompostowalności (próbki 4, 5, 6, 7) uległy rozkładowi w różnym stopniu. Z przeprowadzonego doświadczenia wynika, że kompostowalne torby uległy rozkładowi, a torby wykonane z polietylenu z dodatkiem TDPA oraz d2w nie ulegają rozkładowi w kompoście.
Structural and mechanical properties of chromium nitride, molybdenum nitride, and tungsten nitride thin films

Cr–N, Mo–N, and W–N thin films are deposited on silicon by rf reactive magnetron sputtering. The crystallographic phase and residual stress are determined by x-ray diffraction analysis. In each of the three material systems, a hexagonal and a face-centred cubic (fcc) phase are observed. Plasma diagnostics using energy-resolved mass spectroscopy reveal that a significant fraction of the Cr+ ions exhibits a high flux and kinetic energy if the nitrogen partial pressure pN2 is low. These high-energy ions effectively bombard the growing film and a densely packed morphology results. In contrast, in absence of a significant amount of high-energy ions at higher pN2, a columnar crystal morphology is observed by scanning electron microscopy. The grain size strongly depends on the presence of a second phase and on the nitrogen content. The hardness, measured by nanoindentation, increases in every material system if the content of the hexagonal phase increases. Under overstoichiometric conditions, the hardness of fcc compounds decreases. The observed hardness differences are explained by morphological changes and by differences in the electronic structure of the compounds.