Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Silver Ecotoxicity Estimation by the Soil State Biological Indicators

The use of silver in various spheres of life and production leads to an increase in environmental pollution, including soil. At the same time, the environmental consequences of silver pollution of soils have been studied to a much lesser extent than those of other heavy metals. The aim of this study is to estimate silver ecotoxicity using the soil state biological indicators. We studied soils that are significantly different in resistance to heavy metal pollution: ordinary chernozem (Haplic Chernozems, Loamic), sierosands (Haplic Arenosols, Eutric), and brown forest acidic soil (Haplic Cambisols, Eutric). Contamination was simulated in the laboratory. Silver was introduced into the soil in the form of nitrate in doses of 1, 10, and 100 mg/kg. Changes in biological parameters were assessed 10, 30, and 90 days after contamination. Silver pollution of soils in most cases leads to deterioration of their biological properties: the total number of bacteria, the abundance of bacteria of the genus Azotobacter, the activity of enzymes (catalase and dehydrogenases), and the phytotoxicity indicators decrease. The degree of reduction in biological properties depends on the silver concentration in the soil and the period from the contamination moment. In most cases, there is a direct relationship between the silver concentration and the degree of deterioration of the studied soil properties. The silver toxic effect was most pronounced on the 30th day after contamination. In terms of their resistance to silver pollution, the studied soils are in the following order: ordinary chernozem > sierosands ≥ brown forest soil. The light granulometric composition of sierosands and the acidic reaction of the environment of brown forest soils, as well as the low content of organic matter, contribute to high mobility and, consequently, high ecotoxicity of silver in these soils. The regional maximum permissible concentration (rMPC) of silver in ordinary chernozem (Haplic Chernozems, Loamic) is 4.4 mg/kg, in sierosands (Haplic Arenosols, Eutric) 0.9 mg/kg, and in brown forest soils (Haplic Cambisols, Eutric) 0.8 mg/kg.
The Influence of Hadiths and Islamic Scholars’ Opinions on Current Miswak Practice

*Corresponding author: Ahmad Zharif Ibrahim, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Level 15, Tower B, Persiaran MPAJ, Jalan Pandan Utama,55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Email: ahmadzharif@usim.edu. my Abstract: Following the introduction of toothbrush, the usage of miswak, a thousandyear-old tooth-cleaning tool, worldwide is declining but still exists, especially amongst Muslims. Muslims are using miswak because it is a part of sunnah and highly recommended by the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him (P.B.U.H). Although numerous hadiths on the importance of miswak exist, authentic resources on the methods of its usage are limited. Current techniques may be different from the method recommended in the resources. This study aims to investigate the practice of miswak amongst current users and according to hadiths and Islamic scholars. This work adopted a crosssectional descriptive design with purposive sampling amongst miswak users in Sri Petaling, Selangor. Questionnaires on the various aspects of using miswak as an oral hygiene tool were distributed amongst consenting participants. Results were analysed descriptively and compared with miswak practice mentioned in hadiths and scholars’ recommendations. Thirty-seven subjects participated in this study. Several miswak practices explained in the resources were practised by the participants. The use of miswak before ablution/prayer was highly recommended by the Prophet P.B. U.H. and was practised by all participants (100%). All participants used miswak that was not too dry or too wet as suggested by an Islamic scholar. Most current miswak users utilised miswak by following the guidelines mentioned in hadiths and recommendations by Islamic scholars. However, some aspects of miswak practice in Islamic resources were not practised by the subjects and vice versa.
COVID 19, perinatal mental health and the digital pivot

Background • The implications of perinatal mental health difficulties for mothers, babies and families is outlined succinctly in NICE guidance on the topic and perinatal mental ill-health remains the leading cause of maternal suicide in the first year. Many do not find diagnosis or support when Health Visiting services are struggling owing to public funding cuts. • COVID-19 stands to impact perinatal mental health significantly – • The pandemic might be reasonably expected to heighten pressures across the board during pregnancy and maternity by bringing higher socio-economic risks for women, exacerbated psycho-social risks, maternal isolation, halted routine contact with health-care professionals and familial/peer networks, relationship stresses and heightened maternal anxiety. These are significant sources of additional pressures perinatally • COVID-19 and its broader socio-economic impacts, social distancing measures and changes to ante-natal and post-natal support services are likely to impact maternal mental health perinatally (before and after childbirth) with short and long-term risks for women, babies and families. • In addition, such COVID-19 impacts in pregnancy and maternity will be experienced differently across communities, as evidence already exists that mothers from vulnerable groups and minority communities are at greater risk of poor mental health perinatally. In addition, minority-ethnic mothers face increased risks. • Amidst this, a rapid digital pivot is starting, with numerous perinatal charity services moving online at speed. These are becoming a much-needed lifeline for many, who, under conditions of COVID-19, are impacted disproportionately by social distancing measures. The efficacy, resourcing, security and consequences of this digital move will need research as the pandemic and its impacts unfold.
INFLUENCE OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS AS ANTISEPTICS TO CONTROL BACTERIAL AND FUNGAL DISEASES OF SILKWORMS, Bombyx mori L.

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of petroleum-ether extracts of mulberry leaves (Morus alba), basilleaves (Ocimum basilicum), and black seed (Nigella sativa) as disinfectants on some biological and physiological aspects of the mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. larvae artificially infected with Bacillus thuringiensis and Beauveria bassiana. The results showed that silkworm larvae artificially infected with B. thuringiensis using black seed and mulberry leaves extracts (2, 3%) produced the highest cocooning percentage (98%) while using (3%) basilleaves extract enhanced female fecundity (634 egg/female). Also, the highest total soluble protein in hemolymph recorded 8.5 mg/ml when using 1% of Black seed and Basilleaves extracts with infected larvae with B. thuringiensis. Otherwise, silkworm larvae artificially infected with B. bassiana using black seed extract3% led to the highest cocooning percentage (98%) and maximum egg number deposited (613 egg/female). In addition, all plant extracts under study increased the activity of transaminase enzymes. Moreover, concentrations of basil leaves extract increased the total protein in haemolymph of infected larvae with B. bassiana.
An Empirical Study to Investigate the Effect of Transactive Memory System on Software Development Team Performance

Software development often involves teams of developers interacting with each other to develop a software product or service. Given that individuals in the same team may have varying expertise and knowledge, it is believed that proper management of Transactive Memory System (TMS) or group knowledge within a team is more likely to ensure optimum team performance. In this study, we test this hypothesis by using an experiment in which we compare the performance of different teams with different TMS in solving the same software related problems. Our results indicate it is under certain conditions, that teams with higher TMS will usually achieve better performance than teams with lower TMS.
Consumer acceptance of cultured meat: some hints from Italy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the current literature on consumer acceptance of cultured meat and to investigate the main factors that might affect it.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a sample of 490 consumers in Italy, using a web-based survey. The empirical analysis follows an exploratory approach based on the training and checking of a random forest model.FindingsAn important finding of this study concerns the overall positive perception of cultured meat on the part of the interviewees in a country that is the fifth-largest meat producer at the European level. Age, environmental and ethical issues, and scepticism about new food technologies are the most important factors that guide consumer acceptance of cultured meat. The results suggest that in order to increase cultured meat acceptance it would be important to inform and educate consumers towards new food and new food production methods.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample analysed in this study is not representative of the whole national population, as it happens in most papers dealing with new food.Originality/valueAlthough the conclusions of this exploratory study cannot be over-generalized, the results provide interesting insights on how to increase cultured meat acceptance in view of the possible development of a new market for cultured meat.
Seed germination characteristics of Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. viridulus (Astereae, Asteraceae)

Rubber rabbitbrush ( Chrysothamnus nauseosus [Pallas] Britt. ssp. viridulus ) may prove to be a source of high-quality cis-isoprene rubber, but its establishment is limited by a lack of information on seed germination. Consequently, seeds were germinated at alternating temperatures (5–15, 5–25, 15–25, and 20–30 C) in light and dark as well as constant temperatures (15–40 C with 5-C increments) to determine temperature response. Seeds were also germinated in solutions of polyethylene glycol 6000 (0 to –5 bar), salinity regimes (1, 17, 51, and 86 mM) at all the above-mentioned temperatures to determine salinity and temperature interaction. The hormones GA 3 (0, 2.9, 29.0, and 58.0 um) and kinetin (0, 4.7, 23.5, and 47.0 um) were used to study their effect on overcoming salt- and temperature-induced germination inhibition. Seeds of C. nauseosus ssp. viridulus were very sensitive to low temperature. Best germination was achieved at 25 and 30 C, but these seeds also germinated at a higher temperature (35 C). The seeds of rabbitbrush germinated at both constant and alternating temperatures. Light appears to play little or no role in controlling germination of the seeds of rubber rabbitbrush. However, seeds of rabbitbrush were sensitive to salinity, and seed germination was progressively inhibited by increase in salt concentration, although a few seeds still germinated at the highest saline level. Progressively higher concentrations of polyethylene glycol also progressively inhibited germination. Suppression of seed germination induced by high salt concentrations and high temperatures can be partially alleviated by the application of either GA 3 or kinetin.
Service-oriented high-performance human resource practices and employee service performance: A test of serial mediation and moderation models

Abstract This research aims to reveal how and under what conditions service-oriented high-performance human resource practices (HR) influence employee service performance (ESP). Data were gathered from full-time hotel employees and line managers. In total, 1,525 questionnaire forms were acquired. While respondent employees had filled in the questionnaire form containing independent, mediator, and moderator variables, line managers filled in the questionnaire form containing the dependent variable. The research results demonstrate that HR attributions, trust in the organization, and affective commitment serially mediate the relationship between service-oriented high-performance HR practices and ESP. In addition, the results point out the moderating roles of person–supervisor fit and person–vocation fit. As a result, the current research contributes to the literature by way of revealing how and under what conditions the service-oriented high-performance HR practices affect ESP.
Rates Factors and Global Asset Allocation

Style factors that are prominent in other asset classes, such as carry, value, momentum, and defensive, do extend to the fixed income domain as well. We investigate factor investing across global government bonds and the use of such rates factors for a multi-asset investor. These rates factors significantly improve the investment opportunity set of investors, representing valuable tail hedges and offering diversification potential. Furthermore, complementing conservative multi-asset strategies by rates factors can enhance returns and reduce the likelihood and severity of downturns not only in-sample, but also in out-of-sample portfolio simulations. TOPICS: Fixed income and structured finance, factor-based models, style investing Key Findings • Style factors that are prominent in other asset classes, such as carry, value, momentum, and defensive, do extend to the fixed income domain as well. • These rates factors significantly improve the investment opportunity set of multi-asset investors, representing valuable tail hedges and offering diversification potential. • Complementing conservative multi-asset strategies by rates factors can enhance returns and reduce the likelihood and severity of downturns not only in-sample, but also in out-of-sample portfolio simulations.
Sputtering of Crystalline ZrN Thin Films on Unheated Substrates for Decorative coating Applications

The zirconium nitride (ZrN) thin films were successfully deposited by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering without heat treatment for the hard-coating applications. The ZrN thin films were carefully prepared at 200 nm under different operating pressures. The obtained films were systematically analyzed for physical, electrical, and optical properties, and discussed with respect to the operating pressures. For the crystal structures, the XRD results indicated that most ZrN films were cubic close-packed structure with (111) and (220) orientations. Only the film prepared at the smallest operating pressure showed three phases of (111), (200), and (220) according to the localized heating from high atomic energy. For the film morphologies, the FE-SEM results demonstrated the increase of densely packed structure and the decrease of the surface roughness for the films prepared at low operating pressures. The film resistivity was found closely related with the electron scattering in the grain boundaries, as well as with the thin-film brightness. The optical properties of the films were determined from the reflection, lightness, and yellowness, as observed in the CIE chromaticity diagrams.
Nanobodies as new tools for studying large cargo transport and lamina organization.

Nanobodies are the smallest recombinantly expressed antibody fragments, which show outstanding performance in numerous applications. In this work, we set out to generate nanobodies as tools to study nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of large cargoes, such as ribosomes. We also generated a set of nanobodies targeting the X. laevis lamina. To meet these objectives we have optimised phage-display and designed an M13 phage that presents a nanobody library in SUMO-protease cleavable form. This allows a very specific phage-elution from immobilised antigens, namely by adding the SUMO-protease in a mild physiological buffer, which releases the phages from the still antigen-bound nanobody. Using our newly developed SUMO-cleavable phage M13 we have successfully selected and characterized six orthogonal nanobodies against ribosomes from Thermus thermophilus. This includes the very first nucleic acid-binding nanobody targeting the Asite of the large ribosomal subunit. So far, all attempts to produce lamins in bacteria lead to insoluble aggregates. We now discovered, however, that certain solubility-enhancing tags combined with appropriate protease cleavage modules allow E. coli to produce lamins in a soluble and correctly folded form. This not only established that lamins do not require any specialised eukaryotic chaperones for folding, but also allowed to isolate a set of orthogonal anti-lamin B3 nanobodies. We show that anti-lamin nanobodies perform excellently in purifying native protein complexes as well as in imaging.
Strategic imperatives of mobile commerce in developing countries: the influence of consumer innovativeness, ubiquity, perceived value, risk, and cost on usage

ABSTRACT Despite the remarkable growth and promising future of mobile commerce, research has paid little attention so far to the factors that determine its perceived value across developing countries. This study advances marketing literature, focusing on technology adoption and acceptance, by providing a framework that incorporates a mode-specific enabler – ubiquity (time convenience and accessibility) – and two deterrents – perceived risk (financial risk and performance risk) and perceived cost – as antecedents of perceived value across developing countries. The moderating role of consumer innovativeness is also investigated, due to the pervasiveness of consumer innovativeness in adopting and using new technologies. The results reveal that ubiquity has a positive impact on value, while risk and cost have a negative influence. The authors also find that innovativeness moderates the relationships between identified antecedents and value, apart from the relationship between cost and value. The results further show that value positively affects actual usage, and is strengthened by consumer innovativeness.
Development of a Spirit Drink Produced with Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Fruit and Honey

Food safety and diversification of agri-food products are increasingly important. A new spirit drink produced from the arbutus fruit (strawberry tree fruit) and honey was designed, taking advantage of the best features of these two ingredients and limiting the methanol content. This work reports the first approach to its development, considering in particular its chemical composition, especially the volatile components, and sensory properties. Methanol, acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, and fusel alcohols were quantified and identified by GC–FID/GC–MS. Sensory analyses were performed by a trained panel. Promising results were obtained, showing that the new spirit has features close to those of honey spirit. Significantly lower contents of methanol, acetaldehyde, and ethyl acetate were observed in the new spirit compared to arbutus spirit (359.0 vs. 994.4 g/hL of pure alcohol (P.A.), 20.5 vs. 25.6 g/hL P.A. , and 35.5 vs. 53.9 g/hL P.A. , respectively), which is advantageous from the food safety and quality perspectives. The total content of fusel alcohols in the new spirit was significantly lower than in honey spirit (261.4 vs. 388.85 g/hL P.A.). Distinct aroma and flavor profiles were examined, but only four attributes were significantly different between the these spirit drinks: dried fruits, unctuous, varnish (although at very low perception), and sweet.
Analysis of heat conduction in a nanoscale metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor using lattice Boltzmann method

ABSTRACT Thermal transport in the microelectronic devices has been widely investigated to enhance its reliability. Within this context, Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) represents the most used technology for electronic devices manufacturing. Due to its size reduction, the macroscopic model for MOSFET device requests some modifications for capturing thermal behavior within it. Hence, a precise mathematical model for phonon heat transport into transistors has become a key task for nano-electronics technology. The present work aims to investigate the ability of a mesoscale mathematical model for the heat conduction in a MOSFET at a Knudsen number of 10. The reported model was based on D2Q8 lattice Boltzmann model coupled with jump temperature boundary condition. The thermal source was supposed to be uniform along the MOSFET channel region. The temperature jump boundary condition was applied and treated by Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) in order to reveal the nature of the phonon-wall collisions lengthwise the channel. We have found that the behavior of the proposed model agrees with experimental results in terms of peak temperature rising. Furthermore, the maximum temperature in the interface (Si-SiO2) is around 333 K. In addition, the results show that 30 ps is enough to reach the steady-state condition. The gained results indicate that the LBM joined with jump temperature condition provides accurate results and it can be employed for analyzing heat transfer phenomenon in microelectronic devices.
Valorization of Globe Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) Agro-Industrial Discards, Obtaining an Extract with a Selective Effect on Viability of Cancer Cell Lines

Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is considered one of the most significant sources of phenolic antioxidants in nature. However, more than 60% of its total volume is discarded for consumption purposes, making available an abundant, inexpensive and profitable source of natural antioxidants in the discarded fractions. Polyphenolic antioxidants from a South American variety of artichoke agro-industrial discards (external bracts and stems) were obtained by mild extraction processes. Best results were achieved at 40 °C, 75% of ethanol and 10 min of reaction, obtaining 2.16 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and 55,472.34 µmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/100 g of antioxidant capacity (oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses determined that caffeoylquinic acids comprise up to 85% of the total polyphenolic content, and only around 5% are flavonoids. Inulin content in the artichokes residues was recovered (48.4% dry weight (dw)), resulting in an extract with 28% of inulin in addition to the aforementioned antioxidant capacity. The artichoke discard extract in a concentration of 500 mg/L produced a strong decrease in Caco-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines viability, whereas healthy fibroblasts maintained their viability when the extract was concentrated at 1500 mg/L. These results suggest that the artichoke extract presents a good anti-proliferative potential effect on Caco-2 and MCF-7 cells.
The Straightening of a River Meander Leads to Extensive Losses in Flow Complexity and Ecosystem Services

To assist river restoration efforts we need to slow the rate of river degradation. This study provides a detailed explanation of the hydraulic complexity loss when a meandering river is straightened in order to motivate the protection of river channel curvature. We used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to document the difference in flow dynamics in nine simulations with channel curvature (C) degrading from a well-established tight meander bend (C = 0.77) to a straight channel without curvature (C = 0). To control for covariates and slow the rate of loss to hydraulic complexity, each of the nine-channel realizations had equivalent bedform topography. The analyzed hydraulic variables included the flow surface elevation, streamwise and transverse unit discharge, flow velocity at streamwise, transverse, and vertical directions, bed shear stress, stream function, and the vertical hyporheic flux rates at the channel bed. The loss of hydraulic complexity occurred gradually when initially straightening the channel from C = 0.77 to C = 0.33 (i.e., the radius of the channel is three-times the channel width), and additional straightening incurred rapid losses to hydraulic complexity. Other studies have shown hydraulic complexity provides important riverine habitat and is positively correlated with biodiversity. This study demonstrates how hydraulic complexity can be gradually and then rapidly lost when unwinding a river, and hopefully will serve as a cautionary tale.