Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Ionic Liquids in the Upstream oil Industry-A Review

Ionic liquids are gaining much attention as green chemicals due to their unique properties such as extremely low vapor pressure, high thermal and chemical stability, low toxicity and possibility of tuning their cation and anion moieties to make them task-specific. In the chemical industry, they are well established for innumerable processes and applications and several review articles are available. Contrary to this the applications of ionic liquids in the upstream petroleum industry is relatively new and not enough review articles are available. This article discusses the applications of ionic liquids in areas such as CO2 capture and separation which could be used for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration, heavy crude oil upgradation and viscosity reduction, interfacial tension and surface tension reduction in order to supplement surfactants in chemical enhanced oil recovery and asphaltene dispersion and inhibition during crude oil production and surface transportation. It aims to highlight the wide range of application possibilities of ionic liquids in the upstream sector of the petroleum industry and to encourage further research into some of these areas in order to develop environmentally friendly alternatives to current processes.
Mechanical, Rheological and Computational Study of PVP/PANI with Additives

Polyvinylpyrrolidone/polyaniline emeraldine salt (PVP/PANI) with additives (TiO2, ZnO, NaCl, and Na2SO4) was synthesized via oxidative in situ polymerization. Because of using PVP/PANI as a protective membrane layer and its applications in an electrical device, we investigated the mechanical and rheological properties of PVP/PANI and other composites in order to spread the application of this composite. Mechanical properties of PVP/PANI, PVP/PANI/TiO2, PVP/PANI/ZnO, PVP/PANI/NaCl, and PVP/PANI/Na2SO4 films were studied using the tensile test to obtain tensile strength, elongation at the break, and Young’s modulus. To gain some comprehensive information, rheometry tests were implemented and the storage modulus, loss modulus, and complex viscosity were measured. Interactions between additives and polymers were investigated by NBO analysis. Results from experimental and computational methods show that TiO2, ZnO, and Na2SO4 increase the interactions in the polymer matrix, respectively. However, NaCl weakens these interactions
The Effect of Heat Treatment on the Chemical Composition of Ash Wood

Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) wood was heat treated in an oven at temperatures of 160, 180, and 200 oC, and under atmospheric pressure in the presence of air for a duration of 3, 6, 9, and 12 h. The impact of heat treatment on the chemical composition of wood was studied. The extractives content initially increased up to 200 oC and 3 h. However, with extended treatment duration it decreased. Hemicellulosic monosaccharide (D-xylose) degraded under all treatment conditions and resulted in a decrease of holocellulose content. In the case of lignin, demethoxylation and the formation of more condensed structures were observed. This led to an increase in lignin content at temperatures of 180 and 200 oC. The oxidation process already began at 160 °C. This resulted in the formation of new carbonyl or carboxyl groups that contributed to color change, i.e., wood darkening. From the beginning the increase in the cellulose crystallinity was observed, and then it decreased. The maximum was reached at the temperatures of 160, and 180 °C for 9 h of treatment and at the temperature of 200 °C for 6 h.
Effect of Magnetic Iron and Potassium Humate on Some Flowering and Fruiting Characteristics of "Aggizi" Olive Trees Grown under Salt Stress Conditions in South Sinai

The use of soil amelioration agents is an important physiological method that improves plant tolerance to salt stress. The aim of this research is to examine the soil application of magnetic iron (MI) and/or potassium humate (KH) to mitigate the effect of salinity on the flowering and fruiting characteristics of ’Aggizi’ olive trees. Ten-year-old trees grown in sandy loam soil were treated with four levels of MI (0, 500, 750 and 1000 g / tree) and KH (0, 50, 75 and 100 g / tree) as a single dose during soil preparation on 1 December in both seasons. The result showed that the individual application of each anti-salt stress substance improved the flowering and fruiting characteristics and resulted in the higher number of inflorescence per shoot, fruit set percentage, fruit weight, fruit diameters, flesh thickness and tree yield compared to the control plants. The dual interaction of MI with KH was significant for all of the studied attributes. The interaction of the highest levels of MI (750 or 1000 g per tree) and KH (75 or 100 g per tree) improved the flowering and fruiting characteristics of “Aggizi “olive trees. These results suggest that anti-salt stress substances may be useful methods for use in arid and semi-arid regions to enhance salt tolerance in olives.
Interaction Insight of Pullulan-Mediated Gamma-Irradiated Silver Nanoparticle Synthesis and Its Antibacterial Activity

The production of pure silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) with unique properties remains a challenge even today. In the present study, the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) from natural pullulan (PL) was carried out using a radiation-induced method. It is known that pullulan is regarded as a microbial polysaccharide, which renders it suitable to act as a reducing and stabilizing agent during the production of Ag-NPs. Pullulan-assisted synthesis under gamma irradiation was successfully developed to obtain Ag-NPs, which was characterized by UV-Vis, XRD, TEM, and Zeta potential analysis. Pullulan was used as a stabilizer and template for the growth of silver nanoparticles, while gamma radiation was modified to be selective to reduce silver ions. The formation of Ag-NPs was confirmed using UV–Vis spectra by showing a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band in the region of 410–420 nm. As observed by TEM images, it can be said that by increasing the radiation dose, the particle size decreases, resulting in a mean diameter of Ag-NPs ranging from 40.97 to 3.98 nm. The XRD analysis confirmed that silver metal structures with a face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal were present, while TEM images showed a spherical shape with smooth edges. XRD also demonstrated that increasing the dose of gamma radiation increases the crystallinity at a high purity of Ag-NPs. As examined by zeta potential, the synthesized Ag-NP/PL was negatively charged with high stability. Ag-NP/PL was then analysed for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and it was found that it had high antibacterial activity. It is found that the adoption of radiation doses results in a stable and green reduction process for silver nanoparticles.
Replicated or homegrown planning model? The mutual constitution of ideas, interests and institutions in the delivery of a megaproject in Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT On the surface, contemporary urban megaprojects suggest a convergence in form: office towers, hotels, museums, shopping and renewed public spaces often involving transnational firms and renowned architectsHowever, framing local policiesas instances of a ‘serial reproduction’ of iconic landscapes obscures more than reveals how circulating planning models are reproduced and institutionalized. To this effect, this paper suggests a complementary approach between the literature of policy mobilities and new institutionalism focusing on how policies are ‘arrived at’ and the role of ideas in the policy process. An analytical framework is applied to the case study of a large-scale waterfront regeneration programme in Rio de Janeiro to examine the mutual evolvement between ideas, interests and institutions. The paper concludes by stressing the importance ofpaying attention to how policy knowledge is assembled, institutionalized and interests identified.
How Air-Drying Affects DGT P Results
in Calcareous Soils

Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technology has been increasingly proved to be a promising tool for accurately predicting plant-available phosphorus (P) in soil using air-dried samples. However, the effects of the air-drying process on DGT-measured P are unknown compared to those of using moist samples in which plant roots survive throughout a growing season. We investigated the differences between the Olsen P and DGT P values in 58 air-dried and moist soil samples. The results showed that the discrepancy in the DGT P values between air-dried and moist samples increased with an increase in the organic P concentration in soils. It was presumed that the air-drying process converted some easily mineralized organic P into its inorganic form, thereby allowing it to be measured by the DGT method. The DGT P values in moist samples can be calculated from the values obtained in air-dried samples using the following equation: . However, the Olsen P values were highly correlated (R2 = 0.95) when using air-dried and moist samples, although significant differences were observed. We concluded that the effects of air-drying on predicting soil available P using the Olsen P method can be neglected due to the high correlation relationship. The availability of easily mineralized organic P needs to be further
Modeling of coherence scanning interferometry using classical Fourier optics

Abstract. We propose a model for coherence scanning interferometry using familiar Fourier optics methods and the spectrum of plane waves for the case where light source spectral bandwidth limits the fringe contrast as a function of optical path length. The model is straightforward to implement, is computationally efficient, and reveals many of the common error sources related to the optical filtering properties of the imaging system. We quantify the limits of applicability of the model related to the geometrical approximations for Fourier optics, particularly for high numerical apertures, and when using the fringe contrast for determining surface heights. These limitations can be overcome using a three-dimensional imaging model.
Leopard (Panthera pardus) occupancy in the Chure range of Nepal

Abstract Conservation of large carnivores such as leopards requires large and interconnected habitats. Despite the wide geographic range of the leopard globally, only 17% of their habitat is within protected areas. Leopards are widely distributed in Nepal, but their population status and occupancy are poorly understood. We carried out the sign‐based leopard occupancy survey across the entire Chure range (~19,000 km2) to understand the habitat occupancy along with the covariates affecting their occupancy. Leopard signs were obtained from in 70 out of 223 grids surveyed, with a naïve leopard occupancy of 0.31. The model‐averaged leopard occupancy was estimated to be 0.5732 (SE 0.0082) with a replication‐level detection probability of 0.2554 (SE 0.1142). The top model shows the additive effect of wild boar, ruggedness, presence of livestock, and human population density positively affecting the leopard occupancy. The detection probability of leopard was higher outside the protected areas, less in the high NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) areas, and higher in the areas with livestock presence. The presence of wild boar was strong predictor of leopard occupancy followed by the presence of livestock, ruggedness, and human population density. Leopard occupancy was higher in west Chure (0.70 ± SE 0.047) having five protected areas compared with east Chure (0.46 ± SE 0.043) with no protected areas. Protected areas and prey species had positive influence on leopard occupancy in west Chure range. Similarly in the east Chure, the leopard occupancy increased with prey, NDVI, and terrain ruggedness. Enhanced law enforcement and mass awareness activities are necessary to reduce poaching/killing of wild ungulates and leopards in the Chure range to increase leopard occupancy. In addition, maintaining the sufficient natural prey base can contribute to minimize the livestock depredation and hence decrease the human–leopard conflict in the Chure range.
Quantile dependence between investor attention and cryptocurrency returns: evidence from time and frequency domain analyses

ABSTRACT This paper examines, in the time and frequency domains, the quantile dependence and directional predictability of investor attention to cryptocurrency returns. We find that there is significant tail dependence between investor attention and cryptocurrency returns. When market pays very high or very low attention to cryptocurrencies, there is an increased likelihood to have very large positive gains and suffer from very large negative results. Our results indicate that the quantile dependence between investor attention and cryptocurrency returns has a higher statistical significance in the long-term than medium-term and short-term. This implies that quantile dependence between investor attention and cryptocurrency returns is mainly dominated by low-frequency components. These findings have important implications for cryptocurrency investors.
Molecular Characterization of Spirometra decipiens Complex (Eucestoda: Diphyllobothriidea) from Uruguay

This study used a partial sequence of the mitochondrial cox1 gene for the reconstruction of the interrelationship of the adult and larval stages of Spirometra obtained from Cerdocyon thous, Leopardus munoai, Canis familiaris, Didelphis albiventris and Philodryas patagoniensis in Uruguay. The phylogenetic analysis showed that they were grouped with Spirometra decipiens from the Americas with a high bootstrap support. According to recent studies, American Spirometra species split into two S. decipiens complexes. Our findings strongly suggest that S. decipiens complex 1 is widely distributed in South America, and that wild and domestic canids are definitive hosts. Most of the samples (n = 10) grouped adults and plerocercoids that were retrieved from mammals and reptiles and seem to be the same taxon found in a Lycalopex gymnocercus from Argentina. A second clade was formed with Spirometra sp. found in a L. munoai as well as other wild felids such as a Puma concolor and a Leopardus pardalis (both from Argentina). On the other hand, S. decipiens complex 2 is present in South America and North America. South American clade parasitizes wild (and possibly domestic) felids and reptiles as definitive and intermediate hosts, respectively, whereas the North American clade found in snakes and captive meerkats (acting either as second intermediate or paratenic hosts) has unconfirmed definitive hosts.
Drug Response Prediction of Liver Cancer Cell Line Using Deep Learning

: Cancer is the second deadliest human disease worldwide with high mortality rate. Rehabilitation and treatment of this disease requires precise and automatic assessment of effective drug response and control system. Prediction of treated and untreated cancerous cell line is one of the most challenging problems for precise and targeted drug delivery and response. A novel approach is proposed for prediction of drug treated and untreated cancer cell line automatically by employing modified Deep neural networks. Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells are exposed to anticancer drug functionalized CFO@BTO nanoparticles developed by our lab. Prediction models are developed by modifying ResNet101 and exploiting the transfer learning concept. Last three layers of ResNet101 are re-trained for the identification of drug treated cancer cells. Transfer learning approach in an appropriate choice especially when there is limited amount of annotated data. The proposed technique is validated on acquired 203 fluorescent microscopy images of human HepG2 cells treated with drug functionalized cobalt ferrite@barium titanate (CFO@BTO) magnetoelectric nanoparticles in vitro. The developed approach achieved high prediction with accuracy of 97.5% and sensitivity of 100% and outperformed other approaches. The high performance reveals the effectiveness of the approach. It is scalable and fully automatic prediction approach which can be extended for other similar cell diseases such as lung, brain tumor and breast cancer.
Promise Into Practice: Application of Computer Vision in Empirical Research on Social Distancing

Social scientists increasingly use video data, but large-scale analysis of its content is often constrained by scarce manual coding resources. Upscaling may be possible with the application of automated coding procedures, which are being developed in the field of computer vision. Here, we introduce computer vision to social scientists, review the state-of-the-art in relevant subfields, and provide a working example of how computer vision can be applied in empirical sociological work. Our application involves defining a ground truth by human coders, developing an algorithm for automated coding, testing the performance of the algorithm against the ground truth, and running the algorithm on a large-scale dataset of CCTV images. The working example concerns monitoring social distancing behavior in public space over more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we discuss prospects for the use of computer vision in empirical social science research and address technical and ethical challenges.
White Sapote Growing in the Home Landscape

HS-1054, a 7-page fact sheet by Jonathan H. Crane and Carlos F. Balerdi, provides homeowners with a basic reference for growing white sapote in the home landscape. Tables include varieties in Florida, cultural practices by month, fertilizer recommendations and nutritional values. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, November 2005. HS1054/HS304: White Sapote Growing in the Home Landscape (ufl.edu)
Estimating Specific Patient Organ Dose for Chest CT Examinations with Monte Carlo Method

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to preliminarily estimate patient-specific organ doses in chest CT examinations for Chinese adults, and to investigate the effect of patient size on organ doses. Methods: By considering the body-size and body-build effects on the organ doses and taking the mid-chest water equivalent diameter (WED) as a body-size indicator, the chest scan images of 18 Chinese adults were acquired on a multi-detector CT to generate the regional voxel models. For each patient, the lungs, heart, and breasts (glandular breast tissues for both breasts) were segmented, and other organs were semi-automated segmented based on their HU values. The CT scanner and patient models simulated by MCNPX 2.4. 0 software (Los Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos, USA) were used to calculate lung, breast, and heart doses. CTDIvol values were used to normalize simulated organ doses, and the exponential estimation model between the normalized organ dose and WED was investigated. Results: Among the 18 patients in this study, the simulated doses of lung, heart, and breast were 18.15 ± 2.69 mGy, 18.68 ± 2.87 mGy, and 16.11 ± 3.08 mGy, respectively. Larger patients received higher organ doses than smaller ones due to the higher tube current used. The ratios of lung, heart, and breast doses to the CTDIvol were 1.48 ± 0.22, 1.54 ± 0.20, and 1.41 ± 0.13, respectively. The normalized organ doses of all the three organs decreased with the increase in WED, and the normalized doses decreased more obviously in the lung and the heart than that in the breasts. Conclusions: The output of CT scanner under ATCM is positively related to the attenuation of patients, larger-size patients receive higher organ doses. The organ dose normalized by CTDIvol was negatively correlated with patient size. The organ doses could be estimated by using the indicated CTDIvol combined with the estimated WED.
Burden and risk factors of preterm birth in Nasarawa State, North Central, Nigeria: A five-year case review

Background: Preterm birth has been on the increase globally and accounting for morbidities and mortalities. Preterm delivery referred to the birth of a newborn prior to thirty seven completed gestational weeks. There is dearth of knowledge on the burden of preterm birth in this state. This study therefore determined the burden of preterm deliveries in Nasarawa State, evaluate the risk factors and identify the outcome of such deliveries. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of all preterm delivered from the 1st of January 2014 to the 31st of December 2013 at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) Lafia, General Hospital Akwanga and Medical Centre Mararaba Gurku in the Southern, Northern and Western senatorial zones of Nasarawa State respectively. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean age of mothers of preterm in this study is 26.5±5.7 years. More than three-quarter of preterm birth in Nasarawa State were at the DASH Lafia. The prevalence of preterm birth and admissions were 1.5% and 10.8% respectively. One in four of the preterm were either late preterm or extreme preterm. Singleton gestation accounted for 82.1% of the preterm births while 75.6% of such deliveries where through the vaginal mode of deliveries. Risk factors for preterm deliveries were multiple gestation, antepartum haemorrhage (placenta previa), premature rupture of membrane and previous preterm delivery. Deaths among the preterm was 11% in this study. Conclusion: The burden of preterm births in this study is comparable to other centre in same region. Half of the preterm were either late or extreme preterm. Risk factors for preterm deliveries were placenta previa, premature rupture of membrane, multiple gestation and previous preterm child birth. Death was recorded in one out of every nine preterm