Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison between different bio-treatments of a hydrocarbon contaminated soil from a landfill site

We investigated the bio-remediation of a hydrocarbon contaminated soil pile that was slated for landfill disposal, by utilising laboratory based-soil microcosms. The objective was to accelerate the reduction of soil total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) to levels that could potentially allow the soil to be used outside a landfill site. Soil TPH content reduced by 57% over a 2 year period from 15,800 to ~6,800 mg kg -1 in the untreated pile, making the soil eligible for landfill disposal under current Australian legislation. Subsequent bio-remediation (natural attenuation, biostimulation, bioaugmentation and biostimulation-bioaugmentation) resulted in over 74% reduction (~1,800 mg kg -1 ) in soil TPH content over 56 days with most of the reduction occurring in the first 21 days (~60%). Nutrient and microbial amendments did not confer any long-term benefit on the rate of soil TPH reduction with natural attenuation being equally efficient as other bioremediation strategies at day 56. TPH bioavailability assay showed a linear decrease from an initial 84 to 35% by day 56 and could explain the reduced TPH reduction rates observed after day 21. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of 16S rDNA and internal transcribed spacer regions genes revealed diverse and stable (unaffected by amendments) bacterial and fungal communities. Microbial analysis also showed substantial populations of alkane (alkB) degrading bacteria in the soils. This study therefore showed that soils slated for landfill disposal possess substantial hydrocarbon degrading capacity, which can be exploited for greater TPH removal through natural attenuation. The soil TPH can be potentially reduced lower than the 1,800 mg kg -1 obtained in this study provided the contaminant is made more bio-available. This would potentially allow the use of such soils for more productive purposes outside the landfill sites extending the lifespan of these sites. Key words: Bioremediation, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), 16S rDNA, ITS, alkB
Implementing community sport policy: understanding the variety of voluntary club types and their attitudes to policy

The Olympic Legacy Plan has been a governmental concern prior to the London 2012 Games, particularly, the aspiration to use the event to inspire participation in sport. However, scant attention has been directed towards the voluntary sector and its role as a delivery agent of the legacy aspirations. New policies for community sport set out a clear focus on using national governing bodies and voluntary sports clubs (VSCs) to deliver growth in adult sports participation and to reduce the proportion of participants dropping out of sport by the age of 25. How far voluntary organizations are aware of and comply with top-down approaches to policy implementation is debatable, particularly when considering the origins and motives of voluntary clubs, their heterogeneous characteristics and their general indifference towards national sport-related policy. This relationship forms the basis of this enquiry. It draws from implementation theory and seeks to explore how far VSCs are aware of policy goals and to understand club management practices and their likely impact on the role of the VSC in delivering community sport policy goals. The findings identify a variety of management practices that can be broadly categorized into three ‘cluster types’. Each VSC cluster has a distinct set of aims, support needs and policy outputs. This article concludes by suggesting that more work is required in segmenting club types to identify their diverse support needs and the roles that they may be able to play in increasing participation and reducing the proportion of young people dropping out of sport.
Biochemical and histochemical parameters associated with slow blighting of spot blotch (Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoem.) in wheat (Triticum spp.).

Spot blotch caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana is a destructive disease of wheat (Triticum spp.) in warm and humid wheat growing regions of the world. Area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) in field experiment was used to find out the role of total phenol content (TPC), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity and lignin deposition in the development of slow blight. Ten recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of spring wheat obtained from the cross between the susceptible parent ‘Sonalika’ and the resistant parent ‘Yangmai 6’ along with their parental genotypes were scored for disease severity (DS), AUDPC and lesion size in a field experiment on spot blotch. These lines were also evaluated for TPC, PAL and lignin deposition. The minimum DS, AUDPC and lesion size were recorded in the resistant parent ‘Yangmai 6’ (13%, 116.04 and 0.23 cm 2 , respectively) and RILs (18%, 113.3 and 0.27 cm 2 , respectively in RIL83 and RIL89) which associated with an elevated level of phenol content (395 mg g -1 fresh weight (wt) at 48 hours after inoculation (hai), PAL (928.41 μmoles cinnamic acid (cna) mg -1 fresh wt) and higher quantity of lignin (84%). While DS, AUDPC and lesion size were comparatively higher in the susceptible parent ‘Sonalika’ as well as susceptible RILs (100%, 938.27 and 3.43 cm 2 , respectively). Mean TPC (133.5 mg g -1 fresh wt 24 hai, respectively), PAL (248.8 μmoles cna mg -1 fresh wt) and lignin (10%) were significantly lower in the susceptible genotype ‘Sonalika’ and suscptible RILs. The study indicated that enhanced level of TPC, PAL and higher lignin deposition led to the development of slow blighting of spot blotch in terms of lower AUDPC and smaller lesion size in resistant RILs of wheat. Key word: area under disease progress curve, Bipolaris sorokiniana, lignin, phenolics, phenylalanine ammonialyase.
Chemical shifts in proteins: a shielding trajectory analysis of the fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the Escherichia coli galactose binding protein using a multipole shielding polarizability-local reaction field-molecular dynamics approach

We report the first successful calculation of the fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of a protein, the galactose binding protein from Escherichia coli, labeled with ( 5-'9F) tryptophan. Our results indicate that the experimental l9F chemical shifts are dominated by weak, or long-range, electrical interactions, which can be calculated by using the responses of the shielding tensor elements to the uniform field components (&~d/dE,) and the nonuniform or gradient terms (t3uap/W,,), together with the average values of the fields (Ex) and field gradients (V,,) obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories. A series of "shielding trajectories", Au(Ex,Vxx,Vyy,Vzz)f(7), are obtained, and the mean values, A;, correlate well with the actual shift pattern and overall shift range observed experimentally (Luck, L. A.; Falke, J. J. Biochemistry 1991,30,42484256). The computed 19F NMR shielding of the pentapeptide Gly- Gly-(5-F)Trp-Gly-Gly in HzO is close to, but somewhat more shielded than, that of the denatured protein. Almost all computed 19F chemical shifts are upfield of the field-free value, in accord with the results of ab initio calculations. The chemical shifts calculated are sensitive to the charge chosen for F in the LRF-MD trajectories, and best agreement with experiment is obtained with qF = -0.25. Calculations on the Salmonella typhimurium galactose binding protein yield extremely similar chemical shift spectra, consistent with the -7% difference in amino acid composition. The uniform field components make the largest contributions to the shielding patterns observed, presumably because the gradient terms fall off more rapidly with distance. The exposed residue, Trp 284, has the largest amplitude of fluctuation associated with its shielding trajectory, possibly due to the rapid and random movement of neighboring water molecules. Trp 284 is highly shielded due to interaction with water, although other buried residues (e.g. Trp 133) may also be highly shielded, due to electric field effects within the protein. Our results imply that van der Waals interactions do not play a major role for fluorine shielding nonequivalence in proteins, since the experimental results can be reproduced by using solely the computed field and field gradient terms. The ability to predict protein NMR shielding patterns and ranges offers promise for structural analysis and also provides a way of validating different methods of computing protein electrostatics. In this respect, it is instructive to note that the charge fields from ionized surface groups are found to be largely shielded by the dielectric response of the solvent and the protein.
An elementary argument regarding the long-time behaviour of the solution to a stochastic differential equation

where the stochastic processesXt andWt are defined on a probability space (Ω,F , (Ft), IP), and Wt is a standard N -dimensional (Ft)-adapted Brownian motion. We suppose that the function Π (called the potential, see Section 2 for the physical background) and the function b are such that there exists a unique strong global-intime solution to (1) (see [7] for possible conditions). Regarding the long-time behaviour of b, we assume that ∃C <∞, s.t. for a.e. t, X, |b(t,X)| ≤ Ce−βt (1 + |X|) , (2)
EXOGENOUS PUTRESCINE DELAYS SENESCENCE OF LISIANTHUS CUT FLOWERS

The anti-senescence biogenic polyamines (PAs) putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) are involved in plant growth processes and responses to stress. The physiological mechanism of exogenous Put to affect the senescence of cut lisianthus flowers during vase life was investigated. Fresh cut lisianthus flowers were treated with distilled water (control), 0.5, 1 and 2 mM Put and then held at 25 ◦C up to 12 days. Exogenous Put supply at 2 mM extended vase life, which was associated with reduced electrolyte leakage and MDA content. Put treatment also reduced activity of lipoxygenase (LOX), is responsible for membrane lipid peroxidation. Put treatment also enhanced activities of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and decreased H2O2 accumulation during vase life. Thus, exogenous Put supplycould maintain membrane integrity by increasing antioxidant system activity, thereby retarding the senescence of cut lisianthus flower during vase life.
Tackling the structure of very large spatial systems - Space syntax and the analysis of metropolitan form

Contemporary city-regional and metropolitan forms are today still grey areas of morphological understanding, in large part due to the apparent lack of analytical methods available to deal with them. In this paper we argue that space syntax can fulfil that task with ease, while revealing unsuspected structural characteristics of large-scale spatial systems. The paper starts by acknowledging the technical difficulties that the analysis of such systems implies, by exploring a series of possible conditions to deal with metropolitan and urban-regional form, and then demonstrates that space syntax analysis is globally capable of addressing them all, by applying it to a concrete case, namely Oporto’s metropolitan region. When extended to metropolitan and regional scales, the space syntax model is also pushed to new limits, where the usual methods of interpretation of its results may no longer apply or be relevant, and a new method to address this problem, based on principal components analysis, is then proposed. Through the application of this method to the region under study, we show that its basic centrality structure may be summarised under just three basic modes of variation, greatly simplifying the understanding of its organisation. The paper concludes with a final discussion of the contributions that space syntax, supported by data analysis methods, can provide to the study of metropolitan and urban-regional morphologies and to the planning of such enlarged urban territories.
Mechanism Transitions: A New Paradigm for a Highly Adaptive Internet

The Internet faces ever faster and stronger dynamics in the behavior patterns of its users and hence, in the imposed load and traffic. However, the various ‘mechanisms’ used within the Internet—communication protocols and their functional components, overlays, middleware, etc.—cannot be sufficiently adapted at runtime: parameter adaptation is common practice, but the replacement of a mechanism by one that is functionally similar yet more appropriate—for the benefit of performance and quality—is rare. Those rare cases are tediously engineered case by case since on-the-fly transitions between similar mechanisms are not promoted by today’s Internet construction principles. In light of the considerations above, the present whitepaper advocates mechanism transitions as a fundamental new principle for the Internet and makes inroads into its modeling and specification. The quest for a fundamentally more flexible Internet is not only fueled by trends regarding users and applications ‘above’, but also by innovations in the network technology ‘below’: Software-defined systems and networks emerge as an enabling technology for more flexibility, but cannot be sufficiently leveraged for more flexibility in the Internet as a whole. The German Collaborative Research Center MAKI investigates appropriate models, concepts and methods as well as prerequisites and benefits in regard to mechanism transitions in the Future Internet. The present whitepaper comprises approaches to the modeling and specification of such mechanism transitions, both from a structural and a behavioral perspective, as developed over the last three years. The various other aspects of MAKI, such as investigations of particular sets of mechanism or monitoring and control aspects, are not covered here. The whitepaper starts by providing a more detailed discussion of the quest for Internet mechanism transitions and of related issues. It continues by introducing the basic MAKI architecture and terminology in comparison to those of the OSI standard and the Internet. In the sequel, different approaches to the general structural and behavioral modeling and specification of mechanism transitions are presented, as developed and used in MAKI. The presented research contributions were created with different purposes and focuses in mind; they represent important steps forward on our path towards a consolidated framework for mechanism transitions. In other words, they make inroads into a highly dynamic Future Internet that can cope with ever increasing dynamics. We will use terminology from the ISO OSI standard as a starting point for introducing our terms and concepts. For readers with limited knowledge in this underlying standard, we provide a short OSI terminology primer in the appendix.
A novel Slotted Rectangular Microstrip patch antenna based on Zero-index metamaterial multilayer Superstrate

A zero index metamaterial (ZIM) is proposed in this work for antenna directivity and gain enhancement, this ZIM is developed, characterized and employed of slotted rectangular microstrip patch antenna at 2.4GHz . The unique property of the metamaterial gathers the wave radiated from the antenna and collimates it towards the normal direction when used as a superstrate , the effective permittivity and permeability of the (ZIM) are designed to synchronously approach zero, which leads the ZIM to having an effective wave impedance matching with air and near-zero index Simultaneously.
Association between cord blood IgE and genetic polymorphisms of interleukin‐4, the β‐subunit of the high‐affinity receptor for IgE, lymphotoxin‐α, and tumor Necrosis factor‐α

High cord blood immunoglobulin E (cbIgE) is known to be associated with increased risks of atopic diseases in childhood. The relationship between genetic polymorphisms and high cbIgE has not been well documented. A cross‐sectional study was conducted to assess the association between cbIgE and genetic polymorphisms of interleukin (IL)‐4 ‐590C/T, the β‐subunit of the high‐affinity receptor for IgE (FcɛRI‐β) E237G, lymphotoxin (LT)‐αNcoI alleles, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α ‐308G/A. A total of 320 mother–neonate pairs were recruited from four maternity hospitals from different locations of Taiwan. Cord blood was obtained and assayed for cbIgE. Polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to assess the genotypes. Three hundred pairs of mothers and neonates were included in the final analysis. Infants with IL‐4 ‐590 C allele were found to have higher risk of elevated cbIgE (≥0.35 IU/ml, 24.3%) (p = 0.004). After adjusting for gender, birth order, maternal age, and history of allergic disease in maternal and paternal families, odds ratios for CC and CT genotypes were 4.41 and 3.16 (95% confidence interval 0.78–22.67, and 1.66–6.13), respectively, using TT genotype as reference. The genotypes of FcɛRI‐β, LT‐α, and TNF‐α were not associated with cbIgE before or after the adjustment. Our finding suggested a significant association of cbIgE with genetic polymorphism of IL‐4 ‐590C/T, but not with the genotypes of FcɛRI‐β, LT‐α, and TNF‐α.
Collaborative Efforts in the School Culture.

This paper presents findings of a study that examined how school participants in two schools in a Florida city coped with conflict, with a focus on developing a cooperative school climate. Cunstructivism, which states that learning is the making-sense of experiences in a soci. 1 environment, provides the theoretical framework. From this perspective, knowledge is personally constructed; different individuals hold different interpretations of reality. Data were derived from observation, document analysis, and formal and informal interviews with different participants in two urban, public schools (one elementary and one middle school) in a low socioeconomic-status area of a Florida city. Participants in the school community organized themselves in different groups related to their common goals. For example, the teachers organized themselves to improve the daily functioning of their schools. A parent-teacher organization gradually involved administration to more effectively coordinate school activities. Each group shared school restructuring as its ultimate goal. Understanding and learning how to deal with the different conflicts led to a more positive school environment that was more conducive to student learning. A recommendation is to include change in the school culture as a subject in teacher-education programs. (LMI) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. *********************************************************************** Collaborative Efforts in the School Culture Hedy Moscovici & Gilberto Alf aro-Varela Science Education Program #203 M. Carothers Hall (B-196) Florida State University Tallahassee, FL. 32306 U.S. DEPARTMENT OP EDUCATMN Othce of Educe' -rnal Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) document hat been reproduced as recerved trom the person or orgaruzatron ongenatrng 0 Minor changes have been mad* to morose reproduction ouahty Pants ot view or opnrona stated an the document CIO nOt necesaanly represent official OER1 posrhon or poltcy 'PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta, Georgia, April 12-16, 1993.
Effect of religious context on the content of visual false perceptions in individuals high in religiosity

This study investigated the interaction between the current environment and personality factors associated with religiosity in determining the content of false perceptions (used as a model for hallucinations). A primed word-detection task was used to investigate the effect of a ‘religious’ context on false perceptions in individuals scoring highly on religiosity. After a subliminal prime, participants viewed letter strings, and stated any words that they saw. The prime and the actual words could have a religious connotation or not. Participants measuring high on religiosity were more likely to report false perceptions of a religious type than participants low on religiosity. It is suggested that context affects the content of false perceptions through the activation of stored beliefs and values, which vary between individuals, offering a mechanism for the effect of context on idiosyncratic content of hallucinations in schizophrenia. The effect of context and individual differences on falseperception content in the current study provides possibilities for future work regarding the underlying nature of hallucinations and their treatment.
Neuroprotective Ability of Tobacco Stem Silver Nanoparticle on Rat PC-12 Cells

Aims: The present study was approached to determine the neuroprotective ability of synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of stem of Nicotiana tabacum (TSAgNPs). Materials and Methods: Aqueous extract of tobacco stem was used as bioreducing agent to synthesize nanoparticles and was characterized by ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectra scan, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR). Antioxidant content in TSAgNPs was determined by electron transfer assay (total flavonoid count, total phenolic content, and 1, 1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging), enzymatic biochemical assay (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], and glutathione S-transferase [GST]), and non-enzymatic biochemical assay (reduced glutathione [GSH] content and malondialdehyde [MDA] content). Neuroprotective ability was determined by observing in vitro antioxidant activity of TSAgNPs on Rat PC-12 cells by exposing it to hydrogen peroxide as neurotoxic agent. Statistical Analysis Used: To estimate the accuracy of the experimental data, each experiment was performed in triplicates, and the result was expressed as the mean ± standard deviation of three replications. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: This was found from this study that by UV-Vis spectra scan has shown the maximum absorbance at 456 nm, whereas DLS has shown the size of TSAgNPs, i.e., 565.1 Dia(nm). FT-IR has confirmed the bioconjugate formation by giving intense bands at 3298.83, 2333.38, 1639.39, 1085.46, and 1038.83/cm wavenumber. Antioxidant content in TSAgNPs was found to be present, and it has shown the presence of flavonoid content, i.e., 74.85 ± 0.22 mg QE/g of TSAgNPs, phenolic content, i.e., 502 ± 0.06 mg QE/g of TSAgNPs and DPPH free radical scavenging found to be 60% of inhibition. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic biochemical assay was determined and has shown the presence of maximum specific enzyme activity in TSAgNPs. In vitro antioxidant activity, i.e., SOD, CAT, GST, GSH content, and MDA content in Rat PC-12 cells was found to be maximum as the volume of TSAgNPs increased in cells against the neurotoxic agent, and this observation reveals the presence of neuroprotective ability. Conclusions: This can be concluded from the present study that TSAgNPs can be used as a natural herbal remedy to treat the neurological disorders as a neuroprotective agent and to make use of waste material, i.e., stem of tobacco for therapeutic purposes.