Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Importance of brassinosteroids in activating the antioxidant system and growth in Jatropha curcas L. plants under water deficit

Climatic changes and drought reduced plant growth and development. Brassinosteroids act in maintaining turgor and plant growth, increasing tolerance to water stress. The objective of the present study was to identify the effect of brassinosteroids in reducing stresses caused by water deficit in Jatropha curcas L. plants. The study was carried out in a greenhouse at the State University of Goiás, in a completely randomized block design in a factorial 2 × 5 arrangement (plants submitted to five brassinosteroids concentrations (0, 2, 4, 8, 16 mg L -1 ) and two levels of daily water supply (50% and 100% evapotranspiration) six replications and the plot consisted of one useful plant. A 10 mL volume of the hormone was applied 30 days after emergence and 20 mL at 60 days after emergence, totaling 30 ml. The water deficit was imposed at 70 days after emergence and the evaluations were made at 100 d after emergence. Under water deficit, production increased of reactive substances that damage membranes and proteins, but brassinosteroids played an important role in mitigating the deleterious effects of water deficit on J. curcas plants by acting as an elicitor in activating photoprotection mechanisms that increased vegetative growth and maintained membrane integrity. The antioxidant and growth machinery activation reached maximum points at the 8 mg L -1 brassinosteroids concentration and even higher concentrations.
Students' transitions into initial teacher education: Understanding barriers and enablers through an ecological lens barriers and enablers through an ecological lens

This paper presents a small-scale qualitative investigation which explored early first-year transition experiences of pre-service teacher students. The study took place in one university in Aotearoa New Zealand, involving 24 students and three co-researchers from a Faculty of Education. Perceptions of students’ transition experiences were gathered through an essay task six weeks into the first semester; data were analysed using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological theory to identify barriers and enablers related to students’ transition experiences in various contexts. Diverse transitions accounts of ‘becoming a pre-service teacher student’ were analysed as being complex and intertwined with historical, social, cultural and political elements. These findings have implications for providers and educators of pre-service teacher programmes. Purposeful application of Bronfenbrenner’s theory to identify, name and understand how various transition barriers and enablers impact wellbeing and resilience could open up a more visible, shared and understood transition experience.
Do your eye movements reveal your performance on an IQ test? A study linking eye movements and socio-demographic information to fluid intelligence

Understanding the main factors contributing to individual differences in fluid intelligence is one of the main challenges of psychology. A vast body of research has evolved from the theoretical framework put forward by Cattell, who developed the Culture-Fair IQ Test (CFT 20-R) to assess fluid intelligence. In this work, we extend and complement the current state of research by analysing the differential and combined relationship between eye-movement patterns and socio-demographic information and the ability of a participant to correctly solve a CFT item. Our work shows that a participant’s eye movements while solving a CFT item contain discriminative information and can be used to predict whether the participant will succeed in solving the test item. Moreover, the information related to eye movements complements the information provided by socio-demographic data when it comes to success prediction. In combination, both types of information yield a significantly higher predictive performance than each information type individually. To better understand the contributions of features related to eye movements and socio-demographic information to predict a participant’s success in solving a CFT item, we employ state-of-the-art explainability techniques and show that, along with socio-demographic variables, eye-movement data. Especially the number of saccades and the mean pupil diameter, significantly increase the discriminating power. The eye-movement features are likely indicative of processing efficiency and invested mental effort. Beyond the specific contribution to research on how eye movements can serve as a means to uncover mechanisms underlying cognitive processes, the findings presented in this work pave the way for further in-depth investigations of factors predicting individual differences in fluid intelligence.
Molecular Docking Analysis of Anti-malarial Compounds as Plasmepsin IV Inhibitor from Targeted Indonesian Medicinal Plants

Malaria is one of the major causes of death in tropical and sub-tropical countries, caused by the infection of the protozoan parasite (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium knowlesi). As the prevalence of parasite drug-resistant strains increasing, alternative medicine to eliminate malaria is needed. In this study, a molecular docking protocol was employed to predict and select natural compounds from Indonesian medicinal plants as an antimalarial drug candidate. The docking protocol was validated by the RMSD value of crystal versus docking calculation. From 43 species of plants, 238 total compounds were collected and docked into Plasmepsin IV (PMIV) enzyme which plays a role in the nutrition uptake of Plasmodium in human blood circulation. This enzyme was collected from a protein database with codename 5I70. The protocol was produced an acceptable RMSD value of 1.435 ? The docking experiment resulted in AM202 (Cassiamin B) from Cassia siamea as the best potent Plasmepsin IV inhibitor. This compound has the potential candidate for future anti-malarial drugs. Cassiamin B had an affinity value of -11.2 kcal/mol which was higher than PMIV’s native ligand (-3.8 kcal/mol).
Valid evaluation of volatile flavor composition of fresh and dehydrated Tuber indicum with different drying methods

ABSTRACT The effects of three drying methods on volatile flavor components of Tuber indicum were studied. After hot air drying (AD), vacuum drying (VD), and vacuum-freeze drying (FD), flavor components were analyzed by headspace solid phase microextraction GC-MS and electronic nose (E-nose). The results from GC-MS showed that aldehydes (54.8%) and alcohols (31.4%) are the two dominant chemical species in fresh T. indicum and eight carbon (C8) compounds including 1-octen-3-ol, 3-octanol, n-octanol, 3-octanone. After dehydrating, C8 compounds, aldehyde, and ester components reduced, while alkanes, heterocyclic, and sulfur components were produced. Multivariate statistical analysis of the GC-MS revealed the components responsible for the chemical differences between fresh and three drying samples. In addition, E-nose could discriminate fresh and three drying samples. The result obtained by E-nose showed good identity compared with GC–MS. Therefore, FD was the optimal dehydrating method to preserve Tuberaceae with the most retained fresh flavor.
Confirmation of the antiviral properties of medicinal plants via chemical analysis, machine learning methods and antiviral tests: a methodological approach

Medicinal plants are reported to possess antiviral activity, but finding the substances that are responsible for antiviral activity in the complex mixture of the plant extract is an extremely difficult task. In this paper a methodology related to the determination of the antiviral properties of medicinal plant extracts and based on phytochemical analysis, antiviral tests and machine learning methods is described. 16 potentially antiviral medicinal plants were selected, and their chemometric characteristics and antiviral properties were investigated. Three different analytical methods were used for chemical analysis: (i) spectrophotometry, (ii) capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection, and (iii) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. 14 attributes were obtained describing the composition of the plant extracts. Viral growth inhibition properties were investigated and 8 candidate plant extracts were selected as being active against viruses. Infectious bronchitis virus was used as a model virus. Machine learning techniques including deep neural network classification, classification and regression tree induction and hierarchical clusterization were used for mining the factors that are responsible for antiviral effects. It was determined that (i) phenolic compounds providing high radical scavenging activity and fractions containing high content of phenolic compounds are positively related to antiviral activity in plant extracts, (ii) hydrophilic compounds that are positively charged (pKa > 4.7) in acidic media and possess medium and low electrophoretic mobility properties are negatively related to antiviral activity in medicinal plants, (iii) phenolic acids with pKa lower than 4.7 are not related to antiviral activity in the extracts, and (iv) volatile compounds in the extracts, including diversity, quantity and different volatility properties, do not affect the antiviral activity of plant extracts. Following the proposed methodological approach, it is possible to confirm which chemometric attributes are responsible for antiviral activity in medicinal plant extracts.
Selective metallic coating of 3D-printed microstructures on flexible substrates

In this work, a simple method was developed to fabricate micron scale three-dimensional (3D) conductive objects on a flexible PDMS substrate. 3D microstructures were fabricated by the two photon polymerization (TPP) technique and metalized by a subsequent electroless plating step. The PDMS substrate was pre-treated with plasma to develop temporary compatible wettability of the photopolymerizable resin Ormocomp monomer. After the TPP fabrication, hydrophilic 3D microstructures were printed and adhered well to the PDMS surfaces, which recovered hydrophobicity after the TPP process. The printed 3D microstructures were then activated and immersed in an electroless copper plating bath. Due to the hydrophilicity differences, conformal conductive coatings were selectively and uniformly deposited on the 3D microstructures. Several 3D metallic microstructures with complex shapes were demonstrated to show the potential aspects of applying this technology for flexible 3D conductive objects.
Effective Uncertainty Visualization for Aftershock Forecast Maps

<p>Seismicity rate estimates and the earthquake forecasts they yield vary spatially and are usually represented as heat maps. While visualization literature suggests that displaying forecast uncertainty can improve how forecast maps are used, research on uncertainty visualization (UV) is missing from earthquake science. We present a pre-registered online experiment to test the effectiveness of three UV techniques for displaying aftershock forecasts. These maps show the expected number of aftershocks at each location for a week following a hypothetical mainshock, and we develop maps of the uncertainty around each location&#8217;s forecast. Human participants complete experimental tasks using the aftershock forecast displayed with its uncertainty. Three different UVs are producted: (1) forecast and uncertainty maps adjacent to one another; (2) the forecast map depicted in a color scheme, with the uncertainty shown by the transparency of the color; (3) two maps that show the lower and upper bound of the forecast distriubiton at each location. We compare task performance using UVs and using the forecast map shown without its uncertainty (the current practice). Subjects complete two map-reading tasks that target several dimensions of the readability of the three UVs. They then perform a comparative prediction task, which demonstrates whether a UV is successful in reaching two key communication goals: indicating where an aftershock and no aftershocks are likely (&#8220;sure bets&#8217;&#8217;) and where the forecast is low but the uncertainty is high enough to imply potential risk (&#8220;potential surprises&#8217;&#8217;). All UVs perform equally well in the goal of communicating &#8220;sure bet&#8217;&#8217; situations. But the UV with lower and upper bounds is significantly better than the other UVs at communicating &#8220;potential surprises. &#8221; We discuss the implications of these results for communication of forecast uncertainty within and beyond earthquake science. </p>
ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCE OF CUTTING PARAMETERS ON SURFACE ROUGHNESS AND TOOL WEAR IN HARD TURNING SINTERED TUNGSTEN CARBIDE USING CBN INSERTS

Received: 02/12/2020 Hard turning is a potential machining process to replace for grinding process due to many advantages such as high material removal rate, good surface integrity, and friendly environment. Sintered tungsten carbide is widely used for the die and molds of the metal forming process because of their high hardness and wear resistance compared with alloy steel. CBN is a super hard cutting tool material used for machining difficult-to-cut materials as tungsten carbide. In this research, the influence of the cutting parameters including cutting speed, feed rate and cutting depth on the flank wear and surface roughness was analyzed by using 2 experimental model with some center points. The results investigated that the feed rate is the most significant parameter effecting on the surface roughness in the machining process and the cutting speed strongly affects on the flank wear in the hard turning of sintered tungsten carbide using CBN inserts. The results of ANOVA analysis for the surface roughness and the flank wear indicated that the curve models were required to describe the effect of the cutting parameters on the surface roughness and the flank wear in this machining process. Revised: 06/02/2021
Sample size for evaluation the of multicollinearity degree in productive traits of rye

The objectives of this work were to determine the sample size (number of plants) necessary to estimate the indicators of the of multicollinearity degree - condition number (CN), determinant of the correlation matrix (DET), and variance inflation factor (VIF) - in productive traits of rye and to verify the variability of the sample size between the indicators. Five and three uniformity trials were conducted with the cultivars BRS Progresso and Temprano, respectively, and seven productive traits were evaluated in 780 plants. Twenty-one cases were obtained from seven traits, combined five to five. In each case, 197 sample sizes were planned (20, 25, 30, ., 1,000 plants) and in each size 2,000 resampling were performed, with replacement. For each resample the CN, DET and FIV were determined and the average among 2,000 estimates of each indicator of the multicollinearity degree was calculated. Then, for each case and indicator, the sample size was determined through three models: models of maximum modified curvature, segmented linear with plateau response, and segmented quadratic with plateau response. There was superiority the quadratic model segmented with plateau in adjusting the degree of multicollinearity according to the sample size for all indicators. There is a need greater sample size to detect multicollinearity when diagnosed by DET and for sizes larger than 101, 258 and 102 plants when diagnosing for the number of conditions, determinant and inflation factor performed, respectively.
The Post 9/11 Enlightenment of Pakistan: An Analysis of Musharraf’s Policy Perspective

Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Allama Iqbal were supporters of enlightened and moderate thoughts and were in favor of the modern interpretation of Islam. They provided the right path to Muslims of the sub-continent at the time when they were suppressed and experiencing a critical phase of history. Both these intellectuals set practical examples for the emancipation of the Muslims of the subcontinent, accepting the challenges at the time and successfully achieving their objectives. Since 9/11, Muslims across the world, as well as in Pakistan, has been receiving a great deal of criticism, as terrorism has been associated with Muslims and their religion. President Pervez Musharraf then presented his policy of „Enlightened Moderation‟ (EM) for the emancipation of the Muslim world and he also addressed the West stating that Islam was an enlightened religion and beseeched the West justly to resolve the political disputes of Muslim countries. This research analyses the perspectives of Musharraf‟s policy of EM, based on socially constructed views of political analysts and academic scholars. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the version of reality on EM and its current relevance.
Observation of twin-free GaAs nanowire growth using template-assisted selective epitaxy

The continuous scaling of electronic devices has brought Si based Complementary-Metal –Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) technology close to its limits, requiring novel materials and approaches to increase performance. Group III-V semiconductor nanowires have evolved as promising candidates due to their superior carrier mobility, saturation velocity and capability for bandgap engineering and integration in heterostructures, as well as their potential for use in active photonic devices. However, CMOS compatible, epitaxial integration of III-Vs on Si(100) remains challenging, mainly due to the formation of crystal defects, significantly reducing device performance. Selective Area Growth (SAG)1,2 and epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO)3–5 have both been demonstrated to reduce defects due to lattice mismatch. In a more recent method referred to as Template-Assisted Selective Epitaxy (TASE)6–10 nanostructures are grown entirely within pre-defined hollow template cavities containing a small Si seed, thus minimizing the.
The Quality and Efficiency of Public and Private Firms: Evidence from Ambulance Services

Economic theory predicts that outsourcing public services to private firms reduces costs, but the effect on quality is ambiguous. We explore quality differences between publicly and privately owned ambulances in Stockholm County, Sweden, a setting where patients are as good as randomly assigned to ambulances with different ownership status. We find that private ambulances reduce costs and perform better on contracted measures such as response time, but perform worse on noncontracted measures such as mortality. In fact, a patient has a 1.4 percent higher risk of death within three years if a private ambulance is dispatched (in aggregate, 420 more deaths each year). We also present evidence of the mechanism at work, suggesting that private firms cut costs at the expense of ambulance staff quality.
Methodology to improve the accuracy of the model in photovoltaic systems

The present research proposes a methodology to improve the estimation of the unknown parameters of the unitary diode model of the photovoltaic panel. To check the accuracy, a comparison with other methodologies known in the scientific literature is made. Through an iterative process, the best value of the series resistance and the ideality factor for different temperature and irradiance conditions are identified. The objective is to determine a simplified model that accurately estimates the power supplied by a photovoltaic installation. To check the effectiveness of the methodology, a comparison was made between the power estimated by the model and the power measurements of an experimental photovoltaic installation. The results based on statistical indicators show that the proposed methodology determines a simplified model of the unitary diode with a better capacity and accuracy with respect to the known methodologies.
Metal-aluminium gallium nitride Schottky contacts formation.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to investigate the effect of various surface cleaning procedures on Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N surfaces for x = 0.20 and 0.30. Results show that wet chemical etch in a HF solution followed by a 600°C in-situ annealing under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) is very effective in removing oxygen from the surface. Downward band bending of 0.87 eV and 0.99 eV also occurs between the solvents-treated and the annealed Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N surfaces for x = 0.20 and 0.30, respectively.Increasing in-situ temperature annealing in increments of 100°C up to 600°C shows a re-ordering at the surface and subsurface with Ga and A1 moving deeper in the surface, whereas N goes to the topsurface. In addition, the Fermi level movement observed when increasing the temperature could be interpreted by the change in surface stoichiometry or by a creation of vacancies due to the ex-situ surface treatment which may, in turn, be activated/deactivated by temperature annealing. Atomic hydrogen clean (AHC) followed by 400°C in-situ UHV annealing is also found effective in removing O and C from Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N surface (x = 0.20). The formation of Ag/Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N (x = 0.20) and Ni/Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N (x = 0.30) interfaces, where the substrate was subjected to HF etch followed by 600°C in-situ UHV anneal, has been studied by a combination of XPS, atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and current-voltage (I-V) measurements.XPS results suggest a layer-by-layer followed by islanding growth mode of Ag and Ni on Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N. This is confirmed by the presence of metal islands at the metal-covered surfaces using AFM and in-situ STM. XPS investigation shows a more abrupt, well-defined Ag/Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N interface compared to Ni/Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N. Ag deposition on Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N substrates causes upward band bending of 0.30 eV and 0.40 eV between the "clean" surface and the last metal deposition, for x = 0.20 and 0.30, respectively, while Ni induces downward band bending of 0.3 eV for x = 0.20. I-V measurements of Ag/Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N (x = 0.30), where the substrate was cleaned using N[+] bombardment followed by 600°C annealing, yield a Schottky barrier height of 0.82 eV with ideality factor n = 1.21. XPS and I-V results on Ag/Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N and Ni/Al[x]Ga[1]-[x]N are compared and discussed in terms of current models of Schottky barrier formation.
Multi-resolution Texture-based Feature Tracking in Large Time-varying Volume Visualization

We proposed an efficient texture-based feature extraction and tracking algorithm with multiresolution hierarchy. In the preprocessing step, texture attributes are computed by Gabor filtering at each level of multi-resolution hierarchy. With spatial coherence, these attributes are builded as a texture sample hierarchy. In the run-time, a hierarchical feature tacking algorithm is applied. From root to leaves of the texture sample hierarchy, we use the parents tracking result to help children decide their tracking window. We demonstrate how this structure can perform more efficient tracking in texture-based datasets. The tracking algorithm is also adapted with multi-target feature.