Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polysulfone/Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Ultrafltration Membrane for Adsorptive Removal of Phosphate from Aqueous Solution

Excessive nutrient contents in water bodies renders eutrophication and causes undesired structural changes to the environment. One of the most straightforward strategies to address eutrophication issue is through the removal of nutrients such as phosphate ions from the water sources. A combination of membrane fltration and adsorption process is an attractive alternative to remove phosphate from aqueous solution. In this work, polysulfone/iron oxide nanoparticles (PSf/IONPs) adsorptive nanocomposite ultrafltration (UF) membrane was prepared via phase separation process. Flat sheet membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, contact angle, overall pore size, porosity and pure water ﬂux (PWF). Results showed that the incorporation of IONPs greatly enhanced the membrane PWF from 10.0 L/m2/h to 55.2 L/m2/h, contributed by the enhanced surface hydrophilicity (contact angle = 63.9°), porosity (74.1%) and larger overall pore size (79.3 nm). It was revealed that the membrane possessed phosphate adsorption capacity of 73.5 mg/g. Filtration experiment demonstrated that the PSf/IONPs membrane exhibited efcient phosphate removal under a steady ﬂux. The design of this adsorptive UF membrane could fulfl the current necessity to remove phosphate from wastewater.
Quantifying Leaf Trait Covariations and Their Relationships with Plant Adaptation Strategies along an Aridity Gradient

Simple Summary Plants usually adopt different strategies to adapt to their surrounding environments. Accurately quantifying plant strategies is of great interest in trait-based ecology, in particular to understand the responses of ecological structures and processes. In the last two decades, these strategies have been described qualitatively; however, the use of quantitative methods is still lacking. In this study, we used a plant functional trait approach to discuss plant strategies along an aridity gradient. We found that eight functional traits divided into four dimensions represent four adaptation strategies: energy balance, resource acquisition, resource investment and water use efficiency. We also concluded that climate and soil together with family (vegetation succession) were the main driving forces of trait covariations. Our study provided a new perspective to understand plant functional responses to aridity gradients, which is helpful for ecological management and vegetation restoration programs in arid regions. Abstract A trait-based approach is an effective way to quantify plant adaptation strategies in response to changing environments. Single trait variations have been well depicted before; however, multi-trait covariations and their roles in shaping plant adaptation strategies along aridity gradients remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to reveal multi-trait covariation characteristics, their controls and their relevance to plant adaptation strategies. Using eight relevant plant functional traits and multivariate statistical approaches, we found the following: (1) the eight studied traits show evident covariation characteristics and could be grouped into four functional dimensions linked to plant strategies, namely energy balance, resource acquisition, resource investment and water use efficiency; (2) leaf area (LA) together with traits related to the leaf economic spectrum, including leaf nitrogen content per area (Narea), leaf nitrogen per mass (Nmass) and leaf dry mass per area (LMA), covaried along the aridity gradient (represented by the moisture index, MI) and dominated the trait–environmental change axis; (3) together, climate, soil and family can explain 50.4% of trait covariations; thus, vegetation succession along the aridity gradient cannot be neglected in trait covariations. Our findings provide novel perspectives toward a better understanding of plant adaptations to arid conditions and serve as a reference for vegetation restoration and management programs in arid regions.
Methoxy-Substituted γ-Oxa-ε-Lactones Derived from Flavanones—Comparison of Their Anti-Tumor Activity In Vitro

Background: The study investigated four flavanone-derived γ-oxa-ε-lactones: a parent unsubstituted compound and its three derivatives with the methoxy group in positions 2′, 4′ and 8. Our objective was to find out if the introduction of the methoxy group into the aromatic ring affects in vitro anti-tumor potency of the investigated lactones. Methods: Cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects were assessed with cytometric tests with propidium iodide, annexin V, and Western blot techniques. We also investigated potential synergistic potency of the tested lactones and glucocorticoids in canine lymphoma/leukemia cell lines. Results: The tested flavanone-derived lactones showed anti-cancer activity in vitro. Depending on its location, the methoxy group either increased or decreased cytotoxicity of the derivatives as compared with the parent compound. The most potent lactone was the one with the methoxy group at position 4′ of the B ring (compound 3), and the weakest activity was observed when the group was located at C-8 in the A ring. A combination of the lactones with glucocorticoids confirmed their synergy in anti-tumor activity in vitro. Conclusions: Methoxy-substituted flavanone-derived lactones effectively kill canine lymphoma/leukemia cells in vitro and, thanks to their synergistic action with glucocorticoids, may potentially be applied in the treatment of hematopoietic cancers.
Machine learning for cooperative spectrum sensing and sharing: A survey

With the rapid development of next‐generation wireless communication technologies and the increasing demand of spectrum resources, it becomes necessary to introduce learning and reasoning capabilities in cognitive radio networks (CRN). In particular, our focus is on two fundamental applications in CRNs, namely spectrum sensing (SS) and spectrum sharing. The application of machine learning (ML) techniques has added new aspects to SS and spectrum sharing. This paper offers a survey on various ML‐based algorithms in the cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) and dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) domain, with its emphasis on types of features extracted from primary user signal, types of ML algorithm, and performance metrics utilized for evaluation of ML algorithms. Starting with the basic principles and challenges of SS, this paper also justifies the applicability of supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement ML algorithms in the CSS domain. The application of ML algorithms, to solve the DSS problem has also been reviewed. Finally, the survey paper is concluded with some suggested open research challenges and future directions for ML application in next‐generation communication technologies.
States

1. In the EFTA States, openness to trade and access to international markets is the basis for economic growth and general welfare. At the same time, the EFTA States apply and actively promote high standards for sustainable development and inclusiveness not only domestically, but also in their respective foreign policies. In fact, free trade and economic growth can contribute to the achievement of their sustainability policies. This experience of the EFTA States is widely shared internationally and the importance of trade as a means to promote sustainable development has been explicitly recognized in relevant international bodies, most recently in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development2 which states that “international trade is an engine for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction and contributes to the promotion of sustainable development”.
Secondary phase formation and surface modification from a high dose KF‐post deposition treatment of (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell absorbers

In this study, we assessed the potential of KF‐post deposition treatment (PDT) performed on a silver‐alloyed Cu (In,Ga)Se2 (ACIGS) solar absorber. ACIGS absorbers with Ag/Ag + Cu ratio (Ag/I) close to 20% were co‐evaporated on a Mo‐coated glass substrate and exposed to in‐situ KF‐PDT of various intensities.
Pinguecula

Pinguecula is a common disease in tropical countries however there are not so many published articles regarding its aetiology, signs , symptoms and management . It seems that Ultraviolet rays play an important role and it is one of the reasons that explain the prevalence in zones near the equator. Pingüeculas behave different in the nasal than in the temporal side playing an important role in the development of pterygium which explains the high incidence of its nasal location. Regarding treatment and management , there are different approaches that will discussed in this mayor review.
Modifications in Gene Expression in the Process of Osteoblastic Differentiation of Multipotent Bone Marrow-Derived Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induced by a Novel Osteoinductive Porous Medical-Grade 3D-Printed Poly(ε-caprolactone)/β-tricalcium Phosphate Composite

In this work, we evaluated the influence of a novel hybrid 3D-printed porous composite scaffold based on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) microparticles in the process of adhesion, proliferation, and osteoblastic differentiation of multipotent adult human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (ah-BM-MSCs) cultured under basal and osteogenic conditions. The in vitro biological response of ah-BM-MSCs seeded on the scaffolds was evaluated in terms of cytotoxicity, adhesion, and proliferation (AlamarBlue Assay®) after 1, 3, 7, and 14 days of culture. The osteogenic differentiation was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineralization (Alizarin Red Solution, ARS), expression of surface markers (CD73, CD90, and CD105), and reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) after 7 and 14 days of culture. The scaffolds tested were found to be bioactive and biocompatible, as demonstrated by their effects on cytotoxicity (viability) and extracellular matrix production. The mineralization and ALP assays revealed that osteogenic differentiation increased in the presence of PCL/β-TCP scaffolds. The latter was also confirmed by the gene expression levels of the proteins involved in the ossification process. Our results suggest that similar bio-inspired hybrid composite materials would be excellent candidates for osteoinductive and osteogenic medical-grade scaffolds to support cell proliferation and differentiation for tissue engineering, which warrants future in vivo research.
Establishing Competencies for Leadership Development for Postgraduate Internal Medicine Residents.

Background Although graduate medical education accrediting bodies recognize the importance of leadership for residents and encourage curricular development, it remains unclear which competencies are most important for early career physicians to possess. Objective To generate a prioritized list of essential postgraduate leadership competencies to inform best practices for future curricular development. Methods In 2019, we used a Delphi approach, which allows for generation of consensus, to survey internal medicine (IM) physicians in leadership roles with expertise in medical education and/or leadership programming within national professional societies. Panelists ranked a comprehensive list of established leadership competencies for health care professionals, across 3 established domains (character, emotional intelligence, and cognitive skills), on importance for categorical IM residents to perform by the end of residency. Respondents also identified number of content hours and pedagogical format best suited to teach each skill. Results Sixteen and 14 panelists participated in Delphi rounds 1 and 2, respectively (88% response rate). Most were female (71%) and senior (64% in practice > 15 years, 57% full professor). All practiced in academic environments and all US regions were represented. The final consensus list included 12 "essential" and 9 "very important" leadership skills across all 3 leadership domains. Emotional intelligence and character domains were equally represented in the consensus list despite being disproportionately underweighted initially. Panelists most frequently recommended content delivery via mentorship/coaching, work-based reflection, and interactive discussion. Conclusions This study's results suggest that postgraduate curricular interventions should emphasize emotional intelligence and character domains of leadership and prioritize coaching, discussion, and reflection for delivery.
Underpricing Phenomenon and Stock Return after IPO

: The purpose of this study is to find out the influence of financial and non-financial factors in the company's prospectus that can affect underpricing and stock return 7 days after the IPO. This research using multiple linear regression analysis to measure the relationship between the dependent variable (initial return and return 7 days after the IPO) with independent variables (DER, TATO, ROA, PPS, and AGE). The existence of a high underpricing phenomenon leads to non-optimal funding by IPO companies. The company's goal of obtaining abundant funds is not achieved. In the market efficient theory, prices should have been agreed upon by the underwriter and the company to get a response according to company goals, but overly optimistic investor behavior makes prices go far beyond actual value so that underpricing occurs. This research complies financial and non-financial variables to find out the most influencing factors the occurrence of the phenomenon of underpricing of shares when the Indonesian capital market has been rose and broke the record with the most IPO in year 2013.
Effect of different types of substrate surface treatments on the graphene device performance

Graphene–substrate interface is very crucial for analyzing graphene device performance. In this article, we have shown how the graphene device performance got affected because of different types of substrate surface treatment techniques used before graphene transfer. For fabrication of graphene devices, monolayer chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene was transferred onto SiO2 grown thermally on Si substrate. Forming gas annealed SiO2/Si shows better device performance as compared with as‐grown SiO2 on Si substrate. A further effect of oxygen plasma and argon plasma cleaning of SiO2 surface before graphene transfer was investigated. Forming gas annealing improves the performance and plasma treatment degrade the graphene devices' performance.
Optimal regulators for a class of nonlinear stochastic systems

We consider a class of nonlinear stochastic systems with square-root nonlinearities appearing in the diffusion terms. The optimal control problems with indefinite quadratic criteria in both finite and infinite horizon are formulated and solved in an explicit closed form. It turns out that all optimal controls are of an affine state-feedback form, despite the fact that the system is nonlinear. We use the method of completion of squares and new types of Riccati differential and algebraic equations to find the solutions. An application to the problem of optimal investment in a market with a stochastic interest rate is given.
Intraday Time Series Momentum: International Evidence

This paper provides the first study of intraday time-series momentum (ITSM) in a global setting. By studying 16 developed markets, we show that ITSM is both economically and statistically significant around the world. Although global commonality across individual markets is limited, stronger regional commonality is observed. We also find that the US first half-hour return exhibits cross-country intraday predictability which is economically exploitable. A global equally-weighted ITSM portfolio generates significant alphas against global equity factors and a time-varying factor manifests as a major contributor. Finally, market micro-characteristics like liquidity provision and information continuity are shown to be associated with ITSM.
Power-sharing in governments, clarity of responsibility, and the control of corruption

ABSTRACT How does power-sharing in governments influence the control of corruption in Asia Pacific democracies? Studies find that voters can more easily hold elected officials accountable, providing them with incentives to control corruption, if levels of clarity of responsibility are sufficiently high. Most of these studies have focused on European countries, and have tended to measure power-sharing, which lowers clarity of responsibility, in terms of coalition governments. The wide variation in institutional arrangements across the democracies in the Asia Pacific region calls for a more nuanced evaluation of the conditions under which we should expect to find clarity of responsibility. Using original data on government characteristics in 19 Asia Pacific democracies from 1996 to 2019 and data on control of corruption from the World Bank, I find that higher levels of clarity of responsibility, captured by presidentialism and a higher share of decision-making power held by the head of government’s party, promote higher levels of corruption control.
Cyclic Behavior of Calcareous Sand from the South China Sea

This study examines the cyclic behavior of calcareous sand obtained from the South China Sea. A series of undrained cyclic triaxial tests were performed on the calcareous sand with various relative densities, cyclic stress ratios, and effective confining pressures. The test results show that whereas the effective confining pressure exhibited a small influence on the cyclic behavior of the calcareous sand, the effect of changes in CSR and relative density was notable. Due to its angular nature, the liquefaction resistance of calcareous sand was much higher than that of silica sand. In addition, differences between calcareous and silica sands in terms of pore pressure generation characteristics and deformation responses were also observed.
Deep Reinforcement Learning-based Charging Algorithm for Target Coverage and Connectivity in WRSNs

Target coverage and connectivity are two of the most crucial issues in handling wireless sensor networks. However, maintaining these two factors is challenging due to the energy constraint of sensors. To this end, wireless charging has emerged as a promising solution to prolong the sensor's lifetime. In a wireless charging sensor network, a mobile charger moves around the network, stops at several charging locations and charges the sensor via electromagnetic waves. In this study, we investigate the problem of optimizing the charging location and charging time of the mobile charger to ensure the target coverage and connectivity of the network. Our main idea is to leverage the Deep Reinforcement Learning approach. Specifically, the mobile charger will act as an agent, which receives a state including the energy information of the sensors. The mobile charger then decides the following charging location and charging time using the state information and the knowledge learned in the past. Experimental results have shown that our algorithm can extend the network lifetime (i.e., the time until the network coverage and connectivity are not guaranteed) up to 245.9 times compared to the existing algorithms.
Women's Participation in the Presidential Elections in Russia: Value Aspects of Mass Media Discourse

The paper presents the results of the analysis of media coverage concerning the election campaigns for the presidential elections in Russia in 2012 and 2018. The emphasis is made on analyzing the representation of women candidates for top positions. The research is based on discourse analysis which revealed the holistic image of politicians, including explicit and hidden meanings. The analysis showed that the images of women politicians are devoid of a gender component. They are either commonplace, or include purely masculine features and actions. The paper explains that this representation of female characters in the electoral process corresponds to the essence of the modern sensual culture based on the domination of power, success and individualism significance, and moral atomism. The paper notes that a demand for moral values and moral authority of politicians has matured in the society. The results of the all-Russian sociological survey are given, according to which respondents expressed distrust and rejection of women candidates in the 2018 elections, because they did not possess the qualities necessary for the president. These trends can be described as a manifestation of the crisis of modern sensory culture and the forerunner of spiritual culture.
Research

This work evaluation kernels of Terminalia bellirica and Terminalia. arjuna covered with chocolate and applied to commercially available peanuts wrapped in chocolate, the taste and sensory qualities were assessed. T. bellirica kernels recorded a high percentage of protein and oil (27.5±0.03 and 34±2.00 %) respectively compared to T. arjuna. On this concern, fatty acid composition percentage of Terminalia sp. compared to commercial olive oil. T. bellirica and T. arjuna kernels showed that higher palmitic acid content (22.58 and 21.04%) respectively compared to olives oil, Palmitoleic acid mono-unsaturated is an omega-7 compared to T. bellirica kernels and olive oil and stearic contained (8.77 and 5.76 %) respectively compared to olives oil (2.37%). Terminalia sp. had content omega-3 addition enhanced than olive oil of linoleic acid and omega-6 percentage. Moreover, complete amino acids are abundant in kernels content. The most common amino acid was glutamic acid, which was followed by arginine and serine for T. bellirica and T. arjuna kernels flour content (28.8 and 23.04 g/16gN) respectively of total essential amino acids. T. arjuna kernels enhanced content Ca, Mg and K. T. bellirica and T. arjuna also contained (0.145 ± 0.10 and 0.110±0.08 mg), (0.351 ± 0.01 and 0.293±0.02 mg), (0.792 ± 0.09 and 1.030±0.03 mg) and (1.450 ± 0.02 and 0.952±0.02 mg) per 100g of kernel, respectively, of vitamins B1, B2, C, and A. The results showed that Terminalia kernels coated with chocolate are more nutritious highly acceptable healthy food.
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of R2R3-MYB Family Genes Associated with Petal Pigment Synthesis in Liriodendron

The MYB transcription factor family is one of the largest families in plants, and its members have various biological functions. R2R3-MYB genes are involved in the synthesis of pigments that yield petal colors. Liriodendron plants are widely cultivated as ornamental trees owing to their peculiar leaves, tulip-like flowers, and colorful petals. However, the mechanism underlying petal coloring in this species is unknown, and minimal information about MYB genes in Liriodendron is available. Herein, this study aimed to discern gene(s) involved in petal coloration in Liriodendron via genome-wide identification, HPLC, and RT-qPCR assays. In total, 204 LcMYB superfamily genes were identified in the Liriodendron chinense genome, and 85 R2R3-MYB genes were mapped onto 19 chromosomes. Chromosome 4 contained the most (10) R2R3-MYB genes, and chromosomes 14 and 16 contained the fewest (only one). MEME analysis showed that R2R3-MYB proteins in L. chinense were highly conserved and that their exon-intron structures varied. The HPLC results showed that three major carotenoids were uniformly distributed in the petals of L. chinense, while lycopene and β-carotene were concentrated in the orange band region in the petals of Liriodendron tulipifera. Furthermore, the expression profiles via RT-qPCR assays revealed that four R2R3-MYB genes were expressed at the highest levels at the S3P/S4P stage in L. tulipifera. This result combined with the HPLC results showed that these four R2R3-MYB genes might participate in carotenoid synthesis in the petals of L. tulipifera. This work laid a cornerstone for further functional characterization of R2R3-MYB genes in Liriodendron plants.