Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemical and Morphological Modification of PAN Nanofibrous Mats with Addition of Casein after

Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofi brous mats belong to typical precursor materials of carbon nanofi bres. They have, however, the problem that they need to be fi xed or even stretched during stabilisation and ideally also during carbonisation in order to avoid undesired conglutinations and deformations of the original nanofi bre morphology, resulting in brittle behaviour of the macroscopic nanofi brous mat, which impedes several applications. In an earlier investigation, blending PAN with ZnO was shown to increase fi bre diameters and lead to unproblematic stabilisation and carbonisation of nanofi brous mats. ZnO, on the other hand, may have a negative impact on biotechnological applications such as tissue engineering. Here, we thus report on the morphological and chemical modifi cations due to blending PAN electrospinning solutions with diff erent amounts of casein. By optimising the PAN : casein ratio, relatively thick, straight nanofi bres are obtained, which can be stabilised and carbonised unambiguously, without the well-known negative impact on cell adhesion due to the addition of ZnO.
The possible ameliorative effect of carnosine in protein deficient diet induced testicular damage.

Background: Malnutrition due to protein deficiency is an emerging problem worldwide particularly in the developing countries. Reproductive system development and growth depends on maintaining healthy nutrition especially in childhood and adolescence. The present study aims at studying the possible protective efficacy of carnosine in testicular atrophy, defective spermatogenesis and reduced reproductive performance induced by supplementation of protein deficient diet (PDD) to male rats. Methods: Forty juvenile male albino rats were allocated into four equal groups; each group is 10 rats (i) normal control rats, (ii) protein deficient diet (PDD) group (received PDD for 75 days and saline intraperitoneal (IP) 5 days/week), (iii) carnosine (CAR) group (received carnosine 250 mg/kg body weight (bw), IP 5 days/week for 75 days); (iv) CAR-PDD group (received PDD for 75 days and carnosine 250 mg/kg body weight (bw), IP 5 days/week). Results: PDD supplementation lead to decreased body and testicular weights, reduced sex hormones and sperm count, motility and vitality (Live: Death ratio). In addition, the PDD-treated group had decreased levels of the antioxidant enzymes as reduced catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) levels in testicular tissue. These toxic effects were accompanied by elevation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Increased proapoptotic marker; caspase-9 and decreased Bcl-2 was also found. On the other hand, CAR co-administration with PDD significantly evaded these effects which were confirmed histologically. Conclusion: CAR could be used as complementary supplements in malnutrition for protection against PDD induced testicular atrophy in male albino rats.
Pollen morphology of the Stemonaceae

A pollen-morphological survey of all four genera of the Stemonaceae at the light and electron microscope level is presented. Stemonaceae is a eurypalynous family. Stichoneuron pollen, up to now described as monosulcate, appears to be inaperturate. Pentastemona pollen is most deviating in Stemonaceae. Its sexine consists of elements that resemble Ubisch bodies very much. It shares several features with pollen of Peliosanthes (Convallariaceae) and Trillium (Trilliaceae). However, the closest relatives of Pentastemona could not be traced with the available pollen-morphological evidence.
Rank-Ordered Analysis of Consumer Preferences for the Attributes of a Value-Added Biofuel Co-Product

Biochar is a co-product of the production of advanced biofuels that sequesters carbon when used as a soil amendment. Gardening consumers are a potential market for biochar and their purchase of biochar-amended products could provide biofuel producers with an additional revenue stream. To better understand this opportunity, preferences for the attributes of potting soils amended with biochar were elicited using a best-worst scaling experiment administered in a survey of 880 Tennessee households. The attributes analyzed were whether the biochar was produced in Tennessee, certified as biobased, a coproduct of biofuel production, and produced from food waste, wood waste, agricultural by-product, or a non-food energy crop feedstock. The effects of consumer demographics and attitudes on preferences for the biochar attributes were also estimated. We tested the independence of irrelevant alternative assumption using a structured covariance matrix designed specifically to the survey’s structure. The results suggest that the attributes most likely to influence favorably consumers are production from agricultural by-product or wood waste feedstock. On the other hand, the attributes least likely to entice consumers are biochar produced in Tennessee or produced as a co-product of renewable fuel.
Does impartial reasoning matter in economic decisions? An experimental result about distributive (un)fairness in a production context

The Rawlsian social contract presents the veil of ignorance as a thought experiment that should induce agents to behave more fairly within a distributive context. This study uses a laboratory experiment to test the effect of actual reasoning behind the veil, as a moral cue, in a Dictator Game with taking and production. The main hypothesis claims that reflection from an impartial perspective should lead subjects to put themselves in the shoes of who could be the least benefited. Against our expectations, the impact of the moral cue was null and no attempt to rebalance the unjustified differences was observed.
The effects of dipeptidase inhibitor on peptide breakdown and VFA concentrations in remen of sheep

The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of dipeptidase inhibitor (DI) on the concentration of NH3-N, VFA and peptide N in rumen. Four Small-Tailed Han rams fi tted with rumen fi stula were fed with pelleted diets containing DI of different concentrations at four ten-days’ experimental periods, respectively. Rumen fl uids were taken through the fi stula at last two days of each period. The results indicated that DI inhibited the release of NH3-N severely (P<0.05). In addition, the peptide N concentration increased (P<0.05) with the increase of DI concentration. However, the VFA concentrations, except propionic acid, were not affected.
Complete mitochondrial genome of Medinilla magnifica (Myrtales, Melastomataceae)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Medinilla magnifica, an economically valuable species in the family Melastomataceae was reported in this study. The genome size is 377,864 bp in length and the GC content is 43.91%. A total of 98 genes were annotated, including 71 protein-coding genes, 24 tRNA genes and 3 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between M. magnifica with Eucalyptus grandis. This is the first complete mitochondrial genome for M. magnifica that would be useful for providing basic genetic information for this important species.
A 177–183 GHz High-Power GaN-Based Frequency Doubler With Over 200 mW Output Power

A GaN Schottky barrier diode (SBD) on SiC for frequency doubler applications was fabricated with a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{N}-/\text{N}+$ </tex-math></inline-formula> GaN stack of 200 nm/1500 nm in thickness and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$5\times 10^{17} cm^{-3} / 8\times 10^{18} cm^{-3}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> in doping densities, respectively. A cut-off frequency of 459 GHz at zero bias and reverse breakdown voltage of 15.4 V were obtained. A quartz glass circuit with flip-chip-mounted GaN SBDs was inserted between split-waveguide blocks to form a balanced frequency doubler. When driven with 2 W input power in pulsed mode, measured output power was 200–244 mW from 177–183 GHz with efficiency 9.5-11.8%.
Synthesis of hexagonal boron nitride 2D layers using polymer derived ceramics route and derivatives

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is nowadays an increasingly attractive material, especially for two-dimensional material applications, due to its intrisic properties. However, its properties are highly dependent on the used synthesis approach. The polymer derived ceramics (PDCs) route allows elaboration of h-BN with tailored textural and structural properties. Here, we demonstrate the interest of the PDCs pathway for the synthesis of h-BN. Growth of h-BN single crystals with crystal sizes of a few microns at relatively low temperature and atmospheric pressure is successfully achieved from borazine precursor using PDCs. The crystallization is improved by additivation of 5 wt% of Li3N to the pre-ceramic polymer. Furthermore, by coupling PDCs with gas pressure sintering, starting from the same pre-ceramic polymer and 25 wt% of Li3N, the crystal size is enlarged up to hundreds of microns. The fabricated single crystals of pure h-BN can then be exfoliated into h-BN nanosheets. Finally, by combining PDCs with atomic layer deposition, functional BN nano-/hetero-structures are successfully synthesized from highly structured sensitive templates, making this ALD process a promising alternative for fabricating functional BN nanostructures.
Financial Returns to Firms' Communication Actions on Firm-Initiated Social Media: Evidence from Facebook Business Pages

Our paper shows that firm-initiated social media can contribute significantly to the value of firms. The findings provide a rationale for firms to invest heavily in their social media while countering those who question the value of social media. Using a sample of 63 South Korean firms across industries over a three-year period, we find that a firm’s social media actions yield significant financial returns, and the magnitude of these financial returns depends on the types of communication actions: that is, a firm’s (broadcasted) posts versus its responses to customer messages. Our conceptual framework and empirical methodology can help firms more accurately gauge the ROI of their social media investments and tailor their efforts accordingly. Specifically, our results suggest that promptly responding to customer complaints is a key to increasing customer satisfaction and firm performance. Taken together, our study provides guidance for firms on how to optimize their social media strategies to extract greater value from social media.
Corrections to "Satisficing in Multiarmed Bandit Problems"

—An unfortunate mistake in the proof of Theorem 8 of the above paper is corrected. We correct an error in the published proof of Theorem 8 of [2]. The error arises from an incorrect application of concentration inequalities. The correction follows the same structure as that published in [3, Appendix G], which corrects the proofs of performance bounds for UCL algorithms in [4] and thus Theorems 7 and 8 of [2]. For simplicity of presentation, we ﬁrst state the correction and then provide the associated proof
Evaluation Techniques for Residual Structural Performance of a Reinforced Concrete slab under Fire Damage

This study proposes non-destructive rebound-hardness and ultrasonic testing methods to more accurately evaluate the residual structural performance of reinforced concrete structures in a fire. Techniques are also proposed to assess the stiffness used in the deflection calculation with natural frequencies obtained by vibration tests. In the compressive strength evaluation using rebound hardness, the residual compressive strength of thick specimens and a larger water/cement (W/C) ratio were shown to be large. The homogeneity of concrete at high temperature compared to ambient temperature conditions was assessed by the velocity of ultrasonic waves that penetrate the concrete, and it followed W/C or thickness of slab makes little different results<note: This part is ambiguous; clarification by the author is needed>. To assess the stiffness of fire-damaged slabs and increase in deflection, the natural frequency was measured by vibration tests and incorporated into the equation of the stiffness. The application of this technique to the slab experiment showed that it can be a very reasonable evaluation technique. In addition, to evaluate the residual strength of a member after fire, a test of the strength of a component was carried out during and after heating.
Transsynaptic tracing by in situ complementation of a deletion mutant neurotropic virus

We have developed two new tools for tracing neural connections. The first is a means of identifying cells that project to a region of interest within the brain, illuminating these cells with intense fluorescence and allowing their finest morphological details to be seen. This permits either highly detailed reconstruction of the cells' anatomy or their targeting, in live tissue, on the basis of their morphology for physiological study. The second tool is a means of identifying, on a large scale, neurons which are directly presynaptic to either a targeted cell type or indeed a single neuron. Because this technique also results in intensely fluorescent cellular details, this too could be used either for detailed anatomical studies or for physiological ones. This should allow a significantly more precise understanding of the organization of nervous systems than has previously been possible
A phylogenomic tree of fungi: evolutionary relationships among Calonectria ilicicola and 586 fungal mitochondrial genomes

Abstract The mitochondrial genomes have the potential to be ‘molecular clock’ due to its high mutation rate and low DNA recombination rate. Here, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of three strains of Calonectria ilicicola (anamorph Cylindrocladium parasiticum) isolated from diseased peanut showing symptoms of Cylindrocladium black rot (CBR) and two C. ilicicola strains isolated from diseased soybean showing symptoms of Red crown rot (RCR). The complete mitogenome of C. ilicicola ranged from 41,187 bp to 64,421 bp in length, 22–34 protein-coding genes, 19–20 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a control region. Besides, we used a phylogenomic approach to infer evolutionary relationships among 591 mitochondrial genomes that span the diversity of 294 fungal species, including C. ilicicola. Our results underline the potential importance of mitochondrial genomes in comparative genomic analyses and provide a robust evolutionary insight across the tree of life.
Decreased Soil Organic Matter in a Long‐Term Soil Warming Experiment Lowers Soil Water Holding Capacity and Affects Soil Thermal and Hydrological Buffering

Long‐term soil warming can decrease soil organic matter (SOM), resulting in self‐reinforcing feedback to the global climate system. We investigated additional consequences of SOM reduction for soil water holding capacity (WHC) and soil thermal and hydrological buffering. At a long‐term soil warming experiment in a temperate forest in the northeastern United States, we suspended the warming treatment for 104 days during the summer of 2017. The formerly heated plot remained warmer (+0.39 °C) and drier (−0.024 cm3 H2O cm−3 soil) than the control plot throughout the suspension. We measured decreased SOM content (−0.184 g SOM g−1 for O horizon soil, −0.010 g SOM g−1 for A horizon soil) and WHC (−0.82 g H2O g−1 for O horizon soil, −0.18 g H2O g−1 for A horizon soil) in the formerly heated plot relative to the control plot. Reduced SOM content accounted for 62% of the WHC reduction in the O horizon and 22% in the A horizon. We investigated differences in SOM composition as a possible explanation for the remaining reductions with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. We found FTIR spectra that correlated more strongly with WHC than SOM, but those particular spectra did not differ between the heated and control plots, suggesting that SOM composition affects WHC but does not explain treatment differences in this study. We conclude that SOM reductions due to soil warming can reduce WHC and hydrological and thermal buffering, further warming soil and decreasing SOM. This feedback may operate in parallel, and perhaps synergistically, with carbon cycle feedbacks to climate change.
Electroretinographic Recordings from the Isolated and Superfused Murine Retina

Vertebrate retina has routinely been isolated from bovine [1-4] or rat eyes [5]. However, many animal models for disturbances in neuronal signalling rely on gene inactivation or transgenes in mice. To get access to the isolated retina from these model systems to investigate neuronal processing, the technique of retina isolation and recording in a closed chamber was transferred from the bovine to the murine eye. The ERG recordings of the isolated and superfused retina from bovine eye were most successfully performed in a closed recording chamber, in which a defined and controlled oxygen concentration can be achieved. Under these conditions, repetitive ERG recordings (interval time 5 min) can be performed up to 10 hours [4]. For rat and murine ERG recordings an open system was introduced recently, in which oxygen may escape easier, and stable recordings were shortened to about 90 min [6]. Therefore, we tried to optimize murine ERG recordings in the same closed system as it was introduced for frog and bovine retina [7;8].
Study on direct mechanism of growth promotion of soybean.

Nine isolates of soil bacteria were tested in vitro. for direct mechanism for the growth promotion of soybean. Parameters assessed was siderophore production. Siderophores production was tested by CAS assay as well as types of siderophores were also determined wether it was hydroxymate or catachole type. Five isolates, NM/S1/CA, NM/S4/NA, NM/S5/NA, NM/R2/RA, NM/R3/ RA showed siderophore production.
Linguistics landscape: A cross culture perspective

This paper was to aim in discussing the linguistic landscape. It was the visibility and salience of languages on public and commercial signs in a given territory or region (Landry and Bourhis 1997). The linguistic landscape has been described as being somewhere at the junction of sociolinguistics, sociology, social psychology, geography, and media studies. It is a concept used in sociolinguistics as scholars study how languages are visually used in multilingual societies, from large metropolitan centers to Amazonia. For example, some public signs in Jerusalem are in Hebrew, English, and Arabic (Spolsky and Cooper 1991, Ben-Rafael et al., 2006). Studies of the linguistic landscape have been published from research done around the world. The field of study is relatively recent; the linguistic landscape paradigm has evolved rapidly and while it has some key names associated with it, it currently has no clear orthodoxy or theoretical core.
Belief Regulated Dual Propagation Nets for Learning Action Effects on Groups of Articulated Objects

In recent years, graph neural networks have been successfully applied for learning the dynamics of complex and partially observable physical systems. However, their use in the robotics domain is, to date, still limited. In this paper, we introduce Belief Regulated Dual Propagation Networks (BRDPN), a general-purpose learnable physics engine, which enables a robot to predict the effects of its actions in scenes containing groups of articulated multi-part objects. Specifically, our framework extends recently proposed propagation networks (PropNets) and consists of two complementary components, a physics predictor and a belief regulator. While the former predicts the future states of the object(s) manipulated by the robot, the latter constantly corrects the robot’s knowledge regarding the objects and their relations. Our results showed that after training in a simulator, the robot can reliably predict the consequences of its actions in object trajectory level and exploit its own interaction experience to correct its belief about the state of the environment, enabling better predictions in partially observable environments. Furthermore, the trained model was transferred to the real world and verified in predicting trajectories of pushed interacting objects whose joint relations were initially unknown. We compared BRDPN against PropNets, and showed that BRDPN performs consistently well. Moreover, BRDPN can adapt its physic predictions, since the relations can be predicted online.
Event-Based Formation Control for Nonlinear Multiagent Systems Under DoS Attacks

This article focuses on the formation control problem of nonlinear multiagent systems under denial-of-service attacks. The formation control can be preserved by the distributed hybrid event-triggering strategies (HETSs). As a balance between periodic and continuous event-triggering strategies, HETS arranges a tradeoff between the resource utilization and the communication frequency among agents. Theoretical results are verified using a benchmark problem of six miniature quadrotor prototypes.
My name is bond, Pecorino Bond

The aim of this paper is to analyze how “mini-bonds,” an innovative financial tool for Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can contribute to the development and sustainability of the agri-food sector and its local products, such as Pecorino Cheese. ,The study was conducted as a qualitative case study applying the CAOS (“characteristics, ambience, organization, start-up”) model. This model makes it possible to describe all variables that affect a company in a given economic context. ,In Sardinia, a small island to the southwest of Italy, there are more than 60,000 agricultural enterprises, 60 percent of which are shepherding operations. Obtaining financial resources is a constant challenge, often related to the uncertainties inherent in seasonal activities. This paper explores how a mini-bond was implemented to promote the development and sustainability of Pecorino Cheese. ,Limitations are chiefly related to the short observation period—the bond was first issued in 2018—and to the narrow geographical base of observation. ,This research contributes to the expanding body of literature on innovative financial tools for the promotion and development of the local agri-food heritage. It may be useful to practitioners currently researching and developing growth strategies for companies. Existing barriers to credit access are among the most important causes of the lack of development of SMEs, especially in Italy where SMEs represent the principal type of new businesses in the agri-food sector, and their economic success is so dependent on seasonality. In February 2019, the Pecorino case played a role in the Italian government stepping in to avoid the collapse of the price of milk. Future research will focus on the analysis of specific economic results of the financial operations described herein, and will further focus on possibly similar cases of local products making use of innovative financial tools.