Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of the Information-Technology-Enabled Interaction Instrument in Contemporary Chinese Context

Practitioners and researchers have shown great interest in information-technology (IT)-enabled interactions across partnering firms and developed instruments for measuring it. However, those instruments might have been under criticism as they were developed before the widespread adoption of the new IT applications like video conferences, DingTalk and WeChat Moments among Chinese managers for the last five years. The purpose of this study is to validate the instrument of IT-enabled formal and informal interactions for the contemporary Chinese context. First, the study reviews the literature on IT-enabled interfirm interactions and designs an open questionnaire through in-depth interviews. Answers from 85 pairs of suppliers and manufacturers are coded and the preliminary item pool is generated through the qualitative analysis. Next, a small-scale pretest with 120 manufacturing firms is conducted to purify and modify the item pool. Finally, a large-scale analysis with 336 manufacturing firms is conducted to check the reliability and validity of the measurements. The finalized scale yields six items measuring IT-enabled formal interaction and five items measuring IT-enabled informal interaction, among which six are newly derived in this study. The validated instrument reveals satisfactory reliability and validity and can serve as the basic instruments for future research on IT-enabled interactions.
Release of the Fourth Season of Money Heist: Analysis of Its Social Audience on Twitter during Lockdown in Spain

Nowadays we are witnessing a significant change in content consumption. This, together with the global health situation, has caused some behaviors to accelerate. This research focuses on the specific case of the lockdown in Spain and the coincidence with the launch of the fourth season of Money Heist compared to the launch of season three. Starting with a review of the theoretical framework, in which the related concepts of coronavirus, television, and Video on Demand (VOD) platforms are presented, the importance of transmedia communication is also introduced. The methodological aspect is developed through content analysis and in-depth interviews. The tool used on the first methodology has been Twlets. With regard to the sources, the specific bibliography of the audiovisual sector, the official profile of the series on Twitter and personal interviews with professionals from the communication department of the production company, Vancouver Media, and from the series directing were taken into account. The methodology used to carry out this work has been the analysis of quantitative–qualitative content of the various sources consulted. The results of the study are presented in graphs, crossing the data from the different sources to detect the strategies of marketing and communication used for the release of the fourth season of the series. These results reflect the change in the communication strategy, the behavior of the social audience of the Twitter account of Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) and its relationship with the period of lockdown in Spain.
Surface zwitterionically functionalized PVA-co-PE nanofiber materials by click chemistry

Antifouling nanofibers with zwitterionic materials on surfaces that can prevent the nonspecific adhesion of biomolecules and microorganism are in demand for high efficiency biosensors and affinity membranes. The functionalization of zwitterionic sulfobetaine on surfaces of PVA-co-PE nanofiber membrane via click chemistry is performed employing two synthesis routes and reported in this paper. PVA-co-PE nanofiber membranes were activated with cyanuric chloride, and then surface functionalized with sodium azide or 2-propynylamine to prepare “clickable” nanofibers with azide or alkynyl groups, respectively. The zwitterionic sulfobetaine was finally “clicked” onto PVA-co-PE nanofiber membranes. The successful surface functionalizations of PVA-co-PE nanofiber membrane were confirmed with FTIR-ATR, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and EDS. The analysis of element composition using XPS indicated that alkynylation of activated PVA-co-PE nanofiber membranes can “click” more sulfobetaines on nanofiber surfaces than surface azidation. SEM results showed that functionalized PVA-co-PE nanofiber membranes maintained well-defined nanofibrous morphology. PVA-co-PE nanofiber membranes with zwitterionic sulfobetaine demonstrated excellent antifouling performance by effectively resisting bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein adsorption.
Threshold aluminum toxicity in maize

Abstract The threshold value of aluminum (Al) toxicity in maize was determined by growing two‐week‐old plants for 20 days in a medium with low ionic strength having Al concentrations ranging from 0 to 81 mg L‐1. It was found that biomass production decreased in both roots and shoot at 81 mg L‐1 Al. The maize plants grown displayed two distinct Al accumulation phases in roots. A slow phase accumulation occurred between 0 and 9 mg L"1 Al, and a faster phase between 9 and 81 mg L‐1 Al. In both phases, Al content in plant tissue increased with Al concentration in the nutrient solution. Threshold toxicity, as expressed by reduced root length, was found to be 13 μg g‐1 Al in plant tissue.
Bacterial cellulose membrane as separation medium

A thin membrane of bacterial cellulose (BC) obtained from Acetobacter culture was tested for its performance as a dialysis membrane in aqueous systems. The BC membrane showed superior mechanical strength to that of a dialysis-grade regenerated cellulose membrane, allowing the use of a thinner membrane than the latter. As a result, the BC membrane gave higher permeation rates for poly(ethylene glycols) as probe solutes. The cutoff molecular weight of the original BC membrane, significantly greater than that of regenerated cellulose, could be modified by concentrated alkali treatments of the membrane. The nature of the change at the ultrastructural level caused by the alkali treatments was studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.
A quasi‐direct‐current sputtering technique for the deposition of dielectrics at enhanced rates

A new sputtering process with particular advantages for the deposition of dielectric films has been developed. Low‐frequency power is applied between two conducting targets which are sputtered in a reactive gas. The operation has been demonstrated using Al planar magnetron targets in reactive gases as well as Ar and other noble gases, using a 60‐Hz and a 80–500‐kHz supply. Comparative measurements were made using the same system for both dc and 13.56‐MHz operation. The process retains the controllability of reactive rf sputtering but with higher deposition rates. For N2 ambient, the AlN deposition rate at 100 kHz was 80% higher than the value for 13.56 MHz. Rate measurements were made as a function of both power and frequency by step height measurements. For all gases, the rate increased linearly with power for all frequencies; at a given power, the ratios of the rates obtained in Ar were ∼1:1:0.85:0.70:0.55 for dc, 60 kHz, 80 kHz, 500 kHz, and 13.56 MHz, respectively. The power dissipated in the targets .
Autothermal catalytic partial oxidation of bio-oil functional groups: Esters and acids

The catalytic conversion of esters and carboxylic acids into synthesis gas or chemicals could permit optimal utilization of organic intermediates such as pyrolysis bio-oils. To examine the ester moiety, two esters, ethyl lactate and ethyl propionate, and two acids, lactic acid and propionic acid, were reformed by catalytic partial oxidation. Autothermal reforming was examined over platinum and rhodium based catalysts supported on alumina foam monoliths at a contact time on the order of 10 ms. Conversions >98% were observed for all four fuels. The addition of cerium or lanthanum was found to increase the selectivity to synthesis gas. At higher fuel to oxygen ratios, nonequilibrium species such as ethylene and acetaldehyde were observed. Ethyl propionate produced twice as much ethylene as ethyl lactate but very little acetaldehyde. The additional hydroxyl group in ethyl lactate produced acetaldehyde such that the ratio of ethylene to acetaldehyde was ∼1:1. The results provide evidence that the homogeneous d.
Antibodies Against Sulfur Mustard and Direct Piezoelectric Immunosensing in an Organic Solvent

Abstract The development of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against sulfur mustard (SM; yperite) and initial experiments towards the piezoelectric immunosensor are reported. The antibodies were produced using bovine serum albumin and thyroglobulin as carrier proteins, the hapten density was 9–11 SM molecules per one molecule of albumin. The obtained antibodies were able to bind to the piezoelectric quartz crystal sensors with immobilized SM; however, the interaction with free SM was very weak in a competitive assay format. For this reason, the sensors with immobilized antibodies were prepared and tested for affinity to SM using toluene as solvent. Specific binding of SM to polyclonal antibodies was observed in dry toluene, the monoclonal antibody 2C1.2 was able to bind SM in toluene saturated with water. The preliminary results seem promising for immunosensing of SM in organic solvents.
Denaturation and Physical Characteristics of Spray-Dried Whey Protein Isolate Powders Produced in the Presence and Absence of Lactose, Trehalose, and Polysorbate-80

The denaturation (loss of protein through aggregation and/or change in secondary structure) and physical characteristics such as powder morphology, particle size and size distribution, amorphous/crystalline behavior, and solubility of whey protein isolate (WPI) were investigated in a spray-drying process. The protective efficacy of sugars (lactose and trehalose) and low-molecular-weight surfactant polysorbate-80 (Tween-80) on the secondary structure (β-turn, β-sheet and α-helix) and physical characteristics of spray-dried WPI was quantified. The WPI, WPI+sugar, and WPI+Tween-80 formulations were spray dried maintaining the total solids at 10% (w/w). The inlet and outlet temperatures were maintained at 180 and 80°C, respectively. The results showed that the loss of protein through denaturation and aggregation was not significant (p > 0.05). However, a significant (p < 0.05) alteration of the secondary structural elements was observed. Due to spray drying of WPI without protectants, the β-sheet and β-turn were decreased by 4.4 and 14.5%, respectively, and the random coil increased by 20.7%. The α-helix of WPI remained unaltered during the spray-drying process. The presence of Tween-80 effectively protected the α-helix and β-sheet but the β-turn remained vulnerable and was decreased. No significant (p > 0.05) change in the solubility of WPI was observed due to spray drying. Spray drying of WPI+sugar produced essentially amorphous particles. The dried powder particles were spherical with wrinkled or folded surface.
Experimental and Numerical Study of the Influence of Temperature Heterogeneities on Self-Ignition Process of Methane-Air Mixtures in a Rapid Compression Machine

The self-ignition of methane-air mixtures is analyzed in conditions relevant for Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines from both (i) experimental, and (ii) numerical modeling points of view. On the one hand, a Rapid Compression Machine (RCM) is retained as a pertaining experimental setup to carry out the first part of the study. On the other hand, the PDF method is the modeling framework chosen to describe the coupling between detailed chemical description and turbulent fluctuations. The emphasis is on the influence of the temperature heterogeneities induced by heat transfer during the compression stroke on the subsequent ignition process. Such temperature heterogeneities have already been observed in RCMs (Mittal and Sung, 2006), and they are qualitatively assessed by schlieren imaging in the present study. The simultaneous analysis of the pressure traces and direct visualizations allows to discriminate two distinct modes of ignition exhibiting different levels of coherence of the exothermic process. It is shown that the appearance of one or the other of these two modes is directly related to the temperature distribution at the onset of ignition. Then, the information gathered through the experimental results is used to check the ability of a simplified model to reproduce both qualitatively and quantitatively the observed results. The comparison with the experimental data suggests that the proposed modeling approach provides a well suited framework for further modeling studies of HCCI combustion.
Aligned nickel-cobalt hydroxide nanorod arrays for electrochemical pseudocapacitor applications

Nanorod arrays were grown directly on a stainless steel substrate by the chemical bath deposition method. Parallel arrays of nanorods show a specific capacitance of 456 F g−1 with an energy density of 12.8 W h kg−1. This approach provides a one-step, seedless and cost-effective route for fabricating pseudocapacitive materials in 3-D form.
Development and characterization of a nano-drug delivery system containing vasaka phospholipid complex to improve bioavailability using quality by design approach

Background and purpose: Vasicine is a potential bronchodilator and can be used for the effective management of asthma and bronchitis. It has low absorption in the gastrointestinal tract due to its poor solubility thereby low bioavailability. The objective of this research was to develop a novel drug delivery system of vasaka extract to improve its bioavailability by enhancing the solubility and absorption of vasicine. Experimental approach: Vasaka-loaded phytosomes were developed and optimized by thin-layer hydration technique using systematic quality by design approach. Box-Behnken design (32 factorial design) using Design-Expert software was employed to optimize phytosome wherein phosphatidylcholine concentration (X1), stirring temperature (X2), and stirring time (X3) were selected as independent variables. Yield (%), particle size (nm), and entrapment efficiency (%) were evaluated as responses. The optimized phytosome was characterized by studying the surface morphology such as FE-SEM and TEM analysis, thermal characteristics by thermal gravimetric analysis and spectral and diffraction studies by FTIR and XRD analysis and studying the dissolution behaviour of phytosome by in vitro release study. Findings/Results: The percentage yield, particle size, and entrapment efficiency values of the phytosomes were found in the range of 30.03-97.03%, 231.0-701.4 nm, and 20.02-95.88% w/w, respectively. The optimized phytosome showed the zeta potential of -23.2 mV exhibited good stability and SEM and TEM analysis revealed the spherical shape and smooth particles with the uniform particle size distribution of phytosomes. The comparative in vitro drug release study of vasaka extract and phytosome revealed the sustained release characteristics of phytosome which reached 68.80% at 8 h compared to vasaka extract reached a maximum of 45.08% at 4 h. Conclusion and implication: The results highlighted the importance of optimization of formulation development using quality by design strategy to achieve consistent quality of pharmaceutical products.
Thermal oxides of In0.5Ga0.5P and In0.5Al0.5P

An investigation of the chemical composition of wet thermal oxides grown on In0.5Ga0. 5P and In0.5Al0. 5P is reported. The oxides were grown in the temperature range 500–650 °C. An estimate of the expected oxide composition was obtained by the construction of three-dimensional phase diagrams of the In–Ga–P–O and In–Al–P–O systems. These diagrams indicate that under thermodynamic equilibrium, the oxide layers should be composed primarily of mixtures of InPO4 and GaPO4 on In0.5Ga0. 5P and InPO4 and AlPO4 on In0.5Al0. 5P. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) sputter profiles were used to determine the distribution of elements in the oxide layers and to identify the chemical compounds. The binding energy shifts observed in the XPS data suggests that the oxides are composed primarily of metal phosphates with low concentrations of the metal trioxides. At lower growth temperatures, the oxides composition is uniform with depth, but there is an increasing depletion of In near the substrate interface as the growth te.
Chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles in active and passive microchannels

Background and purpose: In recent years, the interest in chitosan nanoparticles has increased due to their application, especially in drug delivery. The main aim of this work was to find a suitable method for simulating pharmaceutical nanoparticles with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and use it for understanding the process of nanoparticle formation in different types of microchannels. Experimental approach: Active and passive microchannels were compared to find the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Twenty-eight experiments were done on microchannels to quantify the effect of 4 parameters and their interactions on the size and polydispersity index (PDI) of nanoparticles. CFD was implemented by coupling reactive kinetics and the population balance method to simulate the synthesis of chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles in the microchannel. Findings/Results: The passive microchannel had the best performance for nanoparticle production. The most uniform microspheres and the narrowest standard deviation (124.3 nm, PDI = 0.112) were achieved using passive microchannel. Compared to the active microchannel, the size and PDI of the nanoparticles were 28.7% and 70.5% higher for active microchannels, and 55.43% and 105.3% higher for simple microchannels, respectively. Experimental results confirmed the validity of CFD modeling. The growth and nucleation rates were determined using the reaction equation of chitosan and tripolyphosphate. Conclusion and implications: CFD modeling by the proposed method can play an important role in the prediction of the size and PDI of chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles in the same condition and provide a new perspective for studying the production of nanoparticles by numerical methods.
Computational Modeling of Trans-Zeatin as a Novel Target of Adenosine A2A Receptor: Insights into Molecular Interactions

Background: Adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) is a G-protein-coupled receptor that is involved in various physiological functions. Zeatin, a plant cytokinin and a derivative of adenine, is recently identified as new ligand of A2AR. However, the ligand-receptor interaction mechanism is not fully revealed. Aims and Objectives: The main aim of this study is to reveal a model structure of A2AR in complex with zeatin for the first time to provide a better understanding of this novel interaction mechanism. Materials and Methods: The model structure of A2AR in complex with zeatin was created by docking and the structural dynamics of the complex were detected by molecular dynamic simulations during the study. A model structure of A2AR in complex with caffeine was used as a positive control. Result: Zeatin displayed the ability to stay more stable at the binding pocket compared with caffeine based on molecular dynamic simulations and the residues involved in the interaction are identified, leading a new sight for further studies on zeatin and A2AR interaction. Conclusion: We propose that zeatin is indeed a novel and promising target for A2AR.
Sorption of Cadmium, Lead and Zinc Ions on Sulphur-Containing Chemically Modified Cellulosic Materials

Abstract Cellulosic materials containing 1.7% and 3.3% thiol groups were prepared by treating maize cobs meal with thioglycollic acid solution at 29°C. Equilibrium sorption studies of cadmium, lead and zinc ions from aqueous solutions on the unmodified and thiolated cellulosic materials were carried out at 29°C using various concentrations of the dilute metal ions solutions. The metal ion binding capacity of the cellulosic material was significantly improved by the incorporated thiol groups. The influence of pH of the metal ion solutions on the uptake levels of the metal ions by the cellulosic substrate was examined.
End group transformations of RAFT-generated polymers with bismaleimides: Functional telechelics and modular block copolymers

End group activation of polymers prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was accomplished by conversion of thiocarbonylthio end groups to thiols and subsequent reaction with excess of a bismaleimide. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) was prepared by RAFT, and subsequent aminolysis led to sulfhydryl-terminated polymers that reacted with an excess of 1,8-bismaleimidodiethyleneglycol to yield maleimido-terminated macromolecules. The maleimido end groups allowed near-quantitative coupling with model low molecular weight thiols or dienes by Michael addition or Diels-Alder reactions, respectively. Reaction of maleimide-activated PNIPAM with another thiol-terminated polymer proved an efficient means of preparing block copolymers by a modular coupling approach. Successful end group functionalization of the well-defined polymers was confirmed by combination of UV–vis, FTIR, and NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The general strategy proved to be versatile for the preparation of functional telechelics and modular block copolymers from RAFT-generated (co)polymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5093–5100, 2008
How to determine the limits of using Af n function for extraction of ITO cell contribution to dielectric spectra?

The “classical” way to estimate and extract the high frequency indium tin oxide (ITO) cell contribution to dielectric losses is to use a special shape of frequency function: [R. Dhar, An impedance model to improve the higher frequency limit of electrical measurements on the capacitor made from electrodes of finite resistances, Indian J. Pure Appl. Phys. 42 (2004), pp. 56–61; M.B. Pandey, R. Dhar, and R. Dąbrowski, Dielectric spectroscopy of a newly synthesized chlorinated analogue of MHPOBC antiferroelectric liquid crystals, Ferroelectrics 343 (2006), pp. 83–100]. This article explains why such a shape for estimating function is used and determines how fast relaxation can be investigated using this method. The shape can be derived from the model presented in [P. Perkowski Dielectric spectroscopy of liquid crystals. Theoretical model of ITO electrodes influence on dielectric measurements, Opto-Electron. Rev. 17 (2009), pp. 180–186]. This function can yield accurate results rather for slow relaxations investigated in ITO cells.
Development of Direct Competitive ELISA Kit for the Detection of Tetrodotoxin Using HRP Labeled Antigen

The direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dcELISA) kit was developed for detecting tetrodotoxin (TTX). The working conditions of the dcELISA kit including the anti-TTX mAb coating concentration, coating method, enzyme-labeled antigen concentration, the antigen diluents, reaction time and temperature were all optimized. The result showed that mAb coating concentration was 3.72 μg/ml, it was coated at the condition of minimal power treatment of microwave oven for 3 min. The enzyme-labeled antigen concentration was 4.08 μg/ml. The competitive reaction was under the condition of room temperature 25 °C for 30 min. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the standard curve was 20.4 ng/ml, detection limit was 1.1 ng/ml, linear range 3.3～137 ng/ml, the intra-assay CV and inter-assay CV were 6.25% and 7.34% respectively. And recovery rate of TTX ranged from 65.0% to 93.2% with the CV of 9.41～12.77%. This method is convenient, sensitive and time-saving, hope this dcELISA kit can bring benefits and reference for TTX detection.