Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards a life after retail? The relationship between human capital and career outcomes in retail

The retail sector accounts for a large share of employment in many economies, and many young individuals regard the retail sector as a steppingstone in the labor market. As the retail sector comprises various types of employment and diverse tasks, those employed in the retail sector are able to transition across different roles. Retail firms, however, often experience high labor turnover, which is costly to firms. This paper addresses how the human capital of full-time retail employees relates to labor turnover. We study individuals working in the retail sector between 1990 and 2018 and analyze how their human capital is associated with their likelihood of remaining in the same establishment and/or in the retail sector at large. Results indicate that firm-specific human capital decreases the probability of quitting, while formal education has the opposite effect. Industry experience and specific retail education, however, decreases the probability of leaving an establishment.
Modified QuEChERS method for the analysis of 11 pesticide residues in tea by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

An accurate, rapid and reliable method for the simultaneous determination of 11 pesticide residues in tea by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry has been established. Samples were purified by a modified QuEChERS method, followed by analysis by LC–ESI(+)-MS/MS and quantification using isotope internal standards. In this study, different extraction conditions, such as soaking time, extraction time of pesticides from the real tea samples and spiked samples, were optimized and compared. It was found that pesticides in real tea needed more time to be soaked and extracted than those in spiked tea for complete extraction. In order to eliminate the matrix effect and obtain satisfactory recoveries, the dosage of sorbents PSA (125, 250, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 mg) and GCB (0, 25, 50, 250, 500 mg) was optimized in this study, and 800 mg PSA, 25 mg GCB, 750 mg MgSO4 were used in the purification process. In addition, the use of isotope internal standards and blank matrix matched standard calibration are discussed in depth. When the concentration range of 11 pesticides was 1–500 ng g−1, the linear correlation coefficients were 0.9981–0.9999. At the low, medium and high fortification levels of 2–100 ng g−1 (n = 6), recoveries were within 88–103%. The relative standard deviation was between 0.2% and 7.6%, and the limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.02 to 0.38 ng g−1 for 11 pesticides. It was found that the method was successfully applied to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of pesticides in actual commercial tea samples.
Output Constrained Adaptive Controller Design for Nonlinear Saturation Systems

This paper considers the adaptive neuro-fuzzy control scheme to solve the output tracking problem for a class of strict-feedback nonlinear systems. Both asymmetric output constraints and input saturation are considered. An asymmetric barrier Lyapunov function with time-varying prescribed performance is presented to tackle the output-tracking error constraints. A high-gain observer is employed to relax the requirement of the Lipschitz continuity about the nonlinear dynamics. To avoid the “explosion of complexity”, the dynamic surface control (DSC) technique is employed to filter the virtual control signal of each subsystem. To deal with the actuator saturation, an additional auxiliary dynamical system is designed. It is theoretically investigated that the parameter estimation and output tracking error are semi-global uniformly ultimately bounded. Two simulation examples are conducted to verify the presented adaptive fuzzy controller design.
Effects of Intermolecular Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions on the Amide I Mode of N-Methylacetamide: Matrix-Isolation Infrared Studies and ab Initio Molecular Orbital Calculations

Effects of intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions on the amide I mode of N-methylacetamide (NMA) are studied by matrix-isolation infrared (IR) spectroscopy and ab initio molecular orbital calculations. The wavenumbers of the amide I IR bands of NMA in Ar and N2 matrixes with various NMA/matrix gas mixing ratios are compared with those calculated for the monomer, dimers, and trimers of trans-NMA and the monomer and dimer of cis-NMA. The band at 1708 (1706) cm-1 in Ar (N2) matrixes is assigned to the amide I mode of the monomer of trans-NMA. The band observed at 1686 (1681) cm-1 in Ar (N2) matrixes with the NMA/matrix gas mixing ratio larger than 1/500 is assigned to the amide I band due to the dimers of trans-NMA. The bands observed at lower wavenumbers for samples with the NMA/matrix gas mixing ratio as large as 1/100 are assigned to the amide I bands of the trimers and larger clusters of trans-NMA. It is likely that the band observed at 1695 (1693) cm-1 in the Ar (N2) matrix arises from the dimer o.
Differences in Hydrocarbons of Virgin Olive Oils Obtained from Several Olive Varieties

An analytical method has been developed to study, as a whole, the hydrocarbon fractionother than squaleneof virgin olive oils. This method was applied to the study of oils from representative olive varieties of Spanish olive groves: Arbequina, Cornicabra, Empeltre, Hojiblanca, and Picual. The composition profiles of some of the hydrocarbons of oils from the above mentioned varieties are shown in this paper. The ranges of concentration in milligram per kilogram of oil of these hydrocarbons are also shown. Significant differences in the content of some hydrocarbons of the five varieties analyzed were observed. These quantitative differences were used to distinguish between virgin olive oils from different olive varieties. Keywords: Virgin olive oil; hydrocarbons; olive varieties
Advancing Personalized Medicine in Common Forms of Parkinson’s Disease through Genetics: Current Therapeutics and the Future of Individualized Management

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a condition with heterogeneous clinical manifestations that vary in age at onset, rate of progression, disease course, severity, motor and non-motor symptoms, and a variable response to antiparkinsonian drugs. It is considered that there are multiple PD etiological subtypes, some of which could be predicted by genetics. The characterization and prediction of these distinct molecular entities provides a growing opportunity to use individualized management and personalized therapies. Dissecting the genetic architecture of PD is a critical step in identifying therapeutic targets, and genetics represents a step forward to sub-categorize and predict PD risk and progression. A better understanding and separation of genetic subtypes has immediate implications in clinical trial design by unraveling the different flavors of clinical presentation and development. Personalized medicine is a nascent area of research and represents a paramount challenge in the treatment and cure of PD. This manuscript summarizes the current state of precision medicine in the PD field and discusses how genetics has become the engine to gain insights into disease during our constant effort to develop potential etiological based interventions.
Designing for Serendipity: Research Data Curation in Topic Spaces

Researchers seeking relevant data across disciplines confront the challenge of navigating technical descriptions. How can curation support the serendipitous discovery of related research data? Everyday spaces like bookshelves are designed to support browsing and exploration by placing similar resources closer together. Space and time are foundational ordering relations for knowledge organization. I ask how this ordering, which is well-established in the geographic context, can be translated to locate and organize research data in abstract topic spaces. This dissertation develops methods for making the latent topics of research metadata explicit. These methods produce spatial configurations where related research topics are co-located in neighborhoods. This has the potential to support serendipitous discovery by offering researchers ways to discover related data. I test this notion in three studies that develop topic spaces for research data curation. The first part of this dissertation in Chapter 2 focuses on supporting research data discovery with a common terminology. I develop a crosscutting base vocabulary of geospatial topics to help users discover related government data in a ubiquitous open civic data platform. Semantic annotation expands search terms by mapping users’ vernacular onto the language of metadata. In the second part of this dissertation, I shift away from addressing terminological search to supporting spatial curation by developing topic spaces. In Chapter 3, I develop two kinds of topic spaces for curating research theses and dissertations: landscapes and networks. I use topic modeling to determine the latent semantic similarity of research metadata and then produce topic spaces from these using spatialization techniques. In Chapter 4, I spatialize an institute’s multidisciplinary body of research, producing topic maps at two distinct levels of detail. Emerging spatial patterns, like centrality and proximity, support high-level narratives about cross-disciplinary research activities that complement the quantitative metrics currently cited in reviews of institutional research. Together, these three studies demonstrate strategies for developing topic spaces in which diverse, yet related, multidisciplinary research data are curated. Future research will extend these methods by tracing the impact of specific curatorial actions contributing to research data discovery and reuse.
Design and Fabrication of a New Wearable Pressure Sensor for Blood Pressure Monitoring

In recent years, research into the field of materials for flexible sensors and fabrication techniques directed towards wearable devices has helped to raise awareness of the need for new sensors with healthcare applicability. Our goal was to create a wearable flexible pressure sensor that could be integrated into a clinically approved blood pressure monitoring device. The sensor is built from a microfluidic channel encapsulated between two polymer layers, one layer being covered by metal transducers and the other being a flexible membrane containing the microfluidic channel, which also acts as a sealant for the structure. The applied external pressure deforms the channel, causing changes in resistance to the microfluidic layer. Electrical characterization has been performed in 5 different configurations, using alternating current (AC) and (DC) direct current measurements. The AC measurements for the fabricated pressure sensor resulted in impedance values at tens of hundreds of kOhm. Our sensor proved to have a high sensitivity for pressure values between 0 and 150 mm Hg, being subjected to repeatable external forces. The novelty presented in our work consists in the unique technological flow for the fabrication of the flexible wearable pressure sensor. The proposed miniaturized pressure sensor will ensure flexibility, low production cost and ease of use. It is made of very sensitive microfluidic elements and biocompatible materials and can be integrated into a wearable cuffless device for continuous blood pressure monitoring.
Chemical and Electrochemical Characterization of Polymer Gel Electrolytes Based on a Poly(alkylene oxide) Macromonomer for Application to Lithium Batteries

Polymer gel electrolytes were prepared from a molecularly designed poly(alkylene oxide) triacrylate macromonomer and different liquid electrolytes. The cross-linking kinetics of the macromonomer in a liquid electrolyte was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry equipped with ultraviolet light irradiation system (UV-DSC). It was revealed that the photoinitiated cross-linking reaction followed the first order kinetics in terms of macromonomer concentration. The cross-linking reaction finished completely under suitable conditions of ultraviolet (UV) light strength and photoinitiator concentrations. The gel electrolytes prepared exhibited a high ionic conductivity of 3 mS/cm at room temperature and kept I mS/cm even at -20°C, when 1 M LiBF 4 /γ-butyrolactone liquid electrolyte was incorporated in the gel. A linear relationship between the ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes and that of the gel electrolytes containing the corresponding liquid electrolytes was observed, except for the case where LiPF 6 was used as an electrolyte salt. The interfacial resistances at the lithium/gel electrolyte interfaces were largely dependent on the kind of liquid electrolytes incorporated in the gels. Preliminary results of the application of the gel electrolytes to lithium and lithium-ion batteries implied high utilization of cathode material and cycleability.
Liposomal Encapsulation of Carvacrol to Obtain Active Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Films

Lecithins of different origins and compositions were used for the liposomal encapsulation of carvacrol within the framework of the development of active films for food packaging. Liposomes were incorporated into aqueous polymeric solutions from fully (F) and partially (P) hydrolysed Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to obtain the films by casting. The particle size distribution and ζ-potential of the liposomal suspensions, as well as their stability over time, were evaluated. Liposomal stability during film formation was analysed through the carvacrol retention in the dried film and the film microstructure. Subtle variations in the size distributions of liposomes from different lecithins were observed. However, the absolute values of the ζ-potential were higher (−52, −57 mV) for soy lecithin (SL) liposomes, followed by those of soy lecithin enriched with phosphatidylcholine (SL-PC) (−43, −50 mV) and sunflower lecithin (SFL) (−33, −38 mV). No significant changes in the liposomal properties were observed during the study period. Lyotropic mesomorphism of lipid associations and carvacrol leakage occurred to differing extents during the film drying step, depending on the membrane lipid composition and surface charge. Liposomes obtained with SL-PC were the most effective at maintaining the stability of carvacrol emulsion during film formation, which led to the greatest carvacrol retention in the films, whereas SFL gave rise to the least stable system and the highest carvacrol losses. P-PVA was less sensitive to the emulsion destabilisation due to its greater bonding capacity with carvacrol. Therefore, P-PVA with carvacrol-loaded SL-PC liposomes has great potential to produce active films for food packaging applications.
Some Remarks on the Genetic Explanations of Political Participation

Political participation is a key political phenomenon. Each year, we see the publication of many analyses describing and explaining the behaviours through which citizens nowadays seek to influence politics. Typically, researchers focus on the environmental conditions for the behaviours in question, ignoring the effects of genetic factors. The resulting knowledge gap is filled by genopolitical research. This line of research is highly controversial and deals primarily with candidate gene studies. The aim of this article is to present key theoretical and methodological issues concerning genetic explanations of political participation. The paper analyses selected studies suggesting a genetic base for political behaviours, identifies methodological difficulties faced by researchers bringing together knowledge from the fields of molecular genetics, behavioural genetics and political science, and discusses non-scientific arguments against genetic explanations of political participation. Despite numerous doubts, of both scientific and non-scientific nature, expanding our knowledge base regarding political behaviours requires research combining different theoretical and methodological perspectives. For effective interdisciplinary coop-eration to become a reality, it is necessary to aim at bridging the tra-Wróbel ditional divisions and animosities between representatives of different scientific disciplines and to develop institutional mechanisms for the more effective formation of interdisciplinary research teams. oxidase A
Méthode rapide de caractérisation des roches mètres, de leur potentiel pétrolier et de leur degré d'évolution

Les etudes fondamentales realisees sur les kerogenes a l'aide de diverses methodes physico-chimiques d'analyse ont permis de mettre au point une methode et un appareillage adaptes a l'exploration petroliere. On expose dans cet article la mise au point de cette methode et on montre, a l'aide des parametres qu'elle permet d'obtenir, ses applications dans le domaine de l'exploration petroliere - reconnaissance des differents types de roche mere et de leur potentiel petrolier; - caracterisation de leur degre d'evolution (zone a huile - zone a gaz). On montre aussi que cette methode convient particulierement bien a l'estimation du rendement en huile des roches bitumineuses et a l'etude de la qualite et du rang des charbons.
The Marketing Model Applying the Concepts of Educational Psychology in the Private Educational Service Sector

Purpose: A marketing strategy for private institutions requires marketers to leverage consumer behaviors and educational psychologies when advertising and promoting product portfolios. Indeed, understanding consumers can make marketers more effective, and the purpose of this research is to tackle private institutions' education marketing by combining marketing theories and learning theories. Research design, data and methodology: The content analysis used in this study will be suitable because there exists numerous prior studies regarding marketing strategy and educational theories. Therefore, the current author could obtain and collect adequate textual facts from much of the literature review. Results: Marketing strategies that are mixed with educational theories increase consumer enrolment due to perceived usefulness, and this implies that an adequate marketing model could help improve sustainability and income as a result of enrollment in private educational institutions. The research also identified that marketing is connected to psychology and that marketers can exploit educational and psychological theories to increase successful enrolment in private educational institutions. Conclusions: Most importantly, the target market for private educational institutions is diverse, and institutions can use direct marketing to appeal to specific audiences. Also, the research implies that diversification strategies can increase enrolment if marketers exploit behavioral learning theories in the marketing process.
Synthesis of SWNT Rings by Noncovalent Hybridization of Porphyrins and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) rings have been synthesized via the noncovalent hybridization of carbon nanotubes and porphyrins. Optical absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that the formation of the SWNT rings is strongly affected by the molecular architecture of the porphyrins, the hybrid concentration, the SWNT-to-porphyrin mass ratio, and the substrate on which the hybrid films were coated. We found that the SWNT hybrid rings result from the formation of porphyrin J-aggregates on the outer surfaces of the SWNTs and the tendency of porphyrins to aggregate in wheel structures. We also demonstrated that electron donation by the substituent groups in the para-positions of the phenyl rings in 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-phorphine (TPP) and the structural regularity of the substituent groups facilitate the formation of J-aggregates of the TPP derivatives. This novel method presents new theoretical challenges and potentially provides a simple approach based on the noncovalent hybridization of porphyrins and SWNTs to the synthesis of SWNT superstructures.
Alignment of crystallographic c-Axis throughout the four distinct microstructural layers of the oyster Crassostrea gigas

The superimposed layers of the true oyster shell have distinct morphology. The shells are mainly calcitic, comprising an outer prismatic region and inner foliated structure that is frequently interrupted by lenses of chalky calcitic deposits. Aragonite is restricted to the myostracum and ligament. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis has shown that despite the variations in structural morphology, the mineralized layers of the oyster shell maintain a single crystallographic orientation with the crystallographic c-axis orientated perpendicular to outer and inner shell surfaces. Varying crystal morphology, while maintaining crystallographic unity, may be an evolutionary trait that forms a crack-resistant shell with optimum strength and flexibility.
NaA Zeolite Membrane with High Performance Synthesized by Vapor Phase Transformation Method

NaA zeolite membrane was synthesized with high permeance on porous alumina substrate by the vapor phase transformation method. The membranes were characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. The XRD results showed that the membranes after the synthesis time of 24 h consisted of the pure NaA zeolite crystals. The SEM results showed that the membranes after the synthesis time of 48 h consisted of intergrown zeolite crystals. The H2 permeance of the NaA zeolite membranes was higher than 2.0 × 10−6 mol/(Pa · m2 · s), and the maximum of the gas H2/C3H8 permselectivity was 7.15, which is higher than the corresponding Knudsen diffusion selectivity of which is 4.69.
Carbohydrates and Related Food Components: INFOODS Tagnames, Meanings, and Uses

INFOODS international food component identifiers, also known as tagnames, are used in retrospectively evaluating and updating existing food composition systems and in the prospective design and implementation of new systems. In this paper the relationships between 88 food components that are predominantly carbohydrate in nature, their preparations, and methods of analysis and presentation are examined. Some examples of the ambiguity and/or opportunity for misinterpretation of carbohydrate and dietary fiber data are quantified, and guidelines for selecting and using INFOODS tagnames are discussed.
Determination of Trace Deoxyribonucleic Acid Based on a Room Temperature Phosphorescent Probe of Alizarin Red-piperidine Self-ordered Ring

This research combined the self-ordered ring (SOR) technology with solid substrate-room temperature phosphorimetry (SS-RTP) and developed a new (ARS)n-P-SOR (ARS is alizarin red S, (ARS)n refers to multiple ARS molecules, P is piperidine). (ARS)n-P-SOR could increase the number of ARS molecules in the biological target, which could further improve the sensitivity of SS-RTP. Thus, a new SS-RTP for the determination of trace deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was established using (ARS)n-P-SOR as a phosphorescent probe. This method was successfully applied to the determination of DNA in nectar. Meanwhile, the mechanism of determining trace DNA by (ARS)n-P-SOR was discussed.