Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A regression model for nitrate leaching in Northern Ireland

A model has been developed based on multiple regression which explains 95% of the variation in nitrate loading of the major rivers in the 4453 km2 Lough Neagh catchment for the years 1971–1987. The model relates loading of nitrate in the hydrological year to fertilizer usage, previous summer rainfall, summer temperature of the current year and December-May flow. It indicates that there is an increase in nitrate loading associated with fertilizer usage, and that the equivalent of 13% of nitrogen fertilizer that is lost as leachate comprises 50% of the river loadings.
Comparison of Particle Size Measurements with Laser-Induced Incandescence, Mass Spectroscopy, and Scanning Mobility Particle Sizing in a Laminar Premixed Ethylene/Air Flame

Particle size distribution functions (PSDF) and mean particle sizes have been determined in a laminar premixed ethylene/air flame with three different experimental approaches: photo-ionization mass spectrometry (PIMS), scanning mobility particle sizing (SMPS), and laser-induced incandescence (LII). The main goal of this investigation was the cross-validation of these three methods used at our institute for the determination of particle sizes in a great variety of flames or exhaust gases. We found good agreement between the three methods in the ranges where they are comparable as well as a complementary behavior for the different size ranges. PIMS and SMPS are able to measure the particle size distribution functions with good resolution. PIMS is favorable in detecting the smallest particles (< 6 nm) and thereby able to detect even bimodal distributions of the soot precursor particles. SMPS and LII are suitable in the mid- and upper range of the particle sizes (> 2 nm and > 3 nm, respectively). LII offers the particular advantage of being a non-intrusive method. This makes it applicable in extreme environments, such as high pressure flames, as well as in very sensitive flames because no probe is needed.
A Facile Approach to Chemically Modified Graphene and its Polymer Nanocomposites

A scalable approach for the mass production of chemically modified graphene has yet to be developed, which holds the key to the large‐scale production of stable graphene colloids for optical electronics, energy conversion, and storage materials, catalysis, sensors, composites, etc. Here, a facile approach to fabricating covalently modified graphene and its polymer nanocomposites is presented. The method involves: i) employing a common furnace, rather than a furnace installed with a quartz tube and operated in inert gas as required in previous studies, to treat a commercial graphite intercalation compound with thermal shocking and ultrasonication and fabricate graphene platelets (GnPs) with a thickness of 2.51 ± 0.39 nm that contain only 7 at% oxygen; ii) grafting these GnPs with a commercial, long‐chain surfactant, which is able to create molecular entanglement with polymer matrixes by taking advantage of the reactions between the epoxide groups of the platelets and the end amine groups of the surfactant, to produce chemically modified graphene platelets (m‐ GnPs); and iii) solution‐mixing m‐GnPs with a commonly used polymer to fabricate nanocomposites. These m‐GnPs are well dispersed in a polymer with highly improved mechanical properties and a low percolation threshold of electrical conductivity at 0.25 vol%. This novel approach could lead to the future scalable production of graphene and its nanocomposites.
Clinical profile and management of patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism – a single centre, large observational study from India

Acute pulmonary thromboembolism is associated with high mortality, similar to that of myocardial infarction and stroke. We studied the clinical presentation and management of pulmonary thromboembolism in the Indian population. An analysis of 140 patients who presented with acute pulmonary thromboembolism at a large volume center in India from June 2015 through December 2018 was performed. The mean age of our study population was 50 years with 59% being male. Comorbidities including deep vein thrombosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were present in 52.9%, 40%, 35.7% and 7.14% of patients, respectively. Out of 140 patients, 40 (28.6%) patients had massive pulmonary thromboembolism, 36 (25.7%) sub-massive pulmonary thromboembolism, and 64 (45.7%) had low-risk pulmonary thromboembolism. Overall, in-hospital mortality was 25.7%. Multivariate regression analysis found chronic kidney disease and pulmonary thromboembolism severity to be the only independent risk factors. Thrombolysis was performed in 62.5% of patients with a massive pulmonary thromboembolism and 63.9% of patients with a sub-massive pulmonary thromboembolism. In the massive pulmonary thromboembolism group, patients receiving thrombolytic therapy had lower mortality compared with patients who did not receive therapy (p=0.022), whereas this difference was not observed in patients in the sub-massive pulmonary thromboembolism group. We conclude that patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism in India presented more than a decade earlier than our western counterparts, and it was associated with poor clinical outcomes. Thrombolysis was associated with significantly reduced in-hospital mortality in patients with massive pulmonary thromboembolism.
Static allometry and sexual dimorphism in the Striped Lesser-thicktail Scorpion Uroplectes lineatus

Abstract Scorpions exhibit extreme forms of sexual dimorphism, with a number of recent studies highlighting general patterns. Explanations surrounding the potential drivers of these patterns remain speculative, even though static allometry offers a method for testing specific hypotheses. Importantly, a recent study describes a method of reference character choice when investigating sexual dimorphism and static allometry in scorpions. Here, commonly measured morphometric characters are used to investigate patterns of sexual dimorphism and static allometry in the South African scorpion Uroplectes lineatus C. L. Koch, 1844. Several analyses were used to select telson length as the sexually neutral reference character. Sexual body component dimorphism characterises U. lineatus males, while females generally display sexual size dimorphism. Similar patterns of static allometry characterise both sexes, with negative allometry retrieved for most characters, while three characters display positive allometry. For negatively allometry characters, inter-sexual selection likely favours a standard size of body parts in the population to facilitate inter-sexual interaction during courtship. In contrast, positively allometric characters may be under intrasexual selection, following the utility of features during contests. Even so, the differences in allometric slopes between the sexes indicate the possible functions of male features during courtship, while the female morphology is adapted to enhance reproductive output and parental care. Here, we demonstrate that a set of verification analyses may be effective in choosing an appropriate neutral reference character, but the selective forces which shape scorpion morphology are complex, and standardized methods need to be established to allow for robust inferences and inter-study comparability.
Verification: can wifi backscatter replace RFID?

WiFi backscatter communication has been proposed to enable battery-free sensors to transmit data using WiFi networks. The main advantage of WiFi backscatter technologies over RFID is that data from their tags can be read using existing WiFi infrastructures instead of specialized readers. This can potentially reduce the complexity and cost of deploying battery-free sensors. Despite extensive work in this area, none of the existing systems are in widespread use today. We hypothesize that this is because WiFi-based backscatter tags do not scale well and their range and capabilities are limited when compared with RFID. To test this hypothesis we conduct several real-world experiments. We compare WiFi backscatter and RFID technologies in terms of RF harvesting capabilities, throughput, range and scalability. Our results show that existing WiFi backscatter tags cannot rely on RF harvesting (as opposed to RFID tags) due to their high power consumption. We find that WiFi backscatter tags must be quite close to a WiFi device to work robustly in non-line-of-sight scenarios, limiting their operating range. Furthermore, our results show that some WiFi backscatter systems can cause significant interference for existing WiFi traffic and be affected by them since they do not perform carrier sensing.
Improving adhesion of wood fiber with polystyrene by the chemical treatment of fiber with a coupling agent and the influence on the mechanical properties of composites

—The mechanical properties of polystyrene filled with chemithermomechanical pulp and wood residues of softwood and hardwood species, which were precoated with phthalic anhydride and various polymers, e.g. polystyrene and PVC, have been investigated. The extent of improvement in the mechanical properties of the composite materials depends on the coating composition, the concentration of phthalic anhydride, the nature of the coated polymers, as well as the concentration of fiber, the nature of the wood species, and the nature of the pulps. Experimental results indicate that phthalic anhydride acts as a coupling agent, but when its performance was compared to that of poly[methylene (polyphenyl isocynate)], it seemed inferior to the latter.
An indirect approach to predict deadwood biomass in forests of Ukrainian Polissya using Landsat images and terrestrial data

Abstract Spatially explicit and consistent mapping of forest biomass is one of the key tasks towards full and appropriate accounting of carbon budgets and productivity potentials at different scales. Landsat imagery coupled with terrestrial-based data and processed using modern machine learning techniques is a suitable data source for mapping of forest components such as deadwood. Using relationships between deadwood biomass and growing stock volume, here we indirectly map this ecosystem compartment within the study area in northern Ukraine. Several machine learning techniques were applied: Random Forest (RF) for the land cover and tree species classification task, k-Nearest Neighbours (k-NN) and Gradient Boosting Machines (GBM) for the deadwood imputation purpose. Land cover (81.9%) and tree species classification (78.9%) were performed with a relatively high level of overall accuracy. Outputs of deadwood biomass mapping using k-NN and GBM matched quite well (8.4 ± 2.3 t·ha−1 (17% of the mean) vs. 8.1 ± 1.7 t·ha−1 (16% of the mean), respectively mean ± SD deadwood biomass stock), indicating a strong potential of ensemble boosters to predict forest biomass in a spatially explicit manner. The main challenges met in the study were related to the limitations of available ground-based data, thus showing the need for national statistical inventory implications in Ukraine.
Is the Depth of Invasion a Marker for Elective Neck Dissection in Early Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

Objective The depth of invasion (DOI) is considered an independent risk factor for occult lymph node metastasis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). It is used to decide whether an elective neck dissection (END) is indicated in the case of a clinically negative neck for early stage carcinoma (pT1/pT2). However, there is no consensus on the cut-off value of the DOI for performing an END. The aim of this study was to determine a cut-off value for clinical decision making on END, by assessing the association of the DOI and the risk of occult lymph node metastasis in early OCSCC. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Patients surgically treated for pT1/pT2 OCSCC between 2006 and 2012 were included. For all cases, the DOI was measured according to the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer guideline. Patient characteristics, tumor characteristics (pTN, differentiation grade, perineural invasion, and lymphovascular invasion), treatment modality (END or watchful waiting), and 5-year follow-up (local recurrence, regional recurrence, and distant metastasis) were obtained from patient files. Results A total of 222 patients were included, 117 pT1 and 105 pT2. Occult lymph node metastasis was found in 39 of the 166 patients who received END. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed DOI to be a significant predictor for occult lymph node metastasis (odds ratio (OR) = 1.3 per mm DOI; 95% CI: 1.1–1.5, p = 0.001). At a DOI of 4.3 mm the risk of occult lymph node metastasis was >20% (all subsites combined). Conclusion The DOI is a significant predictor for occult lymph node metastasis in early stage oral carcinoma. A NPV of 81% was found at a DOI cut-off value of 4 mm. Therefore, an END should be performed if the DOI is >4 mm.
A Novel DNA‐Enrichment Technology Based on Amino‐Modified Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles

Abstract In this paper we report a novel DNA‐enrichment technology based on amino‐modified functionalized silica nanoparticles. The approach takes advantage of the amino‐modified silica nanoparticles that have been prepared in one step by the controlled synchronous hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane and N‐(β‐amimoethyl)‐γ‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane in water nanodroplets of water‐in‐oil microemulsions. The functionalized silica nanoparticles display a positive surface charge at neutral pH due to the presence of amino groups on the surface of these nanoparticles. DNA‐enrichment has been realized in the form of nanoparticle–DNA complexes that is accomplished through electrostatic binding between the positive charge of the amino group and the negative charge of the phosphate groups of the nucleic acid. These nanoparticles have high affinity to bind DNA. The results show that 1 mg of nanoparticles can bind 97.2 µg of plasmid DNA with 4.3 kb. This novel DNA‐enrichment technology has been used successfully in gene delivery.
White spaces: how marketing actors (re)produce marketplace inequities for Black consumers

ABSTRACT This paper interrogates how racially discriminatory practices by real estate agents, lenders, and retailers produce and reproduce marketplace inequities for Black consumers. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and interdisciplinary research, the paper reveals the normalisation and permanence of racism in practices and policies aimed at protecting White spaces. Marketing actors racially discriminatory approaches have morphed from overt to more covert strategies, but they persist in spite of regulatory changes. Impacts on Black consumers have created profound marketplace inequities including constricted and restricted choices, devalued housing assets, housing segregation, retail discrimination, restricted and expensive access to credit, wealth gaps, and retail desertification. When viewed through a CRT lens, we conclude that in the American context, the invisible hand of the market is not invisible. Rather, it is White. The study draws implications for practice, and urgently calls for more research to unmask racism in marketing – because Black Lives Matter!
Metabolites of pathogenic fungi. VII. On the structure and stereochemistry of xanthomegnin, vioxanthin, and viopurpurin, pigments from Trichophyton violaceum

Recently, we proposed structure 1 for xanthomegnin (1) and tentatively assigned structures 2 and 3 for vioxanthin and viopurpurin respectively (2). We should now like to present evidence which confirms the structure of vioxanthin (2), adds weight to the structure proposed for viopurpurin, and which defines the stereochemistry of the lactone ring in 1 and 3.
FEDERALISM AND FEDERAL DEFICIT REDUCTION

BETWEEN when the federal fiscal years budget 1980 deficit and 1985, rose when the federal budget deficit rose from 2.7 percent of GNP to 5.3 percent, grants and tax expenditures benefitting state and local governments fell from 4.4 percent of GNP to 3.7 percent. Between fiscal years 1985 and 1987, when the federal deficit is expected to decline to 3.9 percent of GNP, grants and tax expenditures are expected to fall again to 3.4 percent of GNP. Over the entire period from 1980 to 1987 the rise in the deficit
REPLY TO TIDEMAN

THE is well-known ambiguity of and the term inheres "land in value" the is well-known and in res in the problem of allocating factor rent among components of the factor that, for practical technological and economic purposes, have become inseparable. T. Nicolaus Tideman (1982) is correct when he attributes the claim that a tax on land value is non-neutral to a definition of land value that "depends on how the land is used" (p. 109). He is equally correct when he claims that land value may be defined in such a way as to provide the basis for a neutral tax. To do so one must only appraise the likely market value of all parcels under the assumption that they exist in some uniform, hypothetical state. There is, of course, an infinite number of such states, and value in none can be identified without reference to the use to which some parcels are put, if not necessarily the parcel in question. (William S. Vickrey (1970) provides a full discussion of the manifold problems encountered in choosing a "standard" state for
CMOS chemical microsensors based on resonant cantilever beams

We present a chemical gas sensor based on a resonating cantilever beam in CMOS MEMS technology. The sensor is actuated employing electrothermal actuation. Thus, for a 300 micrometers long beam vibration amplitudes of 6.5 nm per mW heating power are achieved. The vibrations are detected with piezoresistors in a Wheatstone bridge scheme. Detection sensitivities above 200 (mu) V per mW heating power are measured with the bridge biased at 5 V. The beams have quality factors of up to 600. The static power dissipation that goes along with the electrothermal actuation scheme leads to a small temperature elevation of 0.3 K/mW of the sensitive area. The beams are coated with poly(etherurethane) as the sensitive layer. The layer thickness was determined by the change of the initial resonance frequency. Concentrations of octane, ethanol and toluene in synthetic air were measured. For toluene, concentrations as low as 250 ppm can be detected.
FEDERALISM AND FISCAL EQUITY RECONSIDERED

* The author is Economist, Domestic Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of New York. tributions made by him to the state and central governments and the value of the services received by him from both governments. Equals are deemed to be equally treated if and only if their fiscal residues are the same. Buchanan's scheme may be illustrated as follows. Assume a federation with two states, A and B, each having three residents. Ai, A2, and A3, residents of A, have incomes of $10,000, $10,000 and $1,000 respectively. Bi, B2, and B3, residents of B, have incomes of $10,000, $1,000 and $1,000 respectively. Assume further that the states and central government impose a proportional tax of 10 per cent of income and that the benefits from federal expenditures are distributed equally among all citizens of the federation and those from state expenditure are distributed equally among all residents of the state.3 The federal government collects $3,300 in taxes and the benefits from federal expenditure are distributed equally among the residents of the two states so that each person receives benefits amounting to $550. State A collects $2,100 in taxes and confers $700 in benefits on each of its three residents whereas state B collects $1,200 in taxes and confers $400 in benefits on each of its three residents. The fiscal residue of each individual is shown below: 1 See J. M. Buchanan, "Federalism and Fiscal Equity," American Economic Review , Sept. 1950, 583-99, reprinted in R. A. Musgrave and C. Shoup, eds., Readings in the Economics of Taxation , 1959, pp. 93-109. 2 For other limitations or criticisms of Buchanan's model and Buchanan's own modifications of his original analysis, see H. P. Jenkins, "Fiscal Equity in the Unequal Treatment of Unequals: A Suggested Test," and J. M. Buchanan, "A Rejoinder," Journal of Political Economy , Aug. 1951, 353-59 and R. A. Musgrave, "Approaches to Fiscal Theory of Political Federalism," and J. M. Buchanan, "Comments," in Public Finances: Needs , Sources and Utilization, a Conference of the Universities National Bureau for Economic Research, New York, 1961, pp. 97-129. 3 Shifting of taxes and spill-over of benefits are disregarded in this discussion.
Non-Flow-Through Steady-State Chambers for Measuring Soil Respiration

Soil respiration estimates obtained from non-flow-through steady-state chambers (also called static, absorption, or alkali trap chambers) are considered by many investigators to be unreliable. We studied the accuracy, functioning, and design requirements of this chamber type using a gas diffusion model validated for this purpose by demonstrating that it matched the empirical relation between alkali-measured flux and headspace CO 2 concentration. Simulated measurement error depended on (i) magnitude of the soil respiration rate, which spawned positive or negative error depending on the algebraic sign of the change in headspace CO 2 , (ii) absorption efficiency of the alkali trap, which was determined by headspace air mixing rates, the thickness of atmospheric interfadal layers, and especially the ratio of exposed alkali surface area to emitting soil surface area, (iii) the effective diffusivity and storage coefficient of CO 2 in underlying soil, which depended on the soil's air-filled porosity (AFP) and pH, respectively, and (iv) the rate of CO 2 leakage between the chamber system and its surroundings. The results also indicated that although no single chamber design is universally applicable, striving for the ideal design in every situation is not required; for example, measurement error associated with the design used in our simulations was usually only =5% despite that headspace concentration rose more than 70% within 2 h. Larger errors occurred for chamber designs less well matched to the soil respiration rate they were intended to measure, but if such serious design deficiencies are avoided, the method offers a simple inexpensive means for obtaining multiple reliable time-integrated estimates of soil respiration, even at remote locations.
A PRACTICAL ASPECT OF THE STOCK DIVIDEND QUESTION

Unfortunately, there is at present no way in which a state may be assured that other nations will show equal consideration of its rights. Even among the commonwealths of the United States, the matter is left entirely within the discretion of each state. No federal law regulates interstate double taxation, and there are peculiar difficulties in the way of state agreements. Some considerable progress toward mutual fair treatment has been made, partly through the means of retaliatory and reciprocal tax laws, and still more as a result of increased knowledge of tax technique and a growing spirit of interstate comity. In the European federations of Germany and Switzerland, the matter is regulated by fede al laws which seek to prevent interstate double taxation and, in Switzerland, also interl cal injustice.0 As b tween different nations, the only effective means of securing mutual regard for a fair apportionment of tax claims is by means of treaty arrangements, putting into effect the principles which we have been examining. In the absence of such treaties, it can only be hoped that each nation will seek to make its own practices just to its neighbors and trust to their sense of fair play to give equal consideration.