Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soil carbon sequestration on a maize-mung bean field with rice straw mulch, no-tillage, and chemical fertilizer application in Thailand from 2011 to 2015

ABSTRACT Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) content in agricultural fields is one of the strategies for mitigating climate change through carbon (C) sequestration, and could improve soil fertility. However, only a few field experimental studies have been conducted to determine the SOC stock changes in tropical areas. A field experiment was conducted under various soil management approaches in a maize-mung bean double cropping system in Lopburi, Thailand, from 2011 to 2015. The following treatment combinations were applied: 1) rice straw mulch (RS) and no organic matter application (NoOM); 2) tillage (Till) and no-tillage (NoTill); and 3) chemical fertilizer application (CF) and no chemical fertilizer application (NoCF). Soil samples were obtained at 0–15 cm depths before plowing and after maize harvest. SOC stock change was higher in RS than in NoOM. These results were attributable to the high organic C input with rice straw in the soil, although the conversion rate of total organic C input to SOC stock change with rice straw mulch did not increase. SOC stock change in NoTill did not differ from that in Till, which might be caused by no increase in the conversion rate of total organic C to SOC stock change in NoTill in this field. In addition, SOC stock change in CF was not significantly different from the stock change in NoCF. Although a large amount of organic C was supplied to the CF soil, the conversion rate of organic C to SOC decreased. The results of this study could contribute to clarifying SOC stock changes in upland crop fields in tropical monsoon conditions.
Structural and Functional Changes in Proteins Induced by Free Radical‐mediated Oxidative Stress and Protective Action of the Antioxidants N‐tert‐Butyl‐α‐phenylnitrone and Vitamin E a

ABSTRACT: The free radical theory of aging proposes that reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause oxidative damage over the lifetime of the subject. It is the cumulative and potentially increasing amount of accumulated damage that accounts for the dysfunctions and pathologies seen in normal aging. We have prevously demonstrated that both normal rodent brain aging and normal human brain aging are associated with an increase in oxidative modification of proteins and in changes in plasma membrane lipids. Several lines of investigation indicate that one of the likely sources of ROS is the mitochondria. There is an increase in oxidative damage to the mitochondrial genome in aging and a decreased expression of mitochondrial mRNA in aging. We have used a multidisciplinary approach to the characterization of the changes that occur in aging and in the modeling of brain aging, both in vitro and in vivo. Exposure of rodents to acute normobaric hyperoxia for up to 24 h results in oxidative modifications in cytosolic proteins and loss of activity for the oxidation‐sensitve enzymes glutamine synthetase and creatine kinase. Cytoskeletal protein spin labeling also reveals synaptosomal membrane protein oxidation following hyperoxia. These changes are similar to the changes seen in senescent brains, compared to young adult controls. The antioxidant spin‐trapping compound N‐tert‐butyl‐α‐phenylnitrone (PBN) was effective in preventing all of these changes. In a related study, we characterized the changes in brain protein spin labeling and cytosolic enzyme activity in a series of phenotypically selected senescence‐accelerated mice (SAMP), compared to a resistant line (SAMR1) that was derived from the same original parents. In general, the SAM mice demonstrated greater oxidative changes in brain proteins. In a sequel study, a group of mice from the SAMP8‐sensitive line were compared to the SAMR1‐resistant mice following 14 days of daily PBN treatment at a dose of 30 mg/kg. PBN treatment resulted in an improvement in the cytoskeletal protein labeling toward that of the normal control line (SAMR1). The results of these and related studies indicate that the changes in brain function seen in several different studies may be related to the progressive oxidation of critical brain proteins and lipids. These components may be critical targets for the beneficial effects of gerontotherapeutics both in normal aging and in disease of aging.
A Progressive Model for Quality Benchmarks of Trainees’ Satisfaction in Medical Education: Towards Strategic Enhancement of Residency Training Programs at Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS)

The latest developments in Sustainable Health focus on the provision of high quality medical training to health specialists, with a special focus on human factors. The need to promote effective Training Programs also reflects the job satisfaction needs of trainees. The objective of this study is to evaluate the trainees’ satisfaction with the quality of Training Programs and assess the degree of achievement based on the defined parameters to provide baseline data based on which strategies for improvement can be formulated. Our study was conducted in Saudi Arabia and our targeted population was residents in medical programs supervised by the Saudi Commission for the Health Specialties (SCFHS). The trainees’ response rate to the online survey was 27% (3696/13,688) and the key aspects of job satisfaction investigated include: Satisfaction with Academic Activities in the Center; Satisfaction with the Residents and Colleagues in the Center; Satisfaction with the Administrative Components in the Center; Satisfaction with the Training Programs; Satisfaction with the Specialty; Satisfaction with the Training Center; Satisfaction with the SCFHS. The main contribution of our work is a benchmark model for job satisfaction that can be used as a managerial tool for the enhancement of medical education with reference to the satisfaction of trainees. We analyze the key aspects and components of training satisfaction and we introduce our progressive model for Trainees’ Satisfaction in Medical Training. In future work, we intend to enhance the proposed framework with a set of key performance indicators as well as with a focused cause and effect focused survey on factors related to the key benchmark of this study.
α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Profile of Nigerian Medicinal Plants in Immobilized Assay System

Four Nigerian medicinal plants used for the treatment of various ailments in traditional ethnomedicine were evaluated for their anti-diabetic potential. The plants Irvingia gabonensis (O'Rorke) Bail, Eucalyptus torreliana F.v. Muell, Securidata longependuculata Fers and Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack were used in the study. Only the aqueous extract of I. gabonensis exhibited a potent maltase-inhibitory activity with an IC50 of 0.10mg/mL, as well as a sucrase-inhibitory activity (IC50 of 0.11mg/mL), whereas α-amylase inhibitory activity was quite poor (IC50 of 0.53mg/mL). A significant lowering of the blood glycemic response to maltose ingestion in 8-week old Sprague-Dawley rats was observed at a dose of 300mg/kg, in response to significant reduction in postprandial insulin response level.
Large Number Hexagonal Cavities Microfluidic Digital Chip for Gene Mutation Ultrasensitive Analysis in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the highest incidence of malignant tumors in the world. Targeted therapy based on gene mutation detection including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation is one of the first-line treatments. In this work, took EGFR gene G719S mutation as a representative object, a large number hexagonal cavities microfluidic chip (LHMC) platform based on digital PCR (dPCR) for the absolute quantification of gene mutation in lung cancer was established. In this chip, 113,137 cavities chip was designed to increase the number of absolute quantitative, which was 2~5 times higher than the traditional one. The hexagonal shape of cavities elevates the filling rate and filling speed. A set of primers and probes for G719S with high sensitivity, high specificity and high reliability were designed and screened. Then the PCR parameters were optimized. The results demonstrated that the chip platform shows good performance. The minimum detection concentration of the gene mutant was 3.01 copies/μL, and a good correlation (Y= 0.725X- 0.581, R2= 0.984) was noted between the measured value and the expected value. This chip possesses sensitively detect positive mutations in G719S and completely negative when detecting other substances. The developed LHMC-dPCR chip is a rapid and accurate gene mutation analysis platform, which has faster speed and lower price than classic detection methods, for instance, droplet dPCR, DNA sequencing method. Moreover, LHMC-dPCR is not limited by the number of nucleic acids and droplets and there is no need to estimate the nucleic acid concentration of the sample. This chip platform could also detect other gene mutations, for example, L858R, exon 19 deletions, in other tumors including lung cancer.
IMPROVING QUALITY BY IMPLEMENTING LEAN MANUFACTURING, SPC, AND HACCP IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY: A CASE STUDY

Interest in ensuring the safety of food for human consumption has grown considerably owing to the economic impact of returns on products that do not meet the organoleptic characteristics that customers require. The presence of pollutants and reduced shelf life are the most common problems affecting food quality. This research applied the improving quality to a food SME company belonging to the ‘fourth range’ sub-sector based on lean manufacturing tools, statistical process control (SPC), and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system. The Lean tools that were applied are value stream map and 5s. The value stream maps (VSMs) to identify the operations most at risk of cross-contamination in the supply chain, and use 5S to prevent the contamination and decomposition of products in work areas. The statistical process control allows the variability of products to be controlled with respect to consumer quality parameters; and HACCP insures food safety through the control of critical points of contamination risk. A pilot project was carried out for two months, which resulted in a reduction of product returns by 89.2%.
Effect of water stress and nitrogen fertilizer on herb and essential oil of oregano

A b s t r a c t. Two pot trials were carried out during the 2006 and 2007 seasons to investigate the impact of water stress treatments (80, 60, and 40% available soil moisture) and/or nitrogen fertilizer levels (0, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 g N pot -1 as ammonium sulphate) on the fresh mass of herb and essential oil of oregano plants. Supplying plants with a water level of 80% available soil moisture and with 1.2 g N pot -1 were effective in raising the productivity of herb and the content and yield of essential oil. The interaction between these two treatments gave the best results. Concerning essential oil constituents, carvacrol was the major compound, followed by p-cymene, g-terpinene was the third component. K e y w o r d s: Origanum vulgare L. , water stress, nitrogen fertilizer, fresh herb yield, essential oil, GLC analysis
Portfolio Diversification Benefits in Southeast Asian Stock Markets for Turkish Investors

This study is a pioneering attempt at investigating portfolio diversification benefits available to the Turkish conventional and Shari’ah-compliant investors in the Southeast Asian conventional and Islamic stock markets at different investment horizons. We use multivariate-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (MGARCH-DCC) and wavelet approaches. The results suggest that the Malaysian stock market offers substantial diversification benefits for the Turkish conventional and Islamic investors, especially for the short-run investment horizons up to 16 days, as well as for long-term investment periods exceeding 128 days. In addition, Turkish conventional investors could also consider investing in Thailand Islamic equities in short-run holding periods up to 16 days. As for the medium investment horizons from 16 to 128 days, it is advisable for the Turkish investors to avoid investing in all the equities because of very low diversification benefits.
Bond Behavior of GFRP-Concrete Under Long-term Exposure to Aggressive Environments

The experimental results of the bond behavior between glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars and concrete under several aggressive environments were studied. To give a comprehensive and comparative evaluation, a total 60 GFRP bar-concrete pullout specimens were divided into a control group and a treated group being immersed in tap water, alkaline and saline solutions for up to 270 days. The influences from aggressive environment, resin type and exposure period on the bond strength, together with the degradation mechanism and failure mode were explored. The time-dependent test results showed a clear decrease in the bond strength of treated group, with notably various degradation trends during different exposure periods. It is found that the saline solution induced the average bond strength loss of all corresponding specimens as 51.5% at 270 days, followed by alkaline solution (39.5%) and tap water (29.0%).
Interactive methods of teaching foreign languages in higher education institutions

This study investigates how family lineage descent groups influence the intergenerational transmission of education for the cohorts of 1940-1989 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study applies both transition matrix and intergenerational persistence (IGP) methods, using the father's years of schooling as a proxy for parental education. The findings suggest a pronounced steady persistence in education for the estimated mean regression coefficient over a period of 49 years. Moreover, results by gender indicate that intergenerational persistence in education has significantly decreased for males in recent cohorts but slightly increased for females. Furthermore, findings suggest that intergenerational persistence has been decreasing in matrilineal descent groups in recent cohorts, while increasing for the patrilineal descent groups. The study gives a good sense of the relationship between family lineage descent and intergenerational transmission of education in DRC. In addition, it indicates that there is both substantial upward and downward intergenerational education mobility in the country.
Determinación de las Características Físico-Químicas de una Zeolita Natural

La Mordenita es una zeolita natural que gracias a sus propiedades es de las más comunes en diversas aplicaciones. Por lo que, es importante determinar su contenido mineralógico, morfología, composición química y propiedades de porosidad. En este trabajo se presenta una caracterización física y química de una zeolita natural tipo Mordenita empleando las técnicas de difracción de rayos X (XRD), microscopia electrónica de barrido (MEB – EDS) y análisis mediante la adsorción de . De acuerdo a los resultados por XRD se encuentran las fases cristalinas Cuarzo, Feldespato y Mordenita, siendo este último el de mayor abundancia entre ellas. Se muestra por medio de caracterización morfológica que los microcristales observados por MEB son acordes con la morfología típica de la Mordenita. La adsorción por muestra una isoterma del tipo IIb con histéresis tipo H4, en lugar de la usual H3
Utilization of Moodle in Teaching Undergraduate Students in West Africa

Introduction. Teaching pedagogy has become more advanced and techno friendly. The goal of this study is to inspect effectiveness of e-LMS (learning management system) prevalent for students of West African University, mainly at Private University Colleges. Materials and Methods. The samples were collected from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo and Benin. The research design is based on a survey method. Data were collected from 435-undergraduate students using questionnaires out of which 410-were found useful. Results. The result hints towards enhancing infrastructure for technology, more seminars and encouraging students to use the same. Discussion and Conclusion. Efficient use of LMS ought to be on obligatory institutional objectives and policies. The study recommends integration of LMS in curricula of undergraduate students of West African countries. The study further recommends efficient and useful information technology education to be made mandatory institutional policy for students and criteria for getting accreditation for organization.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Mixing Gray and Green Infrastructures to Adapt to Sea Level Rise in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta

This study evaluated inundation impacts and the economic damage resulting from sea level rise (SLR) in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta (VMRD), and identified the effectiveness of mixing gray and green infrastructures using cost-benefit analysis. The results showed that the VMRD could potentially be heavily affected by SLR. Without the implementation of proper adaptations, more than 90% of this area could be below sea level and nearly 20 million people could be affected by inundation by the end of the 21st century. The total economic damage could reach more than 22,000 billion US$ (2010 real value) by 2100 with no discount rate. These threats may increase the pressure on the region to ensure well-being, equity, and progress towards achieving sustainable development goals. However, achieving these goals will require the implementation of adaptations for upgrading and restoring in the region. This study assessed the effectiveness of adaptations and demonstrated that mixing gray and green infrastructures could benefit coastal inhabitants at a cost of 12 to 19 billion US$.
Hybrid Blood Purification Therapy Based on Camel Nanoantibody Immunoadsorbent on Patients with Chronic Renal Failure in Nephrology Department

This paper proposes a study on the effect of hybrid blood purification therapy based on camel nanoantibody immunoadsorbent on chronic renal failure patients in nephrology department. In this paper, the hybrid blood purification therapy based on camel nanoantibody immunoadsorbent was applied to patients with chronic renal failure, and the curative effect of the patients was studied. In order to highlight the effect, a control group was set up for comparison. In this paper, the clearance effect of small molecule toxin, middle molecular toxin, and dialysis adequacy was analyzed. This study found that the average dialysis adequacy of the control group was 1.23% and that of the experimental group was 1.26%. The dialysis adequacy of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group. In addition, the clearance effect of small and medium molecular toxins in the experimental group was significantly better than that in the control group. It can be seen that the hybrid blood purification therapy based on camel nanoantibody immunoadsorbent is effective in the treatment of chronic renal failure patients in the department of nephrology. Therefore, it is of great value to apply camel nanoantibody in the clinical treatment of renal failure.
The Impact of Internet and Social Media Use on Well-Being: A Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescents Across Nine Years

The present research examines the longitudinal average impact of frequency of use of Internet and social networking sites (SNS) on subjective well-being of adolescents in Germany. Based on five-wave panel data that cover a period of nine years, we disentangle between-person and within-person effects of media use on depressive symptomatology and life satisfaction as indicators of subjective well-being. Additionally, we control for confounders such as TV use, self-esteem, and satisfaction with friends. We found that frequency of Internet use in general and use of SNS in particular is not substantially related subjective well-being. The explanatory power of general Internet use or SNS use to predict between-person differences or within-person change in subjective well-being is close to zero. TV use, a potentially confounding variable, is negatively related to satisfaction with life, but it does not affect depressive symptomatology. However, this effect is too small to be of practical relevance.
Sizing of a Standalone PV System with Battery Storage for a Dairy: A Case Study from Chile

In this paper, a stochastic simulation model for a standalone PV system sizing is replicated and extended to supply a dairy’s power demand. A detailed hourly-based simulation is conducted considering an hourly load profile and global solar radiation prediction model. The stochastic simulation model is based on a thorough statistical analysis of the solar radiation data and simulates the energy yield, the excess energy curtailed, and the state of charge of the batteries for the sizing month and the whole year, providing the designer autonomy factor values d to properly size the PV system, finding the optimum combination of installed peak power P m and battery storage capacity C L that meets the application load requirements, considering a preset reliability level at minimum cost. The model makes use of the NASA’S Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy database to obtain solar radiation data. Results show a substantial reduction of 44% in installed peak power and battery storage capacity when compared to conventional methodologies, considering three days of autonomy, and an 85% reduction considering four days. Considering the goodness of fit test results, the Wakeby distribution best represents the behavior of historical solar radiation data for the site in almost half of the months. This article seeks to contribute to the literature gap in the application of methodologies for the multicomponent power supply in the dairy industry through the use of renewable energy.
Retroperitoneal liposarcoma in a nonagenarian

ABSTRACT Retroperitoneal liposarcomas are rare tumors arising from the soft tissue of the retroperitoneum and are of mesenchymal cell origin. They can reach a large size prior to causing symptoms and generally have a poor prognosis. We present the case of a 93-year-old lady presenting with a large retroperitoneal liposarcoma at the site of a previous colonic anastomosis for the adenocarcinoma treatment. It caused minimal symptoms initially, but surgical resection was undertaken when the tumor was found to be growing significantly in size. However, due to the tumor’s location and its invasion into surrounding structures, the resection was not feasible and subsequently abandoned. A retroperitoneal liposarcoma arising from the site of a previous colonic resection has not been previously described. A review of the diagnosis and current management of these lesions is also given.
2.4 µm InP-based antimony-free triangular quantum well lasers in continuous-wave operation above room temperature

In this work, we report on the above-room-temperature continuous-wave operation of InP-based antimony-free triangular quantum well (QW) lasers emitting up to approximately 2.4 µm. X-ray diffraction measurement confirms the favorable structural quality of the highly strained triangular QWs composed of InAs/In0.53Ga0. 47As digital alloy. The maximum continuous-wave working temperature reaches 340 K, and the output power at 300 K is about 11 mW/facet at an injection current of 350 mA. The internal quantum efficiency of 58% is deduced at 300 K, and the extrapolated threshold current density for infinite cavity length is 210 A/cm2 per quantum well.