Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurements of K- shell production cross-section and fluorescence yield for Y element

K- shell X- ray production cross-section have been measured for Y element. Measurements have been carried out at 16.896 keV excitation energy using secondary source. K X-rays emitted by samples have been counted by a Si(Li) detector with 160 eV resolution at 5.9 keV. The values of K - shell fluorescence yield has been evaluated for Y element. The results obtained for fluorescence yield and K X- ray production cross-section has been compared with the theoretically calculated values and other available semiempirical fits values.
Induction of apoptosis by fucoidan isolated from a traditional food, Saccharina longissima, in U937 human leukemia cells

Background : A brown seaweed, Saccharina longissima ( Laminaria angustata var. longissima ) has been consumed in Okinawa for 300 years. It is native to the southernmost part of Japan, in Okinawa, but grows on the Pacific coast (Kushiro and Nemuro) in Hokkaido in the northernmost part of Japan. Previously, we reported the structural characteristics from S. longissima . The fucoidan consisted of L-fucose, D-galactose, D-glucose, D-xylose, D-glucuronic acid, and sulfuric acid. This fucoidan activated the RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a fucoidan isolated from Saccharina longissima on cell anti-proliferation and apoptosis in the U937 human leukemia monocyte lymphoma cell line. Methods : U937 cells were incubated with four fucoidan concentrations. The degree of apoptosis was determined using the APOPercentage APOPtosis assay, caspaer-3 activity assay and Western blotting analysis assay. Results : The treatment of cell with a fucoidan highly substituted with sulfate, in addition to L-fucose residues, inhibited cell growth. Apoptosis increased in U937 cells in a dose-dependent manner following the addition of fucoidan. However, the fucoidan did not induce apoptosis in the presence of caspase inhibitor (z-VAD-FMK). Conclusions : The fucoidan from Saccharina longissima induced apoptosis in U937 cells. Accordingly, the kelp containing this fucoidan may contribute to the observed longevity of the Okinawan population. Keywords: fucoidan, Saccharina longissimi, brown seaweed, traditional food, human leukemia cells, apoptosis
Comparisons of Linear Characteristic for Shape of Stator Teeth of Hall Effect Torque Sensor

Electric Power Steering (EPS) system is superior to conventional Hydraulic Power Steering (HPS) system in aspect of fuel economy and environmental concerns. The EPS system consists of torque sensor, electric motor, ECU (Electric Control Unit), gears and etc. Among the elements, the torque sensor is one of the core technologies of which output signal is used for main input of EPS controller. Usually, the torque sensor has used torsion bar to transform torsion angle into torque and needs linear characteristic in terms of flux variation with respect to rotation angle of permanent magnet. The torsion angle of both ends of a torsion bar is measured by a contact variable resistor. In this paper, the sensor is accurately analyzed using 3D finite element method and its characteristics with respect to four different shapes of the stator teeth are compared. The four shapes are rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal and circular type.
Numerical Modeling of Rainfall-induced Slope Failure

Slope failure caused by heavy rainfall is an important geotechnical concern in many countries. Geotechnical engineering properties such as soil-water characteristics, strength and stress-strain behaviors of soil as well as climate conditions have become important parameters for reliable numerical simulation of slope stability. In this study, a numerical simulation was performed by considering both the hydraulic (e.g., permeability and soil water characteristic curve (SWCC)) and a strength parameter (i.e., cohesion) to evaluate the stability of unsaturated slopes during rainfall with the finite difference method (FLAC2D). A slope located in Namyangju, Korea was chosen as a testbed. Thus, the geometry, hydraulic and geotechnical properties of the site were used as the input parameters in the numerical modeling. The results suggest that different slope failure modes are generated by different rainfall intensities. The effects of soil permeability, SWCC, and cohesion on the slope stability were also investigated with parametric studies. The permeability and SWCC properties have important roles in the ground infiltration behavior of unsaturated soils, which results in a generation of excess pore water pressure. Moreover, the results showed that cohesion has a significant effect on the safety factor of unsaturated slopes.
Demonstration of the temporal matter-wave Talbot effect for trapped matter waves

We demonstrate the temporal Talbot effect for trapped matter waves using ultracold atoms in an optical lattice. We investigate the phase evolution of an array of essentially non-interacting matter waves and observe matter-wave collapse and revival in the form of a Talbot interference pattern. By using long expansion times, we image momentum space with sub-recoil resolution, allowing us to observe fractional Talbot fringes up to tenth order.
The Effects of Electrical Water Bath Stunning on Meat Quality of Broiler Produced in Accordance with Turkish Slaughter Procedures

This study assessed the effects of electrical water bath stunning process on the meat quality of broilers processed in a commercial slaughterhouse in Turkey. Twenty-five live broilers were electrically stunned while twenty-five live broilers were not. Electrical stunning (30 V, 30 mA, 220 Hz alternative current) was applied for 17 seconds (s) in a water bath. The percentage of the blood loss was determined at 150 s after slaughter. The electrical stunning significantly decreased the percentage of the blood loss in broilers. conversely, higher pH values were observed at 15 min and 24 h post-mortem (PM) in muscle samples from broilers slaughtered following stunning compared to un-stunned controls. Electrical stunning had no significant effect on L* a* and b*colour values. The Water Holding Capacity (WHC) of meat taken from stunned broilers was significantly higher than those of the control birds. Texture analysis revealed greater toughness and firmness values in the meat of stunned broilers.
Lagged effects of North Atlantic Oscillation on spittlebug Philaenus spumarius (Homoptera) abundance and survival

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a large‐scale pattern of climate variability that has been shown to have important ecological effects on a wide spectrum of taxa. Studies on terrestrial invertebrates are, however, lacking. We studied climate‐connected causes of changes in population sizes in island populations of the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius (L.) (Homoptera). Three populations living in meadows on small Baltic Sea islands were investigated during the years 1970–2005 in Tvärminne archipelago, southern Finland. A separate analysis was done on the effects of NAO and local climate variables on spittlebug survival in 1969–1978, for which survival data existed for two islands. We studied survival at two stages of the life cycle: growth rate from females to next year's instars (probably mostly related to overwintering egg survival), and survival from third instar stage to adult. The latter is connected to mortality caused by desiccation of plants and spittle masses.
New Product Development Resource Forecasting

Forecasting resource requirements for new product development (NPD) projects is essential for both strategic and tactical planning. Sophisticated, elegant planning tools to present data and inform decision‐making do exist. However, in NPD, such tools run on unreliable, estimation‐based resource information derived through undefined processes. This paper establishes that existing methods do not provide transparent, consistent, timely or accurate resource planning information, highlighting the need for a new approach to resource forecasting, specifically in the field of NPD. The gap between the practical issues and available methods highlights the possibility of developing a novel design of experiments approach to create resource forecasting models.
A proposal for pellet production from residual woody biomass in the island of Majorca (Spain)

The use of residual biomass for energy purposes is of great interest in isolated areas like Majorca for waste reduction, energy sufficiency and renewable energies development. In addition, densification processes lead to easy-to-automate solid biofuels which additionally have higher energy density. The present study aims at (i) the estimation of the potential of residual biomass from woody crops as well as from agri-food and wood industries in Majorca, and (ii) the analysis of the optimal location of potential pellet plants by means of a GIS approach (location-allocation analysis) and a cost evaluation of the pellets production chain. The residual biomass potential from woody crops in Majorca Island was estimated at 35,874 metric tons dry matter (t DM) per year, while the wood and agri-food industries produced annually 21,494 t DM and 2717 t DM, respectively. Thus, there would be enough resource available for the installation of 10 pellet plants of 6400 t·year−1 capacity. These plants were optimally located throughout the island of Mallorca with a maximum threshold distance of 28 km for biomass transport from the production points. Values found for the biomass cost at the pellet plant ranged between 57.1 €·t−1 and 63.4 €·t−1 for biomass transport distance of 10 and 28 km. The cost of pelleting amounted to 56.7 €·t−1; adding the concepts of business fee, pellet transport and profit margin (15%), the total cost of pelleting was estimated at 116.6 €·t−1. The present study provides a proposal for pellet production from residual woody biomass that would supply up to 2.8% of the primary energy consumed by the domestic and services sector in the Balearic Islands.
Are Acculturation Strategies and Perceived Social Justice Important for Work - Life Balance of Immigrants? The Case of Immigrants from Lithuania

The study aimed to investigate the extent to which Lithuanian immigrants experience work – life conflict, taking into consideration different life domains, and to test how acculturation strategies and perceived social justice predict different types of work – non-work conflict. 503 Lithuanian immigrants (76% females; mean age 32.28 years; length of immigration 5.24 years) working in different European countries participated in this study. They completed the self-report online questionnaire that included Work Spillover into Family Life scale, Acculturative Behaviour scale, Perceived Social Justice scale, and socio demographic questions. The results showed that work – home management conflict significantly dominated over a work – leisure conflict in the group of working immigrants, and only those Lithuanian immigrants who have children reported higher work – parent conflict compared to other types of work – non-work conflict. Higher assimilation level predicted lower work – leisure and lower work – home management conflict while higher integration level was related to higher work – home management conflict. Higher scores of Perceived Social Justice scale were related to lower work – non-work life conflict.
The bright side of impulse: : depletion heightens self-protective behavior in the face of danger

Ample research suggests that after engaging in a self-regulatory task, people become depleted and are more likely to behave in maladaptive ways by yielding to their impulses. However, yielding to impulses may not always be maladaptive. This research suggests that when people are depleted, they feel more vulnerable when encountering potential danger and are therefore more likely to engage in self-protection. Across five studies, depleted (vs. nondepleted) participants reported being less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as having unprotected sex (study 1) and more likely to engage in risk-reduction behaviors such as getting tested for kidney diseases and chlamydia (studies 2 and 3). Depleted individuals also preferred products that emphasize safety (studies 4 and 5). Perceived vulnerability is shown to mediate the effect of depletion on self-protective behavior (studies 1 and 2). Together, these findings show that yielding to impulses may sometimes help attain beneficial and healthful goals.
Effect of Building Height on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Big-Sized Ti-6Al-4V Plate Fabricated by Electron Beam Melting

Electron beam melting (EBM) is a layer by layer additive manufacturing technology, which has the capability of producing near-net shaped parts with complex geometries. It is also suitable for handling high melting point and reactive metallic materials, such as Ti alloy, which is widely used in the aerospace and biomedical applications. The present study focused on the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties of big-sized Ti-6Al-4V parts. A plate (6mm×180mm×372mm) was additively manufactured by EBM. The microstructure evolution and variation of mechanical properties were investigated by using the x-ray diffraction, optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and tensile test. The results revealed that with an increasing in the build height, there was a variation in the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the build plate. Although only α phase and a relatively small fraction of β phase were detected in both the bottom and top specimens of the build plate, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength decreased with an increase of build height. This was attributed to the increase of α lath width which was caused by the different thermal histories along the build height of the plate.
Growth and accumulation responses of Populus nigra L. exposed to hexavalent chromium excess

Phytoremediation of heavy metals is employed as a technological approach for a non-destructive remediation of contaminated soils. One of the most recently studied tree species used in phytoremediation applications are poplars. In this study, the one-year old rooted seedlings of Populus nigra L. used to decontaminate hexavalent chromium-contaminated soils. Five treatments of Cr (VI) supply (were spiked as potassium dichromate) including 0 (control, no external Cr = T0), 50 (T50), 100 (T100), 125 (T125) and 150 mg.kg-1 (T150) were employed. It was found that this species not only can reduce large amounts of Cr (VI) in the soil, but also can uptake and accumulate this element in its organs. Both mentioned mechanisms were found to be dose-dependent. A significant linear regression was observed between the all biomass parameters except root diameter (p ≤ 0.05) as well as Cr accumulation in plant tissues (p ≤ 0.01) and chromium concentration in the soil. These findings suggest that this species is suitable for Cr (VI) biomonitoring programs of Cr environmental contamination.
Surface magnetic fields on two accreting T Tauri stars: CV Cha and CR Cha

We have produced brightness and magnetic field maps of the surfaces of CV Cha and CR Cha: two actively accreting G- and K-type T Tauri stars in the Chamaeleon I star-forming cloud with ages of 3–5 Myr. Our magnetic field maps show evidence for strong, complex multipolar fields similar to those obtained for young rapidly rotating main-sequence stars. Brightness maps indicate the presence of dark polar caps and low-latitude spots – these brightness maps are very similar to those obtained for other pre-main-sequence and rapidly rotating main-sequence stars. Only two other classical T Tauri stars have been studied using similar techniques so far: V2129 Oph and BP Tau. CV Cha and CR Cha show magnetic field patterns that are significantly more complex than those recovered for BP Tau, a fully convective T Tauri star. We discuss possible reasons for this difference and suggest that the complexity of the stellar magnetic field is related to the convection zone; with more complex fields being found in T Tauri stars with radiative cores (V2129 Oph, CV Cha and CR Cha). However, it is clearly necessary to conduct magnetic field studies of T Tauri star systems, exploring a wide range of stellar parameters in order to establish how they affect magnetic field generation, and thus how these magnetic fields are likely to affect the evolution of T Tauri star systems as they approach the main sequence.
The prophylactic effect of silymarin on hepatic damage and IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α expression in rats with hepatic fibrosis.

Naglaa Kamal Madkour 1,2 and Amal Attia El-Morsy Ibrahim 1,3 . 1. Dept. of Zoology, Faculty of Girls’ for Arts, Education and Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. 2. Biology department, University College of Umluj, Tabuk University, KSA. 3. Dept. of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science for Girls, Northern Border University, KSA. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History
Chemical oxidative potential of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) generated from the photooxidation of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds

Abstract. Particulate matter (PM), of which a significant fraction is comprised of secondary organic aerosols (SOA), has received considerable attention due to its health implications. In this study, the water-soluble oxidative potential (OPWS) of SOA generated from the photooxidation of biogenic and anthropogenic hydrocarbon precursors (isoprene, α-pinene, β-caryophyllene, pentadecane, m-xylene, and naphthalene) under different reaction conditions ( RO2+ HO2 vs. RO2+ NO dominant, dry vs. humid) was characterized using dithiothreitol (DTT) consumption. The measured intrinsic OPWS-DTT values ranged from 9 to 205 pmol min−1 µg−1 and were highly dependent on the specific hydrocarbon precursor, with naphthalene and isoprene SOA generating the highest and lowest OPWS-DTT values, respectively. Humidity and RO2 fate affected OPWS-DTT in a hydrocarbon-specific manner, with naphthalene SOA exhibiting the most pronounced effects, likely due to the formation of nitroaromatics. Together, these results suggest that precursor identity may be more influential than reaction condition in determining SOA oxidative potential, demonstrating the importance of sources, such as incomplete combustion, to aerosol toxicity. In the context of other PM sources, all SOA systems, with the exception of naphthalene SOA, were less DTT active than ambient sources related to incomplete combustion, including diesel and gasoline combustion as well as biomass burning. Finally, naphthalene SOA was as DTT active as biomass burning aerosol, which was found to be the most DTT-active OA source in a previous ambient study. These results highlight a need to consider SOA contributions (particularly from anthropogenic hydrocarbons) to health effects in the context of hydrocarbon emissions, SOA yields, and other PM sources.
An Algorithm for Expensive Optimization Problems

Computer simulations are used extensively in engineering and science to evaluate candidate designs, as a partial substitute for real-world experiments. Metamodels, which are computationally cheaper approximations of the simulation, are often used in these settings to alleviate various issues arising in such simulation-driven design processes. However, due to the high computational cost of running the simulation only a small number of designs can be evaluated, and hence the resultant metamodel will be inaccurate. To achieve a more accurate approximation, ensembles employ multiple metamodel variants concurrently, and aggregate their individual predictions into a single one. Nevertheless, the optimal ensemble topology, namely, which types of metamodels should be incorporated, is typically not known a-priori, while using a fixed topology may degrade the search effectiveness. To address this issue, this study proposes a new metamodel-assisted algorithm with dynamic topology adaptation, namely, which autonomously adapts the ensemble topology during the search, and dynamically selects the most suitable topology as the search progresses. An extensive performance analysis shows the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, and highlights the merit of the proposed topology adaptation. Keywords–expensive optimization problems; metamodels; ensembles; computational intelligence
Sales or lost sales? An insight into the marketing barriers affecting frontline employees' satisfaction and attitudinal commitment in a fashion retail outlet

This paper discusses some of the findings from exploratory research that provided an insight into the marketing barriers affecting frontline employees’ satisfaction and attitudinal commitment in the context of a fashion retail outlet in Melbourne. Frontline employees represent the ‘face’ of an organisation (Hoffman and Bateson 1997) and they play a key role in satisfying customers’ expectations, and thus in influencing the service quality perceptions which emanate from service encounters (Boshoff and Mels 1995; Bendapudi and Berry 1997; Grönroos 2001). Boshoff and Allen (2000) showed that in order to provide consistently high levels of service, frontline employees must be trained to deal with customers and be able to rectify the inevitable problems that may arise. Factors such as the attitudes and behaviours of management as well as the training and the empowerment they receive, can also influence the performance of frontline employees (Matthes 1992). To gain an insight into these issues, a focus group was conducted with casual frontline employees and depth interviews were conducted with their managers, at a fashion retail outlet in Melbourne. The findings suggested that a possible link could exist between frontline employees’ satisfaction and their attitudinal commitment, as they described low levels of satisfaction and attitudinal commitment towards the fashion retail outlet they worked for. These negative job attitudes were primarily attributable to the managers’ attitudes and behaviours; a lack of empowerment; as well as inadequate internal communication, and training. Further research is needed to gain a greater understanding of the complex nature of the effects that such marketing barriers could have on frontline employees’ satisfaction and attitudinal commitment to their job.
Effects of An Acute Exercise Up to Anaerobic Threshold on Serum Anabolic and Catabolic Factors in Trained and Sedentary Young Males

Objective : The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of aerobic running exercise up to anaerobic threshold in trained (T) and sedentary (S) young males. Methods: The catabolic factors such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), oxidants and cortisol and the anabolic factors such as testosterone, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) were evaluated in blood serum of subjects. Results: It was found that running up to anaerobic threshold led to a significant increase in oxidants but not IL-6 in both groups. Indeed, oxidants returned to basal levels in 24 h in the T group. Cortisol decreased even below the basal levels 24 h after exercise in both groups. Anabolic hormones increased in both groups especially in the trained subjects after exercise. Conclusion Trained young people showed faster anabolic and catabolic adaptation to aerobic exercise comparing to age-matched sedentaries.
Incomplete Credit Markets and Commodity Marketing Behaviour

We develop a simple theoretical model of market participation over multiple seasons in the presence of liquidity constraints and transactions costs to explain the 'sell low, buy high' puzzle wherein certain households forego opportunities for intertemporal price arbitrage through storage and are observed to sell output post-harvest at prices lower than observed prices for purchases in the subsequent lean season. We test our model with data from western Kenya using maximum likelihood estimation of a multivariate sample selection model of market participation. Access to off-farm income and credit indeed seem to influence crop sales and purchase behaviors in a manner consistent with the hypothesized patterns.