Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of gamma radiation on the mechanical properties of and susceptibility to biodegradation of natural fibers

The effect of gamma radiation on the mechanical properties and surface structure of woven fabrics made of cotton, flax, and silk fibers was investigated. It was found that small radiation doses (up to 15 kGy), sufficient for effective disinfection of textiles, caused only insignificant changes in the fiber parameters tested. However, it was found that doses increased to 100 kGy bring about a considerable weakening of the tested fabrics——their tensile strength decreases by 26–33%. Microbiological examination has shown that preradiation of cotton and linen fabric samples with a dose of 100 kGy does not affect the susceptibility of these fabrics to fungal biodegradation. A silk fabric irradiated under the same conditions shows clear susceptibility to bacterial biodegradation.
The U-Shape of Happiness in Scotland

Abstract We examine well-being in Scotland using micro data from the Scottish Health Survey and the UK Annual Population Surveys. We find evidence of a midlife nadir or zenith in Scotland in well-being at around age fifty using a variety of measures of both happiness and unhappiness. We confirm that higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with higher levels of happiness in Scotland. We compare this with evidence for England from the Health Survey of England. The decline in well-being between youth and midlife is comparable in size to the loss of a spouse or of a job and around half of the fall in well-being in the COVID-19 lockdown. We also find a mid-life peak in suicides in Scotland. Despite higher mortality and suicide rates in Scotland than in England, paradoxically we find that the Scots are happier than the English. Northern Ireland is the happiest of the four home countries. We also find evidence of U-shapes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the mid to late forties.
Prospective Evaluation of Incidental Pituitary Imaging Findings in the Sella Turcica

Abstract Purpose Reported rates of incidentally discovered pituitary sellar lesions vary widely, at least in part because of the inadvertent inclusion of patients with a history suspicious for a pituitary disorder. We prospectively evaluated the incidence of truly incidental sellar findings detected on imaging at a large academic medical center. Methods Deidentified data were extracted from the electronic medical record of adults who underwent diagnostic computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over a 1-year period for any cause unrelated to known or suspected pituitary disorder both in inpatient and outpatient settings. Patients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, (ICD-9) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes indicative of a sellar lesion and those with symptoms suggestive of sellar/parasellar mass effects were excluded. Results Of 9572 scans performed during the 1-year study period, 3840 met the inclusion criteria to comprise the study cohort; 13 were manually excluded because of findings or symptoms of sellar masses not otherwise captured. The overwhelming majority of evaluable images (n = 3782) showed no sellar lesions. Truly incidental sellar findings were detected in 45 (1.2%), most commonly among inpatients (P < .001). Partially empty sella and empty sella were the most frequent findings, and were twice as likely to be detected on MRI vs CT. All other incidentally discovered lesions, including one microadenoma and one macroadenoma, were detected only by MRI. Conclusion Frequency of incidental sellar lesions in patients with no known or suspected history of pituitary disorder is low. Given the small likelihood of aggressive behavior in these lesions, the clinical significance of truly incidentally discovered sellar lesions should not be overestimated.
Prospects and Challenges of Implementing Cloud Accounting in Bangladesh

The objectives of this study are to understand the meaning of cloud accounting, to investigate whether it is favorable for performance of the organization and what are the challenges if a country like Bangladesh wants to implement it. Primary data have been collected from 300 respondents selected from the field of accounting, such as accountants, accounting graduates of different universities, teachers and bankers. To measure the reliability and validity of the sample size and data, KMO and Bartlett’s test have been adopted and the results proved to be reliable and valid for the study. Regression analysis has been done to find out the positive impact of cloud accounting on organizational performance and negative impact of cloud accounting on existing accounting system of the organization. The results of regression analysis supported our alternative hypotheses that cloud accounting can improve organizational performance, but it has also some negative impacts. Descriptive statistics have been used to find out the probable challenges that may be faced by organizations that want to implement it. This is a pioneering study because there is little research on this topic, thus it is expected to develop awareness about cloud accounting in field of accounting in Bangladesh.
Pollinator dependence but no pollen limitation for eight plants occurring north of the Arctic Circle

Abstract Effective interactions between plants and pollinators are essential for the reproduction of plant species. Pollinator exclusion experiments and pollen supplementation experiments quantify the degree to which plants depend on animal pollinators and the degree to which plant reproduction is pollen limited. Pollen supplementation experiments have been conducted across the globe, but are rare in high latitude regions. To fill this knowledge gap, we experimentally investigated the dependence on animal pollinators and magnitude of pollen limitation in eight plant species north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland, Finland. Our findings show that all plant species were pollinator dependent, but not pollen limited. We discuss several mechanisms that might buffer our focal plants from pollen limitation, including plant and pollinator generalization, and attractive plant traits. Our results demonstrate that many plant species north of the Arctic Circle are currently receiving adequate pollinator service and provide a baseline for future comparisons of pollinator dependence and pollen limitation in the Arctic across space and time.
Tannins and related compounds. LV: Isolation and characterization of acutissimins A and B, novel tannins from Quercus and Castanea species

Two novel and closely related tannins, designated as acutissimins A (1) and B (2), have been isolated from various Fagaceous plants : Quercus acutissima, Q. miyagii, Q. stenophylla, Q. mongolica var. grosseserrata and Castanea crenata. Degradative and synthetic studies combined with 1H- and 13C-NMR spectrometry and various mass spectral measurements have permitted the assignments. of the structures, in which (+) -catechin (4) and the C-glycosylated ellagitannin, castalagin (3), are connected through a carbon-carbon linkage.
Antifungal potential of three natural oils and their effects on the thermogravimetric and chromatic behaviors when applied to historical paper and various commercial paper sheets

Three natural extracted oils from Citrus reticulata peels, C. aurantifolia leaves, and Linum usitatissimum (linseeds) were used as antifungal agents against the growth of Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum. The following main compounds (determined via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) were found. The essential oil (EO) from C. aurantiifolia leaves contained limonene (22.96%), geranyl acetal (13.53%), and geraniol acetate (13.33%); the n-hexane oil from C. reticulata peels contained methyl-13-cyclopentyltridecanoate (16.74%), and D-limonene (16.06%); and linseed oil contained linoleic acid (27.36%), and oleic acid (19.01%). The inhibition of fungal growth significantly was reached 100% against A. flavus at all tested C. aurantifolia leaf EO concentrations and at a concentration of 2000 µL/mL for linseeds oil. The growth inhibition reached 100% against P. chrysogenum with C. aurantifolia leaf EO concentrations of 125-2000 µL/mL. Citrus reticulata peel EO had 100% growth inhibition of P. chrysogenum at concentrations of 2000 µL/mL and 1000 µL/mL, while linseeds oil had 100% growth inhibition at 2000 µL/mL. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that C. aurantifolia EO yielded the greatest thermal stability and color change protection to cotton pulp, while linseed oil was found to protect wood pulp-based and historical papers.
Melting temperature of ice at positive and negative pressures

The pressure of an equilibrium mixture of water and ice contained in helically wound Pyrex capillary tubes was measured as a function of temperature. The sealed helices function as Berthelot tubes, allowing the measurements to extend to negative pressures, and as pressure gauges using the Bourdon tube principle. The locus of the melting line for ice I was measured up to 1500 bar and extended, for the first time, into the negative pressure region. Results are reported to -240 bar for H/sub 2/O and to -150 bar for D/sub 2/O. The locus of the melting line at negative pressure is discussed.
Whispering-Gallery-Mode for Coherent Random Lasing in a Dye-Doped Polystyrene Encapsulated Silica-Glass Capillary

Dye-doped polystyrene (DDPS) encapsulated in a silica-glass capillary with a diameter of 300 μm was fabricated through radical polymerization of styrene within the capillary. The coherent random lasing (RL) with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.36 nm and a quality factor of 1608 was produced in the DDPS with the capillary when pumping at 532 nm. However, the incoherent RL with FWHM of 6.62 nm and a quality factor of 92 was produced in the DDPS without the capillary. A detailed investigation on this phenomenon by changing the diameter of the capillary and core refractive index (RI) reveals that there exists a strong whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonance in the capillary, which helps generate the coherent RL. The findings may open up a new approach for the fabrication of highly efficient photonic devices.
Real-Time Temporal and Rotational Calibration of Heterogeneous Sensors Using Motion Correlation Analysis

Accurate and robust calibration is crucial to a multisensor fusion-based system. The calibration of heterogeneous sensors is particularly challenging because of the huge difference of the captured sensor data. On the other hand, many calibration approaches ignore temporal calibration that is in fact as important as spatial calibration. In this article, we focus on the temporal calibration of heterogeneous sensors, and the corresponding extrinsic rotation is also derived. Most existing methods are specialized for a certain sensor combination, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) camera or a camera-Lidar system. However, heterogeneous multisensor fusion is a tendency in the robotics area, so a unified calibration method is desired. To this end, we leverage the 3-D rotational motion feature for calibration, and auxiliary calibration boards are not needed since multiple odometry methods are available to capture 3-D sensor motion. Using a high-frequency IMU as the calibration reference, an IMU-centric scheme is designed to achieve a unified framework that adapts to various target sensors that can independently estimate 3-D rotational motion. By combining independent IMU-centric calibration pairs, an arbitrary pair of sensors can also be calibrated using the same reference IMU. Due to a novel 3-D motion correlation quantification and analysis mechanism, the temporal offset can be first estimated in real time. Given temporally aligned sensor motion, the extrinsic rotation can be derived in closed-form in the same 3-D motion correlation mechanism. Experimental results of certain sensor combinations show the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method through comparison with state-of-the-art calibration approaches, and the calibration result of a heterogeneous multisensor set demonstrates the scalability and versatility of our method.
Hydrotreating of Maya Crude Oil: II. Generalized Relationship between Hydrogenolysis and HDAs

Abstract Studies of hydrodeasphaltenization (HDAs) and hydrodemetallization (HDM) of Maya heavy crude oil at temperature of 380°C and pressure of 5.4 MPa have been carried out in a high pressure microreactor. Different pore diameter alumina CoMo-supported catalysts were prepared and their catalytic effect is estimated. The fresh and spent catalysts were characterized by textural properties; and the average pore diameter of a fresh catalyst was found to be proportional to the HDM and HDA conversions. The hydrogen elemental analysis of reactant and products indicated that asphaltene conversion is a combination of cracking and hydrogenation (HYD), since HDM correlated well with HDAs, which is due to the complex nature of both molecules (asphaltene and metals).
Social insurance system influence on spa tourism: evidence for Romania

ABSTRACT Romanian spa resorts combine natural cure resources with beautiful landscapes and cultural and historical heritage. After the fall of the communist regime in 1989, most of the hospitality infrastructure remained the same, without any significant investment in upgrading the accommodation structures or treatment facilities. The purpose of this paper is to identify the variables that predict the domestic tourism demand for spa resorts in Romania derived from the literature. The results suggest that the trigger factor to boost the domestic demand remains the tourism offer. Nevertheless, the development of spa tourism in Romania is still possible if some efforts are made, in order to reduce its dependency on the social insurance system.
Zytomorphologische Diagnostik mithilfe von künstlicher Intelligenz (KI)

Die zytomorphologische Untersuchung von Präparaten des peripheren Blutes und des Knochenmarks unter dem Lichtmikroskop ist eine der am längsten etablierten und am häufigsten angewandten Methoden der hämatologischen Diagnostik. Ihre Ursprünge liegen im 19. Jahrhundert und beruhen unter anderem auf der Pionierarbeit des Pathologen Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902) mit der Begründung der Zellularpathologie und der ersten Beschreibung von Leukämien [1].
ANALYSIS OF ENERGY CONSERVATION BEHAVIOR AT THE KUWAITI ACADEMIC BUILDINGS

Understanding user’s behavior in buildings is crucial since user behavior significantly contributes to the overall building’s energy consumption. Therefore, this study aims to identify a user’s pro-environmental behavior, in particular, the energy conservation behavior (ECB) of university users in Kuwait. For this reason, this study creates a model whereby two variables, namely, environmental knowledge and awareness of consequences, are introduced and incorporated into the existing theory of planned behavior (TPB). The research data is acquired through questionnaires in keeping with Kuwait’s social norms and culture. The extended TPB model is tested using numerical analysis problems in partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to investigate the following variables: energy conservation behavior, intention, subjective norm, attitude, perceived behavioral control, environmental knowledge, and awareness. Results show the indirect effects of the two above mentioned variables on conservation behavior. The results also reveal that societal pressure and cultures significantly affect the users’ intention to engage in energy conservation behavior. The outcomes of this research suggest that there is a need to encourage energy conservation behavior changes in Kuwaiti academics’ buildings by supporting the antecedents, as well as eliminating barriers to pro-environmental actions.
A review of recent advances in solid film lubrication

Thin, adherent sputtered MoS2 and ion plated metallic (Au, Ag, Pb) lubricating films are primarily used in precision contacting triboelement surfaces where wear debris formation is critical and high reliability requirements have to be satisfied. Detailed structural and compositional characterization of solid film lubricants is of prime importance. It is this information from the nano–micro–macro level which is needed to interpret and improve the frictional behavior and assure long endurance lives. The purpose of this paper is to summarize in a concise review the solid lubricant film structure and morphology and their effects on the tribological properties of the lubricant systems. The tribological performance of thin lubricating films has significantly advanced through progressive understanding of the film parameters such as adhesion, cohesion, interface formation, nucleation and microstructural growth, critical film thickness and substrate finish, and temperature. Sputtered MoS2 and ion plated Au, Ag, an.
COVID-19 and the Improvement of the Global Air Quality: The Bright Side of a Pandemic

The objective of this investigation is to study the impacts of the global response to COVID-19 on air pollution and air quality changes in major cities across the globe over the past few months. Air quality data (NO2, CO, PM2.5, and O3) were downloaded from the World Air Quality Index project for the January 2019–April 2020 period. Results show a significant reduction in the levels of 2020 NO2, CO, and PM2.5 compared to their levels in 2019. These reductions were as high as 63% (Wuhan, China), 61% (Lima, Peru), and 61% (Berlin, Germany), in NO2, CO, and PM2.5 levels, respectively. In contrast, 2020 O3 levels increased substantially, as high as 86% (Milan, Italy), in an apparent response to the decrease in titration by nitrogen monoxide and its derivatives. Significant differences in the weather conditions across the globe do not seem to impact this air quality improvement trend. Will this trend in the reduction in most air pollutants to unprecedented levels continue in the next few weeks or even months? The response to this and other questions will depend on the future global economic and environmental policies.
An SMVQ compressed data hiding scheme based on multiple linear regression prediction

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose a side matching vector quantisation (SMVQ) data hiding scheme for image using multiple linear regression prediction. For each pixel block, the proposed scheme combines the multiple linear regression algorithm and the SMVQ algorithm, so that it can more accurately match the codeword or directly obtain the predicted value closer to the real pixel. Our experimental results show that when the VQ codebook sizes are 128, 256, 512, and 1024, and the SCB size is 16, this scheme obtains a better compression rate and information embedding ability. It can be concluded from the experimental results that this scheme is superior to existing algorithms in terms of compression and embedding capacity.
A Novel Framework for Identifying Customers’ Unmet Needs on Online Social Media Using Context Tree

Customer needs and user contexts play an important role in generating ideas for new products or new functions. This study proposes a novel framework for identifying customers’ unmet needs on online social media using the Context Tree through the Hierarchical Search of Concept Spaces (HSCS) algorithm. The Context Tree represents the hierarchical structure of nodes associated with related keywords and corresponding concept spaces. Unlike other methods, the Context Tree focuses on finding the unmet needs of customers from online social media. The proposed framework is applied to extract customer needs for home appliances. Identified customer needs are used to make user scenarios, which are used to develop new functions of home appliances.
Cognitive profiles in persons with depressive disorder and Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease and depressive disorder are frequent in old age. Both may be associated with depressed mood and cognitive impairment. Therefore, finding a strategy to clarify the diagnosis underlying subjective complaints of impaired cognition and depressed mood in older persons is of utmost interest. We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective observational clinical cohort study using patient records from 2014 to 2018. From 3758 patients, we included patients aged 60 years and older with a Mini-Mental-Status Examination score of 24 and above. Final analysis included all patients in whom Alzheimer’s disease biomarker analysis was performed (cerebrospinal fluid markers of Alzheimer’s disease or positron emission tomography imaging; n = 179) and patients with depressive disorder in whom Alzheimer’s disease was ruled out by analysis of biomarkers suggestive of Alzheimer’s disease (n = 70). With case–control matching for age, education and gender, performance of patients with Alzheimer’s disease was worse in acquisition, consolidation and recall of verbal information and false-positive answers. None of the results, however, sufficed to differentially diagnose individual patients with Alzheimer’s disease or depressive disorder. With more severe symptoms of depression, patients with biomarker-verified Alzheimer’s disease performed worse in executive testing but were not additionally impaired in verbal episodic memory performance. We conclude that distinguishing between Alzheimer’s disease and depressive disorder is unreliable on clinical grounds and behavioural testing alone. Diagnosing the cause of subjective complaints about deteriorating cognitive function or depressed mood requires additional biomarker assessment, whereas cognitive assessment is needed to define appropriate targets of symptomatic treatment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and depressive disorder.
Variations and tendencies of cloud, aerosol and solar radiation in the past decades over East of the Asian Part of Russia based on surface and satellite data records

The results of studies of atmospheric aerosol over the territory of Russia are of great interest from the point of view of environmental and climatic problems. The article presents the results of the spatial-temporal variability of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) over the Asian Part (AP) of the Russian Federation in recent decades. The Database (DB) “Aerosol optical thickness of the atmosphere from satellite and ground-based observations” created by the authors was used. The presented trends in AOT changes (annual values, summer values) and statistical estimates of real empirical series show that there is a good agreement between the annual values of AOT for satellite and ground-based values, for monthly values the discrepancy has more value. Based on observational and reanalysis data, the interannual variability of the average annual and average summer values of the total radiation flux coming to the surface was studied. The empirical typification of interannual changes in the intra-annual course of the cloud cover values (%) over the considered time interval was carried out. The analysis was performed for the Tiksi Arctic station and for the Yakutsk, Ussuriysk, Irkutsk and Yekaterinburg stations located in the AP of the Russian Federation.
Chuvas intensas para o estado de Sergipe com base em dados desagregados de chuva diária

Floods have frequently been observed worldwide, particularly in urban and rural areas of Brazil as a consequence of antropic impacts and climate change. To cope with the problem hydraulic structures are designed based on the observed maximum flood, or statistically predicted through the rainfall-duration relationship established with recorded data, which are generally scarce. Due to the lack of such data, disaggregation of daily rainfall is generally utilized. In the State of Sergipe-Brazil, the rainfall-duration relationships were established utilizing disaggregated daily rainfalls, observed in 48 stations, and the probability distributions of Weibull and Gumbel. The best results were obtained with the Weibull distribution. The spatial distributions of the parameters of the rainfall-duration relationships demonstrated the high rainfall variability in the region.