Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research trends on emerging environment pollutants – a review

Abstract Concern for the natural environment increasingly devotes more attention to growing potential hazards resulting from the release of various substances. Currently, one of the main problems associated with environmental pollution is the derivation of organic compounds from wastewater. Substances derived from sewage leaks into the environment in the form of a multicomponent mixtures often enhances the toxic effects caused by these compounds. While analyzing the reports in the literature of the last two decades it can be seen that substantial efforts are devoted to the determination of selected trace contaminants present in wastewater. Among the most marked there are endocrine disrupting compounds, residues of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, plastics and sunscreens. Recently, a new group of compounds joined the aforementioned contaminants, namely drugs, whose legality and availability is increasing every year. Exposure to these type of compounds, named in the literature as emerging contaminants (ECs), involves, among others, such effects as hormonal imbalance, reduction of the survivability of aquatic organisms and reproductive problems. This paper provides a review of the types of emerging organic groundwater contaminants (EGCs) which are beginning to be found in the natural environment in many countries all around the world. Graphical Abstract
Polymorphic site index curves for Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Central and Eastern Serbia

This study was mainly aimed at constructing polymorphic site index curves for beech in the central (Rudnik mountain – RU, about 15,000 ha) and eastern (Žagubica – ŽA, about 7,000 ha) part of its distribution in Serbia. To obtain suitable height-age data and evaluate the best-fit growth model we used 107 felled dominant beech trees. The Korf, Korsun and Chapman-Richards growth functions per site class were first parameterized and then mutually compared with respect to residual statistics and the significance of their parameters. They were additionally parameterized in line with empirical data on the value and age of the culmination of current annual height increment (CAIh). The obtained results indicated that the Chapman-Richards growth function showed the best results both by statistical (residuals standard error, significance of the parameters, distribution of residuals, and homoscedasticity) and by empirical criteria (the CAIh culmination time, the maximal values of the CAIh, and the attained height of trees at a certain age) of the height-age beech modelling in the analyzed regions. The obtained polymorphic site index curves which classify sites with regard to their productivity can be very helpful in planning appropriate silvicultural treatments, and for decision-making in forest management planning, forest policy and ecology and, consequently, in the sustainable management of beech forests in Serbia and some neighbouring countries with a similar forestry sector development.
Women Entrepreneurs and Business Angel: A Difficult Relationship

This article aims to analyze the phenomenon of the business angel, considered one of the main ways of obtaining external financing by women entrepreneurs. Through a search conducted on the Scopus database, 26 articles have been selected that deal with the problem of finding external sources required by women entrepreneurs. It has been shown that women entrepreneurs are discriminated against by business angels for various reasons including the lack of work experience acquired, the level of education and the lack of social networks useful for interacting with them. The business angel phenomenon has been analyzed in China, Japan, and Sweden, therefore, research could be conducted in Italy, given the scarcity. Furthermore, only the business angel was analyzed as a source of external financing so other ways to receive resources from the external environment could be discussed. This is an article that deals with the problem on how women entrepreneurs find themselves having to face when they decide to start their own business.
Effects of polyaluminum chloride and copper sulfate on phosphorus and UV254 under different anoxic levels

Experimental sediments and water from shallow, eutrophic Dianchi Lakes were treated in a controlled laboratory microcosm using different chemicals under different anoxic levels. This study revealed that the polyaluminum chloride (PAC) was able to inhibit the phosphorus release and decrease the UV254 value at any anoxic level. When the DO concentrations were between 0.76-0.95 mg(.) L-1, the UV(254)value, total phosphorus (TP), and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) in the water column were decreased by 71.93%, 87.12% and 64.24% respectively. The UV254, TP, and TDP were also decreased by 72.94%, 70.87% and 50.76% respectively at the levels of 4.56-5.32mg(.)L(-1) of DO concentrations. The treatment effects of TP and TDP in the water column using copper sulfate however were not as efficient as the PAC treatment. The UV254 value was increased with the addition of copper sulfate at every anoxic level tested but the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) content was decreased rapidly and efficiently by copper sulfate more than the treatment by PAC. When the DO concentrations were 0.76-0.86mg(.)L(-1) and 4.75-5.14mg(.)L(-1), the Chl-a concentrations were decreased by 84.87% and 75.07% respectively through copper sulfate treatment. With additions of PAC and copper sulfate, the phosphorus fractions in sediments were shifted forward to the favorable shapes that have little ability of release. The TP concentrations in sediments were increased after treatment via PAC and copper sulfate. Under anoxic conditions, most of the BD-P (Fe-P) to NaOH-P (Al-P) was converted using the recommended PAC dose in BD-P rich sediment. Similar to the PAC, the copper sulfate also could flocculate the exchange phosphorus from sediment to overlying water. Overall though, the effects of copper sulfate treatment were not better than that of the PAC.
Growth and Photosynthetic Efficiency of Two Lettuce Cultivars Under Light–Emitting Diode Monochromatic Light

This study discussed the influence of light–emitting diodes (LEDs) with red, blue, green, and yellow light on the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of Boston lettuce and Ziyan lettuce as a reference for lettuce production in plant factories. The experiments were conducted in a plant factory under a 120 µ mole ・ m –2 ・ s –1 photosynthetic photon flux density, CO 2 concentration of 1000 ppm, and daytime and nighttime temperature of 25°C/18 h and 17°C/6 h, respectively. The experiment results revealed that after 15 days of treatment under different spectral qualities, the appearances of the two lettuce leaves differed slightly. The fresh and dry weights of the Boston lettuce were highest under green light treatment. The fresh and dry weights of the Ziyan lettuce were higher under red and green light, and blue light helped the leaves to change color. In addition, photosynthesis analyzers were used to investigate the photosynthetic efficiency of the two types of lettuce under the four spectral qualities under the six luminous intensity levels of 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 µ mole ・ m –2 ・ s –1 and six CO 2 concentrations of 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, and 1400 ppm. The photosynthetic efficiency of the two types of lettuce generally increased with increasing luminous intensity and CO 2 concentration. When the luminous intensity was 100 and 120 µ mole ・ m –2 ・ s –1 and the CO 2 concentration was 1200 ppm and 1400 ppm, the Boston lettuce had the highest photosynthetic effi- ciency under green light. When luminous intensity was 120 µ mole ・ m –2 ・ s –1 and the CO 2 concentration was over 1000 ppm, the Ziyan lettuce had the highest photosynthetic efficiency under red light. These results revealed that the monochromatic LED light most suitable for growth differed across types of lettuce. In this experiment, the yield and photosynthetic efficiency of Boston lettuce were highest under green light. Those of Ziyan lettuce were highest under red light.
Experience-Based Physico-Chemical Models for Long-Term Reinforcement Corrosion

The long-term corrosion progression of steel reinforcement is important for estimating the life of reinforced concrete infrastructure. Reviews of field experience and results from recent controlled long-term experiments show that the development of reinforcement corrosion is much more complex than the classical empirical Tuutti model. A new, comprehensive model is proposed, referencing observations and inferences from many field and laboratory observations and built on the bi-modal model for the corrosion of steel. It includes the critical roles of air-voids in the concrete at the concrete-steel interface and the effect of long-term alkali leaching as accelerated by the presence of chlorides. Both are affected by compaction and concrete permeability. The role of chlorides in the early stages is confined to pitting within air-voids. These are critical for allowing initiation to occur, while their size influences the severity of early corrosion. Empirical data show that for seawater with an average water temperature in the range of 10–20 °C, the corresponding rate of long-term corrosion ra is in the range of 0.012–0.015 mm/y.
New Insight on Low-K Lettuce: From Photosynthesis to Primary and Secondary Metabolites

With the increase in dialysis patients worldwide, the demand for low-K vegetables is growing. Thus, a type of lettuce with a low-K content has been marketed in Japan. To learn more about low-K vegetables, information is needed on the physiological differences between these vegetables and those with typical levels of potassium (K). In this study, lettuces (Lactuca sativa L.) were cultivated using two low-K management methods in an environment-controlled system. One method was based on electrical conductivity (EC) management, and the K was replaced by sodium (Na) at the end of cultivation. The other method was based on quantitative nutrient management, and the nutrients required for low-K lettuce were quantitatively supplied, but no extra Na was added. Meanwhile, lettuce with normal K concentration was cultivated with EC management as the control. Plant growth indices, leaf photosynthesis traits, chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, concentrations of secondary metabolites (SMs), and antioxidant activity were examined to investigate the physiological effects of low-K and high-Na concentrations during low-K lettuce cultivation. Both low-K treatments significantly restrained the growth of lettuce and increased the concentration of soluble sugar. However, photosynthesis and fluorescence characteristics remained unchanged. This indicates that the biomass reduction of low-K lettuce was due to the wasteful accumulation of carbohydrates rather than the decline in photosynthesis. Concentrations of SMs were increased in the low-K lettuce. In addition, higher concentrations of Na influenced the concentration of SMs, indicating that SMs were more sensitive to environmental stress.
Corporate Social Responsibility Measures: A Brief Review

Studies are being conducted to measure the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on different dimensions of performance of the firm. Therefore, it becomes imperative to measure CSR activities undertaken by the firms. The measures used to assess CSR range from quantitative to perceptual; hence, the study proposes to present an analytical profile of various methods used to measure CSR. The article reviews studies that span over the time period from the 1980s to 2016 to determine the relationship between CSR and performance of the firm. Various measures of CSR used in studies are broadly categorized as rating-based measures, financial measures, perceptual measures, and disclosure-based measures. The study revealed that perceptual and rating-based measures are the most commonly used measures. Also, it has been found that the operationalization of CSR using these two measures has been used in the studies that are conducted mainly in developed countries. However, disclosure of CSR and expenditure made on social responsibility can be more comprehensive measures as they are more objective in nature and are not influenced by the biases. Also, expenditure on CSR can be a useful measure while conducting a cost-benefit analysis of CSR activities performed by the organizations.
Efficient secret key generation scheme of physical layer security communication in ubiquitous wireless networks

This paper focuses on high efﬁciency secret key generation mechanism of physical-layer communication over fading channels in ubiquitous wireless networks. The secret key rate via traditional physical-layer approach could be limited when the wireless propagation channels connecting two sensors change slowly. To generate a high-rate secret key and improve the communication efﬁciency over quasi-static block fading channels, a novel multi-randomness device-to-device secret key generation strategy and a cooperative communication mechanism aided by relay nodes are proposed. In the proposed schemes, the legitimate members to send random signals rotationally in every coherent time T are set; thus, two legitimate ubiquitous wireless network members, Alice and Bob, can obtain the potential correlated information by exploiting the randomness and the reciprocity of the wireless propagation channels. Considering the reciprocity of wireless channels is variable while the forward channel gain and backward channel gain are correlated in coherent time, a modiﬁed secret key generation scheme is proposed via layered coding with theoretical secret key rates derived. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms traditional approaches with favourable application prospects in ubiquitous wireless communications networks and internet of things.
Effect of Different Treatment Methods on the Purification of Bacterial Cellulose Produced from OPF Juice by Acetobacter Xylinum

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a form of cellulose produced by Acetobacter xylinum via fermentation process. BC contains impurities such as medium broth or the cell biomass. This study aims to determine the effect of purification method on the BC produced from oil palm frond (OPF) juice. Three purification method was presented in this study; first, BC was treated with different NaOH concentration at constant temperature of 70°C. Second, the BC was treated with different temperature while the NaOH concentration was fixed at 0.1M. Lastly, the BC was further purified in distilled water at different temperature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis revealed that chemical composition of BC is similar to the natural cellulose without the present of biomass impurities as no peak at 1800 – 1500 cm−1 can be detected. Higher percentage for loss of biomass, 22.03 % can be obtained when the BC was treated with 1.0 M NaOH at 90°C and further purified in distilled water at 90°C. As conclusion, pure BC which are free from any impurities can be obtained by using proposed method.
Polar Kerr effect from chiral-nematic charge order

We analyze the polar Kerr effect in an itinerant electron system on a square lattice in the presence of a composite charge order proposed for the pseudogap state in underdoped cuprates. This composite charge order preserves discrete translational symmetries, and is ``chiral nematic'' in the sense that it breaks time-reversal symmetry, mirror symmetries in $x$ and $y$ directions, and ${C}_{4}$ lattice rotation symmetry. The Kerr angle ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{K}$ in ${C}_{4}$-symmetric system is proportional to the antisymmetric component of the anomalous Hall conductivity ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{xy}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{yx}$. We show that this result holds when ${C}_{4}$ symmetry is broken. We show that in order for ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{xy}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{yx}$ to be nonzero the mirror symmetries in $x$ and $y$ directions have to be broken, and that for ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{xy}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{yx}$ to be nonzero time-reversal symmetry has to be broken. The chiral-nematic charge order satisfies all these conditions, such that a nonzero signal in a polar Kerr effect experiment is symmetry allowed. We further show that to get a nonzero ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{K}$ in a one-band spin-fluctuation scenario, in the absence of disorder, one has to extend the spin-mediated interaction to momenta away from $(\ensuremath{\pi},\ensuremath{\pi})$ and has to include particle-hole asymmetry. Alternatively, in the presence of disorder, one can get a nonzero ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{K}$ from impurity scattering: either due to skew scattering (with non-Gaussian disorder) or due to particle-hole asymmetry in case of Gaussian disorder. The impurity analysis in our case is similar to that in earlier works on Kerr effect in ${p}_{x}+i{p}_{y}$ superconductors, however, in our case, the magnitude of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{K}$ is enhanced by the flattening of the Fermi surface in the ``hot'' regions, which mostly contribute to charge order.
The New Finance Capital: Corporate Governance, Financial Power, and the State

We argue that a new form of finance capital has been consolidated in the United States since the 2008 crisis—defined as a fusion of financial and industrial capital. In this regime, financiers have become more entrenched in the governance of nonfinancial corporations while, reciprocally, industrial firm managers have increasingly become financiers. Indeed, this fusion has taken place on two interconnected levels: (1) within the nonfinancial corporation itself, and (2) between the nonfinancial corporation and the financial sector. Internal diversification and internationalization over the postwar era led to the reorganization of the industrial corporation as a financial group, managing not concrete production processes, but portfolios of financial assets. This was reinforced by the increasing power of outside investors over the neoliberal period. However, new forms of financial organization that emerged after 2008 produced tighter and more direct linkages between external financiers and the nonfinancial corporation, constituting the new finance capital.
Robust Self-Regeneratable Stiff Living Materials

Living systems have not only the exemplary capability to fabricate materials (e.g. wood, bone) under ambient conditions but they also consist of living cells that imbue them with properties like growth and self-regeneration. Like a seed that can grow into a sturdy living wood, we wondered: can living cells alone serve as the primary building block to fabricate stiff materials? Here we report the fabrication of stiff living materials (SLMs) produced entirely from microbial cells, without the incorporation of any structural biopolymers (e.g. cellulose, chitin, collagen) or biominerals (e.g. hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate) that are known to impart stiffness to biological materials. Remarkably, SLMs are also lightweight, strong, resistant to organic solvents and can self-regenerate. This living materials technology can serve as a powerful biomanufacturing platform to design and develop sustainable structural materials, biosensors, self-regulators, self-healing and environment-responsive smart materials.
Slurry and Fixed Bed Photo Catalytic Degradation of Herbicide 4-Chloro Phenoxy Acetic Acid Using Doped/Undoped Catalyst

The introduction of chlorinated aromatic compounds as herbicides into the environment is a matter of great concern due to their toxicity. The chemical resistance of these compounds makes their removal from contaminated waters a difficult task. In this regard, photo catalytic reactions provide an auspicious solution to this problem. The present study focuses on the degradation of a herbicide 4-chlorophenxyacetic acid in a shallow pond slurry reactor through heterogeneous photocatalysis using TiO2 as a photo catalyst in suspended as well as supported form. The influence of various parameters like dose of photo catalyst, oxidant, A/V ratio of the reactor, pH, and UV intensity have been studied under UV-A (365 nm) irradiations. The degradation rate was found to follow the pseudo first order rate kinetics. The optimized conditions for better degradation in case of slurry photocatalysis were TiO2 dose 0.625 g L, oxidant dose 0.125mL per 200mL, UV intensity 25 Wm. All experiments were conducted at solution’s natural pH i.e. 3.5. For fixed-bed studies, TiO2 coated clay beads were used and 92% degradation of 4-CPA was achieved after 3 h of treatment using these catalyst immobilized beads. A significant amount of degradation was achieved when experiments were performed in natural solar light for the degradation of concerned pollutant under optimized conditions. Efforts were also made to dope the catalyst with certain metals like iron and copper. The degradation rate for 4-CPA was fastened and enhanced when doped catalyst was used as around 94% degradation occurred while 85% degradation was attained in case of un-doped catalyst after three hours of photo catalytic treatment. The mineralization of 4-CPA was confirmed by reduction in COD (85.7%) along with the generation of chloride ions (75%), after 2 h of irradiation as well as elimination of the parent compound peak in HPLC chromatograms . Scale–up of the studied photo-oxidation process can lead to its feasibility at pilot-scale in near future for the treatment and removal of recalcitrant compounds like 4-chlorophenxyacetic acid present in water bodies.
The impact of aquaculture field school on the shrimp and milkfish yield and income of farmers in Demak, Central Java

Traditional farmers of milkfish and shrimp use 80% of Indonesia's shrimp production area, but produce only 10% of its shrimp. A coastal protection project funded a 16-day aquaculture field school (AFS) in order to train 277 farmers in Low External Input Sustainable Aquaculture (LEISA). Its cost was 1,060 USD per farmer. In 2017 and 2018, the project monitoring database completed records of yields and practices of 125 participants and monitored finances and water quality in a 10% sample. LEISA was adopted by 85% of the 125 participants. The two annual datasets of the sample were merged and trimmed from three outliers; this was done before statistical analysis. Compared to the baseline, LEISA adopters among the 125 tripled their shrimp' yields. Within the sample, the milkfish yields of adopters and non-adopters were about identical. Sampled adopters significantly increased their gross margin by 927 USD ha − 1 year − 1 due to three- and fivefold yield increases for milkfish and shrimp compared to that of the baseline. The rate of return was 1.3 for the 277 participants and 1.8 for the sample, indicating a payback time of <1 year. Enriching the farmers' skills with AFS can double Indonesian milkfish production and increase its shrimp production by 25 – 50%.
Frequency coordinated control strategy based on sliding mode method for a microgrid with hybrid energy storage system

Frequency stability is important for microgrid with renewable energy. However, the deterioration of frequency and the increased energy storage equipment are caused by source-load uncertainty. Therefore, a frequency coordinated control strategy based on sliding mode method for a microgrid with hybrid energy storage system (HESS) is proposed. First of all, the detailed frequency regulation is designed, which divides deviation of frequency and area control error into different components as power reference value of different power supply. Secondly, the power threshold of HESS, which is consisted of ultra-capacitor and battery, is set by designed fuzzy controller to reduce reserve power of HESS and avoid unreasonable power output. Thirdly, a load frequency control model with HESS is built and a sliding mode control is designed by using the detailed frequency regulation. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed frequency coordinated control strategy is veriﬁed through comparison of different cases.