Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient procedure for extracting maize and sorghum kernel proteins reveals higher prolamin contents than the conventional method

A new method to separate maize proteins into zein (prolamin) and nonzein classes was used to quantitatively measure the prolamins (zein and kafirin) and nonprolamins in five maize and sorghum genotypes. Some 90-95% of protein was extracted using a pH 10 buffer containing 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2% 2-mercaptoethanol. Ethanol or t-butanol was added to the maize and sorghum extracts at 70 or 60%, respectively, to precipitate nonprolamin proteins ; those remaining in solution were prolamins. The amount of protein in these fractions was compared to that obtained with the conventional Landry-Moureaux method which uses aqueous alcohol plus 0.6% 2-mercaptoethanol as the extraction solvent. Using this new method, zein contents of 50-60% of total protein were found for maize whole grain flours, with 62-74% zein for endosperm alone. Kafirin contents were 68-73% in sorghum whole grain flours, and 77-82% in sorghum endosperm. Prolamin and nonprolamin fractions were judged to be pure based on SDS-PAGE. Zein contents determined by the new method were between 5-12% higher than those obtained by the conventional procedure ; kafirin contents were 12-22% higher. This new method provides a highly reproducible, accurate procedure for determining the content of prolamin and nonprolamin proteins. Yet it is simpler and faster than the conventional fractionation method.
The growth requirements of BHK‐21 cells in serum‐free culture

A serum‐free medium for serial culture of baby hamster kidney cell line 21 (BHK‐21) as container‐adherent cells was developed. The medium is a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium and Ham's F‐12 medium supplemented with fibroblast growth factor, fibronectin, insulin, oleic acid (preincubated with fatty‐acid‐free bovine serum albumin as carrier), and transferrin. The fibronectin was required for cell adherence, the other factors for optimal cell multiplication. When cell input was greater than about 1,900 cells/cm2, this serum‐free medium supported cell multiplication at a rate approximately equal to the rate in medium with 10% serum. At lower cell input, growth in the serum‐free medium was poor unless it was supplemented with serum‐free medium which had been conditioned by BHK‐21 cells. The conditioned medium contained a factor(s) which enabled or stimulated cell multiplication.
Daytime Oxidized Reactive Nitrogen Partitioning in Western U.S. Wildfire Smoke Plumes

The Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption, and Nitrogen (WE‐CAN) deployed the NSF/NCAR C‐130 aircraft in summer 2018 across the western U.S. to sample wildfire smoke during its first days of atmospheric evolution. We present a summary of a subset of reactive oxidized nitrogen species (NOy) in plumes sampled in a pseudo‐Lagrangian fashion. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) and nitrous acid (HONO) are rapidly converted to more oxidized forms. Within 4 h, ∼86% of the ΣNOy is in the form of peroxy acyl nitrates (PANs) (∼37%), particulate nitrate (pNO3) (∼27%), and gas‐phase organic nitrates (Org N(g)) (∼23%). The average e‐folding time and distance for NOx are ∼90 min and ∼40 km, respectively. Nearly no enhancements in nitric acid (HNO3) were observed in plumes sampled in a pseudo‐Lagrangian fashion, implying HNO3‐limited ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) formation, with one notable exception that we highlight as a case study. We also summarize the observed partitioning of NOy in all the smoke samples intercepted during WE‐CAN. In smoke samples intercepted above 3 km above sea level (ASL), the contributions of PANs and pNO3 to ΣNOy increase with altitude. WE‐CAN also sampled smoke from multiple fires mixed with anthropogenic emissions over the California Central Valley. We distinguish samples where anthropogenic NOx emissions appear to lead to an increase in NOx abundances by a factor of four and contribute to additional PAN formation.
Growth, yield and fruit quality of Mexican tomato landraces in response to salt stress

The Mexican tomato landraces ‘Campeche’, ‘Oaxaca’, ‘Puebla’, and ‘Veracruz’, and the commercial hybrid ‘Vengador’ were evaluated in response to four levels of NaCl (0, 30, 60 and 90 mM) applied through the nutrient solution in a hydroponic system under greenhouse conditions. Yield and dry biomass weight of roots, stems and leaves were reduced by increasing salinity stress, while fruit quality characteristics were improved, with the magnitude of the changes being genotype-dependent. The landrace ‘Veracruz’ produced the lowest yield, 1.06 t ha under control conditions and 0.59 t ha when treated with 90 mM NaCl, amounting to a 44% reduction that was, however, the lowest yield decrease among all genotypes tested. Paradoxically, ‘Veracruz’ was the only landrace displaying a reduction in the root/shoot ratio when exposed to high salinity, indicating more sensitivity to salinity as compared to the other landraces and the hybrid tested. ‘Campeche’ performed the poorest in response to salinity with the most pronounced yield reductions, recording 71.1%, 80.1% and 89.6% yield decreases when comparing plants exposed to 30, 60 and 90 mM to the control, respectively. Although at each salinity level the ‘Veracruz’ fruits showed the highest °Brix value as compared to the other landraces and the hybrid, ‘Oaxaca’ and ‘Puebla’ fruits had a greater increase in °Brix between the control and 90 mM NaCl (109.2% and 110.4%, respectively). With 90 mM NaCl, ‘Oaxaca’ fruits also registered the highest decrease in pH (6.1%) and the highest increase in total soluble sugars (106.7%) with respect to the control.
Small Local versus Non-Local: Examining the Relationship between Locally Owned Small Businesses and Spatial Patterns of Crime

Abstract In the current study, we theorized that businesses in place are subject to two processes: a crime generator effect in which they heighten crime due to increased opportunities and a crime inhibition effect in which certain types of businesses can increase guardianship capability. We explicitly compare the different effects of local vs. non-local and small vs. large businesses on crime in street segments using the data in cities across the Los Angeles metropolitan region by estimating a set of negative binomial regression models for small local, large local, small non-local, and large non-local consumer facing businesses (Retail, Restaurants, Food/Drug Stores, and Services) for violent and property crime. Although we found that most of the business coefficients were positive, local businesses, and particularly small local businesses, have considerably smaller crime-enhancing effects for both violent and property crime.
Vegetation Structure Index (VSI): Retrieving Vegetation Structural Information from Multi-Angular Satellite Remote Sensing

Utilization of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model parameters obtained from the multi-angular remote sensing is one of the approaches for the retrieval of vegetation structural information. In this research, the potential of multi-angular vegetation indices, formulated by the combination of multi-spectral reflectance from different view angles, for the retrieval of forest above-ground biomass was assessed in the New England region. The multi-angular vegetation indices were generated by the simulation of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) BRDF/Albedo Model Parameters Product (MCD43A1 Version 6)-based BRDF parameters. The effects of the seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) composites of the multi-angular vegetation indices on the above-ground biomass, the angular relationship of the spectral reflectance with above-ground biomass, and the interrelationships between the multi-angular vegetation indices were analyzed. Among the existing multi-angular vegetation indices, only the Nadir BRDF-adjusted NDVI and Hot-spot incorporated NDVI showed significant relationship (more than 50%) with the above-ground biomass. The Vegetation Structure Index (VSI), newly proposed in the research, performed in the most efficient way and explained 64% variation of the above-ground biomass, suggesting that the right choice of the spectral channel and observation geometry should be considered for improving the estimates of the above-ground biomass. In addition, the right choice of seasonal data (summer) was found to be important for estimating the forest biomass, while other seasonal data were either insensitive or pointless. The promising results shown by the VSI suggest that it could be an appropriate candidate for monitoring vegetation structure from the multi-angular satellite remote sensing.
Business Lobbying in the European Union

At a time when Europe and business stand at crossroads, this study provides a perspective into how business representation in the EU has evolved and valuable insights into how to organize lobbying strategies and influence policy-making. Uniquely, the study analyses business lobbying in Brussels by drawing on insights from political science, public management, and business studies. At the macro-level, we explore over thirty years of increasing business lobbying and explore the emergence of a distinct European business-government relations style. At the meso-level, we assess how the role of EU institutions, policy types, and the policy cycle shape the density and diversity of business activity. Finally, at the micro-level we seek to explore how firms organize their political affairs functions and mobilized strategic political responses. The study utilizes a variety of methods to analyse business-government relations drawing on unique company and policy-maker surveys; in-depth case studies and elite interviews; large statistical analysis of lobbying registers to examine business the density and diversity; and managerial career path and organizational analyses to assess corporate political capabilities. In doing so, this study contributes to discussions on corporate political strategy and interest groups activity. This monograph should be of interest to public policy scholars, policy-makers, and businesses managers seeking to understand EU government affair and political representation.
Are Girls More Ambitious Than Boys? Vocational Interests Partly Explain Gender Differences in Occupational Aspirations

Previous research suggests that girls have higher occupational aspirations than boys before entering the labor market. We investigate whether this gender gap in occupational aspirations generalizes to secondary school students in Germany and illuminate the possible mechanisms behind these purported gender differences. For this purpose, we used a large and representative sample of ninth graders (N = 10,743) from the German National Educational Panel Study. Adolescents’ occupational aspirations were coded on the International Socio-Economic Index of Occupational Status (ISEI) according to the socioeconomic status of the aspired occupation. Results showed that girls’ occupational aspirations were 6.5 ISEI points higher than boys’ (Cohen’s d = .36). Mediation analyses further revealed that gender differences in vocational interest could explain one-half of the gender gap in occupational aspirations. This suggests that girls’ higher occupational aspirations reflect their specific vocational interests rather than a general striving for higher status and prestige compared to boys.
The Effects of Co-Enzyme Q10 and Caffeine on Morphometric Characteristics of Queen Honey Bees

Honey bee queen quality is a critical factor of colony performance. Indications of such qualities can manifest themselves through morphological traits such as wet weight and thorax width. Improving such characteristics is driven in part by nutritional provision in queen-cell-builder hives. We investigated the potential to improve queen quality by adding coenzyme Q10 (endogenous antioxidant) and caffeine (central nervous system stimulator) to feeder syrup in queen-cell-builder colonies for 15 and 20 days prior to grafting, two sets of queens were reared. We recorded subsequent wet weight, body length, head width and length, thorax and wing width and length, and spermathecae diameter. The queen-cell acceptance rate was not affected by either treatment or graft period. Coenzyme Q10 increased wet weight, body and wing length in the first graft, and thorax width, wing length and spermathecae diameter in the second graft. The caffeine treatment increased head and thorax length in first graft and thorax width in the second. A mix of the two substances (coenzyme Q10 and caffeine) increased head width in the first graft and spermathecae diameter in the second graft. This study suggests that the application of coenzyme Q10 to cell-builder colonies at least 15 days prior to grafting can increase reared wet weight (the most significant quality indicator) and thorax width of queen bees.
High-Resolution Acoustic Cameras Provide Direct and Efficient Assessments of Large Demersal Fish Populations in Extremely Turbid Waters

Monitoring fish species populations in very turbid environments is challenging. Acoustic cameras allow work in very poor visibility but are often deployed as a fixed observation point, limiting the scope of the survey. A BlueView P900-130 acoustic camera was deployed in rocky marine habitats off the coast of French Guiana in order to assess the total abundance, size structure and spatial distribution of a demersal fish population. The relevancy of using an acoustic camera to achieve these three objectives was evaluated by comparing acoustic data to those obtained from fishing surveys. The detection and identification of large demersal fish species were possible with the shape and size of the acoustic signal and acoustic shadow silhouette as well as swimming behavior. Mobile surveys combined with stationary surveys increased the probability of distinguishing individuals from inanimate objects. Estimated total length based on the acoustic signal underestimated the actual length of fish measured on deck, but the data showed the same trends in spatial and temporal variation. Acoustic cameras overcame the extreme lack of visibility by increasing knowledge of fish use of habitat, therefore providing much more efficiency in the effort, more accurate data on the abundance, size structure and spatial distribution than the fishing method. Thus, despite few limitations, acoustic camera surveys are far superior to fishing surveys in evaluating large demersal fish stock status.
Contextual extensions of quantum gravity models

We present a simple way of incorporating the structure of contextual extensions into quantum gravity models. The contextual extensions of [Formula: see text]-algebras, originally proposed for contextual hidden variables, are generalized to the cones indexed by the contexts and their limit in a category. By abstracting the quantum gravity models as functors, we study the contextual extensions as the categorical limits of these functors in several quantum gravity models. Such contextual extensions of quantum gravity models are useful for building topos-theoretic models of quantum gravity.
The Effect of Internationalization and Learning Orientation on the Quality of Accounting Learning with Self-Direct Learning as a Moderating Variable

This research aims to find out the influence of internationalization, learning orientation on the quality of learning. As well as the role of self-direct learning variables as moderation variables to strengthen the influence of digital literacy variable, internationalization, learning orientation to the quality of learning. The population in this study was accounting education students from 2016 to 2019. This population is selected using purposively. The data required in this study is primary data obtained through a closed interview, observation, and questionnaire techniques. Data analysis techniques use descriptive analysis and moderation regression with absolute difference tests. The results showed that internationalization has no effect on any variable the quality of learning, learning orientation affects the quality of learning and the introduction of self-direct learning variables as moderation variables are not able to strengthen the positive and significant influence on the quality of learning. The advice in this study is for future research to develop other independent variables that are likely to affect the quality of learning. Besides, the next study is to increase the number of respondents for the next study. Advice for students that orientation as an effort to improve internationalization related to improving the quality of learning of students of accounting education department class 2016-2019 UNNES needs to be improved.
Effect of exposure to carbofuran on the behavior and metabolism of the Atlantic Forest lambari Deuterodon iguape (Eigenmann 1907), a native species from Brazil

One of the major causes of aquatic biodiversity loss is the contamination of the environment by pesticides. Although there is a considerable amount of studies on the subject, there are still few that deal with the effects of carbofuran on native species in Brazil. Although carbofuran is widely used in Brazil, its action on native organisms, such as the Atlantic Forest lambari Deuterodon iguape , has not yet been studied. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of exposure to carbofuran on the fish D. iguape , considering the behavior and specific oxygen consumption and specific ammonia excretion as end points. Opercular movements, dorsal fin movements and swimming speed were analyzed as behavioral parameters. To assess specific oxygen consumption and specific ammonia excretion, fish were subjected to concentrations of 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/L, for 24 hours. For behavior analysis, fish remained exposed to carbofuran at concentrations: 0.0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L, in periods of 0, 2, 24 and 48 hours. The behavior was studied through filming, analyzed with the free software, Tracker 4.92 (Open Source Physics). The results showed that there was a decrease in opercular movements (-8%±2.65), in dorsal fin movements (-18.6%±2.97), as well as in swimming speed (-66.4%±1.83). There was an increase in oxygen consumption of 58.4% and ammonia excretion by 90.6% in fish exposed to the highest concentration of carbofuran. Thus, it is concluded that carbofuran altered D. iguape 's behavior, oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion. The species was sensitive to carbofuran concentrations and can be used as a bioindicator.
SEM image denoising with unsupervised machine learning for better defect inspection and metrology

CD-SEM images inherently contain a significant level of noise. This is because a limited number of frames are used for averaging, which is critical to ensure throughput and minimize resist shrinkage. This noise level of SEM images may lead to false defect detections and erroneous metrology. Therefore, reducing noise in SEM images is of utmost importance. Both conventional noise filtering techniques and recent most discriminative deep-learning based denoising algorithms are restricted with certain limitations. The first enables the risk of loss of information content and the later mostly requires clean ground-truth or synthetic images to train with. In this paper, we have proposed an U-Net architecture based unsupervised machine learning approach for denoising CD-SEM images without the requirement of any such ground-truth or synthetic images in true sense. Also, we have analysed and validated our result using MetroLER, v2.2. 5.0. library. We have compared the power spectral density (PSD) of both the original noisy and denoised images. The high frequency component related to noise is clearly affected, as expected, while the low frequency component, related to the actual morphology of the feature, is unaltered. This indicate that the information content of the denoised images was not degraded by the proposed denoising approach in comparison to other existing approaches.
Multiple extended stealth target tracking from image observation based on non‐linear sub‐random matrices approach

The detection and tracking of extended stealth targets (ESTs) is a challenging task in radar technology, especially if from image observations because of the fluctuations of radar cross section. To overcome this challenge, multi ‐ Bernoulli (MB) filter can be used to extract the extended target (ET) states in efficient and reliable manner. Recently, the MB ‐ filter ‐ based random matrices model (RMM) approach has been proposed for ellipsoidal ET tracking with additional state variables. However, RMM ‐ MB filter is demonstrated with known detection profile, which is unsuitable for EST tracking. Thus, a joint detection and tracking of multiple ESTs based on track ‐ before ‐ detect (TBD) approach, which is an efficient way to track low ‐ observable ESTs, is proposed. In EST ‐ RMM ‐ TBD scenarios, although the extension ellipsoid is efficient, it may not be accurate because of some missing useful information, such as size, shape, and orientation. To address this, a EST ‐ sub ‐ RMM ‐ TBD composed of sub ‐ ellipses is introduced, each representing an RMM. Based on such models, a sub ‐ RMM ‐ MB ‐ TBD filter is used to estimate the kinematic states and extensions of sub ‐ objects for each EST. Furthermore, a sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) implementation to estimate non ‐ linear kinematic EST state is applied. The results indicate that the proposed SMC ‐ sub ‐ RMM ‐ MB ‐ TBD filter has more accurate cardinality estimation and smaller optimal sub ‐ pattern assignment errors than the recent extended tracking filters.
Pharmacognostic Characterization, Bioactive Compounds and Powder Antioxidant Action of Leaves of Araca (Psidium cattleianum myrtaceae)

Aracas species have been used in traditional medicine for possessing several pharmacological properties such as antiseptic, digestive, anti-hemorrhagic, controlling blood pressure and diuretic. This study aimed to make a pharmacognostic characterization to establish control parameters of the plant drug quality (leaf), the determination of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, vitamin C and β-carotene, and to evaluate the powder antioxidant capacity of Psidium cattleianum leaf. From powder of P. cattleianum leaves, pharmacognostic analyzes were performed and quantification assays of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity by DPPH capture using spectrophotometric methods. In the pharmacognostic characterization were determined the density (0.366 g. ml-1 ± 0.015), the ash content (17.52% ± 1.002), moisture (9.32% ± 1,006) and the pH (5.4 ± 0.047). The quantification assays of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, vitamin C, carotenoids and showed that the plant drug presents significant amounts of these bioactive compounds. The antioxidant activity analysis indicates that the leaf of this plant species has potentially active compounds in combating free radicals. The findings open perspectives for the realization of other biological assays for evidence of possible biological activities presented by the plant species in question.