Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computer modelling and simulation of thermotropic and lyotropic alkyl glycoside bilayers

Simulations on bilayers have previously proven their ability to provide insights to membrane function, e.g. cell fusion. Most simulations are based on the major components of cell membranes, which are phospholipids and cholesterol. Membranes can be explained based on hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions permeated through hydrogen bonding, van der Waals interactions and repulsion forces. Whereas especially phospholipids have gained significant attention in bio‐related modelling and simulations, glycolipids, which constitute another major component of cell membranes, have not been likewise studied. Here we present the simulation of bilayers for the six most common and simple stereoisomeric glycolipids, namely the α‐ and β‐octyl glycosides of glucose, galactose and mannose, in both thermotropic and lyotropic systems. All these compounds form thermotropic smectic A phases and can exhibit lyotropic lamellar assemblies. We have studied the hydrogen bonding and linked the results to the temperature stability of the corresponding liquid crystal phase. Besides a mesophase‐stabilizing effect of hydrogen bonding in general, we found that thermal stability appears to be particularly affected by intralayer hydrogen bonding. The simulations also confirmed a significant difference in the density of the lipophilic region for α‐ and β‐glycosides, which has previously been used to explain differences in clearing temperatures. **Permanent address: Chemistry Department, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
In vitro/in vivo evaluation of the efficiency of teicoplanin-loaded biodegradable microparticles formulated for implantation to infected bone defects

Chronic osteomyelitis is still the cause of many problems in orthopaedics in terms of therapy and infection persistence. Four-to-six week systemic antibiotic therapy is required along with bone and soft tissue debridement in the therapy of chronic osteomyelitis. Prolonged-release local antibiotic therapy has been taken into consideration due to the side effects encountered in long-term high dose antibiotic use and the duration of hospitalization of the patients. Although local antibiotic therapy has been achieved by bone cement, a second surgical operation is needed for the removal of the system. On the other hand, heat generation during cement curing limits the use of heat-sensitive active ingredients. The most frequent osteomyelitis inducing micro-organism is gram (þ ) Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, teicoplanin, a glycopeptide antibiotic, active on gram (þ ) bacteria, was incorporated in a synthetic polymer in order to prepare a microsphere formulation for implantation to bone defects. Particle size, surface characteristics, loading capacity and in vitro release characteristics of the microspheres were determined as well as stability assessment of teicoplanin under accelerated conditions. In vivo studies were performed on rabbits and the microparticles were implanted intra-articularly to the lateral condylus of the femur. Antibiotic presence was detected by a microbiological assay from synovial fluid sample aspirated throughout 5 weeks. In the light of these evaluations, microspheres prepared from PLGA (75:25) (Mw 136 000) polymer were determined to be effective, and promising for obtaining prolonged local antibiotic release.
Future Projections of Landfast Ice Thickness and Duration in the Canadian Arctic

Abstract Projections of future landfast ice thickness and duration were generated for nine sites in the Canadian Arctic and one site on the Labrador coast with a simple downscaling technique that used a one-dimensional sea ice model driven by observationally based forcing and superimposed projected future climate change from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis global climate model (CGCM2). For the Canadian Arctic sites the downscaling approach indicated a decrease in maximum ice thickness of 30 and 50 cm and a reduction in ice cover duration of 1 and 2 months by 2041–60 and 2081–2100, respectively. In contrast, there is a slight increase in simulated landfast ice thickness and duration at Cartwright in the future due to its sensitivity to snow–ice formation with increased snowfall and to a projected slight cooling over this site (along the Labrador coast) by CGCM2. The magnitude of simulated changes in freeze-up and break-up date was largest for freeze up (e.g., 52 days later at Alert b.
Effects of Foliar and Root Applications of Hydro-Alcoholic Solutions on Physiological and Biochemical Attributes and Fruit Yield and Weight of Strawberry

Abstract An investigation was undertaken to ascertain the influence of hydro-alcoholic solutions on plant growth as well as quality attributes of strawberry fruits. The mother plants of strawberry (Fragaria ananasa cv. Gaviota) were subjected to various aqueous solutions of ethanol (15, 30%), methanol (15, 30%) and the mixture of ethanol + methanol (15 or 30%) plus the control (water only) as foliar spraying or via irrigation. Application of alcoholic solutions affected the majority of the characters under investigation. The highest amount of leaf chlorophylls, carotenoids, fruit sucrose and total yield were recorded on the plants treated with combination of 15% ethanol and methanol. The maximum fruit weight and the lowest acidity were found in plants treated with 15% methanol or in combination with 15% ethanol. The foliar spraying was superior in most of the traits over the irrigation method. Further experimentations are required to suggest the results of the present study in a commercial scale to the strawberry growers.
Capital Budgeting Techniques Used by Small Manufacturing Companies

Small companies account for 40% of Australian jobs and yet most of the studies on capital budgeting techniques have been focused on large firms. A mistake in their capital budgeting process could lead to disastrous consequences as they do not have the financial clout to recover from them. The purpose of the paper is to investigate where small manufacturing companies in Australia stand in regard to the use of capital budgeting techniques and risk analysis. The research concludes that while there is an indication of usage of the Payback Period with Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) techniques, there is a need for more frequent usage of risk analysis as well as management sciences which is found lacking in the capital budgeting process of small companies.
Why the Dogs of the Dow Bark Loudly in China

Problem statement: The Dogs of the Dow (Dow Dogs) strategy, which has gained widespread popularity in the U.S., is found to be c onsiderably successful in China's stock markets. This trading strategy contradicts the well-establis hed efficient market hypothesis. Approach: This study examines the cross-sectional variations in th e magnitude of the predictive power of the Dow Dogs strategy using Chinese stocks for 1994-2009. Results: Our results suggest that (1) Significant Dow Dogs effect apply to Class A shares, but not Cl ass B shares; (2) Stocks priced between $1 and $5 demonstrate the strongest Dogs effect among all sto ck price ranges; (3) Changes in share price range has the most powerful impact on risk adjusted retur n, followed by changes in the AB share class, rebalancing frequency and number of Dogs in the portfolio. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the superior predictive power of the Dow Dogs strategy is mainly driven by behavioral factors. Our overall findings support the behavioral hypothesis in which market inefficiency stems from investors irrationality and herding behaviors. This study pro vides practical implications to both government regulators and finance practitioners. JEL Classific ation: G14, G15.
New Nickel Metal Complex towards Biomimetic Catecholase Enzyme Oxidation: Synthesis and Kinetics Studies

Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole ligand and their transition metal complex with nickel (Ni II MPC) were synthesized and characterization by elemental analyses, magnetic susceptibility, FT IR, UV-Vis, and mass spectroscopy. Complex have been investigated as functional models for catechol oxidase activity by using a catechol as a model substrate. According to the kinetic measurement results, the rate of catechol oxidation follows first order kinetics. Nickel complex has been used in homogenous oxidation of catechol in presence of a green oxidant H 2 O 2 . kinetic parameters were obtained V max = 2.698×10 -3 MS -1 , K m = 7.878M, k cat = 4.496×10 -2 S -1 and k cat /K m = 0.5707 M -1 S -1 .
Vision-based measurement systems for static and dynamic characteristics of overhead lines

In the paper, optical-based measurement methods for calculating the deflection and vibration of overhead lines are presented. The authors describe the state of the art in the field of non-contact examination of static and dynamic overhead transmission line characteristics, and propose concepts of vision-based measurement systems for both static and dynamic states of a structure. The system devoted to static measurements is based on a digital SLR camera and image-processing software used for the acquisition and interpretation of data. The digital image correlation method, implemented in Wiz2D software, is applied to compute the displacement of the transmission line cable with respect to a known baseline position. Dynamic characteristics of the structure are obtained using a stereo-vision system consisting of two high-speed digital cameras. Corresponding points in two video sequences of the vibrating cable are tracked using TEMA software. 3D positions in a camera frame of reference and displacements are computed using a 3D reconstruction method. The paper describes two series of experiments conducted on a lab setup and the obtained results are examined and discussed.
Sources of Entrepreneurial Opportunities Explored by African Immigrant-Entrepreneurs in South Africa

Aim: Underscoring the xenophobic violence that has befallen African immigrants in South Africa in the recent past is the perception held in certain quarters that African immigrants take away entrepreneurial opportunities among others from the Natives. This paper sought to determine how African immigrant entrepreneurs identify business opportunities in South Africa in tandem with what South African entrepreneurs could learn from African immigrants. Method: The paper was based on quantitative data from 220 participants collected by way of a semi-structured questionnaire. As such, the study benefited from the qualitative insights associated with the use open-ended questions in the questionnaire. The data was analyzed using version 24 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: suggest that African immigrants uncover entrepreneurial opportunities through: startup partners, previous employment, families, through ethnic networks, prior knowledge of the market need, prior knowledge of how to serve the market and prior knowledge of the challenges serving the market. Value/Contribution: this study is premised on the fact that no previous study has attempted to investigate how immigrants identify business opportunities, in tandem with what South African entrepreneurs could learn from African immigrants. Implications: Considering the close parallel between African immigrants and the indigenous black South Africans, it is to be hoped that the study would be of interest to the latter in particular, policy makers and academics in general.
Soil water availability and microsite mediate fungal and bacterial phospholipid fatty acid biomarker abundances in Mojave Desert soils exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2

[1] Changes in the rates of nitrogen (N) cycling, microbial carbon (C) substrate use, and extracellular enzyme activities in a Mojave Desert ecosystem exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2 suggest shifts in the size and/or functional characteristics of microbial assemblages in two dominant soil microsites: plant interspaces and under the dominant shrub Larrea tridentata. We used ester-linked phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers as a proxy for microbial biomass to quantify spatial and temporal differences in soil microbial communities from February 2003 to May 2005. Further, we used the 13C signature of the fossil CO2 source for elevated CO2 plots to trace recent plant C inputs into soil organic matter (SOM) and broad microbial groups using δ13C (‰). Differences between individual δ13CPLFA and δ13CSOM for fungal biomarkers indicated active metabolism of newer C in elevated CO2 soils. Total PLFA-C was greater in shrub microsites compared to plant interspaces, and CO2 treatment differences within microsites increased under higher soil water availability. Total, fungal, and bacterial PLFA-C increased with decreasing soil volumetric water content (VWC) in both microsites, suggesting general adaptations to xeric desert conditions. Increases in fungal-to-bacterial PLFA-C ratio with decreasing VWC reflected functional group-specific responses to changing soil water availability. While temporal and spatial extremes in resource availability in desert ecosystems contribute to the difficulty in identifying common trends or mechanisms driving microbial responses in less extreme environments, we found that soil water availability and soil microsite interacted with elevated CO2 to shift fungal and bacterial biomarker abundances in Mojave Desert soils.
Merger Control in the Banking Sector

This Commentary discusses the implications of merger control policy on merger activity in the banking sector, drawing on an analysis of the European banking sector during a period in which stricter merger policies were being introduced. It identifies several changes to the bank mergers taking place after the introduction of the stricter policies that are consistent with higher expected returns for shareholders and more procompetitive transactions. The evidence suggests that the new merger policy was successful in preventing mergers that are excessively anticompetitive, while it also led to banks’ finding mergers that are expected to deliver greater efficiency.
Medical Nutrition Therapy for Hemodialysis Patients

The purposes of medical nutrition therapy in dialysis patients are to promote the nutrition to correct patients’ appetite, to correct systemic complications composed by the loss of nephrons in progress, to reduce of protein catabolism to the lowest level, to relieve or prevent the cardio‐ vascular, cerebrovascular, peripheral vascular diseases formation, to prevent increasing fluid and electrolyte disorders, to reduce uremic symptoms such as itching, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and to ensure optimum nutrition. In addition, medical nutrition helps to avoid highpotassium and sodium from the diet, to prevent pulmonary edema, hypertension and heart failure, to prevent renal osteodystrophy keeping the consumption of calcium and phosphorus under control, to prevent protein energy malnutrition with saving patients' food consumption and detecting nutritional status with methods such anthropometric measurements, laboratory findings, subjective global assessment (SGA) ( Cianciaruso 1995, Kopple 2004, Mahan 2012). Negative changes (hyperkalemia, hiperfosfotemi, peripheral and pulmonary edema) in fluidelectrolyte balance occur in patients who do not comply to the diet.
Effect of morphology and discharge on hyporheic exchange flows in two small streams in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, USA

Stream‐tracer injections were used to examine the effect of channel morphology and changing stream discharge on hyporheic exchange flows. Direct observations were made from well networks to follow tracer movement through the hyporheic zone. The reach‐integrated influence of hyporheic exchange was evaluated using the transient storage model (TSM) OTIS‐P. Transient storage modelling results were compared with direct observations to evaluate the reliability of the TSM. Results from the tracer injection in the bedrock reach supported the assumption that most transient storage in headwater mountain streams results from hyporheic exchange. Direct observations from the well networks in colluvial reaches showed that subsurface flow paths tended to parallel the valley axis. Cross‐valley gradients were weak except near steps, where vertical and cross‐valley hydraulic gradients indicated a strong potential for stream water to downwell into the hyporheic zone. The TSM parameters showed that both size and residence time of transient storage were greater in reaches with a few large log‐jam‐formed steps than in reaches with more frequent, but smaller steps. Direct observations showed that residence times in the unconstrained stream were longer than in the constrained stream and that little change occurred in the location and extent of the hyporheic zone between low‐ and high‐baseflow discharges in any of the colluvial reaches. The transient storage modelling results did not agree with these observations, suggesting that the TSM was insensitive to long residence‐time exchange flows and was very sensitive to changes in discharge. Disagreements between direct observations and the transient storage modelling results highlight fundamental problems with the TSM that confound comparisons between the transient storage modelling results for tracer injections conducted under differing flow conditions. Overall, the results showed that hyporheic exchange was little affected by stream discharge (at least over the range of baseflow discharges examined in this study). The results did show that channel morphology controlled development of the hyporheic zone in these steep mountain stream channels. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Finite Element Analysis and Empirical Analysis of a Cost-effective Pressure Ulcer-Preventing Mattress

Pressure relief mattresses are recommended to prevent pressure ulcers (PU). Passive mattresses offer a cost advantage over dynamic mattresses. This study evaluates a new passive PU-preventing mattress. Finite element analysis was used to determine the curved surface design of a mushroom-shaped support. A novel mattress evaluation platform was developed integrating a pressure mapping sensor, laser doppler flowmetry (LDF) and precise temperature sensors to validate the effectiveness of the new passive mattress. Compared with standard hospital mattresses, the new passive mattress was found to provide a more even body pressure distribution (relative disparity of -0.7%) and better assisted subcutaneous blood flow (relative disparity of 18.78%). Experimental results demonstrated that the new passive mattress can provide an effective and economical solution for preventing PU.
Effect of Culture Concentration and Sweet Potato Prebiotic to the Properties of Sweet Corn Juice Probiotic

Sweet corn extract with the addition of lactic acid bacteria can improve its function as probiotic drinks. Sweet potato as a prebiotic is expected to increase the activity of lactic acid bacteria probiotic sweet corn extract. The use of culture in the making of sweet corn extract probiotics will affect the character of the product. The purpose of this study were: (1) to study the effect of culture concentration on characteristics of probiotic sweet corn extract; (2) to study the effect of red sweet potato extract on characteristics of probiotic sweet corn extract; and (3) to determine the best treatment combination between the culture and the concentration of red sweet potato extract in the production of probiotic sweet corn extract; and comparing commercial in the market. Research using a completely randomized design (CRD) with research factor is the concentration of the culture (2, 3, 4, and 5%) and red sweet potato extract (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%). The results showed that the more the concentration of the culture is added, the number of lactic acid bacteria, total acid AGRITECH, Vol. 37, No. 2, Mei 2017
Mobile Money: Communication, Consumption and Change in the Payments Space

Abstract This article explores the emerging field of ‘mobile money’: mobile phone-enabled systems for value transfer and storage, primarily in the developing world, which are heralded as signal interventions in the effort to broaden financial inclusion and bank the ‘unbanked. ’ Focusing on the stories that circulate in the emergent network of expertise that is calling ‘mobile money’ into being, it discusses how economic techniques and social narratives about markets – specifically, narratives about the opportunities for profit and financial inclusion in the ‘payments space’ – format a consumer market for mobile money. Furthermore, it asks whether end-users' repurposing of mobile money – and the use of airtime as currency – heralds a new means of exchange or store of value, potentially remaking money in the process.
Electroanalysis of Amino Acid Tyrosine by an Electrochemical Sensor Modified by Strontium Ferrite Nanostructure

An electrochemical sensor was fabricated by strontium ferrite (SrFe) nanostructure modified carbon paste electrode (SrFeME). This electrode showed good catalytic effect on oxidation of amino acid tyrosine (Tyr) in voltammetric studies. It can improve the anodic peak current of Tyr significantly and also decrease the oxidation overpotential of this amino acid. The peak current increased by two times and the overpotential is decreased more than 110 mV. The enhancing of oxidation signal of Tyr at modified electrode is related to the improving the electron transfer rate at these nanoparticles and increasing the active surface area of the modified electrode by the nanoparticles. This electrode was used as an electrochemical sensor for the measurement of Tyr by differential pulse voltammetry. The anodic peak current was linearly related to Tyr concentration in the range from 0.8 μM to 300.0 μM and the detection limit was calculated as 0.15 μM (S/N = 3). The presence of ascorbic acid, dopamine, glucose and a number of ions could not affect the Tyr measurement. Finally, the proposed sensor was successfully used for measurement of Tyr in real samples.
Coordinating Clusters: A Cross Sectoral Study of Cluster Organization Functions in The Netherlands

The present paper aims at answering the question how cluster organization functions are implemented in a high-tech, a medium to high-tech and a low to medium-tech cluster. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews from three clusters in the Netherlands, an agri-food cluster (as an example of a low to medium-tech cluster), a green biotech cluster (medium to high-tech) and a high-tech cluster. Concerning the cluster organization functions a number of similarities were found. For all three clusters it can be concluded that the network support function is considered to be very important. Sector independence can further be found concerning the innovation process support function, specifically regarding the promotion of the region as an attractive living and working area for highly qualified employees. The results also show a number of clear differences among the investigated clusters. Only in the low-to-medium tech agri-food cluster there was a clear need for internationalization support for SMEs to reach foreign markets. Only in the green biotech cluster the demand articulation was focused on the region where the cluster is based, which stands in contrast to the highly international orientation of the member companies. Only in the high-tech innovation cluster technology road mapping was extensively used. This powerful tool, developed to align the innovation process at the company and sector level, impacted further on the execution of the demand articulation/ network formation support functions, and could also be helpful for the green biotech and the agri-food clusters. Throughout the paper different cluster categorization schemes are besides the tech level are applied and give insights on their limitations and how to possibly deal with them in inter sectorial cluster comparison research.