Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determination of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni and Pb) in croacker fish (Johnius belangerii) from Musa estuary in the Persian Gulf

Musa estuary is surrounded by port, harbor, petrochemichal complex as well as urban areas and receives various types of contaminants such as heavy metals. It is considered as a habitat for Belonger’s croaker Johnius belangerii in the Persian Gulf. Due to its relatively low price, the fish is commonly consumed by the local people in Mahshahr and Sarbandar cities, while there is no available data on heavy metals accumulation by this species. This study was carried out to determine the concentration of five heavy metals in J. belangerii tissues. Fish samples were taken from five creeks and dissected into muscle, liver and gills. The tissues were acid digested and analyzed for their heavy metal contents. The concentration of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni and Pb was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometer. Results showed that the highest level of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni and Pb was 7.21, 1.08, 1.12, 2.72 μg/g and 4.57 in liver , 1.88, 1.04, 2.09, 9.43 and 6.83 μg/g in gills and 0.14, ND, 5.61, 2.43 and 3.78 μg/g in muscle respectively. The level of heavy metals in muscle was lower than WHO standard, meanwhile the level of metals in fish were decreased by the increase of distance from PETZON. Biomonitoring of contaminants in Musa estuary could serve as a good estimate of environmental health.
Will a Plant-based Approach Be Sufficient to Address Food Security, Nutritional Adequacy and Sustainability in the Future?

Food and nutrition insecurity threatens the long-term sustainability of our planet and is a significant socio-environmental disruptor. The growing world population is placing an increasing demand for environment-friendly, nutritious, safe food. Alongside this, diet-related diseases are also becoming increasingly prevalent. The food and agriculture system of our time emits 17.3 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, with animal-based food production generating 57% of the total. Looking at these numbers, a growing conscience calls for a holistic food system that emphasizes saving the planet, preventing non-communicable diseases, offering food safety, ensuring nutritional adequacy, and developing sustainable food production practices. Plant-based diets are believed to solve all these problems and there is too much hype surrounding plant-based eating patterns on social media with the recent endorsement of influencers. It is undeniable that plant-based foods have tremendous future potential since they require fewer natural resources and are not detrimental to the environment. In addition, plant diets are reported to prevent and control non-communicable diseases. We propose three research questions in this context: (a) Are all plant-based foods equal in terms of health and environmental benefits? (b) Do these products meet acceptance, accessibility, and affordability requirements? (c) Does this process omit the immense nutritional benefit of other well-documented healthful dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet? We anticipate that the answers will supply valuable information to a broad range of stakeholders, including the public, global food production institutes, global nutrition bodies and researchers. Consequently, a well-rounded, economical, whole food-centred dietary approach can be formulated that will benefit us, our planet, and future generations.
A dysregulated calcium homeostasis as the earliest pathological sign in stem cell-derived Parkinson's disease neurons?

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the slow and progressive demise of dopamine (DA)-synthesizing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), a nucleus located in the human ventral midbrain. Neuron death also affects other regions in the brain at later stages of PD. The concomitant lack of DA in the human forebrain (striatum) leads to the typical motor symptoms of this still uncurable neurodegenerative disorder. However, these symptoms only appear when at least 50% of the SNc DA neurons have already died, resulting in a relatively late diagnosis of PD usually from the sixth decade of life onward (Surmeier et al., 2017). Current PD treatments are only symptomatic and have time-restricted effectiveness, leading to the appearance of serious side effects over time due to maladaptive processes in the brain. They are focused on the reestablishment of the DA supply in the striatum by pharmacological agents or, eventually, the transplantation of DA-producing neurons. In some cases, PD treatment includes the normalization of forebrain motor circuits affected by the lack of DA through electrical (deep brain) stimulation. Early diagnostic markers and disease-modifying therapies for PD are thus urgently needed in the clinic. Ideally, a predisposition to PD ought to be diagnosed for timely interventions, and the irreversible loss of SNc DA and other neurons in the PD brain ought to be prevented altogether or at least slowed to a similar rate to the normal demise of neurons in the aging brain.
Porcine UL-16 Binding Protein 1 Is Not a Functional Ligand for the Human Natural Killer Cell Activating Receptor NKG2D

Natural killer (NK) cells play a vital role in xenotransplantation rejection. One approach to induce NK cell immune tolerance is to prevent the NK cell-mediated direct killing of porcine cells by targeting the interaction of the activating receptor NKG2D and its ligands. However, the identity of porcine ligands for the human NKG2D receptor has remained elusive. Previous studies on porcine UL-16 binding protein 1 (pULBP-1) as a ligand for human NKG2D have yielded contradictory results. The goal of the present study was to clarify the role of pULBP-1 in the immune response and its interaction with human NKG2D receptor. To accomplish this, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool was employed to disrupt the porcine ULBP-1 gene in a 5-gene knockout porcine endothelial cell line (GGTA1, CMAH, β4galNT2, SLA-I α chain, and β-2 microglobulin, 5GKO). A colony with two allele mutations in pULBP-1 was established as a 6-gene knockout pig cell line (6GKO). We found that pULBP-1-deficient pig cells exhibited a reduced binding capacity to human NKG2D-Fc, a recombinant chimera protein. However, the removal of ULBP-1 from porcine endothelial cells did not significantly impact human NK cell degranulation or cytotoxicity upon stimulation with the pig cells. These findings conclusively demonstrate that pULBP-1 is not a crucial ligand for initiating xenogeneic human NK cell activation.
Impact blockchain technology on traditional electronic payment system

Every moment there is a new idea and a new project that creates new technologies to make life easier and faster and to invest resources better. In this research, talk about a new technology that is considered a revolution in the age of the Internet, which in turn is the offspring of the new generation of the internet (5G), which is the blockchain technology, which began to be completed and appear to us from 2017, and it is not like other technologies, but in essence depends on changing many of the concepts that we are accustomed to in Communication, exchange and sharing via the Internet, it will change it in the same way as open-source software and in the same way as the Linux system, which, when it appeared, became the main focus for programmers and the development of software technologies, and this is the case with blockchain technology, this technology depends on the user and the customer only. There is no third party or responsible party. The user is responsible here.
Depth and orbital tuning : a new chronology of glaciation and nonlinear orbital climate change

It is suggested that orbital tuning casts a false light upon the chronology of glaciation and the understanding of the climatic response to orbital variations. By developing a new age-model, independent of orbital assumptions, a significant non-linear response to orbital forcing becomes evident in the 6180 record. The new age-model also indicates glacial terminations two through eight are 8,000 years older than the orbitally based estimates. A simple obliquity threshold model is presented which reproduces the timing, amplitude, and observed non-linearities of the 6180 record; and supports the plausibility of the new age-model and the inferred non-linear climatic response. Thesis Supervisor: Carl Wunsch Title: Director, Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate
The impact of environmental crimes and profitability on environmental disclosure in Malaysian SME sector: The role of leverage

Abstract This research investigates the intricate connections between environmental crimes, profitability, leverage, and environmental disclosure in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia from 2014 to 2019. The study adopts legitimacy theory as its theoretical lens. This study focuses on the analysis of 116 SMEs that have been convicted by the Department of Environment (DOE) in Malaysia. The data used in this analysis includes information on environmental crimes from court cases published by the DOE, as well as company and financial attributes obtained from the Companies Commission of Malaysia. Additionally, environmental disclosure metrics were collected from corporate websites. In total, there are 696 observations included in this study. The study utilizes panel data analysis to uncover the fundamental dynamics. The results of the study indicate that companies that have been convicted of wrongdoing tend to offer limited levels of environmental disclosure on their digital platforms. It is worth noting that guilty firms that are larger and more profitable tend to demonstrate increased levels of environmental disclosure. The correlation between environmental crimes and leverage has been identified as a significant factor in driving higher levels of environmental disclosure. However, the relationship between leverage, profitability, and disclosure levels did not have a similar interactive effect. The research recognizes that environmentally prosecuted enterprises face a perceived threat to their legitimacy. However, this acknowledgement is limited to a specific time frame and focuses on selected characteristics that explain differences in environmental disclosures. The information obtained necessitates a reassessment and potential improvement of existing requirements for disclosure to include provisions that prioritize sustainability, particularly within the private sector. This research contributes to the ongoing discussion on the paradox between environmental performance and transparency by focusing on a developing nation’s context. It offers a more nuanced understanding of legitimacy theory within the specific operational environment of SMEs.
A Highly Efficient 240-GHz Power Amplifier in 0.13-μm SiGe

This letter presents the design and experimental characterization of a highly efficient WR3.4-band power amplifier (PA) using 0.13-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> SiGe technology. The realized differential cascode PA demonstrates a high efficiency, owing to the gm-boosting technique which enables a relatively higher small-signal gain per stage. The proposed PA exhibits a saturated output power of 10.48 dBm with a maximum power-added-efficiency (PAE) of 5.46% at 240 GHz, which is a leading-edge performance among the reported silicon (Si)-based WR3.4-band PAs. The small-signal gain peaks at 24.1 dB and the PA has a 3-dB bandwidth of 21 GHz.
A Flat-Top Beam H-Plane SIW Horn Antenna Based on Beamforming

This letter presents a flat-top beam H-plane substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) horn antenna. The radiation from the SIW H-plane horn antenna aperture can be regarded as magnetic current radiation. To obtain the desired radiation patterns, the phase and amplitude distributions of the magnetic current of the horn aperture can be calculated theoretically. By changing the length and deflection angle of the metal-via arrays, the magnetic current distribution on the aperture can be adjusted, and it is consistent with the theoretical calculation. To verify the proposed method, an SIW horn antenna is designed, fabricated, and measured. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones. The proposed horn antenna obtains a flat-top beam in the angle range of ±40 degrees, and the fluctuation is less than 1 dB.
Analysis of Difficulties of Science Teachers in Jayapura City in Conducting Class Action Research

The teacher's understanding of student development determines the accuracy of the strategies used in teaching which of course has an impact on student learning outcomes. One of the things teachers can do to overcome problems in the classroom is to conduct Classroom Action Research (CAR). Researchers are interested in conducting research, namely knowing teachers' difficulties in implementing PTK and knowing the factors that influence teachers' difficulties in implementing PK. This research is quantitative and descriptive. The population in this study were all science teachers in the city of Jayapura, and the research sample was teachers who were active members of the MGMP Science in the city of Jayapura, totaling 60 people. The research instrument is a questionnaire which is examined in this case, namely the difficulties of teachers in implementing PTK and the factors that influence teachers' difficulties in implementing PTK. Data were analyzed descriptively. The research results obtained are as follows: teachers' difficulties in making PTK are divided into two, namely: Teachers' general understanding of PTK, namely: teachers have difficulty understanding the characteristics of PTK (purpose, procedures and making reports); Teachers' understanding, especially about PTK, is that teachers experience difficulties related to: The rules for writing PTK according to the standard rules for writing scientific papers; Make an analysis of the causes of PTK background; CAR Implementation Procedures (planning, implementation, observation and reflection); CAR methodology (subjects, instruments, analysis techniques, data processing); Conducting discussions (interpreting data for and while reflecting); Systematics of writing final reports. Furthermore, the factors that influence teachers' difficulties in making PTK are divided into 2: Internal factors and external factors.
Subsalt Imaging and 4D Reservoir Monitoring Evaluation of Tahiti Field, Gulf of Mexico

Summary Subsalt reservoirs are usually not considered candidates for 4D seismic monitoring. The argument has been “If I can’t image the reservoir with seismic, how can I hope to see production effects with seismic? ” While 4D is a proven industry technology for reservoir monitoring of water floods, its use in the subsalt environment is less prolific. As a cost effective feasibility test of 4D in subsalt reservoirs, we create a 2D visco-elastic anisotropic earth model of the Gulf of Mexico Tahiti field. The model is constructed from water bottom to basement using rock properties derived from well logs, cores and general Gulf of Mexico trends. Using the Tahiti reservoir prediction simulation model, we also create a time-lapse version of this same 2D model. We then use rock physics relations to transform the earth/reservoir properties (porosity, water saturation, pore pressure) into elastic properties (Vp, Vs, density). Rooting the model in reservoir properties and rock physics helps ensure an internally consistent set of elastic parameters. We then create 2D synthetic data that are representative of both static and dynamic earth properties. Ultimately, we process these raw synthetic data in a 4D workflow that includes data conditioning, blind velocity analysis, depth migration, and 4D seismic imaging. The Tahiti 2D/4D models reveal that production effects in these subsalt reservoirs are detected on 4D seismic data. We describe the model building workflow, the products of velocity analysis, and the resulting 4D synthetic seismic images.
Transition zone structure in a tectonically inactive area: 410 and 660 km discontinuity properties under the northern North Sea

SUMMARY We report results from a year-long deployment of broad-band seismometers in Scotland to study the mantle structure in the northern United Kingdom. The region is tectonically inactive and its underlying mantle transition zone should not show unusual structure due to thermal perturbations caused by Cenozoic subduction or plume-related volcanism. The estimated 410 and 660 km discontinuity depths, estimated by receiver function stacking, are 414 ± 5 and 655 ± 14 km, typical of average worldwide values. There is no evidence for a discontinuity at 520 km. The 660 km discontinuity conversion is weaker than global Earth models predict by factors of 1.65–2.97, which is significant given amplitude measurement uncertainties. Either significant attenuation below 410 km or regional, non-thermal variations in 660 km discontinuity properties that decrease its velocity and density jumps to 1.9 per cent ΔVp, 4.8 per cent ΔVs and 4.8 per cent Δρ, or that broaden it to 13–35 km width could account for the lower than expected amplitudes. Lateral variations in transition zone water content around the 660 km discontinuity may be responsible for the broadening.
Luminescence Thermometry with Nanoparticles: A Review

Luminescence thermometry has emerged as a very versatile optical technique for remote temperature measurements, exhibiting a wide range of applicability spanning from cryogenic temperatures to 2000 K. This technology has found extensive utilization across many disciplines. In the last thirty years, there has been significant growth in the field of luminous thermometry. This growth has been accompanied by the development of temperature read-out procedures, the creation of luminescent materials for very sensitive temperature probes, and advancements in theoretical understanding. This review article primarily centers on luminescent nanoparticles employed in the field of luminescence thermometry. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of the recent literature pertaining to the utilization of lanthanide and transition metal nanophosphors, semiconductor quantum dots, polymer nanoparticles, carbon dots, and nanodiamonds for luminescence thermometry. In addition, we engage in a discussion regarding the benefits and limitations of nanoparticles in comparison with conventional, microsized probes for their application in luminescent thermometry.
Development of a Screening Method for Fluoroquinolones in Meat Samples Using Molecularly Imprinted Carbon Dots

An accurate and simple screening method has been developed for the determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Carbon dots were synthesized by simple hydrothermal treatment as highly fluorescent nano-sensors. They were subsequently used in the synthesis of organic-based molecularly imprinted polymers to develop fluorescence-based polymeric composites using enoxacin as a representative dummy template molecule of fluoroquinolones. The method was optimized concerning the pH of the medium and composite concentration. The normalized fluorescence intensity showed efficient quenching under optimized conditions upon successive addition of the template, with an excellent correlation coefficient. The proposed method was applied to eight other fluoroquinolones, exhibiting, in all cases, good correlation coefficients (0.65–0.992) within the same linearity range (0.03–2.60 mg mL−1). Excellent detection and quantification limits were been obtained for the target analytes down to 0.062 and 0.186 mg L−1, respectively. All studied analytes showed no interference with enrofloxacin, the most commonly used veterinary fluoroquinolone, with a percentage of cross-reactivity varying from 89.00 to 540.00%. This method was applied successfully for the determination of enrofloxacin in three different types of meat samples: beef, pork, and chicken, with good recoveries varying from 70 to 100% at three levels. This new procedure is an easy analytical method that can be useful as a screening method for monitoring the environmental hazard of fluoroquinolones in quality control laboratories.
Willingness to pay for improvement in the agricultural activities of some six selected villages in west Akim district of Ghana (emphasis on cassava)

Cassava is a tropical crop which originated from South America. Structured questionnaires were used to gather essential information on farmers’ willingness to pay for improved cassava by means of contingent valuation Method (CVM). The Survey carried out in the West Akim District of Ghana shows that 54% are willing to pay for improvement in their agricultural activities. The varieties of cassava they cultivate are Madumaku, Otuaka, Bosuminsia, Bankyebrodee, Ankrah, Esiabeyem, Soshe, Ada and Krobo. OLS Regression results show that the area of land for cassava cultivation depends on the total acre of land the individual farmers possess, type of labour and the number of children they have and logistic regression results shows that, cassava variety, livestock and family labour are significant variables that affect the willingness to pay for improvement in their farming activities. It is recommended that a pilot project is set up in these communities so that those who are not sure will see the proposed improvement in agriculture in order to build up confidence in them.
Chemical Composition and Screening of Aflatoxin in Cows’ Milk in Gadarif town, Sudan

Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze milk samples, for chemical composition and detection of aflatoxins M1 in Gedarif town, East Sudan. Methods: One hundred milk samples were collected randomly; 35 samples from farms, 35 samples from sale points and 30 samples from groceries in Gedarif town. Milk-Kana was used for determination of fat, solids not fat, lactose and protein, freezing point, density and added water and Unisensor kits were used as screening method for detection of aflatoxin M1. Results: The collected milk samples showed lower content of fat (3.4 +- 1.3%, 3.4 +- 1.3% and 3.5 +- 1.25%), solids not fat (7.7 +-1.1%, 8.1+-1.7% and 8+-1%), lactose (4.2+-0.6%, 4.4+-0.8% and 4.3+-0.5%) and protein (3+-0.4%, 3+-0.5% and 3+-0.4%). Relatively, the freezing point and density of milk revealed few variations in the examined samples. Moreover, the added water was high in the samples collected from the farms and sale points compared to those from the groceries. The occurrence of aflatoxin M1 was found in 22 (27.50%) of the milk samples. The presence of aflatoxin contamination was high in milk samples collected from sales points (15.0%) followed by farms (11.25%) compared to those obtained from groceries (1.25%). Conclusions: The presences of aflatoxin in the milk samples might indicate that the cow milk was contaminated with aflatoxins through feed. Hence this study recommended that good hygienic practices should be considered in Gadarif town. Similarly, regulations and lows for selling the milk should be implemented by the official authorities.
Credit Card Sales Performance Dashboard

Credit card services are one of the most used services in the banking businesses. It is one of the modern processes of lending money to customers in purchasing goods in which they are committed to paying it in the agreed terms. In this study, we will focus on the sales performance of credit cards of a banking company. The study will also create a dashboard which will be the main tool to identify the performing markets of their credit card services. Also, the study will also include a decision tree model that will classify customers’ features that is suitable to drive their credit card sales performance and translate to additional profit.