cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Database legislation in the digital age
Creators: name: Kennedy, Lynn M.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: This dissertation is a study of the impact of federal legislative proposals considered between 199& and 2004 that offer protection to databases.  It investigates the effect that the proposals had on the balance between the economic interests of owners and the right of the public to unfettered access to information.       This identified legislation included proposed amendments to copyright law and laws that were proposed to specifically protect databases via misappropriation or unfair trade practices.  The legislative proposals originated in the U.S House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary and Commerce Committee.    The study identifies approaches to protection proposed by different constituent groups.  For this work, witnesses testifying at Congressional hearings are categorized and associations are made between these categories and positions on the bills, views of the issue, and potential solutions are presented.  The testimonies are analyzed by extracting the witnesses’ descriptions of the issue, the source of the issue and recommended policy solutions.  In addition, descriptions of the public good are also identified and presented.        The study concludes that the legislative proposals introduced by the Judiciary Committees, if passed into law, may have influenced the balance by increasing the protection provided by law to the commercial database industry.  The legislative proposals introduced by the Commerce Committees were less restrictive and less likely to impact the balance.       The witnesses were found to represent a variety of interests, including commerce, education and research, professionals, and Congress.  An alignment of views among the commercial organizations that re-compile databases and education and research organizations was identified.  Producers of databases were consistently in favor of strong protection legislation.  The education and research organization, as well as the database re-compilers, consistently opposed strong protection.  Evidence did not support the conventional wisdom that legislative modifications protecting databases was the purview of the information industry, and consequently, protected the interests of these organizations.    Those arguing for strong protection claimed that society benefits from a strong database market, both economically and socially.  Those opposing strong protection argued for the benefits of unfettered access to information.  Both claimed their position benefited the public good.
THE MAIN FACTORS AFFECTING THE ALLOCATION OF RETAIL LOANS
Creators: name: Ibodov Alisher
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: Retail lending, the backbone of modern banking, plays a critical role in economic growth and financial inclusion. This article takes a comprehensive look at the key factors affecting the distribution of retail loans. Drawing on existing literature, empirical studies, and theoretical frameworks, we examine the multifaceted determinants that shape lending decisions by financial institutions. By illuminating these factors, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of retail credit distribution and provides insights for policymakers, regulators and practitioners seeking to improve access to credit and reduce risks in retail lending markets.
EVALUATING INVENTORY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN RWANDAN PUBLIC HOSPITALS
Creators: name: 1Mbonigaba Celestin, 2Lemlem Desta & 3Rachid Boudlal, 4Olivia Martinez
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013

description: This study evaluates inventory management practices in Rwandan public hospitals, aiming to identify challenges and propose strategies for improvement. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from six public hospitals through interviews, focus groups, and hospital record analyses spanning 2008 to 2012. Key findings include a significant reduction in stock-out days from 25 to 12 (p<0.05), an increase in inventory turnover ratios from 6.0 to 10.0 (p<0.01), and a decline in expired inventory percentages from 10.0% to 2.7% (p<0.05). The adoption of inventory management software surged from 10% to 90% (p<0.01), correlating with reduced holding costs and improved supplier performance ratings. Despite these improvements, challenges such as procurement delays and resource constraints persist. The study recommends expanded training programs, standardized inventory software, streamlined procurement processes, enhanced supplier partnerships, and robust emergency stock policies to sustain and further enhance efficiency. These findings contribute to optimizing healthcare supply chains in resource-limited settings.
Non-tax revenue and subnational democracy
Creators: name: Keller, Lukas Konstantin
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: An influential group of political economists posits a negative relationship between the relative size of non-tax revenues in public balance sheets and the level of democracy in a given county. While empirical evidence for this proposition is largely based on cross-national studies, scholars have largely neglected subnational contexts as important domains of research. Addressing this disjuncture, the author studies the electoral impact of two important subnational non-tax revenues - natural resource royalties and central-government fiscal transfers - at the municipal level in Colombia. Employing a propensity score matching approach to attenuate problems of omitted variable bias, a quantitative analysis of Colombia's 1119 municipalities shows that higher levels of fiscal transfers and petroleum royalties had no discernible impact on the average level of competitiveness in the 200& and 2011 municipal elections. If anything, there seems to be a positive impact of non-tax revenues on electoral contestation. Supported by qualitative evidence from theoretical outliers in the set of observations, the results suggest that non-tax revenue promotes electoral competition by raising the stakes of attaining political office. At the same time, abundance in fiscal transfers and resource royalties may undermine democratic governance through means that are not reflected in electoral margins.
Development of mesoporous activated carbon from waste tires rubber via one-step activation using a blend of ZnCl2/FeCl3 and its application in Eriochrome Black T and Cr(VI) removal from aqueous phase
Creators: name: Omar, Nibras A.
name: Al-Shaker, Yusra M.S.
name: Fadhil, Abdelrahman B.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Microbiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Physiology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Science Policy

description: A mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) was synthesized from waste tires rubber (WTR) via a one-step ZnCl2/FeCl3 activation route, and the typical sample was implemented in eliminating Eriochrome Black-T (EBT) dye and Cr(VI) from their synthetic effluents. The impact of the impregnation ratio of ZnCl2/FeCl3, the activation temperature, and the activation period was optimized . The best AC was created at 750°C for 60 minutes using a 2:1 ZnCl2/FeCl3:WTR impregnation ratio. This AC was analyzed for its BET surface area and pore volume, Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Boehm titration, and pHPZC. The outcomes disclosed that it had a surface area of 122.68 m2/g with a mean pore diameter of 8.53, indicating its mesoporosity. It also exhibited an acidic surface due to its pHPZC, which amounted to 4.80. The highest elimination of EBT (99.33%) and Cr ions (98.05%) from thier aqueous phases was achieved using 0.35 g dosage of MAC, a pH = 2.0 at 40°C for 210 minutes.     The EBT and Cr(VI) isothermal and kinetics studies disclosed that the Langmuir and pseudo-2nd-order models best described their adsorption over the said AC. Thermodynamic functions showed that the MAC adsorption for EBT and Cr(VI) was endothermic and spontaneous. Reusability tests suggested that the regenerated AC could be utilized four times with reasonable efficiency. In conclusion, the application of the MAC described above because of its high efficiency in eliminating EBT and Cr(VI) from synthetic samples can be assessed in future studies to be applied in actual scales.
Collective Actions
Creators: name: Kalinsky, Yelena
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: This dissertation charts the history of Collective Actions, a group of artists, poets, musicians, and other intellectuals who staged conceptual actions that investigated the nature of viewer perception and aesthetic experience in late-Soviet Moscow. Focusing on the period between 19&6 and 1989, the dissertation draws on perspectives from art history, performance studies, and Soviet cultural history to closely analyze the enigmatic actions, dispersed multi-media archive, and voluminous theoretical writings of Collective Actions and Andrei Monastyrski, a founding member and the group’s chief theoretician. In doing so, it reveals how the lack of institutional location in both Soviet and Western art worlds allowed Collective Actions to create highly unstable works that were produced discursively by audience participation, rather than formally determined by the artists themselves. It traces the shifting boundaries between poetry, action, factographic object, and documentary photograph, and shows how each artistic encounter served to test viewer perception and became, over time, the object of documentation and extended group discussion. The group’s collective practice, the dissertation argues, became a key site for the elaboration of a Moscow Conceptualist vernacular. The dissertation seeks to locate this collective project of producing an alternative institution within the specific conditions of unofficial art in Moscow in the last Soviet decades, and in this way, offers a new way of understanding the signal postwar movements of conceptual and performance art and their relationship to institutionalization in the postwar period.
Characterization of photosynthetic stress endpoints to heavy metals, crude oil components, and dispersants
Creators: name: Johnson-Worrell, Sophia
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: Due to their persistence, abiotic factors such as industrial waste waters, heavy metals, petrochemicals, and oil dispersants have become a global concern.  Effects of such toxicants on aquatic ecosystem health were investigated using photosynthetic characteristics of marine microalgae as an endpoint.  Despite progress in understanding the biophysics of the photosystem of marine photoautotrophs, there is a lack of consensus of which photosynthetic reactions are the target of heavy metal and oil pollution.    The objective of this work used the model organisms Thalassiosira wessiflogii (diatom) and Symbiodinum spp. (coral symbionts) to: (1) evaluate the toxic effects of metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, and Sn), petrochemicals, and chemically dispersed petrochemicals on photosynthetic light-harvesting processes, photochemistry, and photosynthetic electron transport under different growth irradiance; (2) determine the primary target(s), (3) elucidate the sequence of physiological alterations, and (4) characterize the unique fluorescence signatures of aforementioned compounds on the photosynthetic apparatus using the fluorescence induction and relaxation technique.    Parameters reflecting the secondary photosynthetic reactions (Pmax) were influenced first under both growth irradiance when cells were exposed to metals.  The exception to this statement is for Pb, which had measurable effects to cell growth rates prior to Pmax under high irradiance.  Pmax diverged from the control at the same time except under low irradiance for Cu and Pb.  Effects to cell growth rates were the only measured response under low irradiance Zn exposure.   I concluded that the primary target for the test metals were sites affecting the secondary photosynthetic reactions.    Exposure to petrochemicals and dispersed petrochemicals under both growth irradiances inhibited the same photosynthetic parameters (Pmax, and the connectivity parameter).  Corexit alleviated some measurable effects when cells were exposed to benzene and dispersed crude oil under low irradiance.  I concluded that the primary targets of petrochemical were to the primary and secondary photosynthetic reactions.  Effects to the secondary photosynthetic reactions are assumed to lower the amount of sugar produced, which would lower the organism’s growth rate.  Thus, a bottom-up effect on the food web could occur.  The unique fluorescence signatures identified between metals and petrochemicals can be utilized as a diagnostic tool for rapid pollution detection.
Long-term outcomes of ecological restoration and management in urban forest patches
Creators: name: Johnson, Lea R.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: Urbanization transforms ecological systems, altering soils, hydrology, climate, species pools, and landscape patterns. Municipalities are turning to ecological restoration of urban forests to provide essential ecosystem services. This dissertation examines long-term effects of ecological restoration of forest patches invaded by woody invasive plants within urban park natural areas in New York City, New York, USA. I compared invaded sites where restoration was initiated 15-20 years prior with similarly invaded urban park forests that had not been restored. Significantly lower invasive species abundance, more complex vertical forest structure, and greater native tree recruitment indicated that invasive species removal followed by planting resulted in divergent successional trajectories and achievement of the central goals of the restoration. However, regenerating species indicated novel future assemblages, and restored sites varied in degree of reinvasion. To examine sources of this variability and test the importance of management effort to success of ecological restoration in urban forest remnants, I compared plant communities, management records, indicators of disturbance, and site characteristics among and between restored and unrestored invaded patches and a less-disturbed urban forest remnant. Differences among restored plant communities were associated with total restoration effort and with soil surfaces impacted by urban conditions, indicating the importance of urban context and ongoing management effort to outcomes of ecological restoration in urban areas. To examine these soil effects and to test whether impacts of urbanization on soils affect long-term outcomes of ecological restoration in urban forest patches, I compared plant community composition of restored, unrestored and less-disturbed sites with soil physical and chemical characteristics and urban soil classification maps. No single soil impact dominated effects on plant community composition, but all sites were impacted by anthropogenic factors known to reduce plant growth, change distributions of soil biota, and alter nutrient cycles. I present an urban perspective on the use of succession theory in ecological restoration and introduce adaptive successional phasing as a tool, emphasizing site-specificity, long-term processes, and the importance of the urban environment’s effects on soils, species pools and disturbance regimes, and suggest that native species persisting and thriving in cities should be used in urban ecological restoration.
Palpomya Robineau-Desvoidy 1830
Creators: name: El-Hawagry, Magdi S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Platystomatidae
Palpomya

description: Genus PALPOMYA Robineau-Desvoidy
Palpomya Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 708. Type species: Palpomya lalandii Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 [= Platystoma asphaltina (Wiedemann, 1824)], monotypy.
Palpomyia Loew, 1873a: 17. (Unjustified emendation of Palpomya).
description: Published as part of El-Hawagry, Magdi S., 2017, Catalogue of Egyptian Tephritoidea (Diptera: Schizophora: Acalyptratae), pp. 151-190 in Zootaxa 4299 (2) on page 158, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4299.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/843233
Additional file 1: Figures S1-S27. of Weighted likelihood inference of genomic autozygosity patterns in dense genotype data
Creators: name: Blant, Alexandra
name: Kwong, Michelle
name: Szpiech, Zachary
name: Pemberton, Trevor
Publisher: name: Figshare
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: 80699 Information Systems not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: Developmental Biology

description: Supplementary figures and their legends. (PDF 38834Â kb)
Aqueous geochemistry and non-carcinogenic health risk through chloride and nitrate enriched groundwater of cosmopolitan Bangalore city, India
Creators: name: Ratnalu, Gunnam Venkata
name: Dhakate, Ratnakar
name: More, Shekhar
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
Science Policy
Mental Health

description: Industrial pollution in groundwater has become an essential health concern because of its life-threatening health impacts on humans. To examine the hydro-geochemical processes controlling groundwater chemistry in Peenya Industrial Area (PIA), Bangalore city, 65 groundwater samples were collected during July 2016, January 2017, and August 2017 to analyse major ions using Flame-photometer, UV-Spectrophotometer and standard titration methods. The main aim of this study was to categorise the groundwater quality due to improper discharges of industrial effluents (solid and liquid) and the health risk assessment of the local community using this groundwater for daily use. It observes that the nitrate varied from 21 to 461 mg/L (July 2016), 1.01 to 121.7 mg/L (January 2017), and 1.4 to 110 mg/L (August 2017). The maximum samples exceed the threshold values (>45 mg/L). Industrial activities and water–rock interactions are the major factors controlling groundwater chemistry. The pollution risks through the Water Quality Index (WQI), Pollution Index of Groundwater (PIG), Nitrate Pollution Index (NPI), Pollution Loads (%), Revelle Index (RI) and Cumulative Probability (CP) strongly suggest that groundwater in PIA is control of mixing with industrial effluent discharges. Health risk to people through ingestion by computing chronic dose index (CDI), hazardous quotient (HQ), and health-hazardous index (HHI). Most groundwater samples show HHI >1, indicating its unsuitability and causing health effects. The maximum non-carcinogenic risk value for nitrate is 10.31 for adults and 15.07 for children during July 2016; 2.72 for adults and 3.97 for children during January 2017; 2.46 for adults and 3.60 for children during August 2017. Therefore, proper planning for mitigation is required to reduce exposure to save future generations. This study will bring awareness to minimising and treating the groundwater before use.
Formulation and validation of a population balance model for powder mixing process
Creators: name: John, Joyce
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: Pharmaceutical processing is much more stringent with regulatory requirements for the processing and handling stages and the product quality specifications must be met at every step during the manufacturing operation. In the pharmaceutical manufacturing, the unit operation that is one among the most widely used, is the powder blending operation. The scope of this work is to characterize and document the complex powder blending process by means of a robust predictive model and use it to enhance operational efficiency and improve on the established monitoring and control strategies.  The implementation of QbD (Quality by Design) strategies [1] to continuous processing stages allows for improved process control, higher cost-efficiency without compromising on the quality or efficacy of the final product. It also would alleviate the need for further scale up studies. In this work, a population balance model (PBM) has been formulated and validated to model the complex dynamics within a continuous powder mixing process, with the focus on the blending operation taking place within pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing. PBM modeling was selected to model the blending unit operation as it not only serves as a dynamic and highly effective tool, but also due to its relative computational simplicity.     The model was designed to determine the critical quality attributes (such as RTD (residence time distribution), API composition and RSD (relative standard deviation) of the product by incorporating the key process parameters such as the impeller RPM, dimensions of the blender  and design parameters such as the number of compartments (both axial and radial), etc. The model obtained has been subsequently validated to check the fit between the predicted values of these CQAs (Critical Quality Attributes) against experimentally obtained data during the same time intervals.  The model has the potential use for process improvement by implementation in a PAT (Process Analytical Technique) system for designing improved monitoring, control and optimization techniques. [2]
Palpomya ruficeps
Creators: name: El-Hawagry, Magdi S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Platystomatidae
Palpomya
Palpomya ruficeps

description: Palpomya ruficeps (Enderlein, 1912)
Platystoma ruficeps Enderlein, 1912: 370. Holotype. Ethiopia (PAN). Distribution. AF: Egypt [Gebel Elba], Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda. Egyptian localities. Gebel Elba:?.
Dates of collection. March and April.
Remark. This Afrotropical species was listed as recorded from Egypt by Steyskal and El-Bialy (1967), however it is not represented in the Egyptian insect collections and its presence in Egypt is uncertain.
description: Published as part of El-Hawagry, Magdi S., 2017, Catalogue of Egyptian Tephritoidea (Diptera: Schizophora: Acalyptratae), pp. 151-190 in Zootaxa 4299 (2) on page 158, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4299.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/843233
Structural basis for RNA recognition and activation by human innate immune receptor RIG-1
Creators: name: Jiang, Fuguo
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: Innate immunity provides the first line of host defense against pathogenic microbial and viral invasion. Activation of innate immune responses relies on the specific recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). Retinoic acid Inducible Gene- I (RIG-I) is a crucial PPR in the cytoplasm that induces antiviral and inflammatory immune responses against RNA viruses by selectively detecting PAMP RNAs. The RIG-I signaling pathway is highly regulated. Aberrant signaling can lead to apoptosis and altered cell differentiation, which have been implicated in the development of inflammation, autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes, and cancer.    We have collaborated with Dr. Michael Gale at University of Washington School of Medicine to identify the poly-uridine motif of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome 3′ non-translated region and its replication intermediate as a PAMP substrate of RIG-I (Saito et al., 2008). To this end, I have developed efficient expression and purification methods for human RIG-I, and characterized the protein using biochemical and biophysical methods.  Highly purified RIG-I protein was then used to verify HCV PAMP RNA in vitro by gel shift assay and limited proteolysis.    RIG-I consists of two N-terminal caspase recruitment domains (CARDs), a central DExD/H box RNA helicase/ATPase domain, and a C- terminal repressor domain (RD). To understand how the RIG-I helicase binds RNA and leads to activation, I have determined the crystal structure of the human RIG-I helicase-RD domain bound to dsRNA and ADP•BeF3 in collaboration with Dr. Smita Patel’s group at UMDNJ. The structure of ternary complex reveals a major contribution from the helicase domain to RNA binding and a synergy between the helicase and RD in recognition of blunt-ended dsRNA (Jiang et al., 2011).     Furthermore, I have determined the crystal structures of RIG-I bound to panhandle-like short hairpin RNAs in the presence or absence of 5’-triphosphorylated modification, and chimeric RNA-DNA duplex at high resolution. These recent structures provide further insights into the molecular mechanics of RNA recognition and RIG-I activation upon viral infection.
Bridging the gap between reality and perception
Creators: name: Jiang, Kaifeng
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: Strategic human resource management (HRM) scholars have acknowledged the mediating role of employee outcomes in the relationship between human resource (HR) systems and firm performance and demonstrated the importance of employee perceptions of HR systems on employee outcomes.  In order to enhance the impact of HR systems on employee outcomes and subsequent firm performance, researchers suggest aligning employee perceptions of HR systems with those of management.  To address this research need, the current study was designed to explore managers’ role in translating HR information from HR departments to shape employee perceptions of high-performance work systems (HPWS) – a type of HR systems that has been most studied in the literature.  Using a sample of 44 HR managers, 16& department managers, and 4&9 employees collected from a nationwide shipping company in China, I found that HR manager perceived HPWS and department manager perceived HPWS were not significantly related to each other.  When department managers were more motivated to implement HR practices, the relationship between HPWS perceived by HR managers and department managers became stronger.  Also, when department managers felt less empowered to deal with HR issues, department managers and HR managers were more likely to have consistent understanding of HPWS.  Regarding the relationship between department manager perceived HPWS and employee perceived HPWS, I found that managers with more ability to deal with HR issues tended to have more similar perceptions of HPWS with employees.  Also, for employees with good relationships with their managers (i.e., high leader-member exchange and high trust in leadership), their perceptions of HPWS were more aligned with managers.  The findings of this study contribute to the literature by explaining why employees have different perceptions of HR systems from management.  Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed in this study.
Coercive inequalities and nonlinear dynamics on infinite spin systems
Creators: name: Zhang, Mengchun
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2023

description: This thesis concerns the study of spin systems on an infinite lattice with the Langevin diffusion dynamics. The projects are divided into two main topics. In the first topic we construct Gibbs measures in infinite dimensions which are reversible with respect to the Markov semigroup associated to the Langevin dynamics. We then find sufficient conditions for the Gibbs measures to satisfy spectral gap or logarithmic Sobolev inequalities, so that one can obtain ergodicity or contractivity of the semigroup. We pay particular attention to the cases where the single-state space is a Carnot group, and the Gibbs measure is defined by homogeneous norms with vanishing or blowing up sub-gradient. For the second topic, we study the quantum dynamics of the system by considering the Schrödinger equation in infinite dimensions with a logarithmic nonlinearity. Namely, we obtain estimates that hold in arbitrary dimensions, and prove the existence of infinite-dimensional weak solutions for potentials with bounded multi-particle interactions.
LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF VACCINES IN RWANDA'S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Creators: name: 1Mbonigaba Celestin, 2Lemlem Desta & 3Rachid Boudlal, 4Olivia Martinez
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012

description: This study investigates the logistical challenges in vaccine distribution within Rwanda's healthcare system, focusing on the period from 2008 to 2012. Using a qualitative methodology, secondary data were analyzed to evaluate logistical infrastructure, financial constraints, and operational bottlenecks. Findings reveal significant improvements in immunization coverage with annual increases across all vaccine types (p < 0.05), attributed to infrastructure expansion, which accounted for 75% of the variance in coverage rates across provinces. However, challenges persist, including high vaccine wastage rates for BCG (25%) and measles (20%) and limited cold chain equipment at health posts (only 60% equipped). Conclusions emphasize that logistical inefficiencies—such as inadequate transport means and insufficiently trained personnel—undermine vaccine delivery efficacy. Recommendations include expanding cold chain infrastructure, enhancing rural transport systems, adopting digital inventory tools, and increasing training programs. These interventions aim to optimize vaccine distribution logistics and ensure equitable healthcare delivery.
Modeling binder removal in ceramic compacts
Creators: name: Incledon, Matthew L.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: Binder is often added to ceramic systems to provide mechanical strength to the green bodies during processing.  The binder removal sequence for an individual system is difficult to predict due to the thermal reaction and mass transport of the volatile products.  The objective of this work is to use computational methods to predict the kinetics of binder removal as a function of composition, particle size, pore size and tortuosity, temperature, body size and shape, etc..  The model will be used to predict the composition, temperature, and pore pressure as a function of time, position within the body, and heating sequence parameters.  This will provide the ability to predict optimum heating sequences that minimize processing time and energy input while avoiding harmful high internal pressures and temperatures.  Since there are many binder systems in use, a few specific cases will be considered.  TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) of binders will be used to measure kinetics parameters that are inputs for the computational model.     A framework will be developed to assess the binder removal sequence for a binder and ceramic system.  The input for the model, computed in COMSOL Multiphysics, will be determined through analysis of TGA weight loss data and green body characterization.  A set of tools will be presented that assist in the fitting of the TGA data, including the binder degrading into multiple species, higher order reactions, parallel and series reactions, etc..  The use of these ideas and tools will allow the modeler to better predict the heating sequence required for a ceramic and binder system to successfully remove all binder material.
Influence of manganese-substitution on adsorption properties of BiFeO3 onto the elimination of methyl orange
Creators: name: Aziz, Azia Wahida Binti
name: Kaus, Noor Haida Mohd
name: Imam, Saifullahi Shehu
name: Kobayashi, Takaomi
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Plant Biology

description: Herein, the BiFeO3 was modified by substituting varying manganese (Mn) concentration to improve the efficacy of eliminating methyl orange (MO), a water-soluble carcinogenic azo dye was presented. To examine the structure, morphology and band gap characteristics of the as-synthesised Mn-BiFeO3 nanocatalyst were characterised using various techniques including XRD, FESEM with EDX, FTIR, UV-vis DRS, and BET. Subsequently, parameters affecting the removal performance, such as adsorbent dosage (0.02–0.10 g), initial dye concentrations (10–60 mg/L), initial pH (1–13), percentage mol of manganese substitution (0–30%), and reusability of the adsorbent, were examined in detail. The specific surface area increases with doping from 6.829 to 13.063 m2/g, leading to enhanced adsorption capacity of manganese-substituted BiFeO3 as opposed to pristine BiFeO3. Adsorption kinetics was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, while the adsorption equilibrium data obeyed the Freundlich isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 25.2 mg/g at 298 K. Interestingly, the catalyst showed more than 95% adsorption even after three consecutive cycles and therefore could be a good candidate for wastewater remediation.
Rivellia Robineau-Desvoidy 1830
Creators: name: El-Hawagry, Magdi S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Platystomatidae
Rivellia

description: Genus RIVELLIA Robineau-Desvoidy
Rivellia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 729. Type species: Ortlais herbarum Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (= Musca syngenesiae Fabricius, 1781), by subsequent designation (Rondani 1869: 8).
description: Published as part of El-Hawagry, Magdi S., 2017, Catalogue of Egyptian Tephritoidea (Diptera: Schizophora: Acalyptratae), pp. 151-190 in Zootaxa 4299 (2) on page 158, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4299.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/843233
Optimal procurement policy for cost conscious retailer
Creators: name: Hou, Sicong
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: Manufacturers whose products primarily relay on expensive raw materials need to make well informed procurement decisions in order to reduce their production costs. Decision making is especially difficult when there is uncertainty about the raw material cost as well as the product demand. This research considers an optimum procurement and production planning problem under uncertainty. Basic raw material is a rare metal with a dynamically and stochastically changing price. The manufacturer has the dual sourcing option: buy from the spot market; or to sign long term contracts. Long term contracts can be signed only at the beginning of every year with a yearly duration. In addition, the contract price depends on the average spot price during some interval. We first consider a simplified version of the problem without long-term contract, and assume a base-stock procurement and inventory control policy. We model the problem as a Markov chain and present some numerical examples demonstrating the effect of various parameters on the optimum base-stock value. Then, we investigate a case with dual procurement option, and present our results.
The Twenty-First Century Security Dynamic
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: The UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) requests five years of funding to support research and educational activities that focus on “The Twenty-First Century Security Dynamic.” International security in the twenty-first century has been transformed from a stark bipolar confrontation of states and their surrogates to interactions among a wide variety of actors and institutions. The intellectual foundations for thinking about this new world require close examination. In consultation with our campus partners, IGCC has identified three overarching research themes designed to capture the crucial components of this new dynamic. These are: 1. The changed institutional environment 2. Nonconventional threats 3. Nuclear threats and nuclear energy Funding will enable IGCC to continue its success at building high-quality multi-campus research collaborations that advance scholarship and enhance the University’s research competitiveness in international studies and the social sciences, two traditionally underfunded areas. IGCC has been highly successful in securing extramural funding for research. MRPI monies will be used to complement our extramural grants; that is, to pay for activities critical to our research mission which external grantors do not fund. These include: a) dissertation fellowships related to the research themes articulated above—a crucial tool in identifying novel ideas, supporting them, and connecting graduate students with relevant research teams across the UC system; b) competitive funding to the campuses to seed new projects related to the research themes and extend the scope of already-funded projects; c) core administrative and fund-raising functions that enable successful grant-writing and large-scale grant management; d) IGCC’s Washington office, which brings UC research to policymakers and helps to identify and pursue additional funding opportunities. These activities are crucial to IGCC’s continued ability to leverage a small investment of UC resources to create a large externally funded portfolio of security-focused social science collaboration throughout the University. The principal investigator on this project will be IGCC’s director Susan Shirk. IGCC Research Directors Henry Abarbanel, Eli Berman, and Joshua Graff Zivin will serve as system-wide leaders on each of the research themes and will collaborate with co-investigators T. J. Pempel (UC Berkeley), Steven Spiegel (UCLA), and Debbie Avant (UC Irvine). The IGCC Steering Committee, which comprises a member from each campus and the two labs, will provide oversight and ideas, while the IGCC Campus Program Directors will provide the linkage between core activities and activities on the individual campuses. Additional faculty on the campuses will be involved as seed money grants lead to larger projects.
Combination of dispersive solid phase extraction with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of multi-residue pesticides from mango; Application of simplex centroid design in optimisation of the extractant composition
Creators: name: Alineia, Mina
name: Farajzadeh, Mir Ali
name: Mogaddam, Mohammad Reza Afshar
name: Ayazi, Zahra
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Space Science
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Inorganic Chemistry
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: Plant Biology

description: A mixed mode dispersive solid phase extraction was introduced for the extraction of multi – class pesticides in mango samples. In the following, the extracted analytes were more concentrated by dispersive liquid – liquid microextraction. By the use of advantages of both sample preparation methods, the proposed analytical method was sensitive with high enrichment factors and less matrix effect. Some biopolymers including chitosan, agarose, and cellulose were employed as the sorbent in dispersive solid phase extraction due to their compatibility with the trends of green chemistry. The best composition of the biopolymers was obtained by a simplex centroid design and the data illustrated that the weight ratio of 4:1:1 (w/w/w) was the best composition of chitosan: agarose: cellulose for extraction of the pesticides, respectively. After optimisation of effective factors, the figures of merit were calculated. The validation data showed that the limit of detection were from 0.13 to 0.32 ng g−1. All of the calibration curves were linear in the range of 1.07–1000 ng g−1. The introduced method was successfully utilised for the extraction of the pesticides in mango samples. Fortunately, all studied samples were free of the analytes.
Spatial variability and hotspot prediction of heavy metal pollution in soil-rice system: based on a new geostatistical method
Creators: name: Wu, Dun
name: Liu, Hai
name: Gao, Xia
name: Li, Bo
name: Nyasha, Ndhlovu Kataza
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Astronomical and Space Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified

description: The goal of this research was to better understand the spatial characteristics and hot areas of heavy metal concentrations in the soil-rice system, which was critical for implementing heavy metal pollution prevention and control strategies. The amounts of heavy metals in soil-rice were determined using high-precision testing methods such as XRF, ICP-MS, and AFS based on the systematic collection of 285 pairs of soil-rice samples from Wanjiang Economic Zone, China. The Getis-Ord index, Kriging method, and geostatistical method were used to reveal the spatial distribution of heavy metal contamination hot spots in the soil-rice system. The results revealed that the average concentration of heavy metals in soil was Zn>Cr>Cu>Pb>Ni>As>Cd>Hg, whereas it was Zn>Cu>Ni>Cr>Cd>As>Pb>Hg in rice. The average concentrations of heavy metals in the soil were all well below the maximum allowable limit, except for Cd, which was slightly above the allowable limit. Only Cd and Ni concentrations in rice exceeded the maximum permitted limits. In soil, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Zn pollution hotspots were mostly found in the southeast, while Cr and Ni were mostly found in the northeast. An intriguing discovery was that there was a weak relationship between heavy metal concentrations in soil and rice and the spatial pattern of their distribution. The study’s findings offer a scientific foundation for establishing a long-term agricultural development strategy for the soil-rice system in the Wanjiang Economic Zone.
The power of sexual aesthetics
Creators: name: Hernandez, Jillian
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2013

description: The Power of Sexual Aesthetics: Women and Girls Crafting Bodies examines how people of color respond creatively to being framed as sexually deviant through normative assessments of their corporeal styles in the U.S. This work comprises a comparative study of how aesthetics shape the racialization of African American, Latina, and black, non-Latina Caribbean immigrant women and girls. The dissertation constructs its argument by juxtaposing the body crafting practices of heterosexual and LBTQ young women of color I have worked with through community arts outreach, with contemporary women artists of color whose work portrays explicitly raced and sexualized bodies.    Employing a multi-method approach, the study combines focus groups with young women, interviews with artists, reception study, and visual analysis of music videos, YouTube media, photographs, collages, and paintings, to fashion a transdisciplinary synthesis. Bridging Art History, Gender, Sexuality, African American, Latino/a, Critical Race, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies, the dissertation traces the circulation of raced female bodies in the visual fields of popular culture, fine art, and everyday social spaces, domains in which norms of body presentation and representation are both crystallized and challenged. Case studies of “chonga” girls, masculine body presenting young women, and contemporary cultural producers elaborate the modes through which racialized corporeal aesthetics are valued. This project highlights a double standard: vernacular images and embodiments of sexuality fashioned by disadvantaged girls more often draw negative critiques and cultural devaluation in social discourse when compared to more professional pictures and bodies lauded as “edgy” and “innovative” for their sexual content in the elite art world, popular culture, and media.   The Power of Sexual Aesthetics analyzes how body crafting practices may work to both reveal and occult class disparity in a contemporary neoliberal context. The power of neoliberal discourse lies in its obfuscation of class exclusions and structures, and effective circulation of narratives concerning the putative potential of self-making and overcoming economic circumstances. This dissertation argues that the dissident aesthetics of poor and working class women and girls of color have the potential to unmask realities of class stratification, hence their disciplining as racially, sexually, and aesthetically excessive.
Additional file10: of Research protocol: Cisplatin-associated ototoxicity amongst patients receiving cancer chemotherapy and the feasibility of an audiological monitoring program
Creators: name: J. Paken
name: C. Govender
name: V. Sewram
Publisher: name: Figshare
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Marine Biology
subject: Cancer
subject: Science Policy
subject: 110309 Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: Ethical Approval from University of Kwazulu-Natal. (PDF 24Â kb)
Facile green synthesis of SnS2 nanoparticles using Tulsi extract: insight into the optical and photocatalytic properties
Creators: name: Gadore, Vishal
name: Mishra, Soumya Ranjan
name: Ahmaruzzaman, Md.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified

description: Herein we have reported the fabrication of green SnS2 (g-SnS2) granules via a facile precipitation technique employing Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) extract as a stabilising and capping agent. The prepared g-SnS2 nanoparticles were characterised through XRD, UV-DRS, PL, BET, XPS, SEM and TEM for their surface morphology and physicochemical properties. It showed enhanced Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) assisted photodegradation of a cationic (Bismarck Brown R) and anionic (Methyl Orange) azo dyes in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Maximum degradation of 72.54 ± 1.23% of Bismarck Brown R (BBR) and 69.34 ± 1.22% of methyl orange (MO) with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.02833 min−1 and 0.02576 min−1 for BBR and MO, respectively, within 60 min of visible light irradiation higher than SnS2 nanoparticles synthesised without the use of capping agent. The improved photocatalytic activity was attributed to the rough and defect-rich morphology of the prepared g-SnS2. The humic acid (HA) concentration showed a reduction in the photocatalytic degradation efficiency. The as-synthesised g-SnS2 nanoparticles could serve as a potential material for the degradation of azo dyes from waste water.
Rivellia marginalis Hendel 1931
Creators: name: El-Hawagry, Magdi S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Platystomatidae
Rivellia
Rivellia marginalis

description: Rivellia marginalis Hendel, 1931
Rivellia marginalis Hendel, 1931a: 59. Holotype. Egypt (Gebel Elba: Wadi Edeib) (EFC). Distribution. AF: Egypt [Gebel Elba].
Egyptian localities. Gebel Elba: Wadi Edeib.
Host plants. Species of Rivellia are known to infest subterranean nitrogen affixing root nodules of Fabaceae plants (Foote 1985; McMichael et al. 1985; Bodner & Freidberg 2016). Dates of collection. January to March.
description: Published as part of El-Hawagry, Magdi S., 2017, Catalogue of Egyptian Tephritoidea (Diptera: Schizophora: Acalyptratae), pp. 151-190 in Zootaxa 4299 (2) on page 158, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4299.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/843233