Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Chemical and Microbiological Parameters of Charcoal Versus Gas and Solar Energy Treated Milk

The effect of heat t reatment using different sources of heat on the chemical composition and microbial quality of milk was studied. Raw cow, goat and sheep milk were heated with charcoal, gas and solar energy at 99oC for 12 min, cooled to 20oC and chemical (fat, protein, total solids, ash, titratable acidity, vitamin C) composition as well as microbiological examination (total viable bacteria count) were carried out. Results showed that fat, total solids and ash contents were high in cow milk heated with solar energy, while protein content was high when m ilk was hea ted with gas, and the titratable acidity was hig h in milk heated with charcoal and gas. The fat, total solids and ash contents of goat milk were high when milk was heated with gas, while the protein content and titratable acidity were high when milk was heated with solar energy. The fat contents of sheep milk was high when milk was heated with gas, while the protein and total solids contents were high in milk heated with solar energy, and ash content and titratable acidity were high in milk heated with charcoal. Vitamin C cont ent was high for all milks when he ated with solar energy, w hile the total viable bacteria count was high in milks of all species when heated with charcoal. Solar energy was shown to be suitable for heating milk from chemical view point, while heat treatment of milk with gas was found to be better microbiologically.
Soluble a-Klotho — a new marker of acromegaly activity ?

Introduction: Klotho is a transmembrane protein that attenuates insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signalling and appears to be involved in ageing. Recent data suggest that soluble a-Klotho (sKlotho) is also elevated in acromegaly. The aim of this study was to assess serum levels of sKlotho in patients in relation to the activity of the disease and to compare with the control group. Material and methods: We studied 55 patients with acromegaly and 29 healthy controls (CG). Patients were divided into three subgroups according to minimal GH (growth hormone) concentration during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the IGF-1 concentration: a surgically cured acromegalic group (SCA), well-controlled acromegalic group (WCA), and active acromegaly group (AA). In all subjects, blood samples were taken to assess the concentration of sKlotho, GH, IGF-1, and biochemical markers. Results: Soluble a-Klotho was highest in the AA group and lowest in the SCA group. The differences in sKlotho levels were statistically significant when the AA group was compared to the SCA, WCA, and CG groups (p = 0.000, p = 0.002, p = 0.001, respectively). There were no significant differences in sKlotho levels among the SCA, WCA, and CG groups. sKlotho positively correlated with GH levels in the WCA and WCA + SCA groups (r = 0.666, p = 0.009; r = 0.366, p = 0.047, respectively) and with the IGF-1 level in the AA group (r = 0.589, p = 0.021). Conclusions: sKlotho is increased in active acromegaly and normalises after successful treatment. It could be a new biomarker of acromegaly activity. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (4): 390–396)
MiKlip - a National Research Project on Decadal Climate Prediction

AbstractMittelfristige Klimaprognose (MiKlip), an 8-yr German national research project on decadal climate prediction, is organized around a global prediction system comprising the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM) together with an initialization procedure and a model evaluation system. This paper summarizes the lessons learned from MiKlip so far; some are purely scientific, others concern strategies and structures of research that target future operational use.Three prediction system generations have been constructed, characterized by alternative initialization strategies; the later generations show a marked improvement in hindcast skill for surface temperature. Hindcast skill is also identified for multiyear-mean European summer surface temperatures, extratropical cyclone tracks, the quasi-biennial oscillation, and ocean carbon uptake, among others. Regionalization maintains or slightly enhances the skill in European surface temperature inherited from the global model and also displays h.
Simulating the Impact of the Internal Structure of Phytoplankton on the Bulk Particulate Backscattering Ratio using a Two-Layered Spherical Geometry for Cells

The bulk backscattering ratio ($\tilde{b_{bp}}$) is commonly used as a descriptor of the bulk real refractive index of the particulate assemblage in natural waters. Based on numerical simulations, we analyze the impact of heterogeneity of phytoplankton cells on $\tilde{b_{bp}}$. $\tilde{b_{bp}}$ is modeled considering viruses, heterotrophic bacteria, phytoplankton, detritus, and minerals. Three study cases are defined according to the relative abundance of these different components. Two study cases represent typical situations in open ocean, outside (No-B/No-M) and inside bloom (B/No-M). The third study case is typical of coastal waters with the presence of minerals. Phytoplankton cells are modeled by a two-layered spherical geometry representing a chloroplast surrounding the cytoplasm. The $\tilde{b_{bp}}$ values are higher when heterogeneity is considered because the contribution of coated spheres to backscattering is higher than homogeneous spheres. The impact of heterogeneity is however strongly conditioned by the hyperbolic slope $\xi$ of the particle size distribution. Even if the relative concentration of phytoplankton is small (<1%), $\tilde{b_{bp}}$ increases by about 60% (for $\xi=4.3$ and for the No-B/No-M water body), when the heterogeneity is taken into account, in comparison with a particulate population only composed by homogeneous spheres. As expected, heterogeneity has a much smaller impact (about 5$\%$ for $\xi=4.3$) on $\tilde{b_{bp}}$ when minerals are added.
A Neural Morphological Analyzer for Arapaho Verbs Learned from a Finite State Transducer

We experiment with training an encoder-decoder neural model for mimicking the behavior of an existing hand-written finite-state morphological grammar for Arapaho verbs, a polysynthetic language with a highly complex verbal inflection system. After adjusting for ambiguous parses, we find that the system is able to generalize to unseen forms with accuracies of 98.68% (unambiguous verbs) and 92.90% (all verbs).
QFT design for uncertain non-minimum phase and unstable plants revisited

Design method for uncertain non-minimum phase and unstable plants in the quantitative feedback theory (QFT) developed by Horowitz and Sidi is revisited in this paper. It is illustrated that the existing method may not work since some design rules have not been clearly specified by several examples including non-minimum phase plants and unstable plants. Then stability of a new nominal plant is carefully examined and analysed, and an improved design method is presented. The result in this paper provides mathematical justification of the QFT design procedure for nonminimum phase and unstable plants in Horowitz and Sidi (1978) and Horowitz (1992).
Gaia Data Release 2

Aims. We describe the photometric content of the second data release of the Gaia project (Gaia DR2) and its validation along with the quality of the data. Methods. The validation was mainly carried out using an internal analysis of the photometry. External comparisons were also made, but were limited by the precision and systematics that may be present in the external catalogues used. Results. In addition to the photometric quality assessment, we present the best estimates of the three photometric passbands. Various colour-colour transformations are also derived to enable the users to convert between the Gaia and commonly used passbands. Conclusions. The internal analysis of the data shows that the photometric calibrations can reach a precision as low as 2 mmag on individual CCD measurements. Other tests show that systematic effects are present in the data at the 10 mmag level.
Factors of subjective heat stress of urban citizens in contexts of everyday life

Abstract. Heat waves and the consequent heat stress of urban populations have a growing relevance in urban risk management and strategies of urban adaptation to climate change. In this context, social science studies on subjective experiencing of heat as stress by urban citizens are a new emerging field. To contribute to the understanding of self-reported subjective heat stress and its major determinants in a daily life perspective, we conducted a questionnaire survey with 323 respondents in Karlsruhe, Germany, after heat waves in July and August 2013. Statistical data analysis showed that subjective heat stress is an issue permeating everyday activities. Subjective heat stress at home was lower than at work and in general. Subjective heat stress in general, at home, and at work was determined by the health impairments experienced during the heat and the feeling of being helplessly exposed to the heat. For subjective heat stress at home, characteristics of the residential building and the built environment additionally played a role. Although the rate of implemented coping measures was rather high, coping measures showed no uniform effect for the subjective heat stress. We conclude that in terms of urban adaptation strategies, further research is needed to understand how various processes of daily social (work) life enable or limit individual coping and that communication strategies are important for building capacities to better cope with future heat waves.
Analyst Optimism and Incentives under Market Uncertainty

This paper studies how changes in analysts’ incentives driven by changes in market uncertainty affect analyst output, under a simple utility-maximizing framework. We find that analysts issue more optimistically biased forecasts and more buy recommendations under high market uncertainty (VIX). The increase in optimistic output can be explained by lower reputational costs and larger benefits of optimistic output. We posit that analysts are less likely to be penalized for inaccuracy, while they can stimulate more trading activity from optimistically biased output, when market uncertainty is high. Accordingly, we find that the likelihood of analysts’ turnover decreases, while the trading volume associated with optimistic output increases, with the level ojavascript:void(0);f VIX.
Asthma and periodontal health in children Astma i parodontalno zdravlje kod djece

Background/Aim. Oral health is an important part of overall health. Good oral health is important for oral diseases prevention and health maintenance of respiratory system. The aim of the study was to evaluate oral hygiene and periodontal health parameters of asthmatic children and to compare them with children without asthma as well as to evaluate those parameters according to type of used medications and time of taking medications in children with asthma. Methods. This epidemiological study included 68 children with asthma and 68 children without asthma or any other chronic disease aged from 6 to 16 years. Parameters used in this study were Greene-Vermillion index, Löe-Silness gingival index and Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Results. Good oral hygiene (31.1%) was more present in children without asthma whereas poor hygiene (20.0%) was more frequent in children with asthma (p < 0.001). Healthy gingiva was more frequent in children without asthma (25%) while mild (58.8%) and moderate gingival inflammation (5.9%) were more frequent in the group of children with asthma (p < 0.01). Mean CPI values were higher in children with asthma (p < 0.001). Mean values of Plaque Index, Gingival Index and CPI did not show statistically significant difference in relation to type of administered medication. However, taking medications in the afternoon was related to higher mean values of Plaque Index and Gingival Index (p < 0.05) within the group of children with asthma. Conclusion. Children with asthma had poorer oral hygiene and were diagnosed with greater values of oral hygiene and periodontal indices compared with the group of children without asthma. For this reason, it is necessary to promote oral health and establish good oral hygiene habits in asthmatic children.
The Effects of Gender on the Attitudes towards the Computer Assisted Instruction: A Meta-Analysis.

The idea that gender factor creates a difference on computer usage and computer-assisted instruction is based upon previous years. At that time, it was thought that some areas like engineering, science and mathematics were for males so it created a difference on the computer usage. Nevertheless, developing technology and females becoming more active in information era alter this imbalance. About analyzing this kind of studies, significant differences exist on behalf of males in some studies, while significant differences exist on behalf of females in some studies, and there is no significant difference in terms of genders in other studies. While gender variable has been dealt as sub-variable in studies conducted with teachers in terms of learning/teaching activities, the number of meta-analyses investigating related teaching method according to gender is limited. In this study, meta-analysis method which gathers the results of different studies on the same specific topic and analyzing these findings statistically, is used. Comprehensive Meta Analysis (CMA) Statistic Program was used for statistical analysis. The data was analyzed by using the method of study effect meta-analysis. Gender factor is a crucial variable for learning and teaching activities. However, with this research, it becomes obvious that it is not such an important factor that can create a huge difference. Publication type, sample type and geographical region are determined as moderator variables with the thought that they can create a difference. Any difference cannot be identified according to publication and sample type at the end of the research.
External Habit in a Production Economy

A unified framework for understanding asset prices and aggregate fluctuations is critical for understanding both issues. I show that a real business cycle model with external habit preferences and capital adjustment costs provides one such framework. The estimated model matches the first two moments of the equity premium and risk-free rate, return and dividend predictability regressions, and the second moments of output, consumption, and investment. The model also endogenizes a key mechanism of consumption-based asset pricing models. In order to address the Shiller volatility puzzle, external habit, long-run risk, and disaster models require the assumption that the volatility of marginal utility is countercyclical. In the model, this countercyclical volatility arises endogenously. Production makes precautionary savings effects show up in consumption. These effects lead to countercyclical consumption volatility and countercyclical volatility of marginal utility. External habit amplifies this channel and makes it quantitatively significant.
In vitro and in vivo toxicological assessments of Antrodia cinnamomea health food product (Leader Antrodia cinnamomea Capsule)

A unique medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea has been used for centuries to treat various human diseases. Recent studies revealed its potent pharmacological effects including anticancer, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, neuroprotection and hepatoprotection. The present study was aimed to investigate the toxicological effects of A. cinnamomea health food product “Leader Antrodia cinnamomea Capsule (LACC)” by measuring its genotoxic, oral toxic and teratotoxic effects in vitro and in vivo. Result of Ames test with 5 strains of Salmonella typhimurium shows no sign of increase in the numbers of revertant colonies upon exposure to LACC. Treatment of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO-K1) with LACC did not affect increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberration in vitro. In addition, treatment with LACC did not affect the proportions of immature to total erythrocytes and the number of micronuclei in the immature erythrocytes of ICR mice. Moreover, acute oral toxicity (14-days single-dose) or prolonged oral toxicity (28and 90-days repeated oral dose) tests with rats showed that there were no observable adverse effects were found. Furthermore, teratological studies with LACC (500-2500 mg/kg/day) for 20 days, shows no observable segment II reproductive and developmental toxic evidences in pregnant SD rats and their fetus. These toxicological assessments strongly support the safety efficacy of LACC for human consumption.
Massive MIMO Processing for 5G Systems

Fifth generation wireless networks aim to meet the requirements imposed by the ever increasing demand in capacity. One of the proposals under consideration is the extension of traditional multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems to the use of a massive number (a few dozens to hundreds) of antennas. Even though promising, this technology brings some challenges that must first be surpassed. One of such problems is the increase in signal processing complexity, which might become unbearable when conventional techniques are used. Hence, one is to find methods that perform as close to optimal as possible, while yielding low complexity. In this thesis, a special emphasis on suitable algorithms to perform detection and precoding in large MIMO systems has been given. Particularly, for the case where the number of antennas at the base station is much larger than the number of served users, effective linear processing methods, based on the Neumann series and on the matrix inversion lemma, are proposed. Further, randomised algorithms to perform detection in symmetric massive MIMO systems are thoroughly studied. Namely, an optimised Gibbs sampling variant method is suggested and shown to outperform the existing ones in the literature, including state-of-the-art lattice reduction methods. Finally, capitalising on the advantages provided by large-scale arrays, a massive MIMO enabled full-duplex relay setup is evaluated. This includes the design of transmit and receive linear filters that, using a link dependent optimal power allocation scheme, is able to attain high energy efficiencies, whilst satisfying individual throughput requirements. In all of the proposed algorithms, both hardware feasibility and suitability for parallel computation have been taken into consideration. The results herein presented include illustrative examples and insightful numerical simulations.
Modeling the Dynamics of Chinese Spot Interest Rates

Using the daily data of Chinese 7-day repo rates from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2008, this paper tests a variety of popular spot rate models, including single-factor diffusion, GARCH, Markov regime-switching and jump-diffusion models. We document that Chinese spot rates are subject to both market forces and administrative forces. GARCH, regime-switching and jump-diffusion models capture some important features of the dynamics of Chinese spot rates, but all models under study are overwhelmingly rejected. We further explore possible sources of model misspecification using diagnostic tests.
Pseudo second order kinetics model of adsorption of Pb 2 + onto powdered corn cobs : comparison of linear regression methods

This study reports adsorption kinetics of lead (Pb 2+ ) removal from aqueous solution by powdered corn cobs and comparison of linear regression methods for solving linearized pseudo second order kinetics model. The corn cobs were collected, washed with distilled water, air dried, pulverized, sieved into different particle sizes and stored. The properties of the powdered corn cobs (PCC) were determined. The PCC was used to remove Pb 2+
arbon flow into microbial and fungal biomass as a basis for the belowground ood web of agroecosystems

The origin and quantity of plant inputs to soil are primary factors controlling the size and structure of the soil microbial community. The present study aimed to elucidate and quantify the carbon (C) flow from both root and shoot litter residues into soil organic, extractable, microbial and fungal C pools. Using the shift in C stable isotope values associated with replacing C3 by C4 plants we followed rootvs. shoot litter-derived C resources into different soil C pools. We established the following treatments: Corn Maize (CM), Fodder Maize (FM), Wheat + maize Litter (WL) and Wheat (W) as reference. The Corn Maize treatment provided rootas well as shoot litter-derived C (without corn cobs) whereas Fodder Maize (FM) provided only root-derived C (aboveground shoot material was removed). Maize shoot litter was applied on the Wheat + maize Litter (WL) plots to trace the incorporation of C4 litter C into soil microorganisms. Soil samples were taken three times per year (summer, autumn, winter) over two growing seasons. Maize-derived C signal was detectable after three to six months in the following pools: soil organic C (Corg), extractable organic C (EOC), microbial biomass (Cmic) and fungal biomass (ergosterol). In spite of the lower amounts of rootthan of shoot litter-derived C inputs, similar amounts were incorporated into each of the C pools in the FM and WL treatments, indicating greater importance of the rootthan shoot litter-derived resources for the soil microorganisms as a basis for the belowground food web. In the CM plots twice as much maize-derived C was incorporated into the pools. After two years, maizederived C in the CM treatment contributed 14.1, 24.7, 46.6 and 76.2% to Corg, EOC, Cmic and ergosterol pools, respectively. Fungi incorporated maize-derived C to a greater extent than did total soil microbial
Researching social justice and health (in)equality across different school Health and Physical Education contexts in Sweden, Norway and New Zealand

The way school Health and Physical Education (HPE) is conceptualized and taught will impact on its ability to provide equitable outcomes across gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion and social class. A focus on social justice in HPE is pertinent in times when these ideals are currently under threat from neoliberal globalization. This paper draws on data from the initial year of an international collaboration project called ‘Education for Equitable Health Outcomes – The Promise of School Health and Physical Education’ involving HPE and Physical Education Teacher Education researchers from Sweden, Norway and New Zealand. The data in this paper record the researchers’ presentations and discussions about issues of social justice and health as informed by school visits and interviews with HPE teachers in the three different countries. The analysis of the data is focused on what is addressed in the name of social justice in each of the three countries and how cross-cultural researchers of social justice in HPE interpret different contexts. In order to analyse the data, we draw on Michael Uljens’s concepts of non-affirmative and non-hierarchical education. The findings suggest that researching social justice and health (in)equality across different countries offers both opportunities and challenges when it comes to understanding the enactment of social justice in school and HPE practices. We conclude by drawing on Uljens to assert that the quest for social justice in HPE should focus on further problematizing affirmative and hierarchical educational practices since social justice teaching strategies are enabled and constrained by the contexts in which they are practised.