Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of temperature and concentration on mechanism and kinetics of thermally induced deposition from coffee extracts

Production of soluble (instant) coffee powders typically involves extraction of roasted coffee by water followed by evaporation in order to concentrate extracts before spray or freeze drying to produce dry coffee powder. In the course of evaporation, deposition of dissolved material from coffee extracts is a major cause of fouling at the heat exchange surfaces of evaporators. Therefore, in order to improve the design and optimization of evaporation processes of coffee extracts, better understanding of the deposition mechanism and kinetics is needed. In this study, optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) was used to monitor the initial formation of nanometer scale deposits on surfaces exposed to coffee extracts. OWLS measurements were complemented by light scattering from extract solutions, gravimetry of macroscopic deposits, and scanning electron microscopy imaging of deposited layers. Primary molecular-scale layers of about 1 mg m−2 were rapidly formed in the first stage of deposition, even at ambient temperature, followed by the secondary deposition with kinetics strongly dependent on temperature. Secondary deposition rates were low and largely independent of the extract concentration at ambient temperature, but became strongly dependent on the extract concentration at elevated temperatures. In particular, activation energies for the deposition between 25°C and 70°C were much higher for the original extract (13.3 mass %, solids) than for diluted extracts (up to 1.3 mass %, solids). Furthermore, heating of the original extracts above 60°C resulted in rapid aggregation of suspended macromolecules into large clusters, while only gradual aggregation was observed in diluted extracts.
Heritability of Lifetime Income Ari Hyytinen

Using 15 years of data on Finnish twins, we find that 24% (54%) of the variance of women’s (men’s) lifetime income is due to genetic factors and that the contribution of the shared environment is negligible. We link these figures to policy by showing that controlling for education reduces the variance share of genetics by 5-8 percentage points; by demonstrating that income uncertainty has a genetic component half the size of its variance share in lifetime income; and by exploring how the genetic heritability of lifetime income is related to the macroeconomic environment, as measured by GDP growth and the Gini-coefficient of income inequality. JEL Classification: J31, J62
Isometries between function spaces

Surjective isometries between some classical function spaces are investigated. We give a simple technical scheme which verifies whether any such isometry is given by a homeomorphism between corresponding Hausdorff compact spaces. In particular the answer is positive for the C' (X), AC[0, 1], Lip0 (X) and lip0 (X) spaces provided with various natural norms.
Age–Period–Cohort Analysis of Repeated Cross-Section Surveys: Fixed or Random Effects?

Yang and Land (2006) and Yang (forthcoming-b) developed a mixed (fixed and random) effects model for the age–period–cohort (APC) analysis of micro data sets in the form of a series of repeated cross-section sample surveys that are increasingly available to demographers. The authors compare the fixedversus random-effects model specifications for APC analysis. They use data on verbal test scores from 15 cross sections of the General Social Survey (GSS), 1974 to 2000, for substantive illustrations. Strengths and weaknesses are identified for both the random- and fixed-effects formulations. However, under each of the two data conditions studied, the random-effects hierarchical APC model is the most appropriate specification. While additional analyses and comparisons of random- and fixed-effects APC models using other data sets are necessary before generalizations can be drawn, this finding is consistent with results from other methodological studies with unbalanced data designs.
Iron (II) and other heavy-metal tolerance in bacteria isolated from rock varnish in the arid region of Al-Jafer Basin, Jordan

Alnaimat S, Shattal SA, AlthunibatO, Alsbou E, Amasha R. 2017. Iron (II) and other heavy-metal tolerance in bacteria isolated from rock varnish in the arid region of Al-Jafer Basin, Jordan. Biodiversitas 18: 1250-1257. This study deals with enumeration, identification and molecular characterization of bacterial species tolerant of iron (II) and other heavy metals that isolated from rock varnish collected from the arid region of Al-Jafer Basin, Jordan. Based on conventional culture-dependent methods, six isolates exhibited a high degree of tolerance to iron (II) and other heavy metals with a minimum inhibitory concentration (550â€“600 mg/L) to iron, (500-550 mg/L) to lead, (350 mg/L) to copper, (400-450 mg/L) to chromium, (150-200 mg/L) to silver, and (150-200 mg/L) to mercury, in solid media. The results showed that all isolates could tolerate 2000 mg/L Fe2+ expressed as maximum tolerance concentration (MTC). The multiple metal resistances of these isolates were also associated with multiple antibiotic resistances. These iron tolerant isolates were shown to be capable of growth at temperatures ranging from 30 to 40Â°C and pH values ranging from 5 to 9 with some differences between the six isolates. On the basis of morphology and of 16S rDNA gene sequencing and phylogeny analysis, the iron-tolerant isolates were identified as Bacillus zhangzhouensis (DVCr1), Staphylococcus warneri (DVCr6), Bacillus cereus (DVCr7), Staphylococcus pasteuri (DVCu2), Brevibacterium frigoritolerans (DVPb) and Bacillus altitudinis (DVCr10). The 16S rDNA sequences from five of the six strains were submitted to GenBank and are available under the accession numbers KX781139, KX781140, KX781141, KX781145 and KX781148. The results highlight the high potential of a non-polluted habitat like rock varnish to provide new microbial communities that could be used for enhanced bioremediation of heavy metals from a contaminated site.
Regulation and Utilization of Healthcare Services

Regulating patients’ access to healthcare has been used in several countries as a way of controlling patients’ consumption levels. In some countries, provider choice is directly limited through legal regulations such as gatekeeping, whereas in other countries patients’ behavior is primarily governed by financial incentives like co-payments to doctor visits. However, empirical studies, mostly conducted in the United States, do not provide a clear answer whether institutional access regulations actually accomplish a reduction of used health services. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of access regulations on healthcare utilization in a cross-national framework comparing eleven European countries. While access restrictions are assumed to have an effect on the overall level of utilization, they can also have an impact on the equity of utilization between different socio-economic groups. Our analyses combine institutional indicators on the country level and number of doctor visits on the microlevel from the first wave of SHARE. The results show that access regulations and especially gatekeeping systems are associated with a lower level of overall service usage. Gatekeeping systems also reduce inequity in specialist visits across groups with different levels of education. Contrary to theoretical expectations but in line with earlier studies cost sharing could not be related to inequity patterns across income groups.
Conspiracy Theories in Post-Soviet Russia

Throughout the post-Soviet period various conspiracy theories, most of which have been anti-Western, have moved from the margins of intellectual life to the mainstream of Russian politics. The trauma of the Soviet collapse enabled political elites to offer a conspiratorial reading of the event, and use this both for the purpose of nation-building and for suppressing democratic opposition by accusing its proponents of having destroyed the Soviet Union from within. Russian political elites use conspiracy theories to tackle emerging challenges by dividing Russian society into a majority loyal to the Kremlin, and a minority which is supposedly out to destroy Russia. The state authorities, including top-ranking politicians, seem to be the main producers of this conspiracy discourse; however, they use it with great care, with much reliance on the support of intellectuals who take part both in the production and dissemination of these theories to the general public. Studying conspiracy theories in Russia provides us with a means to comprehend domestic politics and to explain the strategies of the Russian political elite on both the domestic and international levels.
Conservation Ecology: Appraising Adaptive Management

Adaptive management is appraised as a policy implementation approach by examining its conceptual, technical, equity, and practical strengths and limitations. Three conclusions are drawn: (1) Adaptive management has been more influential, so far, as an idea than as a practical means of gaining insight into the behavior of ecosystems utilized and inhabited by humans. (2) Adaptive management should be used only after disputing parties have agreed to an agenda of questions to be answered using the adaptive approach; this is not how the approach has been used. (3) Efficient, effective social learning, of the kind facilitated by adaptive management, is likely to be of strategic importance in governing ecosystems as humanity searches for a sustainable economy.
Are Students Overworked? Understanding the Workload Expectations and Realities of First-Year Engineering

A study was conducted to investigate first-year engineering undergraduate student workload at the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada. The study was prompted by student feedback suggesting high workload, impacting their learning experience in first-year and motivated by a Faculty whose goal is to increase accessibility and inclusivity for all students. The multi-part study followed the 2016 cohort of first-year undergraduate engineering students as they completed their first-term of study. Each week in that term, a random sample of students submitted details of their weekly workload, including perceptions of difficulty, for each course quantitatively and qualitatively. These data are investigated in addition to information gathered at the beginning of term from all students and instructors of first-year engineering courses. The analysis of expectations and realities of first-year student workload yields information that can lead to the development of a more integrated, inclusive first-year engineering curriculum. Observations suggest that workload almost doubles within the first three weeks of class and assessments (major and minor) have an amplifying effect especially as they can be inadvertently grouped-together on specific dates. Additionally, there appears to be a link between perceived difficulty and hours spent, with that link aligning better as the courses progress. Furthermore, data also suggests that the first-year design/communication course has a large spike in workload midway through the term, much larger than the increases seen in the heavy-weighted assessments in non-design courses. Qualitative responses suggest that students may feel less prepared for such courses, and consequently spend more time on them when compared to nondesign courses. A deeper look at the results suggest the emergence of several categories, some more dominant and impactful to first-year student workload and perceptions of difficulty than others. These categories, in decreasing order of prevalence include: Time, Volume, Course and Program Content, Transition, Instruction, Communication, and Expectations. From here, the observations clearly suggest that students tend to think of their time spent and volume of work completed on an activity significantly more often than references to instructions, modes of delivery, quality of instruction, and the expectations of the instructor.
Atmospheric inversion of surface carbon flux with consideration of the spatial distribution of US crop production and consumption

Abstract. In order to improve quantification of the spatial distribution of carbon sinks and sources in the conterminous US, we conduct a nested global atmospheric inversion with detailed spatial information on crop production and consumption. County-level cropland net primary productivity, harvested biomass, soil carbon change, and human and livestock consumption data over the conterminous US are used for this purpose. Time-dependent Bayesian synthesis inversions are conducted based on CO2 observations at 210 stations to infer CO2 fluxes globally at monthly time steps with a nested focus on 30 regions in North America. Prior land surface carbon fluxes are first generated using a biospheric model, and the inversions are constrained using prior fluxes with and without adjustments for crop production and consumption over the 2002–2007 period. After these adjustments, the inverted regional carbon sink in the US Midwest increases from 0.25 ± 0.03 to 0.42 ± 0.13 Pg C yr−1, whereas the large sink in the US southeast forest region is weakened from 0.41 ± 0.12 to 0.29 ± 0.12 Pg C yr−1. These adjustments also reduce the inverted sink in the west region from 0.066 ± 0.04 to 0.040 ± 0.02 Pg C yr−1 because of high crop consumption and respiration by humans and livestock. The general pattern of sink increases in crop production areas and sink decreases (or source increases) in crop consumption areas highlights the importance of considering the lateral carbon transfer in crop products in atmospheric inverse modeling, which provides a reliable atmospheric perspective of the overall carbon balance at the continental scale but is unreliable for separating fluxes from different ecosystems.
Developing a Model for Identifying Students at Risk of Failure in a First Year Accounting Unit.

This paper reports on the process involved in attempting to build a predictive model capable of indentifying students at risk of failure in a first year accounting unit in an Australian university. Identifying attributes that contribute to students being at risk can lead to the development of appropriate intervention strategies and support services. In this study, regression analysis was used to model the impact of individual factors on grade performance based on a review of the literature and using data extracted from a university’s student information database for all students who completed a first year accounting unit in one semester. The overall findings were that while the explanatory power of the model was poor, a number of variables were found to have a significant impact on performance. These variables included: younger students, males, those enrolled in non-business majors, and those with English as a second language. Further research in this area is warranted with the overall aim of reducing student failure and subsequent student attrition as well as developing appropriate intervention strategies.
Rapid fabrication of microfluidic PDMS devices from reusable PDMS molds using laser ablation

The conventional fabrication methods for microfluidic devices require cleanroom processes that are costly and time-consuming. We present a novel, facile, and low-cost method for rapid fabrication of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds and devices. The method consists of three main fabrication steps: female mold (FM), male mold (MM), and chip fabrication. We use a CO2 laser cutter to pattern a thin, spin-coated PDMS layer for FM fabrication. We then obtain reusable PDMS MM from the FM using PDMS/PDMS casting. Finally, a second casting step is used to replicate PDMS devices from the MM. Demolding of one PDMS layer from another is carried out without any potentially hazardous chemical surface treatment. We have successfully demonstrated that this novel method allows fabrication of microfluidic molds and devices with precise dimensions (thickness, width, length) using a single material, PDMS, which is very common across microfluidic laboratories. The whole process, from idea to device testing, can be completed in 1.5 h in a standard laboratory.
Thyroid Replacement Therapy: The Hidden Challenges

Hypothyroidism has a gradual onset and non-specific symptoms, which might be subtle, and which might therefore be ignored or misdiagnosed. Subclinical hypothyroidism is a well-established phenomenon where a patient does not have thyroid symptoms, but shows biochemical evidences of hypothyroidism. However, diagnosis and treatment of these patients may prevent development of overt hypothyroidism and cardiovascular symptoms. Replacement therapy with levothyroxine (T4) is the treatment of choice for hypothyroidism; levothyroxine is taken daily, provides stable plasma levels and is suitable for the majority of patients. Patients with certain forms of hypothyroidism - central hypothyroidism, thyroidectomy patients and patients with “low T3 syndrome” - may benefit from treatment with liothyronine (T3), which is more potent and has a shorter onset of action. The use of liothyronine in combination with levothyroxine is controversial, but there is evidence that some patients, particularly those with deiodinase 2 and thyroid hormone transporter expression polymorphisms, may benefit from combination therapy. J Endocrinol Metab. 2013;3(6):127-131 doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.4021/jem200w
Understanding Teachers‟ Perception on Organizational Support in Tanzanian Secondary Schools

In attempt to predict the significance of highly Perceived Organizational Support (POS) on employees and organization outcomes, this study examined the perception of teachers on the extent to which their employer cares about their wellbeing and values their contribution to education sector. The study was grounded from organizational support theory and employed cross sectional research design through a sample of 99 secondary school teachers in Tanzania. Results from descriptive analyses and interviews revealed low POS and dissatisfaction of teachers. Results call for managerial attention especially on energizing POS through ethical leadership and effective human resources management practices. This study calls for empirical integration in respect to mediators (fulfilment of teachers’ rights and needs) in the relationship between POS and teachers commitment to teach in secondary schools.
Exploring Parents’ Security and Privacy Concerns and Practices

— Children today grow up within an environment with many digital technologies. Yet, the use of technology also brings with it the need to protect one’s information and devices, and for parents, the need to protect their children as well. Previous research on children has mainly focused on addressing technology use among older teens, who are already primary users of many of the same applications as adults. Yet, little is known about the use of technology by younger children, and parents’ perspectives regarding the privacy and security implications of that use. Through 20 semi-structured interviews conducted with parents of children aged 5-12, this study seeks to provide a clearer understanding of security and privacy related concerns, behaviors, and practices of parents and their children. We aim to expand the knowledge related to technology use in the family, and opportunities to improve how we protect and educate children in security and privacy.
Power in the Firm and Managerial Career Concerns

With more power, a manager can make more decisions or more important ones, and in this way have more impact on his firm. As a consequence, firm performance provides more information about the abilities of more powerful managers, who are more "visible". In this paper I analyze how the allocation of power in the firm affects the managers' career concerns when no manager's power can be increased without reducing another manager's. I show that, with a simple linear technology and risk-neutral managers, it is generally optimal to divide power in an unequal way, even though this may create conflicts of interest between managers. I also analyze how optimal pay-forperformance schemes should depend on the allocation of power.
The Effectiveness of the Gesture-Based Learning System (GBLS) and Its Impact on Learning Experience

Several studies and experiments have been conducted in recent years to examine the value and the advantage of using the Gesture-Based Learning System (GBLS). The investigation of the influence of the GBLS mode on the learning outcomes is still scarce. Most previous studies did not address more than one category of learning outcomes (cognitive, affective outcomes, etc.) at the same time when used to understand the impact of GBLS. Moreover, none of these studies considered the difference in students’ characteristics such as learning styles and spatial abilities. Therefore, a comprehensive empirical research on the impact of the GBLS mode on learning outcomes is needed. The purpose of this paper is to fill in the gap and to investigate the effectiveness of the GBLS mode on learning using Technology Mediated Learning (TML) models. This study revealed that the GBLS mode has greater positive impact on students’ learning outcomes (cognitive and affective outcomes) when compared with other two learning modes that are classified as Computer Simulation Software Learning (CSSL) mode and conventional learning mode. In addition, this study also found that the GBLS mode is capable of serving all students with different learning styles and spatial ability levels. The results of this study revealed that the GBLS mode outperformed the existing learning methods by providing a unique learning experience that considers the differences between students. The results have also shown that the Kinect user interface can create an interactive and an enjoyable learning experience.
Optimal Compensation Rules: Pay-for-Performance vs Fee-for-Service∗

This paper examines the optimal non-linear compensation rule for physicians under pay-forperformance, fee-for-service and capitation payment in the presence of both adverse selection and moral hazard on the supply side. We identify the screening effect of fee-for-service. We provide an argument for the criticism on the shortcomings of fee-for-service. More importantly, we also provide a rationale for the continued use of fee-for-service payment even though serious problems with fee-for-service have been widely acknowledged. When moral hazard is the only problem, we find that fee-for-service can only lead to the substitution of treatment quantity to physician’s effort, which is inefficient. Consequently, fee-for-service payments should not be used in this case. However, when moral hazard is combined with the adverse selection issue, an efficient screening requires a continued use of fee-for-service and less pay-for-performance for the lower productivity physicians. The design of the use of fee-for-service effectively improves screening. JEL Code: I18, D82