Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Extruded Soy Protein on the Quality of Chinese Steamed Bread

Five different extruded soy protein isolates (ESPIs) were obtained by extrusion and denoted by IVD1, IVD2, IVD3, IVD4, and IVD5. Then the SDS-PAGE results showed that the subunits of SPI decreased after extrusion, especially the subunits of 90.8, 32.8, and 31.3 kDa, whereas no isopeptide bond was formed. Although SPI improved both the development time (DT) and stability (S) of dough, ESPIs increased S but the DT decreased from 4.3 min to 1.8–2.0 min. Texture profile analysis (TPA) results showed that the hardness and chewiness of Chinese steamed bread (CSB) decreased in the order wheat flour
Genetic diversity of Uapaca kirkiana Muel. Årg. populations as revealed by amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs)

Uapaca kirkiana is a priority fruit tree species for domestication in miombo woodlands of Southern Africa. Natural populations of U. kirkiana are declining through out the woodlands due to deforestation, forest fragmentation and wildfires. Knowledge of population structure and genetic diversity is prerequisite for development of conservation strategies. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) were used to assess the genetic diversity of eight populations from three geographical regions of Malawi. AFLP markers revealed moderate differentiation (GST =0.079) among the populations collected from the three regions, however, there were no significant genetic variations among the regional collections. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) found very high variation (92%) among individuals within populations and 6.8% among populations. The variations between populations indicate that populations can not be considered a single panmictic unit. Analyses of genetic similarity based on unweighted pair group method of arithmetic averages (UPGMA) suggested that the 8 populations fall into three clusters with 5 populations in one cluster, two in another and the lake shore population of Chesamu in its own cluster. Based on results presented it would be cost effective to sample a small number of populations represented by a large number of individuals for germplasm conservation purposes. In view of the wide distribution of U. kirkiana in the miombo woodlands in Southern Africa there is need for a more intensive genetic study to include populations growing in different countries to produce a wider picture of levels of distribution of genetic diversity of the species
Maximizing throughput in zero-buffer tandem lines with dedicated and flexible servers

For tandem queues with no buffer spaces and both dedicated and flexible servers, this article studies how flexible servers should be assigned to maximize the throughput. The optimal policy is completely characterized. Insights gained from applying the Policy Iteration algorithm to systems with three, four, and five stations are used to devise heuristics for systems of arbitrary size. These heuristics are verified by numerical analysis. Throughput improvement obtained when, for a given server assignment, dedicated servers are changed to flexible servers.
Stratified shear flow instabilities in the non-Boussinesq regime

Effects of the baroclinic torque on wave propagation normally neglected under the Boussinesq approximation is investigated here, with a special focus on the associated consequences for the mechanistic interpretation of shear instability arising from the interaction between a pair of vorticity-propagating waves. To illustrate and elucidate the physical effects that modify wave propagation, we consider three examples of increasing complexity: wave propagation supported by a uniform background flow; wave propagation supported on a piecewise-linear basic state possessing one jump; and an instability problem of a piecewise-linear basic state possessing two jumps, which supports the possibility of shear instability. We find that the non-Boussinesq effects introduces a preference for the direction of wave propagation that depends on the sign of the shear in the region where waves are supported. This in turn affects phase-locking of waves that is crucial for the mechanistic interpretation for shear instability, and is seen here to have an inherent tendency for stabilisation.
POLITICAL CONSENSUS THROUGH SETTING INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS CASE OF IAS 22

The study aims to reveal that a valid and effective standard, which formerly issued, may reflect the needs and expectation of few interested powerful bodies due to the neutral comments and dearth of lobbyists in the process of setting the standard. The research investigates the working of the IASB, by exploring the standard setting process specifically in relation to the standard on business combinations which has been on the agenda over an extended period of time. The written submissions in response to 14 issues, proposed in Exposure Draft 61 (1997), to revise IAS 22 âBusiness Combinationâ are analysed to understand whether various comments from different interested parties deliberately affect IASBâs decision. The situations in which any of the lobbyists (e.g. Anglo-American bodies) may exert influence are discussed. The results confirm an overall support to the proposed issues by the participants. So there was a satisfactory degree of consensus between the lobbyists involved in IAS 22 in favour of what the IASB was attempting to do. It may raise our concerns about the effectiveness of the deliberation method in the process of setting IASs. This provides us evidence that the IASB acted independently and made its decisions rationally. However a managed type of consensus was seen, which is consistent with the covert view of excreting power and mimetic isomorphism, as a result of insufficiency of respondents and large numbers of neutral comments on the outcome of the consultation process. It then justifies the needs for a revision of the standard once more as happened in IFRS 3.
Earnings Management, Incentive Contracts, Private Information Acquisition and Production Efficiency

This paper analyzes the use of both reported earnings and price as compensation measures of performance when the firm manager can engage in earnings management and investors can acquire and trade profitably on private information about the firm’s cash flow. We show that the use of price-based compensation, when the only other performance measure is a manipulated earnings report, allows the principal to differentiate between effort and earnings management incentives, in addition to reduce non-cash-flow-related risk from reported earnings. Furthermore, we demonstrate that informed traders’ private information acquisition activities play an important market monitoring role by reducing the level of earnings management and improving manager’s production efficiency through their impact on the tradeoff between earnings and price-based compensations in the optimal incentive contracts.
Estimate of Rayleigh‐to‐Love wave ratio in the secondary microseism by colocated ring laser and seismograph

Using a colocated ring laser and an STS‐2 seismograph, we estimate the ratio of Rayleigh‐to‐Love waves in the secondary microseism at Wettzell, Germany, for frequencies between 0.13 and 0.30 Hz. Rayleigh wave surface acceleration was derived from the vertical component of STS‐2, and Love wave surface acceleration was derived from the ring laser. Surface wave amplitudes are comparable; near the spectral peak about 0.22 Hz, Rayleigh wave amplitudes are about 20% higher than Love wave amplitudes, but outside this range, Love wave amplitudes become higher. In terms of the kinetic energy, Rayleigh wave energy is about 20–35% smaller on average than Love wave energy. The observed secondary microseism at Wettzell thus consists of comparable Rayleigh and Love waves but contributions from Love waves are larger. This is surprising as the only known excitation mechanism for the secondary microseism, described by Longuet‐Higgins (1950), is equivalent to a vertical force and should mostly excite Rayleigh waves.
An Experiment on Reference Points and Expectations

I conducted a controlled laboratory experiment to test to what extent expectations and the status quo determine the reference point. In this experiment, I explicitly manipulated expectations by exogenously varying the fluctuations of lagged beliefs and tested whether expectations affect risk attitudes. I also exogenously varied the time of receiving new information and the magnitude of loss to investigate what determines the adjustment of reference points to new information. Moreover, I derived and tested a new theoretical prediction to distinguish two expectation-based reference dependent models: fixed reference points and stochastic reference points. I find that lagged expectations influence the reference point significantly. While reference points are sticky to lagged expectations, subjects adjust their reference points quickly after receiving new information, which further confirms the roles of expectation as the reference point. The adjustment of reference points depends on the magnitude of loss: subjects get acclimated to the new reference points more slowly when the loss is larger. Moreover, both reduced form and structural estimation support the model of the stochastic reference point reflecting full distribution of expected outcomes rather than that with a fixed reference point.
Viscous Models Comparison in Water Impact of Twin 2D Falling Wedges Simulation by Different Numerical Solvers

Article History: Received: 17 Mar. 2017 Accepted: 9 Nov. 2017 In this paper, symmetric water entry of twin wedges is investigated for deadrise angle of 30 degree. Three numerical simulation of a symmetric impact, considering rigid body dynamic equations of motion in two-phase flow is presented. The two-phase flow around the wedges is solved by Finite Element based on Finite Volume method (FEM-FVM) which is used in conjunction with Volume of Fluid (VOF) scheme in ANSYS Fluent and ANSYS CFX and Phase Field scheme in COMSOL Multiphysics. The method and scheme of simulation are validated by experimental data for geometry with one wedge. The dynamic mesh, mesh motion and moving mesh models are used to simulate dynamic motion of the wedges in ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS CFX and COMSOL Multiphysics, respectively. The vertical velocity and pressure coefficient versus time are determined and comparisons of the computed mentioned parameters against experimental data are performed. The eight characteristics effects of fluid flow are investigated till 0.25 second after wedges falling including impact event. It is demonstrated that the ANSYS Fluent and k-ε were the best software and viscous model, respectively.
Time-dependent fluxes across double-diffusive interfaces

A simple, time-dependent model is proposed to predict the heat and salt fluxes transferred between a hot, salty fluid layer and an overlying colder, fresher fluid layer when the overall density of the lower layer is greater than that of the upper layer. The interface separating the two layers, known as a ‘diffusive’ interface, consists of a purely diffusing core sandwiched between vigorously convecting boundary layers. This type of interface occurs whenever the density of superposed fluid layers depends on two diffusing agents with different diffusivities such that the faster diffusing agent causes a statically unstable density variation while the slower diffusing agent causes a statically stable variation. Early experimental and theoretical studies sought a single relationship between the heat flux $F_T$ across a diffusive interface and the buoyancy ratio $R_\rho\,{=}\,\beta\uDelta S/\alpha\uDelta T$, where $\uDelta T$ and $\uDelta S$ are the differences in temperature and salinity between the well-mixed fluid layers, while $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are the coefficients of thermal and solutal expansion respectively. The model presented here supports more recent experimental findings that the relationship is time-dependent and therefore that results depend on the initial conditions and any forcing applied to the mixed regions. It is predicted that the evolution of the thickness of the core is determined principally by the mismatch between the transport rates of the slower-diffusing species (salt) diffusively from the core and convectively into the mixed regions. The introduction of time-dependence brings together the data from many previous experimental studies for both heat–salt and salt–sugar systems over a wide range of $R_\rho$, and both links and puts into context two previous theories of diffusive interfaces.
Long-term effect of potassium chloride treatment on improving the soil behavior of highly sensitive clay — Ulvensplitten, Norway

Re-establishing high salt concentration in leached low-saline, highly sensitive clays significantly improves their mechanical properties. Long-term effects on quick clay exposed to diffusion of potassium chloride (KCl) from salt wells installed in 1972 at Ulvensplitten, Oslo, Norway, are investigated. The increased undrained and remolded shear strengths, as well as increased Atterberg limits, remain 30 to 40 years later. The undisturbed shear strength increased from less than 10 to 25–30 kPa, and the remolded shear strength increased from less than 0.5 to more than 6 kPa. The liquid limit increased beyond the natural water content. Adding KCl to quick clay improved the properties to such an extent that it no longer appears as quick. Recent ground investigations in the area suggest a permanent effect on an engineering time scale. Consequently, the method may be suitable to prevent large flow slides in quick clay areas.
Consumer Satisfaction and Repurchase Intentions

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between consumer satisfaction and repurchase intentions in order to attempt to resolve the mixed views on these concepts. Data for this study were generated through the secondary sources which include: text books, journals, seminar and conference papers and internet materials. Result of the findings show that there is a positive relationship between consumer satisfaction and repurchase intentions, satisfied consumers are more likely to continue their relationship with a particular firm than dissatisfied ones. All firms that want to create and maintain competitive advantage against rivals should offer superior services to their customers. Customer satisfaction is also important for organizations as it has a positive impact on the overall financial performance of the firms. Establishing direct link between repurchase and satisfaction ratings had not been easy for many organizations and this link can be weak.However, organizations should offer qualitative products and services to their customers as they are the key factors in satisfying customers and they have a positive effect on the repurchase intentions of customers in the future.This study will be useful to both private and public organization as well as future researchers. Keywords: Satisfaction, repurchase intentions and organizations.
Global environmental change I

Resilience is everywhere in contemporary debates about global environmental change. The application of resilience concepts to social and ecological systems and dilemmas has been roundly critiqued for under-theorizing social dimensions, and human geographers particularly have been an important critical voice in highlighting the omission of social, political and cultural dynamics from different resilience literatures. Here I examine whether and how resilience theory and applications are addressing these shortcomings and incorporating these social and political dimensions. My premise is that within the emerging field of resilience there are many voices expressing multiple and often contested interpretations and meanings. The field is rapidly evolving and new ideas are being tested and introduced. Importantly, resilience is here to stay and is being widely taken up and applied in policy and practice. I review theoretical and empirical published research across fields of geography, environmental change, natural resource management, and international development, concentrating on new work since 2010. I examine three emerging topics: community resilience; transformations; and resilience as an organizing concept for radical change. I find that there is still relatively little analysis of social difference and resilience, and there are continuing tensions between normative and analytical stances on resilience. These characteristics are mirrored in policy discourses and local level actions on resilience.
The effects of aging on fertility in men

The decline in the rate of childbirth observed in older couples gives rise to the question of whether there is a relationship between age and fertility. This question has been studied much more extensively for females than for males, perhaps because of the apparent lack of an age limit for males to have children. Investigating the effects of increased age on male fertility components, such as spermatogenesis, testicular histology and male reproductive histology, may help us understand the inverse relationship between age and birth rate. In this review, we have evaluated the literature regarding the effects of aging on fertility in an effort to determine how male reproductive capacity is affected by old age.
Teaching and Learning Problems of the Orang Asli Education: Students’ Perspective

The standard of education among the Orang Asli people as an indigenous ethnic in Malaysia is still at a low level. The majority of the Orang Asli people receive formal education only at the primary level. However, there is a significant trend where the majority of students who completed their primary education will drop out from secondary school. Hence, only two percent have been successful in advancing their higher education in tertiary institutions. Such problems are commonly associated with several factors, including students’ attitudes, awareness among parents about education, local culture, school leadership, school environment, and problems related to the teaching and learning process. For better understanding of this problem, a specific research was carried out to study the Orang Asli students in Kelantan. The research focused on students’ perspectives based on the questions: What are the teaching and learning methods often used by teachers? What are the common problems related to the teaching and learning of the Orang Asli students? What are students' perceptions toward the teaching and learning methods used? The research using qualitative methods involved four Orang Asli villages in the state of Kelantan. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussion and observation. The respondents consisted of children and young adults. Results showed that teaching pedagogy are generally stereotyped and unable to stimulate students’ interest. The common problem in the teaching and learning is related to the attitude and commitment of teachers in the teaching and learning process. The implications of the problems and teachers' attitudes are significantly associated with degrading interest among students on education, issues of attendance and students’ academic performance.
Novel congestion control algorithms for a class of delayed networks

Time delays are often instability sources and give rise to undesired oscillation and performance degradation, so it is necessary to consider delay in general congestion control schemes. In this paper, a new system model for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is established in discrete time, subsystems including delay are presented, and the overall model is achieved by blending these subsystems. For controller synthesis, common quadratic Lyapunov functions and a new approach based on nonquadratic Lyapunov functions are utilized, and a controller is designed to stabilize each subsystem. The controller synthesis results are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Moreover, the performance of our proposed scheme is considered and the decay rate is guaranteed. Finally, a set of novel congestion control schemes is derived for WSNs, and the resulting closed-loop systems are globally asymptotically stable in case of queue length changes and the consequent delay changes. The simulation results are also presented to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Regional and Temporal Variations in Transportation Costs for U.S. Imports from Canada

This paper examines the behavior of transportation costs associated with U.S. imports from Canada. In particular, it evaluates whether transportation costs for U.S. imports from Canada increased in the post-9/11 period, thereby contributing to a â€œthickeningâ€ of the Canada-U.S. border. It also identifies whether changes in transportation costs varied across U.S. customs districts encompassing land ports along the Canada-U.S. border. The evidence indicates that an earlier declining trend in transportation costs noticeably decelerated in the post-2001 period. Furthermore, there was substantial variation in the rate of deceleration across the sample customs districts. The variation seems to be related to differential impacts of government policies across regions, such as â€œTrusted Tradeâ€ programs, rather than to changes in commodity import mixes or susceptibility of commodity import mixes to border disruptions.
Effect of Multisensory Intervention on Locomotor Function in Older Adults With a History of Frequent Falls

Falls are common, costly, and a leading cause of death among older adults. The major predisposing factors of a fall may include age-related deterioration in the dynamic system composed of auditory, somatosensory, vestibular, visual, musculoskeletal, and neuromuscular subsystems. Older adults with a history of frequent falls demonstrated significant reductions in gait velocity, muscle force production, and balance performance. These altered neuromechanical characteristics may be further exaggerated when faced with conflicting multisensory conditions. Despite the important contribution of multisensory function on the sensorimotor system during postural and locomotor tasks, it remains unclear whether multisensory intervention will produce dynamic balance improvement during locomotion in older adults with a history of frequent falls. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to address important factors associated with falls in elderly adults and provide theoretical rationale for a multisensory intervention program model.
Astrocyte Pathophysiology in Liver Disease

Liver disease is one of the major chronic disabilities around the world. It is known that global casualties are increasing because of virus C infection, alcohol consumption, or nonalcoholic circumstances. One of the main derived comorbidities of liver disease is the hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a severe neuropsychological syndrome derived from the acute or chronic liver disease. A key feature accounting for HE symptoms in cirrhotic patients is brain edema, which is triggered by hyperammonemia. In basal conditions, ammonia can be metabolized in the central nervous system (CNS) by astrocytes, which synthetize glutamine using ammonia and glutamate as substrates. In hyperammonemic conditions, astrocytes synthetize large amounts of glutamine generating a hyperosmotic condition, inducing these cells to become swollen in shape, invoking the characteristic symptom clinically manifested in patients with HE, as brain edema; this condition is regulated by water channels called aquaporins (AQPs) and by other molecules such as myoinositol. Experimental evidence suggests that some small non-coding RNAs may regulate AQPs expression both in vivo an in vitro and that some pharmacological interventions improve cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients. It is undeniable that astrocytes and the different signaling pathways beneath its plasma membrane play a crucial role in liver disease-derived HE and represent some of the novel pharmacological targets to treat comorbidities of the liver disease.