Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Composition of essential oil and antioxidant activity of Khat (Catha edulis Forsk), Ethiopia

In this study, we determined the chemical composition and antioxidant activities of the essential oils from two different varieties of khat (Catha edulis Forsk) cultivated in Ethiopia. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation using the Clevenger type apparatus, identifications of compounds were made by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Seventy seven different compounds were identified from essential oils of the two different khat cultivars. The essential oils in the samples from Bahir Dar and Wendo were composed of 50 and 34 compounds, respectively. The major compound identified in khat essentials oils include: limonene, 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione, 1-hydroxy,1-phenyl-2-propanone, camphor, (sulfurous acid)-2-propylundecyl ester, hexadecane, O-mentha-1(7), 8-dien-3-ol, heptadecane, 10-methylnonadecane, (phthalic acid)-isobutyl octadecyl ester, and tritetracontane. The antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity of the oils were assessed by means of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay. The scavenging activities of the oils were 23.5-23.6 μg AAE/kg of fresh khat sample.
A Web-based Learning Programming Portal: Do Instructors Need it to Enhance Novice Students’ Computational Thinking Skill?

Of late, a number of studies have been carried out to infuse the concept of Computational Thinking into programming courses, given that such a concept and programming are closely intertwined. Admittedly, most instructors find teaching programming to be very challenging, especially to novice students. Currently, the dominant teaching approaches used to teach computer programming mainly involve lectures, discussions, and lab practical sessions. Nevertheless, the use of such approaches has been heavily criticized for their ineffectiveness in developing skillful students because of the minimal interaction between students and teachers, especially in large classes. Coupled with the lack of proper teaching aids, the problem is further aggravated, putting the students in a dire situation. Against this backdrop, the authors carried out a study to examine the prevailing problems in the current teaching technique used by programming instructors in teaching programming to novice students, to determine programming instructors’ knowledge about the concept of CT, and to seek a new appropriate teaching aid for teaching programming. A qualitative research method was used involving a semi-structured interview, in which 10 instructors from ten pre-university centers in Malaysia were recruited as the interviewees. The research findings showed that existing teaching approaches used were not effective as students had to rely on additional time to learn programming. In addition, it was found that a majority of the interviewee were fully acquainted with the concept of CT. Moreover, the interviewees professed a strong need for a portal which could be used anywhere, anytime to help novice students to learn programming and enhance their CT skill. Together, these two important findings underscore the imperative to introduce a new teaching approach, preferably aided by a novel application, which can be used by novice students to enhance their programming and CT skills. In this paper, the authors propose an instructional design model for the development of a learning application to help such students.
An ISAR-SAR Based Method for Indoor Localization Using Passive UHF RFID System With Mobile Robotic Platform

A novel RFID inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR)-synthetic aperture radar (SAR) localization method is proposed and demonstrated which exploits reference tags with known locations to estimate the trajectory of a mobile platform and locate target tags with unknown locations. A system that integrates a mobile robot with an integrated RFID reader and antenna is used to obtain phase measurements of both reference and target tags when the robot is moving along its trajectory. The ISAR algorithm estimates the antenna trajectory and a novel ISAR-SAR loop then adjusts the estimated trajectory. The estimated trajectory is combined with phase measurements of the target tags to determine their location. The performance is compared to SAR using a LiDAR measured antenna trajectory. Similar localization accuracy (15 cm MAE) is achieved using LiDAR-SAR or ISAR-SAR method with a straight-line trajectory and higher accuracy (6 cm) is achieved using ISAR-SAR method than LiDAR-SAR method (8 cm) with an L-shape trajectory.
THE EFFECT OF MACROECONOMIC FACTORS ON NON-PERFORMING LOANS: A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS FOR TURKEY

© 2021 JEBUPOR All rights reserved. Abstract With the 2008 Global Crisis, Non-performing loans (NPLs) has dramatically increased in both developed and developing countries. The excessive and uncontrolled increase in NPLs caused serious deterioration in the banking system. Particularly, in the countries, such as Turkey, where the banking system has a quite significant place in financial system, the deterioration in the banking system affects not only financial markets but also the economy in a negative way. In this research paper, the association between exchange rate, interest rate, total loan volume and production (output), which are macroeconomic variables expressed as external factors in the literature, and NPLs is investigated for 2008:01-2017:12 period in Turkey. Unrestricted error correction model (UECM) and boundary test approach with the scope of ARDL analysis developed by Pesaran et al. (2001) is applied as an analysis method. Based on the analysis results, it is found that these macroeconomic variables and NPLs are cointegrated. Moreover, there is an economical and statistically significant relationship between interest rate and total loan volume and NPLs in both long and short term. In other words, it is determined that if interest rate and total loan volume increases, NPLs also move in the same direction.
Microbial Glycobiology: Structures, Relevance and Applications

This book presents in an easy-to-read format a summary of the important central aspects of microbial glycobiology, i.e. the study of carbohydrates as related to the biology of microorganisms. Microbial glycobiology represents a multidisciplinary and emerging area with implications for a range of basic and applied research fields, as well as having industrial, medical and biotechnological implications. Individual chapters provided by leading international scientists in the field yield insightful, concise and stimulating reviews. The book provides researchers with an overview and synthesis of the latest research. Each chapter begins with a brief 200 word Summary/Abstract detailing the topic and focus of the chapter, as well as the concepts to be addressed. It allows researchers to see at a glance what each chapter will cover. Each chapter includes a Research Focus Box and identifies important problems that still need to be solved and areas that require further investigation.
Empirical Investigation of Dynamics of the Two-Fluid Model and Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram with Probe Vehicles

This paper investigates interrelations between two-well established theories on the Two-Fluid Model (TFM) and the Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD), and tries to understand how different monitoring techniques can influence the parameter estimation by utilizing a large data set with more than 20000 probe vehicles from a megacity in China. Characterization of the MFD is being widely used to control traffic congestion in networks, and relies heavily on data from loop detectors. While TFM relies on probe vehicle data to characterize the quality of traffic, and therefore relating the MFD with TFM would provide opportunities to use global positioning system (GPS) data to control traffic with methods similar to those using the MFD. The analysis the data reveals that the assumptions regarding steady-state and ergodicity does not hold in dynamic urban networks with possible bi-modal distributions in the fraction stopped by individual vehicles during a 5 minute analysis period. The authors theoretically and empirically show the existence of a fundamental diagram. Finally, the authors found that with 30% of probe data o the network MFD and the TFM can be reliably estimated.
Calibration of VISSIM for Freeway Work Zones with Time-Varying Capacity

This paper presents a systematic procedure for calibration of a VISSIM model to replicate time dependent capacity, speed, and queue length for a 2-to-1 freeway work zone. The procedure models time dependent capacity by specifying time varying desired speed distributions while car following parameters have default values. Then it calibrates two car following parameters, CC0 (stand still distance) and CC1 (headway time), to reproduce speed and queue length, and it checks the resulting capacity values (i.e. departure rates) with those from field data. The analyses showed that if field speed data is input for desired speed distribution, VISSIM does not reproduce the data for single-lane freeway work zones. Thus regression models were developed to guide users how to determine the input parameters of desired speed distribution. In addition, results showed that different values of CC1 and CC0 could be chosen to replicate flow rate, speed, and queue length data. Among these values, lower CC1 values must be coupled with higher CC0 value (and vice versa) in order to produce field data.
Determinant Factors for Commercialising Research Products in Malaysian Public Universities

Commercialisation of the research product has now become a critical issue and has been recognised as a source of wealth creation especially relevant for university in Malaysia. Although many initiatives and efforts have been put forward for commercialisation activities, however the rate of success is still less encouraging.Thus, the purpose of this paper is to review determinant factors for commercialising research products in the Malaysian public universities. For the purpose of the study, interviews were conducted with six academic researchers who have experienced in commercialising their research products successfully. Drawn from their insights and experiences, this study identified the most impactful factors with respect to facilities and supports from the university, competency of the academic researcher, innovative research product and a strong collaboration between university and industry. These factors are important elements for commercialisation of the research products and these factors intertwined with each other. These factors are significant for university, academic researchers and their industry partners to develop and plan strategically for an effective, strategic and sustainable in commercialising research products.
Organizational learning capability

Organizational learning matters now more than ever. In today's hypercompetitive business environment, successful executives must be able to discover opportunities, face problems, and pursue innovative ideas - then turn those ideas into action throughout an organization. Based on both empirical research and practical experience, this book gives managers the tools to do just that. The authors assist practicing managers by providing several examples of successful and unsuccessful organizations and by describing the ways in which they have helped organizations improve learning capability in their consulting practices. Based on detailed case studies, a review of past literature, and data gleaned from a worldwide survey of companies. Organizational Learning Capability is an accessible and useful guide for managers competing in the information economy. It turns abstract ideas into practice, offers tools that managers can use, and presents a simple yet profound road map for making learning a reality.
Empirical Model Discovery and Theory Evaluation: Automatic Selection Methods in Econometrics

Economic models of empirical phenomena are developed for a variety of reasons, the most obvious of which is the numerical characterization of available evidence, in a suitably parsimonious form. Another is to test a theory, or evaluate it against the evidence; still another is to forecast future outcomes. Building such models involves a multitude of decisions, and the large number of features that need to be taken into account can overwhelm the researcher. Automatic model selection, which draws on recent advances in computation and search algorithms, can create, and then empirically investigate, a vastly wider range of possibilities than even the greatest expert. In this book, leading econometricians David Hendry and Jurgen Doornik report on their several decades of innovative research on automatic model selection. After introducing the principles of empirical model discovery and the role of model selection, Hendry and Doornik outline the stages of developing a viable model of a complicated evolving process. They discuss the discovery stages in detail, considering both the theory of model selection and the performance of several algorithms. They describe extensions to tackling outliers and multiple breaks, leading to the general case of more candidate variables than observations. Finally, they briefly consider selecting models specifically for forecasting.
A Framework of Engagement Practices for Stakeholders Collaborating around Complex Social Challenges

South Africa’s interventions to address complex social challenges rely on coordination across several sectors and between different levels of government and society. Improved alignment, planning and coordination are needed when addressing the causal factors of these social challenges. These causal factors include the environments in which people live and their behaviours. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on the recurring engagement of civil society, especially of marginalized stakeholders, as participants in the efforts to address the challenges. The study draws from the promise shown by stakeholder networks, termed Innovation Platforms, in other Sub-Saharan Africa countries to address such complex social challenges. The study aimed to improve the understanding of how a stakeholder network’s engagement practices impact the effectiveness of the network. To this end, a conceptual framework and management tool for stakeholder engagement in IPs is proposed. The study followed the conceptual framework analysis procedure to develop, evaluate and refine the conceptual framework. The article describes the core research outcomes of the framework development approach, starting with a systematized literature review to identify core concepts, followed by interviews with experts and a case study to refine the framework content. The case study applied the framework to develop recommendations for improved engagement in a stakeholder network which has been established around the challenge of vagrancy in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The result of the approach is a multidimensional framework for conceptualizing stakeholder engagement practices in a variety of contexts. The focus of the framework content remains on the practices of engagement which enable effective and fruitful stakeholder interactions within and around a network. The study delivered valuable insights into the nature of some development initiatives in South Africa and the impact of stakeholder engagement on them.
Required Embedment Length of Column Reinforcement Extended into Type II Shafts

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) seismic design specifications on the embedment length of column reinforcement terminating in a Type II (enlarged) shaft are very conservative, especially for large-diameter columns, complicating the construction work and increasing construction costs. This report presents an experimental and analytical investigation to determine the minimum embedment length required and the transverse reinforcement required in the bar anchorage regions of these shafts. Experiments were carried out to investigate the bond strength and cyclic bond deterioration of large-diameter bars and to evaluate the adequacy of the development length requirements in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. Results have been used to develop, calibrate, and validate a semi-empirical bond-slip model for bars embedded in well-confined concrete. The model can successfully reproduce bond deterioration caused by cyclic bar-slip reversals and the tensile yielding of the bar. While the development length tests have indicated that the AASHTO requirements are adequate to develop the expected yield and tensile strengths of a large-diameter bar, further numerical studies using finite element models and Monte Carlo simulations have indicated that they do not have sufficient reliability to develop the full tensile capacity of a bar when uncertainties in material properties and construction quality are considered. New design recommendations on the minimum embedment length have been proposed. Recommendations on the transverse reinforcement required in the bar anchorage region of a shaft are also provided.
New Forms of Assessment: Incorporating EFL Reading and Writing Students’ Contributions

Assessment has witnessed drastic changes in the last decade. However, depending only on the summative assessment might not help in reaching the ultimate goals of enhancing students’ learning and improving instructors’ teaching. Besides, having the instructor as the only assessor in the classroom might hinder personalized learning. Accordingly, the present study aims at investigating the effect of implementing new forms of formative assessment on enhancing EFL freshman students’ reading and writing skills. The study was conducted in a private Saudi university during the academic years 2016 – 2017 and 2017 – 2018. Fifty-two EFL students enrolled in a reading and writing course and randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group participated in the study. The suggested assessment strategy focused on encouraging students to contribute to their learning instead of collecting evidence for their instructor by participating in tests generation, scoring rubrics design and reflection learning logs. A list of dynamic tasks was created in collaboration with students who took the full responsibility of teaching each other. Weekly expert students were assigned to contribute to the learning and teaching of other groups while the instructor's main job was only to facilitate the whole process. Instruments of the study included a pre-post reading and writing test, semi-structured interviews and students’ reflection learning logs where their opinions regarding their learning were constructively measured. Findings proved that students’ high performance was in favour of the items they constructed. Test item writing increased their sense of being responsible for their academic achievement. Their endeavours to produce test items kept them well informed of the specific details of the syllabus and increased their analytical skills. Students had a highly positive attitude towards their participation in test construction. A list of recommendations with the possible drawbacks of learning-oriented assessment were considered as well.
The WorldatWork handbook of compensation, benefits & total rewards : a comprehensive guide for HR professionals

Introduction Redefining Employee Rewards by Anne C. Ruddy Chapter 1. Total Rewards: Everything that Employees Value in the Employment Relationship. Chapter 2. Why the Total Rewards Approach Works. Chapter 3. Developing a Total Rewards Strategy. Chapter 4. Designing a Total Rewards Program. Chapter 5. A Total Rewards Design Tool That Measures Up. Chapter 6. Communicating Total Rewards. Chapter 7. Compensation Fundamentals. Chapter 8. Regulatory Environment: The FLSA and Other Laws That Affect Compensation Practices. Chapter 9. Market Pricing. Chapter 10. Salary Surveys: A Snapshot.
Εκπαίδευση, Δια Βίου Μάθηση, Έρευνα και Τεχνολογική Ανάπτυξη,

In the most advanced economies it is observed a tendency towards the job polarisation, which is due to the decline of employment in the middle-skill jobs and its increase in the high-skill and the low-skill jobs. The technological progress and globalisation are the main explanatory factors of the job polarisation. This tendency is not confirmed in the case of Greece. On the contrary, the employment seems to be increased in the middle-skill job and to be shrinked in the low-skill jobs. This is mainly due to the expansion of employment in low intensive technology sectors of the economy.
Integrin-dependent regulation of the endothelial barrier

ABSTRACT The endothelium physically separates blood from surrounding tissue and yet allows for the regulated passage of nutrients, waste, and leukocytes into and out of the circulation. Trans-endothelium flux occurs across endothelial cells (transcellular) and between endothelial cells (paracellular). Paracellular endothelial barrier function depends on the regulation of cell-cell junctions. Interestingly, a functional relationship between cell-cell junctions and cell-matrix adhesions has long been appreciated but the molecular mechanisms underpinning this relationship are not fully understood. Here we review the evidence that supports the notion that cell-matrix interactions contribute to the regulation of cell-cell junctions, focusing primarily on the important adherens junction protein VE-cadherin. In particular, we will discuss recent insights gained into how integrin signaling impacts VE-cadherin stability in adherens junctions and endothelial barrier function.