Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An evaluator’s reflections and lessons learned about gang intervention strategies: an agenda for research

Purpose This paper is designed to critically review and analyze the body of research on a popular gang reduction strategy, implemented widely in the United States and a number of other countries, to: (1) assess whether researchers designed their evaluations to align with the theorized causal mechanisms that bring about reductions in violence; and (2) discuss how evidence on gang programs is generated and consumed. That review and assessment is then used to frame a research agenda for studying gang interventions. Design/methodology/approach A case study design is used to generate a multi-faceted understanding of the possible avenues for evaluation research on the law enforcement-based strategy known as the Group Violence Intervention. The paper discusses questions that remain to be answered about the strategy, such as “what type of deterrence is operating? ” and if the model actually works by the threat of deterrence, and not by removing high-risk offenders and shootings from the street, what activities are needed to maintain the effect? Findings Across roughly two dozen impact evaluations of GVI, none have examined the likely cause and effect components of this multi-partner strategy in reducing the violence. Furthermore, there are many issues related to the production and generation of criminal justice evaluation research that have adversely pushed the balance of evidence on what works in gang reduction toward law enforcement programming. However, there are many strategies that researchers can use to think broadly about appropriate and holistic research and evaluation on gangs and gang programming. Practical implications The recommendations for research, if implemented, can help build a body of knowledge to move toward community-based and restorative models of gang violence reduction. Originality/value This original piece is one of the first essays to contextualize and discuss how aspects of the production of social science research on gangs may directly impact what programs and strategies are implemented on the ground.
Permafrost Biases Climate Signals in δ18Otree-ring Series from a Sub-Alpine Tree Stand in Val Bever/Switzerland

During recent decades, stable oxygen isotopes derived from tree-ring cellulose (δ18OTRC) have been frequently utilised as the baseline for palaeoclimatic reconstructions. In this context, numerous studies take advantage of the high sensitivity of trees close to their ecological distribution limit (high elevation or high latitudes). However, this increases the chance that indirect climatic forces such as cold ground induced by permafrost can distort the climate-proxy relationship. In this study, a tree stand of sub-alpine larch trees (Larix decidua Mill.) located in an inner alpine dry valley (Val Bever), Switzerland, was analysed for its δ18OTRC variations during the last 180 years. A total of eight L. decidua trees were analysed on an individual base, half of which are located on verified sporadic permafrost lenses approximately 500 m below the expected lower limit of discontinuous permafrost. The derived isotope time series are strongly dependent on variations in summer temperature, precipitation and large-scale circulation patterns (geopotential height fields). The results demonstrate that trees growing outside of the permafrost distribution provide a significantly stronger and more consistent climate-proxy relationship over time than permafrost-affected tree stands. The climate sensitivity of permafrost-affected trees is analogical to the permafrost-free tree stands (positive and negative correlations with temperature and precipitation, respectively) but attenuated partly leading to a complete loss of significance. In particular, decadal summer temperature variations are well reflected in δ18OTRC from permafrost-free sites (r = 0.62, p < 0.01), while permafrost-affected sites demonstrate a full lack of this dependency (r = 0.30, p > 0.05). Since both tree stands are located just a few meters away from one another and are subject to the same climatic influences, discrepancies in the isotope time series can only be attributed to variations in the trees’ source water that constraints the climatic fingerprints on δ18OTRC. If the two individual time series are merged to one local mean chronology, the climatic sensitivity reflects an intermediate between the permafrost-free and –affected δ18OTRC time series. It can be deduced, that a significant loss of information on past climate variations arises by simply averaging both tree stands without prior knowledge of differing subsurface conditions.
Optimization of Processing Conditions of Akara Egbe from Cowpea Substituted with Bambara Groundnut

The effects of Bambara groundnut (BGN) substitution and optimization of the deep fat frying processes of Akara Egbe was investigated in this study. Akara Egbe was prepared from paste formulated from flour mixture ratios of BG (20%-40%) in black-eye cowpea (BEC), frying temperature (145°C-190°C) and time (3-10 minutes) generated using Box – Behnken experimental design. The moisture content, oil content, crispness and colour difference were considered as responses. Optimum conditions obtained for akara egbe substituted with BG was at frying temperature of 190°C, frying time 8.5 minutes and 20% bambara groundnut which gave moisture content of 4.84%, 9.76% oil content, 343.81 N crispness and 15.43 colour. The polynomial regression models were validated with statistical tool whose values of coefficients of determination (R2)) were 0.9663, 0.9161, 1.000 and 0.9988for moisture content, oil content, breaking force and colour difference, respectively. A significant value (p<0.05) were obtained for moisture content, oil content, breaking force and colour difference when akara egbe was substituted with BG correlated with frying temperature and time.
Modal analysis of E-glass basalt laminated composite plates based on experimental mechanical properties using FEA

ABSTRACT The research work presents the comparative study on finite element modal analysis of 14 layers E-glass epoxy (G/E plate) and 10 layers basalt epoxy (B/E plate) composite angle-ply trapezoidal plate for various boundary conditions. The G/E and B/E plate having fiber orientations of [0°/+45°/0°/-45°/0°/+45°/0°]s and [0°/+45°/0°/-45°/0°]s are considered for fabricating plates using compression molding technique to minimize void content. Then, orthotropic properties are determined by experimental testing as per ASTM standards. The effects of different geometrical parameters including aspect ratio (a/b = 1 and 2), taper ratio (c/b = 0.25–1), and span-to-thickness ratio (a/h = 50) of trapezoidal plates on undamped modal analysis are done for G/E and B/E plates. A shell 281 element, which obeys first-order shear deformation theory, is applied in commercial finite element software to extract the natural frequencies and mode shapes for various boundary conditions using properties determined by experimental testing. The calculated mechanical properties are compared between G/E plate and B/E plate, and the results show basalt fiber as alternative material to E-glass fiber. The results of nondimensional frequency parameters and mode shapes of G/E and B/E plate also show good agreement with previous research work.
CMOS Realizable and Highly Cascadable Structures of First-Order All-Pass Filters

Two novel resistorless structures of a first-order voltage-mode all-pass filter are presented in the paper. Both the structures employ a fully differential second-generation current conveyor (FDCCII) as the primary active element, in addition to an active resistor. A grounded capacitor is the only passive component used in both the structures. In both the structures, CMOS realization of FDCCII is utilized; hence, these structures are CMOS compatible. Some of the other highly demanded features possessed by the presented all-pass structures are: a simple circuit topology, electronic tunability, high input impedance, constraint-free operation in terms of passive component matching, and low sensitivity figures. The theoretical performances under ideal and non-ideal scenarios are presented in detail. Furthermore, the proposed idea is extended to an Nth-order voltage-mode all-pass filter and a quadrature oscillator to explore some of the possible applications. PSPICE simulation results verify the theoretical claims of the presented all-pass filters. HIGHLIGHTS Two novel resistorless structures of first-order all-pass filters based on fully differential second-generation current conveyor are presented Performance of the proposed structures are thoroughly described in ideal and non-ideal scenarios Theoretically described details of the proposed structures are verified by carrying simulations on PSPICE using 180 nm CMOS technology An Nth-order all-pass filter and a quadrature oscillator are also presented as applications GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Deficit Irrigation to Enhance Fruit Quality of the ‘African Rose’ Plum under the Egyptian Semi-Arid Conditions

Evolved in South Africa and released to market in 2009, the ‘African Rose’ plum has been introduced and grown under the Egyptian semi-arid conditions since 2010. Within that time, this cultivar has faced significant fruit quality issues, mainly poor color and low total soluble solids (TSS). Several trials using foliarly applied growth regulators have been conducted, but with little conspicuous results on fruit yield and quality. There is very limited information about the relationship between irrigation regime and fruit quality for this cultivar. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to study the effect of deficit irrigation on the quality of the ‘African Rose’ plum during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Five-year-old hedge growing trees were subjected to three deficit irrigation regimes: 100% (control), 80%, and 60% of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) after the pit hardening stage until the end of the harvest season (May to June period) were evaluated. Results indicated that deficit irrigation positively enhanced the levels of abscisic acid (ABA), total phenols, and anthocyanins with improved fruit TSS and maturity index, although fruit yield, acidity, size, and firmness were decreased. Deficit irrigation could be suggested as a sustainable novel solution to improve the fruit quality of the ‘African Rose’ plum grown under the semi-arid conditions of Egypt. Although the total yield and some quality characteristics were not improved, the early harvested fruit with enhanced color and taste could be a good start for additional research to solve other quality-related issues under such conditions.
Nutrient, Antinutrient and Sugar Contents in Desert Date (Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del) Seed and Pulp

This study focuses on the nutrient, antinutrient and sugar contents of (desert date) Balanites aegyptiaca seed and pulp collected from north–east Nigeria. Proximate, mineral, amino acid, antinutrient and sugar compositions were determined using standard analytical techniques. The calculated parameters were metabolized energy, mineral safety index (MSI), mineral ratios of some minerals, isoelectric point (pI), predicted protein efficiency ratio (P–PER) and leucine to isoleucine ratio. The results showed that seed was very rich in crude protein and crude fat with values of 30.80 and 45.53 g/100 g dry weight basis, respectively whereas, the pulp had values of 8.36 and 5.10 g/100 g dw for the same parameters. The following were observed as the most concentrated minerals: P (312.72 and 138.62 mg/100 g dw), Na (58.49 and 47.65 mg/100 g dw) and Ca (48.57 and 40.26 mg/100 g dw) for seed and pulp, respectively. Other minerals analyzed in the samples had values less than 15.0 mg/100 g. No mineral had deleterious value in the MSI. Amino acid analysis of seed and pulp showed concentrations of TAA (63.21 and 42.62 g/100 g cude protein), TEAA (26.19 and 21.88 g/100 g cp) and TNEAA ((26.19 and 21.88 g/100 g cp). Leucine (7.30 g/100 g cp) and Arg (3.69 g/100 g cp) were the most concentrated essential amino acids in seed and pulp. The phytate, tannin and oxalate concentrations were higher in seed compared with that of the pulp. All the sugars were of low levels. Generally, Balanites aegyptiaca seed and pulp contained nutritive minerals and sufficient proportions of EAAs however, dietary formula based on samples of the seed and pulp will require EAAs supplementation except in Leu, TSAA and Phe + Tyr of the seed. Likewise, the high contents of some of the antinutrients may pose a nutritional problem in their consumption.
Developing a Novel Water Quality Prediction Model for a South African Aquaculture Farm

Providing an accurate prediction of water quality parameters for improved water quality management is a topical issue in the aquaculture industry. Conventional prediction methods have shown different challenges like a poor generalization, poor prediction accuracy, and high time complexity. Aiming at these challenges, a novel hybrid prediction model with ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and deep learning (DL) long-short term memory (LSTM) neural network is proposed in this paper. In this innovative hybrid EEMD-DL-LSTM model, firstly, the integrity of the datasets is enhanced by applying moving average filtering and linear interpolation techniques of water quality parameter datasets pre-treatment. Secondly, the measured real sensor water quality parameters dataset is decomposed with the aid of the EEMD algorithm into disparate IMFs and a corresponding residual item. Thirdly, a multi-feature selection process is applied to make a careful selection of a strongly correlated group of IMFs with the measured real water quality parameter datasets and integrate them as inputs to the DL-LSTM neural network. The presented model is built on water quality sensor data collected from an Abalone farm in South Africa. The performance of the novel hybrid prediction model is validated by comparing the results against the real datasets. To measure the overall accuracy of the novel hybrid prediction model, different statistical indices, namely the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Square Error (MSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), are used.
Challenges in the management of obesity in adolescents: an American perspective: a narrative review

Obesity is a preventable, yet costly disease, with an increasing incidence worldwide, with significant long-term implications for adverse health outcomes and burden on health care delivery systems (1-7). The lifetime medical cost is very high for a young child with obesity who in turn may suffer long-term health consequences in adulthood if not addressed early (8-16). The prevalence of obesity in the United States has doubled in the last two decades, with 1 in 5 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old found to be obese (12). Most available published expert recommendations for treatment include a multidisciplinary approach with emphasis on diet, exercise and behavioral modification (13-16). In general, adherence to treatment guidelines is attainable; however, once puberty occurs, the obese adolescent will face an additional multitude of challenges affecting the physical, mental, and social aspects of health. Review Article
Rheumatoid arthritis in a sickle cell patient: a dangerous association?

Introduction - The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis remains a challenge because sickle cell disease can result in various rheumatological manifestations, including joint and bone pain. The concomitant presence of rheumatoid arthritis and sickle cell disease makes the therapeutic management of both conditions problematic. Observation - A 24-year-old man, a nurse by profession, has been followed for 10 years for homozygous sickle cell disease at the Sickle Cell Disease Research Center (CRLD) of Bamako, Mali. He has presented for 8 months symmetrical polyarthritis with morning stiffness of 3 hours, distinct from the usual vaso-occlusive crisis. The Analog Visual Scale was estimated at 80/100. He reported unquantified weight loss and asthenia. The physical examination showed a deformity in bilateral ulnar deviation, flexion of the right elbow, twelve painful joints, and five swollen joints. Normochromic normocytic anemia (hemoglobin 8.3g/dl), inflammatory syndrome with C - Reactive Protein (CRP) 130.91 mg, and Sedimentation Rate (ESR) 72mm at the first hour were noted. Rheumatoid Factor was weakly positive at 21.3 IU and Anti Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies at 385.2 IU. The radiography discovered bilateral erosive carpets without associated tarsitis and osteonecrosis of both femoral heads. The diagnosis of a very active immunopositive erosive rheumatoid arthritis meeting the criteria of ACR / EULAR 2010 was retained. A treatment based on prednisone 10 mg per day was initiated, associated with methotrexate at a dosage of 15 mg weekly in single-dose, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin D. Conclusion - The coexistence of rheumatoid arthritis in sickle cell patients makes the diagnosis of polyarthritis difficult.
Effects of Climate Model Mean‐State Bias on Blocking Underestimation

In discussions of extreme weather trends, the subject of atmospheric blocking remains an open question, in part because of the inability of climate models to accurately reproduce blocking frequency patterns for the current climate. A number of factors have been proposed to explain this failure, including specific problems with model physics and inadequate resolution. In this paper, we show that, in the case of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model (NCAR CAM), its underestimation of blocking frequency is caused by its mean state bias and that correcting that bias increases blocking frequency estimates over Europe and decreases the root‐mean‐square error versus reanalysis from 0.015 to 0.011.
Impact of ethical leadership on organizational climate and its subsequent influence on job commitment: a study in hospital context

PurposeIndividuals often look up to external influencers (leaders) that determine their conduct and form their perception regarding organizational policies and practices which constitute their organizational climate. The importance of organizational climate has been realized off late in various job outcomes among doctors, such as commitment, turnover, etc. Therefore this study aims to investigate the relationship of ethical leadership with organizational climate that may further affect the commitment of doctors in Indian hospitals.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study has been done in 10 public and private Indian hospitals using a questionnaire survey. Data were collected from a sample of 537 doctors, which were further analyzed statistically using structural equation modeling (SEM) through AMOS and SPSS software.FindingsThe results show a significant influence of ethical leadership on organizational climate and organizational climate further has significant relationship with commitment of doctors in Indian hospitals.Practical implicationsThe study has important implication for hospital administration, to identify and place an ethical leadership team at the top, which will further influence the behavior of the followers (doctors). This will further lead to formation of favorable organizational climate fostering commitment in doctors.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies that determines the relationship of ethical leadership with organizational climate and it's further influence on commitment of doctors in large (500 beds and above) public and private hospitals in Indian context.
Psychometric Properties of the Persian Word Pairs Task to Evaluate Declarative Memory

Introduction: According to the declarative/procedural (DP) model, the semantic aspect of language depends on the brain structures responsible for declarative memory. The word pairs task is a common tool to evaluate declarative memory. The current study aimed to design a valid and reliable task to evaluate declarative memory in Persian-speaking children at the learning and retention stages and investigate its relationship with the semantic aspect of language. Methods: A panel of experts agreed on the content validity of the proposed task. The reliability of the task was determined using internal consistency and test-retest reliability. A total of 31 typically developing children aged 7–9 years participated in this study. Results: The content validity of all the 42-word pairs was calculated as one. The test-retest reliability showed a correlation coefficient of 0.825 (P<0.001). The task showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.880). The results of correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between declarative memory and semantic aspect. However, the regression analysis showed that the retention stage can explain 24.2% of the variations in the semantic aspect. Conclusion: It seems that the word pairs task has good validity and reliability to evaluate declarative memory. The task applied to evaluate the semantic aspect can be one of the potential causes of the lack of a relationship between the semantic aspect and declarative memory. The participants’ scores in the retention stage can be predicted concerning their performance at the semantic aspect. Highlights The proposed task has several advantages as follows: Good validity and reliability to evaluate different stages of declarative memory, including learning, immediate recall, delayed recall, delayed recognition, and retention. Children’s performance improves with age at different stages of the task. Subjects’ performance in the retention stage of declarative memory was the only component predicting the score of the semantic aspect. Plain Language Summary One of the components of long-term memory is declarative memory. This memory includes the semantic memory in which information about vocabulary is stored. In this research, the word pairs task was designed to evaluate declarative memory in children aged 7 to 9 years and its validity and reliability were investigated. The final task consists of 42 unrelated word pairs that are presented to children in several stages, and it examines the ability of children to communicate between pairs of unrelated words in terms of meaning (e.g., book-teeth). The better the children's performance in this task is, it indicates the better performance of these children's declarative memory. The task has good validity and reliability and can be used to evaluate children's declarative memory and to determine changes after introducing declarative memory improvement techniques.
Comparing sources of stress for state and private school teachers in England

Teaching is understood to be a highly stressful profession. In England, workload, high-stakes accountability policies and pupil behaviour are often cited as stressors that contribute to teachers’ decisions to leave posts in the state-funded sector. Many of these teachers leave state teaching to take jobs in private schools, but very little is known about the nature of teachers’ work in the private sector. This research addresses this gap in knowledge and compares the sources of stress experienced by 20 teachers in the state sector to those of 20 teachers in the private sector. The paper is based on qualitative data from a larger study. It analyses data collected in interviews and focus groups with classroom teachers and middle leaders working in mainstream primary and secondary phase education in England. The results emphasise state school teachers’ acute distress in relation to workloads driven by accountability cultures. In comparison, private school teachers report less intense experiences of work-related stress, but some identify demanding parents as a concern. The research’s novelty lies in this comparison between sectors and these sector specific insights may help to focus school leaders’ efforts to improve teaching conditions in both sectors.