Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Political Regime and Institutions on Government Size in Middle-income Countries

This study analyses the impact of political regimes and institutions on government size while controlling for socio-economic factors for a group of 56 middle income countries over the period 1986-2014. The empirical analysis shows that the institutional quality index has a negative impact on government size. Furthermore, institutions have a positive impact on “productive” government spending, while having a negative impact on “unproductive” government spending. The analysis also shows that institutional democracy, political regime and stability of political system are the key political determinants of government size. A stable democratic system backed by well-defined institutions could help to manage government size. It ensures transparency and political contestability which leads to control over the use of public resources. The analysis further shows that the GDP per capita has a positive and significant impact on government size at all stages of development. It implies that there is a natural growth of government size due to economic development. This analysis provides useful insights for policy makers to manage government size. A stable political system supported by good quality institutions is a prerequisite to managing scarce public resources. JEL Classification: E13, O43, O47 Keywords: Political Regime, Institutions, Government Size, Middle Income Countries
Muhammad Usman Sanwal: Formal Model Refinement for Complex Biological Systems

There is a big interest in building large biological models and various approaches are being used for constructing such systems. Larger models are needed in system-level approaches (such as systems biology, systems medicine, systems immunology, etc.) to describe the global behavior of a complex system as a result of the interactions between myriads of local processes. Mostly it is done by assembling present submodels and then adding more details to these models. Such models are rarely successful in the biological domain, as opposed to software systems engineering where the technique is widely used. The main reason for this is that the interaction between the submodels is not included through their composition and so the resulting model remains to a large extent a heterogeneous collection of separate modules. This also leads to the new model exhibiting poor experimental t to laboratory data, even if the separate modules were carefully tted to the relevant local data. Consequently, model tting has to be (re)done, a process whose computational complexity increases quickly with the size of the model, also one that requires more and more new data to be done successfully. The approach we took in this thesis is to develop a complex model step by step by adding details starting from a blueprint-like basic model, making sure that quantitative model properties such as its data t, are preserved in each extension step. We used Event-B modeling for this purpose. Event-B o ers a great feature of re nement which is vital for building large models. In Event-B, a large model is constructed through stepwise re nement. We start with a basic model which has con ned details and present further information of the model by adding new events in di erent re nement steps. The models we get with Event-B re nement are formally connected to each other through the re nement relation and can be employed at any level of details. Event-B comes with the tool support of Rodin which also serves the purpose of formal veri cation at each step of the model building. To the best of our knowledge, this was the rst time Event-B was being used for the modeling of biological systems. We introduce in this thesis a systematic method for building an Event-B model corresponding to a given chemical reaction network, in such a way that mass-conservation relations in the reaction network become invariant
Health status of adolescent school going children with special reference to waist hip ratio

Background: A school is a key location for educating adolescents about health, hygiene and nutrition. Adolescence is period of critical development and transition. These changes have important implications for health. Aims and objectives of the stud was to study the role of WHR in nutritional assessment in adolescent school children and compare it with BMI as an assessment tool and to study nutritional status of municipal and private school. Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in 10-17-year-old school children in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. There were 2 private and 2 municipal schools selected randomly by purposive sampling. Child absent or not well on the day of study were excluded. Results: Incidence of obesity is 42.9% and 57.1% in municipal and private school respectively. Incidence of overweight is 47.2% and 52.8% in municipal and private schools respectively. (2.9%) adolescents had BMI range of 25-29.9 which is considered to be overweight. However, the percentage of overweight and obese was raised at 28% and 23.5% respectively when classified as per WHR. Conclusions: The difference between incidence of overweight and obesity in private and municipal schools were not statistically significant. A combination of increase BMI with increase WHR is a stronger indicator of increase health risk.
Evaluation of Kodo millet varieties for standardization of cookies

Kodo millet varieties (T1V1 CO3, T1V2Market variety), were procured from different places and study their physical and nutritional characteristics to found that best kodo millet variety for the standardization of cookies. The physical characteristics of kodo millet varieties viz., thousand grain weight, thousand grain volume and bulk density were studied and the values are higher than the market variety. The nutritional characteristics of kodo millet varieties viz., carbohydrate, protein, crude fibre, calcium and iron content was 65.15g, 8.25g, 8.90g, 26.00mg and 0.47mg in CO3 respectively. Cookies were prepared from kodo millet variety by incorporating flour each at 25, 50 and 75 per cent levels. The developed cookies were subjected to sensory evaluation for their organoleptic properties viz., colour and appearance, flavour, texture, taste and overall acceptability by a panel of 25 members using a nine point hedonic scale. The scores for T1V1 and T1V2 at 25, 50 and 75 per cent incorporation levels were 8.5, 8.6, 8.1 and 8.2, 8.4 and 8.0 for colour and appearance respectively. The overall results revealed that T1V1 sample were comparatively higher in physical and nutrient content and sensory scored 8.5 and was highly acceptable at 50 per cent incorporation level when compared to the market variety. Based on the results of physical and nutritional, formulation and sensory characteristics of the kodo millet composite flour used for the optimization of cookies, the varieties T1V1 were identified to be best suited for the product development.
EXERCISE-ASSOCIATED MUSCLE CRAMP

• Exercise-associated muscle cramp (EAMC) is a temporary, but intense and painful, involuntary contraction of skeletal muscle occurring during or soon after a period of physical activity. • EAMC is highly unpredictable, and some individuals appear more susceptible than others. • Single small muscles (often those in the hand or foot) or multiple large muscle groups may be involved. • Proposed mechanisms include disturbances of water and electrolyte balance and abnormal spinal reflex activity. • It seems likely that different mechanisms may operate in different scenarios. • No prevention strategy or treatment is consistently effective: trial and error may help to establish effective procedures. EXERCISE-ASSOCIATED MUSCLE CRAMP
Efficient Closed Frequent Pattern Mining using Binary Representation with Same Support Value

: This paper is Efficient Closed Frequent Sequence Pattern Mining using Binary Representation with Same Support Threshold Value (ECloSPAM). The objective of this research paper is to find the closed frequent item sets from massive sequence database. The ECloSPAM discovers less numbers of closed patterns in sequence databases. The experimental assessment is shown that the proposed algorithm efficient than previous closed pattern mining algorithm. The Same Support Value is used to prune search space accordingly by the given min_sup value
Conformations and Three-Dimensional Structures of Selected SARS-CoV-2 Drug Candidates

Quantum mechanical theories are used to search and optimize the conformations of proposed small molecule candidates for treatment of SARS-CoV-2. These candidate compounds are taken from what is reported in the news and in other pre-peer-reviewed literature (e.g. ChemRxiv, bioRxiv). The goal herein is to provide predicted structures and relative conformational stabilities for selected drugs and ligands, in the hopes that other research groups can make use of them for developing a treatment. The following six compounds are investigated: chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, eriodictyol, silmitasertib and valproic acid.Initial exploration for conformations are performed at the HF/6-31G(d)//HF/6-31G(d) theory level, which are then further optimized at more rigorous theory levels (e.g. B97-D3BJ/cc-pVTZ//B97-D3BJ/cc-pVTZ). The resulting structures are made available via GitHub.
Enterprise Architecture for e-Strategy Standardization and Management: Lessons Learnt from Greece

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a dynamically evolved area, suggesting frameworks and methods to indentify and close gaps, and to handle complexity and change in a private or public organization. Major e-Government strategies around the globe have developed and applied various EA frameworks that guide their implementations. EA in e-strategies support Governments by obliging various agencies to design, specify and implement their e-Government projects under common standards and directions, and to guarantee systems’ interoperability. In Europe, European States implement their e-Strategies usually according to central political objectives, directives and frameworks, defined and agreed by the European Council. Recent European e-Strategy recognizes standardization’s necessity, but it does not suggest a common EA for national or supranational projects. However, some European countries have developed their own EAs, while others have limited their standardization efforts in aligning their strategies to the European ones and in the specification of similar interoperability frameworks. In this paper we present some important EAs followed by major e-Strategies, together with their recent outcomes. On the contrary, we present e-Government implementation in Greece, where no EA was followed. We use some tenders’ data in order to present how the absence of an EA leads to similar projects’ differentiation on design, costing, implementation and sustainability.
Optimising drying conditions for maximum nutritional quality and bioactivity of Cucurbita pepo L var. fastigata flesh and seeds

Purpose: Transformation of pumpkin flesh and seeds into dry flours increases their shelf stability and versatility. This study sought to optimise drying conditions for production of flour with high nutritional and nutraceutical value from flesh and seeds of C. pepo L var. fastigata using Response Surface Methodology, I optimal design. Research Method: Pumpkin flesh and seeds were dried following temperature time combinations got using I optimal design. All dry samples were tested for ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, total antioxidant capacity and starch digestibility. Seeds were also tested for in vitro protein digestibility, trypsin inhibitor activity, alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol, and alpha tocotrienol. Findings: The predicted optimum drying conditions for production of C. pepo L var. fastigata flour with maximum nutritional quality and bioactivity were 57°C; 6.9 hours for flesh and 60°C; 3.15 hours for seeds. The most influential model terms were temperature for resistant starch, in vitro protein digestibility, trypsin inhibitor activity, total carotenoids, alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol and alpha tocotrienol; quadratic term of temperature and time for ascorbic acid; and drying time for total antioxidant activity of the flesh and temperature for antioxidant activity for seeds. Research limitations: Dryer air flow rate was not included as a variable. Originality/Value: Results give, for the first time, an objective basis for choice of the drying conditions C. pepo L var. fastigata flesh and seeds for maximum nutritional and health benefits.
A GLOBAL DYNAMICS PERSPECTIVE FOR THE ANALYSIS, CONTROL AND DESIGN OF MECHANICAL AND STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

The achievements occurred in nonlinear dynamics over the last thirty years entail a substantial change of perspective when dealing with vibration problems, since they are now deemed ready to meaningfully affect the analysis, control and design of mechanical and structural systems. The paper aims at highlighting and discussing the important, yet still overlooked, role that some relevant concepts and tools may play in engineering applications. Upon dwelling on such topical concepts as local and global dynamics, bifurcation and complexity, theoretical and practical stability, attractor robustness, basin erosion, dynamic integrity, recent results obtained by the authors and collaborators for a variety of systems and models of interest in mechanics and structural dynamics are overviewed in terms of analysis of nonlinear phenomena and their control. The global dynamics perspective permits to explain partial discrepancies between experimental and theoretical/numerical results based on merely local analyses, and to implement effective dedicated control procedures. This is discussed for discrete systems and reduced order models of continuous systems, for applications ranging from macro to micro/nano mechanics. Fundamental understanding of nonlinear physical phenomena producing bifurcations and complex response has now reached a critical mass, so it is time to exploit their potential to enhance performance, effectiveness, reliability and safety of technological systems, and to develop novel design criteria. Giuseppe Rega, Stefano Lenci
Adaptive Vector Nonsingular Terminal Sliding Mode Control for a Class of n-Order Nonlinear Dynamical Systems with Uncertainty

This paper proposed an adaptive vector nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (NTSMC) algorithm for the finite-time tracking control of a class of n-order nonlinear dynamical systems with uncertainty. The adaptive vector NTSMC incorporates a vector design idea and novel adaptive updating laws based on the commonly used NTSMC, which consider the common existence of the degree-of-freedom (DOF) directional differences and eliminate the chattering problem. The closed-loop stability of the n-order nonlinear dynamical systems under the adaptive vector NTSMC is demonstrated using Lyapunov direct method. Simulations performed on a two-degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulator are provided to illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed adaptive vector NTSMC by comparing with the common NTSMC.
A Machine-Learning Approach for the Prediction of Enzymatic Activity of Proteins in Metagenomic Samples

In this work, a machine-learning approach was developed, which performs the prediction of the putative enzymatic function of unknown proteins, based on the PFAM protein domain database and the Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers that describe the enzymatic activities. The classifier was trained with well annotated protein datasets from the Uniprot database, in order to define the characteristic domains of each enzymatic sub-category in the class of Hydrolases. As a conclusion, the machine-learning procedure based on Hmmer3 scores against the PFAM database can accurately predict the enzymatic activity of unknown proteins as a part of metagenomic analysis workflows.
miR-375 Inhibits the Proliferation and Invasion of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells by Suppressing PDK1

Purpose In patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), the expression of PDK1 is remarkably improved in NPC tissue and correlated with the clinicopathological severity of NPC. We expressed miR-375 in NPC cells to study the effects on PDK1 gene expression. We also investigated the mechanism by which miR-375 affects the biological behavior of NPC cells through effects on PDK1. Methods qRT-PCR was carried out to analyze miR-375 and PDK1 levels in NPC cells. NPC cells were transfected with miR-375 inhibitor or miR-375 mimic. CCK-8 testing, colony formation testing, transwell testing, and flow cytometry analysis were carried out to quantify the cells' biological behavior. Rescue experiments demonstrated that the recovery of PDK1 expression was able to reverse the influence of miR-375 inhibition on NPC diffusion and intrusion. The interaction between miR-375 and PDK1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene testing. Results The results revealed that miR-375 has a negative regulatory effect on PDK1 expression in NPC cells. Furthermore, PDK1 is a target gene for miR-375. The empirical results obtained demonstrated a negative correlation between tumor development and the level of miR-375 expression in NPC tissues. The excessive expression of miR-375 and the downregulation of PDK1 facilitated the diffusion and invasion of NPC cells. Conclusion The diffusion and incursion of NPC cells may be inhibited by direct targeting of PDK1 and decreasing the expression of miR-375. Our study highlights efforts to target PDK1 and miR-375 as potential therapeutic strategies for use in the treatment of NPC.
International trade and the competition dynamics of multiproduct firms

We investigate the effects of import penetration on the observed price-cost margins using an unbalanced panel of some 70,000 firms, on average, operating in the Italian manufacturing sector from 2000 to 2007, controlling for the potential endogeneity of the trade measure and the multi-product characteristics of firms. Using an error correction model to distinguish the short vs. long-run adjustment path of the PCM, we find that, in the short-run, multiproduct firms have a more sluggish adjustment of their PCM to the trade shock. In the long-run we find a robust negative relationship between the PCM and import penetration, while no significant role is played by the multi-product characteristic of the firm. This finding suggests that the pro-competitive effect of trade shocks affect steady-state industry equilibria, with the characteristic of being a multi-product firm endogenous to the market structure. However, in the short run the adjustment process of multi-product firms to the trade shock might be significantly more sluggish. JEL classification: F15, L11
RECENT DEVELOPMENT OF HEAVY-ION RADIOTHERAPY WITH HIMAC

NIRS has successfully conducted the heavy-ion radiotherapy with HIMAC since 1994, and the accumulated treatment number exceeded 10,000 in 2015. During the last two decades, NIRS has developed both the accelerator and beam-delivery technologies related to the carbon-ion radiotherapy, which has boosted up the carbon-ion radiotherapy in Japan. At present, NIRS has developed a carbon-ion rotating gantry with the superconducting technology to be operated from 2016.
The Spatial Pattern of a Kampong Area in Malang City using a Space Syntax Approach

In Indonesia, a kampong is an urban village area where around 75% of the city population lives. Nowadays, urban villages are getting the attention of city governments with regard to the development of village improvement programs and the preservation of urban villages following certain themes, including in Malang City. Referring to one of the issues in urban planning relating to a sustainable urban form, it is necessary to study the pattern of kampong in Malang city as a reference for developing urban villages in accordance with their basic pattern. The object of the research is kampong that have certain themes related to urban tourism development in Malang. The determination of this kampong pattern uses the calculation of depth and connectivity, which is a mathematical method of justified graphs using DepthMapX software. This method is used to identify the characteristics of kampong spatial patterns in Malang city. Furthermore, to identify the expected pattern, a comparison was made between the village patterns by calculating depth and connectivity on maps in several thematic villages in Malang city. The objective of this study is to identify a calculation that will be used in determining the pattern of kampong that occurred due to the development of a city. From this calculation, it will be possible to find out which kampong experienced changes from its previous planning
The optimization of growth parameters in a anodic chamber of a microbial fuel cell

The pollution is a result of drastically rising fossil fuel usage due to increased global population and industrialization. Today’s world needs to replace fossil fuels with new and renewable energy sources. Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are devices that convert the chemical energy to direct electricity by microbial metabolic activity. Microbial growth was actualized at the anodic chamber of MFC and must be controlled carefully by microbial methods. The main aim of this study is optimizing the growth parameters of microorganisms in two-chambered MFC with optical density, dried and wet weight of microorganisms that were grown at the anode chamber of MFC. Moreover, the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) values of medium were determined at fed cycles of MFC. The total volume of MFC was 0.7 L and the connection was made with the salt bridge between anode and cathode compartments. The anode chamber was used for bacterial growth that was taken from Akkaya Dam slime, was fed with molasses medium at 5 days intervals. The OD values were determined with a spectrophotometer at 600 nm, COD values were determined with the standard method and wet-dry weight also determined as a function of the incubation period.
Does Reward Enforcement and Organization Boundaries lead to Sustainable Supply Chain Performance in Indonesian SMEs? A Moderating role of Work Discretion

Manufacturing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) of Indonesia are suffering with low business performance due to ineffective supply chain activities. Therefore, this study is an attempt to highlight the issue of low supply chain performance in manufacturing SMEs of Indonesia and one of the attempts to provide the solution of this issue. The current study examined the effect of three corporate entrepreneurship dimensions on supply chain. Dimensions include; reward enforcement, organization boundaries and work discretion. Therefore, objective of this study is to investigate the effect of reward enforcement, organization boundaries and work discretion on sustainable supply chain performance among Indonesian manufacturing SMEs. Data were collected from the manufacturing SMEs of Indonesia and employees of these SMEs were considered as the respondents of the study. Finally, data were analysed through statistical software. Results of the study revealed that corporate entrepreneurship is important to handle supply chain issues. It is found that reward enforcement and organization boundaries have the key contribution to provide sustainable supply chain performance. Moreover, work discretion also has crucial role to enhance the positive effect of corporate entrepreneurship on sustainable supply chain performance.
Formation of Mesenchymal Tissues in Alvetex®Scaffold Derived From Stem Cells and Established Cell Lines

Based on an increasing body of evidence, it is generally accepted that culturing cells in three dimensional (3D) models can lead to superior cell viability, differentiation and function compared to existing conventional culture systems where cells largely grow as monolayers on two dimensional (2D) substrates. These enhanced qualities are important for the retention of the in vivo-like cell phenotype and cell differentiation potential and subsequent functionality as required for downstream applications. Here we demonstrate the application of Alvetex®Scaffold technology for the growth and differentiation of mesenchymal cells and the formation of differentiated tissues.