Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovative beverage production technologies based on Amaranth biomass

The paper presents research results aimed at finding plant raw materials, food biologically active components and reviews the possibility of their organic interaction to a form nutrient phytocomplex to create functional beverages. Using the principles of food combinatorics, we formulate the criteria of safety and usefulness of extracts, the formulation of health drinks using edible red-violet dye enriched with antioxidants from leaves and seeds of the amaranth Valentina variety. The biochemical and mineral composition of the created drink is studied.
Ética y conductas inapropiadas en la práctica de la investigación

An overview of different ethical aspects linked to the research and academic publication processes is presented. Some interactions between the components of the research system are described, which can influence in an inappropriate behavior of researchers when carrying out their work and publish their results. The main values and knowledge that should serve as a frame of reference for researchers to work honestly and make balanced, fair and legal publications, within a rigorous and clear academic style, are highlighted. Some of the main consequences of academic fraud are highlighted, and a call upon researchers is made to foster a culture of good academic practices for students during their training.
High Peel Strength and Flexible Aligned Carbon Nanotubes/Etched Al Foil Composites with Boosted Supercapacitor and Thermal Dissipation Performances

In this work, aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) were grown on etched Al foil with improved bonding strength by direct thermal chemical vapor deposition. In the interface of the ACNTs adjacent to the etched Al substrate, the ACNTs, tangled together as irregularly shaped “tiny twine balls,” were embedded in the cavities of the etched Al foil. Such a unique structure generated strong bonding strength between the as-grown ACNTs and etched Al substrate. The minimal changes for the equivalent series resistance and deformation of the ACNT/etched Al foil after bending test demonstrated the good flexibility and structural stability of the as-prepared composite material. This flexible, binder-free ACNTs/etched Al foil composite material exhibited excellent electrochemical and thermal dissipation performances. This work provided a versatile and adaptable method by forming micro-sized and irregularly shaped cavities on different kinds of substrates to grow CNTs with strong peel strength for various practical applications.
The Effect of Social Capital Assets to the Success of Fisherman’s Household Moving Out of Poverty

Fisherman’s household has the important role to the utilization of marine resources, but most of them are in poverty condition. Fisherman’s household are still the dominant household of poor people in coastal areas, especially in developing countries. This research has conducted to analyze the effect of variables of Social Capital Assets to the successful household of fishermen moving out of poverty. This research was conducted by using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approach. The Survey was conducted in ten coastal villages on the Bengkalis island of Riau Province, Indonesia, by in depth interviewing life story 126 samples of fisherman’s households that are still poor and 65 samples of fisherman’s households that moving out of poverty. The result of this research states that variable of social capital asset that influence to the success of fisherman’s household moving out of poverty are: Amount of social relation; Performance of fisherman’s household in fisherman group; Liveliness fisherman’s households in the fisherman group; Performance in patron and client system with fish dealer; Performance in patron and client system with other commodities dealer and performance relation in social group. Thus the success of fisherman’s households moving out of poverty is determined more by the management of social capital assets. The findings of this research in addition for contributing to the concept of community empowerment, especially on fisherman’s household.
AI digitalisation and automation of the apparel industry and human workforce skills

ABSTRACT AI digitalisation and automation are rapidly transforming the apparel industry, creating the need for a radical evolution of the workforce at all stages of apparel production. This study explores how AI digitalisation and automation is transforming the skills required by the human workforce as well as examined how the future workforce might be trained. The study employed a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with 21 participants from 5 different countries. Findings indicate intellectual, innovative, and creative jobs will be in significant demand in the future of AI and automation. Results indicate digital and technical skills should be emphasised in training of employees, over soft skills. The study suggests that industry and academia must collaborate in identifying and forecasting future skills requirements of the apparel workforce, and that sustainable and ethical practices be followed in technology implementation within the future apparel industry.
Deciphering the Biological Activity of Recombinant Guinea Pig Proteins

The guinea pig is one of the most relevant small animal models for studying a large number of infectious and non-infectious diseases. The major roadblock for its effective utilization is the lack of readily available molecular and immunological reagents. In order to address this issue, some of the important recombinant proteins such as IL-4, IL-10, IL-1β, MCP-1, IFNy and TNFα which were generated previously were analyzed for their biological activity in terms of nitrite production in RAW cells. Interestingly, nitrite production was comparatively more in the presence of TNF-α in comparison with proinflammatory cytokine IFN-y and similar levels of nitrite production were observed in the presence of Th2 cytokines i.e IL-4 and IL-10. We have analyzed the biological activities of these recombinant proteins so that they could be used for a wide array of in vitro and in vivo biological assays.
Optimal weighted estimation versus Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to contrast the Mantel–Haenszel estimator with an optimal estimator to better understand its specific nature, as well as some unique and interesting properties of the data setting for which it was developed. It is emphasized here that the Mantel–Haenszel estimator does not follow from optimality considerations, but nevertheless has properties similar to and often better than the optimal estimator, whose existence we demonstrate in spite of the absence of completeness. It is shown, via simulations and data analysis, that the optimal estimator outperforms the Mantel–Haenszel estimator only in certain settings with huge sample sizes.
A new study of associating inhomogeneous fluids with classical density functional theory

ABSTRACT A new density functional for the study of associating inhomogeneous fluids based on Wertheim's first-order thermodynamic perturbation theory is presented and compared to the most currently used associating density functionals. This functional is developed using the weighted density approximation in the range of association of hard spheres. We implement this functional within the framework of classical density functional theory together with modified fundamental measure theory to account for volume exclusion of hard spheres. This approach is tested against molecular simulations from literature of pure associating hard spheres and mixtures of non-associationg and associating hard spheres with different number of bonding sites close to a hard uniform wall. Furthermore, we compare and review our results with the performance of associating functionals from literature, one based on fundamental measure theory and the inhomogeneous version of Wertheim's perturbation theory. Results obtained with classical DFT and the three functionals show excellent agreement with molecular simulations in systems with one hard wall. For the cases of small pores where only one or two layers of fluid are allowed discrepancies between results with classical DFT and molecular simulations were found. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Using high-throughput phenotypes to enable genomic selection by inferring genotypes

In this paper we develop and test a method which uses high-throughput phenotypes to infer the genotypes of an individual. The inferred genotypes can then be used to perform genomic selection. Previous methods which used high-throughput phenotype data to increase the accuracy of selection assumed that the high-throughput phenotypes correlate with selection targets. When this is not the case, we show that the high-throughput phenotypes can be used to determine which haplotypes an individual inherited from their parents, and thereby infer the individual’s genotypes. We tested this method in two simulations. In the first simulation, we explored, how the accuracy of the inferred genotypes depended on the high-throughput phenotypes used and the genome of the species analysed. In the second simulation we explored whether using this method could increase genetic gain a plant breeding program by enabling genomic selection on non-genotyped individuals. In the first simulation, we found that genotype accuracy was higher if more high-throughput phenotypes were used and if those phenotypes had higher heritability. We also found that genotype accuracy decreased with an increasing size of the species genome. In the second simulation, we found that the inferred genotypes could be used to enable genomic selection on non-genotyped individuals and increase genetic gain compared to random selection, or in some scenarios phenotypic selection. This method presents a novel way for using high-throughput phenotype data in breeding programs. As the quality of high-throughput phenotypes increases and the cost decreases, this method may enable the use of genomic selection on large numbers of non-genotyped individuals.
Using species distribution modelling to guide survey efforts of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in the Central Kyrgyz Ala-Too region

Using species distribution modelling to guide survey efforts of the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in the Central Kyrgyz Ala-Too region. — V. Tytar, T. Asykulov, M. Hammer. — Listed as Vulnerable (IUCN 2017), the snow leopard is declining across much of its present range. One of the major reasons for the snow leopard population decline in the last two decades is a reduction in large prey species that are the cornerstone of the conservation of the snow leopard; in the Central Kyrgyz Ala-Too region such species is primarily the Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica). Understanding factors affecting basic requirement of ibex and shaping its distribution is essential for protecting the prey species snow leopards rely on the most. Using a niche modelling approach we explored which environmental features are best associated with ibex occurrence, how well do models predict ibex occurrence, and does the potential distribution of highly suitable ibex habitat correlate with records of snow leopard. A PC analysis was used to capture aspects of ibex ecology and niche. Results of such analysis agree with the herbivore character of the species and bioclimatic habitat requirements of the vegetation it feeds upon, richer in flatter areas, and where plants may benefit from more sunlight. The niche model based on maximum entropy (Maxent) had “useful” discrimination abilities (AUC = 0.746), enabling to produce a map, where a contour line is drawn around areas of highly predicted probability (> 0.5) of ibex occurrence. In terms of nature conservation planning and setting snow leopard research priorities these areas represent the most interest. With one outlier, most of snow leopard records made in the study area (n = 15) fell within the 10 percentile presence threshold (0.368). Predicted probability of ibex occurrence in places where records were made of snow leopard presence (pugmarks, scrapes etc.) was 0.559 expectedly suggesting areas of high ibex habitat suitability attract the predator.
Hydrothermal synthesis and characterisation of titanate nanomaterial thin films in mixed aqueous NaOH/KOH

Titanate nanomaterial thin films were prepared using an alkaline hydrothermal method in various molar ratios of NaOH/KOH mixed aqueous solution at a total concentration of 10 M. The as-prepared nanomaterials were characterised by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effects of the molar ratio of Na+/K+ on the morphologies and microstructures of titanate nanomaterials were studied. With the molar ratio of Na+/K+ decreases, the mean diameter of nanomaterials increases. The phase and structure transformation of nanomaterials were from sodium titanate nanotubes to potassium titanate nanowires and the formation mechanism was discussed.
Desynchronizing Paralleled GaN HEMTs to Reduce Light-Load Switching Loss

Parallel connection of GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) is a more cost-effective or even an unavoidable solution to achieve higher current ratings. As the load decreases, the switching loss of paralleled HEMTs becomes dominant over the conduction loss, and the overall power conversion efficiency drops sharply. To reduce the light-load switching loss, this article proposes a desynchronizable paralleling scheme. The midpoint (ac terminal) of each paralleled HEMT half bridge is connected with a commutation inductor, which thus, enables two operation modes—synchronous and asynchronous modes. The synchronous mode is activated at heavy loads to share the high current; the added commutation inductors lead to better current sharing than the direct parallel. When operating at light loads, however, the paralleled devices are desynchronized to generate a circulating current flowing through the commutation inductors. The circulating current enables the lagging HEMTs to achieve the zero-voltage switching and allows the leading ones to turn on at a current lower than the load, thereby significantly reducing the total switching loss. In addition, a thermal balancing scheme is proposed to alleviate the thermal stress imbalance between the desynchronized GaN HEMTs. The operating principle and design guidelines of the desynchronizable paralleling scheme are detailed. Finally, experimental results from multipulse and continuous tests of GaN HEMTs are provided to verify the advantages of the proposed paralleling scheme in reducing light-load switching loss and improving light-load efficiency.
The influence of additive manufacturing parameters on the structural and mechanical properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) parts produced by fused filament fabrication

The key to the operation of additive manufacturing is that the parts are made by adding the material layer by layer. Each layer is a thin cross section of the part derived from the original CAD data. Each layer must have a finite thickness and thus the resulting part will be an approximation of the original data. The thinner each layer, the more the resulting piece will be more like the designed part. All additive manufacturing techniques marketed so far use a layered approach. However, certain drawbacks were reported for this type of manufacturing, all depending on certain process parameters. One of the most important build parameters, in terms of cost and final properties, is the build construction angle. The influence of the build positioning (i.e. angle of the layers) in respect to the building plate, during fused filament fabrication of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) parts was studied. The characteristics of interest were: the structural features of the manufactured part and the mechanical properties obtained after tensile, compression, and hardness tests, all as function of the build orientation, while keeping the remaining manufacturing parameters identical. It was observed that the build orientation has a significant influence on the properties.
Goals and Development of the Alaska Volcano Observatory Seismic Network and Application to Forecasting and Detecting Volcanic Eruptions

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) seismic network has been in operation since 1988 and during this time has grown from 29 to 217 seismic stations providing real-time monitoring of 32 active volcanoes in Alaska, as well as useful data for regional earthquake monitoring. Since 1988, AVO has detected 59 volcanic eruptions at Aleutian arc volcanoes, and 31 of these have been captured by local seismic instrumentation. As part of this monitoring effort, AVO has cataloged more than 120,000 earthquake hypocenters and magnitudes associated with volcanic processes throughout the arc. This high rate of volcanic activity provides an excellent opportunity to study seismicity associated with magmatic and eruptive processes and develop and refine analytical techniques to track volcanic seismicity and warn of hazardous eruptions. The network is currently undergoing an extensive upgrade, replacing aging short-period analog seismometers with digital broadband instruments. These are expected to improve AVO’s seismic capability and further facilitate other geophysical instrumentation such as continuous Global Positioning System receivers, infrasound sensors, and web cams.
Extended spectrum β -lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from pregnant women with asymptomatic UTI in Iraq

Background and Objective: Symptomatic and asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) are the most common seen during pregnancy. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production in E. coli is an important mechanism for resistance to β-lactams especially third generation cephalosporins (TGC) and monobactams. This study aims to determine the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli among pregnant women with ASB in Al-Najaf province, Iraq. Methodology: A total of 214 randomly selected, asymptomatic pregnant women were studied from September 1st 2017 to February 31st 2018 in Al-Najaf Province. Urine culture tests for the presence of an uropathogenic E. coli. All isolates were tested for susceptibility by using disk diffusion method. Phenotypic ESBL production were detected using four methods: modified Hodge test, CLSI phenotypic confirmatory test, double disc synergy test, and streaking on CHROMagarTM ESBL agar test. All phenotypic ESBL producing E. coli isolates were screened for blaTEM, blaSHV and blaCTX-M, genes by Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Out of 574 asymptomatic pregnant females, 188(32.8%) women were positive for culture. The most common uropathogenic bacteria isolated was Escherichia coli 76(40.4%). ESBL producing E. coli were 18 (23.7%) determined by using four phenotypic methods. All ESBL producers were resistant 18 (100%) to most of β-lactam antibiotics under study, but still high sensitive 18(100%) to Fosfomycin, Levofloxacin and Carbapenem. 7(9.2%) isolates were found to be ESBL producer by using Multiplex PCR, and 5 (71.4%) isolates carried more than one type of ESBL genes. Two (28.6%) isolates carried only blaCTX-M gene. blaCTX-M gene was most dominant and present in all isolates. blaCTX-M and blaSHV genes were detected in 3(42.8%) isolates, blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes in 2 (28.6%) isolates. Conclusion: The most common cause of ASB among pregnant women was E. coli. ESBL producing E. coli isolates were found in low percentage and resistant to most of β-lactam antibiotics, but no isolate produce carbapenemase. blaCTX-M gene was predominant in ESBL producers rather than other genes.
Multiscale studies on the redistribution and mechanical properties of materials

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Scalable and Efficient Data Management in Distributed Clouds : Service Provisioning and Data Processing

This thesis focuses on scalable data management solutions to accelerate service provisioning and enable efficient execution of data-intensive applications in large-scale distributed clouds. Data-intensive applications are increasingly running on distributed infrastructures (multiple clusters). The main two reasons for such a trend are 1) moving computation to data sources can eliminate the latency of data transmission, and 2) storing data on one site may not be feasible given the continuous increase of data size.On the one hand, most applications run on virtual clusters to provide isolated services, and require virtual machine images (VMIs) or container images to provision such services. Hence, it is important to enable fast provisioning of virtualization services to reduce the waiting time of new running services or applications. Different from previous work, during the first part of this thesis, we worked on optimizing data retrieval and placement considering challenging issues including the continuous increase of the number and size of VMIs and container images, and the limited bandwidth and heterogeneity of the wide area network (WAN) connections.On the other hand, data-intensive applications rely on replication to provide dependable and fast services, but it became expensive and even infeasible with the unprecedented growth of data size. The second part of this thesis provides one of the first studies on understanding and improving the performance of data-intensive applications when replacing replication with the storage-efficient erasure coding (EC) technique.
It is not justified to reject fertility treatment based on obesity

Abstract Obesity can lead to anovulation and subfertility. Around the world fertility treatment is withheld from women above a certain BMI, with a threshold ranging from 25 to 40 kg/m2. The proponents of this policy use three different arguments to justify their restrictions: risks for the woman, health and wellbeing of the future child, and importance for society. In this article we critically appraise these arguments. We conclude that obese women should be informed about the consequences of their weight on fertility and pregnancy complications and encouraged to lose weight. If, however, a woman is unable to lose weight despite effort, we feel there is no argument to withhold treatment from her. This would be unjustified with respect to the treatment of other women with a high risk of complications.
Provision of injectable contraception services through community-based distribution. Implementation handbook.

This handbook describes how to introduce injectable contraceptives to the suite of family planning services offered in an existing community-based distribution (CBD) program. The approach is based on the experiences of two recent pilot projects in Uganda and Madagascar. These countries were chosen because of a dire need for family planning services the existence of established CBD programs and the willingness of their governments to adopt this method of providing injectable contraceptives. The project in Uganda began in the Nakasongola district in 2004 and continues to this day. Its achievements have encouraged the addition of injectable contraceptives to CBD programs in other districts. The program was sponsored by Family Health International (FHI) Ugandas Reproductive Health Division of the Ministry of Health and Save the Children. (excerpt)