Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Chrysophyllum albidum Linn (Family: Sapotaceae) endosperm seed gum for potential application as pharmaceutical excipient

Pharmaceutical excipients are components of dosage forms which though present in small quantities enable formulations acquire some desirable characteristics that are suitable for administration to patients. Excipients are often times present in greater proportion with regards to the active pharmaceutical ingredient in most formulations thus control a wide variety of functional roles such as physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of the active pharmaceutical ingredients in formulation systems. They thus play important roles in development of drug formulations which makes it expedient that their selections are pharmaceutically acceptable with regards to non-toxicity, microbial safety and compatibility with active pharmaceutical ingredients. There is an increasing global interest and use of natural polymers and their derivatives as excipients in formulation systems. A polymer is a large molecule (macromolecules) composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. They are
Control Cognitivo en Trastornos de Ansiedad: Creencias y Estrategias Metacognitivas

In the present paper the relevance that cognitive control processes may have in anxiety disorders such as GAD and OCD is assumed. It is pretended to identify the metacognitive beliefs deriving from S-REF model by Wells and Mathews (1996; Wells, 2000) specially in GAD and TOC, and explore the effect that those beliefs may have when using cognitive control strategies. A sample of 75 participants, 24 of them diagnosed with GAD or TOC and 51 of them without mental disorders, were assessed through MCQ-30 and TCQ. ANOVA analysis found that subjects with anxiety disorders obtained higher scores in beliefs about the dangerousness of not controlling their worries than subjects without mental disorders. Regression analysis found that this kind of beliefs led to the use of desadaptative cognitive control strategies, such as the self-punishment.
Batch Equilibrium Adsorption of Cyanides from Aqueous Solution onto Copper- and Nickel-Impregnated Powder Activated Carbon and Clay

The present paper reports the removal of cyanide ions from aqueous solutions using Cu/PAC, Ni/PAC, Cu/Clay and Ni/Clay adsorbents at pH=11. At this pH, the cyanide is completely dissociated into its ions. Equilibrium data fitted Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms well. The applicability of the isotherm equation to describe the adsorption process was judged by the correlation coefficients, R 2 , values. The Langmuir model yielded the best fit with R 2 values equal to or higher than 0.960, as compared to the Freundlich model. The fact that 1/n values range from 0.20 to 0.58 indicates that the adsorption of cyanide ions onto these metal supported adsorbents is also favored by the Freundlich model.
Are Universities in Taiwan Less Efficient than Top Universities in the World

The world has put an increasing emphasis on the university ranking system in the last decade. However, only one university in Taiwan has once dashed into the top 100 league of the world ranking system. The Taiwan Government has blamed the higher educational institutions in Taiwan for less efficient, while many scholars attribute the major cause to the insufficient investment in the higher educational system. This research thus endeavored to compare the efficiency among universities in Taiwan and those in the world. DEA and AHP were adopted as main research methods. The research results indicated that Taiwan universities were efficient when comparing with their world counterparts.
Seed release without fire in Pinus halepensis, a Mediterranean serotinous wind‐dispersed tree

1 Although serotiny is frequently considered to have evolved under the selective pressure of fires, the drying conditions that induce cone opening are not necessarily associated with fire. We hypothesized that in Pinus halepensis, a Mediterranean serotinous wind‐dispersed tree, xeriscence (seed release induced primarily by drying conditions not generated by fire) bears intrinsic adaptive values, independent of those of pyriscence (fire‐induced seed release).
Meteorological factors and Asian soybean rust epidemics: a systems approach and implications for risk assessment

Condicoes meteorologicas e ambientais sao componentes criticos nas epidemias de ferrugem asiatica da soja (FAS), doenca causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi e que causa o maior dano na cultura da soja. Nesta revisao, o conhecimento sobre o efeito de fatores meteorologicos que influenciam nas epidemias foi usado para construir uma abordagem sistemica para compreender o risco de epidemias de FAS. Esta e baseada em uma estrutura hierarquica onde os fatores relevantes que afetam os estagios chave no ciclo da doenca foram delineados, incluindo os componentes aerobiologicos e epidemiologicos. As seguintes caracteristicas epidemiologicas foram avaliadas: liberacao de esporos, dispersao de esporos, deposicao de esporos, eficiencia de infeccao, periodo latente e producao de esporos. O conhecimento sobre os fatores meteorologicos que afetam cada um dos componentes foi revisado, sendo identificados os fatores mais importantes e as falhas de conhecimento, bem como as implicacoes para a previsao da doenca. A informacao e importante para orientar a pesquisa epidemiologica futura e especialmente desenvolver e melhorar modelos de risco da doenca em niveis locais a regionais.
Risk Profile and 1-Year Outcome of Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation in Japan　- Insights From GARFIELD-AF.

BACKGROUND Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective non-interventional study of stroke prevention in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular AF (NAVF) that is being conducted in 35 countries. Methods and Results: A total of 52,081 patients with a new diagnosis of NVAF were enrolled prospectively in GARFIELD-AF. Of these, 4859 (9.3%) were recruited in Japan (2010-2016). In cohort 1 (2010-2011), few patients were on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) globally. From cohort 2 onwards (2011-2016), however, there was a rapid increase in NOAC use around the globe, especially in Japan. By the last year of enrolment (2015-2016), 67.9% of patients in Japan and 43.1% of patients globally were on NOAC±antiplatelet therapy (AP). In Japan and globally, 17.0% and 12.2% of patients, respectively, did not receive stroke prevention treatment. Few patients in Japan (5.7%) received AP only. Compared with the other countries, the unadjusted rates of all-cause mortality and major bleeding were low, while rates of stroke/systemic embolism were similar after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS GARFIELD-AF continues to provide important information on the homogeneity and heterogeneity of baseline characteristics and treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed NVAF. This diversity reflects the differences in outcomes in Japan compared with the rest of the world.
Postharvest cold storage-induced oxidative stress in Japanese plums (Prunus salicina Lindl. cv. Amber Jewel) in relation to harvest maturity

Cold storage-induced oxidative stress in relation to harvest maturity and storage duration together with its implications on fruit quality and storage potential of Japanese plums (Prunus salicina Lindl.) were investigated. 'Amber Jewel' plums harvested at commercial maturity and one week after commercial maturity (delayed harvest) were stored at 0 °C for 7 weeks. Oxidative stress related parameters were determined at weekly intervals. Similar to lipid peroxidation, the incidence and severity of chilling injury (CI) was higher in fruit from the delayed harvest compared to commercial harvest. The activities of primary antioxidant enzymes and ascorbate-glutathione cycle enzymes were determined in context to the levels of antioxidant pools of ascorbate and glutathione and the development of CI symptoms. The predominance of the oxidized state of the tissue as reflected by lower ratios of ascorbate (AA) to dehydroascorbate (DHA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG) was linked to the severity of CI symptoms during the last 3-4 weeks of storage. The status of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative system during cold storage of Japanese plums appeared to be more important in providing protection against oxidative injury expressed as CI than at-harvest antioxidant status. Delayed harvested fruit experienced more oxidative stress during cold storage compared to the fruit harvested at commercial maturity. In conclusion harvesting 'Amber Jewel' plums at commercial maturity is of paramount importance to ensure long-term cold storage with minimal adverse effects on fruit quality for better consumer experiences.
A LOFAR census of non-recycled pulsars: average profiles, dispersion measures, flux densities, and spectra

We present first results from a LOFAR census of non-recycled pulsars. The census includes almost all such pulsars known (194 sources) at declinations Dec > 8° and Galactic latitudes |Gb| > 3°, regardless of their expected flux densities and scattering times. Each pulsar was observed for ≥20 min in the contiguous frequency range of 110–188 MHz. Full-Stokes data were recorded. We present the dispersion measures, flux densities, and calibrated total intensity profiles for the 158 pulsars detected in the sample. The median uncertainty in census dispersion measures (1.5 × 10-3 pc cm-3) is ten times smaller, on average, than in the ATNF pulsar catalogue. We combined census flux densities with those in the literature and fitted the resulting broadband spectra with single or broken power-law functions. For 48 census pulsars such fits are being published for the first time. Typically, thechoice between single and broken power-laws, as well as the location of the spectral break, were highly influenced by the spectral coverage of the available flux density measurements. In particular, the inclusion of measurements below 100 MHz appears essential for investigating the low-frequency turnover in the spectra for most of the census pulsars. For several pulsars, we compared the spectral indices from different works and found the typical spread of values to be within 0.5–1.5, suggesting a prevailing underestimation of spectral index errors in the literature. The census observations yielded some unexpected individual source results, as we describe in the paper. Lastly, we will provide this unique sample of wide-band, low-frequency pulse profiles via the European Pulsar Network Database.
Variability and trends in dynamical forcing of tropical lower stratospheric temperatures

Abstract. The contribution of dynamical forcing to variations and trends in tropical lower stratospheric 70 hPa temperature for the period 1980–2011 is estimated based on ERA-Interim and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis data. The dynamical forcing is estimated from the tropical mean residual upwelling calculated with the momentum balance equation, and with a simple proxy based on eddy heat fluxes averaged between 25° and 75° in both hemispheres. The thermodynamic energy equation with Newtonian cooling is used to relate the dynamical forcing to temperature. The deseasonalised, monthly mean time series of all four calculations are highly correlated (~ 0.85) with temperature for the period 1995–2011 when variations in radiatively active tracers are small. All four calculations provide additional support to previously noted prominent aspects of the temperature evolution 1980–2011: an anomalously strong dynamical cooling (~ −1 to −2 K) following the Pinatubo eruption that partially offsets the warming from enhanced aerosol, and a few years of enhanced dynamical cooling (~ −0.4 K) after October 2000 that contributes to the prominent drop in water entering the stratosphere at that time. The time series of dynamically forced temperature calculated with the same method are more highly correlated and have more similar trends than those from the same reanalysis but with different methods. For 1980–2011 (without volcanic periods), the eddy heat flux calculations give a dynamical cooling of ~ −0.1 to ~ −0.25 K decade−1 (magnitude sensitive to latitude belt considered and reanalysis), largely due to increasing high latitude eddy heat flux trends in September and December–January. The eddy heat flux trends also explain the seasonality of temperature trends very well, with maximum cooling in January–February. Trends derived from momentum balance calculations show near-zero annual mean dynamical cooling, with weaker seasonal trends especially in December–January. These contradictory results arising from uncertainties in data and methods are discussed and put in context to previous analyses.
Trace metal analysis on polluted sediments: Part II: Evaluation of environmental impact

Sequential extraction techniques are used to determine the chemical associations of heavy metals with specific, sedimentary phases, whereby the potential, availability of toxic compounds for biological uptake may eventually be estimated. The importance of such investigations in the classification of dredged materials is rapidly increasing. As in the case for the reduction of grain size effects (see Part I of the present review) a methodological standardization appears to be presently of special import. Available methods are discussed and a simplified scheme composed of two major extraction steps (acidified hydroxylamine and hydrogen peroxide) is proposed.
Deflection of Aquatic Plant by Water Waves

A theoretical examination for the deflection of aquatic plants by water waves is presented. An integration method developed for analyzing the deflection of cantilever beams is now applied to calculate the deformation of aquatic plants. For uniform currents, it is easy to do the calculation since the direction of the fluid loading is perpendicular to the original position of plants. For water wave cases, an extra dependence, however, appears because the wave loading has two spatial dependences. This extra spatial dependence results in difficulties of the derivation of the exact representation of the relation between the bending moment and the external loading. Therefore the integration method is be modified to calculate the theoretical as well as numerical analyses. Results for different characteristics of plants and waves presented in this paper are a preliminary step for more complex flow conditions.
O¤shoring, Wages, and Employment: Evidence from data matching imports, rms, and workers

How are wages and employment of manufacturing workers a¤ected by globalization and, in particular, by the sourcing strategies of their employing rms ? What is the role of unions in this process ? I attempt to answer these questions using unique French data that matches rm-level information on imports, value-added, employment,. , rm-level data on unions and negotiations, with individual worker data; at a unique moment  the rst years of implementation of the Single Market Program (SMP) within the European Community (1986-1992) when French manufacturing formerly protected and high-rents sectors, faced increased competition and outsourcing options. A simple bargaining model, particularly well-suited to the French institutional setup, allows me to capture the mechanisms by which outsourcing of nal goods (o¤shoring) can directly affect wages: changes in the rms ability to pay (as measured by the quasi-rent, the total pie shared between the workers and the rm), mostly by altering the rmsthreat points. The model shows that, when there is imperfect competition on the product market, rms that face strong unions should outsource more of their production of nal goods because such o¤shoring causes a decrease of their quasi-rent and disciplines workers. However, o¤shoring does not necessarily decrease wages. Then, estimation results show that, indeed, o¤shoring decreases the size of quasi-rents. A regression discontinuity approach shows that bargaining institutions a¤ect outsourcing. Employment is also shown to decrease when o¤shoring increases. IV estimates of the structural wage function derived from the model show that rms that bargained on employment faced strong unions (the bargaining power being equal to 0.5, workers employed at these rms received in average 50% of the quasirent). All other rms faced weaker unions with virtually no bargaining power. Then, I show that the presence of such strong unions led these rms to increase o¤shoring with an associated decline in employment and rents, as predicted by the model. As a result, in those rms where rents were initially high, unionsstrength appears to have back red. JEL codes: F3, F4, J30
Financial Crises and Institutional Change: Some Observations and Critical Remarks

pants are formatted. If Fortune Tellers is likely to leave the sociological reader with a niggle, it will probably relate to Friedman’s at times unconvincing distinction between soothsayers or oracles (among whom it seems he would be happy to place Babson), and the professional forecasters that he takes as his focus. Perhaps, given the many parallels between the social logics of divination and economic forecasting (Zeitlyn 2012), it might be possible to draw on Friedman’s rich historical data in order to develop a “symmetrical” sociology of the role that fortune tellers of all persuasions (and their technologies) play in formatting economic subjectivities and agencies?
Influences of teaching style and perceived care of instructor on retention of underrepresented groups in STEM

We report on an analysis of interviews with 112 STEM majors and 49 students who started but dropped a STEM major. Interviewees are diverse across both race and gender. Students were asked about the level of interactivity in their college science courses and if they preferred a different emphasis. They were also asked if they thought their professors cared about them and their learning. Analysis indicates all demographics prefer more interactivity than they experienced and that women may be disproportionately discouraged by lecture-based teaching. Those who dropped a STEM major and minority women report the lowest levels of care from their professors. Additionally, as levels of classroom interactivity increased students reported increased levels of feeling that their professors cared about their learning.
Updated estimate of the growth curve of Western Atlantic bluefin tuna

The curve used until recently by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to represent the growth of western Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, was estimated using tagging information and modal sizes that corresponded primarily to very young fish (ages 1–3, primarily). The estimated maximum average size from this curve is very large (382 cm), which could be a result of the scarcity of large bluefin in the data used. Recently, scientists have developed techniques for reading ages from bluefin ear bones (otoliths); the accuracy of the age readings has been validated with bomb radiocarbon dating. These age readings are primarily for large bluefin (ages 5 and older), and indicate slower growth and older ages than was previously assumed. However, an analysis of these data resulted in growth curves that predicted very small mean sizes for the youngest age group, which could be a result of the lack of small fish in the data used. In this study, we combine the otolith-based age readings with the size frequency distributions of small (ages 1–3) bluefin caught by purse seiners in the 1970s where the age groups are distinctly statistically as well as visible to the eye. We analyzed the two datasets jointly using a maximum likelihood approach and assumed that variability in length-at-age increases with age. The resulting growth curve predicts sizes at young and old ages that are very consistent with observed data such as the maximum sizes observed in the catch and the modal sizes for very young bluefin. The resulting curve is also very similar to the curve used by ICCAT for eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin.
La electroestimulación como complemento al entrenamiento isométrico voluntario en la mejora de la fuerza isométrica máxima : diferencias entre hombres y mujeres de mediana edad

En el presente estudio se analiza la eficacia de la electroestimulacion como complemento al entrenamiento voluntario de la fuerza isometrica maxima (FIM). Para ello se estudio la mejora de la FIM en 20 sujetos de mediana edad de ambos sexos (n = 20). Tras el protocolo de entrenamiento se encontraron diferencias significativas en ambos entrenamientos. Se encontro mayor estabilidad en la respuesta del grupo que solo empleo entrenamiento isometrico voluntario, no obstante, se encontro un mayor rango de mejora del grupo que empleo electroestimulacion simultanea al entrenamiento. De los resultados se deduce la necesidad de un trabajo especifico y totalmente personalizado para hallar los parametros optimos de entrenamiento con el uso de estas tecnologias, ya que el incremento en el rendimiento sera mucho mas favorable.
How an active-learning class influences physics self-efficacy in pre-service teachers

Education majors in an inquiry-based physics content course were asked to reflect on the ways the course affected their self-efficacy for completing physics tasks, such as creating a circuit. Responses were coded according to the contributor of the influence and whether that influence was positive or negative. The group learning structure, hands-on activities in the class, and the constructed repertoire of science knowledge, processes, and activities, were all reported to be positive influences on self-efficacy, whereas the influence of the instructor was mixed. Overall, students' responses indicated both a desire for more guidance and lecture and an appreciation for their ability to construct their own understanding through the class activities.