Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IDENTIFICATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF GOLOBE HALMAHERA (HORNSTEDTIASP, ZINGIBERACEAE) FRUIT EXTRACT

Golobe halmahera (Zingiberaceae) fruit extracts prove to have a wide variety of pharmacological activities. Chemical content in their seed extracts provides pharmacological activities. Phytochemical screening aims to provide an overview of the class of antioxidant compounds contained in the plant being studied. Samples used are extracts of fresh and dried Golobe halmahera extracted with hot water and ethanol solvents for 24 hours. The DPPH method was used to determine the antioxidant activity. The content of free radical scavenging compound with a high DPPH was identified with a lower IC50 value, i.e. anti-oxidant with a concentration of IC50 = 6.54 ng / ml.
Application of the Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler for Isolation of Environmental Micropollutants – A Review

Abstract Aquatic passive samplers have been extensively tested and deployed in the field over the past two decades. Among these devices is relatively recently developed the Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS) for isolation of hydrophilic organic micropollutants in aquatic environment. The use of POCIS allows the measurement of low and fluctuating trace concentrations of such micropollutants, which is often troublesome using classical sampling. In this review, POCIS applications based on numerous articles to assess the suitability of these devices for use in environmental analytics information were summarized. Additionally, the possibilities of using POCIS for the isolation of complex chemical mixtures in order to highlight the high potential of this devices were presented. The types of sorbents used in POCIS, exposure duration and sampling media are juxtapose in this review. Based on the existing literature, attention was paid to both promising opportunities but also to limitations of passive methods.
Flexible Technique to Enhance Color-image Quality for Color-deficient Observers

Color-normal observers (CNOs) and color-deficient observers (CDOs) have different preferences and emotions for color images. A color-image quality-enhancement algorithm for a CDO is developed to easily adjust images according to each observer’s preference or image quality factors. The color-perception differences between CDO and CNO are analyzed and modeled in terms of the YCbCr chroma ratio and hue difference; then the color-shift method is designed to control the degree of color difference.
Thyroid volumes and serum VEGF levels in dyslipidemic patients: effects of statin treatment

Background/aim Defective vascularization may be important in thyroid nodular disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in dyslipidemic patients with thyroid nodules, as well as the effects of statin therapy. Materials and methods The study included 37 dyslipidemic patients with thyroid nodules and 32 dyslipidemic patients without thyroid nodules. Anthropometry, serum VEGF levels, biochemical parameters, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels, and thyroid sonography were determined before and after 6 months of statin therapy. Results Patients with and without thyroid nodules had similar metabolic parameters. Serum VEGF levels did not differ between the groups. In patients with nodules, VEGF levels remained unchanged (P = 0.931) after statin therapy. However, serum VEGF levels were lowered by statin treatment in patients without nodules (P = 0.030). Statin therapy resulted in a decrease in the dominant thyroid nodule volume. The changes in thyroid volume and dominant thyroid nodule volume were not correlated with changes in VEGF, body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Conclusion Although statin treatment decreases serum VEGF levels in dyslipidemic patients without thyroid nodules, it has no lowering effect on serum VEGF levels in patients with thyroid nodules. The decrease in thyroid nodule volume with statin treatment was associated with neither metabolic parameters nor serum VEGF levels.
Techno-Economic Design of a Stand-Alone Renewable Energy System

This paper presents a method for the design of a stand-alone renewable energy system supplying an isolated load. In this work, the stand-alone system consists of wind generator, battery storage and backed up by a diesel generator. However, all other forms of renewable energy, storage and backup systems can be included. The proposed method aims at securing the energy needs of the load most economically and reliably through determining the optimum component sizes. A linear programming model is developed to determine the optimum sizes of system components based on an average day data. Day to day variations are then represented as a stochastic Markov process where an average cycle of the system is constructed and utilized for modifying component sizes to assure the desired level of reliability.
Muscle reconditioning in COPD: main interventions and new tendencies

Physical exercises have been a vital part in the treatment of COPD patients since some time ago. These patients frequently present intolerance to exercises of variable intensity related to the skeletal-muscle dysfunction. In this context, the physical exercise is presented as the most important branch in the pulmonary rehabilitation process. The aerobic exercise and the strength training are vital in the increment of the physical capacity and quality of life, especially for individuals who present moderate or acute forms of the COPD. Furthermore, a higher research development is currently expected in relation to the application of neuromuscular electric stimulation (NMEE) and to the judicious use of ergogenic substances such as anabolic steroids and oral creatin. Considering the negative repercussion of the muscle dysfunctions and the importance of the pulmonary rehabilitation in the treatment of COPD, this reviewing has as objective to gather information from relevant studies with regard to the main strategies for the skeletal-muscular reconditioning in patients in the last 15 years.
The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills on Migration Decisions.

There is growing evidence that cognitive and noncognitive skills affect the economic and social outcomes of individuals. In this paper, we analyze how they affect the migration decisions of individuals during their lifetimes. We use data that combine military enlistment and administrative records for the male population born in 1932 and 1933 in Norway. Records of interviews with a psychologist at age 18 allow us to construct an index of `sociability' and `adaptability' for each individual, as well as an index of cognitive ability, the intelligence quotient. We find that adaptability and cognitive ability have significant and positive impacts on the probability of an individual migrating out of his area, whether this involves rural{urban, long distance, or international migration. Adaptability has a particularly strong impact on migration for individuals with low cognitive skills, implying a strong positive selection of less educated migrants with respect to the (previously unobserved) adaptability skill. We also show that cognitive skills have a strong positive effect on the pre- and post-migration wage differential, whereas adaptability has no significant effect. Moreover, individuals with high cognitive ability migrate to areas with large wage returns to cognitive abilities, whereas this is not true for individuals with high adaptability. This evidence suggests that adaptability reduces the psychological cost of migrating, whereas cognitive skills increase the monetary returns associated with migration.
Pulsing versus constant supply of nutrients (N, P and Si): effect on phytoplankton, mesozooplankton and vertical flux of biogenic matter

An experiment with eight vertically stratified seawater enclosures of 27 m 3 (depth 9.3 m, diameter 2 m, 90% penetration of PAR) was run in order to test whether pulsed addition of nutrients may cause: 1, higher primary production; 2, higher build-up of phytoplankton biomass; 3, larger temporal mismatch between herbivores and phytoplankton biomass; and 4, higher sedimentation rates, distinguishing in each case between silicate and non-silicate fertilised systems. Nitrate and phosphate were added to all enclosures (NP), while silicate was added to four of the enclosures (NPS). Each enclosure received the same total amount of nutrients, but the nutrients were supplied at four different intervals ranging from one single load to continuous additions. Spring bloom-like systems developed where nutrients were added in one or two pulses as they were characterised by high primary production, high suspended biomass of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and particulate organic carbon (POC) and high sedimentation rates. In contrast, the seawater enclosures receiving nutrients about every third day or in a continuous supply resembled regenerated systems with low concentrations of suspended Chl a and POC and with low and stable loss rates. Due to a typical autumn inoculum with dominance of dinoflagellates and flagellates, diatoms did not dominate the NPS enclosures. The only significant effect of the silicate addition was higher vertical flux of particulate organic nitrogen in the NPS enclosures, and higher microzooplankton biomass. The mesozooplankton did not show responses to the different frequencies of nutrient additions. However, accumulation of mesozooplankton biomass was higher in the NP-mesocosms, probably reflecting better feeding conditions. We conclude that the frequency of nutrient additions had a stronger influence on the development of the phytoplankton and vertical flux of carbon than the +/- silicate treatment in this experiment.
Effect of chromatic contrast on stereoacuity measurement with computer-aided three-dimensional technology.

Background Various measurement tools are utilized to detect the stereopsis threshold in the clinic, but seldom of these involves chromatic information. Incorporating colorful elements into computer-aided, three-dimensional (3D) evaluation systems could help the tests appear more vivid and attractive. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of different chromatic pair stereo targets on the stereoacuity result. Methods A total of 17 subjects with visual acuity in each eye of at least 0 logarithmic minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) and a stereoacuity of at least 32 second of arc (arcsec) were recruited. A 3D laptop with liquid crystal shutter glasses was used for evaluating stereoacuity. Thirteen pages were set including seven maximum color contrast pages and six isoluminant color contrast pages. Results In maximum color contrast pair, no significant difference was found among all seven experiments [six test groups and one reference group, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, F=0.995, P=0.493]. There was also no significant difference among the isoluminant color contrast pairs (six test groups, one-way ANOVA test, F=0.873, P=0.644). Paired t-test was used for comparing the data between the same hue series in the maximum color contrast pair vs. the isoluminant color contrast pair, and significant differences were found in all six pairs (P<0.001). Conclusions Adding chromatic factors to the stereo test is practical to evaluate stereopsis.
Combinatorial Approaches to Constructing Protein Nanostructures

A major bottleneck in the use of proteins for the construction of complex nanostructures is the design of protein interfaces that will bind to one another with highaffinity and high specificity. The interaction of subunits with one another may be mediated by non-covalent, highaffinity protein-protein contacts, as is the case in many naturally occurring multi-subunit complexes. However, there are currently no well developed strategies for the design of complementary binding surfaces such as those required for the engineering of multi-subunit nanostructures. In the absence of a design paradigm, a promising alternative is the selection of tight binders from large, combinatorial libraries. The design specifications for these libraries include stability and physical robustness of the scaffold molecule; diversity of the displayed peptides; and ease of synthesis/expression.
A real-time simulation technique for ship-ship and ship-port interactions

Since the early 70's ship maneuvering simulators using fully equipped bridge structures are being used to study the real-time behavior of ships in open water and in ports and to train ships crews to carry out maneuvers safely and efficiently. The number of simulators in use bears testimony to the need for insight in ship behavior and the successes reached in training crews to sail ever larger ships in existing and new ports. Besides training of crew members, simulators are used to judge maneuvering characteristics of new, as yet unbuilt ships, efficiency and safety of new harbours and the effects of new propulsion systems and maneuvering aids. The basic process of a real-time maneuvering simulator is the mathematical model which represents the behaviour of a vessel sailing at variable speeds in deep or shallow water, in current, at high and at low speed without or with the effects of port structures, bottom irregularities and of other ships included. At the present, probably all simulators make use of mathematical models based on Newton's equations of motion for a body moving in the horizontal plane or , in some cases, in all 6 degrees of freedom. Hydrodynamic forces due to flow around the hull, rudder action and variations in propeller speeds are incorporated based on empirical data derived from model tests or from analysis of full scale data. An increasingly important effect on vessel moving in ports is due to ship-ship interactions or ship-port structure interactions, the last being, for instance, bank suction effects where banks can also be submerged structures or local water depth changes. It is common practice to include such effects based on tabulated interaction data derived from model tests or off-line computations using more or less complicated hydrodynamic models ranging from strip-theory-based interaction models to double-body potential flow using panel models or even full-blown CFD computations.
Bayesian methods for exposure misclassification adjustment in a mediation analysis: Hemoglobin and malnutrition in the association between Ascaris and IQ.

BACKGROUND Soil-transmitted helminth infections have been found to be associated with child development. The objective was to investigate hemoglobin levels and malnutrition as mediators of the association between Ascaris infection and intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in children. METHODOLOGY We conducted a longitudinal cohort study in Iquitos, Peru, between September 2011 and July 2016. A total of 1,760 children were recruited at 1 year of age and followed up annually to 5 years. We measured Ascaris infection and malnutrition at each study visit and hemoglobin levels were measured as of age 3. The exposure was defined as the number of detected Ascaris infections between age 1 and 5. We measured IQ scores at age 5 and used Bayesian models to correct for exposure misclassification. RESULTS We included a sample of 781 children in the analysis. In results adjusted for Ascaris misclassification, mean hemoglobin levels mediated the association between Ascaris infection and IQ scores. The natural direct effects (not mediated by hemoglobin) (95% CrI) and natural indirect effects (mediated by hemoglobin) (95% CrI) were, compared to no or one infection: -0.9 (-4.6, 2.8) and -4.3 (-6.9, -1.6) for the effect of two infections; -1.4 (-3.8, 1.0) and -1.2 (-2.0, -0.4) for three infections; and, -0.4 (-3.2, 2.4) and -2.7 (-4.3, -1.0) for four or five infections. CONCLUSION Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that hemoglobin levels mediate the association between Ascaris infection and IQ scores. Additional research investigating the effect of including iron supplements in STH control programs is warranted.
A Reconsideration of Purported Holocene Bison Bones from Northern Alaska

While bison were the most abundant large mammals in Eastern Beringia for most of the last 100 000 years, their range declined drastically at the end of the Pleistocene and through the Holocene. Research into the nature of Holocene human interactions with bison suffers from scarcity of faunal remains from most archaeological sites and poor chronological control of paleontological specimens over broad areas of Eastern Beringia. We examined the dating, context, and identification of purported bison bones spatially associated with two late prehistoric archaeological sites in northern Alaska to contribute to a better understanding of bison biogeography and the possible role of these large mammals in prehistoric economies. We confirmed the presence of two bison bones from the 17th century Kangiguksuk archaeological site (49-XBM-012) in northwestern Alaska, but radiocarbon dates older than 30 000 14C years BP for both bones demonstrate that those bison were not hunted by the site occupants. From the Lakeside site (49-KIR-275) in the central Brooks Range, a bone reported to be bison and dated to about 2400 14C years BP was shown through DNA sequencing to be moose ( Alces alces ). We point to a large set of dated bison specimens from Alaska’s Arctic Slope that suggests bison were locally extinct in north-central and northwestern Alaska by the beginning of the Holocene and were subsequently unavailable to human hunters in that region.
General Relativity with Spin and Torsion: Foundations and Prospects

A generalization of Einstein's gravitational theory is discussed in which the spin of matter as well as its mass plays a dynamical role. The spin of matter couples to a non-Riemannian structure in space-time, Cartan's torsion tensor. The theory which emerges from taking this coupling into account, the ${U}_{4}$ theory of gravitation, predicts, in addition to the usual infinite-range gravitational interaction medicated by the metric field, a new, very weak, spin contact interaction of gravitational origin. We summarize here all the available theoretical evidence that argues for admitting spin and torsion into a relativistic gravitational theory. Not least among this evidence is the demonstration that the ${U}_{4}$ theory arises as a local gauge theory for the Poincar\'e group in space-time. The deviations of the ${U}_{4}$ theory from standard general relativity are estimated, and the prospects for further theoretical development are assessed.
Expressing Locality in Learning English: A Study of English Textbooks for Junior High School Year VII-IX in Indonesia Context

This paper intends to investigate the transfer of English language to Indonesian students of junior high school in a multicultural setting. As a locus of discussion, the investigation problematizes English textbooks “Real Time: An Interactive English Course for Junior High School Students Year VII-IX” which signifythe imbalance accounts of cultural elements as highlighted by both the target language and the local attributes. In other words, domination occurs generated by the English language as an authoritative translanguagesubmitted to “the Other”. Such premise has led to a question that this project would then analyze, referring to how the cultural elements of the target language are presented in the textbooks and gradually reduce the degree of the oppressive ideology. Ideally, English teachers teach the language in accordance with the nature of language learning in which they are trained and expected to teach the language within the culture of the target language. This provides a penetrative space of a foreign ideology for its language to be taught. In the context of Indonesia, learning English as international language is considered dilemmatic. To some extent, the ideal pedagogical approach of English learning moves to different direction. English textbook in Indonesia incorporates the cultural elements of the target language, such as names, terminologies, and objects. The textbooks portray128 foreign elements and 27 local elements. By having the cultural components, the textbook should promote learners’ cultural sensitivity of both cultures to avoid misunderstanding and confusion as well as support language learning as a bidirectional process instead of instrument of oppression. The analytical elaboration examines the cultural characteristics in the forms of form of names, terminologies, and imagery of both cultural domains; English and Indonesia. Thus, the learners are imposed to the culture of the target language and forced to internalize the concept of values under the influence of the target language which tend to marginalize their native culture.
Effect of Graded Levels of Nitrogen and Potassium on Yield and Quality of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.)

Tuber crops are the third important food crops in the world after cereals and legumes. It is dicotyledonous plant belongs to the family convolvulaceae. Sweet potato is a starchy root crop grown in tropical and subtropical countries like China, USA, India, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Nigeria. In India it is cultivated in almost all the states. Sweet potato is considered as a ‘poor man’s rich food’ in many parts of India. In India sweet potato is largely grown in three states Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Sweet potato is a vegetative propagated crop and it is excellent source of complex carbohydrates, high antioxidants, vitamins A, C and rich in several essential macro and International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 5 (2017) pp. 1689-1696 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Eviction for Conservation: A Global Overview

Displacement resulting from the establishment and enforcement of protected areas has troubled relationships between conservationists and rural groups in many parts of the world. This paper examines one aspect of dis- placement: eviction from protected areas. We examine divergent opinions about the quality of information available in the literature. We then examine the literature itself, discussing the patterns visible in nearly 250 reports we compiled over the last two years. We argue that the quality of the literature is not great, but that there are signs that this problem is primarily concentrated in a few regions of the world. We show that there has been a remarkable surge of publications about relocation after 1990, yet most protected areas reported in these publications were established before 1980. This reflects two processes, first a move within research circles to recover and rediscover pro- tected areas' murky past, and second stronger enforcement of existing legisla- tion. We review the better analyses of the consequences of relocation from protected areas which are available and highlight areas of future research.