Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPMENT OF AN ANTIOXIDANT RICH BEVERAGE USING SOURSOP FRUIT AND GINGER EXTRACT

There has been a growing demand for antioxidant rich food, as a solution for many oxidative stress related diseases. Various research findings have suggested that soursop and ginger are rich in antioxidants. The present study mainly focused the formulation and storage study of beverage from soursop fruit by blending with ginger extract. Five levels of ginger extracts (1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10%) were tested for the formulation by 25-semi trained-panellists using 9-point-hedonic-scale. Physico-chemical, proximate composition and antioxidant propertiesof soursop pulp, ginger extract and final formulation were determined.Changes in phenolic content, physicochemical and microbiological quality and antioxidant activity of the beverage were evaluated weekly foreight weeks storage at room temperature. Results showed that formulation with 10% ginger extract was the most favourable in terms of sensory properties and high in antioxidant activity. The DPPH radical scavenging activity in the beverage were 70.06% ± 2.53, while soursop pulp, and ginger extract have 75.72%±1.67, 70.47% ± 1.61 values respectively. Total phenolic content of soursop,ginger and beverage were recorded as 149.25±5.02 mg-GAE/g, 156.38±8.57 mg-GAE/g, and 168.33±2.66 mgGAE/g respectively. Titratable acidity, pH, and TSS of the final beverage were 0.61g CAE /100ml, 3.7, and 11.3°. Total plate counts and yeast and mould counts were zero during storage. Therefore, the beverage was microbiologically safe for consumption within 8 weeks. During storage, pH and TSS of the beverage were reduced whereas acidity increased. This study concludes that 10% ginger extract can be used to formulate an acceptable, antioxidant rich soursop-ginger blended beverage.
The "Unknown" Greek Paleoenvironment: Curriculum Proposals through an Infusion Model for Elementary School, Using Ammonite Fossils.

In this study we introduce an infusion model to “inject” ammonites and ammonite fossils in current subjects of Greek primary curriculum. Paleontology and mainly fossils attract more and more elementary students and teachers, yet in Greece this trend is solely about dinosaurs, despite the fact that the most common Greek fossils are not dinosaurs, but ammonites. Ammonites can be found in large population and diversity inside Greek rocks, as these rocks were part of Tethys΄ seafloor at their geological time. Apart from the informal sources of education, these science topics are excluded from elementary national curriculum, and leave the regional paleoenvironment and geological history practically “unknown” to students. Data collected through a pre-test study, in 558 students of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade confirmed the above belief. A post-test at the original sample, using an open ended questionnaire and students’ drawings, evaluated positively the infusion teaching model, whose core were the ammonite fossils.
Central JSM Clinical Case Reports

Malignant pleural effusions often appear at the late stages of disease and can vary in severity of symptoms and volume. Timely diagnosis and etiology of pleural effusions are essential in achieving a favorable outcome; however there are instances when obtaining both are problematic. We report a case where immediate gross inspection of pleural fluid can allude to a diagnosis of malignancy. A 68 year old male with HIV presented with2-3 weeks of weight loss, shortness of breath and productive cough. Chest X-ray was consistent for bilateral patchy opacities with worsening adenopathy, Computed Tomography (CT) was positive for cavitating nodules, hilaradenopathy and bilateral pleural effusions. A right thoracentesis was performed revealing blood-tinged serosanguinous fluid with white, grainy specks of tissue. Cytologic analysis of the pleural fluid revealed the white grainy specks of tissue to be clusters of lung squamous cell carcinoma. This case is unique in the extent of the tumor spread at presentation and high degree of tumor burden that could be visualized on gross inspection of the pleural fluid. To the best of our knowledge, the presence of gross malignant clumps in the pleural fluid has not been described in literature. The cause of this unique pattern of pleural metastasis, which we have coined the “snow-globe effect”, is unclear.
Improving the Dynamics of Aid: Towards More Predictable Budget Support

This paper considers approaches towards improving the predictability of aid to low income countries, with a special focus on budget support. In order to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, the donor community is increasing aid flows while pushing for more coordination and tighter performance-based selectivity. However, these factors may increase the unpredictability of aid from current levels, which are already high enough to impose significant costs. Predictability is a particular challenge in the area of budget support, which will continue to increase in importance as aid is sought to underpin longer-term recurrent spending commitments. Budget support reduces transactions costs and drains on capacity, but it tends to be more vulnerable to fluctuations than multi-year project support. Poor predictability raises the threat of a low-level equilibrium: countries, budgeting prudently within a medium-term fiscal framework, will discount commitments; donors will see few funding gaps, so pledges will fall. With some countries discounting aid commitments in formulating budgets, some already see signs of this happening. To improve predictability, donors must extend their funding horizons. However, even if this can be done, several major issues will remainat country level. First, how can countries deal with residual short-run volatility of disbursements relative to commitments? Second, can donors lengthen commitment horizons to individual developing countries without excessive risk of misallocating aid? Third, within a country's overall aid envelope, how should donors set the shares of project aid and budget support? Finally, the paper considers the other main approach to budget support, the output or outcome-driven approach of the European Union. The paper concludes that many of these issues can be addressed. Simple spending and savings rules built around a buffer reserve fund of 2-4 months of imports can help smooth public spending. Aid can be pre-committed several years ahead with only small efficiency losses, using a strategy of"flexible pre-commitment. "Guidelines can be set to limit the volatility of budget support while keeping it performance-based, and past experience can be used more systematically to develop"outcome"norms to better guide aid allocation.
Regularized and approximate equations for sharp fronts in the surface quasi-geostrophic equation and its generalizations

We derive regularized contour dynamics equations for the motion of infinite sharp fronts in the two-dimensional incompressible Euler, surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG), and generalized surface quasi-geostrophic (GSQG) equations. We derive a cubic approximation of the contour dynamics equation, and prove the short-time well-posedness of the approximate equations for generalized surface quasi-geostrophic fronts and weak well-posedness for surface quasi-geostrophic fronts.
Interactive Evolution as a game mechanic Interaktiv Evolution som en spelmekanik

This thesis explores how interactive evolution is perceived as a game mechanic in a simulation based environment. An artifact called Genetic Olympics was created as a simulation in which interactive evolution was implemented. In the artifact, users are presented with activities that allow AI-agents, in the form of Olympians, to compete against each other. The user functions as the selection part of an evolutionary algorithm, letting the user choose the direction to evolve the Olympians by continually breeding them in different ways. Data about how users perceived interactive evolution as a game mechanic was gathered through interviews. The data from the interviews later formed a questionnaire. The answers from the questionnaire showed how the users had both positive and negative experiences when using the artifact. The users proposed how to augment the artifact to become more like a game. By adding minor goals for the user to reach, the artifact could lean more toward what a game resembles. All in all, the data shows that interactive evolution works in simulation based games.
Reconstructions of the 1900–2015 Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance using the regional climate MAR model

Abstract. With the aim of studying the recent Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) surface mass balance (SMB) decrease relative to the last century, we have forced the regional climate MAR (Modele Atmospherique Regional; version 3.5.2) model with the ERA-Interim (ECMWF Interim Re-Analysis; 1979–2015), ERA-40 (1958–2001), NCEP–NCARv1 (National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research Reanalysis version 1; 1948–2015), NCEP–NCARv2 (1979–2015), JRA-55 (Japanese 55-year Reanalysis; 1958–2014), 20CRv2(c) (Twentieth Century Reanalysis version 2; 1900–2014) and ERA-20C (1900–2010) reanalyses. While all these forcing products are reanalyses that are assumed to represent the same climate, they produce significant differences in the MAR-simulated SMB over their common period. A temperature adjustment of +1 °C (respectively −1 °C) was, for example, needed at the MAR boundaries with ERA-20C (20CRv2) reanalysis, given that ERA-20C (20CRv2) is ∼ 1 °C colder (warmer) than ERA-Interim over Greenland during the period 1980–2010. Comparisons with daily PROMICE (Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet) near-surface observations support these adjustments. Comparisons with SMB measurements, ice cores and satellite-derived melt extent reveal the most accurate forcing datasets for the simulation of the GrIS SMB to be ERA-Interim and NCEP–NCARv1. However, some biases remain in MAR, suggesting that some improvements are still needed in its cloudiness and radiative schemes as well as in the representation of the bare ice albedo. Results from all MAR simulations indicate that (i) the period 1961–1990, commonly chosen as a stable reference period for Greenland SMB and ice dynamics, is actually a period of anomalously positive SMB (∼ +40 Gt yr−1) compared to 1900–2010; (ii) SMB has decreased significantly after this reference period due to increasing and unprecedented melt reaching the highest rates in the 120-year common period; (iii) before 1960, both ERA-20C and 20CRv2-forced MAR simulations suggest a significant precipitation increase over 1900–1950, but this increase could be the result of an artefact in the reanalyses that are not well-enough constrained by observations during this period and (iv) since the 1980s, snowfall is quite stable after having reached a maximum in the 1970s. These MAR-based SMB and accumulation reconstructions are, however, quite similar to those from Box (2013) after 1930 and confirm that SMB was quite stable from the 1940s to the 1990s. Finally, only the ERA-20C-forced simulation suggests that SMB during the 1920–1930 warm period over Greenland was comparable to the SMB of the 2000s, due to both higher melt and lower precipitation than normal.
Evaluating the bio-hydrological impact of a cloud forest in Central America using a semi-distributed water balance model

Abstract Water scarcity poses a major threat to food security and human health in Central America and is increasingly recognized as a pressing regional issues caused primarily by deforestation and population pressure. Tools that can reliably simulate the major components of the water balance with the limited data available and needed to drive management decision and protect water supplies in this region. Four adjacent forested headwater catchments in La Tigra National Park, Honduras, ranging in size from 70 to 635 ha were instrumented and discharge measured over a one year period. A semi-distributed water balance model was developed to characterize the bio-hydrology of the four catchments, one of which is primarily cloud forest cover. The water balance model simulated daily stream discharges well, with Nash Sutcliffe model efficiency (E) values ranging from 0.67 to 0.90. Analysis of calibrated model parameters showed that despite all watersheds having similar geologic substrata, the bio-hydrological response the cloud forest indicated less plantavailable water in the root zone and greater groundwater recharge than the non cloud forest cover catchments. This resulted in watershed discharge on a per area basis four times greater from the cloud forest than the other watersheds despite only relatively minor differences in annual rainfall. These results highlight the importance of biological factors (cloud forests in this case) for sustained provision of clean, potable water, and the need to protect the cloud forest areas from destruction, particularly in the populated areas of Central America.
An ontology for control engineering

Computers have always been a valuable tool in engineering domains. Within Control Engineering, it has been used as a tool for the modelling, simulation, analysis and design phases of a system's life cycle using its ability to perform fast numerical calculations. But today Control Engineering needs are demanding a shift in software applications toward highest levels of abstraction in the representation of the information. Numerical calculus is no longer enough but better human-to-machine and machine-to-machine interfaces are demanded and also interoperation among different applications is a must. Knowledge Engineering techniques and tools can be used to build such demanded software. This paper deals with the construction of an ontology for the Control Engineering field, in particular for the modeling of a design task. Based on this ontology an application is built that is able to give explanations to the user about the design rationale of the process. The particularities of this engineering field from the stand point of creating a conceptual model describing it will be presented as well as some examples of conceptualization issues found so far. A brief outline of the application's structure and functionality will be also presented. This application is intended to be used as an educational tool for Control Engineering students.
Latest Development onMembrane Fabrication for Natural Gas �uri�cation� � Review

In the last few decades, membrane technology has been a great attention for gas separation technology especially for natural gas sweetening. e intrinsic character of membranes makes them �t for process escalation, and this versatility could be the signi�cant factor to inducemembrane technology inmost gas separation areas.Membranes were synthesizedwith variousmaterials which depended on the applications. e fabrication of polymeric membrane was one of the fastest growing �elds of membrane technology. However, polymeric membranes could not meet the separation performances required especially in high operating pressure due to de�ciencies problem. e chemistry and structure of support materials like inorganic membranes were also one of the focus areas when inorganic membranes showed some positive results towards gas separation. However, the materials are somewhat lacking to meet the separation performance requirement. Mixed matrix membrane (MMM) which is comprising polymeric and inorganic membranes presents an interesting approach for enhancing the separation performance. Nevertheless, MMM is yet to be commercialized as the material combinations are still in the research stage. is paper highlights the potential promising areas of research in gas separation by taking into account the material selections and the addition of a third component for conventional MMM.
Electric Vehicle Charging Recommendation and Enabling ICT Technologies: Recent Advances and Future Directions

The introduction of Electric Vehicles (EV) will have a significant impact on the sustainable economic development of urban city. However, compared with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, EVs currently have limited range, which necessitates regular recharging. Considering the limited charging infrastructure currently available in most countries, infrastructure investments and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are critical. Thus, service quality provisioning is necessary for realizing EV market. Unlike numerous previous works which investigate "charging scheduling" (referred to when/whether to charge) for EVs already been parked at home/Charging Stations (CSs), a few works focus on “charging recommendation” (refer to where/which CS to charge) for on-the-move EVs. The latter use case cannot be overlooked as it is the most important feature of EVs, especially for driving experience during journeys. On-the-move EVs will travel towards appropriate CSs for charging based on smart decision on where to charge, so as to experience a shorter waiting time for charging. The effort towards sustainable engagement of EVs has not attracted enough attention from both industrial and academia communities. Even if there have been many charging service providers available, the utilization of charging infrastructures is still in need of significant enhancement. Such a situation certainly requires the popularity of EVs towards the sustainable, green and economic market. Enabling the sustainability requires a joint contribution from each domain, e.g., how to guarantee accurate information involved in decision making, how to optimally guide EV drivers towards charging place with the least waiting time, how to schedule charging services for EVs being parked within grid capacity. Achieving this goal is of importance towards a positioning of efficient, scalable and smart ICT framework, makes it feasible to learn the whole picture of grid: - Necessary information needs to be disseminated between stakeholders CSs and EVs, e.g., expected queuing time at individual CSs. In this context, how accurate CSs condition information plays an important role on the optimality of charging recommendation. - Also, it is very time-consuming for the centralized Global Controller (GC) to achieve optimization, by seamlessly collecting data from all EVs and CSs, The complexity and computation load of this centralized solution, increases exponentially with the number of EVs. This paper summaries the recent interdisciplinary research works on EV charging recommendation along with novel ICT frameworks, with an original taxonomy on how Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies support the EV charging use case. Future directions are also highlighted to promote the future research.
What Are the Information Demands of Curriculum Supervisors

What information do curriculum workers use when they are considering curriculum related decisions? What factors have an influence on the outcome of these decisions? These questions rep resent an area of concern to many people in the field of education. The textbook writer needs to know what types of content to include in a book and how to organize teachers' editions. Educational develop ers need to know how to describe their products in order to plan effective dissemination programs. State Education Agency personnel preparing cur riculum guides need to know what to include and how to describe the general area of applicability of these documents. Curriculum coordinators at the school level need to know what sort of infor mation to gather in preparation for curriculum committee meetings. All of these instances represent critical con cerns of schooling. It would seem to be impor tant, therefore, to have some notion of the types of information used in curriculum decision situa tions in order to prepare appropriate materials for committees or others involved in curriculum decision-making activities.
Gana'da Erken Bakım Hizmeti Alan Yetersizliği Olan Çocuklar

Bu arastirma Gana'nin devlet okulu siniflarinda 4-8 yas araligindaki yetersizligi olan cocuklarla calisan ogretmenlerin tecrubelerini incelemektedir. Ayrica ogrencilerin ozel durumlariyla basa cikmada yardimci olmak icin kullanilan yonetim stratejileri incelenmistir. Bes arastirmacidan olusan bir ekip ozel gereksinimli cocuklari egitmekte olan 68 ogretmen ile gorusmeler gerceklestirmistir. Sonuclar, ogretmenlerin cogunlugunun ozel gereksinimli cocuklarin siniflarinda kaynastirma egitimine katilmasini destekledigini fakat gerektigi gibi bir egitim icin uygun kaynaklarin yetersizligi konusunda endiseli olduklarini ortaya koymaktadir. Ayrica katilimcilar ozel gereksinimli cocuklarin yaklasik %60'inin grup calismalarina katilmak istemediklerini belirtmislerdir. Ogretmenler icin en cok zorlanilan konular bazi ogrencilerin basit yonergeleri takip etmelerini saglamakta ve ebeveynleri ozel gereksinimli cocuklarinin egitimlerine katmakta yasadiklari zorluklar olarak ortaya cikmistir. Bu calisma Gana'daki okullarda ebeveynlerin katilimini destekleyecek ebeveyn-ogretmen isbirliklerinin olusturulmasini tavsiye etmektedir. Ayrica bu arastirma Gana'daki siniflarda calismakta olan ogretmenlere yardimci olacak ozel egitim ogretmenlerinin, hemsirelerin ve sosyal calismacilarin gorevlendirilmesini onermektedir.
Ideation Metrics: Interdependency between Average Novelty and Variety

The importance of ideation in the conceptual design phase has been widely accepted. Shah et al. (2003) developed four key metrics for evaluating a designer’s exploration and expansion of design space. The four metrics are: novelty, variety, quality, and quantity of designs. The mean of novelty scores of ideas in a set (i.e. Average Novelty - AN) has also been used in some ideation studies. However, many of the studies that have computed AN and variety, have not examined the interdependency between them. This research aims at examining the interdependency between AN and variety.
Contingent Convertible Bonds. A Market-Conform Equity Derivative Model

This thesis focuses on the pricing of the Contingent Convertible Bonds (CoCos), using the Equity Derivative approach and the Bates model to simulate the stock price with Monte Carlo algorithm. The CoCo bonds are hybrid financial instruments with loss-absorbency features, characterized by a conversion into equity or a write-down of the face value, when a specified trigger event happens, which is usually related to an accounting indicator of the bank. The Equity Derivative model prices the CoCos under the assumption of the Black-Scholes volatility, converting the accounting trigger into a market trigger. Instead, the thesis aims to underlining the impact of a more market-conform path of the stock price. Hence, the Bates model is considered more suitable in this pricing framework, allowing the stock prices to have sudden jumps and a time-varying volatility. Therefore, the comparison between the Bates and the Black-Scholes models is made within the Equity Derivative framework. The market trigger is unobservable, thus the analysis of the CoCo prices is done indirectly. Namely, matching the model prices with the observed market prices of two categories of Barclays CoCos, the levels of the implied market trigger are inferred. The higher they are, the higher trigger probabilities should be. However, while the Bates extension provides a market trigger greater than the one in the Black-Scholes case, the related trigger probabilities are lower, overturning the interpretation for which the Bates model provides a riskier valuation of the CoCos. Finally, a number of factors that impact on the model applicability are considered, showing how a complex structure of the CoCo is difficult to be captured by an implied-market approach, as the formulated extension of the Equity Derivative model.