Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Micronutrient deficiency and its alleviation: The case of Malaysia.

Since attaining independence in 1957, Malaysia has achieved marked socio-economic development including advances made in the health care delivery system. Vital statistics over the decades showed much improvement in the health status of Malaysians in general. For example, the infant, toddler and maternal mortality rates have declined to levels reflective of developed countries namely, 9.5, 0.7 and 0.2 per 1,000 live births respectively in 1997. The nutritional status of Malaysians mirrors a society that is undergoing nutrition transition. Consequences of the dual burden of under- and over-nutrition are evident in various age groups in rural and urban areas. Nutrition problems which persist include underweight and stunting in children, anaemia in young children, women and the elderly, iodine deficiency disorders in interior population groups in Sarawak and Sabah, folic acid deficiency among pregnant women, and subclinical retinol deficiency in young children. The Ministry of Health has played a pivotal role in implementing various nutrition intervention programmes towards the alleviation of these problems. These programmes will be elaborated.
Cooperative Role of Ubiquitin E2 and E3 in Streptococcus Mutans Dental Caries

Periodontal disease or periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which involves a group interactions between the pathogen and cellular host response. It is found to be the most prevalent bacterial diseases in humans. Ubiquitination is the mechanism in which the polypeptide ubiquitin is covalently attached to the obsolete proteins and degrades them with the help of three enzymes namely E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzyme), E2 (Ubiquitinconjugating enzyme), and E3 (Ubiquitin ligase). Any misfolding or malfunction of these proteins results in the overall destability leading to metabolic disorders in humans. It was studied that some E3 enzymes help in activating the E2 enzymes. The study was aimed mainly to see the role of E2 in the ubiquitination process and to screen the expression levels in the absence of E3. In this study the protein of interest was extracted from the recombinant bacterial clones and purified using the affinity, ion exchange and gel exclusion chromatography. The protein was then studied for the ubiquitination and deubiquitination assays and confirmation was done using SDS PAGE. E3 is normally required for the substrate complex formation, but in contrast we found that in the absence of E3, conjugating activity was found. Our results showed that E2 alone was responsible for the polyubiquitination which was confirmed on the western blot in both the assays. This peculiar feature of E2 can unravel many questions of genetic disorders too in humans.
Realization of Compact Tractor Beams using Acoustic Delay-Lines

A method for generating stable ultrasonic levitation of physical matter in air using single beams (also known as tractor beams) is demonstrated. The method encodes the required phase modulation in passive unit cells into which the ultrasonic sources are mounted. These unit cells use waveguides such as straight and coiled tubes to act as delay-lines. It is shown that a static tractor beam can be generated using a single electrical driving signal, and a tractor beam with one-dimensional movement along the propagation direction can be created with two signals. Acoustic tractor beams capable of holding millimeter-sized polymer particles of density 1.25 g/cm3 and fruit-flies (Drosophila) are demonstrated. Based on these design concepts, we show that portable tractor beams can be constructed with simple components that are readily available and easily assembled, enabling applications in industrial contactless manipulation and biophysics.
Building human capital in developing nations through SMEs: A strategic and complementary role for universities and small scale accounting and consulting firms

This paper introduces an SME development model, based on a case study of the Malaysian SME enabling environment. It proposes a structure of institutions that specifically addresses the different challenges faced by SMEs (including a lack of technological know-how, market and trade intelligence, advice on quality and capacity enhancements and financing), encased within supporting regulatory policies and synergistically linked with small scale accounting and consulting firms. It proposes establishing small business development units (SBDUs), within comprehensive universities, to strategically harness and deploy the universities’ internal brainpower for boosting nationwide SME development. It also suggests harnessing the power of the free market by promoting small scale accounting and consulting firms, that will serve as information intermediaries between SMEs, SBDUs and various institutions set in place to help SME development. A national human resource accounting policy is proposed to help in the governance of the SME sector. This policy would help to measure, manage and promote human capital development at the level of firms, economic sub sectors and the nation. Various incentives, such as tax exemptions and national level recognition and awards for successful consultants, will further promote SME development. These measures can also be promoted at regional levels, such as the ASEAN and APEC. Given that SMEs are major sources of employment, these measures that help to create robust SMEs that would support sustained long-term economic growth, which would in turn help sustain low unemployment rates and combat poverty.
WHICH FACTORS DETERMINE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF ECONOMICS FRESHERS? SOME SPANISH EVIDENCE

This paper analyses the impact of several factors potentially affecting academic performance of first-year undergraduates (freshers) in Economics at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid during 2002-2005. Outcomes are the grades obtained in three core subjects which differ substantially in their requirements of math skills. Our main finding is that those students who completed a technical track at high school tend to perform much better in math-intensive subjects than those who followed a social sciences track and that the latter do not perform better in subjects where prior training in economics is bound to be helpful.
Theoretical Characteristics of Metalloporphyrins (OEP) M (CH3) (M=Al, Ga, In and Tl)

A theoretical study of metalloporphyrins molecules (OEP) M (CH3) (M=Al, Ga, In and Tl) are brought to a few experimental data and to give background for future development of these complexes. The Quantum Chemistry Program (ORCA) program package based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time-dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) for transitions at the B3LYP level with ANO 2ζ+P base was used for calculations and determination of structural properties, electronic properties and orbitals with associated electronic transitions. A structural, energy and orbital analysis was performed to study the interactions between metal and porphyrinic macrocycle, to establish different electronic transitions to understand the influence of the metal’s nature. The results obtained are in good accord with some previous theoretical results and experimental investigations.
Continuity and renewal at the top: performance effects of the level, extent, type and frequency of top management team changes

This study examines performance effects of changes in the top management team using an eleven-year period longitudinal research design with a sample of 45 major Dutch multinationals. Since changes at the top are a multi-faceted phenomenon, we study the topic from four different angles. Results indicate that the level of change in terms of CEO versus non-CEO changes and the extent of change in terms of the proportion of managers entering or exiting the team do not influence subsequent firm performance. Type and frequency of change however do matter. Our results indicate that renewal of top management teams in terms of non-retirement exits and limited outside entries can be beneficial for firm performance in the following year, especially when exits and entries are well aligned. On the other hand, a certain degree of continuity is also warranted. Too many outside entries at the same time were found to be disadvantageous in the short-run, while many CEO successions in a row were found to be disadvantageous in the longer-run.
Interactive comment on “Minimum forest cover for sustainable water flow regulation in a watershed under rapid expansion of oil palm and rubber plantations” by Suria Tarigan et al

Anonymous Referee #2 General comments: I found the topic and results described in this manuscript to be quite interesting. There is very limited information available in the literature to date regarding the potential effects of expanded production of rubber or oil palm trees, using SWAT model or any other modeling approach. Thus I think that the information reported in this manuscript will ultimately prove to be a useful contribution to Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS) and the existing literature in general. However, I believe that the current manuscript suffers from several deficiencies including C1
An Integrated Intelligent Neuro-Fuzzy Algorithm for Long-Term Electricity Consumption: Cases of Selected EU Countries

This paper presents an adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for long-term natural Electric consumption prediction. Six models are proposed to forecast annual Electric demand. 104 ANFIS have been constructed and tested in order to find the best ANFIS for Electric consumption. Two parameters have been considered in the construction and examination of plausible ANFIS models. The type of membership function and the number of linguistic variables are two mentioned parameters. Six different membership functions are considered in building ANFIS, as follows: the built-in membership function composed of the difference between two sigmoidal membership functions (dsig), the Gaussian combination membership function (gauss2), the Gaussian curve built-in membership function (gauss), the generalized bell-shaped built-in membership function (gbell), the Π-shaped built-in membership function (pi), psig. Also, a number for linguistic variables has been considered between 2 and 20. The proposed models consist of input variables such as: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Population (POP). Six distinct models based on different inputs are defined. All of the trained ANFIS are then compared with respect to the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). To meet the best performance of the intelligent based approaches, data are pre-processed (scaled) and finally our outputs are post-processed (returned to its original scale). The ANFIS model is capable of dealing with both complexity and uncertainty in the data set. To show the applicability and superiority of the ANFIS, the actual Electric consumption in industrialized nations including the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Italy from 1980 to 2007 are considered. With the aid of an autoregressive model, the GDP and population by 2015 is projected and then with yield value and best ANFIS model, Electric consumption by 2015 is predicted.
Growth Performance, Haematology and Meat Quality Of Broiler Chickens Fed Rumen Liquor-Fermented Wheat Bran-Based Diets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of wheat bran fermented with rumen liquor and its effect on performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. Wheat Bran (WB) was fermented using rumen liquor as source of microbes for 3 days. The unfermented and fermented WB were used to formulate experimental diets at 0, 10, 20 and 30% to give 7 dietary treatments. Two hundred and ten 4-week old Hubbard chicks were allocated to the treatments in a completely randomized design. After the 3-day fermentation, crude protein content was 15.33 and 16.82% for unfermented and fermented WB, respectively. Final weight, total weight gain and feed conversion ratio were not (P > 0.05) influenced by dietary treatments. The diets promoted similar carcass, meat and haematological characteristics. In summary, fermented wheat bran can be included in broiler-chicken finisher diets without significant adverse effects on their performance, haematology and meat quality.
The Effect of Spraying with Two Different Sources of Calcium in Vegetative Growth Characteristics and Yield of Potato

A field experiment was conducted in Research Station A College of AgricultureUniversity of Baghdad, during the fall season of 2015, which attempts to study the effect of spraying calcium of two different sources, mineral and organic:aliquid mineral fertilizer (Fosfital calcium) atthree levels (2.5, 5, 7.5ml.L -1 ) and the a liquid organic fertilizer (Polixal) withthree levels (2.5, 5, 7.5 ml.L -1 ) beside control treatment in the vegetative growth and production indicators of Burren potato variety using Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The experiment results demonstrated that spraying with the calcium organic source enhancedvegetative growth indicators as represented in the number of leaves and the dry weight of the vegetative growth, wherenon-significant in number of air stems indicator.However,calcium from organic source also gave a significant effect inthe tubers production and the crop indicators as represented by the dry matter percentage, tubers content of N, Ca, protein, starch, activity of a-amylase and peroxidase enzymes, marketable plant yield, number of marketable tubers, and the total marketable yield . It was also found that spraying with mineral calcium source gave the highest content of P and K in yielding tubers in compare to control treatment which gave the lowest values of these indicators.These results showed the significance of foliar application with calcium from organic source and it ′ s positive effectin improving the crop quality, nutritional content andreducing negative effects in the environment which result from using the mineral sources.
Computation of the frequency response of a nonlinearly loaded antenna within a cavity

Abstract. We analyze a nonlinearly loaded dipole antenna which is located within a rectangular cavity and excited by an electromagnetic signal. The signal is composed from two different frequencies. In order to calculate the spectrum of the resulting electromagnetic field within the resonator we transform the antenna problem into a network problem. This requires to precisely determine the antenna impedance within the cavity. The resulting nonlinear equivalent network is solved by means of the harmonic balance technique. As a result the occurrence of low intermodulation frequencies within the spectrum is verified.
Can competitive advantage be achieved through a single force? : Reviewing market based factors leading to a competitive advantage.

This paper provides an overview to theoretical and practical findings on the source of competitive advantage. More specifically, the study focuses on a single force which is barriers to entry, that is believed to be strong enough on it’s own to deliver competitive advantages. The findings are based on ten case study analyses, showing that economies of scale, customer captivity and proprietary technology are a strong source of competitive advantage that eventually lead to high barriers of entry. Our findings show that a combination of economies of scale and customer captivity will deliver the most competitive advantage in a market based view. Proprietary technology alone is not strong enough as a competitive factor as it can be easily imitated by others. Therefore, the study proposes companies to focus on economies of scale and customer captivity and try to position themselves in tightly drawn markets rather than big contested ones, meaning that they should position themselves in markets with higher barriers to entry.
Faecal Concentrations of Short-chain Fatty Acids and Selected Bacteria in Healthy and Celiac Children

Background: Knowledge about the interplay between diet, microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) so far exists. Moreover, raising evidence suggests their influence on the pathogenesis of the celiac disease (CD). Objective: Our aim was to study and evaluate differences in the composition of selected bacterial groups and SCFAs in faeces of healthy and CD children. Methods: The study included 41 children with CD, 8 newly discovered, not treated children (ND) and 33 children on gluten-free diet for more than 1 year (GFD) and 17 healthy children as a Control group. Bacterial communities and SCFAs in faecal samples were determined by real-time PCR and HPLC analysis, respectively. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between GFD and ND patients. GFD patients compared to Controls had significantly lower Lactobacillus spp. (p = 0.027) and Enterobacteriaceae family group (p = 0.003), but higher propionic acid (p = 0.034). Acetic (p = 0.027) and propionic acid (p = 0.014) were significantly higher in ND patients compared to Controls. Lactobacillus spp. negatively correlated with total SCFAs in the Control and the ND group. In ND and GFD patients, Lactobacillus spp. negatively correlated with Clostridium sensu stricto cluster I. A very strong positive correlation (p = 0.002) between Enterobacteriaceae family and Bacteroides fragilis was found in GFD patients. Conclusions: Changes in microbiota and SCFAs are clearly related to the pathogenesis of CD. As being potential pro-inflammatory agents in CD, acetic and propionic acid may serve as important disease-related markers. Their origin in relation to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium is debatable and still need to be further investigated. Enterobacteriaceae family might not be directly addressed to pathogenesis of CD.
The 3-Block KSOR Method for Full Rank Rectangular Systems

A new version of the KSOR method is considered to introduce the least squares solution of a full rank over determinant system of linear algebraic equations. The treatment depends on introducing an augmented non-singular square system through splitting the coefficient matrix A into two matrices A1, A2 with non-singular part, A1. Accordingly, a new version of the 3-block SOR method is introduced, the 3-block KSOR method. Selection of the relaxation parameter which guarantees the convergence in the sense of reducing the spectral radius of the iteration matrix is considered. Application of the theoretical results to a numerical example has confirmed the expected behaviour of the 3-block KSOR method.
A Preliminary Investigation of Welfare Migration Induced by Time Limits

Studies on welfare programs in the United States have identified three types of welfare migration (employment, benefit, and amenity-related). This paper introduces a fourth type of migration induced by welfare time limits. After a welfare-dependent family runs out of benefits, it is possible for them to reset the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families time clock by crossing state lines to extend their benefits. Our theoretical results suggest that the likelihood of migration increases if the migration distance is small or the gain from the move is large. We hypothesize that, ceteris paribus, families migrating in order to extend their benefits will minimize the distance they migrate, and will be likely to move into the nearest state, especially into counties just across the state border. We utilize macro data at the county level to look for evidence of time-limit induced migration. Estimates indicate that time limits may be associated with an increase in welfare migration.
Using Deep Learning in Collection Management to Reduce the Taxonomist’s Workload

The completeness and quality of the information in natural history museum collections is essential to support its use, such as in collection management. Currently, the accuracy of the taxonomic information largely depends on expert provided metadata, such as species identification. At present an increase in the use of digitization techniques coincides with a dwindling of the number of taxonomic specialists, creating a growing backlog in specimen identifications. We are investigating the role of artificial intelligence for automatic species identification in supporting collection management. When identifying collection specimens, common species are predominantly present, taking up a large amount of the expert’s time, who has to deal with a relatively easy, repetitive task. Therefore, one of our aims is to use human expertise where it is most needed, for complex tasks, and use properly validated computational methods for repetitive, less difficult identifications. To this end, we demonstrate the use of automatic species identification in digitization workflows, using deep learning based image recognition. We investigated potential gains in the identification process of a large digitization project of papered Lepidoptera (>500,000 specimens). In this ongoing project, volunteers unpack, register and photograph the unmounted butterflies and repack them sustainably, still unmounted. Using only the individual images made by volunteers, taxonomic experts identify the specimens. Considering that the speed of digitization currently exceeds that of identification, a growing backlog of yet-to-be-identified specimens has formed, limiting the speed of publication of this biodiversity information. The test case for image recognition concerns specimens of the families Papilionidae and Lycaenidae, mostly collected in Indonesia. By allowing the volunteers to provide an automatically generated identification with each image, we enable the taxonomic specialists to quickly validate the more easily identifiable specimens. This reduces their workload, allows them to focus on the more demanding specimens and increases the rate of specimen identification. We demonstrate how to combine computer and human decisions to ensure both high data quality standards and reduction of expert time.
Quality indexes to assess the reliability of genotypes in studies using noninvasive sampling and multiple‐tube approach

In noninvasive studies, the intersample variance in DNA quality and quantity is large, and produces multilocus genotypes of highly variable quality. Here we propose a standardized method for testing the reliability of the genotyping procedure when using the multiple-tube approach. The quality indexes generated will allow reliable comparisons among samples, loci, studies, and field and/or laboratory protocols. These indexes represent a powerful tool for the quality management of noninvasive studies.