Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Acorn Fruit Oils Extracted from Selected Mediterranean Quercus Species

The present study is aimed to identifying the acorn fruit oil composition of three Mediterranean white oak group species, Quercus aegilops (QA), Quercus infectoria (QI), and Quercus calliprinus (QC). Samples were estimated for the oil contents of acorn fruits, oil chemical and physical constants, fatty acid profile, tocopherols, phenolic compounds, and sterols.The oil content, expressed as dry weight, was found to be 3.40-7.51%. The physical and chemical constants included specific gravity 0.912-0.922, refractive index 1.4529-1.4645, specific extinction at 232 nm 2.497-2.536 and at 270 nm 1.495-2.037, iodine value 75.2-87.6, and saponification value 192.6-219.4. The fatty acid compositions were determined by GC as methyl esters. The most abundant fatty acids were oleic (53.3-56.1%), linoleic 21.3-23.4%, palmitic 17.8-18.7%, linolenic 1.5-1.6% and stearic acid 1.02-1.60%. The Tocopherol content was high in the range of 1440-1783 mg kg -1 , γ-tocopherol constituted 84-91% of total tocopherols. Phenolic compounds were in remarkable amounts in all the three species 84-109 mg gallic acid kg -1 oil. Total sterol contents were between 2040-2480 mg kg -1 oil, with β-sitosterol being the main component comprising of 77.20-84.61%, followed by ∆ 5 -avenasterol (5.8-11.4%), campesterol (3.6-4.5%), and stigmasterol (2.6-3.8). The cholesterol content was relatively high (0.42-0.55%).
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Mental Health of Pakistani Nurses: The Mediator Role of Organizational Commitment

The present study investigates the mediating effect of organizational commitment between emotional intelligence (EI) and mental health (MH). The participants of the study were 252 nurses working in six big districts of KPK (Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Sawabi, Charsadda & Nowshehra), Pakistan. Data were collected through Organizational Commitment Scale (Meyer, Allen, & Smith, 1993), The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) and EI Scale (Wong & Law, 2002). Both EI and organizational commitment were significantly related to MH. The results of Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) explored that organizational commitment partially mediated the relationship between EI and MH. The final three factor model explored a significant path from EI to MH via organizational commitment. The findings discuss the effect of EI on MH.
Rainbow Nation , Rainbow Advertising ? Racial Diversity of Female Portrayals in South African Television Commercials

The paper examines female portrayals in South African television commercials, with a focus on roles and race. Advertising portrayals are generally considered reflective of the gender and racial diversity of a nation; and should therefore represent the target audience. In a country that features historical racial inequalities, the realignment of proportional racial representation is important. The study content analysed 245 unduplicated television commercials that featured women. Women were most frequently portrayed as product users; and they featured most often in personal care-product advertising. Contrary to the social diversity of the people of South Africa, the racial representation in the analysed commercials was over-representative in terms of the minority White racial group. Advertisers need to realign the representation of the different racial groups in television commercials, since a large and lucrative market segment could well be alienated by the current misrepresentation of racial diversity in these commercials.
Evaluation of important characters for improving cane yield in sugarcane (Saccharum sp.).

This study was conducted at the Sugar Crops Research Institute, Mardan, Pakistan to examine the associations among traits and their direct and indirect effects on sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) yield. A set of 28 sugarcane genotypes were evaluated in the plant cane crop in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2010-11 for 12 yield and quality traits. Highly significant genetic variation (P ≤ 0.01) among genotypes was noted. Correlation among the traits showed that number of tillers were significantly correlated with internode length (r = 0.30*) and number of millable stalks (0.38*). Stalk length was noted to have highly significant correlation with internode length (r=0.59**). Path coefficient analysis revealed that number of tillers and millable stalks, stalk length, and sucrose recovery had high direct effects on cane yield. Stalk diameter and Brix also showed positive direct effect on cane yield. Germination, number of internodes per stalk, internode length, polarized sugar (POL), and purity had negative direct effects on cane yield. The present study suggests that selection based on number of tillers, stalk length and recovery would be worthwhile in indirect selection for cane yield. However, a compromise should be made with other traits like purity, and internode length, through which they exhibited a negative indirect effect.
A Comparative Study on Digestive Parameters in an Indigenous Fat-tailed and a Conventional Dorper Sheep Fed on Maize Stover Crop Residue

The intake, dry matter (DM) digestibility, total mean retention time (TMRT) and weight changes were investigated in four fat tailed and four Dorper sheep fed on a maize stover crop residue. Animals were subjected to five dietary treatments, which were: 90, 135 and 180 g DM/kgBW 0.75 /day of chopped maize stover offered with urea, and in subsequent dietary treatments 180 g DM /kgBW 0.75 /day of stover supplemented with either dried bean husks or poultry manure. Although not statistically different (p>0.05) fat tailed sheep had higher maize stover intake than the Dorper sheep when expressed per metabolic body weight. The DM intake and digestibility increased significantly (p<0.001) in both sheep breeds when the maize stover offer levels were increased from 90 to 135 g /kgBW 0.75 /day. Dorper sheep had significantly (p<0.001) higher DM digestibility and longer total mean retention times for both the liquid and solid matter than the fat-tailed sheep. Fat-tailed sheep gained 4.75 kg while Dorper sheep gained 3.75 kg over the entire experimental period. The weight change per dietary treatment was affected by the amount of maize stover and the type and amount of supplement consumed. The higher DM digestibility and longer total mean retention time in Dorper sheep shows that the breed has adapted to utilize the low quality roughage diets. An indigenous fat tailed, has the potential to ingest high volumes of fibrous feed and has higher voluntary intakes relative to its body size. The two sheep breeds are a valuable genetic resource in sub Saharan Africa that is characterized by long dry season with no readily available and affordable conventional feeds for small ruminants. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2003. Vol 16, No. 4 : 529-533)
Flexible electret energy harvesters with parylene electret on PDMS substrates

Currently, most vibrational energy harvesters have rigid and resonant structures to harvest energy from periodic motions in specific directions. However, in some situations the motion is random and aperiodic; or the targeted energy source is the strain energy in deformation, rather than the kinetic energy in vibration. Therefore we propose and demonstrate a PDMS-based flexible energy harvester with parylene-C electret that can be attached to any deformable surfaces to harvest the stain energy caused by external deformation. The proposed flexible harvester was fabricated and characterized. The measured power at 20 Hz is 0.18 μW and 82 nW in the compression and bending modes, respectively. Such a harvester has the potential for wearable and implantable electronics applications.
Robotic milking and milk quality: effects on bacterial counts, somatic cell counts, freezing point and free fatty acids

Abstract Changes in milk quality after the introduction of automatic milking systems (AM-systems) on dairy farms in The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark were examined and the data were compared with milk quality results of farms with conventional milking technology. After introduction, a small, but significant increase in total bacterial count, somatic cell count, freezing point and free fatty acids was observed. The highest levels for total plate count and cell count are found in the first six months after introduction. After this period the milk quality slightly improves to a more stable level. Risk factors related with milk quality concern general farm characteristics, animal health, AM-system, cleaning and cooling, housing, management skills of the farmer and the hygiene on the farm. Total plate count was significantly related to milk yield of the herd, cleaning of the area around the AM-system and the overall hygiene on the farm. Bulk milk somatic cell count appeared to be significantly related to milk yield of the herd and the number of milkings before replacement of the liners. An increased milking frequency is not the only explanation of increased free fatty acid levels. Technical factors related to free fatty acids mainly concerned the air inlet in the teat cups, bubbling (excessive air inlet) and a too long post run time of the milk pump. However, several questions regarding the causes of increased free fatty acid levels remained unclear.
An improved vision-based surveillance system for Malaysia license plate detection

This paper introduces an improved vision-based surveillance system for Malaysian license plate detection. The system is based on the framework designed to detect a vehicle, extract the license plate area and segment its characters. The idea here is to build a real-time system that can achieve good performances in term of efficiency and processing time in extracting and segmenting Malaysian license plate. Through that challenge, morphological image processing techniques are used to extract the license plate and segment its characters. The result of the system in processing time will be compared with other license plate detection techniques in other countries.
Potential correlation of heavy metals in surface soils with infestation of Viscum album in poplar trees

Um die Variabilitat der Schwermetallkontamination in Oberflachenboden in Goslar zu untersuchen, wurde der Anteil bioverfugbarer Schwermetalle in Boden und Misteln (Viscum album) mit ICP-OES analysiert. Das Gebiet ist stark durch lange Bergbauaktivitaten beeinflusst. Ziel war es festzustellen, wie reprasentativ einzelne Bodenproben sind fur drei spezifische Gebiete, in denen die Zahl der Misteln auf den Baumen einen Bezug zum Kontaminationsgrad der Boden zu zeigen schienen, und ob eine mogliche Korrelation zwischen dem Grad der Bodenkontamination und dem Bewuchs von Baumen mit Misteln besteht. Die Metallgehalte in dem stark kontaminierten Gebiet lagen fast eine Grosenordnung uber den Gehalten im gering kontaminierten Gebiet (75 mg/kg Pb, 0,40 mg/kg Cd und 10,5 mg/kg Cu gegenuber 15 mg/kg Pb, 0,09 mg/kg Cd und 1,2 mg/kg Cu). Auser im stark kontaminierten Gebiet wurde eine Abnahme der Metalle mit der Tiefe im Boden festgestellt. Insgesamt waren von allen untersuchten Schwermetallen die Konzentrationen von Pb und Fe am hochsten und fur Cd und Ni am niedrigsten. Interessanterweise zeigten die Mistelblatter hohere Metallgehalte im gering kontaminierten Gebiet im Vergleich zum hoch kontaminierten Gebiet, was moglicherweise auf einen Mechanismus zur Verhinderung von Metallaufnahmen durch die Pflanze zuruckzufuhren ist, der erst bei gewissen hoheren Metallbelastungen wirksam ist. Die Ergebnisse dieser Mikro-Okosystemstudie zeigen eine hohe Variabilitat zwischen einzelnen Beprobungspunkten innerhalb eines untersuchten Gebietes, die bei einer grosskaligen geostatistischen Analyse von Korrelation zwischen Schwermetallkontaminationen und Mistelbefall berucksichtigt werden mussen.
Co-Occurrence of Design Patterns and Bad Smells in Software Systems: An Exploratory Study

A design pattern is a general reusable solution to a recurring problem in software design. Bad smells are symptoms that may indicate something wrong in the system design or code. Therefore, design patterns and bad smells represent antagonistic structures. They are subject of recurring research and typically appear in software systems. Although design patterns represent good design, their use is often inadequate because their implementation is not always trivial or they may be unnecessarily employed. The inadequate use of design patterns may lead to a bad smell. Therefore, this paper performs an exploratory study in order to identify instances of co-occurrences of design patterns and bad smells. This study is performed over five systems and discovers some co-occurrences between design patterns and bad smells. For instance, we observed the co-occurrences of Command with God Class and Template Method with Duplicated Code. The results of this study make it possible to understand in which situations design patterns are misused or overused and establish guidelines for their better use.
A 16SrII-D Phytoplasma strain associated with Tomato Witches'- Broom in Bushehr province, Iran

In 2010- 2012 surveys, witches'- boom disease of tomato was observed in Borazjan area (Bushehr province, Iran). Agent of the disease was transmitted from tomato to tomato and eggplant by grafting and to Madagascar periwinkle via dodder inoculation, inducing phytoplasma-type symptoms in inoculated plants. Presence of phytoplasma in naturally affected tomatoes and all symptomatic graft and dodder inoculated plants was confirmed by direct and nested polymerase chain reactions (PCR) using primer pairs P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2. BLAST search and phylogenetic analysis of 16SrDNA showed that detected phytoplasma belonged to peanut witches'- broom (16SrII) group. Phylogenetic analysis, percent homology and virtual RFLP indicated that, as a member of 16SrII group, Borazjan tomato witches'- broom (BTWB) phytoplasma together with Bushehr eggplant and alfalfa witches'- broom (BEWB and BAWB, respectively) phytoplasmas were classified with Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia, a phytoplasma related to 16SrII-D subgroup. Based on the same analysis, BTWB, BEWB and BAWB phytoplasmas were differentiable from three other Iranian 16SrII related phytoplasmas associated with alfalfa witches'- broom diseases in Yazd and Fars provinces and lime witches'- broom disease in southern Iran.This is the first report of tomato witches'- broom disease and characterization of its associated phytoplasma in Iran.
1WHSP: An IR-based sample of ~1000 VHE γ-ray blazar candidates

Context. Blazars are the dominant type of extragalactic sources at microwave and at γ-ray energies. In the most energetic part of the electromagnetic spectrum (E > 100 GeV) a high fraction of high Galactic latitude sources are blazars of the high synchrotron peaked (HSP) type, that is BL Lac objects with synchrotron power peaking in the UV or in the X-ray band. Building new large samples of HSP blazars is key to understand the properties of jets under extreme conditions, and to study the demographics and the peculiar cosmological evolution of these sources. Aims. High synchrotron peaked blazars are remarkably rare, with only a few hundreds of them expected to be above the sensitivity limits of currently available surveys, some of which include hundreds of millions of sources. To find these very uncommon objects, we have devised a method that combines ALLWISE survey data with multi-frequency selection criteria. Methods. The sample was defined starting from a primary list of infrared colour–colour selected sources from the ALLWISE all sky survey database, and applying further restrictions on IR-radio and IR-X-ray flux ratios. Using a polynomial fit to the multi-frequency data (radio to X-ray), we estimated synchrotron peak frequencies and fluxes of each object. Results. We assembled a sample including 992 sources, which is currently the largest existing list of confirmed and candidates HSP blazars. All objects are expected to radiate up to the highest γ-ray photon energies. In fact, 299 of these are confirmed emitters of GeV γ-ray photons (based on Fermi-LAT catalogues), and 36 have already been detected in the TeV band. The majority of sources in the sample are within reach of the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), and many may be detectable even by the current generation of Cherenkov telescopes during flaring episodes. The sample includes 425 previously known blazars, 151 new identifications, and 416 HSP candidates (mostly faint sources) for which no optical spectra is available yet. The full 1WHSP catalogue is online at http://www.asdc. asi.it/1whsp/, providing a direct link to the SED building tool where multi-frequency data for each source can be easily visualised.
Circatidal swimming behaviors of fiddler crab Uca pugilator larvae from different tidal regimes

Fiddler crab Uca pugilator larvae are released within estuaries near the time of high tide and are exported offshore to undergo development. Previous studies indicate that zoea-1 larvae use selective tidal-stream transport (STST) to migrate from adult habitats to shelf waters. In areas with semidiurnal tides, this behavior is mediated by a circatidal rhythm that is characterized by upward swimming toward the surface during ebb tide, followed by a descent toward the bottom during flood tide. We tested the hypothesis that U. pugilator zoeae from different tidal regimes possess activity rhythms that match local tidal patterns. Ovigerous crabs with late-stage embryos were collected from areas with semidiurnal, diurnal, and mixed tides and from an area within a microtidal coastal lagoon. Following hatching, swimming activity was monitored under constant conditions for 96 h. Zoeae from semidiurnal and diurnal regimes possessed activity rhythms with free-running periods that matched the tides at the collection sites (≈12.4 and 24.8 h, respectively). Crabs from beaches with mixed tides displayed asymmetrical oscillations in swimming activity with dominant periodicities that corre- sponded to the semidiurnal and diurnal constituents of the tides. Zoeae from microtidal areas pos- sessed rhythms that were similar to those observed in crabs from areas with semidiurnal tides. At all locations, peaks in activity occurred during the time of expected ebb currents, which is consistent with STST behavior favoring seaward transport. Differences in larval activity patterns suggest that STST behaviors are controlled by separate circatidal and circalunidian clocks or paired circalunidian clocks coupled in antiphase.
Does deinstitutionalisation work? Relationships between psychiatric outpatient and inpatient care provision in a rural German catchment area

Objective: We intended to find out whether an intensification of outpatient care could have an influence on hospitalisations, readmissions, length of stay, coercive measures and involuntary admissions. Method: We investigated the development of some care variables within a district psychiatric hospital responsible for a rural catchment area of 320,000 inhabitants. Associations between inpatient care variables and outpatient activity were assessed by means of multivariate Prais-Winsten regression models for time series. Results: There was a dramatic reduction of mean LOS figures, associated with the activity level of the outpatient clinic. After the conclusion of the deinstitutionalisation process, total number of admissions, cumulative LOS, quotas of involuntary admissions and number of coercive measures did not increase when the number of beds and mean length of stay decreased. Readmissions decreased significantly when outpatient activity increased. Conclusions: Community-oriented ambulatory care on the basis of multi-disciplinary outreach teams seems to be able to reduce high-frequent readmissions and control mean LOS while at the same time a number of coercive measures keep the number of admissions stable. Economic and clinical effects on real inpatient care, however, cannot be definitively evaluated as long as bed provision does not decrease proportionally with the increase of ambulatory activity.
Clinical Aspects of Bleeding and Transfusion in Cardiac Surgery

Excessive bleeding after cardiac surgery is a serious complication that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The bleeding is multifactorial and influenced by both surgical factors and impaired haemostasis. It is important to identify patients with increased risk of bleeding before the operation so countermeasures can be initiated. A large proportion of cardiac surgical patients receive blood transfusions during and after surgery. Transfusion therapy can save lives, but is also associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality, so unnecessary transfusions should be avoided. There is little knowledge about when and on what indication blood transfusions are administered, and how well treating physicians follow current guidelines. Aims: One aim was to examine the relationship between preoperative levels of fibrinogen and other coagulation factors, and their relationship to postoperative bleeding and blood transfusion. Another was to assess the effects of a structured blood conservation programme, with the objective of reducing the administration of blood transfusions in cardiac surgical patients. A third aim was to study the prevalence, volumes and indications for red blood cell transfusions in cardiac surgery patients. The final aim was to examine adherence to institutional transfusion guidelines. Materials and methods: The first study (Paper I) involved 170 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Data on each patient ́s preoperative fibrinogen plasma concentration and other haemostatic tests, and postoperative bleeding and transfusion requirements, were collected. In Paper II, the study concerned 57 CABG patients. Plasma activity of coagulation factors involved in plasma coagulation was measured before and after surgery and related to haemodilution and postoperative blood loss. In Paper III, the study involved all 2162 patients who underwent cardiac surgery at our institution during a 24-month period. Transfusion requirements and transfusion-associated costs before and after introduction of a blood conservation programme were compared. In the study described in Paper IV, timing and indications for red blood cell transfusion in 1034 cardiac surgery patients were investigated and the adherence to institutional guidelines was assessed.
Quantifying uncertainties in global and regional temperature change using an ensemble of observational estimates: The HadCRUT4 data set

[1] Recent developments in observational near-surface air temperature and sea-surface temperature analyses are combined to produce HadCRUT4, a new data set of global and regional temperature evolution from 1850 to the present. This includes the addition of newly digitized measurement data, both over land and sea, new sea-surface temperature bias adjustments and a more comprehensive error model for describing uncertainties in sea-surface temperature measurements. An ensemble approach has been adopted to better describe complex temporal and spatial interdependencies of measurement and bias uncertainties and to allow these correlated uncertainties to be taken into account in studies that are based upon HadCRUT4. Climate diagnostics computed from the gridded data set broadly agree with those of other global near-surface temperature analyses. Fitted linear trends in temperature anomalies are approximately 0.07°C/decade from 1901 to 2010 and 0.17°C/decade from 1979 to 2010 globally. Northern/southern hemispheric trends are 0.08/0.07°C/decade over 1901 to 2010 and 0.24/0.10°C/decade over 1979 to 2010. Linear trends in other prominent near-surface temperature analyses agree well with the range of trends computed from the HadCRUT4 ensemble members.