Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutritional Quality, Mycotoxins and Antinutritional Factors in Quality Protein Maize-Based Supplementary Foods for Children in Tanzania

Most complementary foods used for children in Tanzania are low in energy and nutrient content. In addition, they may contain contaminants such as mycotoxins and also antinutritional factors. The aim of this study was to determine nutritional quality of quality protein maize-based supplementary foods and levels of mycotoxins (fumonisins, aflatoxins) and antinutritional factors (phytates, tannins). Three composite diets were prepared from quality protein maize namely; quality protein maize-soybeans; quality protein maize-soybeans-common beans and quality protein maize-soybeans-cowpeas. The fourth and fifth diets were prepared from plain quality protein maize and plain common maize. The formulations were made to meet the greatest amino acid scores and the desired amount of energy and protein according to the FAO/WHO (1985) recommendation for pre-school children. Concentrations of energy, protein, amino acid, aflatoxins, fumonisins, phytates and tannins were determined by standard methods. Quality protein maize-soybeans-common beans and quality protein maize-soybeans-cowpeas met RDA for both energy (360 kcal/100 g) and protein (16 g/100 g) for children aged 2-5 years. The amino acid scores for QPM-based diets were higher than the recommended scores (≥65%) for supporting optimal growth of children. Concentrations of fumonisin B1 and total fumonisin were 1687.82 and of 1717.16 μg/kg in quality protein maize and 1625.08 and 1745.22 μg/kg in plain common maize, respectively. These values were above the maximum tolerable limit of 1000 μg/kg recommended by the European commission. Efforts such as good agricultural practices and proper processing of food ingredients by sorting, dehulling and washing are recommended to reduce concentrations of fumonisins in maize grains.
Persistent Performance of Fund Managers: An Analysis of Selection and Timing Skills

The persistence in manager’s ability to select stocks and to time risk factors is a vital issue for accessing the performance of any asset management company. The fund manager who comes out successful today, whether the same will be able to sustain the performance in the future is a matter of concern to the investors and other stakeholders. More than the stock picking ability of fund managers, one would be interested in knowing whether there is consistency in selectivity and timing performance or not. If a fund manager is able to deliver better performance consistently i.e. quarter-after-quarter or year-after-year, then the managers’ performance in selecting the right type of stocks for the portfolio would be considered satisfactory. This paper has attempted to analyze the persistence in both stock selection and timing performance of mutual fund managers in India through Henriksson & Morton; Jenson, and Fama’s model over a period of five years. It is found that the fund managers present persistence in selection skills, however, the sample funds haven’t shown progressive timing skills in the Indian context.
Extension of Group Interaction Modelling to predict chemorheology of curing thermosets

This paper describes an extension of viscoelastic Group Interaction Modelling (GIM) to predict the relaxation response of linear, branched and cross-linked structures. This model is incorporated into a Monte Carlo percolation grid simulation used to generate the topological structure during the isothermal cure of a gel, so enabling the chemorheological response to be predicted at any point during the cure. The model results are compared to experimental data for an epoxy-amine systems and good agreement is observed. The viscoelastic model predicts the same exponent power-law behaviour of the loss and storage moduli as a function of frequency and predicts the cross-over in the loss tangent at the percolation condition for gelation. The model also predicts the peak in the loss tangent which occurs when the glass transition temperature surpasses the isothermal cure temperature and the system vitrifies.
A study on knowledge, attitude and practice about organ donation among college students in Telangana state

Background: The change of disease pattern from communicable to non communicable or chronic diseases leading to end stage organ damage has led to the increase in the requirement of organ transplantation. Though the quality of organ transplantation has improved, the organ transplantation rate in India is 0.26 per million. Such a low rate is due to the lack of knowledge and misconception about organ donation.Methods: A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was prepared, participants were chosen at random from the study population, they were interviewed with the questionnaire and their responses were computed and analysed.Results: In this study population, all of them knew about organ donation. The study shows that 62.7% of the students have adequate knowledge about organ donation. 67% of them would like to donate organs in future and 85% were willing to motivate their family to be an organ donor.Conclusions: The present rate of organ transplantation would be improved only when the society is educated with the knowledge, uncover the myths and misconceptions. It is also important that the organizations as to where and how to approach for the donation is known to all. Media being a powerful weapon of the generation can be a great tool to reach the society.
Effect of TiO2 Nanoparticles on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Cement at Low Temperatures

Low temperature negatively affects the engineering performance of cementitious materials and hinders the construction productivity. Previous studies have already demonstrated that TiO2 nanoparticles can accelerate cement hydration and enhance the strength development of cementitious materials at room temperature. However, the performance of cementitious materials containing TiO2 nanoparticles at low temperatures is still unknown. In this study, specimens were prepared through the replacement of cement with 1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, 3 wt. %, 4 wt. %, and 5 wt. % TiO2 nanoparticles and cured under temperatures of 0°C, 5°C, 10°C, and 20°C for specific ages. Physical and mechanical properties of the specimens were evaluated through the setting time test, compressive strength test, flexural strength test, hydration degree test, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to examine the performance of cementitious materials with and without TiO2 nanoparticles at various curing temperatures. It was found that low temperature delayed the process of cement hydration while TiO2 nanoparticles had a positive effect on accelerating the cement hydration and reducing the setting time in terms of the results of the setting time test, hydration degree test, and strength test, and the specimen with the addition of 2 wt. % TiO2 nanoparticles showed the superior performance. Refined pore structure in the MIP tests, more mass loss of CH in TGA, intense peak appearance associated with the hydration products in XRD analysis, and denser microstructure in SEM demonstrated that the specimen with 2 wt. % TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited preferable physical and mechanical properties compared with that without TiO2 nanoparticles under various curing temperatures.
Influence of the Solid Phase's Fractional Composition on the Filtration Characteristics of the Drilling Mud

Filtration of the drilling mud is one of it's most important parameters, especially when drilling-in producing formation. Decrease of filtration characteristics allows reducing both solid and liquid phases's penetration zone into the formation. The study of the effect of the weighting-bridging agent's fractional composition on the filtration rate allows selecting of optimal composition of the solid phase in the the drilling mud. This paper presents studies of the static filtration rate of drilling mud with addition of various weighting-bridging agents. The obtained result indicates that an intensive decrease in the filtration rate is observed at calcium carbonate's introduction into the solution with an average particle size of up to 50 μm. Further studies should be directed to investigate the dynamic filtration rate, the possibility of "mixing" of various fractions in the composition of one solution and the evaluation of their influence on the filtration rate.
Multiscale Routes to Supply Nutrients Through the Kuroshio Nutrient Stream

In this study, the role of the Kuroshio as a nutrient conduit is discussed using results from eddy-resolving, and nested high-resolution numerical simulations using Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) coupled with a N 2 PZD 2 ecosystem model, and results from recent in-situ observations. The eddy-resolving simulation can reproduce the elevated nutrient concentrations along the Kuroshio compared to those in ambient waters of the same density, similar to the Gulf Stream. The nested simulations show that nutrients in the upstream Kuroshio can be supplied to euphotic zone by strong diapycnal mixing associated with the Kuroshio over topography. This large nutrient input is consistent with the very strong turbulent mixing observed directory in the upstream Kuroshio regions, where the Kuroshio flows over the seamounts and on the continental slope. The autonomous microstructure float observations also suggest that the large turbulent nitrate diffusive flux occurs in the Izu Ridge, along the Kuroshio. These diapycnal processes may explain why the basin scale nutrient elevation on the density surface along the Kuroshio path is maintained. During winter-spring, in the model downstream Kuroshio Extension, a large nitrate induction of O(10 mmol N m 2 day -1 ), comparable to or greater than wintertime diffusive nitrate flux, occurs through the inclined mixed layer base, which is strongly influenced by the mesoscale structures.
Relationships among Utilitarian and Hedonic Values, Brand Affect and Brand Trust in the Smartphone Industry

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among utilitarian and hedonic values, brand affect and brand trust in the smart phone industry. In this regard, an online survey was conducted on smart phone consumers in Turkey. Online consumers participated in the survey which took place in the relevant web page. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that utilitarian and hedonic values significantly influence brand affect, and brand affect has a significant impact on brand trust. While utilitarian value is positively related to brand trust, hedonic value is found to have no significant influence on brand trust.
Effect of Gibberellin and Ethephon on Growth and Yield of Bread Wheat Grown in Different Sowing Dates

A field trial was conducted in a private farm at AL-Hilla, Iraq during the growing season 2014-2015. The objective of this study was to investigate the foliar application of ethephon and gibberellin on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar Iba.99 planted in different dates. Results of this experiment revealed that: application of ethephon (GR2) caused a significant increase in grain yield (an average) of 3.754 t ha-1 due to its superiority in one of the main components (number of spike.m-2) which was amounted to 328.25 spike m-2 as a result of increased number of tillers (377.18 tiller m-2). However, gibberellin (GR1) had significant increase in the weight of thousand grain (38.26 g). Planting date in November 18 (D3) significantly increased the grain yield to 5.25 tons. ha-1 due to high values of grain yield components. Most growth traits, were reflected in an increased biological yield. There was a significant interaction between planting dates and plant growth regulators (ethephon and gibberellin) in all traits, except spike length.
The Effect of Teaching Music on Active Memory of Educable Mentally-Retarded Children

The present study was conducted with the purpose of considering the effectiveness of teaching music on active memory of educable mentally retarded children. For this purpose, a group of 20 mentally retarded students were randomly selected and then the subjects were randomly divided into one experimental group and one control group. Pretest was conducted on both groups and then the test group was taught music for 18 sessions, 60 minutes each (3 sessions a week). The tools used in this study include three subscales of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), which measure working memory and include letter-number sequencing, digit span and arithmetic. To test the hypotheses, first, descriptive statistics indicators related to pretest and posttest scores were used in data description section, and then, using ANCOVA and proper statistical calculations with SPSS software package, data were analyzed. Results showed that teaching music led to an improvement in working memory performance in working memory subscales, with the most effect being on letter-sequencing and the least effect on digit span subscale (P<0.01). Therefore, that the results indicated that teaching music led to improved working memory performance in educable mentally retarded children.
A Comparison of Factors Influencing Malaysia and Southern Thailand Women Entrepreneurs' Success

Background: Women entrepreneurs make significant contribution to employment, economy and development of the ASEAN nations.The importance of women entrepreneurs have been stressed time and time again by most ASEAN countries like in Malaysia and Thailand. However, their success in entrepreneurship remains unclear.Objective: Objective of this study is to examine personal factors, social factors, and organizational factors which influence the success of Malaysian women entrepreneurs and made a comparison with the Southern Thai women entrepreneurs.Results: Success factors in Malaysia and Thai women entrepreneurs are similar due to significant and positive associations with independent variables such as individual factors namely motivation, risk-taking, work-family balance, and organizational factors i.e. management, marketing, financial, and operational skills However due to the difference in the political, economic and social environment of Malaysia and Thailand , the environmental influencing factors are different in Malaysia versus their Thai counterparts.Malaysian women entrepreneurs obtained and gained access more easily to support and financial aid by the government in a more political stable environment, and they have stronger social ties or relationship with their suppliers and customers due to the concept of "Guanxi" or relationship. Religious values and spiritual factors also contribute more strongly to the success of Malaysian women entrepreneurs than Thais.Conclusion: The findings of this study have revealed the importance of personal and organizational factors to the success of women entrepreneurs both in Malaysia and Thailand.It also revealed the need to study the environmental factors affecting different nations to understand the factors influencing the success of women entrepreneurs in different countries. Based on this study more research can be triggered by other authors to further understand various other factors effecting women entrepreneurs in ASEAN countries.
Transport Investment and poverty reduction: the African experience using dynamic panel data estimates

This paper focuses on transport infrastructure as an element in poverty alleviation for the case of a sample of 21 African economies for the period 1980-2007. Using an aggregate poverty function at the macroeconomic level, both the static and dynamic panel estimates suggest a pro-poor impact of transport infrastructure. Growth of the country, financial development, human capital, communication infrastructure and employment are all found to be important ingredients in the poverty fight while inequality exacerbates it. The GMM estimates interestingly validated that poverty is essentially a dynamic phenomenon and constitutes a vicious cycle and a dynamic phenomenon. Further analysis using panel causality consolidated
Micropropagation and root culture of Turkish endemic Astragalus chrysochlorus (Leguminosae)

Efficient micropropagation and root culture protocols were developed for the endemic Astragalus chrysochlorus Boiss. & Kotschy. A high frequency of shoot formation (100%) and maximum multiplication (13 shoots per hypocotyl explant) were achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0.5 mg/L trans-Zeatin riboside (ZR). By using single regenerated hypocotyl explants, rooting was achieved at a rate of 93% on MS medium containing 2% sucrose without growth regulators. High frequency callus initiation and growth were achieved when single hypocotyl explants were inoculated on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Plant regeneration through indirect organogenesis was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L ZR. Root cultures were successfully established in liquid MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L a-Naphthaleneacetic acid. The optimised in vitro propagation, callus culture, and root culture protocols offer the possibility to use cell/root culture techniques for vegetative propagation and secondary metabolism studies on Astragalus L. species.
A distributed method to estimate RDCB and SDCB using a GPS receiver network

In this paper, a distributed method to estimate satellite and receiver differential code biases (DCBs) separately utilizing a network of global positioning system (GPS) receivers is proposed. The proposed method consists of many local filters and a single fusion module. Each local filter estimates vertical ionospheric delays (VIDs) and the combined DCBs (CDCBs) by utilizing dual-frequency code and carrier-phase measurements from each receiver. The fusion module gathers the combined DCB estimates and their estimation errors from all the local filters. Then it discriminates the satellite DCBs (SDCBs) and the receiver DCBs (RDCBs) separately. By an experiment, it is shown that the RMS difference of SDCBs and RDCBs between the proposed method and the IGS product are around 0.374 m and 0.424 m, respectively.
Ecological inference and spatial heterogeneity: an entropy‐based distributionally weighted regression approach

In this article we compare two competing approaches to ecological modelling using test data. The first approach is based on the "traditional" method of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), assuming constancy of parameters across disaggregated spatial units (spatial homogeneity). The second (new) approach is based on the method of Generalised Cross-Entropy (GCE), assuming varying parameters (spatial heterogeneity). The latter approach is designated as entropy-based "distributionally weighted regression" (DWR). The two approaches are tested in a real-world application, using data on per-capita GDP for the 17 regions and some covariates for the 50 provinces of Spain. Specifically, the performances of the two approaches are assessed by examining their capability in tracking the actual per-capita GDP data for the provinces (while treating them as if they were not observed by the econometrician), and in showing evidence of spatial heterogeneity. Our findings indicate that the GCE varying-parameter approach outperforms the OLS approach in terms of predictive power. Specifically, we find that the GCE predictions make efficient use of the lower-level information that is available. In addition, it is shown that entropy-based DWR has some potential as a useful technique for investigating spatially heterogeneous relationships at the lower level of analysis that might otherwise be overlooked. Copyright (c) 2006 the author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2006 RSAI.
Molecular and Immunological Mechanisms of B-Cell Death in Type 1 DiabetesMellitus

The major susceptibility genes to T1DM are located mainly in HLA region. In addition to HLA, many genes, such as human insulin gene (INS), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) and PTPN22, also contribute to the risk of T1DM. The mechanisms involved in the β-cell destruction in T1DM are complex. The main feature of this disease is lymphocytic infiltration or inflammation in pancreatic islets insulitis causes destruction of the insulin producing β-cells. The main defects in type 1 diabetes are presence of autoantigens and abnormalities in immune cells. This review outlines the molecular and immunological mechanisms mediate destruction of the pancreatic β-cells.
Variations in surface water‐ground water interactions along a headwater mountain stream: Comparisons between transient storage and water balance analyses

The accumulation of discharge along a stream valley is frequently assumed to be the primary control on solute transport processes. Relationships of both increasing and decreasing transient storage, and decreased gross losses of stream water have been reported with increasing discharge; however, we have yet to validate these relationships with extensive field study. We conducted transient storage and mass recovery analyses of artificial tracer studies completed for 28 contiguous 100 m reaches along a stream valley, repeated under four base‐flow conditions. We calculated net and gross gains and losses, temporal moments of tracer breakthrough curves, and best fit transient storage model parameters (with uncertainty estimates) for 106 individual tracer injections. Results supported predictions that gross loss of channel water would decrease with increased discharge. However, results showed no clear relationship between discharge and transient storage, and further analysis of solute tracer methods demonstrated that the lack of this relation may be explained by uncertainty and equifinality in the transient storage model framework. Furthermore, comparison of water balance and transient storage approaches reveals complications in clear interpretation of either method due to changes in advective transport time, which sets a the temporal boundary separating transient storage and channel water balance. We have little ability to parse this limitation of solute tracer methods from the physical processes we seek to study. We suggest the combined analysis of both transient storage and channel water balance more completely characterizes transport of solutes in stream networks than can be inferred from either method alone.
Stock Prices and Microeconomic Variables: T-Y Granger Causal Evidence From Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE)

This study examines the long-run equilibrium relationship and the direction of causality between stock prices at Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and a set of four stock market oriented factors technically can be defined as microeconomic variables. Through utilizing the methods of Unit Root tests, Johansen and Juselius (1990) Cointegration test and the long run Granger Causality test proposed by Toda and Yamamoto (1995), we have investigated the long-run equilibrium relationship as well as causal relationships between the DSE all share price index (DSI) and the four microeconomic variables (i.e. market dividend yield, market price-earnings multiples, monthly average market capitalization and monthly average trading volume) using monthly data from the period January 2000 to December 2010. Significant findings include long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables under study. However, DSI, in any way, do not granger cause dividend yield; but DSI has bi-directional causal relation with market price-earning multiples and the first lag of the monthly average trading volume. On the other hand, unidirectional causality is found from DSI to the first lag of monthly average market capitalization but no causality is found from the opposite direction. Keywords: Microeconomic Variables, Unit Root Test, Cointegration, T-Y Granger Causality